Page 14 of Betrayal

CHAPTER THREE

Hunter arrived at BondiIcebergs Dining Room and Bar ten minutes early, accepting that he hadn’t wanted to miss Anna’s entrance.Battle armour or work clothes?Finding he didn’t mind either way was a surprise.

Trouble lurked in the warmth of her smile.

Enough trouble that he’d finagled his way to dinner tonight when he should have done everything via phone or email.Keeping scrupulous records of all exchanges was Lesson in Caution 101.The best way to avoid misunderstandings or blackmail.Dinner meetings didn’t allow for scrupulous records.She’s forbidden fruit.

She smiled at the majordomo, answered the man’s quiet question, and surrendered her light jacket before she turned toward the bar.A multi-coloured peasant skirt with what looked like one of those long-sleeved, button-down-the-front, black leotardy-type fitted bodysuits that followed rather than clung to curves.Idiot!His head was full of gibberish when it came to describing her outfits.More colourful than the charcoal suit she’d worn the other day, but she was here to deal.

“Hi.”She slid onto the stool next to him and dropped a largish bag onto the floor.

“Thanks for coming.Would you like a drink here or to go straight to the table?”

“The table.”She tilted her head.“But I can wait, if you’d like to finish your drink.”

“Share some.”He nudged it toward her.“Some sort of citrusy mocktail, but it’s refreshing.”

She sampled it without a word.Her lips might have rested where his had been, but who the hell paid attention to things like that?“A bit sweet for my taste,” she said.

“Mine too.I’ll order something else when we take a seat.”Hunter signalled to a waiter and nodded in the direction of the table he’d been told was his.

The waiter appeared in time to pull out Anna’s chair and flip open their serviettes, before offering them menus and wine lists.

“Thank you.”

Hunter took the seat at right angles to Anna.

“Something to drink?”asked the waiter.

“Sparking mineral water, please.”Anna gave the response Hunter expected.

“I’ll have a beer.Is Peroni on the menu?”

“Yes, sir.”

Anna put her elbows on the table, linked her hands, and leaned her chin on them to gaze out the windows.“I’d forgotten how good the view is from here.”

“Come here often?”Well, damn.Maybe his choice of restaurant wasn’t so impressive.

“Rare family dinner a few years ago when my parents came up from Melbourne.”She grinned.“I’m not on expenses.”

“Neither am I.”He scowled.“Are you trying to piss me off to start the evening?”

“The food was delicious, the service excellent, while the view’s stupendous.Thank you.”She disarmed him.

“What would you like to eat?”

She studied the menu before giving him an up-and-under look.“Everything.I’m ravenous.But I’ll settle for a green salad followed by the scampi.”

With perfect timing, the waiter appeared at Hunter’s elbow with their drinks.“Ready to order, sir?”

“Two salads, followed by two scampi,” Hunter ordered.

“Gosh.Doesn’t a working man need to eat more than that?”