“Is there a way we can start tomorrow night? I’m taking her to dinner, and it would be nice if the apartment were done when I dropped her off.”
“Yeah, sure,” he said. “I can take care of that for you.” He turned to the computer and pulled up my file. “I can just add the housekeeping hours to your existing one?”
“Sure.” I didn’t look at those bills. Cleo did.
“Then you’re all set. I’ll handle everything.”
I nodded then turned away.
In black slacks and a gray collared shirt, I was ready for dinner.
I wore one of my nice watches, having a collection of a few of them. My beard had been shaved, and I wasn’t eating dinner at the usual time since we were going out. I sat on the couch and put on my dress shoes.
A knock sounded.
“It’s open.” I slipped on the other shoe with the shoehorn.
Cleo’s heels tapped against the hardwood as she entered the condo. She stopped next to the couch and looked down at me.
I finished adjusting my shoe before I raised my head and looked at her.
All of her.
She was in a skintight black dress, a halter top cut low in the back. It hugged her hips, stopped at her thighs, revealing the tanned and toned legs underneath. She wore high heels, her nails French tips.
I cleared my throat and rose to my feet. “I’m ready.”
“Great.” She wore her mother’s earrings and bracelet, and she had a black clutch in her grasp. She smiled at me, completely oblivious to how stunning she looked. She carried herself like she was in her usual attire, like it was another day at work.
We left the condo and took the elevator to the lobby. My driver was there, so we got into the car and drove away.
My hands rested on my thighs, and I looked out the window, seeing the city lights pass and cast a glare over the glass. I hadn’t gone out to dinner in a really long time, couldn’t recall the last time it had happened, in fact. I took Cleo to work dinners, but those weren’t restaurants, and they were social events I was forced to go to.
But I hadn’t taken a woman out for a meal in years.
Cleo held her clutch in her lap as she looked out the window.
I glanced at her then turned away, appreciating her more after I’d talked to Matt. He was so talkative and asked a lot of questions. He didn’t read my mind the way Cleo did which made the conversation a chore.
It was never like that with her.
We reached the restaurant then walked inside. It was a swanky bistro, a new place that had opened up a few weeks ago. The wait list was months down the line, but Cleo had managed to get a reservation for this evening.
We were led to a table near the window.
I moved to her chair and pulled it out for her.
She was a little surprised but smiled through it.
I took the seat across from her, a glowing white candle in the middle of the table. The lights were low, giving it a dark and moody atmosphere. The window gave us a view of the street corner, of the people who passed on their way to dinner. The menus were heavy and made out of wood, and the ice water on the table had wedges of lemon stuck to the rim of the glass.
Before we’d even picked up our menus, the waitress came over to take our drink orders. “My name’s Tess. I’ll be taking care of you guys this evening. First off, are we celebrating anything special? Anniversary?”
I stared at her, unsure what to say.
Cleo took over, giving a slight laugh. “No. Actually, this is my boss. He wanted to take me out to dinner after I completed a big project for him.”
“Aww.” She turned to me, wearing a long black dress. “That’s very sweet. Well, that’s a special occasion if you ask me.” She turned to the wine list. “Can I open a bottle for you?”
“A bottle seems like too much,” she said. “I’ll just have a glass. White. Whatever you recommend.”
She turned to me. “And you, sir?”
“I’ll take a glass of the Bordeaux.”
“Excellent choice. I’ll let you guys get settled.” Tess left the table.
“Red?” Cleo asked. “I’ve only seen you drink white.”
“I’m going to order a steak tonight.” I usually had chicken or fish, but since we were at a nice place, I’d decided to have something different. I never went out, so I may as well enjoy it.
She grabbed the menu and took a look. “I can’t believe you decided so quickly. Everything on here looks great.”
I’d decided before we even got here.
She rested her fingers under her chin as she held up the menu, all but her chin visible.