I smile and open the car door for her, shutting it once she gets in. That’s very, very interesting. She convinced her mother to let us have a little alone time, at least during the car rides. I wonder why she would do that.
I walk quickly and purposefully around the car then get in on the other side. Once I’m in, the driver heads off, the divider up between him and us.
“So Gavin,” Sadie says. “Where are you taking me tonight?”
I smile at her, leaning toward her. She’s so fucking gorgeous, and even being this close to her makes my heart hammer. “Somewhere special,” I say. “At least, special to me.”
“Sounds interesting.”
“It is,” I say. “You know, I’m not from all of this.” I gesture at the big buildings all around me.
“Not from the city?” she asks with a little smile.
I grin at her. She clearly understood me, but is giving me a hard time. “I’m from the city, but not this part. We’re going to a place that I grew up with.”
She perks up a little bit. “Really? I’d really like that.”
“It’s called Luberto’s. It’s a little Italian place on the west side of the city.”
“Seriously?” she asks, laughing. “I’ve never been to the west side before.”
It’s my turn to laugh, surprised. “You’ve never been to an entire part of the city?”
“I know. It’s stupid, right?”
“Not stupid. Just a shame. You’re missing out.”
“I know,” she says, and there’s something more behind her words.
“I’m glad your first time can be with me.”
She blushes suddenly and looks out the window. “Right. Of course.”
I cock my head at her, a little confused about her reaction, but I decide not to press it.
As we drive to Luberto’s, I ask her little questions about her life, where she grew up, the schools she attended. I keep it light and easy, not wanting to dive into the hard stuff yet. She’s surprisingly easy to talk to, and tells me all about her life as an upper crust rich girl.
None of it is surprising. She has the same life as a million other girls like her. That’s not really what interests me about her, if I’m being honest.
It’s the way that she talks about her life that fascinates me. Most rich girls seem to think that the sun shines out their ass, but not Sadie. She plays down the schools she went to, the things she did, like it isn’t the most elite of the elite possible. She doesn’t brag about her family, which most rich girls do, and she doesn’t press me about my own.
And she doesn’t ask me about my business. I actually like that about her. Most rich girls immediately want to know how much money I make, although they’re too polite to actually come out and say it. Sadie doesn’t seem at all interested in that. In fact, she mostly asks about hobbies and interests, and spends a lot of time talking about how much she likes to paint, although she says she’s awful at it.
By the end of the ride, I’m totally fucking charmed by her. I had a feeling that she was different, but I couldn’t have known how right I was. Sadie is the first girl from rich parents that I haven’t actually despised after ten minutes of talking to her.
Pretty soon we reach Luberto’s. The ten-minute car ride passes in the blink of an eye, which surprises me. We step out and I open her door.
“It’s cute,” she says, smiling broadly.
“It’s like home to me,” I say. “I grew up around here, you know.”
“Really?” she asks.
“Really. The place we’ll go after this, it’s where I had my first beer.”
She laughs, shaking her head. “Impressive.”
“Not really. It’s a dump.”
“I’m going to love it.”
I laugh a little and we step into the restaurant.
Luberto’s is a little Italian place, maybe seats for forty people or so, but it has the best food in the whole damn city. I rented out the private back room, and the hostess ushers us back there. It has a single table with a white tablecloth, a single white candle, and a single red rose. I get Sadie seated, sit across from her, and the waitress takes our drink orders right away. I ask for a whisky, and Sadie asks for some white wine.
“This is nice,” she says.
“Normally it’s more crowded,” I answer. “But for tonight, I thought I’d give us a little privacy.”
She laughs lightly and shrugs. “I don’t mind crowded. Although I’m sure Reginald won’t love that.”
I cock my head at her. “Reginald?”
“Oh, he’s the chaperone for tonight. I’m sure he’s in the other room right now, fuming that we’re in a private space.”