Page 60 of The Love Penalty
CHAPTER 26
ASHER
Lani tried to bail on our date twice, but I wouldn’t let her.
She wants a fancy dinner with me. I don’t care that she has an assignment due and she wants to get in some extra studying for an upcoming test. Tough shit. She said she was giving me a date night, and so she shall.
I’ll definitely make it worth her while. I am delivering so fucking hard, she’ll be speechless.
It took me a week to get everything booked, to pull the right strings and make sure this date is nothing but perfect.
By the time I walk up to her dorm room in my black tux with a bouquet of tropical flowers, I feel in charge and on my game.
Until she opens the door and gapes at me with the hungriest look I’ve ever seen. Obviously, me in a suit does it for her, because I can practically see the drool pooling on the edge of her lips.
I would respond with something cocky to ruffle her feathers if I wasn’t struck dumb by the sight of her as well.
She’s wearing this glittery bronze dress that hugs her hips and accentuates her boobs. The plunging neckline goes right down between them, and it’s hard to swallow as I drink her in, from those spaghetti straps to the tips of her painted toenails. The heels she’s wearing match the dress perfectly, winding up around her ankles and lower calves. I swear shoes have never been so sexy. Ever. They also make her about three inches taller, and holy shit, she’s so fucking gorgeous, I can barely breathe.
“Are you two just gonna stand there gaping at each other all night?” Caroline’s red curls appear and then her blue gaze drinks me in, and I’ve gotta say… she looks impressed too. “Wowzers. You scrub up good, Ash-Man.”
I smirk at her.
“And Lani here is looking hot enough to fry a steak on.”
“She most definitely is,” I finally manage.
Lani rolls her eyes but is fighting a grin.
“You look like some kind of celebrity couple. Seriously.” Caroline shakes her head, grinning between us as she whips out her phone and forces us to pose for various photographs.
Lani finally takes the flowers from me, smelling them with an appreciative smile before passing them off to Caroline.
“I’ll put these in water for you, sweets.” Caroline grins. “Now you two kids go have fun.”
Her playful wink makes Lani laugh, and she kisses her friend before finally stepping out into the hallway.
I give her my elbow and she takes it, brushing her hand down my arm and finally speaking to me. “Okay, so you’re gorgeous in a suit.”
“Why thank you, milady.” I wink and she smiles, and I’m pretty sure I just started floating.
Leading her out to my uncle’s Porsche, which he kindly let me borrow, I enjoy her impressed smile as I open the door for her. By some miracle, she lets me treat her like a princess, and we drive to a hotel in downtown Denver, listening to classical music and talking like a night in the big city is nothing new for us.
The two-hour trip flies by in a heartbeat, and we’re soon riding the elevator to the top floor of The Grand Palais.
“This place is nice,” she murmurs, nestling into me when I rest my hand on her lower back.
“Yeah, my parents bought it nearly three years ago. When I started at Nolan.”
“Your parents own this hotel?” She blinks at me.
“They own a lot of places,” I murmur, wishing I hadn’t mentioned it. I’d rather choke on a turkey leg than spend this date night talking about my parents.
“What do they do?”
Clenching my jaw, I mutter my usual spiel. “They own an acquisitions and merger company. They look for dying businesses and buy them for a steal, then either pour money into reviving them or make the decision to dissolve them.”
“So, this fancy-pants hotel was on the out-and-out?”