Page 82 of Beyond the Spotlight Discreet Version
“Time to go.” I offer her my arm. “M’lady.”
She rolls her eyes with the biggest grin I’ve ever seen, and she wraps her fingers around my bicep.
“Are you nervous?” I ask once we’re inside the car.
“Not as nervous as you,” she laughs.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“You sweat when you’re nervous. And you pick at your hangnails.”
I tuck my hands under my legs to stop exactly what she caught me doing.
“So… where are we going tonight?”
“You’ll see.”
Traffic isn’t too bad. We pull up to a line of red and white brick buildings in the East Village and exit the car.
“Italian?” Savannah asks.
“Your favorite.” I tug her hand to lead us into the building.
I give the hostess my name. Reservations for this place book months in advance, but I name dropped—not even ashamed of that—and got us a spot for tonight. The woman takes us to a semi-private booth in back.
Once settled, Savannah lets out a tiny giggle.
“What?”
“That woman was trying so hard to get your attention. Swaying her hips, licking her lips, and pushing out her tits.”
“I couldn’t even tell you the color of her hair or outfit.” I lean in for a kiss, hoping that woman sees, but Savannah pulls away and her eyes dart around the restaurant.
“Are they here?”
“The paparazzi will be outside waiting for us when we leave. Though it wouldn't surprise me if someone in here takes a few photos of us.”
She winces. “I don’t want to be caught stuffing tortellini in my face.”
I bark out a laugh. “You should see some shots they’ve taken of me. Their goal sometimes is to get the worst facial expressions or poses. One time I was out on… um…”
I hesitate to continue because we’ve yet to share our body counts with each other.
“On a date?”
“Yes... And they got me picking lettuce out of my teeth.”
“How many women have you been with?”
My back straightens. Okay. Guess we’re finally discussing past relationships.
“I’ve been in one serious relationship that lasted a year. After that, I only dated casually.”
“You mean slept around?”
“Yes.”
“How many?”
