She looked like a damn vision. I immediately got out of the car, walking over to her. I liked her in jeans and a sweater. Casual clothing suited her. Her coat was open, so I could look all I wanted.
‘You didn’t have to get out,’ she protested.
‘Yes, I did,’ I said, opening the door for her. How was she so beautiful? I didn’t think I’d ever get used to it.
‘Thanks for picking me up.’
‘You can call me whenever you need to get away.’
‘Really?’
‘Why do you sound so incredulous?’
‘I don’t know. this…’ She sighed. ‘God, everything you do just seems out of this world.’
I tilted closer. ‘I always like going the extra mile.’
She gave me a sheepish smile. ‘Clearly.’
She got inside the car. I climbed in seconds later, then gunned the engine. Reese started to take off her coat, and I could barely keep my eyes on the road.
‘How is it so warm?’ she asked.
‘I started the seat heater on the way.’
She stopped with one arm still in her coat and glanced at me. ‘You started it for me?’
I nodded. ‘I know you like being warm.’
Finally removing her coat, she placed it in her lap, looking down at her hands and then back up at me. ‘Thanks.’
‘Want to talk about what’s on your mind?’
‘I thought our understanding was no talking.’
‘Forget I asked. You’ll love the place where we’re going. There’s no need to talk.’
‘I’m intrigued.’
‘I’m taking you to a jazz club.’
‘But you aren’t a fan of jazz.’
‘But you are, and tonight is about making you forget whatever is going on. Besides, I like trying out new things, and I do trust your taste.’
“But you said we’re sharing one of your guilty pleasures.”
“Lately… my guilty pleasure is pleasing you.”
She stilled. ‘Where is it?’
‘Michigan Avenue.’
Her eyes glinted. ‘Ah, I know exactly where we’re going. One of my favorite spots.’
We arrived a few minutes later, and I parked in a shaded spot at the side of the lot. I went around to Reese’s door as she was putting her coat back on, then helped her out of the car. Not that she needed it—I just wanted another excuse to touch her.
The jazz club was dimly lit with a lot of wood paneling, giving it a speakeasy feel. At first glance, it seemed claustrophobic, but as we went deeper into the room, it grew on me. It was extremely intimate. This was even better than I’d hoped.
One of the waiters led us to a nook wedged between two others that were already occupied. I would have preferred for ours to be in a corner, but this would do as well.
As soon as we sat down, the waiter started pulling at some sheer curtains I hadn’t seen bunched to the side, and I realized that was why this nook seem different to the ones that were occupied. The curtains hadn’t been drawn.
‘I love this,’ Reese said.
‘It almost feels like we’re alone.’
She laughed nervously. ‘It does. Did you plan it this way?’
‘No, but it’s a welcome surprise.’ I looked at her intently. ‘Does this make you uncomfortable?’
‘No, not at all. It’s just very unexpected.’
She grabbed the menu that was on the table in front of us. ‘What to drink, what to drink? Well, since this is a twenties-themed bar and the music fits, I’ll have the signature twenties cocktail. It’s new. I’ve never seen it before.’ She raised a brow. ‘My, my, they mix a lot of alcohol, but it’s just what I need tonight. Want to look at the menu?”
She handed it to me just as I reached for it. Our fingers touched.
She startled slightly, looking away. I could swear she was biting her lower lip. On instinct, I glanced down, noticing her legs were held tightly together. She took a deep breath.
Oh yeah, I loved that she reacted like this to me.
One of the waiters approached us. ‘Did you have time to look over our drink menu?’
‘Yes. We’ll have your signature cocktail,’ I replied, finding it easier to order the same thing rather than bothering to look at the drinks list.
‘Right away. And here’s the menu for food.’ He handed us two of them.
Reese immediately opened hers, clinging to it as if she wanted to hide. I opened mine too.
I never needed much time to decide, so I lowered the menu only a few minutes later.
Reese also seemed to have found what she wanted, because she snapped her head up and said to the waiter, ‘I think we’re ready order food, too.’ Turning to me, she added, ‘Dom, do you need more time?’
‘No, I’m good.’
She looked back at the waiter. ‘I’ll have the salmon with grilled veggies please.’
‘And I’ll have the steak. With two sides of fries,’ I added.
‘Right away.’ He took the menus before disappearing.
‘Why did you order two fries?’ Her voice was laced with suspicion.
‘Because a certain sexy woman might start stealing mine otherwise.’
She giggled and then covered her mouth with her hand. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t know where that came from. You’re right. When you said fries, I was like ‘Oh snap. How am I going to resist them?’ I mean, I already have trouble resisting you.’
Her comment went straight to my cock. ‘Reese!’
She lowered her hand. ‘Hmmm, wasn’t my best idea to say that out loud, huh? Some things I should just keep to myself.’
I tilted my head, wondering how much to push. ‘What else are you keeping to yourself, Reese?’
‘That I think you’re the most considerate man I’ve ever met. I still can’t believe you turned on the seat heater for me.’
