Wildfire
Page 51
“Yes?” Rogan asked. There was a slight wariness in him, as if he expected things to go terribly wrong any second.
“It’s gorgeous,” I told him honestly.
He took it from the box. I held up my hair and he slipped the chain over my neck. The stone settled on my skin, a radiant drop of light.
“Just for dinner though,” I told him. “I can’t keep it.”
“I bought it for you,” he said. “I meant to give it to you for Christmas.”
His face told me that rejecting the necklace would be rejecting him. Yes, it was an expensive emerald. I was probably wearing fifty thousand dollars on my neck, which was more than all of the jewelry I’ve owned in my lifetime put together. But then he had more money than he could count in a lifetime, and if he wanted me to wear the necklace, I would.
“Thank you.”
He smiled, a satisfied dragon.
“If you keep looking at me like that, we won’t make it to dinner,” I told him quietly.
“Then you better get in the car.”
He held the door out for me and I slid into the heated interior of the Mercedes.
Flanders’ Steakhouse sat at the top of a twenty-story building on Louisiana Street, just southwest of the theater district, and it took full advantage of the view. Floor-to-ceiling windows presented the spectacular expanse of the night sky, below which Houston spread, glowing with warm yellow and orange against the darkness. Freeways curved among the towers, channeling the current of cars seemingly through mid-air. The floor, ceiling, and walls offered soothing browns, and the delicate chandeliers, wrought iron spirals supporting upturned triangles of pale glass, softened the décor even further. I’d gone out on a few business dinners, and most Houston steakhouses catered to executives with business accounts. They ran either straight into rustic Texas, with longhorn skulls and cow pelts on the walls, or they resembled gentlemen’s clubs, where one had to be a card-carrying member. This was nice.
It finally hit me. We were on a date. Our first real date.
An impeccably dressed host led us through the restaurant, past well-dressed patrons. Some of them had to be House members, because as we moved past them, they saw Rogan’s face and stopped what they were doing. I got a few stares as well, some surprised and puzzled, some openly curious, especially from women. Women watched Rogan wherever he went, and I was getting the once-overs as they tried to figure out what was so special. That was fine. They wouldn’t ruin the date for me.
We arrived at a secluded table covered in chocolate-colored cloth. Rogan held my chair out. He didn’t make it slide out for me with his power. No telekinetic fireworks. Tonight it would be just me and Connor.
I sat. He took his place across from me, with his back against the wall, a spot that would conveniently let him watch the entire restaurant for incoming danger.
A waitress appeared at our table as if by magic. Menus were placed in front of us.
“Wine?” Rogan asked me.
Why not. “Yes.”
“What do you like?”
I liked Asti Spumante. It was sweet and bubbly and it cost five dollars per bottle. “Red. Not too dry.” Here’s hoping I didn’t make a fool of myself.
Rogan ordered a wine from the list. The waitress bowed her head as if she was granted knighthood by some royalty and glided away.
I grinned at Rogan from above my menu.
He grinned back. The set of his shoulders relaxed slightly.
I stared at the menu. Oh my.
“I’m starving. I haven’t had anything to eat since I stole a bear claw from your kitchen this morning.”
“You didn’t steal it. All my bear claws are yours.”
I studied the appetizers. Roasted Portobello mushroom ravioli. Tenderloin carpaccio. Chilled seafood cocktail.
“Is something wrong?” he asked me. There it was, that weary caution in his eyes.
“I’m trying to decide what I can order that has the smallest chances of me spilling it on myself.”
He laughed quietly under his breath. “I’ve never seen you spill anything on yourself.”
“That’s not true. When we were climbing through the Dumpsters into the high-rise on Sam Houston, I spilled rancid spaghetti all over myself.”
And why did I just mention rancid spaghetti. I sighed.
“That doesn’t count. You stepped on it.”
More like rolled in it, but now wasn’t the best time to point out that distinction.
The waitress appeared again with a bottle of red wine. She dramatically opened it and poured a little into two glasses. There was some sort of ceremony here I remembered from the movies. You held the glass a certain way, swished the wine inside, smelled it or something. I raised the glass and took a small sip. It washed over my tongue, warm and refreshing.
“It’s delicious,” I said.
Rogan nodded at the waitress. She beamed and stepped aside. Another waiter appeared. A bread basket was placed on our table containing several small loaves, crunchy and fresh from the oven. Small heated plates of two types of herbed olive oil followed. The aroma of freshly baked bread made my mouth water.
“Appetizers?” the waitress asked.
I hit complete decision paralysis. “You pick.”
“Carpaccio,” he said.
I had ordered carpaccio the first time we ate together, in Takara, when he was trying to convince me to work for him. He remembered.
The waitress nodded and we were alone again.
I took a swallow of my wine. The tension of the day slowly seeped out of me.
He reached over and covered my hand with his, lacing his fingers with mine.
“Hey,” I told him.
“Hey.” He smiled and Mad Rogan went away. Connor was looking at me. We might as well have been alone in the whole world.
“Thank you. I needed this after today.”
“Thank you for coming with me. It doesn’t always have to be blood and gore. It can also be this.”
“This is very nice.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Carpaccio arrived. I ordered a double-thick pork chop, and Rogan went for a dry-aged rib eye.
The carpaccio tasted divine. We ate it with crusty bread dipped in olive oil.
“You were in mortal danger this evening,” I told him.
“Oh?”
