Good. I have an event at the Fairmont. I can kiss some rings at 7 and then meet you in the corner of the Oak at 7:30?
I tried to sound casual, like we did this all the time.
Sounds good.
I texted her a check mark and went back to Bradley.
From then on, the day sped by. I showered at my office, changed, and arrived in time for the cocktail hour at the event. I set an alarm on my phone for five minutes before I was supposed to meet Margo, so I could scat. As soon as it rang, I made an excuse to the person I was speaking with and headed for the elevator.
Pulling my bow tie loose as I made a beeline for the back corner of the Fairmont’s bar, I saw it was free. It wasn’t a see-and-be-seen spot, so it was often available. Sitting on a stool, I made sure Margo wasn’t somewhere else in the bar before the bartender, Wes, came and took my order. We chatted a bit before Margo showed up, wearing a beautiful ruby-red blouse and jeans.
“I’m underdressed,” she said, frowning. This was why I hadn’t told her about the tux.
“Nah, I’m overdressed. You’re the one who looks ...” I leaned in as she sat down to share the last part. “... good enough to eat.” Pulling away, I asked, “Wine?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Trying to get me drunk, Mick?”
My name coming from her lips did something to me, bringing out a caveman I didn’t know existed within me.
“One glass of wine?” I asked, being more specific.
“One,” she said.
When Margo leaned over to pick up the wine list, I noticed she winced as she moved in the seat.
It was easy to fill in the blanks on my own. I didn’t have to ask if she was okay or what had happened. I knew she wasn’t okay, and I didn’t want to know what happened.
So, I grumbled, “Margo ...” The rest of the words were stuck in my throat.
“Don’t,” she said quickly, giving me a warning look.
“No.”
When I leaned close, she edged away from me, awakening emotions buried deep inside me.
“I’m not the one you fear, you hear me?” My pulse rioted as I made demands I had no business making. “I’m burning with the need to protect you, and I don’t want you to be afraid. But I don’t want you to lie to me. I want to take care of you.”
She nodded. “Let’s get the wine, okay? Then we can talk.”
There was a slight smile on her face as she asked, so I decided to ease up on this conversation for a while.
“Fair enough,” I said, bringing my hand up to smooth her hair behind her ear, paying no mind to where we were, who might see, or who might care.
But all of that went out the fucking window when Margo winced, and my inner caveman went rogue. Swallowing my anger, I had no idea what was happening to me. I’d only met this woman a short while ago, but I already considered myself her personal protector.
“White or red?” I asked Margo as if nothing was amiss.
“I’m going to go with red.” She smiled wider as she pointed to a selection on the menu, and didn’t appear to be faking.
I motioned for Wes and told him to bring a glass of the cabernet Margo showed me. He was gone and back quickly, and the tension seemed to drain from Margo after her first sip.
“Margo ...”
She nodded slowly. “We had it out. It was a bit worse than usual,” she said, then took another sip. “I don’t want to dump this on you. I’m out, we’re here, so we should enjoy.”
Leaning in, and noting this time she didn’t lean away, I found her hand underneath the bar, and my thumb caressed hers.
“Dump away,” I told her, and she frowned. “Or let’s just have a good time.”
