Page 14 of Ever After Between the Lines (Montgomery Ink Legacy)

Chapter One

“JACK”

I carefully lifted the lowball glass to my lips, letting the smoky aroma of the whiskey settle onto my tongue as I finished my sip.

As I set the glass down, I looked around at the high-end bar, noting the people surrounding me.

Nobody should recognize me here, not when they were all focused on their own lives.

Their own desires. Tonight wasn’t about who they were or what they wanted from me.

No, tonight was about pleasure and an evening that I hoped the person I was set to meet would never forget.

I took another sip and nodded at the bartender. The man nodded back and handed over my check.

“Just one for you, sir?”

I gave him a small smile, shaking my head and put down cash. No names, not for now.

“I’ll be meeting someone soon, and I wanted to make sure I settled the bill.”

The bartender frowned, tilting his head as he studied my face. “We could have added it to your bill at your table. You didn’t need to worry yourself.”

I just shook my head. “No, I don’t mind. Now, by any chance, have you seen a woman with a white rose in her hair?”

The bartender’s gaze widened for a second, and then he smiled as if he were in the middle of the game with me. With us. “No, but I’ll keep on the lookout. A blind date?”

My lips twitched into a small smile again, and I took another sip of my whiskey. “You could say that.”

“Okay,” he said, looking as if he were more intrigued than ever. “That sounds like a story. And I do believe your date has arrived,” he said, his eyes widening marginally as he looked over my shoulder.

I turned, my glass in my hands, and stared at the woman with dark hair and light eyes.

She had on a black wrap dress that clung to her curves and made me want to pull delicately on the strings at the side.

I wanted to see what would happen when the dress fell off her shoulders and pooled down at her feet.

There were many things I wanted to see happened tonight, and if I were lucky, I would be trying every single one of them. In vivid and intricate detail.

I downed the rest of my drink, not taking my eyes off of the white rose in her hair, and set the glass next to me on the polished wood of the bar.

“Thank you, Trevor.”

Trevor, the bartender, cleared his throat. “You’re welcome. Do you know where your table is, sir?”

“No, but I can ask the hostess. She said my table would be ready whenever my date arrived.”

“If you’re sure. Enjoy your evening, sir.”

“I’m counting on it,” I said, not bothering to look back at Trevor. No, my eyes were for the woman in front of me.

Jane .

At least that was the name that she had signed her texts with.

I could use Jane as her name for the evening. A perfectly normal name, for a perfectly pleasant woman, at least according to her texts.

But there was nothing normal or nearly pleasant about the goddess in front of me.

And I couldn’t wait to get to know this Jane.

I prowled toward Jane, and her gaze went to the rose in the pocket of my jacket.

Her eyes darkened for a minute, and then she met my eyes, a smile playing on her face.

I stood in front of her, then inhaled the hint of her floral scent.

Nothing overpowering, just a tease as to who this woman could be.

“Jack?” she asked, her eyes dancing.

“Of course, I love the rose,” I said, and I reached out and slid my fingers delicately through the end of her hair, careful not to jostle the rose, but needing to touch her.

This Jane, this stranger.

She cleared her throat, danced from foot to foot on her tall heels. “Well, should we see the hostess about our table?” Jane asked, her voice a little breathy.

I licked at my lips and nodded. “They told me it would be ready as soon as you arrived. We won’t have to wait.”

“Oh, that’s good. I mean, not that I mind waiting, but it would be nice to sit down. I’m not that great in heels,” she said, laughing a bit before looking down at her feet. She wore sky high fuck-me heels and seeing that made my cock ache. I swallowed hard, willing myself to slow down.

I needed to slow down.

“They do wonders for your legs. But don’t worry, I do not want you in pain.”

I turned as the hostess came to us, a smile on her face. “Mr. Smith?” she asked, and I nodded, a smile playing on my lips.

“My date is here, as you can see, we’re ready when you are.”

“And we’re ready here, your table is near the waterfall as you asked.

Follow me, and I’ll lead you to your table.

Your waitress will be Corinne, and she will go over the specials with you as well as the wine list. We do have two new wines tonight that our chef and sommelier are really excited about.

” Our hostess continued to talk as she led us to the table, and I looked down at Jane, unable to keep my eyes from her.

