“All right,” he said abruptly, “let me take care of the bill, and then I'll get my driver to pick us up. We'll drop you off at your place.”
“That sounds great, thanks.”
***
Thirty minutes later, Asher's Rolls-Royce pulled up outside my building. A tinge of regret crept through me at the thought that what had turned out to be a wonderful evening was coming to a close.
Asher and I had been talking and laughing endlessly. On the ride back from the restaurant, there had been a few moments where we'd stared a little too long into each other's eyes, only for one of us to break the moment with an awkward laugh, abrupt turn of the head, or hasty comment.
I wasn't sure what was going on, but I couldn't deny that I was enjoying it.
Asher's driver opened the door for us to get out of the car. When I did, I stumbled on the sidewalk and almost fell. I was definitely feeling more than a little intoxicated. I giggled and heard Asher chuckle behind me.
“Hey!” I exclaimed. “That’s not very gentlemanly of you! Laughing at a lady when she almost injures herself!”
“My apologies, m’lady. That's not what I was laughing at,” he said as he climbed out of the car. “Look down.”
I stared at the sidewalk, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. “I don't see anything funny down there.”
“No, not there. Here!” He pointed at his feet.
It took a few seconds for me to realize that his shoes were gone and he was standing on the sidewalk in his socks. I burst out laughing at the sight.
“Where on Earth are your shoes?” I exclaimed, still laughing.
“Back in the restaurant, I think!” he said with a grin.
“Why would your shoes be at the restaurant?” I asked between fits of laughter.
“I took them off under the table. They weren’t very comfy. They were brand new, so they hadn’t been broken in. They’d really been kinda uncomfortable all day. I sort of remember taking them off. Guess I forgot to put them back on!”
We both burst into a bout of laughter.
“Would you like to take my shoes, sir?” asked the driver.
“No, no, Alfred,” replied Asher. “I'll walk this fine young lady to the lobby in my socks. I’ll be all right.”
Again, we both burst out laughing. Asher, however, quickly put on a serious face and then held his arm out for me to take.
“Come on, I'll walk you to the lobby,” he said in an uncharacteristically gentle tone of voice.
I slipped my arm through his and immediately felt hot energy passing from his skin to mine. He placed his other hand on mine with a gentle tightness that sent a shiver of subtle pleasure down my spine as we walked.
I leaned in and whispered, “Did you just call your driver Alfred?”
A broad smile grew across Asher’s face. “I did.”
“Hmmm,” I offered with a grin.
“You want to know if I’m Batman, don’t you?”
I chuckled. “Nope.”
“No?” he looked genuinely surprised. “Why not? Everyone asks that when they learn my driver’s name. It’s why I hired him.” He offered a smug smile.
“If you’re Batman, then the less I know, the better,” I said matter-of-factly.
“Smart girl,” he replied.