“Hmm,” Adrien hummed, pursing his lips.
Camila wasn’t sure, but by his gaze, she felt like he wasn’t happy about her comment. Before she could delve too far into it, though, the waiter showed up.
“Good afternoon, sir and ma’am. Are you ready to make your order?”
Camila hurriedly picked up her menu, because she hadn't made her decision yet, but before she could say anything, she heard Adrien speak up. She watched as he made the order, his voice flowing smoothly over the foreign names. He didn’t even bother looking at the menu, and didn’t seem to have touched it besides pulling it closer to himself. She did perk up when he also made an order for her, and she didn’t know what it was. She opened her mouth to protest, but he transitioned smoothly into something else.
“I’d like to see your selection of wines. Red, please. Thank you.”
The waiter simply noted everything down, nodded, then picked up their menus and turned to leave. Camila was left looking at Adrien with her mouth open.
“Is something the matter?” he asked with a light furrow in his brow.
It was the perfect chance for her to speak up. Yet, seeing the worried look on his face, she couldn’t bring herself to.
“It’s fine,” she said with a small, tight smile.
Up until that point, she’d thought Adrien was like the perfect romantic. Aside from not picking her up, when they met, he’d offered her his arm. He’d led her to a restaurant where they already had a reservation. But there were a couple of red flags that made her cautious.
She knew the difference between her status and Adrien’s, too well, but that didn’t mean that she liked the fact that he dismissed her concerns, even if it was over something so little to him as the price. Then talking over her and ordering for her. While there were women who probably wouldn’t mind the latter, and it wasn’t like she’d be paying, but she was pretty picky about what she ate. What if she had allergies? He hadn’t even asked.
They started chatting lightly, but again and again, a familiar pattern started to emerge. They would be on a topic, and he would either listen to her opinion and completely deviate, or stop her in the middle of her thoughts. Camila would admit she sometimes tended to ramble, but it was still rude and she had to wonder if she should continue with the evening.
When the food arrived, she was mostly focusing on her food, though she was picking at it more than she was eating, as he continued to talk. And then, another red flag. A waiter was passing by with a tray holding water. It was meant for a table some feet away from theirs, but the waiter got distracted by something, and knocked into their table. The water in his tray sloshed a bit, but nothing spilled.
Adrien’s reaction was completely uncalled for. "Hey, asshole, watch where the fuck you’re going! I have a good mind to report you to the manager and have you fired! We don’t pay good money to be soaked by clumsy ass waiters!”
He’d practically given the man a verbal beat down, and the man walked away with his head ducked down, body trembling, and Camila thought she heard him sniffle. She decided she had to speak up. "Adrien, I think you were being a little harsh, don’t you? Maybe I should leave. I don’t think we are a good fit.” She set her napkin down and started to rise.
Adrien sighed and looked contrite as he grabbed her hand gently. “I’m sorry, I just wanted this to be perfect and romantic and he could have ruined that, but maybe, you’re right. I’ll take care of it. Please, stay. I promise to be a better date.” He smiled as Camila retook her seat, and then slipped from the table, walking over to the maître d'.
After a moment, the waiter returned and stood with them. Adrien turned and looked at Camilla, a smile on his face. When he’d finished, he came back to their table and his attitude seemed to return to the calm, cool and collected one he’d had before the little mishap with the waiter.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured, sitting down and looking like a whipped puppy. “I have been working on my temper issues, but occasionally it gets the better of me.” He smiled, his expression hopeful, as he took Camila’s hand in his.
Camila felt a wave of understanding and empathy. Everyone had parts of their personality that they didn’t like and had to work. She knew she did. She decided not to let this one little incident ruin their evening. His eyes were so earnest and it took guts to admit he was wrong. Not to mention he’d gone to make it right with the maître d on the spot. Not a lot of men would do that. Certainly not her asshole of an ex.
“Alright,” she nodded. “I’ll give you another chance and stay.”
The planned date was a long one, and soon she was enjoying it again. Once they had finished eating, they walked around town a bit. Adrien seemed to be headed in a particular direction and she smiled when they arrived at one of the new dance clubs.
“Care to dance?” Adrien asked, a charming grin on his face as he gestured at the club doors.
There was an extensive line of people waiting to get in, but Camila thought it might be fun so she nodded. “Sure, should we get in line?”
Adrien chuckled. “No.” He walked with her to the bouncer, and said, “Kane.”
“Of course, Mr. Kane.” The bouncer moved the velvet rope and allowed them in.
Camila knew that his name opened doors, but she’d had no idea how truly powerful it was. They spent the rest of the evening dancing, drinking, and having a really good time. Adrien was attentive and sexy, making sure she had a wonderful evening.
She was enjoying herself so much that she got distracted and didn’t realize just how late it was until the band started packing up their equipment. At the end of their evening—or should she say morning—Adrien hailed her a cab and sent her home with a kiss on the cheek.
The next day, he called her out for another date. She hesitated on the phone, thinking of the few minor issues at the beginning of their date. But then she remembered how good it had felt to dance and laugh and to just have fun. God, how long had it been since she’d just let loose and had fun?
