the clientele by a set of sliding, opaque paper doors. The setting was secluded and completely relaxing--doubly so since the Valium prescription he'd brought her was nestled safely in her handbag. Plans A and B were progressing nicely.
"I don't know how I feel about being the inspiration for such behavior," Ariana said, hazarding a glance in his direction.
"Well, I would stop, if you would just let me kiss you already," Jasper said lightly.
"Why? Do you think that if you kissed me you'd stop feeling the need to pursue me?" she challenged, her heart fluttering.
"On the contrary," Jasper said, placing his chopsticks down. "If I kissed you, you'd be mine for life. And then I wouldn't have to pursue you anymore. I'd just have you."
Ariana's jaw dropped slightly. Every inch of her skin tingled as he stared directly into her eyes. She wasn't sure whether to be flattered or offended, intrigued or disgusted.
"You're staring at my lips again," Jasper said matter-of-factly.
Ariana started to protest, but stopped. "I know."
His eyebrows cocked. "Are your eyes trying to tell me something, Miss Covington?"
Ariana slowly smirked. "Just that you have a piece of rice stuck there," she said, blithely returning to her food.
Jasper flinched and wiped his face with his napkin, the moment effectively obliterated. Unable to hold it in, Ariana started to laugh. Then Jasper dropped his napkin and started to laugh as well. Soon they found they couldn't stop, and Ariana had to drop her chopsticks and cover her face, tears of mirth filling her eyes.
It had been a long while since she had laughed like that. So what if she was out on a date with a person who wasn't her boyfriend? It had been a long couple of years for Ariana Osgood.
And she deserved a good laugh. "Did I really sound like that?" Lexa asked, pressing her hand against her chest. "I'm so sorry, you guys. But you heard my mother the other night. When I don't get enough sleep, I kind of lose it."
Lexa giggled as she tilted her head and rested it against Conrad's shoulder. Ariana smiled, happy to see that her friend was able to joke about her public breakdown. Maybe their little talk in the garden had worked.
"And besides, April should do her job," Lexa added, lifting a shoulder. "She's always showing off how organized she is. Well, guess what? She's not."
"Huh. Maybe you are a little OCD," Palmer joked.
Lexa shot him a look of death with her eyes, while smiling with her mouth.
"Just kidding," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "Honestly. I'm just glad you're feeling better, Lex."
"We all are," Conrad said, lifting his arm to place it around her on the back of her chair.
"How about we talk about something else?" Ariana suggested, dipping her fork into her mashed potatoes. "This restaurant is lovely. Have you ever been here before?"
The restaurant was nice, but bland. It had all the trappings of the basic, Washington, DC, steak house, the kind of place where politicos hung out after a long day of hashing out deals. The cream-colored walls were decorated with framed paintings of important moments in history; several deep, private booths flanked the dining room; and the lighting was low enough that a photographer might not be able to exactly make out who was sitting with whom. Ariana's steak had been fine, but a tad overcooked, so now she was concentrating on her sides. Her sides and her boyfriend. At least, she was trying.
"We come here every time my parents are in town," Palmer said, reaching for his wine glass. "Which is why they agreed to serve us this incredible bottle of Chardonnay."
"It is tasty," Lexa agreed, lifting her glass as well.
"I'm more of a red wine person, myself," Conrad said, taking a bite of his steak.
"Well, then, I'll have to become one too," Lexa said. She nudged his arm with hers flirtatiously and smiled up at him.
"They have some incredible reds here as well," Palmer offered, crossing his arms on the table. "The
"I don't know how I feel about being the inspiration for such behavior," Ariana said, hazarding a glance in his direction.
"Well, I would stop, if you would just let me kiss you already," Jasper said lightly.
"Why? Do you think that if you kissed me you'd stop feeling the need to pursue me?" she challenged, her heart fluttering.
"On the contrary," Jasper said, placing his chopsticks down. "If I kissed you, you'd be mine for life. And then I wouldn't have to pursue you anymore. I'd just have you."
Ariana's jaw dropped slightly. Every inch of her skin tingled as he stared directly into her eyes. She wasn't sure whether to be flattered or offended, intrigued or disgusted.
"You're staring at my lips again," Jasper said matter-of-factly.
Ariana started to protest, but stopped. "I know."
His eyebrows cocked. "Are your eyes trying to tell me something, Miss Covington?"
Ariana slowly smirked. "Just that you have a piece of rice stuck there," she said, blithely returning to her food.
Jasper flinched and wiped his face with his napkin, the moment effectively obliterated. Unable to hold it in, Ariana started to laugh. Then Jasper dropped his napkin and started to laugh as well. Soon they found they couldn't stop, and Ariana had to drop her chopsticks and cover her face, tears of mirth filling her eyes.
It had been a long while since she had laughed like that. So what if she was out on a date with a person who wasn't her boyfriend? It had been a long couple of years for Ariana Osgood.
And she deserved a good laugh. "Did I really sound like that?" Lexa asked, pressing her hand against her chest. "I'm so sorry, you guys. But you heard my mother the other night. When I don't get enough sleep, I kind of lose it."
Lexa giggled as she tilted her head and rested it against Conrad's shoulder. Ariana smiled, happy to see that her friend was able to joke about her public breakdown. Maybe their little talk in the garden had worked.
"And besides, April should do her job," Lexa added, lifting a shoulder. "She's always showing off how organized she is. Well, guess what? She's not."
"Huh. Maybe you are a little OCD," Palmer joked.
Lexa shot him a look of death with her eyes, while smiling with her mouth.
"Just kidding," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "Honestly. I'm just glad you're feeling better, Lex."
"We all are," Conrad said, lifting his arm to place it around her on the back of her chair.
"How about we talk about something else?" Ariana suggested, dipping her fork into her mashed potatoes. "This restaurant is lovely. Have you ever been here before?"
The restaurant was nice, but bland. It had all the trappings of the basic, Washington, DC, steak house, the kind of place where politicos hung out after a long day of hashing out deals. The cream-colored walls were decorated with framed paintings of important moments in history; several deep, private booths flanked the dining room; and the lighting was low enough that a photographer might not be able to exactly make out who was sitting with whom. Ariana's steak had been fine, but a tad overcooked, so now she was concentrating on her sides. Her sides and her boyfriend. At least, she was trying.
"We come here every time my parents are in town," Palmer said, reaching for his wine glass. "Which is why they agreed to serve us this incredible bottle of Chardonnay."
"It is tasty," Lexa agreed, lifting her glass as well.
"I'm more of a red wine person, myself," Conrad said, taking a bite of his steak.
"Well, then, I'll have to become one too," Lexa said. She nudged his arm with hers flirtatiously and smiled up at him.
"They have some incredible reds here as well," Palmer offered, crossing his arms on the table. "The
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