“My whole family waited in the kitchen for you to show up. If you stood me up, there would’ve been hell to pay.”
“It’s gorgeous,” I told him honestly.
He took it from the box. I held up my hair and he slipped the chain over my neck. The stone settled on my skin, a radiant drop of light.
“Just for dinner though,” I told him. “I can’t keep it.”
“I bought it for you,” he said. “I meant to give it to you for Christmas.”
His face told me that rejecting the necklace would be rejecting him. Yes, it was an expensive emerald. I was probably wearing fifty thousand dollars on my neck, which was more than all of the jewelry I’ve owned in my lifetime put together. But then he had more money than he could count in a lifetime, and if he wanted me to wear the necklace, I would.
“Thank you.”
He smiled, a satisfied dragon.
“If you keep looking at me like that, we won’t make it to dinner,” I told him quietly.
“Then you better get in the car.”
He held the door out for me and I slid into the heated interior of the Mercedes.
Flanders’ Steakhouse sat at the top of a twenty-story building on Louisiana Street, just southwest of the theater district, and it took full advantage of the view. Floor-to-ceiling windows presented the spectacular expanse of the night sky, below which Houston spread, glowing with warm yellow and orange against the darkness. Freeways curved among the towers, channeling the current of cars seemingly through mid-air. The floor, ceiling, and walls offered soothing browns, and the delicate chandeliers, wrought iron spirals supporting upturned triangles of pale glass, softened the décor even further. I’d gone out on a few business dinners, and most Houston steakhouses catered to executives with business accounts. They ran either straight into rustic Texas, with longhorn skulls and cow pelts on the walls, or they resembled gentlemen’s clubs, where one had to be a card-carrying member. This was nice.
It finally hit me. We were on a date. Our first real date.
An impeccably dressed host led us through the restaurant, past well-dressed patrons. Some of them had to be House members, because as we moved past them, they saw Rogan’s face and stopped what they were doing. I got a few stares as well, some surprised and puzzled, some openly curious, especially from women. Women watched Rogan wherever he went, and I was getting the once-overs as they tried to figure out what was so special. That was fine. They wouldn’t ruin the date for me.
We arrived at a secluded table covered in chocolate-colored cloth. Rogan held my chair out. He didn’t make it slide out for me with his power. No telekinetic fireworks. Tonight it would be just me and Connor.
I sat. He took his place across from me, with his back against the wall, a spot that would conveniently let him watch the entire restaurant for incoming danger.
A waitress appeared at our table as if by magic. Menus were placed in front of us.
“Wine?” Rogan asked me.
Why not. “Yes.”
“What do you like?”
I liked Asti Spumante. It was sweet and bubbly and it cost five dollars per bottle. “Red. Not too dry.” Here’s hoping I didn’t make a fool of myself.
Rogan ordered a wine from the list. The waitress bowed her head as if she was granted knighthood by some royalty and glided away.
I grinned at Rogan from above my menu.
He grinned back. The set of his shoulders relaxed slightly.
I stared at the menu. Oh my.
“I’m starving. I haven’t had anything to eat since I stole a bear claw from your kitchen this morning.”
“You didn’t steal it. All my bear claws are yours.”
I studied the appetizers. Roasted Portobello mushroom ravioli. Tenderloin carpaccio. Chilled seafood cocktail.
“Is something wrong?” he asked me. There it was, that weary caution in his eyes.
“I’m trying to decide what I can order that has the smallest chances of me spilling it on myself.”
He laughed quietly under his breath. “I’ve never seen you spill anything on yourself.”
“That’s not true. When we were climbing through the Dumpsters into the high-rise on Sam Houston, I spilled rancid spaghetti all over myself.”
And why did I just mention rancid spaghetti. I sighed.
“That doesn’t count. You stepped on it.”
More like rolled in it, but now wasn’t the best time to point out that distinction.
The waitress appeared again with a bottle of red wine. She dramatically opened it and poured a little into two glasses. There was some sort of ceremony here I remembered from the movies. You held the glass a certain way, swished the wine inside, smelled it or something. I raised the glass and took a small sip. It washed over my tongue, warm and refreshing.
“It’s delicious,” I said.
Rogan nodded at the waitress. She beamed and stepped aside. Another waiter appeared. A bread basket was placed on our table containing several small loaves, crunchy and fresh from the oven. Small heated plates of two types of herbed olive oil followed. The aroma of freshly baked bread made my mouth water.
“Appetizers?” the waitress asked.
I hit complete decision paralysis. “You pick.”
“Carpaccio,” he said.
I had ordered carpaccio the first time we ate together, in Takara, when he was trying to convince me to work for him. He remembered.
The waitress nodded and we were alone again.
I took a swallow of my wine. The tension of the day slowly seeped out of me.
He reached over and covered my hand with his, lacing his fingers with mine.
“Hey,” I told him.
“Hey.” He smiled and Mad Rogan went away. Connor was looking at me. We might as well have been alone in the whole world.
“Thank you. I needed this after today.”
“Thank you for coming with me. It doesn’t always have to be blood and gore. It can also be this.”
“This is very nice.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Carpaccio arrived. I ordered a double-thick pork chop, and Rogan went for a dry-aged rib eye.
The carpaccio tasted divine. We ate it with crusty bread dipped in olive oil.
“You were in mortal danger this evening,” I told him.
“Oh?”
“My whole family waited in the kitchen for you to show up. If you stood me up, there would’ve been hell to pay.”
