Page 71 of In A Mood For Mr. Wrong

When I pullup and step out of the car, Margot’s already there, standing near the entrance like she’s part of the scene and yet somehow brighter than everything around her. The restaurant’s tucked between a flower shop and a bookstore, its stone façade lit by the soft glow of a sign that readsLa Lumière. And then I reallyseeher. She’s wearing a deep emerald green dress, silk, or something that moves like it. It hugs her curves and flows just below her knees, the slit high enough to leave very little to my imagination, the neckline low enough to make me forget why we’re here. Her hair is softly curled, brushed over one shoulder like she knows exactly what she’s doing to me. And those heels, black, strappy, and criminally high, should be illegal.

She arches a brow, the corner of her mouth curving. “This is... not your usual vibe.”

I smile as I step toward her, reaching for her hand. Her fingers slide into mine with a quiet kind of ease, warm and familiar, like this isn’t the first time we’ve done this, even though it is.

“That’s the point.”

She lets me lead her inside, and the second we step through the door, everything shifts. Candlelight glows against soft ivory walls, and a jazz trio in the corner plays something slow and smoky. The air smells like roasted garlic, butter, and good wine. There’s a quiet magic here, like this place doesn’t care about boardroom tension or generational wealth or the latest article tearing us apart.

“Grayson…” she murmurs. “This place is beautiful.”

“I figured we could both use a night that wasn’t about work.” I glance at her. “Or legacy fights. Or lawyers.”

“A night with no drama?” she teases. “How bold of you.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

The hostess leads us to a corner table, half-hidden behind a curtain of ivy. I pull out her chair, and she gives me a look like she doesn’t quite believe this is me.

“Chivalrous and punctual. Who are you, and what have you done with the man who once rescheduled our meeting for a CrossFit class?”

“It was one class, and I regret telling you about it every day since,” I argue.

She smirks, and I swear I could live off that smile for the rest of the week.

We order. Margot picks the wild mushroom risotto with truffle oil and aged parmesan. I go with the lamb, slow-roasted, served with rosemary potatoes and a red wine jus. The server brings warm sourdough with whipped butter and flaky salt, and we dive in like we haven’t eaten in days. Her first bite of risotto earns a soft moan, barely audible, but I hear it. And yeah, that’s dangerous.

“Okay,” she says, eyes fluttering closed for a second. “This is dangerously good. I might have to come back here without you.”

“You’d cheat on me with risotto?” I ask, mock-offended.

She shrugs, playful. “Can you compete with creamy, earthy, mushroom perfection?”

“I’ve been told I have my own appeal.”

She leans in just a little. “Oh yeah? By who?”

“I mean… Olivia’s dog likes me.”

She laughs, open and unguarded, and I soak it in like sunlight after too many cold days.

I can’t stop looking at her. The way the candlelight dances across her skin. The way her necklace rests just above the neckline of that dress. The way her eyes sparkle when she’samused. Margot Evans is lethal in a boardroom, but like this? Soft, real, warm? She’s impossible not to fall for.

“I can’t believe you found this place,” she says, quieter now.

“I asked Olivia. She said you needed somewhere that didn’t feel like a war zone.”

Margot tilts her head, thoughtful. “She’s not wrong.”

A soft silence falls between us, the kind that feels intentional, not awkward. I reach across the table and touch her hand. She doesn’t pull away.

“I know things have been… a lot lately,” I say. “The company, the will, all of it. But tonight… I just wanted to hit pause. Just you and me.”

She raises a brow, amused. “The almost-kiss in the server room wasn’t about the company.”

I grin. “No. It really, really wasn’t.”

My thumb brushes slowly over the back of her hand. Her skin is warm, soft, and steady beneath mine. She doesn’t look away.

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