Incite Me

Chapter 3

"And what would you like?" The young waitress turned at me and asked impatiently.

"I'll have a glass of Chardonnay." I said and before I could add 'please', she practically ran and disappeared somewhere at the back of the restaurant.

Dorian sagged in his chair without breaking the daunting eye contact. I wanted to ask if he knew the woman but that would be rude. The urge to know more about Dorian King was harder to fight with each passing minute in his presence.

"What will you have?" he asked and gave me that wicked half a smile, sending an unprecedented heat wave down my gist. Again.

Stop. Panicking. Get. Yourself. Together. NOW!

I bowed my head into the menu and tried to hide the glowing cheek tint with thick locks of hair. Anything edible will be good to fill me up and get the hell out of here. "I think mixed paella sounds about right. With extra red meat." I said with my voice meek.

"I like girls who aren't afraid to eat in front of a man." Dorian said proudly with a snide smile curving ever so wide.

Why would a woman be afraid to eat in a man's presence? "The more meat the better." I blurted not knowing how else to respond.

He's pulling every nerve within me. I was starting to believe that my agreement to have lunch with this man was a big disastrous mistake. Instead, I should be eating my skinny beans in ketchup sauce right now in my own little world of piece and mellow music. Not only was he so damn irresistible, but he was also a jerk who didn't hold his long tongue in his mouth.

"Did I say something to offend you?" said Dorian, probably noticing my irritated posture.

I shook my head, "Let's order, shall we?"

His smile faded into a straight thin line. "If you want to leave, I'm not holding you handcuffed to the table."

For a mere second, I wanted to do just that. Stand up and leave.

I'm giving in. I'm giving up.

"If I leave, I'll starve to death. And we don't want that." I managed to squeeze a smile and Dorian's face lit up again.

With his brows arched in a surprised glare, he sighed. "You know, you're fascinating, Samantha. I can't read you and it's quite impossible to recognize your little world beneath many layers of protective shield. This is going to be one interesting adventure."

I kept scowling myself for taking the lunch offer from Dorian. At the same time, my head was twisting with the possibility to get to know him better. A never-ending row. I was slowly becoming insane.

Adjusting myself in the chair for deliciously smelling food a different waitress served us, I couldn't wait to tuck into my paella. One annoying little thing that kept me waiting to pick up a fork and a knife, was Dorian's piercing stare. He studied my face, like I was a masterpiece. Wandering deep between my eyes and my lips, his curved smile wouldn't disappear even though he saw my obvious agitation.

"Have I got something on my face?" I suddenly blushed with the thought and lost half of my appetite.

I could now understand what he meant by saying some girls don't like eating in front of men. It's an embarrassment waiting to happen!

Dorian's laugh, hoarse and rather premature, echoed across a half-empty restaurant. "I can't look away. Your eyes. They're so..." He exhaled with a satisfying smirk and leaned towards me on his elbows. "Green. They remind me of a cat I had way back in my youth."

Great. Now he's comparing me to his cat!

"And your skin. So flawlessly pure."

Now it would be the right time to stop with the compliments and let me eat. I was aware of my pale complexion and that it rather burnt not tanned in the sun but it was far from flawless. Sweet words won't get him far beyond my determination to keep my heart from opening up.