Secret Designs(29)

Who could he ask for recommendations? Definitely not Trey or Adam. No doubt they'd turn up uninvited and put Ari through the ISAG. Yes, he still wanted them to do it, but not tonight, and not without a plan that would ensure Ari didn't find out what they were doing and why.

He pressed a button on his steering wheel and activated the voice command on his phone. "Call Kane Summers," he instructed it.

The sound of a ringing phone filled the car.

"Hey, bro," Kane said over the car speakers.

"Hey. So are you happy with your wedding gear?" he asked.

"Yeah, looks good. Jaz is super excited. She said she can't wait to see me in it. Thanks again for doing that."

"No worries. Anyway, the reason for my call is to ask you if you could recommend a nice restaurant I could take Ari to tonight."

"You're taking Ari out tonight?" Kane asked, surprise evident in his voice.

"Yeah. Don't you think she deserves it?"

"Oh, right. Sure. Well, what sort of price range do you have in mind?"

He snorted. "Come on, Kane, do you think I want to look cheap?"

Kane chuckled. "Okay, what cuisine?"

"Uh, it doesn't matter."

"In the city, or somewhere else?"

"Doesn't matter."

"What sort of ambiance are you after?"

Dylan rolled his eyes. All these questions! "Kane, if you were taking Jazzie out tonight, where would you take her?"

"So tonight is a date?" Kane asked with astonishment.

"Yes," he answered with an impatient sigh.

"Oh. A serious one or just a nothing kind of date?"

"What's a nothing kind of date?"

"The ones you usually go to," Kane replied.

"Those weren't dates," he retorted. "They were one-night stands."

"Ah, so Ari's not a one-night stand anymore, is she?"

"Are you going to answer my original question or are you just going to grill me?"

"Hmm. Touchy. Just answer my last question and I'll give you my recommendations."

He exhaled loudly. "Ari isn't a one-night stand."

There was silence for a few seconds before Kane responded. "Okay, bro. Good luck with it all," Kane said, his tone low and serious.

"Thank you. Now which restaurant?"

"I have three in mind. I'll text them to you."

"Okay, thanks."





*******



"Hi, gorgeous."

Dylan gazed at Ari appreciatively. She looked stunning in her little black dress. Hell, he'd have a hard time keeping his hands to himself.

"Hi," she said shyly before stepping closer and giving him a peck on the lips.

He tried to hold back, but he couldn't help himself. With a low moan, he snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her to him, as he captured her lips for a thorough, more satisfying kiss.

Ari clung to him and kissed him back enthusiastically. Unbidden, his hand crept down her sexy bottom and caressed it through her tight, black frock. Ari moaned and pressed closer to him, shooting his temperature up a few degrees higher. If they didn't stop now...

With a mighty effort, he pulled away from her. "We better go," he said shakily.

Ari sighed. "Okay, let me grab my purse."

He grinned as he watched her sashay to the coffee table to grab her clutch. Her disappointment at ending their kiss was evident. He was glad and relieved he wasn't the only one.

They left her apartment and walked to his car in silence.

"This is your car?" Ari asked in surprise.

"Yes. Didn't you notice it at the car park earlier?"

"No, I didn't."

He simply smiled, used to the reaction his Mercedes Benz sports car got from women. He opened the door for her and smiled in appreciation when her dress hiked up as she sat on the low seat, showing more of her gorgeous legs. He shut her door and sauntered to the driver side, whistling to himself.

*

Dinner was perfect. Kane's suggestion was spot on, and Dylan simply enjoyed chatting with Ari about their families, their favourite food, movies, and all the usual stuff.

He was quite cautious when it came to the topic of work. It wasn't that he didn't trust her—he still maintained she wasn't some kind of gold digger—it was just that he'd like to get to know her better before divulging exactly what kind of software he had developed with Trey and Adam. Not many people knew that their company had created some of the more popular business and games apps in the market. Mentioning which ones they were was tantamount to disclosing they'd earned millions from their enterprise.

There were just some things he hardly shared with other people unless they really needed to know.

Even so, Ari was the first woman he was prepared to trust in a long, long while, albeit somewhat cautiously.