He helped me in the car and this time I was careful not to flash him.
I felt I had been trying too hard and that I needed to tone it down a bit, but that was going to be hard to do when he brushed his pinky against my thigh over my dress while he was reaching for the gearshift again.
"Where are we going, Sir," I asked, trying to take my mind off of the unintentional touch.
I was studying his face to see if I could catch an emotion and so far he was proving to have a mean poker face.
He looked into my eyes after letting them roam my body and I saw his pupils dilate, "Somewhere exclusive. Only a handful of people know about it."
The thought of being brought into his world excited me and I clenched my thighs together at the tingles that shot to my core.
"Exclusive," I asked, wanting more of his deep, baritone voice.
"Private," he added, "If we are to spend every day together I'd like to get to know you a little better...and I don't want any interruptions."
I swallowed...audibly.
He wanted to be in a private place with me. He wanted to get to know me better.
I was internally screaming because the man beside me was too attractive for his own good. He would get me in trouble if I let him and, boy, did I want to let him.
We drove into the heart of the city and pulled into an alley. I was about to say something about him being lost but then we got to the back of the building and it opened to a small parking lot with a few luxury vehicles already parked in spaces. He parked beside a Range Rover, shut the car off, and got out.
I waited for him to walk around to my side and open my door. His outstretched hand waiting, I grabbed it and tried, again, not to flash him.
When I was fully standing, I adjusted my dress down my legs and bent into the car to retrieve my purse. Not missing his expression when I turned around, smiled, and asked, "You ready?"
"I am," he said and I noticed his jaw was clenched as he put his hand on the small of my back and ushered me towards a door at the back of the building.
He knocked on the door and a compartment in the door opened up to show a man's eyes, "Name," he asked.
"Dominic Blackstone."
The compartment shut and the door opened for us.
Dom placed his hand, again, to the small of my back and pushed me through the door.
We walked down a darkened hallway, only lit with small red bulbs here and there until we got to another door. He punched in a code on the keypad and turned the knob.
"Watch your step, Genevieve," he said with concern, his right arm going around my waist, fingers lightly digging into the skin there, his left hand reaching out to hold my left hand so he had slight control of my movements.
And I saw what he meant as we immediately went down a flight of stairs.
Where ever this place was, whatever it was, it was underground.
But I didn't mind as the feeling of his large warm hands holding me in various places had my heart pounding.
I must've been trembling a bit because the hand he had holding my hip pulled me into his body and opened to begin lightly rubbing in a soothing manner as we got to the bottom of the stairs. I saw a faint light as we walked around a corner and then into what looks to be a restaurant. It was dimly lit with glass lanterns and candles, very private.
"Two," Dominic said to the hostess at the podium, finally letting go of my left hand and moving his right hand to the small of my back.
"Of course, Sir. Follow me, welcome back, by the way. It's been a while."
She grabbed two menus from her side of the podium and ushered us further into the restaurant.
We walked to what felt like the back of the restaurant and around a small wall to a very secluded and intimate round booth.
"Is this okay, Mr. Blackstone," she asked with a pleasant smile.
"This is fine, Leslie. Thank you," he answered.
After he helped me into the booth, I moved to the middle and he followed, his left thigh touching my right.
"Your waiter will be with you shortly," Leslie said, putting our menus in front of us and walking away.
"Very private and very exclusive," my voice a notch above a whisper as I tried to focus on anything else but him.
He gave me a smile and looked over his menu, "Do you see anything that you might want?"
Innocent enough question.
′You.′
"And don't say 'salad', Genevieve. I want to see you eat a real meal," he said, his voice stern.
I looked over the menu, seeing a few good options, all fairly simple but none with any prices, "What would you recommend since it seems that you come here often?"
'Is that jealousy? Are you jealous he's been here before?'
I mean, I know he has a history...
He's gorgeous for Christ's sake!
I'm sure he could be with any woman he wanted and he was here with me...but I couldn't get the thought out of my mind that this wasn't a restaurant you'd come to alone or even to bring a business associate to...this was a private, secluded, dimly-lit restaurant where you take someone when you want to go out, but don't want to be seen.
There was even a guard at the front door...
'So, maybe he has brought other women here before but he's with you now and that counts for something.'
I sighed and watched as he looked over his menu again, "The Mushroom Florentine Pasta is good...if you like pasta, that is."
"I'll have that then," I said as I closed my menu. I couldn't take my eyes off of him anyway. He was too good to be true and I still had no idea what I was doing with him.
The waiter came and took our order with Dominic ordering something with salmon, "And a bottle of Domaine Leroy Chambertin Grand Cru 1990."
"Yes, Sir. I'll be right back with your wine."
When the waiter left, Dominic turned to me and put an arm around the back of the booth over my shoulders, "Now, tell me about yourself, Genevieve," he commanded.