Page 34 of Dangerously Yours

Let’s go out tomorrow night. You pick the place. XOXOXO

Afraid that I had imagined the entire thing, I had gone to find her, but she was in the lake with her kids. I didn’t want to interrupt her family time, so I stared at the screen instead. This was a new step in our relationship, and I sincerely hoped it would go off without a hitch. Public opinion was everything to her, while I didn’t give a damn what others thought of me. I was unapologetically myself, no matter what city I was in, or who was nearby.

Later that night, I needed to hear the words from her lips, so I called and talked to her into the wee hours of the morning. By the time the call disconnected, I had already decided where I would take her. Kenzie Courtland had opened a new restaurant a few months earlier, and I’d been there on opening night withCallum and Nicole. The Lake Side Grille was already booked solid, but a call to Jonas Courtland was all it took to get a table. In fact, it was promised to be not just any table, but the best one in the house.

The luxury venue was perched atop one of the largest buildings on Michigan Avenue, situated not far from where either of us lived. It offered panoramic views of both the skyline and Lake Michigan. It was referred to as one of the city’s most romantic restaurants, and after looking at the pictures, I could see why. With this being our first date, I wanted to impress her. I was a Titan, so I would take advantage of the doors my title opened, and it was why I had even opted for a private driver for the two of us. I planned on wining and dining my woman, and hopefully this would be the first of many dates.

“It’s not like you haven’t been on enough of them in your lifetime,” I reminded myself as I stared at my reflection in the glass paneled wall of the elevator. My nerves hadn’t been this bad since I was thirteen and had asked Charlene Mitchell to the middle school dance.

It was still crazy when I remembered back to those days. Gabriel, Harper, Charlie, and I were thick as thieves. Because Gabe and Harper were together, I thought I would give it a chance with our other companion, but we realized pretty quickly that we didn’t want to be anything more than friends. That had remained true to this very day. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for her if she asked, and vice versa. Those platonic feelings for one woman were nothing like the sordid ones I had for another. I hadn’t asked Lulu what she planned to wear, but I had told her to dress up.

I just finished adjusting the tie on my all black suit when the elevator doors opened. Lulu’s children were away with theirfather tonight, so I didn’t even get nervous wondering who would answer her door when I knocked. She didn’t make me wait, and as she opened the heavy oak, I let out a low whistle. While I had thought she might wear black herself, Lulu was instead in a red satin mini dress which showcased her toned legs. Thoughts of them being draped over my shoulders did come to mind, but when she grabbed her small clutch, I decided not to linger long enough to change my mind about taking her out.

Once we were out in the hallway, she took my hand and we walked to the elevator. I had hoped we would be alone, but there were three others inside there with us, so I didn’t get any more privacy with her until we were in the SUV and headed to dinner. “You look very nice,” she told me, and I grinned.

“You look even better. If I wasn’t so happy about taking you out in public for the first time, I would’ve removed that flimsy dress and started with dessert first.”

“Before dinner? What a bad boy,” she teased.

“You have no idea,” I told her, before pulling her close. My mouth came down on hers as my hand traveled up one of her thighs. Her skin was always so soft and smooth, and as my fingers crept higher, I swallowed her moan.

She brought her hands to me, dragging them up my arms before winding one behind my neck as I continued to kiss her. Wanting to tease her more, I had just slipped my hand inside of her panties when the vehicle came to a stop. I knew we had arrived, so I reluctantly pulled away, then got out of the parked car. I opened her doors for her like a gentleman would, then told the driver to stay on standby. There was no way to know how long dinner would take, especially for a restaurant as successful asthis one. Jonas’s wife was super talented, and no matter which venue of hers I visited, it had always been worth the time and money.

A few minutes after entering the building, we were led to our seats which were directly along the large row of windows. From here, we could see not only the Chicago skyline, but that of other nearby cities as well. Just being out in public with Lulu was like being on top of the world, and now the view matched my thoughts.

“A bottle of your best champagne,” I told the waitress as she approached the table. When she left, I looked down at the menu. The one thing I had realized before was that each of Kenzie’s restaurants had different fare, but the offerings here matched the region perfectly. It also had a French flair to it, and Paris was a favorite destination of mine. “Have you decided on a starter?”

Lulu looked up at me, flashing a bright smile. “To be honest, it all looks so good that I’m having trouble deciding.”

Our champagne arrived, and deciding to take charge, I rattled off the selections for the two of us. We would share the pan-seared scallops with a cherry gastrique, then have separate entrées. For her, I chose the lobster tail ravioli because she had once told me that it was one of her guilty pleasures. Mine was her, but since I couldn’t eat her out until later, I went with the Delmonico ribeye. Once we were alone again, I opened the bottle and poured some into glasses for each of us.

“Should we make a toast?” She asked me.

“Absolutely.” I raised my glass to hers. “Here’s to what I hope will be the first of many official dates together.”

Her smile grew wider. “I can toast to that.” She clinked her glass against mine, and I watched as she then brought it to her lips. Her lipstick was a bit smudged from the ride here, and it only made her more beautiful in my eyes.

The scallops arrived, and I put a few on both of our plates. When I slid hers across the table, something flashed which had me turning my head. There was a table or two that had people on their cell phones, but I hadn’t known who had actually taken a picture of us. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have cared, but I saw Lulu tense up immediately. I let out a growl, but without knowing who it was, there was little I could do.

I turned my attention back to my gorgeous date, and I loved the way her eyes twinkled much like the stars scattered across the dark canvas just outside the window. Ever since her divorce, and maybe even before it, she had been tense. The stress and exhaustion of trying to hold everything together was somewhat noticeable to me back then, but she had stayed strong through it all. Even when her ex tried to run her name and reputation into the muck, Lulu had carried herself with class and grace. She was unlike any other woman I had ever known, but that was because she was one – a woman. Most of my other sexual conquests acted much like their age which was early twenties. They were merely girls, so they lacked the maturity the woman in front of me possessed.

“Oh God, of all places,” Lulu said, then tried to hide her face.

I looked to see what had upset her, and I narrowed my eyes. As a Titan, I knew the others, and their family, and just two tables away from us now sat Cade’s sister. And if that wasn’t bad enough, another table of guys were all looking over at us, and pointing at me. “So much for a romantic dinner,” I muttered under my breath.

“I can’t believe she is here. I bet she’s already called Cade. He’s going to be?—”

“He’s going to fuck off and mind his own business because he has no room to judge. He was stepping out on you publicly well before your divorce, and we both know it.”

“I know, but he’s already put all that stuff out there about me.”

I knew his character assassination attempt had wounded her deeply, and I only wished now that I had done more than just break his nose. There was a definite double standard between sexes. Men could always get away with a lot more than women, and when that man happened to be a Titan, it was a given. I reached across the table, then took one of her hands in mine.

“We’re not doing anything wrong. We’re going to eat, and she can do the same at her table.”

Lulu looked skeptical, but finally nodded. The timing was perfect because our entrées arrived. They looked delicious, and I couldn’t wait to let Jonas know what I thought of the place. I looked at my girl, and she was now sitting stiffly in her seat. There was a slight trembling in her hand, and I knew she would never be able to enjoy her meal with her sister-in-law sitting there watching us. I finally caught the attention of our waitress, and after telling her what I wanted, she returned with boxes, a bag, and the check. I settled it, then packaged up our entrées.

“We don’t have to leave,” Lulu told me.

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