“Oh, yes, definitely. I can’t stand wine tonight. Horrible stuff. What were we thinking we’d prefer? A nice freshly made fruit juice. Perhaps a sparkling water?”

“Sparkling water will be perfect.”

I love the sound of her laughter and the way her long lashes flutter when looks down. I love the shape of her lips and how she sucks her cheeks in when she gets shy.

“You really look gorgeous tonight, Sasha.”

“Thank you.” Her cheeks flush pink.

The chef pours us each a glass of sparkling water and then disappears to prepare the next course while we enjoy the carpaccio.

Our main course is braised lamb shanks with mushroom sauce and sautéed vegetables, and our final course is crème brûlée and whipped cream.

The chef places our desert in front of us and then leaves us to enjoy it.

Sasha picks up the long spoon and cracks the caramel sugar layer on top.

She bites her lip and then looks up at me with a serious expression in her beautiful eyes.

“Leon.”

“Yes?”

“Are you doing all of this just to get me to trust you? I mean—for your plan.”

She takes a slow breath, nervous about my answer.

I put down my spoon and stare into her eyes. My emotions are screaming inside me.

“It started that way at first. But it isn’t like that anymore,” I answer.

“What does that mean?” she pushes me further.

But I can’t answer her. I can’t answer because my mind has turned into chaos now that I’ve said it out loud. It really isn’t like that anymore.

She watches me for a long time, but eventually realizes that I’m not going to answer her question. She sighs and smiles. “This dinner has been so amazing. Thank you.”

“It’s not over yet.” I stand up and hold my hand out towards her. “May I have this dance?”

Her eyes grow wide with surprise and curiosity as she stands up and places her hand in mine.

I lead her to an open space in the room, stopping to turn the volume up on the music. I wrap my arms around her and hold her close to me, swaying to the music as it eases through us. I can feel the heat of her body against mine. Her scent is all around me again, and my fingers are playing with her hair. I pull out the clips that are holding it up and let it fall over her shoulders, down her back.

I cup her chin in my hand and tilt her head back, then press my lips against hers as we continue to dance.

Soon the dance turns more passionate as my body starts responding loudly to having her this close to me. She presses harder against me, feeling my cock growing.

I lean down, pulling the slit of her dress open and lifting her in my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist.

She gasps when I push her back against the wall and gently bite her neck.

Pulling my pants open, I free my cock, and then a low growl rumbles from my chest.

“You’re not wearing underwear.”

“You told me you wanted me to be comfortable,” she grins as I push my cock into her.

***