Page 5 of Dark Seduction

“A pleasure, Dalia. A pleasure, indeed.”

Chapter 3

Dalia

“Iwant to know everything about you,” he says, his voice smooth and inviting.

I blink, feeling like I’m in a dream. We’re seated in a luxurious restaurant in downtown Chicago, the city glittering outside the windows. The atmosphere is almost surreal.

A tinge of nervousness creeps into my voice. “You can’t possibly want to know everything about me.”

“Au contraire,” he replies, a twinkle in his eye. “Spare no details.”

I laugh, trying to shake off the nerves. “Do you want me to start with the tragic story of how my car ended up in the shop? The mechanic wasn’t entirely wrong, you know. I hadn’t been taking the best care of it.” I lean in closer to him as I confess.

He laughs, a rich, deep sound that makes my heart skip a beat. “You can start there, or anywhere else you’d like. As long as I get to learn more about you.”

I take a deep breath, looking into those piercing gray eyes, feeling a strange comfort in his attentive gaze.

He sits back, giving me a thoughtful look. “How about you start with what’s troubling you?”

My eyes flash with surprise. “How do you know something’s troubling me?” I ask shyly, glancing down at my simple jeans and blouse, a stark contrast to the luxury of the restaurant. I can’t help but feel out of place while he appears completely at ease, fitting right in as if he owns the establishment.

“In my line of work, understanding people and their motivations can be the difference between life and death,” he says calmly.

I narrow my eyes, suspicion growing. He’s not using a figure of speech. “What exactly do you do for a living?”

He smiles but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’m a manager in my family’s business.”

I can sense he’s leaving a lot out. “Uh-huh, and what kind of business is that?”

He leans in slightly, his gaze intense. “We manage… a variety of enterprises.”

I raise an eyebrow, not buying it for a second. “Variety of enterprises, huh? Sounds like something straight out of a mafia movie.”

He chuckles, clearly amused by my sass. “You’ve got a sharp tongue, Dalia. I like that.”

I smirk, feeling a bit bolder. “And you’ve got a knack for avoiding questions. I’m not sure if I like that.”

He nods, acknowledging my point. “Fair enough. Let’s just say it’s complicated. But right now, I’m more interested in hearing about you.”

I take a deep breath, deciding to let it slide for now. “Alright, well, you were right. There’s a lot troubling me. Besides my car being a mess, my husband cleaned out our bank accounts and was cheating on me with his secretary.”

His eyes widen slightly, but he stays silent, letting me continue.

“And to top it all off, I lost my job because my boss is best friends with my ex-whatever he is.”

He leans back, his expression thoughtful. “That’s quite a lot to deal with.”

I nod, feeling the weight of it all again. “Yeah, you could say that.”

He reaches across the table, taking my hand in his. “I’m sorry you’ve been through so much. But tonight, let’s focus on you. Tell me more.”

The dinner flies by, our conversation flowing effortlessly. I find myself opening up to him more than I ever thought I would. Between the food, the wine, and his company, I feel happy for the first time in a long while. As I finish my dessert—a rich, velvety chocolate mousse—I look around, expecting the check.

He notices and asks, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m just waiting for the check,” I reply, a bit sheepish. “I want to contribute to it.”

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