Leo (A Sign of Love Novel)

He grins at me and places a bowl on the counter. "Pasta Primavera with shrimp," he says.

 

I sit down and dig in saying through the first mouthful, "Oh God, this is delicious. Did you make this from scratch?"

 

"There's nothing to that dish. Chopping some vegetables and boiling some pasta."

 

I don't buy it. It's way too delicious. "I'm going to cook for you next. You've spoiled me enough already."

 

"Get used to it. I like spoiling you."

 

Then he takes off the long sleeved, cotton pullover he's wearing and I freeze as I see that the white t-shirt he's wearing underneath has a big stamp across the front that says, World's Greatest in bold, black print.

 

I almost choke on my food, snorting and bringing my napkin up to my mouth so I don't spew pasta all over him.

 

"What?" he says innocently.

 

I point at his shirt. "World's Greatest what?" I ask, trying to rein in my laughter.

 

"Oh, this?" he asks, pointing to his chest. "It's all inclusive. World's Greatest Guy, World's Greatest Lover, World's Greatest Cook," he motions to my pasta when he says this last part. "You name it, I'm the greatest."

 

"Ah. Well, I do appreciate your confidence. But you know, you've left yourself wide open now for your critics to test you."

 

"I only care about one critic. And I'm looking forward to being tested. The more testing, the better. Lots of testing would be good." He winks.

 

I grin. "You're completely ridiculous, you do realize that, right?"

 

He laughs out loud. "Finish up. I'm going to go change while you're eating and then we'll get going."

 

"You're not going to wear your World's Greatest shirt to the club?" I yell down the hall.

 

"You don't really want me to advertise all over town, do you?" He calls back and I can hear the smile in his voice.

 

He emerges ten minutes later in a pair of black slacks and a pale gray button down shirt, a black belt and shoes. Yum.

 

**********

 

The downtown nightclub that Jake takes me to is stylish and trendy, with a New York City loft vibe.

 

We get lucky and snag a table near the bar just as a small group is leaving. Jake pulls out my chair for me and when the cocktail waitress comes over, he orders a water for himself and I order a glass of chardonnay. The waitress doesn't even look at me. She's so busy staring at Jake, I wonder if she even heard my order. But five minutes later she's back with my wine and I can only shake my head.

 

Jake pulls his chair around so that he's right next to me and he nuzzles into my neck, flirting and making me laugh as we chat and I sip my wine.

 

I look around at the beautiful, modern decor and think about how Landon would think this place was hot. He's always talking about the clubs he's gone to on trips to New York and L.A. I wonder out loud if he's been here.

 

"Why don't you text him and see if he wants to join us?"

 

I look at Jake, surprised. "Really?"

 

"Yeah, I'd love to hang out with your friends."

 

I hesitate, but why not? "Okay," I say pulling out my phone and shooting Landon a quick text.

 

He texts me back a few minutes later and says he's just finishing up dinner with a friend but that they'd love to meet us

 

Forty five minutes later, I see Landon walk in and I stand up, waving excitedly at him. He rushes over, a dark haired guy trailing right behind him. When he's almost to our table, he yells, "Fancy Face!" and I rush into his arms yelling, "Hi!" over the hub bub of the club.

 

He lets me go, saying loudly, "Girl, you look hot!" Then he looks over to Jake who is standing and shakes his hand, saying, "Thanks for inviting us." Jake smiles and nods at him, saying, "It's good to officially meet you."

 

He pulls the good looking guy behind him to his side and introduces him as Jeff Stoltz. I take him in, thinking he looks really familiar, and when it hits me, the hair color is different but… , "Has anyone ever told you you look - "

 

"Like Matt Damon?" he finishes, smiling. "Yeah, I've heard that once or twice."

 

"That often, huh?" I laugh and gesture for them to sit which they do.

 

As Jeff is ordering drinks, and Jake looks away, Landon catches my eye and fans himself, shooting looks in Jake's direction. I grin. But I can't disagree.

 

We order more drinks and all chat easily. Jake is charming and personable and I'm having a great time.

 

I have three large glasses of wine in me when Jake stands up, pulling me with him and whispering, "I want you on the dance floor."

 

My heart starts beating a little bit faster and I sway slightly but suddenly, dancing doesn't seem quite so daunting. I have a sneaking suspicion that the three large glasses of wine I've consumed is the reason for this.

 

I wave to the guys and follow Jake onto the dance floor. A mix of Maroon Five's "One More Night" is blasting through the speakers and suddenly I'm in Jake's arms and he's moving against me and it's easy to follow his sexy hip movements. I bring my arms up around his neck and we move against each other and besides having sex with Jake, this is the most erotic thing I've ever experienced.

 

"I should have known you'd be a good dancer," I whisper into his ear.

 

He smiles and presses more fully into my body, making me close my eyes and cling more tightly to his neck. Would it be considered déclassé to have an orgasm on the dance floor of a nightclub? I giggle to myself. Okay, Maybe I've had just a tad too much to drink.

 

The song changes and I feel a tap on my shoulder and Landon is grinning at me. Jake takes my jaw in his hand and kisses me hard and quick on the mouth, turning me over to Lan. "I'm gonna go use the restroom," he says. "Take care of her." Landon nods and then spins me around as I giggle and follow his lead.

 

"Jeff seems nice, Lan," I say, spinning back into him.

 

"He is. I might really like him. I wanted you to hang out with him a little bit so you could give me your impression," he says, looking a little nervous.

 

"I like him a lot so far!"

 

"Good. I think he’s great. And hot. I mean, maybe not as hot as your boy toy, but hot." he laughs, spinning me again.

 

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