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He simply smiled and waited for the other end to pick up. “George? Yes, I’m upstairs in the suite. I’d like dinner for two sent up as soon as possible. The filet mignon with sautéed spinach and twice-baked potatoes. And two slices of the key lime pie. Add in another bottle of champagne.” He paused for a moment, then smiled ruefully. “She is still here. Yes, she is lovely. Thank you.”
Trinity mouthed the words, “See? They love me.”
Maxwell hung up the phone and placed it on the table. “There. We can have a real meal after you finish your appetizer.”
She studied him for a long moment. “Are you taking care of me, Max?”
He certainly was, but there was no way in hell he was going to tell her that.
Chapter Eight
Trinity was caught off guard by the warm gesture. She was used to her friends caring about her, but Maxwell King was a stranger. She eyed him suspiciously, trying to figure out exactly what his game was.
Smiling, he said, “As you said, we’re connected through friends and family. I’d like to have dinner with you and get to know you better.”
She rolled her eyes as she continued eating. If he wanted to keep her company, she was fine with that. Besides, that meant she could have a little fun. She held back a grin when he groaned softly as she sucked some cheese off of one of her fingers. Then, she did it again with another finger, sucking slowly.
He cleared his throat. “May I ask you a question?”
“Fire away.”
“I heard you mention Breakers. Are you really considering moving to Texas?”
“I might be spending a few months there off and on.”
“We just opened a new hotel in the neighboring town, Ever After.”
“I heard about that,” she said. “I’ve never been down there, but some of my friends recently attended a wedding at your new hotel.”
“Jared Caufield and Kali Redford’s wedding, right?” After she nodded, he said, “I heard it was a blast. Technically, I’m still in charge of the property there, but my sister, Rachel, is managing it right now. She recently graduated, so we’re still supervising before we let her take over a few of the properties on her own. So, who do you know who lives in Breakers?”
She eyed him for a heartbeat or two, trying to figure out if he was just curious or digging for information. Determining it was a little of both, she still decided to answer. “Nikita Nuria. She owns the tattoo parlor in town.”
“I’ve met her. And now what I know about her makes a whole lot more sense. So, this new training facility you were talking about would be for IAD agents?”
She grimaced. “I guess I shouldn’t have said that in front of you.” She paused as she reconsidered. “Then again, considering your new sister-in-law is the co-director of a division of IAD, I guess you are already privy to this type of information.”
He just smiled again, neither confirming nor denying.
“My friend Dare also moved to Breakers recently,” she told him.
“Daryk Nyght?”
She raised a brow. “You know him, too?”
“I’ve heard about the good doctor, but I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting him yet.” He paused before adding, “He’s engaged to a friend of mine, Evelyn Beaumont.”
“The owner of a rescue center.” She smiled. “Got to love small towns. Everyone seems to know everyone.”
“Did you grow up in a small town?”
“Hell, no,” she said with a laugh. “I’ve lived in Chicago for most of my life.”
“Is your family still there?”
Her smile slowly faded. “I grew up in the foster system, so I don’t really have any family.” When the doorbell to the suite rang, she said, “That must be our dinner.”
“I’ll get it.”