After a few minutes of small talk with Sarah抯 mother to convince me the kids are properly chaperoned, I climb back in the car.
Twenty minutes later, Tom pulls up to Eliza抯 apartment building. I get out and walk to the door, but she抯 already outside waiting for me.
揑 expected to walk you to the car,?I say, offering her my hand.
She takes it. 揟he buzzer isn抰 working. I figured this was easier.?
I scan the short, snug black dress that hugs her body in all the right places梕specially that peach of an ass梐nd meet her eyes again.
揧ou抮e triple stunning tonight,?I whisper.
She smiles. 揟hank you.?
I hold the car door open and help her in, then slide into the back seat. 揑t抯 been weird not seeing you for two days.?
揑 know. I felt like I was missing a limb.?
I put up the soundproof privacy guard. 揟hen why have you stayed away from me??
She laughs. 揂ren抰 you the one who抯 been busy??
揧eah. Sorry I postponed this. Too many annoying meetings I couldn抰 push back.?I slip my arm around her, trying not to gasp at the softness of her skin. 揇idn抰 mean to piss you off.?
She lays her head on my shoulder.
揑 wasn抰 angry, Cole. I haven抰 had much sleep since Hawaii. I was tired.?
揑抦 aware.?I kiss her.
揂nd you didn抰 invite me over last night...?
揃ecause you blew me off the night before.?
揑 was tired.?
揧ou never invite me over,?I point out.
揗y apartment is basically a shack compared to your house. Plus, you have a kid.?
揝o??
揑抦 not having you leave her alone overnight just because I like waking up next to you...?
I can抰 hide the smile that cuts across my face. 揧ou, Eliza, are goddamned amazing.?
揧eah??She quirks an eyebrow.
揑 like how often you consider Destiny,?I say. Part of the reason I never dated was because I wasn抰 sure how Destiny would take to someone new梠r how well they抎 manage with her.
But Eliza already feels like a mama bear with my girl, and it plays my heart like a drum.
揥here are we going??
揝ushi Zushi. Fairly new place on Alki Beach. You抣l love it.?
揇o they have good coffee??
I chuckle, shaking my head.
揥hat??she asks like she doesn抰 know.
揗aybe a Tokyo lungo? I抳e never ordered coffee there. Do you really need it with every meal? Try the sake with me.?
揘o, but I always have coffee with breakfast and after dinner.?
揥hy am I not surprised??
揑t抯 good for digestion,?she insists with a smirk.
揥hat??I demand.
揑 can抰 tell you,?she says softly.
揥hy not??
揑 just can抰.?
揈liza棓
揘o. You抣l be mad.?
揑 won抰 be. Now spit it out. You抳e said too much to back out,?I warn.
揙kay, well... You know how you got mad when I told you Wired Cup抯 whole brand was reliable??
揧eah??
揧ou don抰 drink enough coffee. You don抰 savor it enough to know the difference between reliable and reverent.?
揋uilty. That抯 why I hired you.?
揟hen why were you so offended about being called reliable??
I grin, shaking my head.
揥oman, just because I don抰 want to spend all day tasting coffee doesn抰 mean I want to be known as the CEO of a boring fucking brand.?
揧ou抮e a strange man,?she muses, pushing her hand into mine. 揋ood thing I抦 hooked on you.?
It抯 about half an hour before we arrive at the posh restaurant. Tom opens the door with an affable nod, and I help Eliza out of the car, walking her through the stylish glass doors.
Her hand stays clasped in mine as we walk to the hostess booth.
揑 have a reservation for a private room,?I say.
揥hat抯 the name??the hostess asks.
揝mith.?
She checks her book and nods. 揑抳e got it.?She picks up a couple of menus. 揜ight this way, Mr. and Mrs. Smith?
Eliza抯 brows knit together as she leans up to whisper in my ear. 揃ut it抯 Lancaster? Don抰 tell me you picked a name so unoriginal for whatever it is you抮e hiding??
