Lace (Just This Once 4)

I look up as the server places a glass of wine on a cocktail napkin in front of me before she does the same for Alexander.

She waits patiently for me to sample it, but I know if I pick it up now, I’ll down the fragrant red liquid in one gulp.

“It’s fine.” I smile at her. “Thank you.”

She glances at Alexander before she nods silently and leaves.

He takes a healthy sip of the wine, his eyes locked on mine the entire time.

“Olivia,” he begins as he lowers the glass. “I want…”

“I don’t sleep with men I don’t know.” I gloss my tongue over my bottom lip. “We just met.”

He inhales deeply, his gaze dropping to the wine glass in front of me before he looks into my eyes again. “Have dinner with me tomorrow night.”

It’s not the reaction I anticipated. I thought we’d finish our drinks, part ways and that would be the end of my story with Alexander Donato.

“Don’t look so surprised, Olivia.” He leans in closer to me. “You’ll get to know me better and then we’ll revisit this discussion.”

“This discussion?” I parrot back.

“My intense desire to fuck you isn’t going anywhere.” He moves so his lips are almost touching mine. “We’ll have dinner tomorrow and take it from there.”

I pull back so I can find some air to breathe that doesn’t taste like him. “I won’t sleep with you tomorrow either.”

The corner of his mouth twitches into an almost smile. “Duly noted. I’ll pick you up at eight o’clock tomorrow evening.”

“You don’t know where I live,” I point out, feeling a blush taking over my cheeks.

“You live somewhere in the vicinity of Broadway and Eighty-first.”

“How do you know that?”

He takes another sip of the wine before he answers me. “I overheard you telling it to the cab driver outside the pub.”

He remembered?

“You can tell me your address or I can ring the buzzer of every apartment in every building on that block until I find you.” He drops his voice. “Your choice.”

I can’t help but smile. “I’ll tell you my address.”

He slides his fingers across the screen of his phone. “And your phone number.”

I give both without hesitation, watching as he enters my information into his smartphone.

Once the phone is back on the table, he lifts his wine glass in the air. “Let’s toast to getting to know each other better.”

I lift my glass and clink it against his.

The wolfish grin on his face is telling me that tomorrow night will be just as interesting as tonight has been.

I can’t wait.

Chapter 19

Alexander

Olivia lives closer to Amsterdam than Broadway. I’m not surprised she gave the taxi driver the address of an intersection a block from where she lives.