I took a casual glance behind me, scanning the area for signs someone was watching me but saw nothing unusual—no suspicious man in a trench coat, skulking behind me or sketchy thugs eyeballing me from a distance. The city street looked like it did on any other evening, so I tried to calm my overactive imagination. Assuring myself it was likely just my anxiety over having dinner with Luca that had me worked up, I tucked my chin and continued toward the restaurant.
The place he’d chosen was an elegant Italian bistro nestled in downtown Manhattan. Despite the soaring ceilings, the room felt cozy, thanks to the rich wood accents and dimmed lighting. It was the type of place you might find a politician or movie star dining—a place that discretely catered to important people. If I hadn’t been used to such establishments my entire life, I might have been unnerved by the place. As it was, I had been to Del Posto before and was well acquainted with the experience.
I arrived before Luca, but he entered only minutes after. I hadn’t had the wherewithal to admire how he looked in his black suit at either of our earlier exchanges—both having been too intense to allow for a casual perusal of his suitedform. The sight of him crossing the foyer toward me liquified my insides. The fabric of his suit pulled taut where his biceps flexed against the sleeves, and the broad expanse of his shoulders over his narrow waist made my mouth go dry. As if he knew the effect he had on me, a wolfish grin spread across his face.
“I may not have said it earlier today, but you look stunning.” He took my hand and pressed his lips to the back, just below my knuckles, lingering briefly. The sensation edged my heartrate up from a gentle thrum to a fluttering frenzy.
“Thank you. You look rather handsome yourself.”
Not releasing my hand, he led me to the hostess station where the young woman on duty snapped into motion.
“This way, please.” She led us to the back of the restaurant toward a table in the far corner.
“I’m impressed you could get a reservation moved on such late notice,” I whispered to Luca.
“The owner is a friend of mine,” he murmured near my ear as he helped me into my seat.
Blushing at his nearness, I glanced down at the white china place setting. “I guess it pays to have friends in high places.”
As soon as he was seated, our server brought waters and took our drink orders. The moment I gave my wine selection, Luca instructed the server to bring a bottle.
“That’s not necessary,” I cut in.
The young man looked between us, and Luca gave him a stern, raised brow. Without looking back to me, our server scurried off to obtain the bottle.
“Do you always get your way?” I asked with amusement.
“Quite often, yes.”
“And yet you still manage to have friends?”
“Having friends is an important part of my business.”
“And what business is that?”
“Banking.”
I tilted my head, looking him over appraisingly. “You don’t strike me as the banker type.”
“No?” he mused. “What type do I seem like?”
The question was a tricky one. I’d already thought about it after our encounter in the elevator but had come up emptyhanded. His features were so striking, it was hard to think of him as doing anything outside of modeling. Then again, his dark intensity lent itself to positions of power and a job that would require a great deal of drive. “Maybe a pro athlete or an actor?”
He took a sip of his freshly poured wine, eyes still bright with amusement. “Nothing so exciting as that, I’m afraid.”
“What bank do you work for?”
“You probably wouldn’t know it—we’re a relatively small-scale operation.”
“Do you like what you do?”
He peered at me for long seconds, seemingly weighing his answer. “It’s my life; it’s who I am.”
There was silence between us for a moment as his words lingered in the air. It was a bold statement. I could relate because my company was family-owned, but not many other people in my experience felt the same sense of ownership regarding their job.
“What about you—what do you do for Triton?” he asked, bringing the discussion back to me.
“I work in the marketing department currently.”