So she agreed to a second date. And for the next one, and the next one. Until it was the second Friday, and Camila was starting to rethink her decision.
She wouldn’t say she was regretting it exactly, because Adrien certainly had his shining moments when he made her forget about everything else. But his little habits of talking over her and rude outbursts hadn’t changed, even when she spoke up about it.
They were seated at a different restaurant, because it was never the same place for each date.
Again though, he’d ordered for her, which was always irritating, but he didn’t seem to listen when she asked to order for herself.
“I promise you’ll enjoy it,” he said, patting her hand. She pursed her lips, annoyed, but Adrien didn’t notice.
And then, when the meal came to the table, Adrien found something wrong with it. “Does this look like what I ordered?” he berated the waiter. “I swear, you’re the most incompetent waiter on the planet! Take it back, and this time, make sure it is done as I specified!”
Camila cringed at his behavior. This wasn’t the first time he’d gone off on a service person, and she knew it wouldn’t be the last. His show of contrition on that first date appeared to have been just that—a show.
He looked at her, catching the expression on her face as the waiter left with his plate. “What?” he asked, a bit harshly. “It was over-cooked, Camila, can you blame me for sending it back?”
Camila sighed. He always seemed to have a reason, good or bad, for his verbal harassment of the waitstaff. “I just think you could be kinder about it,” she murmured.
After tonight, Camila was going to rethink this whole thing with Adrien. He was a nice guy with some flaws, she’d met plenty of them, but she didn’t fancy herself the kind of woman that could get a man to change if he didn’t even realize what he was doing wrong. And though she pointed out things to him, it didn’t stop him from repeating the behavior on the next date.
Once they finished eating, Adri
en paid—without leaving a tip, she noted—and they left the restaurant, as usual. He got her coat for her and placed it on her shoulders as they walked out into the cold evening. She shivered, pulling the edges of her coat around her as she moved to the curb, waiting for a taxi to appear so she could flag it down and head home. There was a heavy silence between them, but she didn’t make a move to fill it.
“How do you feel about something different this weekend?”
Camila turned and looked up at Adrien. She hadn't expected him to ask this early. Usually, he waited until she got home, sent her a good night text, and then either asked if they could meet up again, or called her during the day time. She was slightly cautious this time.
“What do you mean by different?” she asked carefully, noting the expression on his face.
If she didn’t know any better, she would say he looked nervous. He probably knew she was contemplating breaking things off with him. Still, his question piqued her curiosity and she considered giving him just one more chance. He was so close to being such a great guy. His attention was flattering and he made her feel beautiful and exciting, not to mention that being with him had gotten her out of the house more in the last two weeks than she’d done it almost the last four months, ever since the ugly break up with Jordan.
“I have a yacht, a private one that belongs to me,” Adrien said, “and I was thinking we could sail out for the weekend? There’s a bed and it’s equipped with food, so if you’d like, we could head out on Saturday and return on Sunday? Or come back on the same day, either way is fine.”
Holy crap, a yacht?! Camila had never been on a yacht but she’d always wanted to. It sounded so glamorous. And of course Adrien had one, she didn’t know why she was even surprised. Especially since he’d often spoke of taking her somewhere they could be alone. And being out on a yacht would definitely give them time alone, wouldn’t it? But did she really want to be alone with Adrien for an extended period of time?
She felt herself wavering a little bit. Maybe being alone with him would give her a chance to help him work on his rude behaviors. She’d only known him two weeks. She couldn’t expect him to change overnight. Plus, when things were good with Adrien, they were great. She had a lot of fun with him. He was charismatic. He made her laugh. And she had to admit, a romantic weekend on a luxury yacht with a lovely view of the water did sound pretty amazing.
“I would like that,” she said hesitantly, but in a way she was looking forward to seeing how he would be when they were on their own without anyone to distract them.
The best part about it just being the two of them, it would help her make up her mind about him once and for all. And whether they were out the whole weekend or not, she knew it would also give her a chance to find out the answer to some of her more erotic thoughts. Adrien was a good-looking man, and she couldn’t help thinking she would finally get to know what Adrien was like in bed. It was enough to add a bit to her excitement for the trip. It probably wasn’t the best thing to be so focused on, but it really had been too long since she’d been with anyone.
“Great,” Adrien said, his nervous expression replaced with a grin. “I’ll let you know tomorrow morning where we’ll meet.”
She was already thinking of what she’d need to bring that she didn’t even notice that Adrien had pulled over a cab for her. As she got inside to head home, she continued to contemplate her relationship with him. Adrien was a complicated man, and having access to all that money did him no favors. He’d been allowed to get away with his poor behavior for too long because of it. She wasn’t sure if she would be able to continue with him if he kept it up, but she knew no man was perfect and neither was she. She had things to work on too. Maybe they could work on them together? This trip would tell her one way or another and she started to really look forward to it.
Chapter Seven
They met up at the docks around mid-morning. Camila had breakfast at home, but Adrien would be providing for lunch, and dinner and breakfast the next morning if they really did stay out on the water. She didn’t bring a change of clothes, though, since she was running out of nice outfits.
