Page 20 of Daring Enzo

All I needed was for her to agree to date me, and now she’s agreed. There’s no doubt in my mind I’ll win. From the dreamy smile on her face, as she spoke of Reese’s restaurant date, I know he’s set the bar high, however, I intend to one-up him.

I drive up to her family’s building, following the address she gave me, and look out the window. I let out a low whistle as I take in their home. The building, like most mansions, is imposing and huge, covering a large expanse of land. However, it’s also futuristic, adding a certain character to it. I nod, quite impressed. I remain seated in the car as she’d instructed and tap on the wheel as I wait for her to come out.

Movement catches my eyes, and I look in the direction to see her stepping out. Her blonde hair is styled to her left side, the curled ends settling over her alluring cleavage. There’s a thin chain seated on her neck, with a tiny green pendant. She’s dressed in an ankle-length green dress with a thigh-high slit and sheer sleeves.

My lips fall open as she approaches. An absolute sight. I recover quickly and step out of the car, stepping around to the passenger side to open the door for her. She slides in elegantly. A smile on her face has me weak at the knees.

“Look how gentlemanly you are. If one didn’t already know you, they’d be fooled,” she says, still smiling.

I hold my hand to my chest. “Wow, your words. That hurts.”

She shrugs as I close the door and return to the driver’s side.

“You don’t have a good impression of me,” I say. “That's alright, I have all night to change your mind.”

“Where are we going?” she asks, but I smirk, driving on silently.

She scoffs, looking out the window. The ride to the restaurant is a short distance from her home, so the silence isn’t worrying. She raises her brows and stares at me in shock when we arrive at the location. “You were able to get a reservation here? Usually one has to book at least six months ahead if you want to get in, no matter who you are.”

I chuckle, noting the amazement in her tone. “I don’t need to book a reservation.”

“Oh, why not?” she asks.

“We own the place,” I say. I turn away to hide my grin and get out of the car, opening her car door.

She makes no mention of it this time, only placing her hand in mine as she climbs out.

“You own the place,” she repeats.

“Yeah,” I pause. “Well, not entirely. My family is in partnership with the restaurant aspect of the business. We own a winery; and since it pairs perfectly with food, it made sense to partner with a restaurant and cater to both.”

“Oh, yeah. The wine is one of the biggest tractions to this place,” she says.

“The Lombardi vineyard is one of the best,” I say fondly, a genuine smile on my face.

“Seems like you really care about your family’s business,” she replies.

“Of course, it’s been in the family for several generations. I’m going to nurture it… so will Alessia and her children, and my children too, when I eventually have them.”

She tenses up in my arms as I lead her to the restaurant. I stop and look at her, confused by her reaction.

"Well, that's already a deal breaker."

My lips part to ask her what she means when we’re distracted by the host.

“Ah, signor Lombardi, benvenuto,” the host greets.

“Grazie Giorgio. La tavola migliore, il vino migliore e lo speciale della serata,” I request, my hand lightly placed on her back.

“Certamente signore, proprio da questa parte.” Giorgio leads us up to another level of the restaurant’s even more exclusive than downstairs. The room is empty, and we sit at a table overlooking the bay.

“Wow, I didn’t even know there was a whole other floor,” she states, her voice showing her amazement.

"Yeah, that's because we reserve this level exclusively for the partners and their families and their guests." I clarify.

“Wow, that’s fancy,” she says, glancing around the room and out into the darkness where we can hear the sound of waves hitting the beach.

I grin, hearing it in her voice. I’ve impressed her, perhaps even more than Reese whatever the fuck ever did or will, and dinner hasn’t even been served. I pull out a seat for her and take one opposite her. There’s a question on my lips the moment I lower myself in the chair.

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