I blinked, jerking my head back a bit. ‘Right. And that was a big thing because…?’
‘You don’t even know, do you?’
‘No,’ I said honestly.
‘It just shows that you thought about my needs. That you thought about me.’
Why was this so surprising to her?
‘And you wanted to come to a jazz bar even though you don’t like the music,’ she continued.
I moved a bit closer to her, speaking right into her ear. ‘I’ll tell you a secret. It’s growing on me, and I think it’s 100 percent your doing.’
“And now you’ve ordered fries,” she said.
I wiggled my eyebrows again. “If you want, I can order dessert too.”
“Now you’re just being completely shameless.”
The server brought our cocktails, putting them in front of us. We clinked our glasses and tipped them up. I choked several times while I tried to take a sip. This was so damn pink, and it tasted even worse.
Reese glanced at me, but I couldn’t read her expression. Then she put her glass down on the table and burst out laughing.
“Oh my God. This is going to make you swear off jazz bars, isn’t it? I promise, not all twenties cocktails are as shitty as this one.”
I laughed with her, setting my own glass down. I didn’t want to risk it spilling over—that’s how hard we were laughing.
“Don’t worry, I don’t mind jazz bars at all. In fact, if you come with me, I’m willing to explore a few more.”
“Is that your way of asking to spend more time with me?”
“Hell yes. I wasn’t being subtle, Reese.”
“I do have a list of my favorite spots. I think you’d like one or two of them.”
I swallowed hard. “I wasn’t expecting you to offer so easily, but I’m glad you did.”
She shrugged, then grabbed her glass again. “Oh, what the hell?” She took another sip. “I need liquid courage.”
“You need alcohol to relax around me?”
“No, just my inhibitions. They’re up here.” She put her left hand about twenty inches above her head. “But I need them down here.” She moved her hand down to her knees. “Anyway, you turned on the heat and ordered extra fries. There’s no way I can say no to you, at least not tonight.”
I growled. She turned abruptly, looking straight at my mouth and then at my eyes.
I sucked in a deep breath, wanting to kiss this woman so damn badly. I was almost certain that she wanted that, too, but I wouldn’t do it. Not until she asked me for it. I didn’t want to push or make her uncomfortable in any way even though I needed her so badly that I had to grasp the edges of the chair to stop myself from leaning even closer to her.
I didn’t get the chance to say anything more because the damn waiter returned. He was starting to be a cockblocker.
“How are your drinks?” he asked.
Reese looked straight at him. “I’m sorry to say this, but they’re awful.”
The guy actually took a step back.
Reese glanced at me. “I think this gave me a bit too much courage.”
I looked at the waiter. “They’re not to our taste, not at all.”
He dipped his head in apology. “We’ll bring you new drinks on the house. What would you like?”
“A martini, please,” Reese said.
“And I’ll take a bourbon.” I didn’t care what I was drinking or what I was eating. All I cared about was that I was here with Reese and we were having a damn good time.
I hadn’t been lying to her. I was starting to like jazz music. I enjoyed the easy flow. Most of all, I liked the way Reese swayed to it. It fit her—classic elegance and subtle seduction.
“Oh my God,” she said after he left. “I was so mean to the waiter. I’m never like that.”
“It’s fine, Reese. Maybe they’ll drop that crap from the cocktail list. Not many customers would have the guts to give them such honest feedback.”
“Oh well, what’s done is done. No point fretting over it.” She started humming the song that was playing to herself.
“You know this tune?”
“Yes. I have a jazz playlist, and this is one of my favorites.”
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” I said.
Her eyes widened. She straightened up, pushing strands of hair behind her ear, then frowned. “Something is vibrating. My phone.”
She quickly took it out of her purse and started to laugh.
“What?” I asked.
“My sister says she’ll buy a couple more gifts to make sure she’s got more than me.”
“I’m not following,” I said.
“I might have gone a bit overboard while shopping for Christmas. My assistant made a small Christmas tree of the packages in my office. I think Kimberly got a bit jealous seeing I had such a head start on her.”
“Who are all the presents for?” I was still confused.
“My cousins and their kids. I’ve curated lists of stuff they like, and I keep updating wish lists on retailers’ sites. Sometimes that works against me. I’m supposed to just choose a few items from the list. But they all look so good that I end up ordering far too much. But I like making people happy, and seeing the way their eyes light up when they get their gifts is priceless.”
“You like kids?”
“Oh yeah. I’ve always wanted to have a lot.”
“Define that,” I said, because it sounded suspicious.
“Six.”
“What? No, that’s not possible.”
She laughed. “I know. It was my ideal number eight years ago, probably because I have six cousins and always thought it was amazing to have so many people in the house.’ She sighed. ‘But, I mean, that ship has sailed. I’m not twenty anymore.’ She paused for a moment, her eyes a bit sad, then asked, ‘How about you? You like kids?”
“Yeah. Though I always thought about one or two. Six never even crossed my mind.”
