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Her nipples hardened and she pulled the sheet up to cover her breasts again. “Funny.”
“Besides, it’s the closest thing I’m going to get. Plus it gives us the opportunity to be together without any chance of getting caught. No sneaking around. No guilt. Just sex. Lots and lots of sex.” He grinned.
A weekend away without responsibility. Without having to think about Cal and Ali every minute, wondering if they were alive and well. A weekend where all she had to focus on was expanding her career.
And Finn.
Cal would be at work, Ali was at school, and Mark would be around to keep the house intact. This could be just another baby step in the right direction of reclaiming her life as an independent adult.
And also the perfect opportunity for her to surprise Finn with a little seduction of her own. Something that would make him squirm with delight.
She grinned back. “I guess you could tag along. I will have the evenings free.”
He leaned back with a look of satisfaction. “It’s settled, then. When do we leave?”
…
From Finn’s seat at the bar, he had the perfect view of Veronica walking through the doors of the Lake House restaurant, where they’d agreed to meet for dinner the first night of their mini-getaway.
She surveyed the crowd looking for him, her fingers wrung together in front of her body. She was nervous about something. But what? She had no reason to be. They were all alone in Niagara.
For the very first time, he’d pulled rank and simply informed his staff he was taking a vacation. They didn’t even bat an eyelash. How many years had he sacrificed, thinking his employees needed him? That just wasn’t the case. The realization had hit him hard, which was why he’d chosen this specific restaurant. It was an opportunity to check in on one of his former students from the Cooking for the Future program.
Often, after a session had been completed and a new one begun, his brothers all lost touch with most of the previous students—except for the few Cole had hired for his restaurant. But Finn knew exactly what each of his kids had been doing since they’d graduated. Which ones had pursued the culinary arts, which ones went to university on scholarship, which ones regressed and decided they didn’t want to make a better life for themselves.
Under his watch, it was only a handful of kids who had not reached their full potential.
They’d all had the potential to be or do anything—they didn’t have to enter the food industry. The skills they’d learned in the program, while giving them a base with which to enter the culinary field, could translate into any occupation. They learned leadership, organization, the ability to work in fast-paced environments, delegation, and dealing with authority. A kitchen was a well-oiled machine. And just like any business, it needed savvy individuals to keep it running smoothly.
But for now, Finn would push aside his insecurities about whether he was needed or not.
He planned to make the most of his alone time with Veronica. He returned his attention to his date, who had made her way to the hostess desk, her palms placed firmly on the wood table. The hostess, a petite blonde with glasses, pointed in his direction.
When she saw him through the crowd, she smiled, and he raised his glass in invitation. Now that she had found him, her carriage was a little more confident, her gait a little more fluid. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and settled her glasses on her nose. As she approached, she didn’t look anywhere but at him. And he’d be lying if he didn’t admit the little black dress she’d squeezed her luscious body into did things to his man parts that made him want to fling her over his shoulder and caveman-carry her out to the car and have his wicked way with her.
And he had every indication she was thinking the exact same thing. Her desire danced like flames in the depths of her chocolate eyes. It used to be that he saw only the cute little girl who used to follow her brother around like a puppy. The cute little girl he had promised to keep safe. But those services were no longer needed. Time to move on to more interesting promises…
The closer she got, the more confident she became. Could it be he was the reason for her confidence? Or was it simply that she didn’t care about impressing him? Or maybe she was just glad to see him.
“How was your consultation?” he asked as she sidled up next to him. He leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on her lips, testing the waters of her PDA comfort level. But she held him there, even placed her hand on his cheek and moaned, just loud enough that only he could hear.
When he pulled away, her entire face lit up and gleamed with happiness. “Excellent. They signed on the dotted line.”
He smiled back, happy that she was just as committed to their alone time. He signaled the waiter to bring her the drink he’d already ordered for her. “Then this can be a celebratory dinner.”
She shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s just a new client. No big deal.”
Her expression didn’t match her response. Was she just being modest? Or did she really not understand her own potential? Even after all these years and all her successes, she still didn’t seem to realize the extent of her accomplishments.
“Anytime someone takes the time to solicit and book your business, it’s an honor,” he said. “Especially a wedding—one of the most important days of a couple’s life. So, yes, it’s definitely a celebration.”
She smiled. “I was hoping tonight’s dinner would be more along the lines of exploratory.”
He hiked a brow. “That sounds really clinical, and conjures images I don’t care to think about.” He had no idea why his mind immediately thought of probes and forbidden areas.
She laughed. “Let me rephrase.” The bartender brought her drink. She took a sip, downing half the liquid. “How about fulfilling a promise?”
She reached inside her purse and pulled out a small black item. She placed it on the bar and pushed it over to him while sliding her tight behind onto the stool beside him.
