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“What?”
“There might be a very, very small, uhh… fire. In the bakery. Right now.”
“The oven?” I asked, defeated.
“The oven.” She nodded.
I sighed. It was the fourth time this year.
“I’m coming.”
For the second time in two days, I was standing at the edge of my bed, naked as a jaybird, staring at options for what to wear that evening. This time, though, I only had about ten minutes to decide. Thankfully, I had already done my hair and makeup, so I sort of looked like the world’s most awkward pinup model when I caught my reflection in the mirror.
I wanted to wear something that would be okay in a professional setting, but I also wanted to wear something really hot. Whether that was because I wanted to look hot when I saw Victor or because I wanted to use my feminine wiles to distract him and smooth the idea of selling the company back over to me, I wasn’t entirely sure of.
The one thing I knew I was going to wear, just for me, was the red underwear. A lacy red bra and thong, it made me feel sexy and powerful. I was going to need all the help I could get. I slipped them on while I debated between the dress and the skirt. I wanted to show off my legs a little, but the dress was decidedly on the sexy side, while the skirt could be sexy but was much more on the professional side of things.
Deciding on the skirt with a red blouse that matched the underwear and had a convenient plunging neckline, I looked in the mirror and sighed. This was as dressed up as I had gotten in years. I simply never had the chance or reason to get dressed up like this.
I shook my head and sighed again. At least I was making the best of it now.
I went into the bathroom and sprayed on perfume, and then grabbed the purse that matched the blouse and headed for the door. Mero’s was only a few minutes’ drive away, but it was nearly eight. I had to get a move on.
Mero’s had only opened up a couple of months ago, sitting in a spot where an old Greek restaurant used to be that had closed down years before. Mero’s was a franchise in southern Texas, making its way north, and they’d decided putting one in Murdock of all places was a good idea. I had a feeling Mero’s wasn’t going to be able to expand too far with decisions like that.
Then again, it might drive some business into town, which would be good for the grocery store. Especially if people stayed in town, like at the bed and breakfast that had opened not long ago. I thought Carmela had said something about that place being owned by one of Mark and Victor’s friends too, but I couldn’t remember off the top of my head.
I arrived at the parking lot and took in the look of the place first, gauging whether or not I wanted to just turn around and leave. I still had that option, right up until Victor saw me. I could just get back in my car, call the whole thing off, and go home. I even had leftover Chinese in the fridge. I could make a night of it.
A black truck pulled in behind me, and I turned to look at it. A man inside waved, and my hand was halfway up before I realized it wasn’t just a friendly customer who recognized me as was often the case. It was Victor. He pulled into the spot a couple down from me and got out. I didn’t move from where I was at the end of my own car. The desire to leave had never been stronger.
Then I saw him. He was walking toward me, dressed in a smart suit that looked very different from the one he wore to the store the other day. It was designed to impress. It worked.
His broad shoulders filled the suit out and as he walked toward me with a swagger and a grin, I felt butterflies of an entirely different type fill my stomach.
“Hello princess,” he said as he neared me. He was looking me up and down with an appreciative look.
“Princess?” I repeated, attitude suddenly snapping back into my voice.
“I’m teasing you,” he said. “You look amazing, though. You could pass for one, easily.”
“Oh, well, thank you,” I said, knocked a bit off kilter.
“Shall we?” he asked.
He poked out his elbow, and even though a part of me still wanted to tear out his throat and offer that to the board on the next meeting, I was drawn to it like a magnet, slipping my hand inside the crook and walking alongside him.
He broke off to hold the door open for me, and as we got inside, the smell of the delicious food filled my senses. We went up to the hostess table, and Victor mentioned his name. They quickly ushered us to a booth, secluded away in a dark corner of the restaurant with a spectacular view of the street. My store was in the distance, it’s yellow light like a beacon.
But my attention wasn’t on that. It was on the boyish, charming grin across from me at the table. And at the way I found myself grinning back.
11
VICTOR
Well, this was going to be difficult.
Melanie looked absolutely stunning. The red blouse hugged the curve of her breasts tightly, and the neckline went down far enough to show a level of cleavage that was delightfully sinful.
