Page 7 of Diamonds & Deception

“More like he’s afraid she’ll take one look at me and know I’ll ride her hard.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Nolan grumbles and pushes Ryder out of my office.

Ryder is partially correct. Not that I think Nora is the type of woman to leave her date for another, nor Ryder would ever do that to any of us. There’s something about Nora that I like. I have no idea what it is. I mean, she’s beautiful, but I’ve dated plenty of beautiful women.

Maybe it’s how we met. On a run with her adorable boxer. It’s like kismet or something. And if I say any of that around the guys, I’ll never hear the end of it.

Once they’re gone, I head to the bathroom off my office and brush my teeth, lose my jacket and tie, and add another layer of deodorant.

I check the time one more time, then slip my phone into my pocket. As I ride the elevator down to the lobby, I roll my sleeves up to appear casual. I stand off to the side so my manager on duty doesn’t see me and attempts to make idle chatter.

Miguel is awesome at his job, and I like him, but I’m not ready for Nora to learn I’m the owner of the casino. I’d rather get to know her first.

The automatic doors open, and she enters like a vision. Wearing a long skirt with a slit on one side that shows an impressive amount of leg, and an off-the-shoulder top, she’s simply stunning.

My legs move before my brain registers to tell them to do so. “Wow. You’re even more gorgeous than I remember.” I brush a kiss along her jaw. “Thank you for coming.”

She fiddles with the strap of her purse before piercing my soul with those stunning blue eyes. “I wasn’t sure what to wear. I, um, looked up all the restaurants in the casino. It seems they range from fast food to crazy fancy fine dining.”

“You’re perfect.” I’m not even talking about her outfit. “I can’t start by bringing you toRed. There’d be no way to one-up the first date. Although now I’m second-guessing my choice in keeping it casual. You are a food critic.”

Her smile drops. “I’m not working tonight.”

“But you judge and critique food for a living.”

“Sure. But I don’t judge my date by the food we eat or the places he brings me.”

This woman, she’s perfect. I rest my hand on her lower back and guide her through the lobby, away from my staff’s prying eyes and straining ears. “You can’t tell me when you eat out you don’t automatically think about whatever it is you think about when you’re working.”

“You work with numbers for a living. Are you telling me your brain is always in math mode?”

I tap the up arrow on the elevator, and when it opens, I follow her in. I push the button for the fourth floor and decide to lay it on the line. “Yeah. My math mind doesn’t ever shut off. Right now, I’m calculating the time I have before I have to go back to work, and I’m analyzing how many minutes into our first date I should wait before kissing you.”

“Oh.” Her gasp stirs my cock.

The elevator slows, and an elderly couple joins us. When the doors close again, I whisper in her ear. “And I’m taking mental notes, based on our conversation tonight and how you respond to me, on how many dates are appropriate before stripping you naked and covering my body with yours.”

She gasps again, loud enough to get a reaction out of the couple in the elevator with us. When the doors open, I give them a courteous nod and guide Nora into the food court.

“I should warn you, I’m an open book. You ask a question, you’ll get an answer.”

Nora stumbles a little, and I grip her waist to hold her upright. “Honesty is an unexpected trait in men these days.”

“I won’t pretend you’ve wounded my ego with that remark because you’re right. There are too many dishonest assholes out there. I’m sorry if you’ve been mistreated by one.”

She stops and turns to face me, our bodies mere inches apart. “It’s too soon to tell if you’re this incredibly charming to all your dates as a way to...lure them in, or if this is genuinely you.”

I want to be insulted, but again, I’ve witnessed too many assholes taking advantage of women. From outward appearances, it looks like Ryder is that kind of guy, but he never takes it far with a woman until all cards are on the table. He’s not a relationship guy, and he lets the women he’s interested in know the deal before he even touches her.

For whatever reason, they don’t seem to mind. He treats them like princesses and then moves on to the next. I still don’t know if I hate or respect that quality in my best friend.

“I guess we’ll have to go on many more dates so you can judge for yourself.” I nod to the variety of restaurants in front of us.Red, not included since it’s on the eighth floor in a secluded area of its own. “Any allergies or dislikes I should know about before selecting our dining establishment?”

She hesitates before she responds. “None.”

“You can tell me if there’s a food you don’t care for. I won’t judge.” I give her a wink and she nibbles on her bottom lip. I can’t help but be jealous of her teeth. With any luck, I’ll be nibbling on that lip by the end of dinner.

“I’m not a huge fan of bananas.”

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