She’d gotten her paycheck already, so maybe it was time to do a bit of shopping…
In this aspect, there was nothing Camila could help with. As much as she’d always wanted to try at least once, she’d never been out on the sea, so she couldn’t help as he went about the preparations, though she watched closely just in case. They would be alone, so he obviously intended to pilot the yacht alone.
“You’ve done this before?” she asked, feeling a little nervous.
They were seated at the cockpit, set in the middle of the deck. Adrien sat in front of the wheel as she sat beside him, watching him work the controls. Though she could tell just looking at his precise movements and his actions from before they even boarded, this was her first time and she didn’t want anything to go wrong. Besides, to her, all he was doing was staring at a bunch of screens, pushing a button here, tweaking some controls there. His expression was completely serious, and it was her only indication that he wasn’t bullshitting her. It was a look she rarely saw on his face to begin with, so when she did see it, it was hard not to believe he had things under control.
Adrien looked over his shoulder at her with a grin. “Don’t tell me you’re actually worried,” he said with a chuckle. “Yeah, I’ve gone out in this thing so many times before that I’ve lost count. You can trust that I know perfectly well how to steer it.”
He seemed to be done with preparations, and he started the engine. Camila startled a bit, gasping, because the sound was a little louder than expected. Adrien glanced over at her, then steered the boat out into the open water.
In a few minutes when nothing seemed to go wrong, she relaxed and enjoyed it. The day was a warm one, with the sun beating down on her, but the breeze flowing over her kept her from getting too hot. Adrien picked up the speed a little, causing the noise of the motor to rise and the wind to whip her hair out behind her. Her heart was beating slightly fast, and she let out an involuntary giggle of excitement, turning into a laugh when Adrien graced her with another of his wide grins.
This really had been the best idea ever. Things were so much easier when it was just the two of them, no interruptions. And as much as the financial gap between them sometimes made her feel self-conscious, there was no way she could possibly say a thing against this.
They went around a few times on the water, Adrien’s masterful steering amazing Camila a bit, making her wonder just what else he could do. By the time he slowed the yacht, then brought it to a stop, it was already way past lunch.
“Do you think you could eat?” he asked, standing up. “Or do you feel seasick?”
Her heart still hadn't calmed down, but her stomach was completely fine. When she’d had breakfast, she’d taken something light, just in case she did have a weak stomach out on the sea. She felt fine, though. A little hungry, actually, because they’d spent a lot of time with the prep, then playing.
“I could eat,” she said, also getting up.
Adrien held his hand out for her, and she slid her hand into his. He led her to the yacht’s cabin, and she was surprised by how spacious it was, even though it looked plenty big from the outside. Adrien gave her a small tour. It had a living room, a small kitchen, and a bathroom. She was a little disappointed that there was no bed to be found, though.
As if he could read her mind, he gave her a meaningful look as he squeezed her lightly.
“There’s a bedroom, but it’s through a separate entrance closer to the back. We can see it later.”
I hope so, was what she thought, even as she blushed and ducked her head shyly.
The kitchen was actually stocked, and she wondered when he had it done, because he couldn’t possibly just leave food floating in a boat he only used occasionally. Not to mention, it was fully equipped with a stove, a dishwasher, a fridge, and other appliances, just like a real kitchen.
; “Would you like to cook something or have a snack?” Adrien asked, looking through the fridge, then the cupboards. “Cooking might take up a bit more time, but there’s still plenty enough to eat even without it.”
“You’re leaving the choice up to me?” she asked, arching her eyebrows.
They had been out to different restaurants for the past week, and almost every time she didn’t even have a say in what she ate. Once, she managed to order a dessert for herself, but it was her only achievement so far.
Adrien looked at her and shrugged like it was no big deal, but to her, it was a very big deal.
“I don’t mind either way. I realized it’s always me taking you out to eat, I don’t even know the things you like, so setting everything up took me a bit of time. I hope there is something that interests you here.”
For a moment, Camila couldn’t even move. He was actually letting her have the decision. Sure, it was limited to what he’d put in there already, but she’d seen a wide variety of things, so there would definitely be something to interest her. After her short hesitation, she stepped forward to look around, just like he’d done.
“I didn’t know you could cook?” she said over her shoulder. “Or did you expect me to do all the cooking if it’s what I decided on?”
Adrien chuckled. “I can actually cook, I just don’t do much of that, either, since we have chefs at home. I go out on my own so often if I couldn’t at least make a few basic things, I’d just starve myself.”
After a quick look around, Camila decided they could make some light sandwiches. She wasn’t sure if Adrien would like them, but since he’d fed her plenty without her opinion about it before, she felt a little smug as she brought out the ingredients and put together the sandwiches. There was some dark chocolate that would go well with broken nuts sprinkled on top. As an extra dessert, there was strawberries and whipped cream.
They moved to the sitting room and sat down to eat. Silence reigned between them, besides the occasional comment, but it felt comfortable. Camila liked it, and she wondered if Adrien had noticed she’d been dissatisfied before, and he was trying to make up for it?
Buried Obsession: Book 1 of the Obsession Trilogy Page 6
