“Thank you Armond. You look quite ravishing yourself,” I replied.
“I appreciate that, Brandy. I hope you've cleared your evening. I'd like to spend as much time with you tonight as possible and I think you'll enjoy our plans,” he said as he led me to an awaiting SUV.
He had one hand planted on my lower back and the other holding my hand like I was a precious gem. His eyes were on everything around us and I kinda loved his protective nature. He was still attentive as they landed on me every so often, but I caught them every time.
I was also looking at my surroundings and glad I shared my location with my girls just in case this date went left. That alonehelped me relax a little and be okay with hopping in this man’s vehicle.
Once we settled in the truck, Armond’s driver climbed into the front seat then typed an address into the GPS. My eyes were glued to it and Armond was glued on me. I couldn't breathe until I saw the location pop up with the restaurant's name attached.
I memorized it and would be pulling my phone out soon to turn on my own GPS, so I'd know if I was being taken off course or not. Anyone could program something to make it look one way but it was another. I wasn't about to play with this man, resort owner or not. The second I finished plugging it into my phone and placed it on my lap, he spoke.
“How do you feel about grilled meats?”
“I love grilled food. Meat, veggies, doesn't matter,” I replied.
“So, I read you correctly. That's excellent. You'll love where we're headed then.”
He smiled like it was a huge achievement. Maybe it was for him. He didn’t seem like the type to entertain a woman from pure interest. He read like the smash and go type and that expression of accomplishment let me know it was far from the truth.
“I'm sure anywhere we would've ended up would've been pleasant,” I responded.
He looked over at me then grabbed my hand gently. His thumb caressed my knuckles slowly as he stared at me. His eyes lowered and it almost seemed as if he was more fond of me from that statement alone. I couldn't help but blush after a minute. Not much needed to be said. We were both taken with each other.
“Tell me a little or a lot about you, Brandy,” he said in a softer tone than I'd ever heard escaping those lips thus far. Shit made me melt.
“Well, I'm thirty-four, own two yoga studios back in The States, have an older sister and great mom, and I'm trying my damndest to get a divorce from my asshole of an ex,” I explained. “My favorite color is...”
“Yellow, let's rewind,” he interrupted. My mouth instantly shut and my eyes damn near ballooned because how did he know that?He actually knew my favorite color without me saying so.Jeffrey had been my husband for years and still didn’t know it. I was quite baffled, to the point where I didn't take in the rest of his statement. He started talking and that was when I realized I mentioned my divorce and more so how easy it was to tell him that.
“You're a married woman, Brandy?”
“On paper, yes. We've been apart for over a year now. He's stringing me along and refusing to come to any agreement.”
“Mhm. I mean, I get it. You are not worth losing. I'd do anything to keep you and show you I'm willing to fight for us,” he said.
“Well maybe if he thought like you then I wouldn't be in this mess.”
“He hurt you?” His tone deepened and the coldness in his eyes was alarming. That beautiful brown and green meld of his irises was replaced by a light green that scared the shit out of me.
Should I be honest with this man? Or spare that fool’s life? My face scrunched and I suddenly couldn't find the words to confirm. I nodded and he hissed then looked out of the window for a second. His reflection was just as intimidating, but when he turned back to me, I was met with only concern.
“Never again.”
How could I be so sure about that? There was nothing in his voice that made me not believe his words and the look in his eyes told me I needed to believe him. But how could I when I didn’t even know this man and we were in a whole different country?
My naivete made me nod to confirm his statement. I wished I could find my voice and tell him the extent of that hurt, but it truly wasn't his business, and I didn't like telling it to anyone, let alone a stranger. It didn’t matter if this could be more or not. Until it was... what was this?
“I’m thirty-five. I love the colors burgundy and black. I prefer gold to any other when it comes to jewelry. I have a younger brother and sister, a mom from hell, and a father who still lives in hell. I own two resorts, a casino, a bank, and a winery in Italy, my home country. I don't tolerate bullshit and handle things accordingly, as you've witnessed. I make my own pasta and sauces. I'm a very good cook. I rarely eat fast food. I'm serious about those who are close to me and will eliminate any threat before you even know there is one. I want to show you a good time and see where this goes because I'm quite taken with you, Brandy.”
It took a minute for me to process all he said. So many keys to memorize in so little time and to digest. Once I did, my smile widened and I squeezed his hand while registering I was still attached to him. I looked at our joined hands and realized I must've felt pretty safe with him if we were still joined like this. It was something simple yet a huge deal for me. Or maybe I was just stupid over this man.Pull yourself together, woman, damn!
“You've held my intrigue,” I replied.
That made him smirk then lick those luscious ass lips. His mustache was trimmed perfectly. His goatee was silky and long and I wanted to pull my fingers through it. I almost leaned forward to attack those lips but quickly pulled myself together. I couldn't throw myself out there like that. No matter how much I wanted to devour him. I had to find something to talk about to pull these thoughts away from me.
“So are you cool with your siblings or do they think of you as the daddy brother?” I asked.
“Daddy brother?" He chuckled. “That's a new one, but no, we're all close. Two years between each of us.”
