Apart from the dozens of freaky porcelain figurines lined up on every shelf of the television cabinet, the place had a very homely feel. The pastel yellow and lime paint on the walls addedwarmth to the room. He somehow had not expected Jordan’s house to look like this. He had expected dreary and boring, not light and fresh. Then again, he had learnt a lot about Jordan today that contradicted his expectations.
“Princess, leave him alone,” came a voice from the kitchen.
He looked in the direction of the sound and froze, astonishment causing his breath to stop altogether. It was like stepping into the Twilight Zone. His eyes slowly took her in from bottom to top. Her navy blue and black stiletto heels. Her delicate ankles. Her shapely calves. Her long, lean thighs. The midnight blue cocktail dress that hugged her curvy hips. The low neckline that exposed more cleavage than he was comfortable with. His eyes lingered there for a few moments before moving up her neck. Her dark hair cascaded over her shoulders and he could see the slightest hint of gloss on her full lips.
“Ready to go?” she asked.
He stood up and cleared his throat. “Jordan…you…um…well…you…where…uh… where are your glasses?”
He knew it was a stupid thing to say, but he needed to say something, anything that would hide his shock. She looked completely stunned by the question and he heard a muffled giggle from her friend, who was standing in the corridor.
“I think you should put them on,” he said. “You might trip on something if…if you don’t…see it.”
“I’m wearing contact lenses, Tyler.”
“Oh, okay…good.”
He could not wrap his head around it. This woman was not Jordan. This woman with her out-of-this-world curves and thick, flowing hair and dazzling eyes was not Jordan. She was so…tall. Not her normal lanky, awkward tall. More like long legs that ran on for miles kind of tall.
He knew what the purpose of this dinner was and he wouldn’t be able to execute any kind of plan with her looking likethat. He needed her to look like Jordan. The Jordan who always had her shirt buttoned all the way to the top and her skirt ending just below the knee. “Are you sure you going to be okay tonight…in that dress? They said on the radio…the temperature is going to drop…quite drastically…with chance of…rain.”
Oh, God! I’m actually starting to sound dumber.
Her eyebrows creased in the oddest way. “Okay, let me get a wrap. I’m sure I have one that—Tyler, you’re staring at my breasts again.”
“Well, then cover them up!” He marched towards her and grabbed her shoulders, her eyes growing as wide as saucers.
“Tyler!”
He swiftly spun her around. “Maybe you should just change. Put on a pair of pants and…uh…a sweater…a thick sweater…”
“Tyler…wait…would you just wait a—”
He ushered her down the corridor. “Giovanni’s is not that fancy anyway.”
Jordan let out an aggravated breath and walked into her bedroom. Gemma was literally on the floor rolling with laughter, the hand over her mouth barely muting the sound.
“I’m glad you find this amusing,” Jordan said as she opened her cupboard. She pulled out a pair of black leggings and loose-fitting, purple cashmere sweater and tossed it on the bed.
“Is he on something?” Gemma asked, still fighting back the giggles. “I’ve never seen a reaction quite like that before. Maybe he’s the only man in the world who doesn’t like sexy cocktail dresses.”
Jordan kicked off her heels and pulled the dress over her head. “There is something seriously wrong with him.” She performed the hop-and-pull exercise to get her leggings on before tugging on her sweater. “He must have been dropped on his head several times as a child.” She zipped up her knee-lengthboots and sighed. “Wish me luck, Gemma. This is going to be a long night.”
*****
Jordan waited as Tyler pulled out her chair before she sat down. Giovanni’s was an extremely fancy restaurant and she felt slightly under-dressed. The place had a very sensual atmosphere, with its low-lighting and soft music. It was like someone took a slice of Venice and dropped it slap-bang in the middle of the Seattle CBD. The concrete Venetian columns, the cobble stone floor, the tenors singing in the background. She was just waiting for gondola to float by.
The restaurant was the ideal setting for a romantic dinner. This was the perfect place for a man to take his girlfriend the night he intended to propose. It was definitely not the place for a man to take his accountant to say thank-you.
Tyler sat down on the other side of the table and she had to admit, he looked kinda nice tonight. White shirt with no tie, and those broad shoulders were really working it in that beige blazer. The top buttons of his shirt were left undone and her eyes were drawn to the place where his neck met his collar bone. The smooth skin there was tempting her tongue to give it a lick.
Aaah, gross!
She couldn’t believe that image had actually crept into her mind. Gross! After working off a minor gag reflex, she mentally poured bleach all over her brain and scrubbed that thought right off.
She looked away and opened the menu. “So what’s good here?”
“Everything,” he replied. “I personally love the seafood dishes, but every now and then I like to go a bit wild and have the veal.”
