At 6:55 PM, I stared into the gilded mirror over the little table near my apartment door. I had my hair down, and it hung in a straight line to my waist. A diamond clip held back a lock on the front left. I loved putting things in my hair. I've always thought the thick, shining locks were my best feature. Hermes disagreed. He liked my eyes better. When we first met, he said he had never seen eyes so lovely, not even in Olympus. It was the gold in them. He loved gold. And the glints of gold were made especially bright in my dark brown eyes. Rune had gold in his eyes too.
I cleared my throat and leaned closer to the mirror to inspect my make-up. I had gone heavy with the mascara to emphasize my eyes, probably because of Hermes's preference. His preferences were always in the back of my mind.
The thought caused me to grimace, and I almost turned around to go to the bathroom and wash my face. But my phone dinged then—an alert from my security camera. I drew the phone out of my purse, tapped the screen, and stared at Rune Demos, hands in the pockets of his suit jacket. I smiled to see that. He had dressed up for me. It made me feel better about my Valentino dress and the diamonds in my hair.
After tucking my phone back in my purse, I went out into the stairwell and locked my front door. At the bottom of the stairs, another door waited. It led me into the gallery storeroom.My heels clicked on the hardwood floor as I crossed the dark space full of crates and shelving made specifically to hold paintings. Another door and then I was crossing the gallery. The closer I drew to Rune Demos, the faster my heart raced. I put my palm over it in surprise. When was the last time I had been this excited?
Since I had a date coming, I'd left the security door open. So, I could see Rune through the glass panel in the gallery's main door. He straightened when he saw me, a soft smile coming to his face. I unlocked the door, and his scent came in with the night air. Aqua di Gio—one of my favorites. But beneath the Armani was the smell of something darker. Muskier. Primal man with a hint of beast. I breathed in deeply. It was even better than Aqua di Gio.
“Hey,” Rune said.
“You're right on time,” I said.
“I didn't want to be late for a chosen of Hermes.” He stepped back so I could come out.
“Let's not talk about Hermes tonight.” I pulled the steel security door out of its recessed spot, locked it, then shut and locked the gallery's main, glass-paneled door. When I turned around, I found him staring at me. At my eyes. Damn it. I looked away.
“All right,” he said. “I'd rather talk about you anyway. You look beautiful, by the way.”
I lifted my stare to his. “Thank you. You clean up nicely yourself. I was hoping I hadn't overdressed.”
“I figured a woman who owns an art gallery is going to be a bit posh.” Rune shrugged and gestured me down the sidewalk. “And I wanted you to know I could keep up.”
I chuckled. “I never doubted it.”
Rune led me to a deep red Alpha Romeo Giula. I hate to admit it, but the car impressed me more than his suit. It was a new model and had a quiet sex appeal. The grill alone was enough to make me want to fan myself. He opened the passenger door for me and a whiff of leather teased my nose. Lovely.
I sank into the plush seat, my body cradled perfectly, and posed my heels on the black floor. The door shut with a quiet click. As he came around the back, I glanced at the interior. Spotless. Nice. Then Rune was in the driver's seat, buckling up. Strange, but it felt intimate all of a sudden, being shut inside the vehicle with him. And I liked it.
I also liked that he didn't ask me where we should go. Rune just started driving. After seeing his suit and car, I shouldn't have been surprised when he pulled into a parking lot and the iconic angled glass end of the Canis restaurant came into view, stretching out over a cliff to provide its customers with an incredible view of Lake Union. But I was surprised. Rune didn't strike me as the kind of man who would enjoy tiny plates of pretentious (but amazing) food. Especially since you only got to choose three out of the many courses they served you. The rest was up to the chef. And it could get interesting.
“Impressed?” Rune grinned at me as he stopped before the valet.
“Surprised that you'd give up control,” I said.
“Give up control?” He lifted a brow at me.
“Have you eaten here before?”
Rune blinked. “Uh. No. It was recommended to me.”
I laughed.
His expression went hesitant.
Before Rune could ask, the valets were opening our doors. I kept laughing softly as I got out. When Rune came around the car, tucking the ticket in his pocket, he was grinning. Another surprise. I liked a man who could roll with the punches. He held out his hand, and I took it. At that innocent touch, a shiver raced through me, and that shiver heated when Rune wove his fingers with mine.
The door was opened for us, and we were greeted immediately. Rune gave his name for the reservation, and the hostess's eyes widened slightly, her demeanor becoming even more gracious.
“Right this way, Mr. Demos. We have a special table for you and your guest.”
That had my brow lifting. When I looked at Rune, he just smirked. Right. So, he had connections. I should have known. A reservation at Canlis usually had to be made months in advance. And yet, here we were, striding in the same day he had asked me out and getting treated like royalty.
The hostess took us to a table set against the glass wall. With the glass wrapping around most of the dining room, nearly every table had an incredible view, but our table had the best. And it was a table for six, not two. So not only had they opened their best table for Rune, but they had also given up seatsfor him. Seats that could have earned them a couple hundred dollars apiece. Their tasting menu was not cheap.
The hostess stood back so Rune could pull out my chair. When I was seated, she handed me the leather menu. I thanked her, but I was distracted by the view. I found myself once again thinking about how much things had changed in Seattle. Instead of feeling nostalgic, it made me proud and excited for the future. I had been a part of Seattle's growth, and I hoped to see it become even greater.
“Your waiter will be right with you,” the hostess said, then left.