She was beautiful and looked like she smiled often, and yet had a side to her that maybe others didn’t see.

I couldn’t wait to get to know this woman tonight and see where we ended up.

“Here you are, have a lovely evening,” she said, as I moved to one side of the table and held out Jane’s chair. “Here you go,” I said, and she gave me a small look, shook her head as a smile played on her face, and sat down.

“What was that for?” I asked, keeping a smile down for myself.

“You’re acting like such a gentleman.”

“And you don’t think I can be a gentleman?” I asked, raising a single brow.

“I’m sure sometimes you could play at one, but I’m already enjoying tonight. Thank you for making me feel like a princess.”

“I was thinking goddess earlier. And my acting the gentleman is what tonight is supposed to be about. Having fun, no names, just us, an evening for whatever we want.”

Jane smiled and leaned back ever so slightly. The action caused her breasts to rise as she took a deep breath, and I did my best not to focus on that.

“I’m glad that my friends were able to help me get out tonight. It’s been far too long since I’ve been out to dinner with a handsome man.”

“I do believe that was my line, although I was going to say something about your beauty.”

“You don’t need to butter me up,” she said, laughing, and I shook my head, laughing right along with her.

“You are beautiful, but sometimes I’m not great with words.”

She tilted her head at me, stared. “Do you think that?”

“Sometimes. It depends on if the words are important or not.”

“That’s a good answer,” she whispered, and the waitress came to speak about specials and wines.

“The sea bass sounds wonderful, honestly,” Jane said as the waitress finished, waiting for our drink order. “I know this is just for drinks, but my mouth is practically watering at the sound of the Chilean sea bass.”

“It does sound delicious, although the filet that she spoke of, the one that is smoke rubbed? That also sounds divine.”

Corinne nodded between us, a small smile on her face. “You can’t go wrong with either, and I have a lovely wine pairing for each.”

I met Jane’s gaze and smiled softly. “What do you say we each order one, and I’ll let you have a bite. Just a taste.”

I could see the waitress blush near me out of the corner of my eye, but it was the delicate pink of Jane’s porcelain skin that enraptured my gaze.

“I think I can do that,” Jane said, clearing her throat. “I guess I’ll take the sea bass.”

“And I’ll take the filet, medium rare?” I asked, and Jane nodded.

The waitress left after taking our order, and I leaned back in my chair, looking at Jane and wondered where we would go tonight.

“So, Jane, what is it you do?”

Jane shook her head. “I thought we weren’t supposed to ask questions like that? That way, we would never have to lie,” she said, and I sighed.

“Maybe. Or maybe the story is just the beginning.”

She laughed softly at that and took a sip of her water.

“Or maybe you don’t want to tell me anything about you so that I can make a big story about me.

How about this?” she asked as she settled into her chair.

“My name is Jane, at least for the evening. I’m here because I haven’t been out of my home in so long, I think I’ve forgotten what the outside world looks like.

I was told I would have a lovely evening with a wonderful man, one who I have texted often this week, and I would have as much fun as I desired. ” A pause. “Anything I desired.”

I cleared my throat as the waitress set our glasses of wine down, as well as the breadbasket. She left in a hurry, seemingly aware that she had interrupted something. However, Jane and I were in public, and if I wasn’t careful, I was going to toss her on top of this table and have my way with her.

With the look in Jane’s eyes, she had the same thoughts.

“I was told,” I began, “that tonight would be any fantasy you desired.”

“And now you sound like a gigolo,” she laughed, and took a sip of her wine. “Oh, that’s amazing. Crisp.”

I took a sip of mine and nodded. “A little oaky, I like it.”

“So, you’re not a gigolo?” she asked, her eyes dancing with laughter.

I smiled, set my glass down. “Not even close. But I can pretend for the evening if you’d like?”

She shook her head, her cheeks bright red. “No, I would just like you to be you, Jack.”

I swallowed hard, and looked into those eyes, and knew if I weren’t careful, this evening would unravel, and my secrets would come to light.

Instead, I lifted my glass to hers, and she did the same. “To tonight. A night of fantasy. Of the only promise worth making.”

She smiled, her eyes going dark. “To tonight.”

And we each took a sip of our wines, and I knew the evening had just begun.