“You look great, Simona,” Eve said when Simona entered the living room.
“Thanks.” She glanced down at her watch. Donovan would be arriving any minute.
“If Donovan is the gentleman I think he is, he’ll be ringing that doorbell shortly.”
Simona nodded. “I still haven’t decided whether this is leading anywhere, so I’d rather not tell him about Yasmine yet.”
“We’ll wait in the bedroom until you leave, but you need to hurry up and decide.”
“I know, and I will. Thanks, Eve.” The doorbell rang, and Simona’s belly fluttered. She waited until Eve had taken Yasmine into the bedroom before going to the door.
When she opened it, the sight of Donovan standing there in all his handsomeness with a single long-stemmed yellow rose made her heart skip a beat.
“Wow! You look absolutely beautiful,” he said, extending the rose.
“Thank you, and thank you for the rose. It’s lovely. You don’t look so bad yourself.” Instead of the dress shirt he had worn the past two times she’d seen him, tonight he had on a pale gray silk T-shirt that displayed his muscular biceps paired with navy trousers. “I’m ready. I know you have to make a stop first.” She stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind her.
He gave her a curious look and guided her to his car. Starting the engine, he glanced her way, letting his eyes linger on her bare legs before raising them to meet her eyes. “I hope the change in time didn’t interfere with your plans.”
“No, you’re fine. Do you have to pick up some work?”
“Nope. I left the tickets sitting on my desk.”
Simona chuckled. “Well, yeah, I guess we’ll need those.”
Donovan shook his head. “I can’t believe I did that.”
“It happens to the best of us.” She settled in for the ride, and they made small talk until he arrived at an office building.
He parked in the garage, hopped out and came around to her side. “It should only take a minute.”
For a brief moment she considered waiting in the car, but curiosity got the best of her. She wanted to see exactly where he worked. Inside the elevator he pressed the button for the sixth floor. The car rose swiftly, and when the doors opened, Donovan guided her across highly polished floors to a hallway. An empty reception desk sat at the entrance, with RC Productions written in large gold letters on the wall behind it.
They stopped at an office near the far end of the hall. Her gaze narrowed upon reading the nameplate: Donovan Wright, Executive Vice President. So much for him just overseeing a few departments.
He unlocked the door and flipped a switch, illuminating a large outer office, which she assumed belonged to his secretary. The inner office was even larger and had a small conference table with seating for six over to one side. A huge mahogany desk sat on the opposite side. She wandered around the room, looking at the gold and platinum records hanging on the wall, and felt a measure of unease.
“I thought you said you weren’t a recording artist.”
“I’m not. Most of the offices have them.” He held up the tickets.
Simona pointed to one then another. “So, the D. E. Wright inscribed on this one and this one is not you?”
He sighed. “Yes, it is, but only because I was one of the writers on the song.” Coming to where she stood, Donovan gathered her in his arms. “What’s going on, Simona? Every time the topic of my job comes up, you seem... I don’t know.”
Not ready to share her past with him, she said, “I’m just curious, that’s all.”
“I can assure you I am not a singer. The only reason my name is on it is because the artist insisted.”
She wanted to believe him, and he hadn’t given her any reason to think he was someone other than who he said. But the thought of having a repeat of her last relationship made her think that this might be their last date.
He tilted her chin. “Simona, are you sure there’s nothing bothering you? I really like you, and I’m hoping we can spend more time together.”
Staring into his earnest eyes, she heard herself say, “So do I.” So much for that little self-speech about this being the last date. He lowered his head and placed a soft kiss on her lips. She leaned up and impulsively ran her tongue across his bottom lip. He captured it with lightning speed. She heard him groan as he deepened the kiss. His hands roamed down her back and over her hips. Simona felt his fingers slip beneath the hem of her dress to caress her bare thigh, and she moaned softly.