My Addiction (Club Desire #2)(29)
Stat.
Before she could get lost in a round of sexual fantasies involving Master Dex, she cleared her throat. “Do you mind if we start with the garlic Parmesan fries? They’re pretty amazing.”
A slow smile spread across his handsome features. “I defer to the lady since you’ve been here before.”
She gave him a small smile in return. “Fair enough. You won’t regret it. How about you? What are you going to have?”
In truth, she was waiting to see what Dex planned to order to make sure her choice wasn’t ridiculously more expensive, since he was picking up the tab. Even though nothing at Norms was that pricey, it was something she had done for as long as she could remember. Probably stemming from the fact that she didn’t want people to think badly of her. She had grown up in a very rich family, and she refused to act like her father, who always insisted on the most expensive thing on the menu, no matter where they were.
Kate was always conscious of that. She wasn’t a gold digger. She had money of her own, and a good business that brought in money. But there were so many women who were looking for a sugar daddy that she always felt compelled to make sure men knew she wasn’t one of them. Then again, she supposed Dex would be more worried about that if she had suggested a really expensive place. But she hadn’t been lying when she told him Norms was one of her favorite restaurants. They had great food, and she could bring her laptop and work there in the wee hours of the morning, any night of the week.
“Get whatever you want.” Dex’s voice surprised her, and made her realize she’d lost herself in thought for a moment. Kate cringed. Had he seen through her ploy to price compare?
She laughed inwardly at the matter-of-fact way he had just busted her on a tactic that had worked well with most of her dates.
This is not a date, she reminded herself. I don’t date my Doms.
She sipped her Diet Pepsi. “At this time of night, I usually get breakfast. I’m not sure why, but Belgian waffles and eggs always sound terrific after midnight.”
He scanned the menu’s breakfast offerings one more time. “They do sound pretty good. I was going to go for the steak and eggs, but I’ll have to remember this place for another night when I’m craving waffles or French toast.”
Once they had ordered, Kate felt his heavy gaze settle on her and searched for something to say. She had a thousand things flowing through her mind, but they all sounded incredibly lame inside her head, so she bit them back.
“You seem preoccupied. What did I interrupt with my text earlier? I hope you weren’t buried in a project.” He ran a hand across his jaw. “I know how hard it is to get your concentration back once it’s broken.”
She smiled as she remembered what she had been doing when she received his text. “I had just been getting ready to jump in the shower when I heard my phone chirp from the laundry basket.”
Dex laughed. “Forgot the phone in the jeans, huh? My mother washed her iPhone last month doing that. Luckily, I had set her up with the insurance when I took her down to get a phone that brought her into the current century.”
Kate cringed at the thought of washing her phone. “I’ve never actually done that, but I’ve come close a few times. I think that’s one of the dangers of working at home. In between projects, or on a sanity break, I’ll dump laundry in the washer. There have been a few times I stripped off my jeans, thinking I’d toss them in too, and caught myself right before turning on the machine.”
Dex laughed. “If you don’t mind, while we eat, I’d like to ask you about the inner workings of The Dungeon. Since I arrived only yesterday, I’m still finding my way around the place.”
She remembered that he had wanted information earlier when they were in the VIP lounge, and she had never gotten around to giving him the promised tour. “I don’t mind answering any questions you might have.”
Their food arrived quickly. After making sure both orders were correct, he fell silent, and she realized he was waiting for her to start eating before he dug in.
“Please,” she said as she motioned to the food between them. “Go ahead and eat. If you don’t, I can’t promise there will be any garlic Parmesan fries left for you.”
“Then I’d better try them before that happens.” He reached out and picked up a few of the fries and brought them to his lips.
She waited expectantly as he popped them in his mouth and chewed. “Those are damn good. You get to pick the restaurants from now on.”
Kate knew it was silly, but warmth filled her at his words. She wasn’t used to most of her dates, or her Doms, treating her with such care and respect, which said a lot for the kind of men who acted in both those capacities in her life. None of what it said was good.
After they ate in silence for a few minutes, Dex said, “Do you know who Congressman Fredericks is?”
Caught off guard, Kate glanced up to find him watching her. She wondered why Dex would ask about Uncle Carl. It was definitely out of left field.
Finally, she nodded. “Yes, he’s a longtime family friend and a business associate of my father’s. Why?”
She thought she saw a flicker of something in Dex’s gaze, but she couldn’t figure out what it was. He pointed toward the ceiling, making her realize there was a news report playing over the restaurant’s sound system rather than the normal generic rock music. The current story was about freeway closures, so she must have missed something while she had been eating. “What happened?”