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 * 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.
“And Jared?” Sarah prompted. She already knew Grady and much of his history from Emily. But Jared was still a mystery to her.
“Jared’s changed. Something happened to him, but I don’t know what. He blows it off if I try to ask him about what changed him, but he never used to be this way. Is his business successful? Very. But he’s not the same person he used to be growing up.”
“What was he like when he was younger?”
“Creative. Smart. He was always drawing something. He was a talented artist, and he went after architecture because he loved creating things, or rebuilding them. I think he’s bored with commercial real estate, but that’s what’s made him even richer. I don’t know. He just seems . . . lost.” Dante paused before saying, “He’s acting like an asshole, but he was always the first one to notice when Grady or one of our other siblings needed us, even though he was younger. He used to be curious about the world, kind to everyone. Now he’s just a jackass.”
“He’s still nice to old ladies,” Sarah pointed out, remembering what Elsie and Beatrice had said about Jared.
“I guess that’s something,” Dante said dubiously.
“What about Hope?” Sarah asked, wondering what it must have been like to be the only female among the Sinclair siblings.
“She’s happy now. She’s married to a childhood friend of the family, Jason Sutherland. He actually handles portfolios for Grady and me. He’s an incredible investor, one of the sharpest in the world.”
“I’ve heard of him. He’s a genius with mathematics and numbers, too, besides being a brilliant investor,” Sarah commented with awe.
“I’m sure your mother would love him, but he’s already married to my sister,” Dante replied morosely.
He looked irritated and possibly . . . jealous? “If my mother would like him, then I probably wouldn’t,” she told him adamantly.
“Every woman pants over Jason,” Dante grumbled.