Page 12 (1/2)

Nik speaks, "Table for two, please"

The host immediately replies, "Of course Follow me"

Still with our arms around each other, she shows us to a table just inside an open doorway that leads to the patio seating I feel a slight breeze coave us the best seats in the house

Just as we’re about to sit, I hear asps and look over two tables to see three pretty wo at us open oing on?

All the women look past us to the restaurants entrance I feel my eyes follow theirs and when I see what they see, I stiffen as much as Nik has

At the host table stands She-Devil Sissy Her face flashes pain but she covers it quickly with a superior look

She walks over to where her friends are sitting and as she passes us she acknowledges us, "Nik, and Friend of Nik’s"

Nik sounds bored when he replies, "Sissy Enjoy your lunch"

As Sissy sits with her friends I hear theawd Sis, isn’t that your boyfriend?" "I thought you guys were gettin’ass, honey"

Nik takes out a chair for me and I sit, then he seats hinore theet hot and itchy and I’ht red I do my best to plaster on a fake smile, "Yeah, sure"

Nik sees my obvious discomfort and reaches over to put his hand over mine He whispers, "We can leave"

I’m just about to anshen the waitress comes over to our table Rather than answer Nik, I place my order He smiles and shakes his head atfor our meals, we chat

I point out, "So, this is kind of aard, having your ex-girlfriend watch us eat Now she definitely thinks you’re shtupping hs at irlfriend, babe Never even been to o to hers Don’t listen to her friends She knehat our relationship was I never played gaht If I’m completely honest with you, it was just sex"

I blush at his bluntness and squeak, "Oh, okay"

He narrows his eyes, places his joined hands under his chin and says, "But I’m curious about you, little T How does a woman ns her own business, bakes like you do, and is as pretty as you are not have a boyfriend?"

He thinks I’uess I could ask you the sa You ely popular nightclub How do you not have a girlfriend?"

He smirks, "Ahh, the old answer a question with a question sham I’ll answer yours but you’ll answer mine too, okay?" I sic story to tell about lost love I had a girlfriend in high school and she was great I thought I’d end up with her" A look of pain crosses his face "My dad died when my sister Isabel was just born I was sixteen Max was fifteen I was the oldest boy in the family which meant most of the responsibilities fell tofive children on her own After dad’s funeral, my auntie and Trick came to live with us for a few months to help out They fell in love with New York and never left Trick helped me out a lot back then because his dad died the year before and he knehat I was going through To cut a long story short, I didn’t have the tiers did I was always fixin’ so to make soht courses in Business and got a degree A few years after that I decided I needed to look into a business which could be open at night so I could still help Moether with two other people and opened The White Rabbit There was no ti else Now the club takes up irlfriend, ya know? There will come a time when I want to settle down It’s just not now"

My face dropped halfway into his talk

He lost his father at sixteen His sister was just born when he died, she probably doesn’t even reraph in his office must have been taken just months before his father died because his nant

He took on the role of father figure at sixteen and did what he had to do toout on ers we’re going out, being stupid and fooling around, Nik atching his brother and sisters

Who was there for hihtens with emotion and my eyes mist I reach over and put my hand over his, I whisper, "I’m so sorry, honey"

With a soft face, he lifts my hand and kisses the top of it, "Your turn"

I clear uys kissedhappened There was no spark My heart didn’t skip a beat; there were no butterflies in my belly It was just nice"

He states, "They weren’t good enough for you"

I feel a swell of panic I don’t want Nik to think I think I’m pompous

I immediately sputter, "What? No! It’s not like that!"

He chuckles, "I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make it sound like you’re picky or some shit What I meant was you seeood So, if any of those guys were good enough for you, you’d be with one of them"

Wow, that’s nice

I lower my eyes, pick invisible lint off the table cloth and tell hiht he was the one I loved hiuess you could say that I don’t trust my instincts much anymore"

Nik sounds mildly annoyed, "That’s too bad What kind of asshole would leave all of this?" He waves his hand up and down at me "He must’ve been blind, babe You’re better off without him"

I lift s our food and we push both plates into the middle of the table Nik puts the tomatoes from his salad on my plate and I put most of my French fries onto his

We pull our plates back and smile at each other

You’re doomed

Yep, I’m pretty sure I am

"That’s not fair, Nik I said I would get it this time" Tina actually looks pissed

When I saw her come out of the Safira staff roo a long white gypsy skirt, white blouse with short puffy sleeves and white sandals, she actually looks angelic Her dark hair is down, falling in soft waves down her back, the front of her hair pinned up in a little poof She wears little losses her lips That really turns me on She has natural beauty None of it corin at her She’s so da lunch today

Ahh, little Tina You’ll get used to it

While she was in the bathrooister and paid for lunch

We’ve spent ly haven’t let Sissy two tables over distract us She walked passed us a few tinored her I know Sissy, and she does not like to be ignored

I state, "Tina, I invited you It was the polite thing to do" When she still looks pissed, I decide to fight dirty "Have I mentioned I’m seven hundred thousand dollars richer because of you?"

That works She tilts her head, lifts a brow and says, "This is true" I chuckle at her

The girl wears her heart on her sleeve You can tell whatever she’s thinking through her facial expressions