“You really did that?” I nodded, and she beamed up at me. “Allie thought you might have, but it was pretty hard to believe.”
“Then I guess I’d better bust my ass to prove it to you.” I flashed her a wink. “Starting with the perfect first date.”
“Okay,” she agreed softly.
“I need to call my assistant to get everything set up. Can you be ready to go in about fifteen minutes?” I wanted to get her out the door and in my car before she had a chance to change her mind.
“That depends. Do I need to change first?”
I eyed her up and down, my gaze lingering on her perky tits long enough for her to start laughing. “Never mind. I’ll take that as a no. I’ll go take care of a couple of things and grab my shoes from my room while you make your call.”
I pulled my cell out of my pocket, but that was as far as I got because I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the way her ass swayed while she walked down the hallway to her bedroom. Once I could no longer see Morgan, I pulled myself out of my daze and got Shawn on the phone.
“I need you to get me into that Japanese garden in Little Tokyo. The one downstairs from the cultural center. Set it up for an hour from now with a picnic for two. Sushi and sake.”
I heard him typing in the background while I was talking, and then he heaved a deep sigh. “You’re asking for the impossible, Boss. They’re closed on Mondays. Plus, food and drink aren’t allowed.”
“C’mon, if anyone can pull it off, you can. It’s why I pay you the big bucks.”
There was more typing and then the sound of a ding. “Damn straight; because I earn every single penny.”
“Now would be the perfect time for you to give me yet another demonstration of your skills.”
“Lucky for you, I was able to get a hold of someone who can get us in. It’s going to cost you, though,” he warned.
“I’ll pay whatever it takes as long as your contact knows how to keep their mouth shut.”
“Of course, she does, Boss. I wouldn’t use her otherwise,” he assured me.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. Getting you in the door was only the first step. Now I’ve got to run so I can make sure the picnic is perfect,” he warned before hanging up.
“Did you get everything situated?” Morgan asked from behind me. When I turned around, the first thing I noticed was that she’d added a pair of knee-high boots to her outfit. Then I realized that in the short amount of time I’d been on the phone, she’d also managed to pull her hair back into a low ponytail and put on mascara and lip gloss.
“Wow, you really were able to get ready in ten minutes,” I said with appreciation. “I’m beginning to suspect that you’re the perfect woman.”
“I’m far from perfect,” she laughed as I led her out the door and to my car.
Nothing she said or did during the drive downtown proved me wrong. Our conversation flowed as though we’d known each other for years. If I hadn’t been excited to surprise her with our picnic location, I would have been sorely tempted to keep driving instead. But after I’d led her into the cultural center, onto the elevator down to the basement, and along the hallway, her gasp of surprise made it all worthwhile.
Shawn had outdone himself. On the small stone patio, overlooking the garden, was a wrought-iron table with lanterns strung above it. Two places were set with linen napkins folded into the shape of cherry blossoms on top of each plate. A stack of white boxes from my favorite sushi place were off to one side, along with two bottles of sake. The soothing sound of the waterfall surrounded us.
“Wow,” Morgan breathed out. “You weren’t kidding when you said you could give me romance if I wanted it.”
I promised myself, right then and there, that I’d get that same reaction from her as often as possible.SevenMorganWe hadn’t even truly started the date and already it ranked as the best one I’d ever had. My stomach was full of butterflies as Gage pulled my chair out and helped me into the seat before shaking out my cloth napkin and setting it on my lap. I forgot to breathe for a second when he turned his head and grinned at me like he knew that his closeness affected me. Only when he stepped back did the butterflies back off even a little bit.
As he took his seat across from me at the table, I looked at the tower of sushi. I chuckled as I gestured to the boxes. “Did you order the entire menu?” I teased.