“Yep,” he answered with a grin. “I always face the door.”
They ordered drinks while they looked over the menu. The restaurant might be touristy, but Sarah loved the nautical decor that was appealing without being tacky. They both decided on the turf and surf, steak and lobster, and Sarah leaned back in her chair and sipped her wine, the novelty of sitting in a restaurant like she was on a real date delighting her.
“What are you smiling about?” Dante looked at her quizzically.
“I feel so young—like I’m out on a date with the hottest guy on the college campus.”
“If I were still in college and I were dating you, all I’d be thinking about was whether or not I’d be getting laid afterward,” Dante commented with a wicked smile.
Sarah leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, “I think you most definitely will get lucky this time.” She was already hot for him, and looking at his handsome image across from her, she want to crawl over the table and have him for dinner.
“You think?” Dante answered, his voice husky.
He shot her a heated, warning look across the table that made her heart skip a beat. She nodded slowly. “I even wore some hot new panties for you to check out later. They’re very scandalous and almost transparent.” Okay, now she knew she was poking at the beast, but she loved Dante’s feral wildness, so she continued. “And the matching silk garter and stockings are lovely.”
“You didn’t show me those,” he growled.
“I wanted to eat,” she told him laughingly. “I was afraid we’d never leave the house.” That was definitely the truth. Had she modeled the underwear for him before they left, they’d still be in bed. Although she still didn’t understand Dante’s insatiable desire for her scarred body, she accepted it as truth. He proved it over and over, every single day, and she was getting used to the fact that he really did want her.
“We wouldn’t have left,” Dante confirmed harshly. “Jesus Christ. How am I supposed to sit here now? My dick is already hard,” he grumbled unhappily.
God, it felt good to tease him. Sarah had never in her life felt comfortable enough to flirt with a man. Maybe this conversation with Dante was a little beyond flirting, because they were already in a sexual relationship, but she loved seeing the intense look of desire on his face and the twin flames of his eyes burning into her as he watched her intently.
“You’ll pay for this later, woman,” Dante told her roughly.
Sarah shivered in anticipation. “I hope so,” she answered teasingly. She was definitely prodding his dominant instincts, and maybe it was dangerous to do so since Dante was already plenty alpha. He was sexually bossy and authoritative, but she couldn’t resist pushing him even more. Dante encouraged her to explore her deepest desires, and she was definitely delving into them right now.
His eyes turned to molten fire. “Is that what you want? Punishment?”
Sarah shuddered at the thought. Dante would never hurt her, and she knew the only thing he’d really dish out was pleasure. Judging by his heated look, the thought of making her pay for teasing him enflamed him just as much as it did her. Opening her eyes wide, she gave him an innocent look as she replied, “Only if you think I deserve it.” She slipped her foot out of her high heel and brushed her toes gently against his engorged erection, hoping she’d get herself into even more trouble, wondering just how far Dante would take this.
“Right now I’m ready to paddle your ass until you beg for mercy,” he warned ominously.
Her pussy flooded. Maybe she was kinky, but the thought of Dante being that bold made her body incinerate. She had no doubt he’d do it. He wasn’t the type of guy who didn’t back up his words with action. If this didn’t stop, she’d be nothing but a pile of ashes in the chair of a fancy restaurant.
The waiter appeared with their food, and Sarah removed her foot, slipping it back into her shoe. The tablecloth was long and covered their laps, but she didn’t want to be discovered. This was all too new for her, too surreal. Dante really wanted her to the point of desperation, the same way she needed him.
Their conversation turned to more bland topics as they ate, but she could feel Dante’s gaze boring into her as she consumed an excellent steak and succulent Maine lobster.
Eventually, they talked about his brothers.
“Evan is almost always traveling. He needs to slow down or he’ll burn himself out by the time he’s thirty-five,” Dante told her as he finished his steak and placed his utensils on the plate.
“He must be lonely,” Sarah commented, wondering what it would be like to travel the world with nobody to share it with.
“I guess I never thought about it that way. But yeah, he probably is. He’s surrounded by people all the time in his business, but I don’t think any of them really give a shit about him. Most of them are just kissing his ass to improve their own financial interests. Evan works himself into the ground, and he doesn’t have to anymore. He never really did. It’s almost like he’s out to prove something, maybe that he can do a better job running the company than my father did,” Dante mused.
“And does he?” Sarah asked curiously, finishing her own dinner and placing her napkin on her plate, declining dessert when it was offered politely by the waiter taking their plates. She had already eaten until her stomach was completely full.
“Definitely. He’s made the corporation more successful than any of us could have ever imagined. The company was already worth billions of dollars, but Evan has probably tripled its value since my father died. I just wish he’d give it a break for a while.” Dante frowned as he slipped his credit card into the folder for the waiter, who picked it up immediately.