Seducing His Fiancée

Chapter Seventeen: It's Serious

The posh buildings of Manhattan soon shrunk as they entered a less than posh area of the bustling city. He eventually parked in a side street behind a small restaurant that had Chinese writing across the top in nothing more than red paint. Or at least she had hoped it was paint.

As if noticing the look on her face, he spoke while nervously rubbing the back of his neck, "It's a hole in the wall, but I swear this place has the best Chinese food in the city. If you're not comfortable, we can—"

"No, not at all! I just feel a little... overdressed, that's all."

He laughed and reached behind the car seat to pull out a motto leather jacket.

He handed it to her, "Maybe this will help."

She took it gladly as he shrugged his own sport jacket off. With that he got out and motioned for her to wait as he opened the door for her. He protectively placed his hand at the small of her back as they entered the establishment.

"Vincent!" A round old Asian woman greeted him cheerfully.

Dimples hid the wrinkles in her cheeks as she gave him a wide smile and embraced him with her plump arms. He returned the greeting in Mandarin. They exchanged a few words as she glanced behind him and gave Rose a questioning glance. She watched, as the two seemed to discuss her presence. The older woman gave him another huge grin before disappearing behind the counter and into the kitchen.

Vince motioned for Rose to slide into one of the retro red booths with him.

She raised her eyebrows at him, "I didn't know you could speak Mandarin."

He shrugged, "I've picked up a few words here and there. I've had to travel with my father to Hong Kong for several business trips growing up, so naturally..."

Rose looked around at the interior of the tiny restaurant. It was probably half the size of her bedroom. There were about six small booths that lined the walls and traditional Chinese artwork covered the minimal space that remained. It was completely empty, but she assumed that was because it was near closing time. However, it was immaculate on the inside and the amazing aromas wafting from the noisy kitchen prompted her stomach to rumble.

He couldn't hide his snicker, "I'm sorry dinner had to be delayed, but the wait will be worth it. You're about to have the best soup dumplings, Peking duck, and Chow Mein of your life."

"How did you find this place?" She asked.

He gave her an adorable lop-sided smile, "My mother loved this place. Ming, the lady I spoke to earlier, worked as a maid in her household while she grew up. Sometimes, she took over nanny duties too, including meal times, so they became close. Once my mother grew up, she helped Ming set up this restaurant with a personal investment. She never intended to profit off of this place, it was out of goodwill and respect towards Ming for raising her. It might be empty now, but this place is pretty popular among real food enthusiasts. When business boomed, my mom offered to expand this place but Ming wouldn't have it. She considered this her new home when she never had one before as an immigrant worker in America."

Rose was in a trance as she soaked in the affectionate expression and tender tone Vincent used to describe his mother. His pure love for his mother tugged at her heartstrings.

"She sounds like an amazing woman, your mother."

He smiled, "She was. I guess she was too good for this world, so she left before I got to know how incredible she really was. I guess that's why I keep frequenting these places, as odd as they may be for my lifestyle. They're the only connections I have left to my mom – Ming, Alice, Bertha – Hell, even my dad despite our differences. Every time I meet them, I learn something new about my mother and it's almost as if she never left me."

Rose let out a deep breath, "That's... beautiful."

She couldn't help but wonder if the Alice he mentioned was Alice Elswood, Eli's late mother, yet she didn't want to interrupt the flow of the conversation. That would be a mystery to unravel another day.

He suddenly scrunched his face, "Wow, I didn't mean to be so depressing, sorry! We escaped one undesirable mood and entered another."

She waved her hand, "Don't be! I enjoyed learning about your mother, almost makes me wish I knew her."

His eyes twinkled with pride, "One thing's for sure, she definitely would have approved of you."

She laughed, "Oh you mean over all those Vanessas and park bimbos? I can't say the standards are set very high."

Vince turned red at the mention of his past excursions.

"Listen, I know I come off as a player—"

"You are a player."

He sighed, "Point noted, but—"

"But I'm intrigued by that." She saved him from explaining himself.

He gave her an incredulous look, "Y-you are?"

She shrugged, "I've never been with a bad boy before."

He smirked, "More into prep school, goody two-shoes who followed curfews?"

Her jaw clenched at the mention of prep school, but she chose to ignore it.

"If that's what you'd classify Eli as."

He had to stop his jaw from hitting the floor, "Come on, there's no way that he's the only guy you've ever dated."

"Seriously, yes."

She didn't want to get into her prior relationship just yet. That piece of personal information would require much more commitment - and trust.

"What defines seriously? Because depending on your definition, you too might be my first serious date."

Her eyes wandered as she conjured up the right words, "I've dated casually when I was younger. As I got older, I went on dates with many men, yes, but I'm sure none of them ended in nights nearly as risqué as yours. Eli was the only man I dated with the intention of marrying and settling down." Well, second, actually, but she refused to acknowledge that. "I guess I didn't have the time to seriously date with the idea of settling down until I met him. What defines serious for you?"

He gave her a genuine smile, "Honestly, not wanting it all to end tonight. Wanting to savor the moment, wishing we could stay like this forever." He let out a laugh before continuing, "Wanting to remember your name."

She let out a playful tsk, "Typical. Well, you're definitely not taking this dress off tonight."

He smirked as their food arrived, "I wouldn't want it any other way."