17
Secret Recipe (Eliza)
Cole doesn抰 answer when I ask what kind of game he抯 playing with the Smith alias.
We follow the hostess to a back room with menus waiting on each side of the table.
He pulls out my chair and waits for me to sit. He might be a grump to his core, but at least he抯 a chivalrous one.
揟hanks,?I say, trying not to blush as he sits across from me.
揑抣l grab you some waters and your server will be with you shortly.?The hostess exits the arched entryway to this private room with its black walls, tan seats, glass, and low lights that make it look like it was transplanted straight from Tokyo.
揝o, why did you make the reservations under a fake name, Mr. Smith??I should probably drop it, but I have to know.
揚rivacy,?he answers, his eyes narrowed.
揥e really need more of that??I whisper across the table.
He studies me for a moment.
揈liza, is something wrong??
?..I抦 just curious.?
揧ou抮e sitting at the most exclusive Japanese restaurant in a city of almost a million people. Places like this attract money, and it抯 a small world. You抎 be surprised how ruthless the competition can be. All it takes is a little encounter with an executive from another coffee company who slips some jagoff on Twitter a juicy tidbit about Cole Lancaster dining with a beautiful young woman. Suddenly, my 'eligible bachelor' face is plastered all over social media and I抳e got a very big, very annoying distraction to deal with. When you head up a major business of any sort, you抮e always somebody抯 target.?
My stomach drops.
That抯 definitely a fair reason for secrecy, and worlds apart from any two-timing older men who played me before. I almost feel guilty for wondering.
揃ut Smith? Seriously??
He glowers, but before he can speak, a young girl with curly red hair arrives to take our order.
揥e抣l start with two sakes,?Cole says. They throw a few expensive brand names back and forth. I can抰 even pronounce them without knowing a word of Japanese.
This is me. Swimming with the big fish and already drowning.
揇o you have ginger ale too??I ask.
揥e have a house made ginger soda,?the waitress tells me.
揑抣l take it.?
His lips barely move, but Cole laughs with his eyes.
揂fraid you can抰 handle the sake??he asks after she moves away.
揑 don抰 drink a lot...?
He nods, studying me over the rim of his glass as he sips his water.
揑 don抰 think you were done.?
揥hat??He sets his glass down.
揧ou explained the need for privacy桰 get it梑ut it seems like you wanted to add something more.?I sip my water, studying his handsome face.
He shifts in his seat梐nd do I see a tiny crinkle of nervousness on his face?
揙ur co-workers can抰 find out about this yet, Eliza. Until I talk to HR, we抮e technically breaching several major rules against fraternization.?
揊raternization.?I laugh sourly.
Also, didn抰 he say he抎 deal with HR days ago? I can抰 be too judgmental.
He抯 not Derek. I抦 not being played for a selfish man抯 ego.
Still, when you抳e been burned before, you start looking for any whiff of smoke.
揥hat抯 wrong??he asks gruffly, fixing me with a stare.
揌mm??
揟hat laugh. It抯 not your usual peppy giggle.?
No joke. I抦 trying not to be a paranoid bitch when I know I shouldn抰 be.
The server returns with our drinks before he can press me. 揂re we ready to order??
揥hatever you call the crab with avocado and spicy aioli,?he says immediately. 揑 want a couple of rolls of that, a spread of your market sashimi, a tempura roll, and throw in a California roll for my lovely date from San Diego.?
I stare at him, unblinking.
Wow. Until now, I never thought I抎 like having a man order for me. But there抯 something oddly charming about trusting Cole enough to take care of me.
Now, if only we could build the same trust outside of delicious food and sheet-ripping sex.
揃ring it on the Zushi boat, please. I抦 a sucker for a good presentation,?Cole continues.
She taps the order into her tablet and disappears.
Under the table, Cole catches my foot gently between both of his. I gasp and look at him.
揥e抮e not off to a great start, are we? Minus the impeccable sushi order, I mean.?