No Strings Attached

Chapter Two

He smiles politely as the hostess walks around me, leaving us alone in our private corner. "Hello."

"Hello."

"May I get your coat?" he asks, stepping out, holding his arms out to me. I quickly turn, peeking at the guests eating, completely unaware that we are here. Also unaware of the palpable tension emitting from us both.

Maybe it's just me. It's probably just me.

He peels my coat from my shoulders before tucking it underneath his arm. I'm immediately uncomfortable with my attire. He's in jeans, and I wore a goddamn suit?

I thought this was a business meeting. All of my previous clients liked the formality of our meetings. Thankfully, he doesn't seem to linger on my attire.

I nearly laugh when he walks to my seat, pulling it out. "Wow, that's pretty gallant of you."

He makes a disbelieving face as I scoot my seat closer to the table. "It's simple manners."

"Well, it's something I don't see a lot of."

He sits down at the opposite end of the small table, draping my coat over the seat on top of his own. "You should surround yourself with better people then."

I press my lips together, not sure of what to say to that.

"I like this place. They get a lot of celebrities in, so they keep this corner pretty vacant. No pictures. No people asking for autographs."

"Does that happen often for you? Fans coming up?"

He smirks. "Thankfully, I'm behind the scenes most of the time. I find ways to ensure my privacy."

"Except when you're out with women," I reply casually. His brows rise, but he nods.

"How much do you know of my personal life?"

"Not much. I know basically what the paparazzi know."

"Really?"

"Well, I mean, I know you're twenty-nine. I know you inherited your fortune from your father and began your business with it. You have a sister and a brother. Your mother lives in New York."

"That's public knowledge. What do you know of my personal life?"

What the hell does he mean? I tilt my head to the side, trying to think of how to reply when a waiter arrives, prepared to take our drink orders.

"Cha Yen for me," Giovanni says, glancing over at me.

"Cha Yen?" I ask, smiling dubiously.

"It's a Thai Iced Tea. A sweet drink, quite a bit of caffeine."

"Caffeine's always good with me," I say, shrugging my shoulders, loathing that I'm giggling again. "I'll have the same."

The waiter leaves us to get our drinks, and I shift in my seat, averting my eyes from the man before me, looking down at the menu.

Oh, right. He asked me a question.

Shit, I can't remember it.

"What was it you asked me again?" I ask, smiling when he does as he regains my attention.

"How much do you know of my personal life?"

My fingers fumble with the napkin on my lap. "Do you mean women?"

"Yes."

"I know a bit. You've dated progressively fast the past couple of years after your engagement ended with a model you'd worked with."