Page 54 of Lethal Seduction

“And wine.”

“Oh, there’s always time for wine.”

He walks out of the room and heads into the kitchen. He's probably going to plate the food and pour the wine while I finish getting ready. I look at myself in the mirror. I'm smiling, and no matter how I try to wipe it off my face, it won’t stay gone. I feel like I’m in college again, experiencing sex for the first time.

I might actually be falling in love.

23

PATRICK

It’s been two days since I’ve seen Michael and over a week since we had our sexy shower. I'm getting twitchy for more. We’ve planned a romantic dinner at a fancy restaurant. Honestly, I was hoping for something more affordable since I'm on a budget, but when I suggested McDonald's, he offered to pay.

Never one to turn down a free meal, I also don’t want to seem like a mooch. I would agree to pay anything if I had to, but I don’t want to blow my entire food budget on one meal and eat ramen noodles at home for the next week. Thankfully, Michael is a gentleman and offered to pay. I have to plan exactly how I’m going to make it up to him. Judging from our last shower encounter, I have an idea of what he likes.

My stomach rumbles because I haven’t eaten all day. Not only am I too nervous to eat, but the shirt I plan on wearing is one sandwich away from not fitting. If I'm going to bust out of this shirt, I’d better be in the middle of a good time. Flashes of Michael’s sexy, wet, muscular body fill my mind. That man is an Adonis, but he doesn’t even seem to know it—making him even hotter in my eyes.

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, I finish putting a bit of gel in my hair. Not too much, but enough that I won’t have to worry about it the rest of the day. Clearing the counter of products, I shut the vanity drawer and take a long hard look at myself in the mirror. It’s not about making sure my hair is perfect, my skin is moisturized, or my shirt is pressed properly. I look into my own eyes, into my soul, concentrating on my feelings and wants.

Staring back at me is a man who has never felt true love before, never experienced more than a couple of dates with the same person before running away or being turned off by the other man’s opinions, quirks, or mommy issues. There’s a sadness in my eyes I hadn’t noticed before. It’s not sagging skin or wrinkles; I’m far too young for that. It’s a feeling inside me wanting to emerge.

Is that hope?

It’s not that I need a man to feel happy or content, but there’s definitely something about finding your own person. Someone who loves you and whom you love back. A man who thinks about you when you’re not around, looks forward to seeing you when he has to work late. So, while Michael isn’t the reason for my happiness, like in some kind of movie-land fairytale, he’s someone who gives me hope. Hope that I can have what I want in a partner.

The alarm buzzes on my phone. It’s time to meet Michael at the Fortune Garden. I’ve never eaten there, mostly due to the price and the fact that there’s always a waitlist to get inside since they opened three months ago. I don’t know how he managed it, but Michael says he knows a guy and we have a table for two. I grab my keys and rush out of the apartment. I lock the door behind me and pause for a moment.

I still don’t feel safe at the apartment since my keys were stolen, but there haven’t been any more incidents of break-ins or murders. Granted, the police haven’t solved anything, but maybe whoever was guilty of the crimes has moved on somewhere else. Either way, I’m ready for a nice Chinese dinner and no one is going to stop me from seeing Michael tonight.

Shit, I have twenty minutes to get there and on a good day the GPS says eighteen. Fingers crossed, I hop into the car and speed away from the curb. After breaking at least a few laws along the way, I make it to the restaurant just in the nick of time to meet my law enforcement boyfriend. The irony of this is not lost on me as I hurry to the front door.

Once inside, my vision quickly adjusts to the low light in the waiting area.

“Do you have a reservation?” a beautiful young hostess asks.

I’m about to answer when Michael steps over to me and wraps an arm around my back, pulling me into him. “He’s with me.”

As I look up at him, he leans down and kisses me on the lips. Sparks fly just as they have every time our lips meet. He pulls away and addresses the hostess once again, while I continue to gawk at him like a love-struck fool. I can’t see myself, but I swear I’m having an out-of-body experience.

“We have a table for two,” Michael says. “The name is Borne and the reservations were made by Mr. Fong.”

She nods and smiles. “It would be my pleasure to seat you. Please follow me.” The hostess takes us to our seats, motioning for us to sit. “Your waiter is Ethan, and he will be here momentarily.”

“Thank you,” we both say as she turns and walks away.

“How did you get us reservations for this place?” I ask. “This has been the most exclusive restaurant since it opened in West Hollywood months ago.”

“Mr. Fong told me that I will always have a standing reservation under his name.”

“How’d you manage that?”

“I caught the man who murdered his wife,” Michael says, leaning closer so he can whisper the rest. “His wife was killed by the Yakuza. They’re basically the Japanese version of the mafia.”

“And you solved her murder?” I put my hand over my mouth for a second. “That’s incredible… and dangerous. I can only imagine.”

He nods. “The main thing is Mr. Fong and his children are safe now. I wish we would have known she had a hit out on her life earlier so we could have tried to prevent it from happening in the first place.”

“Oh, man.” I sit back in my chair. “I almost wish we had this reservation for another reason. That’s intense.”

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