The VIP Room(137)

I laughed at that. “I’m a grown woman, mom. ‘Forbid’ isn’t really a word you can throw around any more. And besides, what do you care? He’s obviously a nice guy, and, hey, he might even be interested in me. Or is that too hard for you to believe?”

“Andrea,” my father broke in, his voice taking the same hard tone that I’d grown used to over the years. All the memories of my heavy-handed and overprotected rearing were wound up in his voice. “Your mother is right. Chase Hammer isn’t the sort to be trifled with. And it has nothing to do with you. There’s a reason he moved away. He doesn’t belong here.”

I shook my head in utter disbelief. My parents had always been overbearing, but this was taking things to a new level. I was a grown-ass woman, and if I wanted to have dinner with the man who saved my life, there was nothing they could do about it. Shooting my mother the harshest glare I could muster, I snatched my bag and stormed out of the room and into the hallway.

As I exited the hospital, I clicked SEND and raised my phone to my ear. The phone rang twice before a firm voice came on the line.

“Chase Hammer,” the voice said.

“What, too much of a hotshot for ‘hello’?” I teased, a smile crawling at my face.

I heard breathing over the line for a moment, and worried that I’d just cost myself a shot at the guy, before he finally responded.

“Just wanted to make sure you knew who you’d called,” Chase said, and I could hear the grin in his voice. “You hit that rock pretty hard, after all. And I hear memory is a fickle thing.”

“As if,” I snorted. “So, I’m out of the hospital and owe you a dinner. You still up for it?”

“Absolutely,” Chase replied. “Just name the time and place. I warn you, though, I’m a big eater.”

I thought back to Chase’s body, how it had felt hard and muscular beneath the white tee-shirt he’d been wearing earlier. The thought of those muscles sent a shiver down my spine, and I imagined myself being held in his arms again. “As fit as you are, I doubt that,” I stated absently, then blushed once I realized what I’d said.

Chase only laughed and asked again for the time and place. I gave him an address, told him to meet me there at seven o’clock sharp, then got off the phone with him before I dug myself any deeper of a hole.

Checking the clock on my phone, I noted that I still had a good two hours to kill before dinner, so I started walking toward my apartment.

If I was going to be having dinner with a billionaire, I was going to make sure I looked damned good. Two hours was just enough time to prepare.





Chapter 5





Chase





The subtle chatter of the restaurant’s patrons was almost numbing. The constant barrage of voices, mixed with the various scents in the room, was enough to set my bear on edge. I typically wasn’t a fan of crowds or noisy restaurants, but, in hindsight, it wasn’t as if the town had much more to offer. Still, the restaurant - or, the Hanging Rock, as it was named - wasn’t without its charm.

The lighting was somewhat dimmed, allowing for sense of privacy and intrigue, while still retaining enough light to see. In part, the lighting was due to the natural mechanics through which the room was lit. Namely, the massive window that stretched from one side of the restaurant to the other, offering up a magnificent view of the Blue Ridge Parkway for what seemed like miles. My table was positioned adjacent to the window and in one corner of the restaurant, allowing me to see straight out and down at a several hundred foot drop. The restaurant, it seemed, had been built over the ravine in some places, leaving it literally hanging above the massive chasm. Maybe that, then, and not the crowd is what had my bear grimacing. Predators, after all, don’t like to feel cornered.

I checked my watch for the dozenth time, noting the time as it inched closer to seven o’clock. I’d arrived fifteen minutes early and, to my surprise, found that a reservation had already been placed under my name. Andrea hadn’t arrived yet, though, in her defense, she did say seven sharp. I just have a habit of showing up everywhere early.

I was in the middle of sipping at my wine when I saw her coming. Or, more accurately, I smelled her coming. My bear picked up on Andrea’s presence several seconds before I did, and I immediately jumped to my feet as she came into view. My bear let out a low, guttural growl as I saw her, and I couldn’t help but let my jaw drop slightly.

Andrea looked a far cry from the battered and dirt-covered woman I’d rescued from the ravine, and it was all I could do to keep from staring. She was wearing a strapless black dress that clung to and accentuated her deliciously shaped curves, rippling over her large, voluptuous breasts, and hugging her down to her mid-thighs. Her gorgeously tanned legs looked stronger than I remembered, and they were only enhanced by the six-inch heels strapped to her feet. Her hair was done up in a style that seemed intentionally messy, as though she’d just climbed out of bed looking unbearably gorgeous. The scent of her perfume wafted toward me, and I felt my cock harden as the intensity of my bear’s lust threatened to over take me.

Calm down, Chase, I told myself. It’s just dinner.

“So,” Andrea started, breaking the awkward silence. “Are you just going to stare or are we going to have dinner? I had a near-death experience today, and, honestly, I’m quite famished.”