Page 29 of Wicked Lies Grow Wildflowers
She whistles at me before joking, “Xander is one lucky man, I’ll tell you that much. If he wasn’t already taking you out tonight, I definitely would.”
I giggle back at her, “Very funny,” and then send a message to Xander, letting him know I’m ready for tonight.
When he arrives at my door Sage runs to open it, wanting to greet him first since she’s never actually met him yet. Her eyes run over him from head to toe, and being several inches shorter than me she cranes her neck to meet his eyes. “So, you’re the one making Maeren’s eyes roll huh?” I nearly choke at that, my eyes bulging out of my head.
“The one and only.” He holds out his hand for her to shake and she takes it, beaming up at him, but I know that look, she’s feigning sweetness.
Sage pulls him in close to herself, stretching up on her toes to look him in the eyes. “If you ever hurt a single hair on her head I will make it my life’s mission to ruin you. Got it?” she threatens.
Still holding onto her hand he leans down and promises, “Wouldn’t ever dream of it, and if I did, I’d gladly let you destroy me however you see fit.”
Sage drops his hand at that and narrows her eyes, trying to judge his sincerity. I take that as my cue to make my presence known and step out from behind the door, shoving Sage out of the way.
"Please ignore Sage, she can be a little… overbearing at times. But she means well,” I awkwardly laugh, trying to break the tension between them. I try to keep my tongue in my mouth but Ifeel like a panting dog when I take in his well fitted suit and tie. I meanverywell fitted. The way his trousers hug his thighs should be a crime.
Xander grabs my upper arms and runs his hands up and down them, relaxing me. “No worries, she seems like a really good friend.”
I drag my eyes from Xander and try to cool the heat in them before looking over at Sage, tossing her a smile. “Yeah, she really is.”
“You look incredible,” he says, finally having a moment to really take me in. “So beautiful.”
I feel like a girl getting picked up for prom. “Thank you.” I chew on my bottom lip and teeter in my heels on the carpet as we both stare at each other for a minute. His eyes rove over my body, telling me just how well Sage and I did tonight.
Sage coughs to break the tension. “Okayyyy,” she claps, “While I’m all for sexual expression, I’d appreciate it if you guys didn’t go at it on the living room floor while I’m standing right here.”
I take a step back from Xander, a little embarrassed that Sage just watched us undress each other with our eyes. “Let me grab my coat and we can head out.”
Bundling up for the cold and grabbing my purse, I thank Sage for helping me get ready while she grabs her things.
“Absolutely, and please have fun tonight, and be safe! Call me if you need anything! A rescue, a ride home, the police, anything.” She grabs me for a hug. “Love you.”
“Love you too.”
We head down the stairs and outside, parting ways as Xander takes my hand and leads me to the car, the cold bite of the October wind on my bare legs.
As we drive across town, Xander breaks the silence, “She seems like a really great friend, I mean it.”
“Oh she is. We’re practically sisters, she’s been there for me since we met in college. She’s basically family and I’m incredibly thankful for her and lucky to have her in my life.” I don’t know if I’d still be alive without her.
“I’m glad you have her. I’m sure being without a good family is hard.”
“Yeah, it can be. But anyways, I’d rather talk about happier things before I bring doom and gloom into tonight’s date. Where are you taking me?” I ask, and he looks over at me.
“It’s a surprise,” he smiles, turning his eyes from me and back to the road.
“What if I hate surprises?”
“I know you better than you think, and you’ll love this one.” He places his right hand on my thigh and rubs circles with his thumb. I relax into his touch as we make small talk the rest of the way.
Xander pulls up to the valet at averyfancy looking establishment. “Wow. This is really nice.” I bet my eyes look like saucers as I take in the ornate building standing tall in the downtown area of Clarksville, a neighboring city known for their night scene. The large stone building has beautiful carvings along the outside, statues of angels standing tall and on guard on either corner out front.
Xander gets out, tosses the keys to the valet, and opens my door, holding his hand out for me. I smile up at him as I accept his offer, and he leads me inside. If I thought the outside was impressive, this is even better. There are oil and acrylic paintings in gilded frameseverywhere.The entire place looks like a giant art gallery. Scenes of the English countryside, beautiful houses on cliffs overlooking oceans, sprawling hillsides, and jagged mountains capture my attention. I feel like I’m in a museum.
This is a property you see in movies or fancy real estate catalogs millionaires keep on their coffee tables, not in real life.After I’m done gawking, the host greets us and leads us to a table set for two in the back corner of the dining area. All of the tables are covered in white linen, the soft glow of candles illuminating each one, the chairs a polished wood. This is, without a doubt, the most upscale place I’ve ever been to. I couldn’t have dreamed of eating in a place like this.
“Do you like it?” Xander’s voice snaps me out of my inner musings.
“Like it? I love it. It’s beautiful Xander. But you didn’t need to take me somewhere so fancy. Seriously.” It’s almost too much.
