Let Me Tease You: Steamy Older Man Younger Woman Romance (Let Me Love You Book 5)(10)

A little clingy, but not too clingy.

Maybe.

I stood up and smoothed the fabric against my hips. Nope. It was definitely too clingy. But I didn’t think Miguel would mind too much.

It didn’t take long to spot him sitting near a window as I walked in. And judging from the look on his face, he didn’t mind the clingy black dress at all.

“Bianca,” he said, standing up and pulling out a chair for me. “You look… amazing.”

I smiled. It was nice to have a man look at me like I was the only woman in the room. Desmond had always been more concerned with who might be looking at him, but Miguel was the complete opposite. He’d taken one look at me and his eyes had nearly popped out of his head.

“You do, too,” I said, meaning it.

He’d definitely decided against simple and casual, too, opting for a crisp navy suit that made his shoulders look broad enough to carry the weight of the world. And the pale pink button-down shirt was a cute touch. I always liked a man who knew how to pull off pink – and did so with confidence.

“Good evening.” The waiter’s voice behind me made me jump a little in my seat. “Are we celebrating anything in particular tonight?”

Miguel looked at me like a deer caught in headlights and I could barely suppress a laugh. We did look like a couple that was celebrating something, or maybe out on a blind date. But the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. We were celebrating our potential business deal, after all. Sort of.

“I think we are,” I answered, smiling up at the waiter. “Perhaps you could recommend some wine to start with?”

“Of course. I’ll be back with a selection.”

The waiter left us alone again and Miguel leaned across the table, a wide grin spreading across his lips. “Did I miss something? What are we celebrating? Aside from quite a bit of interest in your future studio, of course.”

“That’s exactly what we’re celebrating,” I said, mirroring his grin. “I’ve definitely had drinks for less compelling reasons.”

“I’ll drink to that.”

The waiter returned with some well-timed wine, and we both raised our glasses.

“To business,” he said.

“And maybe a little pleasure.”

I winked as I took a sip. Five minutes in and I was already flirting, but I couldn’t help it. Just being near him brought out that side of me.

It only took a couple of glasses of wine to get us both loosened up enough to be honest. I hadn’t intended on revealing too much information — or asking too many questions — but when he’d offered up the fact that he was single, I couldn’t stop myself.

“Have you ever been married?” I asked.

He immediately shook his head. “No, but I’m not opposed to the idea. I just haven’t found—”

“The right woman,” I finished for him, unable to resist a tiny smirk at the cliché.

“I know how it sounds.” As he spoke, his cheeks flushed a light pink that matched his shirt. Seriously? Adorable. “It’s true, though.”

“And I guess I should say that I haven’t found the right man. I thought I had, a couple of times, but…”

I shrugged.

He nodded.

Over the rim of my wine glass, I could tell that he knew the feeling that he really, truly got where I was coming from. It was a nice feeling.

“And are you looking for the right guy now?”

I quirked an eyebrow, more than a little surprised that he’d even asked that question. “I’m not opposed,” I responded slowly, repeating his earlier phrase. “But I wouldn’t say I was actively looking.”

“Fair enough,” he said. Then, he surprised me again with a follow-up question. “You’ve probably noticed that I tend to get a little tongue-tied around…” He paused and cleared his throat as the color in his cheeks turned a deeper shade of red. “… Around beautiful women — like you, for example. But I was hoping that maybe you’d consider…”

I leaned in as his voice trailed off, feeling hopeful, and willing him to make eye contact with me, to ask me out on a date I’d invariably say yes to. Si, Miguel, si! When he finally did, there was such a vulnerability in his eyes that I just wanted to pull him close and reassure him.

He seemed to be encouraged a little by my anticipation, and his voice had almost returned to its normal deep pitch when he continued. “I was hoping that you’d help me. Teach me to be more confident, tell me what women like, what they want from a man.”

Wait, what?

I slowly exhaled the breath that I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding in and nodded, even though I hadn’t been anticipating that question at all. And I wasn’t entirely sure I could give him all of the information he was looking for, but… I could try.

He was so sweet, how could I not?

“Of course. I’ll help however I can. But I honestly think most of the problem is just in your head. You’ve got a lot of great qualities, Miguel, and any woman should be able to see that. You’ve just gotta… show them off a little.”

I hadn’t done the best job of articulating what I was thinking, and it showed on his face. He didn’t seem reassured by my statement, just confused.