“I’m happy,” Sarah replied quietly, wishing it didn’t seem like she and her mother were on two different planets. She’d been a very obedient child, constantly trying to keep her mother happy, make her proud. If she had succeeded, her mother had never shown it. Now it was time for Sarah to live her own life and stop hoping to somehow get her only parent’s approval. It was never going to happen, so she might as well make herself happy.
“Happiness means nothing to a woman like you,” her mother retorted. “You’re gifted.”
Sarah’s body jerked as though she’d been slapped. “I’m also human,” she told her parent sadly. “I want more than marrying the right man because of our genes. I want to manage my own life now.”
“Fine. I suppose I don’t have any choice but to let you waste your life and your talent,” Elaine relented haughtily.
“No. You really don’t,” Sarah agreed, then disconnected the phone with a beleaguered sigh.
Dante immediately pulled her onto his lap and cradled her body against his. “I take it that didn’t go well,” he queried curiously. “Was she really expecting you to marry somebody you’ve never met?” His voice got angry, rougher.
Sarah shrugged. “I’m expected to marry a man with a genius gene pool so we can make tons of little Mensa babies for the scientific community to marvel over.”
“Jesus, that woman is cold,” Dante retorted vehemently. “Not that I didn’t know that already.” He hesitated before adding, “How do you feel about going out to Tony’s tonight? I still owe you that dinner we talked about.”
He’s actually willing to go out? He thinks I’m unhappy, so he’s trying to do something to make me feel better.
“I’d love to go out, but if you’re doing this because you think I’m sad, I’m not. I’ve been dealing with my mother for twenty-seven years,” Sarah stated blandly, turning to look at his face.
“Bullshit,” Dante said gruffly. “I know what it feels like to wish for a parent who actually gives a crap. I’ve been there.”
Sarah’s eyes softened as her gaze met Dante’s. She knew his father had been a mean, abusive alcoholic before he died, and his mother had left them all just as soon as Hope was out of the house. Dante and his siblings almost never heard from their mother. It was obvious he really did know exactly how she felt. “It hurts. But I won’t let her ruin my chance to be happy.”
“Don’t,” Dante agreed as he stood up, lowering Sarah’s feet to the floor. “Go get ready. I’m doing this because I owe you dinner. And it’s still daylight. We need to be back before dark.”
He didn’t owe her anything. It was just the opposite. But he was using that excuse to make her happy. Sarah grinned at him. “I’ll be like Cinderella.”
“We need to be home way before midnight, and I’m no Prince Charming, woman,” he said gruffly.
“No, you’re not,” she agreed, giving him a lingering kiss on the lips. “You’re even better. And I’m almost certain you’re better endowed,” she answered in a sultry voice as she teased his large erection through the denim of his jeans with her palm and fingers. Sexually, she was getting bolder and bolder, and she loved feeling her own feminine power.
A low, reverberating sound came out of his throat, and Sarah scampered off before he could catch her. She squealed happily, the sound echoing through the house as she sprinted up the stairs with Dante hot on her heels.
“I can’t believe I actually let you walk out of the house in this dress. Every man who sees you will be fantasizing about fucking you,” Dante complained as he opened the passenger side of the truck, his eyes roaming over the long expanse of the bare legs exiting the vehicle.
“You wanted me to have a red dress,” Sarah reminded him. “Emily thought it was hot. You don’t think so?” She loved the dress, but she had to admit that it was meant to be sexy. It had a halter neck that made it impossible to wear a bra, and it was backless, the material starting at the top of her buttocks. The skirt was short and fitted, and it cupped her ass and the tops of her legs lovingly, ending at the middle of her thighs. It was revealing, but elegant enough not to make her look like a slut or a woman on the prowl.
“Too damn hot,” Dante griped. “My dick will be hard all through dinner just like it is now, and I’ll want to kill the first guy who shows the same appreciation I have for that particular dress.”
Sarah smiled at his unhappy tone. He’d already told her how beautiful she looked, and she felt beautiful. She’d put her hair up, letting some of the curls frame her face, and she’d used a heavier hand with her makeup than she usually did. Every time Dante glanced her way she felt like he wanted to devour her whole. She’d worn her torturous three-inch heels, but Dante still towered above her, his broad shoulders encased in a suit jacket that just emphasized his mammoth size. In jeans, Dante Sinclair was mesmerizing. In a suit and tie, he was so devastatingly handsome that he took her breath away.
They were shown to their table by the window. When she went to sit down, Dante gently grasped her upper arm and guided her to the seat across from him.
“I like to face the door,” he told her gruffly, pulling the chair out for her and seating her before he seated himself.
Sarah knew he was carrying a gun, and she assumed he wanted to be able to see who was coming and going from the restaurant. “A cop thing?” she guessed.