I scoot my chair closer to Blake’s. “Have to give it to Lottie for keeping her introduction short and sweet at the mayor’s Christmas auction.”
“I was just remembering that, too,” she admits quietly. “I’m as nervous now as I was that night.”
“Why were you nervous then?”
She gives me a funny look. “Are you serious? I was convinced no one would bid on my class. That Lottie would have to crack an awkward joke and move on to the next item, and everyone would laugh at me.” She takes a swig of her champagne. “Seems silly in retrospect.”
“Yeah, it is silly. Especially since that class was the highest bid of the night.”
“That was all you.”
“Damn right, it was. And let me tell you something, Sunshine. Anytime you ever donate anything to an auction, you can bet I’m going to win it.” I lean in closer. “After all, that class was exceptional. Worth every dollar.”
A deep blush spreads across her chest before creeping up her neck. Is she remembering that night at Frostbite Tavern and the way she came so beautifully for me?
I shift in my seat. I’m as hard as a rock from the imagery flashing through my mind.
The old geezer on stage finally wraps it up, and a waiter appears to take our drink order.
“I’d like an old-fashioned.” It’s the same drink I licked off her tits that night.
Blake swallows hard. “Water, please.”
The dinner service begins, and I make sure Blake eats her bread and pass her mine too. She needs something to soak up all the champagne she’s had, and the leek soup that’s brought for the first course ain’t going to do it.
She mumbles a quiet thanks.
When she finishes eating, I place my hand just above her bare knee, my pinky lightly brushing her inner thigh.
She glares at me. “Nero.”
“What?”
“Why are you touching me?”
“Because I’m obsessed with you, baby. Haven’t you realized that by now?”
A waiter comes around to take our empty soup plates away. Blake sits there stiffly until he leaves, then she reaches under the tablecloth and flicks my hand away.
“You’re taking advantage of the situation,” she mutters. “If we were here under normal circumstances, I’d throw my wine in your face.”
I grin. “Thank God for abnormal circumstances, then.”
Her expression flickers between bemusement and exasperation, but at least I’ve made her forget about her nerves. As long as she stays calm when she talks to Maksim, tonight should go off without a hitch.
I’m still uneasy about this whole thing, but every time I thought about calling it off, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Yes, there are risks, but I’ve managed far riskier situations as Rafe’s consigliere.
And the potential reward has never been as great. It’s not money on the line or the fucking promotion Gino’s dangling in front of me.
What’s on the line is my and Blake’s future. Working together is how I’ll earn her trust back. It’s how I’ll show her that we’re meant to be.
She leans in. “That kiss in the kitchen shouldn’t have happened. We should have talked about it before we came here to clear up any confusion.”
“Don’t worry. There’s no confusion at all.”
“I think there is. You can only touch me when it’s mission critical, got it?”
“Understood.”