I wanted to ask her more about how she saw her own future, but I didn’t get the chance because the waiter came with our food. I needed to have Reese all for me—away from any bars, restaurants, hotels, or events.
‘Here are your drinks. On the house. And your food. Please let us know if anything isn’t to your liking, and we’ll change it.’
The waiter stood next to the table after setting everything down. I suspected he was waiting for us to taste our food and drinks before leaving.
Reese looked up at him sweetly. ‘I’m sorry for being so blunt before. And thank you for giving us drinks on the house.’
The waiter fidgeted. ‘Is there any way you won’t leave us a bad review?’
She jerked her head back. ‘That didn’t even cross my mind. You have nothing to worry about. We’ll let you know if we need anything else.’
I detected eagerness in her voice. She wanted him gone just as much as I did.
After he left, we finally turned to our food. It was a great steak, but honestly, I only had Reese on my mind. Nothing else mattered.
She took a sip of her martini. ‘Mm, now that’s what I call a drink. Serves me right, experimenting with strange cocktails.’
Right now, I just wanted us to get the food out of the way. Despite saying we weren’t going to talk tonight, I was finding out more and more about her, and I couldn’t wait to ask even more questions—or even better, for her to open up.
I ate quickly, but Reese took her time, enjoying the fires. Just as I swallowed my last bite, the volume of the music exploded.
‘Oh God. What is this?’ she exclaimed.
Through the curtain, we saw a lot of movement at the front of the room.
‘It’s a live band,’ Reese said. ‘Those are always a bit louder.’
‘What? I can’t hear you.’
She brought her mouth to my ear. ‘Live bands are usually louder. I don’t think we’ll be able to talk at all.’
Feeling her hot breath on my skin made me semihard. On instinct, I put a hand on her back. She straightened, sighing. Involuntarily, I flexed my fingers, digging them slowly into her back.
‘You want us to go?’ she murmured. Her voice had changed. It sounded almost shy, but the intent behind it was clear.
I turned my head, speaking into her ear now. ‘Yes. Fuck yes, I want us to go.’
‘Is your place closer than mine?’
Fuck me. ‘Yes, it is,’ I said, then motioned for the waiter to get the bill.
He came so fast, I half expected him to break his neck. ‘Is everything okay?’
‘Yes. We’d like to pay.’
His eyes widened a bit. ‘But you haven’t even finished your drinks.’
‘We’ve had a very long day,’ Reese said. It was a good thing she’d stepped in, because I found him too intrusive to remain polite.
‘I’ll bring the check right away,’ he replied, then headed toward the register area.
The music became even louder in the meantime, and I couldn’t wait to get out of here.
Thankfully, he returned quickly. After paying, and leaving the waiter a generous tip, Reese and I left.
‘Where do you live exactly?’ she asked when I opened the car door for her.
‘In the South Loop neighborhood,’ I said.
She nodded once but didn’t say anything.
‘You sure you don’t want us to go anywhere else?’ My question was loaded, and I hoped she didn’t pick up on my eagerness.
‘I’m sure,’ she said.
This evening had taken an unexpected turn, and I couldn’t have been happier about it.
When we arrived at my condo a short while later, I ushered her inside with my hand on the small of her back.
‘Wow. This place is amazing.’ She walked straight to the window wall. I called it that because it was made exclusively out of windows overlooking the skyline of Chicago. ‘I bet this is gorgeous when there’s still light outside. I mean, it’s breathtaking like this too, of course.’
I turned on the light of the reading lamp that hung above an armchair.
‘I like the color palette,’ she said, turning around. ‘Very masculine.’
I tried to view it from her perspective—a black carpet with gray stripes, a round black coffee table, and a dark blue couch.
“Are you going to decorate it for Christmas?” she inquired.
“I haven’t thought about that. Maybe. There is still time.”
She grinned. “You can never start too early. I’ve already put a few things up in my condo.”
‘Damn. You like starting really early. Do you want anything to drink?’ I asked her.
‘Can you make a martini?’
‘I can, actually. The bar is fully stocked.’
She sat down on the couch, looking even more beautiful right now than any other time I’d seen her. There was something about seeing her on my couch that tapped into my primal instinct.
I mixed her martini and poured my bourbon. ‘I don’t have any olives,’ I said as I brought both our glasses to where she was seated.
She laughed. ‘Honestly, the alcohol is all that matters. I never eat the olive or cherry or whatever they put in it anyway.’ She glanced around the room, then looked back at me. ‘So, did you live here with your ex-wife?’
‘No, I bought this place after the separation. I wanted something fresh, something that represented me.”
‘Hence the masculine vibe. Got it. It’s very elegant.’
I sat next to her on the couch, handing her the drink. Our fingers brushed, and just like back at the restaurant, a spark flew between us. This time, I couldn’t hold back a groan.
She looked from the glass up to my lips before finally gathering the courage to make eye contact.
‘Dom,’ she murmured.
I needed to taste her. Right now.
