“You know what I mean. I can’t talk about it in public. I don’t want to get arrested.” As I speak, I pull my foot out of my stiletto and slide it under the table toward him…then along his calf.
His eyes change as he registers the touch. “Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“If you get arrested, I’ll bail you out.”
I run my toes past his knee then slip them between his legs, along his inner thigh. “The police might not let me out on bail.”
“Then I’ll join you in your cell.”
I grin, feeling breathless and naughty. I’ve never done this before. I move, a little bit bolder, inching closer. So much heat radiates from him—
“My God.”
I flinch at my father’s booming voice and immediately jerk my foot back and slip it into my shoe. Nicholas swivels his head, glaring at Dad.
In a nice suit, Dad looks lean and fit. He flicks his eyes at me, then at Nicholas, then at the food and wine on the table, then back at me. Judgment burns in their blue depths.
“Who are you?” Nicholas demands, bristling with annoyance.
“I’m Kevin Greene, Molly’s dad.”
The sharp edge in Nicholas’s demeanor eases a little, even though the tight set of his mouth betrays some lingering irritation.
“And you are…Nicholas Lasker?” Dad adds, with anticipatory excitement at meeting somebody he deemsimportant. He might think Nicholas can buy some expensive homes from him. Dad is all about making big sales and rubbing elbows with the right kind of people whose very presence makes him feel significant.
“Yes. Nice to meet you.” Nicholas stands.
They shake hands amicably. Most wouldn’t know Nicholas is displeased from the neutral mask on his face, but I note the slight tension in his brow, the set of his shoulders. Dad is playing it cool. Maybe too cool. If he were taller, he’d be doing his best to look down on Nicholas.
But then, he’s tried that with all of my boyfriends. Apparently, the fact that they’re dating his daughter means they’re somehow beneath him. And they owe him a great deal of respect.
“So you’re the guy who won my daughter in an auction.” His tone is overly casual to hide the cautious skepticism—I can’t believe you bid so much for her. There has to be some nefarious reason.
Nicholas’s expression darkens as though he’s caught the hint of Dad’s unspoken disbelief.
“And this looks like a very nice andmassivedinner.” Dad shoots me a look. “You could feed a village.”
I get the message loud and clear—quit eating, Molly!My mouth dries with humiliation, and I start to reach for my wine, my hand slightly shaky.
Dad clears his throat.
Since I don’t feel like water, I just drop my hand and slide my gaze to the view of the city below.
“You can’t afford your own entrées, is that it?” Nicholas says.
I jerk my chin up and stare at him.
Dad starts. “What?”
“It sounds like you want to take some of our food to your table for yourself and your dinner companion.” Nicholas’s tone is so charitable and conversational, it takes a second before the insult sinks in.
If Dad were a cat, all the hair on his back would be standing up. “How dare you talk to me like that?”
“I’m just wondering why you’re here. You obviously aren’t keen on merely saying hello, since you’re lingering and eyeing our food.” Nicholas picks up his fork and knife and cuts a small piece of the butter-laden lobster on his plate. He holds it across the table. “Here you go, Molly.”
Dad glares at the lobster skewered at the end of Nicholas’s fork, then at me. His blazing eyes challenge.You wouldn’t dare.
