“I have an idea.”
Dominic looked at Barrett and inhaled deeply. Tipping his drink back, he finished it and turned that gaze on me. Without saying a word, he managed to leave me on the edge of my seat, eager to hear what they would say next.
“Let us show you what a date should be like.” Barrett nodded to the waiter and handed off a black card a second later. “You deserve a date with a man. Or men, as it may be. Let us show you a good time tonight. After Barry, I have a feeling you could use a cleanser.”
I trailed my fingers down the side of my glass, letting condensation run down my finger as I thought through the idea at breakneck speed. “Can I be honest?”
“It’s the only way we’ll have you.”
A tingle blossomed from my core and I crossed my legs under the table. “If I go home with the memory of Barry lingering, I’ll never date again.”
Holden laughed and reached across the table. He caught a drop of condensation running down my finger and brought it to his mouth. His eyes stayed trained on mine as he flicked his tongue out to drink the liquid. “We can’t have that.”
Barrett shifted in his seat and I caught him glaring at Holden for a second before he relaxed his face and rolled his eyes. “Sorry. Holden doesn’t get out much.”
“We have that in common, then.” I opened my clutch and reached for my wallet to pay Barrett back for my drink, but he put his hand over mine.
“First things first. You’re not paying for anything. We’re old-fashioned that way, Sugar. We’re taking you out, so we’ll pay. I don’t want to see your wallet again tonight.”
There must’ve been a heat wave around our table because I would’ve sworn the temperature went up by ten degrees. I fanned my face and grinned when they stared at me. “Sorry. It’s just that three mature, employed, hot men are taking me on a pretend date and they’re proving to be chivalrous. Excuse me while I melt.”
Dominic slowly stood from his chair and stared down at me while he buttoned his suit jacket. “Hot?”
I squeezed my eyes shut and groaned. “Ignore that. Probably just ignore most of what I say tonight. In my eagerness to be around real, mature men, I may embarrass myself.”
“Feel free.” Barrett stood up and held out his hand to me when I opened my eyes again. He winked and easily pulled me up. “Now. We’re going to talk more about your blog while we walk down to Gray’s.”
“Gray’s?”
Holden made a face. “So, you’ve heard of it?”
I tried to push my chair in, but Holden caught my hands and pulled me away while Barrett handled it. He tucked me into his side and smiled down at me while his scent of cloves and honey washed over me. Instead of leaving my arm hanging awkwardly between us, I lifted it and wrapped it around his waist. His breath hitched immediately.
I stammered a bit but finally got my words out right. “Gray’s is hugely popular. A friend tried to get a reservation so I could write something up, but the wait was insane.”
He grunted and one side of his mouth lifted in a snarl. “It’s a pompous place. They probably inflate the wait time just to seem better than they are.”
Dominic watched me with a focus that made me aware of every inch of my body. “Holden has a true chef’s moodiness when it comes to other people’s food. Hisisbetter, of course.”
“Let’s not open that can of worms tonight. Tonight is for showing Sugar the way a date should go.” Barrett pulled me out of Holden’s embrace and wrapped his arm around my waist as he led me toward the exit. “Maybe if Holden plays his cards right, you’ll rip Gray’s to shreds. In a nice way, of course.”
“Save the nice for some other time. Let them have it. Their chef is a joke.”
Grinning as I stepped out onto the sidewalk, I quickly noticed how Barrett put himself on the outside of the sidewalk. He kept me tucked into his side and seemed to instinctively know when someone was going to invade my space. He moved me gracefully closer to his chest, protecting me without a second thought. I couldn’t help compare it to how walking around campus had always been with Josh. I always had to run to keep up with him and he nearly got me run over once when he’d shoved me into a crosswalk just when a car was racing through.
Holden reached the door to Gray’s first and pulled it open. He offered me his hand and flashed me his dimples. “Come here, Sugar. If I have to walk into this place, I’m at least going to do it with a beautiful date on my arm.”
I rolled my eyes and then laughed when he tugged me harder and I fell into his chest. Looking up at him from that close, I could see the silver coming in at his temples and each dark eyelash that curled around his eyes. “Careful, or we might not be walking in.”
His answering grin was wicked. “Oh?”
I playfully slapped his chest as I righted myself. “I meant that you nearly knocked me over. Some things don’t change with maturity, I see.”
Dominic placed his hand high on my back, closer to my neck, and leaned in. His breath washed over my shoulder as he spoke just low enough for me to hear. “Not when there’s a woman involved, Sugar. Especially a stunning one.”
I turned my face up to his and sank my teeth into my bottom lip, unconcerned with how flirty I acted. After all, we were on a pretend date. I was just playing the part. I reached up and adjusted his tie, letting my knuckles lightly brush his chest as I ran my hand down the silky material. “And are you, Dominic?”
His jaw muscles worked as he catalogued every move I made. “Am I what?”