Chapter 3 Dinner

He turned his face, leaned even closer and now I could feel his breath on my neck.

"You sure about that? Because your body is saying otherwise." He said in my ear with such authority, and it turned me on even more. But, I had to stand my ground. I leaned back and looked out the window.

He laughed and put the car in drive.

I have never felt so flustered in my life. I was young when my mom died and I never really had the chance to date. Since moving to the big city, my life has been consumed with working long hours just to make ends meet. I just didn’t have the time for a social life.

I sat there trying to calm myself down.

"Are you being so quiet because you know I am right?" he asked. I didn't answer.

"I'll take your silence as a yes." he said. It was strange, I normally didn't care for such brazen arrogance. But he was different. I found it charming and somewhat comforting.

We pulled up to a cute little diner. It was all by itself in the hills.

"I thought you were going to take me to my car?" I asked.

"I will. But we are already here. I know you must be hungry." he said as he got out of the car.

I sat there, debating whether I wanted to get out or not. Before I knew it, he had opened my door and reached his hand out.

"I don't bite. Not unless you want me to of course." he said.

I looked up at him with my eyes wide.

"I am just kidding. Come on, let's go. I promise you will be fine." he said.

Just then my stomach growled. I really was hungry. So, I figured I might as well eat.

I didn't grab his hand though and he just laughed it off.

"I like how feisty you are." he said.

"I am not feisty. I am……guarded." I said.

"I see. Well, we can get some food and you can tell me all about why you are so guarded." he said.

We walked side by side into the diner.

It was small, the lighting was dim and there were only a few people inside, but it felt very inviting. The smell made my stomach rumble even more.

"Mr. Hayes, do you want your regular table?" the waiter asked.

"Thank you, Javier. That would be great." he said.

We followed him up some stairs and there was a very quaint rooftop deck. Patio lights strung across the top for the perfect glow. There were only a few tables up here and one couple in the corner, cozied up to each other. It was very romantic.

"Here you are sir. I will be back to take your order." he poured us some wine and he left.

I sat down and felt a little strange. I just met him, but this seemed planned or maybe he does this with lots of women like the assistant said.

"Cheers." he said as he held up his wine glass.

I clinked my glass to his and took a drink. I don't normally drink, and I don't really like red wine. I tried my hardest not to make a face.

"Do you take a lot of women here?" I asked.

He put his glass down, tilted his head and looked at me.

"Tell me, why are you this way?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You act like I have some sort of hidden agenda. Are you always this defensive?" he asked.

"I am not stupid. You could have any woman on the planet practically, why am I here?" I asked.

"You really need to work on your self confidence. You are a gorgeous woman. Why would I not be interested in you?" he asked.

"If you think for one second that all of this is going to get me in your bed, you are sorely mistaken." I said.

He laughed and moved his chair closer to me. My heart started beating fast again. I kind of hated how he made me feel like this. I would love to actually date him but that just seemed too far fetched and I needed to protect myself. Maybe I have just been alone for too long. I don’t know how to have relationships with anyone outside of work.

"Don't worry, I would never force you into doing anything you don't want to do. But lets be honest here. You and I both know that there is a strong attraction between us." he said.

"Attraction isn't everything." I said.

"You are right! That is why I am trying to get to know you." he said.

"Why me?" I asked.

"There is a charm about you that I like. You get flustered when you are turned on. I first noticed it when you saw me changing. I think it is insanely attractive." he said.

"What? I was not turned on. I barely know you." I said angrily.

He moved even closer to me, and I knew he was trying to prove his point.

He used his hand to lift my chin up to him. We were staring into each other's eyes as he leaned in. His lips were mere inches from mine. I closed my eyes because I was overwhelmed with emotions. It had been a year since my last kiss, and this felt like it was going to be far more intense.

But just as he got closer, he dodged my lips and whispered in my ear. "I told you not to worry. I will give you the time until your heart is ready. Even though your body clearly is.”

He sat back just as the waiter came back to our table. "Are we ready to order?" he asked.

"I am so sorry. I haven't had a time to look at the menu." I said as I picked it up.

"I can come back." he said.

"Do you like Fettucine Alfredo? Because theirs is the best." Luca Asked.

"It is my favorite, actually." I said.

"Perfect, two fettuccines please Javier." he said.