Page 35 of For Your Eyes Only
“Break a leg.” She gives my hand a squeeze before releasing it. My door opens, and a doorman reaches down to help me exit the vehicle. “Call me if you decide you’re not going to put out,” she says too loudly, and my face turns purple.
I laugh. “She has an inappropriate sense of humor.”
“Of course.” He smiles, like he hears stuff like that every night at the Breakers, which I’m sure he does not.
He probably thinks I’m a hooker now. First, I’m being sex trafficked, now I’m a hooker—when in reality I’m only a stripper. Correction,burlesque dancer. What is happening to my life?
The valet leads me as far as the arch-and-column lined front walk, but before I take the first step, a white rose appears followed by the man who takes my breath away.
“Trip.” I take the short-stemmed white rose from his fingers.
“Hello, Gia.” His low voice is like a caress, and when he leans closer, he pauses. “May I kiss your cheek?”
“Of course.”Such a gentleman.
My eyes close at the touch of his velvet lips against my skin accented by the scruff of his beard. Heat rushes from my chest to my stomach.
His are more green than brown, and when they meet mine, my knees go liquid. “You’re stunning in that dress.”
“Thank you.”
He lifts my hand, putting it in the crook of his arm. “Let me guess… Valentino?”
My nose wrinkles, and I shake my head. “Carolina Herrera, but you were close.”
“Fifty-fifty chance. It’s definitely not Lily Pulitzer.”
We pass through the arched entrance into a long, gilded lobby with what looks like twenty-foot ceilings. It’s all marble columns and ornate archways and floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto a courtyard with yet another, massive fountain.
Round tables are positioned down the center of the walkway, and each has an enormous flower arrangement containing either lilies or roses, scenting the air with their fresh perfume. I feel like a princess entering a castle.
“It’s modeled after the Palazzo Carrega in Genoa.” Trip leads me up a short flight of steps to where the restaurant is located.
“Is the bar made of glass?”
“It’s an aquarium. It has live fish in it.” My eyes widen, and he grins. “Very small ones.”
He stops to face me, and his eyes drift from my hair to my shoulders to my breasts then quickly to mine again. “You really are beautiful tonight. Did I tell you happy birthday?”
“Earlier.” I feel giddy… and perhaps a little powerful.
I’ve knocked him off balance, and while he fumbles his way to control, he steals another piece of my heart in the process.
“Good.” He nods, shifting into business mode. “I’ll see if our table is ready.”
I step to the unique bar while he walks to the hostess stand, and sure enough, a brightly colored fish swims past, beneath my fingers. It’s lit from the inside and filled with aquarium rocks, water plants, and small coral.
A curl slips over my shoulder as I look down, and I straighten, sensing eyes on me. Glancing around the semi-crowded bar, I don’t recognize anyone. Trip catches my eye as he returns to where I’m waiting.
He’s so handsome in his gray tailored suit and patterned tie. He walks with the casual confidence of money and privilege, and it’s so clear he’s used to getting what he wants.
I want to thread my fingers in his hair. It’s swept back from his face, just brushing his ears and collar, and I imagine it’s soft, unlike my coarse, wild curls. I liked having his lips on my cheek. I’d like to have them other places as well, and I lift the fragrant white rose to my nose.
Our eyes meet, and the dimple in his left cheek appears. “That was a very naughty look, Miss Rossi. How old are you today?”
“You’re not supposed to ask a woman how old she is.”
“I’m a bad boy. Haven’t you heard?”