Cutting Ties (Age-Gap Mafia Romance)
Page 8
Smiling the best fake smile I could muster, I shrugged. “No. Nothing at all. What do you need?”
“I want you to join me for dinner tonight. I’m not in the mood to dine alone.”
This was a turn of events. My jaw practically hit the floor. He’d never asked me to join him before. Sometimes I wondered if he even knew I existed as a woman, not just as his assistant. “Umm. Sure.” My mouth turned into a genuine smile in a snap. “I’d love to.” If it wouldn’t have made me look like a moron, I’d have pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.
“Good.” Bringing his wrist up to eye level he pulled his suit jacket sleeve back and looked down at his watch. “How about this. It’s almost four. Why don’t you go home now and I’ll pick you up at a quarter to seven? Sound good?”
I hesitated a moment, still shaken over this turn of events. “Yes. Of course. Thank you, Mr. Caine.”
“Royce.”
My smiled became so wide that it nearly split my face in two as I attempted to contain my excitement. “Royce.” I liked the sound of that.
What in the hell did a girl wear for a date like this? If it even was a date. I really shouldn’t assume anything until I knew for sure. After a solid ten minutes of indecision I decided to go with the assumption that it was a date so chose a black mini dress that had a low-cut V, which dipped into my cleavage and a skin-tight fitted skirt that landed halfway up my thigh. When it came down to it, the best- or worst-case scenarios really equaled out to the same thing; hopefully he’d see me as sexy as fuck and want me.
I was just putting the finishing touches on my make-up, taking care that I’d never taken before for any man to ensure I looked perfect, when my doorbell rang. Glancing down at my delicate silver watch, I nodded. Six-thirty. Royce was always early for appointments he valued. I wasn’t sure if I should read anything into it or not, because I didn’t want to get my hopes up. Though it was certainly a good sign.
Rushing to the intercom, I pressed the button. “Hello.”
“This is Gavin, Mr. Caine is here for you.”
My heart quickened. Pressing the speak button, I replied, “Okay. I’ll be right down.”
Slipping a pair of strappy four-inch heels on which would bring me to just a couple inches short of Royce’s 6′2, I grabbed a black clutch and hurried from my apartment. The elevator seemed to take an eternity to arrive and deposit me into the lobby. Royce paid me very well for my discretion and my family’s loyalty, so my wages afforded me a moderately-sized apartment on the east side of Manhattan, not that far from Central Park. Having security at the door helped give the occupants a sense of security. Unlike many of the people living in New York, I knew better than most the seedy underbelly that the Big Apple possessed.
Giving the security guard a nod, I walked past him and out the front doors, not missing the fact he gave me a full body up-and-down look of appreciation. I’d take that as a good sign. Gavin, who was slightly older than me, and just a tad shorter when I was in heels, was waiting outside the doors. “Evening Tasha.” Stepping ahead of me he opened the back door of the black Escalade and ushered me inside to where Royce was waiting.
My heart rate accelerated as I looked into the car and saw the smiling face of my boss. He looked more handsome than I’d ever seen him. Normally, he was immaculately dressed in a finely tailored suit without a hair out of place. Tonight, however, he was minus a suit jacket and instead was in jeans with a black button-down shirt, the top couple of buttons undone.
I’d always thought he was handsome, but tonight he was even more jaw-dropping than ever. Casual was very becoming of him. Chewing at my lower lip, I dipped my head and entered the SUV, sliding onto the black leather seat next to him, taking care not to flash him as I took my seat.
“You look beautiful, Tasha,” he said the moment I slid in next to him. It took me by surprise to hear the compliment coming from him. No matter how much effort I put into my looks at the office, he never seemed to take notice, or if he did, then he didn’t let on.
Heat rushed to my cheeks, like a teenager with a crush and I nodded. “Thank you. You’re looking incredible yourself. Dressing a little more casually really suits you.”
“How so?”
Shrugging, I placed my handbag on the seat next to me as his driver Garrett closed the car door behind me. “It makes you look more approachable.”
An amused look gleamed in his eyes. “I’m not approachable normally?”
Laughing, I sank back into the seat. Like he didn’t know already. “I never said that specifically. You’re just an intimidating man in general – I think you know that. You look more real right now.” The car lurched forward and pulled out onto the road.
He chuckled. “Fair enough. So… Tell me truthfully, what plans did you cancel to spend the evening with me?”
“Nothing at all.”
Shifting in his seat so he could get a better look at me, he gave me a hard stare, his strong, square jaw tightening. “You’re not a very good liar Tasha. You’ve worked for me, and our families have been in business together long enough for you to know who I am and what I really do. So you know that I’m very good at determining when someone is lying to me. And you, beautiful, are lying through your perfect teeth.”
With a sigh, I spread my hands out to my sides. “Okay, you’ve got me. I had a date.”
“Then you’re involved with someone?” If I wasn’t mistaken there was a hint of disappointment in his eyes as he asked the question.
“No. I’d never met the guy before. It was—” I gave him a nervous laugh, slightly embarrassed to be admitting that I was resorting to online dating. “I met him on a dating app and we were going to go and get a coffee. Funny thing is that I don’t even like coffee. It’s just that I haven’t dated for such a long time that I figured I might as well start somewhere.”
He grinned. “Setting the bar high then?”
Oh God, I wished a hole would open up and swallow me whole. “Dating nowadays just isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It’s become a buffet of people, and you don’t know if they’re even any good unless you take it home. It’s harsh.”
“Hmmm. That’s a fairly crass way of saying it.” Sitting back in the seat, he placed a strong hand on my bare leg just above the knee and gave it a gentle squeeze, sending a rush of anticipation through me, making my pussy clench. “Well, I hope that I’m an acceptable replacement for this man you just met on the internet.”
Forcing myself to remain calm and not get swept up in the excitement racing through me, I gave him a coy smile. “We will see. Calvin the construction worker with two cats seemed like quite a catch, you’d better bring your A-game, sir.”
A clap of laughter erupted from him. “Cheeky. I like it.” Turing his head, he gazed upon me once again, his eyes piercing into me. “Tell me again why it’s taken me so long to ask for an evening of your company?”
“I’m just too good of an assistant to jeopardize.”
“Hmm.” His hand moved up my thigh another inch, stopping at the hemline of my skirt. Yes, that must have been it.”
Terry Towers
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