dinner."
Half an hour later, he'd flipped on the TV but not
even sport could soothe his anxiety. Last night had been an embarrassment, a
blow to his ego. He thought he'd ruined everything with his smartass comment
about the kiss being part of her training. He regretted saying it and he wanted
to make it up to her. But he'd been worried all day about how she'd react. It
had been an enormous relief to hear her voice on his answering machine that
afternoon. Now all he had to do was explain why he'd kissed her in the first
place. That wouldn't be easy.
Finally, the bedroom door opened and Annie made her
entrance. Zack released his breath and stood.
Her strapless black dress, flecked with gold,
shimmered in the waning light. It hugged her petite frame, enhancing the nip of
her tiny waist and the gentle roundness of her hips. Her breasts swelled over
the top of the dress and he wished he could place his lips on the exposed flesh.
She wore her hair up with sexy tendrils falling from her temples down her
cheeks. Her makeup was subtle yet perfect for her naturally pretty features.
She was, by far, the most stunning woman he'd ever
seen.
"You look incredible," he said quietly, his
voice sounding unnatural to his ears.
"Thanks to the dress," she said in that
self-deprecating way of hers. Why did she do that? What made her think she
wasn't good enough?
"No. The dress is just a piece of material. But
you..." He took her jacket and placed it around her shoulders. He caught a
whiff of her perfume and had to hold himself back from burying his face in the hollow
of her throat.
"Ready?" His voice caught. He coughed to
hide it, but she'd noticed.
A small smile crept across her lips and he was damned
if he didn't feel himself blushing. He must be, because her intense blue eyes
sparkled with laughter.
"The bike's parked outside," he said.
The sparkle disappeared. "The bike! You don't
expect me to—"
He grinned. "No, I've brought the Aston Martin."
"I didn't know you owned a Aston Martin."
"There's a lot of things you don't know about
me."
"I'm beginning to realize that."
Annie told Snoopy not to wait up then closed the door
behind them. Zack opened the car door for her then got into the driver's seat.
"So where are we going?" she asked.
"Jacques. It's a nice little restaurant—"
"I know where it is."
"You've been there?"
"Not recently." Like never. She couldn't
even afford the hors d'oeuvres. "So what's the big occasion? Is this part
of the curriculum?"
He shrugged. "Sort of. Our kiss last night got me
thinking. I suppose it was part of your training. All eighteen-year-old guys
love it when an older woman comes onto them."
"But I don't want to come onto him! He's a kid
and he's annoying." And she didn't like Zack encouraging her to kiss other
men...er, boys. Besides, there'd been more to that kiss than he'd let on. She
was sure of it.
"Don't do anything with him, Annie! He's a kid.
Just flirt with him a little, nothing more than that."
She shook her head to clear it. "I'm confused. What's
this got to do with going to dinner tonight?"
"You need to learn to flirt."
"But why a classy place? Why not a bar or a fast
food restaurant?"
"We have to eat, so why not eat somewhere nice? Men
are the same no matter where you go. Anyway," he flashed a smile, "I
wanted to see you in that dress."
His words warmed her. His reaction to her entrance had
been extremely satisfying and worth the pain of the hairpins digging into her
scalp.
Jacques restaurant had a perfect view of the sunset
over the water. It was a favorite haunt of Hollywood producers and actors with
recent box office success and the occasional wealthy industrialist or investor.
Annie wasn't exactly sure which of these last categories Zack fit into, or if
he did at all, but he seemed at home in the understated style of the
restaurant. Even the snooty waiters smiled and greeted him by name.
"Your usual table, Mr. DiMarco?" asked a
young waiter who obviously hadn't
Half an hour later, he'd flipped on the TV but not
even sport could soothe his anxiety. Last night had been an embarrassment, a
blow to his ego. He thought he'd ruined everything with his smartass comment
about the kiss being part of her training. He regretted saying it and he wanted
to make it up to her. But he'd been worried all day about how she'd react. It
had been an enormous relief to hear her voice on his answering machine that
afternoon. Now all he had to do was explain why he'd kissed her in the first
place. That wouldn't be easy.
Finally, the bedroom door opened and Annie made her
entrance. Zack released his breath and stood.
Her strapless black dress, flecked with gold,
shimmered in the waning light. It hugged her petite frame, enhancing the nip of
her tiny waist and the gentle roundness of her hips. Her breasts swelled over
the top of the dress and he wished he could place his lips on the exposed flesh.
She wore her hair up with sexy tendrils falling from her temples down her
cheeks. Her makeup was subtle yet perfect for her naturally pretty features.
She was, by far, the most stunning woman he'd ever
seen.
"You look incredible," he said quietly, his
voice sounding unnatural to his ears.
"Thanks to the dress," she said in that
self-deprecating way of hers. Why did she do that? What made her think she
wasn't good enough?
"No. The dress is just a piece of material. But
you..." He took her jacket and placed it around her shoulders. He caught a
whiff of her perfume and had to hold himself back from burying his face in the hollow
of her throat.
"Ready?" His voice caught. He coughed to
hide it, but she'd noticed.
A small smile crept across her lips and he was damned
if he didn't feel himself blushing. He must be, because her intense blue eyes
sparkled with laughter.
"The bike's parked outside," he said.
The sparkle disappeared. "The bike! You don't
expect me to—"
He grinned. "No, I've brought the Aston Martin."
"I didn't know you owned a Aston Martin."
"There's a lot of things you don't know about
me."
"I'm beginning to realize that."
Annie told Snoopy not to wait up then closed the door
behind them. Zack opened the car door for her then got into the driver's seat.
"So where are we going?" she asked.
"Jacques. It's a nice little restaurant—"
"I know where it is."
"You've been there?"
"Not recently." Like never. She couldn't
even afford the hors d'oeuvres. "So what's the big occasion? Is this part
of the curriculum?"
He shrugged. "Sort of. Our kiss last night got me
thinking. I suppose it was part of your training. All eighteen-year-old guys
love it when an older woman comes onto them."
"But I don't want to come onto him! He's a kid
and he's annoying." And she didn't like Zack encouraging her to kiss other
men...er, boys. Besides, there'd been more to that kiss than he'd let on. She
was sure of it.
"Don't do anything with him, Annie! He's a kid.
Just flirt with him a little, nothing more than that."
She shook her head to clear it. "I'm confused. What's
this got to do with going to dinner tonight?"
"You need to learn to flirt."
"But why a classy place? Why not a bar or a fast
food restaurant?"
"We have to eat, so why not eat somewhere nice? Men
are the same no matter where you go. Anyway," he flashed a smile, "I
wanted to see you in that dress."
His words warmed her. His reaction to her entrance had
been extremely satisfying and worth the pain of the hairpins digging into her
scalp.
Jacques restaurant had a perfect view of the sunset
over the water. It was a favorite haunt of Hollywood producers and actors with
recent box office success and the occasional wealthy industrialist or investor.
Annie wasn't exactly sure which of these last categories Zack fit into, or if
he did at all, but he seemed at home in the understated style of the
restaurant. Even the snooty waiters smiled and greeted him by name.
"Your usual table, Mr. DiMarco?" asked a
young waiter who obviously hadn't
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