Page 8 of All the Gossip from Paris
He wasn’t entirely sure which it was right now. Most women he’d encountered in his travels tended to be a little less forward than Sophie Royal. It usually took an evening of talking and sharing a couple of drinks before the inevitable ‘want to come back to my hotel’ conversation took place. This woman was well ahead of the game.
Then again, she did come from a family of billionaires. The thought of being shy might not be something which ever crossed their minds. They simply snapped their fingers and got whatever they wanted. Everything was handed to them on a silver platter.
He couldn’t begin to imagine living in such a world. A world where finding the money for next month’s rent was rendered a meaningless concept. Where black credit cards ruled.
Liam pushed the thought away. Tonight was for having fun. For keeping things uncomplicated.
The driver climbed into the car. He turned the engine on, then sat staring out at the passing evening traffic as the motor quietly idled. It took a minute for Liam to realize what was happening. The man was waiting for orders.
“Do you like Korean food?” asked Sophie.
He was completely in the thrall of her soft French accent. It was the vocal equivalent of melted truffle butter, being drizzled over a perfectly cooked steak. Liam couldn’t help but lick his lips. Hunger and lust vied for his attention.
“Um, yes. But to be honest, I haven’t eaten much beyond Korean fried chicken,” he replied.
She’s all French and sophisticated. While I sound like a hick.
Sophie’s face lit with joy. She clapped her hands together. “Oh, fried chicken is my absolute favorite Korean food. I swear I could eat it until I passed out. The crunch. The spice. It’s beyond perfection.”
Then she rolled her eyes, and sighed. “Patrice flatly refused to eat it. He once told me that loving fried chicken made me nothing more than a basic bitch.”
Who the hell was Patrice, and where did he get off on calling Sophie a basic bitch? He’d only met her an hour or so ago, but already Liam was prepared to go and have words with this Patrice guy. Set him straight on the culinary magnificence that was Korean fried chicken.
Tugging his phone out of his jeans pocket, Liam checked the time. It was almost nine. KX Chicken, the best Korean chicken place in the city would soon be closed. But The Seoul of Chicken Manhattan, his second favorite Korean food joint, would still be open for another hour.
“If its Korean chicken you want, then let’s ask the driver to take us over to 6th Avenue. The Seoul of Chicken does an incredible chili cheese chicken. The place isn’t anything fancy, but the food is great.”
Sophie, the billionaire heiress who was dressed to kill in her skirt and light linen blazer, grinned at him. Picking up her cell phone, she tapped away on it for a minute, then slipped it back into her tote. “I’ve dropped a pin on the address for our driver.”
The car pulled out from the curb and into the late evening traffic. “I hope you’re extra hungry tonight, because I intend to sample every chicken dish they have on the menu.”
Six boneless chicken wings later, and Sophie was starting to regret having worn a skirt with a waistband. But she’d set the challenge, so she couldn’t back down. She was determined to sample everything on the menu.
The genius who’d invented snow cheese boneless chicken deserved the Nobel Prize— for everything. Chicken and cheese was the perfect combination. Adding crisp chips took it to a near godlike level.
Liam was right, the Seoul of Chicken restaurant wasn’t anything like the places she usually frequented. It was small, not much bigger than a hole in the wall. It had a mere handful of tables for diners to sit at, but what it lacked in elegance it more than made up for with its food offerings. If the steady procession of food delivery drivers coming in and out the front door was any indication, this place had quite a solid reputation.
Across the bright blue laminate table from her, Liam had just polished off his ninth, or was that tenth, piece of chicken. When he glanced at the still untouched plate of spicy soy garlic boneless chicken he let out a whimper. Sophie broke into a fit of giggles. “Hey, you were the one who ordered those. So you have to eat them,” she chuckled.
“Says the woman who claimed she wanted to try everything on the menu, but looks like she’s just about ready to cry ‘uncle’,” he replied.
The gentle tease in his voice had Sophie’s thoughts moving to the other part of their agreement. Of seeing where things ended tonight. The chicken pieces weren’t the only hot and spicy things which sprang to mind.
“I can’t eat another thing,” she pleaded, pushing her plate away.
“Snap. I think we might want to look at getting a doggie bag,” replied Liam.
“A what?”
“A doggie bag. When you take your leftovers home from a restaurant.”
She’d never heard of such a thing. Then again, she wasn’t normally in the habit of overordering in restaurants or cafes. This was a New York City Korean fried chicken, one-time only thing.
Sophie frowned at the unfinished plates of food. “It does seem a terrible shame to waste it. Though I’m not sure if our driver would appreciate us bringing a bag of hot fried chicken into the back of his town car.”
Liam nodded. “Yeah. It would be a crime, what with those nice cream leather seats.”
Picking up one of the platters of uneaten chicken pieces, Liam rose from his chair. He quickly made his way over to the nearby counter.
