The look in his eyes says I'm his for the night, and no one else is going to put a hand on me. I like it. I like the protective nature. I like the gleam in his eyes and the tone in his voice. My skin tingles, sending a wave of heat down through my body that coalesces as a pulse in my pussy.
I take Manu's hand, placing the roses on the seat as he helps me out of the car. “Wow, this is fancy, Mr. Reeves.”
“Manu, just call me Manu.”
“Right, sorry. It's habit.”
“It's fine, maybe I'll have you call me Mr. Reeves later. It does sound sexy when you say it.” He slips my arm through his and walks us toward the entrance.
The restaurant is like nothing I've ever seen before. I don't go to places this fancy ever. I live within my means, but I'm not a girl that's ever really been drawn to the big and fancy things life has to offer.
Simple. I'm a simple girl.
I grew up around farms, with cows and horses, goats and chickens. The fanciest restaurant in the town I grew up in is an Applebee's. That's where my parents took me out to eat when they had extra money, or it was a special occasion. So, this, this is new.
My eyes grow wide as we stand in the foyer. There are dark marble floors with intricate details that create a mosaic of flowers in the center. A giant crystal chandelier hangs from the ceiling. There are black iron light fixtures attached to the walls. The lighting is low, so dim that Manu's eyes turn from bright blue to navy.
The hostess is standing behind a mahogany post that has deep hand etched designs across the front. “Welcome to Khan,” she says as she picks up her pen. “Name?”
“Reservations for two under Reeves.”
“Mr. Reeves, yes, right this way.” She bundles two menus against her chest and has us follow her to our table.
She brings us to a small table in the back. There's a floating candle in the center and gold silverware lined perfectly beside the plates. The blue napkins are folded to look like seashells, sitting in the center of our plates.
Manu pulls out my seat and nods his head for me to sit. He pushes me in, then runs his fingers over the curves of my shoulders. He lets them linger there for a moment, touching me gently. “I love this place. It's one of my favorites,” he finally says, pulling his fingers off my skin slowly. But even though his hands are gone, I can still feel them. My skin is warm, tingling from his touch.
He pulls his jacket off, folding it over his chair, and takes his seat. “So, Ronda, I know you've worked for me for a little while now, but I don't know much else about you.”
“Is this like a second interview or something?” I ask.
“No, I'm just curious.”
“Well, what do you want to know?”
“I don't know, anything.”
“All right, well, I really love music.”
“Do you play anything?”
“The piano, but it's been years.” I fiddle nervously with the silverware next to my plate.
“What else? What do you do for fun?”
“Um, well, I like running, swimming, and I really like to garden.”
“Garden? That must be hard to do around here in the city. There isn't much yard space.”
“Yeah, but my landlord let me make one on the rooftop of the apartment building. He and his wife are old, and she likes to come up and help me with planting and stuff.”
“So, you like getting dirty?”
“I guess you could say that,” I say with a chuckle. “In more ways than one.”
Manu bites his tongue as he grins. “You don't need to tell me. I learned that firsthand.”
The waiter walks up and takes our drink orders. I start to scan the menu, but I honestly have no idea what any of this stuff even is.
“What are you going to get?” he asks.
“To be honest, I don't think I've ever even heard of half this stuff.”
“Well, do you prefer steak or fish?”
“Steak, definitely steak.”
“Then you should try the beef wellington. It's delicious.”
“Okay, I'll get that.”
We place our orders after the waiter brings us our drinks. Manu watches me as I take a long sip from the glass. He's got this look in his eyes: dark, sensual, full of desire and curiosity.
“I'm curious, your employee file says you used to work in Ohio. What's in Ohio?”
“You read my employee file?”
“I had to find out something about you on my own, didn't I? Couldn't come here empty handed.” He runs his tongue over his teeth, and smirks. “Research is important.”
I look down into my glass and stir the ice around with the thin straw. “Some might call it stalking,” I say, my voice hinting a playful tone.