Extremely fancy for lunch. Then again, the people Marcus ran with liked to live in the extremes. And with a bathroom stocked with powders, creams, and other goodies, I was more than willing to oblige.
“What would you say if we took Eduardo with us on a leash?” I asked as I descended the winding staircase. “Add a little flair. Instead of being the rich couple with the exotic tiger, we’d be the rich couple with the peacock.”
He laughed.
Marcus was waiting on the marble in the lobby but looked up in surprise that turned to scarcely concealed admiration as I swept across the room and joined him by the door. I smiled up coyly, guessing what was going on beneath those eyes, but he just gave me an impish shrug.
“You wait out on the lawn as bait, and I’ll go find some rope.”
I shuddered and took his arm as we made our way to the car. “That’s seriously one of my top ever nightmares. Playing human kibble to some exotic bird as you come at me with a noose.”
Marcus pointed to his pet bird perched on top of a wooden bench. His tail feathers weren’t spread out. “Does he really look like a killer?”
“He’s good when you’re around. If you weren’t here, he’d be attacking me for sure.”
Marcus laughed. “I highly doubt that.”
“He doesn’t like me.”
“Tomorrow, I want you to meet him. Give him another chance.”
I smiled. “As long as you’re with me.”
“Of course, babe.”
Marcus grinned as he slid into the limo after me. I caught him looking at my long legs. I slid onto the leather with the utmost care as the lace slipped even farther up my thighs.
I smiled. “You’re peeking.”
“Then don’t flash me.”
I laughed. “And what do you expect when you buy me a dress like this?”
He smiled unabashedly. “I hope that you’ll wear it.” I was about to make a biting retort when he knocked on the partition and gave the driver the name of the restaurant.
I had heard of the Chateau Marmont. It was one of the top restaurants for celebrity sightings. But I’d never actually gone inside. The prices were prohibitive, and the place was too rich for my blood. But nothing was prohibitive with Marcus, and after waiting only a second for the hostess to recover herself, we were shown inside to a table.
“Actually, something on t
he patio would be nice,” Marcus corrected her.
Her face blanched apologetically. “Oh, I’m sorry Mr. Taylor. Usually, you like something with a bit more privacy—”
“And today I’d like to be seen.” He gave her a cool smile and handed her a fifty. She accepted it with a stutter and showed us to a different table outside, front and center. “You ready to do this?” he asked the second she’d disappeared.
“Do what?” I said a little nervously, trying to ignore the curious looks we were getting from the other customers.
With a handsome smile, he took my hand across the table and brought it slowly up to his lips, hovering there for a second before giving it a soft kiss. “To put on a show.”
His eyes sparkled mischievously, and I shook my head. He was still messing with me. Still doing everything he could to unnerve me under the guise of our agreement. But like I said before, two could play that game. And while he may be a world-class businessman, I was something else entirely.
“Oh, honey.” With a graceful twist, I got up from my chair and wound along the curve of the table, running my fingers over the starched linen. “I think you’re forgetting something.”
“Oh yeah?” He gulped nervously as I delicately perched on his lap. “What’s that?”
“I’m an actress. I don’t just put on a show.” I smiled dangerously, leaning down so our lips were just an inch or so apart. “I give a performance.”
Then I kissed him. I kissed him as deeply as he’d kissed me that night on the beach, catching his head in my hands and taking control as I tilted his face back and raked my fingers through his hair. Twice he tried to come up for air, twice he gasped and tried to say something, but I wasn’t having it. I kept him there until I was finished, giving his lip a little bite before I hopped off his lap and sank gracefully back down in my chair.