Page 26

There’s something just… different about her.
The image of her in a tight little sundress flashes in front of my eyes, and I gulp down a swig of wine from my glass, relishing the memory.
She had looked sodamngood.
It makes it even harder for me to resist, now that I know what her mouth tastes like.
It’s futile to ignore the pull she has on me, and I’m finally ready to let the moment guide me.
“Waiting for someone?”
I turn around to find a pair of bright blue eyes looking back at me.
“Quinn,” I manage to utter, unable to tear my gaze away from her.
“Enzo.” She smiles, oblivious to the effect she’s having on me. “I was told that you wanted to talk to me?”
“Indeed.” I nod, straightening my posture. “But not here. We’re going out for dinner.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize…” She smoothes out a nonexistent crease in her dress. “I would have dressed up if I knew we were leaving the hotel.”
“Trust me, you look fine.”
What I want to say is that she looks like a damn treat in that blue figure-hugging dress she has on. But I refrain, not wanting to sound too eager.
She bites on her lip, “Well, lead the way.”
The valet hands me the keys to my Aston Martin, and I keep the top down as we begin to drive to the five-star restaurant I’ve gotten reservations for.
Sure, maybe I am trying to impress her tonight.
The drive is short, and I ask her to put on some music. I’m anticipating some generic Top Ten pop track, but she surprises me by playing classical rock.
She seems to have a knack for doing that.
At the restaurant, we’re seated at a private table, tucked away in a secluded corner.
Her eyes widen slightly when she takes in just how fancy the place is, but she doesn’t comment.
Maybe I’m not the only one trying to play it cool tonight.
“Well…” She turns to me when we’ve finally placed our orders. “Should we get right into it, then?”
I get the feeling that she’s waiting for me to spell out some kind of plan for her—an agenda for our meeting. But frankly, all I want to do is get to know her a little better.
“Do you always misconstrue dinner plans as networking opportunities?” I laugh.
“Is that not what this is?” Her confused look is just as gorgeous as all the other sides I’ve seen of her. Even cuter if possible.
I shrug. “We’re just having a conversation, Quinn.”
A part of me wants to state what I want this to be: a date. But I’ve decided to take things slow tonight and gauge her reaction. Considering our age gap, the last thing I want her to think is that I’m some old horndog chasing after someone younger.
“Hmm, that’s more my style anyway.” She nods and glances down to the glass of wine in front of her. “I noticed that this is your product.”
“I’m surprised you can tell.” I laugh. “But yes. We’re one of the suppliers to this place.”
“Of course, I can. If you haven’t been able to figure it out already, I know my wines.”