Buy him lunch.
The rest of the ride was quiet. Kit wandered around the limousine, looking at everything, while James stayed put and watched Kit.
The long-sleeved shirt hung loose from his thin frame, offering only hints of his figure. The black skinny jeans weregreat, though. Practically painted on, with rips and holes showing tantalizing glimpses of pale skin. James could easily imagine those slender thighs wrapped around his hips.
Restricting his gift to a token amount on Kit’s app store account was the right move. James had first intended to load Kit up with a more reasonable $10,000, but decided to play it cool. He didn’t want to overwhelm the kid.
Apparently, James and Kit had different definitions of “token amount.”
Kind of alarming, how far a mere $1,000 could apparently get him with Kit. James needed to accustom Kit to immense amounts of money, so he wouldn’t be so easily swayed by men with lesser wallets.
“Am I underdressed?” Kit asked as they entered the restaurant. James kept describing it as a cute local place, but from the gold mirrored decorations to the waiters in black bow-ties, Kit wouldn’t be surprised if it cost $1,000 just to walk in the door.
That might be pocket change to James, though.
James just placed a confident hand at the small of Kit’s back, guiding him forward. “Don’t worry. You’re perfect.”
Kit brushed his hair awkwardly behind his ear as the hostess greeted James effusively. “Right this way, Mr. Zhou.”
“Thanks, Holly,” James said with a smile. He kept his arm around Kit as Holly led them across the room.
The place was large, but not crowded. Twice as many tables could have fit into the space, and everything was tucked into secluded corners, surrounded by hanging plants and chandeliers. A couple of people nodded at James as they passed.Kit braced himself for scrutiny, but nobody stared too long at him.
James only let go of Kit when Holly pulled the seats out for them. As soon as she left, Kit accused, “Are you like, famous or something?”
“Not famous. Just rich.” When Kit stared, unimpressed by the distinction, James sighed. “I inherited a lot of money, and I own a few businesses. I invest in others. My influence is mostly local, but anyone who can get a reservation here knows who I am.”
The waiter arrived with menus, and Kit opened his, worried it would list a bunch of things he couldn’t pronounce. Instead, it was mostly… salads, pizzas, and burgers?
All whatever the fuck “deconstructed” meant.
“Trendy, isn’t it?” James grimaced. “Order whatever. Do you want anything to drink?”
“Just water.”
James grinned. “Me too. I have some important business to take care of today.”
Kit glanced up thoughtfully but didn’t question that yet. This place was a weird choice for James to take him. Sure, James seemed to want to impress him with money—and Kit couldn’t say it wasn’t working—but from what little he knew of James, his interests would be better served with dinner and drinks at home.
Maybe skipping the dinner part.
Maybe skipping drinks too.
This very public, very formal environment where James’s hand hadn’t even wandered past the small of Kit’s back didn’t fit the man’s M.O.
After their appetizers arrived, Kit picked at truffle fries that surely weren’t worth the price on the menu. “So, what’s this about? Don’t tell me it’s just a date.”
“Neverjusta date.” James winked. “Not when it’s you. But that’s a fair question. How about this? Since I want to get to know you better too, let’s play a game.”
“Christ,” Kit muttered. “Nevermind.”
“It’ll be a fun game,” James said confidently. “I’ll ask you questions, and for each one you answer, you get to ask me a question too. I swear to answer truthfully and completely. Though I may save some details for less conspicuous venues.”
“Details?”
James’s grin was dark. “Be careful what you ask for.”
Kit chewed the inside of his lip. “Got it. Let’s play.”
