“All right. Thanks for hearing me out.”
“No worries, Mills. We’ll chat soon, yeah?”
“Of course. Bye, Bree!”
“Bye!”
I hung up the phone with a long, deep breath. Pulling off my shoes, I looked at the two texts emboldened in my inbox.
I think I have wasted enough time not knowing you better.
Why don’t we get dinner?
I smiled at the thought. Meara wasn’t home to have dinner with me. What was keeping me here? Why couldn’t I run right into the path of that tall, good-looking Russian? I quickly typed back a reply.
Are you free tonight?
There was a pause, enough time for me to slip out of my rumpled work clothes and run a brush through my hair. Then, my phone vibrated again.
I was hoping you would say that. I know a place you might like. Meet there in an hour?
His answer came with a link to a restaurant not far from the Magnificent Mile. Located in a hotel, the gastropub looked well-reviewed and high-end, yet I couldn’t escape one minor hotel.
It was located at the base of a four-star hotel. My smile stretching wider, that fun little fact didn’t deter me at all. It would be a twenty-minute train ride to get there. All I needed to do was spruce myself up and head out the door. There would be plenty of time to get myself ready. I only had one question left.
If I say yes, will you finally let me buy that cup of coffee for you?
Vlad didn’t hesitate.
I guess that depends on how tonight goes, beautiful.
That told me only one thing: I needed to shave.
Hustling into the bathroom, I got myself date-ready in record time. I pulled back my hair into a braided updo and found a black silk shirt dress that was easy to throw on, meaning it would be just as easy for Vladimir to take off of me too. With a swipe of lip gloss and mascara, I ran out the door and didn’t look back. I thought I might be early, beating my date to the finish line, but he was outside the restaurant before I ever got down the bustling city block.
With his black dress shirt and sleek gray suit, Vlad Penencko looked as debonair as ever. He was a shark swimming in through these unknown waters, and his dark eyes were trained on me. The scent of sandalwood and musk blew off of him. Already, I was ready to become putty in his capable hands.
“You wound me,” he greeted me with a kiss on the cheek.
“How?”
He flashed a smile, his gaze gleaming. “How am I supposed to take you inside looking that tempting? I might, as they say, have to beat the other men off with a stick.”
“Don’t worry,” I assured him, letting my free hand find his. “For tonight, I’m all yours.”
I meant it too. Though there were nights I might have wanted to share with Warren or Caleb, I knew that for this one evening, I would happily be tethered to Vlad. I relished the moment of being the woman on his arm. I enjoyed how his palm pressed into the small of my back and how he led me through the polished restaurant.
With dark wood trim, hidden corners, and soft mood lighting, it was almost like a refined version of those Dublin taverns I’d left behind. There was a crisp, gilded beauty to it all, but in the restaurant's nooks and corners, I knew I could hide myself away, sip my wine, and not worry.
I didn’t have to promise Vladimir forever, but for this one gorgeous moment, I was happy to hide myself away and be his.