Not perfect but there were no bras littered about, despite them coming off the moment I shut the apartment door behind me. One of the best parts of my day. Amen andbra-llelujah.
The buzzer rang again. Right. Dane was standing outside in the February cold.
“Come on up!” I said, pressing the button to unlock the door. “Fifth floor. Sorry, the elevator is broken! But you look like you’re in good shape.”
My boss was about to see where I lived. I renewed my frantic search for the missing earring and managed to find it just as there was a knock on the door. Success!
The slippery earring went back in my ear and I opened the door to let my boss in. His wide frame filled the doorway like a vision. No man had any right to look as good as he did in a suit. The burning question was if he looked as goodoutof the suit.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“So ready,” I said, somewhat breathlessly. “I mean, yeah, I’m good to go.”
“Why do you live in a walkup?” he asked, glancing around the apartment.
“Why?” I repeated back at him. “Because I love having roaches for roommates. Why do you think I live here? It’s what I can afford, Mr. Moneybags.”
“Right, of course,” he said, shaking his head. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I guess sometimes I forget how far I’ve gotten from growing up in a place pretty similar to this.”
I groaned. “I know you’re trying to be nice, but it’s not actually a compliment to compare my current home to the poverty you escaped. For the record, I pay a lot of money to live in the setting of your tragic origin story.”
“No, I mean, your apartment is obviously a lot nicer than where I grew up.” Dane cracked a wry smile. “I want to keep clarifying but I’m worried I’ll accidentally insult you again.”
“No, by all means, keep backpedaling. It’s refreshing to see you out of your element.”
He shook his head at me but there was an amused look in his eyes. “Ready to go?”
“Yes. Let me just grab my coat.”
I pulled my wool coat from the closet and wrapped a scarf around my neck, hyper-aware of Dane watching me. No matter what he thought of my apartment, he looked at me like a treasure, and it sent warm shivers through me.
When I turned around, he was holding my purse, which I’d left on the small table by the door.
“Now that’s more like,” I said, taking it from him. “Thank you.”
When we stepped outside, I expected to see the black sedan waiting. Instead, there was a sleek silver car. I didn’t know enough about cars to identify the exotic logo on the front, but it was clearly a luxury model. Possibly from the future.
He opened the passenger door for me. I slid in, immediately surrounded by the smell of leather and whatever expensive cologne he wore.
He got in and we headed into the night. I liked that he hadn’t sent a driver. This way it was just the two of us. Alone. It felt strange but comfortable. I wasn’t nervous. Not really.
“So where are we going?” I asked.
“You’ll see.”
“Oh, come on. Give me a hint.”
Dane shook his head firmly. “The surprise is half the fun.”
I groaned and squirmed in my seat. “I love surprises but I hate not knowing things. It’s a curse.”
“Like a Greek tragedy.”
Dane Kavanagh joking with me about ancient plays? It made the theater kid in me get up and do jazz hands. He jazzed up other parts of me too, but I was too much of a lady to indulge inthose thoughts right then. Later tonight when I was home alone in bed? That might be a different story.
Dane pulled to a stop on a street I recognized. We were in the Meatpacking District with all the trendy restaurants and art galleries. He came around to open my door and I stepped out. The valet took his car and I looked up at the illuminated sign forCandelabra.
Of all the Italian ristorantes in all the world, Dane had to bring me to this one.
