Page 6 of The Himbo and the Lord
There’s a beat of silence.
“Are they gonna let us in wearing sneakers and shorts?” Seth asks with a frown on his face.
“Yeah, man. It’s not super fancy, but it’s like the best place to get a steak.”
“We can try,” I offer and shrug. “If they don’t let us in then we go back to the hotel to shower and change and find some place closer to eat.”
They all agree with my idea and we’re off to the van to use it as our changing room once more.
The hostess at the entrance is wearing tan pants and white sneakers, so as soon as we walk up I feel like our chances are good. And sure enough she greets us with a smile and asks us to follow her into the wide space. It’s a pretty awesome setup, with huge windows that look over the beach and ocean.
My eyes drift over the restaurant and I stumble when I see the lord. My lord.
Well, not mine of course. But he’s here.
Sitting opposite an older man, I’d guess late thirties, wearing a suit just as sharp as Rupert’s. He looks at him intently and with a small smile. My stomach knots at that, and I narrow my eyes as I keep following my friends.
I don’t know what possesses me to do it, but when Rupert looks up and right at me, I tilt my head sharply to the hallway I see to my right, and don’t wait to see his reaction. I just tap Seth on the shoulder and tell him I’m going to the bathroom and I’ll catch up with them soon.
I turn around and walk over to the hallway, and it’s only when the tables are just about to be out of sight that I look back and see the lord stand up, button his suit jacket, and say something to hisdate.
Fuck, I can’t be fucking jealous. I can’t.
But I am.
Resigned, I take a few steps in, then lean my back against the wall and wait for... I don’t know what I’m expecting to happen here, but now that fate has put me close to him once more, I want a shot at seeing the pretty lord blush as he’s lost in pleasure.
And I’m going to make it happen.
CHAPTERFIVE
Ru
“Thankyou for bringing me here again,” I say to Cieran as I settle into the chair opposite him.
“You said you enjoyed it when we came here with the team on Monday.” He shrugs as if it’s no big deal.
But it is.
He has a family—a wife and two children. He should be spending Friday evening with them, not entertaining me.
“I appreciate it, but you could have brought Clara.”
“We wouldn’t have been able to get childcare in time and I didn’t want to presume it would be alright.”
“You invited me out. I wouldn’t have minded who else was included. But don’t feel the need to look after me.” I don’t want him thinking his duties as the COO extend past office hours. He’s not the sort of person to try and ingratiate himself with me, but even so, I don’t want him to think he needs to.
The waitress arrives to take our orders, and after she’s gone I continue, as I want to make it clear to him. I’m hoping we can have a good working relationship for many years, so it’s better that we start off the right way.
“Honestly, Cieran, I don’t want you putting yourself out for me. If you extend hospitality that you were already arranging for me then that’s one thing, but don’t think you have to drop everything to entertain me when I’m in the country. It’s not part of your job. I can look after myself.”
“Okay, duly noted,” he says, in a way that I’ve come to understand over the past few days is him definitely taking something on board. “But for what it’s worth, I enjoy your company and . . .” He trails off giving me a sheepish grin. “I wasn’t completely honest earlier. Clara has her book club tonight, and this month it’s her turn to host it.”
“Oh, so I’m actually an excuse?” I ask. I’m more than relieved to find this out. I’d rather that than condescending behaviour.
“Have you ever been in a room full of women drinking wine and discussing romance books?” he asks, laughing.
I can see his point.
