The Desire Variable | Rewrite

⸻ FOURTEEN ⸻

Still, I'm considering it, and Kate sees it. With a victorious smile, she pushes me to the door. "Go shower," she orders me. Clearly, she's determined to win this one, so I clench my teeth and obey.

⸻

The restaurant is part of a fancy hotel, and it is then that I regret not following Kate's instructions regarding my shoes. I'm not used to wearing heels, so I dismissed the ones she took out in favor of ballet flats. Now, I feel like a misplaced child.

Nevertheless, I find my way to the dining room. It's magnificent, with high ceilings, cream-colored walls, several massive crystal chandeliers... The designer furniture looks high end, and the whole place feels very European--not that I've ever been there. People are dressed either smart or formal, and I feel like I stain the elegant ambiance.

Trying to ignore the intense beating of my heart, I walk up to the maître d'. "Good evening, Miss. How may I help you?"

"I don't know if my party has arrived yet. The reservation should be under...Give me a second, I just have to make sure," I excuse myself, stepping slightly to the side. Did Kevin tell me which name they used in the text he sent?

"I'm here for the Langley reservation," says a low, familiar voice next to me. My heart skips a beat, and the tiny hairs on my neck rise. Slowly, I look up to face the owner of the voice.

Alexander is looking at the maître d' with his eternally stern expression. The petrol blue suit hugs him to perfection. His shirt is a lighter shade of blue, and the first three buttons are undone. He's a magnificent sight.

I'm not ready when he looks down at me, and he isn't either. Slight shock twists his features. I look nothing like I normally do, thanks to Tammy's expert hands at makeup, and Kate's styling of my outfit. Even my hair's different, held up by a bunch of pins in a purposefully messy way.

I tense under his stare as he rapidly analyzes me. My discomfort is hard to ignore as I wait, looking at his face with scrutinizing eyes, waiting to see his reaction. There, he's seeing me in my dress, and I'm ready to prove my point. There's no way he ever eye-fucks me, as Kate so crudely put it.

His gaze lingers on my silhouette for a moment, appraising me, and then his eyes meet mine. Unlike what my best friend predicted, Lex isn't horny for me, but a somber expression shadows his face instead. His square jaw is clenched and his eyes are two slits under his frowning eyebrows. Ha! In your face, Kate! Lex isn't eating me up.

If the man isn't bewitched, I, however, am anything but unaffected. My nipples are getting hard under the thin fabric of my dress, and I hope he won't notice my body's absurd reaction to him.

"Sir?" asks the maître d' before Lex can look down at my embarrassing state. "As I was saying, your party is already seated. If you will come with me."

Lex allows me to follow first, and I can feel his stare the whole way to our table, my skin tingling. My entire back is exposed to him, and I scold myself for bending to Kate's will. This was a bad idea.

Kevin is indeed already here, with a woman next to him. She's striking, with long and wavy chestnut hair, light green eyes, and a heart-shaped face. Her dress and style are in perfect accordance with the fanciness of the place. Kevin stands to greet us as we arrive, and as she rises from her chair with difficulty, I see she's heavily pregnant.

"Andrea, this is my wife, Michelle," Kevin introduces. I did not see that coming, despite the gold band on his ring finger that I only notice now.

Once the introductions are over with, the maître d' pulls out a chair for me and pushes it back as I sit down. Before he can leave, Kev asks for a bottle of champagne for the table. "To celebrate," he tells me with a wink.