CHAPTERTEN
DANA
Dana would have never been impressed by a man using his money to impress her. If it had been anyone else but Rux, she would have scoffed at him and left the venue right then and there.
But it is Rux, and I think I’m falling for him with every beat of my heart.
When he stood close to her, she could feel his frame like a ghostly image. It made her breathe faster. Her thoughts ran wild, her eyes saw sharper, and her body craved deeper.
No one had ever made her feel that way. And it was all because he had listened to her, realized what she needed, and taken a step back.
She wanted to leap onto him in that car and make love to him in the back seat. It had always been a fantasy of hers to get a sexy romp in one of her favorite vehicles. But they were both famished from the excitement, and Rux suggested getting some dinner at a five-star restaurant nearby.
Dana was beginning to realize that Rux wasn’t trying to impress her with his money. It was simply his way of life that he had grown accustomed to. She didn’t want to admit it, but it was kind of nice not having to worry about paying for the meals or which bus or cab she was going to have to take to meet her date.
She could feel her walls lowering, and although that was scary, it exhilarated her. Dana had climbed into a fantasy world, likeAlice in Wonderland, where everything was strange, brighter, bigger, with an accent of flair at every corner.
Except, this is my life, and I want to embrace it with open arms.
The couple sat in a quiet section of the restaurant, a tiny, flickering candle at the center of the table. It was a lot calmer inside the establishment than it was at the auction, and Dana was thankful for the break.
“Wow,” Dana said, leaning onto her hand and sighing. “I’m still buzzing. That was insane.”
Rux leaned forward on the table, smiling widely, so handsome and delectable.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” he said. “Was that your first time at an auction?”
Dana nodded, breathing deeper and taking it all in.
“We had classic car events around the local areas where I grew up,” she spoke softly, “but nothing anywhere close to whatever the hell that was.”
Rux chuckled, continuing to lean forward and fix his eyes on hers. His eyes were brilliant in the dusky ambiance of the restaurant, making Dana feel more and more whimsical the longer he stared.
He eventually had to take his eyes off her as the waiter came by and asked for their drink orders. They both ordered whiskey and appetizers in the form of a layered cheese dip.
Dana watched as Rux plunged deep into the dip with his toasted pita slices like he hadn’t eaten in years. The cheese sagged down under his chin, and he had to lift it high in the air with his mouth gaped open like a sea lion.
Dana covered her mouth and giggled. Everything he did was endearing him to her more and more. She knew what she wanted to do with him alone in the dark right then and there.
Rux caught her eyes as he siphoned the cheese into his mouth.
“What?” he said with a half-smirk.
Just as Dana opened her mouth to take a jab at his childlike way of eating, in her peripheral vision, she noticed a man in a ruby-red blazer walking up to the table. She thought he might have been a server, but all of the servers wore plum purple vests.
“Good evening, Mr. Cohen,” the man said cordially.
Dana looked up to see a man around Rux’s age and size. His hair was cut sternly in a fifty’s era military-style, perfectly lining up with his pristinely tailored suit. He held his hands behind his back like an attendant, even leaned forward like one, but Dana knew just from the cut of his outfit that he, too, was a man of privilege and prestige.
Rux finished swallowing what remained of his appetizer and then picked up a napkin to wipe his hand. He then stood from the table and firmly shook the strange man’s hand. Dana continued chewing as the man turned slightly to her, giving her a polite nod.
“It’s nice to meet you,” he said with a smile that could only be recognized by anyone who had ever worked in customer service.
It screamed phony.
Dana nodded back and smiled quaintly. The man turned back to Rux, who had placed his hands into his pockets.
“I wanted to apologize for the confusion earlier this morning,” the man said. “I know that you are aware that property beside you belongs to the Skylars. I have been dating Ms. Rebecca Skylar and have been spending a great amount of time there since the passing of her brother.”