Page 12 of Samson

An arm slid around her waist from behind, and she grabbed it, pulling away as she spun. “Luca.” She gave him a playful shove.“I could have hit you. I almost did.”

He planted a kiss on her head. “Glad to see you up and about.” He took her hand and pulled her arm out to the side as he stepped back. “Look at you. What a stunner.”

“I was worried I didn’t have anything appropriate.”

“No. You look amazing.”

“Fake it till you make it, right?”

“There’s no faking it here. If you get any hassles from anyone in here, you let me know. I’ll boot them out.”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine. This isn’t some rough bar in a bad part of town.”

“You know as well as I do that the rich boys can be just as bad, if not worse, than the poor boys.”

“I’ve got a pretty mean right hook if anyone gets too handsy.”

“Handsy?” Luca laughed. “I like that. Now tell me what I can get for you.”

“I don’t know. I’m not actually very hungry, but I need to stay awake a few more hours before I collapse again.”

“Let me guess, you haven’t been eating properly.”

“Not really.”

“I noticed you were on the skinny side, but I didn’t want to say anything. That’s okay because you’ve come to the right place. My chef makes the best rice and spicy pork fritters. It’s only an appetizer so won’t fill you up. Hey, Bruno.” He waved over the bartender. “Give the lady whatever she asks for. On the house.”

Bruno nodded.

“Enjoy the music,” Luca said. “I’ll bring out your snack when it’s ready.”

“Thank you.”

“What can I get you?” Bruno asked after Luca had disappeared into the crowd.

“Mineral water with a slice of lime would be great.”

“Coming right up.”

She spun in her seat to look back at the stage where the band was playing when she noticed a few people at the tables nearby had turned their attention to the door.

Even with the music, it seemed she could still hear the murmurs as more looked that way.

Delilah turned to see what had drawn their attention and saw a man had entered.

“You have got to be kidding me,” she mumbled, guessing he was a celebrity of some kind, although she didn’t recognize him. And with a face like that, she was sure she would have noticed if he’d starred in a movie. But she couldn’t deny he had something, charisma maybe. The way he smiled as he greeted different people who stood in his path would endear most people.

She spotted Luca threading through the crowd, and the newcomer did too. He met Luca on the way and shook his hand with a big smile that looked sincere. But whether it was authentic or for show, it was impossible to tell.

The man continued to say hello as he moved into the room, followed by what looked like an entourage of admirers, most of whom were woman.

As she watched, his eyes began roving the room. He was searching for someone. But when his gaze met Delilah’s, it was as though he’d found what he was looking for. He smiled. She didn’t.

The look she gave him wasn’t meant to be a scowl, but that’s probably how it appeared. He had enough admirers. She wasn’t about to add herself to the list for a man like that no matter who he was. She held his gaze for a moment longer, then twisted in her seat and found her drink waiting for her. Nodding her thanks to Bruno, she sipped and kept her attention on the stage, sure the mysterious man had lost interest and moved on. At least she hoped so.

Samson’s eyes remained on the woman at the bar, even though it was now the back of her head he was looking at. He kept his smile, not to save face, but because he was genuinely amused.

“Your table’s ready,” Luca said, appearing in front of him again.

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