As I glanced out through the peephole again, I caught the glossy black Aston Martin roll to a stop in front of my apartment, and the nerves I’d been trying to suppress in my stomach flared. All of a sudden, I felt shaky, my skin got clammy, and I thought I might pass out.
I leaned my forehead against the cool plane of the door and took a deep breath. It was only coffee. Nothing to freak out about. Just a couple of guys having casual conversation over a pastry and some caffeine. I’d already checked the balance in my checking account, and as long as Salvatore wasn’t ravenous, I could cover at least that much.
Straightening, I squared my shoulders and opened the door just as Salvatore was lifting his hand to knock.
“Well, hello,” he said, lowering his arm and giving me a megawatt smile. It took me a good five seconds of staring before I could manage a response, because Salvatore Wolfe in casual dark jeans and a burgundy Henley was the most mouth-watering thing I’d ever laid eyes on.
Salvatore’s gaze traveled down my body, and it almost looked like he bit down on his lip for a second, but I had to be imagining that. Compared to him, I was a wallflower, but I still felt the searing heat of his gaze as it roamed over me—and it lit every nerve ending in my body on fire.
“Shall we go?” he asked when he’d finished his perusal and met my eyes again. His were darker than usual, his pupils dilated, and I felt a thrill of satisfaction in that.
“Of course.” After shutting the door behind me, I somehow managed to put one foot in front of the other and walk alongside him. Any doubt I had about this being a date vanished when he opened the passenger door for me, and as I slid inside, I couldn’t believe my luck.
I’m on a date…a real date with Salvatore Wolfe. Somebody pinch me.
As I watched Salvatore round the hood, I deeply inhaled. His cologne lingered in the air, and it smelled of money and sex—an intoxicating combination.
“Ready to go for a ride?” he asked, and when I nodded, he smiled that wicked smile, and then he put the car in drive and went from zero to sixty before I even had a chance to blink.
“Oh shit,” I said, grabbing the aptly named oh-shit bar just as he took his foot off the gas and we slowed back down to the street’s speed limit. The buzz from witnessing the car in action had my pulse jumping, and as Salvatore looked over at me, waiting for my reaction, a smile turned up my lips.
“Well?” he asked.
“That…was incredible. Can we do it again?”
Salvatore chuckled as we slowed to a four-way stop. “You should see how he handles on the open road. You feel like you’re flying.”
If I’m lucky, maybe he’ll show me sometime…
“Maybe I’ll show you sometime,” he said, and my eyes widened before I nodded.
What are the odds he reads minds too? Are you listening? What’s the capital of Rhode Island?
He didn’t seem to hear that, thank God, and as he turned into a small parking lot and shut off the car, I was surprised to see how quickly the ride had passed. Guess that was what happened when you didn’t have a car that sputtered and died on you constantly.
“Is this okay?” Salvatore asked when I didn’t make a move to unbuckle my seatbelt. Looking up at the sign that read The Jumping Bean, I almost breathed a sigh of relief. I’d been there before, and it wasn’t some fancy, out-of-my-budget choice, which meant he’d chosen this place in consideration of my slim wallet. As if he wasn’t perfect already.
“Yeah, this is great,” I said. “They have banana bread to die for.”
“I’ll have to try some. Stay there.” Salvatore eased out of the car with the grace of a panther, and then he opened my door for me.
“Thank you,” I said, stepping out and getting to my feet. Had anyone ever opened a door for me, car or otherwise? It was a small thing, but it spoke volumes about the man, and as I looked up at him in wonder, I knew I could get used to this. “You’re quite the gentleman.”
As Salvatore opened the door to the café, his lips twisted, and he said, “Not always.” The way he said it made me think of what Brayden had told me about him being a dominant, and a shiver of anticipation shot down to my cock. I wondered what he would do to me if I let him… I hoped I’d get a chance to find out.
I guided Jesse through the crowded café toward the booth in the back that was always kept empty for me, and waited as he took a seat. As I slid in opposite him, I was aware of the shift in the air between us. It was something I made sure to be attuned to. The subtle nuances in body language, facial expressions, tone of voice—it was all important when it came to understanding those around you in business and…other things.