I tried to hide my smile, as both of the men instantly started backpedaling towards the casino door.
I opened the door and slid into the front seat with James.
“You’re making new friends I see,” he said, with a sarcastic smile.
“My boyfriend likes to leave me at the mercy of drunk hicks,” I said, teasingly.
He smiled warmly at me and we shared a few minutes of comfortable silence as we pulled onto the Las Vegas strip.
“How late did you and Flame stay up?” James said, breaking the silence.
I didn’t want him to ask me about last night, but I knew he would.
“I’m not sure what time it was exactly, but the sun was up,” I said quietly.
“It sounds like I missed a lot when I fell asleep. You obviously enjoyed being with her, didn’t you?”
I looked down shyly, “Yes, I did James.”
He paused for a moment while he waited for traffic to clear the intersection so he could make a left-hand turn.
“It was the most sensual and erotic thing I’ve ever witnessed,” he said, looking directly in my eyes. “You were so passionate with her, just like you are with me.”
It was embarrassing by the way he was talking about me. I felt very conflicted about what I’d done with Megyn last night, especially because of my relationship with Gianna, and calling me ‘passionate’ wasn’t helping my guilty conscience.
“She was an amazing lover and it’s easy to feel passion when you’re with someone like that,” I said hesitantly.
“I know that feeling,” he said, giving me a sly smile.
I looked down, as I felt my face glow red in embarrassment.
“You voiced concern about the three of us being together last night when we were at the club, are you okay with everything that happened?”
“There were times when it was difficult,” I said honestly, “but maybe it wasn’t as bad as what I had originally envisioned.”
“I’m glad you’re comfortable with what we did.”
I forced the best smile I could, trying to reassure him that I was comfortable with last night’s events, or more accurately, trying to reassure myself.
“I noticed she left you a note,” his voicing breaking me out of my thoughts, “what did it say?”
I took a deep breath.
“She told me that she wanted to see me again and she gave me her number,” I said cautiously.
His eyes widened as he looked at me with surprise.
“You must have really made a connection with her then.”
James was right, we had made a connection. However, we may have made more of a connection than I had originally wanted.
“We got along really well, and there was chemistry between us. I think we both felt that last night.”
He looked at me approvingly, “I like this side of you, Melanie, when you’re wanton and wild.”
“You just bring that out in me,” I said teasingly.
Thank God that ended the conversation about last night. I didn’t quite know yet how I felt about everything we had done together and talking about it with James made dealing with my feelings that much more difficult. I was anxious to change the subject and put last night behind us. I could figure out how I felt about Gianna and Megyn later.
We pulled onto the freeway and started heading West and my heart skipped a beat. Oh God, please don’t tell me we are going where I think we might be going.
“So what’s on the agenda for this evening?” I said nonchalantly, trying to hide my nervousness.
“We are going to eat at my Italian restaurant in Summerlin.”
My nervousness quickly turned to panic and my stomach felt like it was being tied in knots. Gianna is working tonight and her shift won’t end until nine. There’s no way James and I won’t run into her. I looked down at my dress and started to panic even more. This bright, neon yellow, club dress. It will be far more risqué than anything any of the other women there are wearing, and how will I explain that to Gianna. Maybe there is a chance I can get him to change his mind.
“James, I’m not really in the mood for Italian tonight, do you think we could go somewhere else?” I said hesitantly.
“This is a working evening for me Melanie. My executive chef is retiring and David has been interviewing candidates for the last week. You and I are going to taste some food so I can hire a replacement,” he said sternly.
He thought for a moment and then gave me a puzzled look.
“Since when do you care what type of food we eat?”
I wasn’t sure how to answer that question, so I looked down. He had caught me, and we both knew it.
“Look at me Melanie,” he said sternly.
I sheepishly looked into his eyes.
“What is this really about? It feels like you are trying to keep something from me.”
I had no choice now, I had to come clean.
“When we ate at your restaurant last month, I met someone,” I said slowly.
He thought for a minute.
“That waitress, I remember her, vaguely.”
“Yes,” I said softly.
“Tell me about her,” he demanded.
I couldn’t reply immediately, as I was trying to collect my thoughts.
“Her name is Gianna and she’s a nursing student at the College of Southern Nevada,” I said slowly. “She’s working full time at your restaurant, putting herself through school.”
His hard stare softened somewhat.
“That’s admirable,” he paused, as he thought momentarily. “Is she just some girl you are seeing or is it more than that?”
It was my turn to think for a moment, trying to find the words to explain my relationship with her.
“It’s complicated James, she has a boyfriend and I’m… and I see you.” I paused. “She spends several nights a week at my apartment.”
“I see she’s a multi-tasker,” he said smiling. “She has a demanding college program, a full-time job, a boyfriend, and she still has time to get between your legs several nights a week.”
I looked down blushing.
“So what’s with all the subterfuge concerning us seeing her tonight?”
“This dress mostly,” I said, as I looked down, my face once more glowing red in embarrassment.
“There has to be more to it than just that dress.”
“I… I… I don’t want tonight to turn into a repeat of what happened with Megyn last night James,” I said hesitantly.
“She told you her real name?”
“Of course, she did,” I said, still looking down.
“I can tell you have feelings for Gianna. So what we did last night must not have been easy for you, was it?”
How did I even begin to answer that?
“I knew it was what you wanted,” I said, pausing for several seconds.
“She had me so worked up by the end of the night, it would be a lie to say I didn’t want her too. But, it’s not something that I’m particularly proud of now,” I said softly.
It was quiet for a minute or so until his voice broke the silence.
“Melanie, nothing will happen with Gianna. However, we do have to go to Summerlin tonight and taste food so I can get a new executive chef hired. There is no way around it and this is something that I have to take care of, do you understand?”
“Yes James, I do,” I said reluctantly.
As we drove the rest of the way to Summerlin, James told me how David, the manager of his restaurant, had interviewed over fifty candidates and had narrowed the large field down to just three. Tonight we’d be tasting dishes from each of the three chefs so a decision could be made concerning who to hire.
I tried to concentrate on what James was saying, but I had little success.
I couldn’t get my mind off of Gianna, and how tonight would play out.
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