In Bed with the Beast (Naughty Princess Club 2)

“Can I get you anything else?”

Our waitress stops by the table, and I suddenly realize she’s already been here twice, asking us the same thing. I glance around the restaurant as Steven politely tells her no and asks for the check, noticing we’re the only ones left in the restaurant. Looking down at my watch as he pulls his wallet out of his pocket, I do a quick calculation and realize that we’ve been here for over three hours. That poor waitress probably wants to kill us.

“Looks like they’re trying to kick us out. I didn’t even realize it was almost closing time,” Steven says, a smile lighting up his handsome face. “I have to say, I’m not ready for the night be over yet.”

He reaches across the table and rests his hands on top of mine, and butterflies start flapping around in my stomach. This is exactly how I pictured a date should go. A sweet, smart, charming, well-read man who opened doors for me, pulled out my chair at the table, and kept his cell phone out in his car, telling me, “I think it’s rude to take a cell phone on a date. You should enjoy the company of the person you’re with instead of checking social media.”

I could literally feel myself swoon when he said those words. And now, his soft, warm hands are holding mine and he’s looking across the table at me expectantly, almost shyly. This is it. This is my moment to finally get some experience. I’m not going to do anything stupid like sleep with him on a first date, but I am not opposed to going somewhere private and doing a little kissing.

“I’m not ready for the night to be over yet either,” I tell him softly, with a smile.

All of a sudden, Vincent’s face flashes through my mind. Particularly how ticked off he looked when I told him I was going on another date. I wonder if he’s thinking about me at work right now. I wonder if I’ll be ruining any chance of things possibly going further with him by warming up with a few other men first. I immediately feel guilty about my thoughts when I’m sitting across from a wonderful man who doesn’t drive me crazy with his overbearing, curt ways, so I shake them away, giving Steven a bright smile.

“I hope you won’t think this is forward of me, since we just met, but I feel a real connection with you, Isabelle. What would you say to getting out of here and going somewhere a little more private?” Steven asks with a hopeful expression on his face.

Pushing all thoughts of Vincent aside, I nod my head.

“I think that sounds wonderful.”

Steven lets out a relieved sigh, looking at something over my shoulder and nodding his head.

“Tell me, Isabelle, how do you feel about women?”

“Uh . . . I . . . um . . . I like them?” I reply in confusion.

“What about group settings?”

“Oh, I love people!” I tell him excitedly. “I love meeting new people and making new friends. I say, the more the merrier.”

Steven’s face lights up with a bright smile, and I have to say, I’m a little confused by his line of questioning. But, considering this is a first date, I guess he just wants to know as much about me as he can before we take the next step, which makes him seem even more charming than before.

“I have to tell you, I thought this online dating thing was going to be a waste of time, but you are just perfect in every way,” Steven says, and the compliment makes me blush.

I open my mouth to thank him when suddenly a woman comes up from behind me, taking a seat next to Steven. He removes one of his hands from on top of mine, swinging his arm around the woman and resting it on the back of her chair.

She is positively stunning, with long, poker-straight blonde hair and wearing a skintight red, strapless dress. The yellow-lace long-sleeved A-line dress I’m wearing, which Ariel preapproved, and my hair up in a high ponytail with my long bangs swooped down to the side of my face suddenly seem very basic and childish compared to this woman.

“Isabelle, this is Stephanie. My wife,” Steven says with a smile.

Every good thing about this man suddenly vanishes with an audible pop in my brain, like someone just stuck a pin in a balloon. I yank my hand out from under Steven’s and hold my palms up in the air like Stephanie might pull out a gun at any moment and point it at me.

“Oh, my God! I’m so sorry!” I quickly say to Stephanie, praying she doesn’t cause a scene and vault over the table to claw my eyes out. “You have to know, I had no idea he was married. I would have never accepted a date from a married man!”