First order of business was to get rid of the assailing substance that had my jacket sleeve adhering to the table. I didn’t want to ask Caitlyn to do it, that would get us off on the wrong foot.
“I’m afraid this table needs washing, it’s rather dirty,” I said, trying to look as sincere and kind as I could.
I didn’t think I did a very good job of hiding my disgust though because the woman turned and shouted, “Cait, this one’s yours,” before huffing off.
“Thanks, Linda,” Caitlyn grumbled under her breath.
I recognized a few of the other patrons from the other night, and they were gaping at me in astonishment. I guess people never ate at home these days. I usually handled situations like these with an authoritative ease. No one normally bothered me or threw me off my game. I was a master at this, except now, I felt small.
I watched Caitlyn seem to arm herself with an “I don’t give a fuck about your attitude” attitude. While I expected it, I was sorry to see her take that approach.
“Hello, it’s nice to see you back, Mr. Preston,” she said with a plastic grin. “I wanted to thank you for the outrageous amount of money you left the other day. I shared it with my coworkers. We’re all very grateful for your generosity.”
Damn, I wanted her to have the money for herself. Of course she shared it. It was so like her. The darned woman defied me at every turn.
“That money was for you.” I caught her eye, spearing her with my gaze so she knew I was looking at her, only her. That she was everything.
“Thank you, but I wasn’t the only one who helped you that night. It takes a village,” she said with a note of sarcasm.
“Hmmm. I see.”
She was fidgety and unable to remain still, and that knowledge made me grin. In spite of herself, she was attracted to me and wasn’t doing a very good job hiding it.
“You know you’re crazy for spending that kind of money on a meal you didn’t even like,” she added, jutting her hip out for her hand to land upon.
“It’s my money, I can spend it how I please,” I corrected as I continued to look at her, trying not to break our eye contact, which was making her squirm.
Good. I licked my lips, moistening the bottom one slightly, giving her the put your pussy on me vibe.
“Besides,” I added, my eyes boring a hole into her soul. “I didn’t spend the money on the meal, I spent it on the view.”
She took a deep breath. “I already told you that the view is not for sale.”
“Okay, let’s call a truce. All I came here to do was to ask if you’d join me for dinner and take a selfie with me.” I tried to say this with a straight face.
“A selfie?” She looked as confused as I assumed she would.
I gave her my most earnest smile. “For a friend.”
Her head cocked again. “No.”
I sighed. “Alright, this is embarrassing, but my accountant wants to see a picture of you to prove that you were the one I gave the money to. I told him I spent the money on a tip for a waitress, and he didn’t believe me. It’s my money, but he doesn’t want me doing stupid things with it. Our family has used his services for some time. He is hyper vigilant and believes the money had to have been embezzled by someone in the company. Just one tiny photo with me to prove that you are in fact the waitress I dropped 15K on.” I flashed another earnest smile.
“Fine,” she grumbled.
She inched her way into the booth, and I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, drawing her closer. She was trembling, which excited me. I did affect her. She certainly affected me. Being so near was piquing my arousal. Even though I barely grazed her perfect body, it was exciting enough to have my dick ready to rock her world. She smelled like lemon and coconut, it was all exquisitely stimulating.
I positioned the phone above our heads.
“Okay, smile,” I instructed.
She gave a half-hearted, bewildered smile, which made her look more alluring I discovered when I inspected the photo.
“Are you going to order anything?” she asked politely as she slid out from under my arm, grabbing her pad as she exited the booth.
“Not this time,” I said, using my businesslike tone.
I busted the bottle of champagne out of its insulated bag, presenting it to her like I was the waiter.
“I have one more favor to ask you,” I added.
She gave me the side eye. “What is it?”
“I’d like you to share this bottle of champagne and a meal with me.” I made a valiant attempt to look innocent.
“Why?”
This wasn’t going to be easy. “Because I think you’re beautiful, and I’d like to get to know you better,” I confessed.
“By get to know you better, you mean…?” She lifted an auburn brow.
I leaned forward, just enough for her to feel my interest but not enough to scare her away. “I mean talk with you and share a meal, that’s all.”
Her eyes widened. Shit, I scared her after all. “No, I’m sorry, I’m not comfortable with that.”
“You’re not comfortable with eating?” I teased, trying to lighten her up a bit.
No woman had ever made this so hard. It was just a meal.
“Oh, I like eating just fine,” she said, scorching me.
I wanted to pull her over my lap and spank her sweet bottom, then kiss it and make it all better.
I took a deep breath. “Caitlyn, I don’t know why you seem to hate me so much. After our little misunderstanding, I tried to make it up to you with a hefty tip. Of course, that doesn’t obligate you to join me, but I’m hoping you’ll give me a chance. I drove a long way, hoping for a do-over. Can you find it in your heart to grant me that chance?” I must admit, I was even impressed with the sincerity I was able to pull off.
I felt her soften. “Fine, on one condition.”
Holy fuck, she agreed!
“Your condition?” This should be fascinating.
“You have to pay the restaurant for two meals and tip the waitress. Your server tonight is Linda.” She pointed to the mousy woman pouting in the corner.
Those were certainly easy terms to accommodate. “Agreed.”
“And… I only have a half hour break, so after that, I have to go back to work.”
I looked around. “There aren’t many people here. Do you think we might get some wiggle room on the length of your break?”
She didn’t even consider it. “Nope.”
“Such a good employee,” I mocked as I patted the seat beside me.
She opted to sit across from me. So stubborn.
“Ma! I’m taking my break,” she yelled across the room.
Ma waved her hand, brushing Caitlyn off.
I grinned at the old woman. “She’s a salty sort, isn’t she?”
Actually, I wasn’t too different than Ma. I could be pretty abrasive at times as well. Note to self: be more personable to my assistant and others in my world.
Caitlyn lifted her shoulder. “It’s just Ma, no one expects her to be nice. So what do you want to know?”
Mmm, so impetuous.
“Well, first of all, why do you work here? I am sure there are more upscale restaurants or possibly better jobs a woman with your intellect might choose.” Well, that didn’t come out exactly as I wanted it to.
The ball was in her court.