Avoiding Temptation (Avoiding 3)

John had wanted to pick her up from her apartment to take her to the restaurant, but she had refused. She didn’t want to give him the wrong idea about what they were doing. This put some distance between them, and it helped to calm her down.

Nerves hit her full force as the cab driver pulled up in front of the restaurant after the short drive. A valet opened the door for her and assisted her out of the car.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

She walked across the red-carpeted entranceway that read Daniel in the restaurant’s signature design and in through the wooden double doors.

Lexi bit her bottom lip as she stared at the beautiful interior of the restaurant. She had always wanted to come here, but she had been intimidated by the luxurious surroundings. It had an all white interior with large columns artfully placed in archways that divided the rooms. Tables were evenly spaced throughout the room with crisp white tablecloths, sterling silver utensils, and bouquets of red roses. The lighting was dim and romantic. Daniel was a date spot, and Lexi knew it. Knowing it made her even more anxious. She wasn’t on a date. As far as she wanted to look at it, she was here on business.

“May I help you?” the maître d’ asked, stepping up to greet her.

“Yes, I have a reservation for two under Ward,” Lexi said. She fiddled absentmindedly with the deep purple clutch she held in her hand. At least she wasn’t pushing her hair behind her ear.

“Of course. Mr. Ward has already arrived. Allow me to escort you to his table.”

Lexi followed him across the main room, through a large archway, and into a smaller similarly decorated room. The maître d’ strode into the candlelit room and headed to the very back corner.

“Here you are,” the maître d’ said, gesturing to the table.

“Thank you.”

When the maître d’ left, Lexi caught her first look at John as he stood from the table. He was strikingly handsome in a charcoal gray suit with a black button-up. He didn’t have on a tie, and the top button on his shirt was undone. His short brown hair was styled, his hazel eyes looked dark in the low light, and his lips were pulled up into a smile at the sight of her.

“Lexi,” John said in greeting, his eyes roaming the curves clearly visible in the tight black dress she was wearing.

She saw a glint of desire in his eyes. She couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she approached him.

“Stunning,” he murmured.

He reached out his arms and took her hands in his, pulling her lightly toward him. Lexi teetered forward on her high heels as just that slight tug threatened to pull her off-balance. John caught her against his chest and wrapped an arm around her waist.

“Absolutely stunning,” he whispered into her hair.

His hands slid down her sides, and she quickly stepped away from him.

She smacked his hand lightly and shook her head at him. “No touching.”

He smirked devilishly. Lexi remembered why she had been able to forget everything that had happened when she had left Atlanta after breaking up with Ramsey. She had really wanted to forget though, so that probably helped.

“Oh, I forgot. Boyfriend.”

“Yes, boyfriend,” Lexi repeated. He would do well to remember that.

He didn’t seem perturbed by that fact as he ushered her to her seat.

John pulled out the chair for her, and she sat down.

“Does your boyfriend know that you’re out to dinner with me?” he asked, scooting the chair forward.

Lexi sat up straight and swallowed. “He knows that I’m meeting you.”

Ramsey knew that she had agreed to meet John to straighten things out. He didn’t really need to know much more, just like Chyna.

John brushed her hair off her neck, his fingers skimming the soft skin. Lexi shivered at the touch.

“That’s what I thought.”

Lexi bristled at that comment. She wasn’t hiding this from Ramsey. She just didn’t want to cause him to unnecessarily worry.

“He doesn’t have anything to worry about,” she said.

John walked around the table and took the seat across from her. He just cocked his head and smiled at her.

“What?” she asked. She didn’t want to be flustered by that look.

“I highly doubt that he’s not worrying. If I were him, I’d be worried.”

“I don’t see you as the worrying type,” Lexi said, deflecting.

John chuckled. “No, I suppose I’m not. I never really have been.”

Lexi wanted to swipe that smug look off his face. She was reconsidering coming here. She hadn’t wanted to in the first place, but after he had convinced her in Atlanta, she had somehow convinced herself that it wouldn’t be that bad.

But now, she was remembering what had drawn her to John in the first place. He was arrogant, practically to a fault, and instead of it coming across as cocky and irritating, he just seemed to exude sexuality. He was used to getting his way, and when Lexi had been depressed after another failed relationship, she had been happy to let him have his way. She hadn’t put up a fight at all.

Now, she had to start building a brick wall against his charm. It wasn’t exactly easy.

Before she could say anything, the waiter arrived with a rather expensive bottle of red wine that he had John taste before pouring. John proceeded to order a three-course meal for both of them, including an eyebrow-raising expensive caviar that only a connoisseur could appreciate. Lexi didn’t even know if she liked caviar, but she was sure that she could have tried it somewhere else for less than that price.

She remembered then why she had avoided these kinds of places. Not only did they cater to the rich and powerful, but the waiter also hadn’t even checked with her once to see if what John had ordered was what she wanted. She was sure it would be delicious, but it was a personal preference. She could order for herself. She had been doing it for twenty-five years after all.

It reminded her of the time that she had thought Ramsey was going to take her somewhere this fancy. Instead, he had taken her to a picnic at Stone Mountain with a laser show and fireworks included. He had made it romantic without showing opulence. She liked that about him. He never had to take her to fancy dinners or made her feel helpless to try to win her over. If John thought this would work on her, he was going to have to try harder—not that she wanted him to try harder.

“So, have you changed your mind about Ramsey Bridges yet?” John asked with a smile that said he knew she hadn’t.