'Amber, you look stunning.' He says, helping me out of the car.
As Frank pulls away, Sam snakes his arm around my waist and kisses me briefly on the lips. I feel the blood rush to my cheeks.
'Thank you, Mr Byron; you scrub up rather nicely yourself.' I reply, a little breathlessly.
That's an understatement, he looks utterly gorgeous. He's wearing a dark grey herringbone suit that accentuates his broad shoulders beautifully -- it hangs over his elegant black shirt and tie perfectly. He's clean shaven and smells divine, like limes and fresh cut grass - even his wild mop of hair looks somehow more refined than last night.
His blue eyes sparkle with even more mischief than usual and I try to ignore my pussy tightening, reminding myself that this is business, not pleasure; though the line was certainly blurred last night.
He smiles at my compliment, eyes darkening a shade with desire, then pulling me a little closer, replies 'Shall we?', as he leads me into the hotel foyer and in the direction of the restaurant.
'Mr Byron', the Maître d' nods courteously as we approach the entrance, 'your table will be ready in a few minutes, may I offer you a drink at the bar, as my guest, while you wait?'
'Thank you that would be great.' Sam replies, utterly un-phased by the man shamelessly fawning over him. He definitely has money then, I think to myself, someone is sniffing around for a big tip.
Sam is every inch a gentleman, pulling out a bar stool for me and taking my hand to help me up. A good-looking barman comes straight over to take our order. He smiles at me and I'm sure I see Sam throw him a filthy look as he orders two glasses of white wine.
'Do you always order for your dates?' I whisper at him teasingly. Of course, it's not at all unusual for a Dominant to take charge like that, and normally I wouldn't even mention it, but something about this man makes me want to rile him; invite and welcome his instinct to discipline me with open arms. He fixes me with those piercing blue eyes.
'Yes, Amber, I do. And they don't usually complain.' He replies with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. 'It's the gentlemanly thing to do. And besides,' he adds, lowering his voice, 'you're mine. I plan to let the barman know that since he's so keen on looking down your dress -- do I need to remind you too?'
Wow. Hello control issues. Evidently that Dominant streak I was worried he didn't have is actually never far from the surface. As much as it turns me on, I try to lighten the mood.
'Don't you worry Mr Byron, everything inside this dress is all yours to do with as you wish.' I purr coquettishly from beneath my lashes and it seems to work as a faint smile plays on his lips.
The Maître d' returns to show us to our table. Sam helps me down from my stool, picks up both our glasses in one hand, and puts the other gently on my behind, for the barman's benefit I'm sure, as he ushers me into the dining room.
Again, he pulls out my chair and seats me before sitting himself down opposite. His manners really are impeccable, and despite the casual look he was embracing last night, he's obviously no stranger to refined dining. I wish I could work out where it all came from.
'Should I even bother asking to look at a menu?' I tease, cocking my head to one side and eyeing him innocently. He's relaxed a bit & the glint in his eyes has returned, so I can't resist another opportunity to entice his Dominant alter ego out to play.
'If you don't like what I've ordered, I'll have the chef cook you anything you want, but at least give me the chance to take care of you.' He replies amiably.
I smile. From controlling Dominant to a caring, eager to please sweetheart in the blink of an eye -- he's certainly keeping me on my toes.
Our first course arrives -- a perfectly prepared avocado salad and it's delicious.
'Happy?' he asks, sounding like he genuinely cares,
'Very.' I reply, 'Good choice.'
He smiles, pleased with himself, though clearly never doubting his own credentials.
'So,' I continue, 'I must say Mr Byron, you're very keen - I'm quite surprised to be seeing you again so soon.' I watch for his reaction as I chew,
'What can I say Amber, you're the sort of woman who knows how to leave a man wanting more.' He replies, wiping his bottom lip suggestively with his linen napkin, quite deliberately making me fixate on his mouth.
I smile, and can't help feeling a little smug -- I am good at what I do.
'Well, if it's more of last night that you want Mr Byron, why bother booking the preamble too?' I ask, running the tip of my tongue across my bottom lip before taking a slow sip from my glass, never taking my eyes off his. Two can play that game Mr Byron.
'A man's gotta eat' he shrugs, 'and I told you I wanted to buy you a drink. Besides, I'm curious.' He adds nonchalantly.
'About?' I ask cautiously.
'About you, Amber. I'd like to know more about you.' He replies plainly.
'There's not really much to know.' I shrug.
'Oh, I doubt that. For starters, I did not expect to find you working in a bookshop.' He replies.
'But you already know why I do that.' I counter
'True. I was curious about the guy you were with at the restaurant too -- boyfriend?' he asks, uncharacteristically avoiding eye contact.
'God no!' I blurt, then lowering my voice I add 'Boyfriends are a bit of an, um, occupational hazard. That was my brother.' He looks relieved. 'So, the woman you were with', I continue, matching him stroke for stroke, '-- girlfriend?' He nearly chokes on his salad,
'NO! That was my aunt.' He replies indignantly.
'Oh. Sorry. I just thought...' I trail off
'Thought what? That's why I have money, because I'm some rich old lady's boy toy?'
I feel terrible, but he's smiling, so I think I've dodged a bullet. Still, I'm grateful for the waiter coming to clear our plates, giving me a chance to regroup and not dig an even bigger hole.
As our main course is served, a colourful risotto which smells amazing, I try to think of something to say to change the subject, but he speaks first.
'My parents were very wealthy.' He says quietly, looking only at his food. Oh God.
'Were?' I reply softly. He fixes me with those beautiful eyes and takes a deep breath.
'They died five years ago; car accident.' He says simply.
'I'm so sorry.' My voice is almost a whisper. I'm touched that he's being so open, but I have no idea why, and even less of a clue what to do with the information.
'Don't apologise. I'm well aware I don't always look much like a guy who's worth a fortune, but it is what it is.' He shrugs and makes a start on his risotto.
'You look much more the part this evening, very suave.' I smile, hoping that appealing to his ego will help lift the atmosphere again as I mirror his actions and start eating. I see a vague smile in the corner of his mouth so decide to continue. 'And this afternoon for that matter -- you sent my poor customer into quite a flutter when you left the book shop.' His smile spreads and I feel relieved.
'Is that so?' He asks and I nod. 'Well, as we've already established, I'm not really into older women, so I'd be more interested in what effect I had on you.' He eyes me salaciously, lifting his wine glass to his gloriously full lips. I swallow quickly before I choke.
'Well, it was definitely a surprise to see you.' I reply, and then add 'But not an entirely unpleasant one.' His smile increases to full beam. 'And you're certainly showing all the signs of good breeding again tonight!' his face falls and I instantly hate myself. What a stupid thing to say after what he's just told me. 'I'm so sorry, I just meant' I start, trying to apologise, but he waves his hand dismissively,
'Please, don't apologise, you're absolutely right. I was brought up with all the finer things in life, I do know which fork goes with which course and I can just about bluff my way through a wine list. Looks can be deceiving I suppose.'
He smiles again but there's still a deep sadness in those wonderful eyes. I can tell he doesn't want to divulge any more right now, and I'm fine with that. I decide to change tact and stick with what I'm good at.
'Do you know what?' I smile, looking up at him through my lashes, 'I'm actually not all that hungry -- I'd much rather get reacquainted with how impressive the view from your suite is.' It's a risky strategy, and not exactly fitting with my submissive role, but when he returns my smile and gets up to take my hand, I know I've made the right call.
