Page 4 of Protected By West
He liked that in people and sadly, he’d rarely found that in women he wasn’t working with or related to.
But since she hadn’t asked him outright what he was presenting he decided to keep that on the back burner for later. At the moment, he wanted to make an impression on her and that didn’t have anything to do with his job.
He hoped that it had everything to do with him as a man.
“So, if you weren’t here for the conference, what would you like to be doing on a night like this?”
She gave him a little smile that made his cock twitch in his slacks, making the fit across the front a little uncomfortable.
Actually, since he’d seen her at the bar, her face reflected in the mirror and her sweet, sweet ass wrapped in floral fabric, he’d been hard.
The fact that she had empty seats on either side of her had given him hope.
Now, he had her talking and her sharp wit went along with her looks, lush and stunning.
Picking up the stem of her cherry, she traced the inside of her glass with the sweetened fruit. The picture she presented was just as sweet and he wanted to know what her lips tasted like, but he knew he’d have to urn that taste.
“If I was just here for fun?” He could see her think over the question and wondered if she was removing items from a long list or finding just the right answer. “I guess I’d be here, at the bar, relaxing and pretending that I have a life. Surprised when a handsome man sits down beside me and strikes up a conversation that I don’t end up making a total fool of myself.” She lifted her glass to her lips and he watched with rapt attention as she took a long slow sip of her drink. “And when the bartender makes a not-so-subtle pass at him, he doesn’t bite.”
West nodded and smiled. “What if the man makes a not-so-subtle pass and asks you to have dinner with him? Would you take him up on his offer?”
She sat up in her chair and brushed her hair back behind her shoulders.
The movement gave him a maddening look at the column of her throat and highlighted the gentle swell of her breasts. The soft light in the bar might as well have been in a bedroom for the thoughts that it inspired in him.
He hoped like hell she agreed to dinner because he didn’t want to let her walk away just yet.
She gave him a sly, sideways look.
“Dinner, hmm? Do you have someplace in mind?”
He flagged down the manager and the well dressed gentleman came right over to the bar. “I’d like to take this amazing woman to dinner here in Fredericksburg. Where should I take her?”
The answer rolled off of the manager’s tongue. “The Cabernet Grill, sir. Excellent food for a night with excellent company.” Themanager looked at Tracy and then back at Weston. “May I call you a car, sir?”
Weston smiled at him and gave him a nod. “Please.”
He reached into his pocket for his wallet and pulled out a couple of bills and set them on the bar top. The bartender came by and gave him a curious look.
“Will this take care of the bill?”
She snatched up the money and tucked it into her apron. “Plenty. And when you come to your senses,” she gave him a wink, “come on back. I’m on until midnight, but for you, I’ll wait.”
Weston moved closer to Tracy’s chair and offered her his arm. “Ready?”
He saw the hint of a smile on her lips as she tucked her arm in the crook of his.
“Yes, I am.”
Weston looked back at the bartender. “Don’t wait on my account.”
He walked Tracy out of the bar and down toward the portico of the hotel. “If you change your mind at any time,” he looked over at her and lifted his free hand across his middle to touch the back of her hand with his fingertips, “just let me know and I’ll get you a car back from the restaurant.”
She shook her head and gave him a bright smile. “I don’t think that will be a problem. I’m finally looking forward to the rest of the night.”
Their meal at The Cabernet Grill was probably the best dinner he’d had in a long time that wasn’t with his family. Any reticence that he’d felt from Tracy at the bar melted away in the presence of good food. From the fresh beets in the arugula salad to the light-hearted jokes about the dish aptly named ‘Magic Mushrooms’ where they seared Lion’s Mane mushrooms and flavored them with garlic, lemon, and Gorgonzola cheese.The starters had fed their conversation and by the time they’d finished their entrees it was closing time for the restaurant and late enough that they said goodbye at the lobby elevators with longing looks and lingering touches hand to hand.
And it didn’t hurt that they’d had a few glasses of wine together.
