AllFreeNovel
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I open the door, and Dominic is looking fine as ever. He’s wearing a suit that I figure costs more than my first car. It’s all black aside from the crimson shirt. Since he doesn’t wear a tie, the top couple buttons of the shirt hang open, showing off a little bit of chest hair.
His intense hazel eyes look me up and down, and he cocks an eyebrow. “You look incredible,” he says, still sizing me up.
“Thank you. Back at you, Mr. Delgado.”
A whisper of a smile touches his lips. “Are you ready for dinner?”
I nod and follow him out the door. The walk down to the restaurant is a bit awkward because both of us are silent the entire way.It’s strange walking with Dominic because everyone stares, and I mean everyone. Men look at him with envy for his power and stature. Women look at him like they want to fuck him. And his employees just look scared of him. The man doesn’t say a word but still commands the attention of everyone around him.
Tonight, we go to a different restaurant than last night, but it’s equally as fancy. We still sit at a secluded table in the back once again. He steps around me to pull out my chair, and his hand grazes my low back, sending a shiver down my spine.
Good grief, calm down, Katarina.
We sit down, and each of us orders a drink—him, a bourbon, and me, another Long Island Iced Tea.
Looking over his menu, he asks, “Not much of a wine girl, huh?”
Crinkling my nose, I reply, “Nah. I don’t care for the taste. Plus, it gives me a hell of a hangover.”
“Fair enough.”
Once each of us has ordered and has a drink sitting in front of us, Dominic sets his elbows on the table and leans forward.
“You really do look gorgeous this evening,” he says, staring into my eyes.
My cheeks heat a little bit. “Thank you.” I’m not quite sure how to accept a compliment from him since it feels like it will come with strings.
“I’m glad the clothes and shoes fit alright.”
After I take a sip of my drink, I reply, “Yeah, you even guessed right on the underwear. You’re a regular Rain Man.”
That gets Dominic to laugh—actually laugh. I imagine the man hardly ever cracks a smile, but when he does, it’s positively panty-dropping.It drops my guard the slightest bit.
When we fall silent for a moment, I say, “Alright, Delgado, I think you still owe me an explanation.”
“Oh?”
“Mm-hmm. You told me that if I agreed to this whole thing, you would explain why you took an interest in me. Remember?”
“Ah, yes.” He sips his bourbon. “Truth be told, you fascinate me.”
“Should I take that as a compliment?” I ask.
“Absolutely. See, it takes a whole hell of a lot to pique my interest these days, but you went to the forefront of my mind straight away.”
I scoff. “Well, yeah. Because I was counting cards, and that would get any casino owner’s blood boiling.”
There’s that smile again.
“True,” he says. “But I could’ve busted you that first night. I immediately knew what you were up to.”
“You didn’t, though,” I interrupt.
“No, I didn’t. As I said, you fascinate me.”
“I promise you I’m not all that interesting.”
“Bullshit,” he says, his eyes narrowing in on me. “You’ve got more story written on your pages than most of the wannabes in this town.”
