I laugh and just grab my purse. Megan’s right. I couldn’t wear that boxy suit to a meal with Marcus Steele because he deserves more and better.
5
Marcus
Addy shifts nervously as she surveys the menu. Though she looks absolutely ravishing tonight, I can tell the curvy girl is uncomfortable in this restaurant.
I didn’t mean to make her nervous. When I asked her to dinner, I wanted to impress her. As a result, I chose La Gitana, my favorite restaurant in the city. The prices are high, but the food is delicious. The problem is that the ambiance can be a bit pretentious, and it’s obviously wearing on the lush young woman before me.
“So how are you?” I ask smoothly.
She blushes and smiles a bit.
“Good, Mr. Steele. Thank you for inviting me.”
I nod.
“Please, call me Marcus. We’ll be working closely together from here on out, so it’s only fitting.”
She nods shyly.
“Yes of course.”
I grin.
“By the way, this is a business dinner, so it’s on me. Well, it’s on the House of Steele, actually.”
Addy blushes again. “Was I being that obvious?”
“I could practically see you doing the math in your head. Don’t worry about it. Order whatever you like because La Gitana is an amazing restaurant. You’ll enjoy their menu items, I promise.”
She bites her lip, still a bit hesitant.
“Okay, thank you. It’s just that I’ve never been to such a fancy, expensive restaurant before.”
“I’m glad your first time is with me then,” I quip.
Addy blushes again. Did she catch my innuendo? I hope so because ever since seeing Addy spying on us that night, I haven’t been able to forget the lust in her eyes. She wants me, I’m sure of it. Yes, we work together and I’m technically her boss. But I just don’t care. There are benefits to being CEO, and this is one of them. Suddenly, a waiter materializes at our side.
“Welcome to La Gitana. I’m Davide and I will be your server.”
The man speaks with a genuine French accent, and I nod courteously.
“Good evening, Davide,” I begin. “Can we get a bottle of Burgundy for the table to start? The best from your cellars, please. And I’ll have the calamari, grilled not fried.”
“Excellent. And for you, Mademoiselle?”
“Oh. I’d like, um, the French onion soup to start.”
“Excellent choice, Mademoiselle. I will bring the wine and get your appetizers in.”
“Thank you, Davide,” I say. As soon as he leaves, I look at Addy. “I hope Burgundy is okay?”
“Oh, yes, it’s great.”
“Good. And Davide was right, you’ll love the French onion soup. The melted cheese on top is delicious, and it’s a huge, thick layer of goodness. Not the tiny thin portion other places dole out.”
“I’m glad. I’m really hungry right now, so lots of cheese sounds perfect.”
I smile at her.
“I’m just grateful you ordered food.”
Addy furrows her brow. “What do you mean?”
“I’m used to women who barely eat anything. They’ll order a salad and a water and then just push it around their plate, so the French onion soup is quite a departure.”
Addy blushes once gain. “Oh. Well, thank you. I like food too much not to eat, and I’m not going to pass up the opportunity to have my favorite. I’ve loved French onion soup since I was a kid,” she confesses. “Although yes, it has a lot of calories since there’s bread in it too.”
She looks self-consciously at her body. Does Addy feel that she eats too much? I hope not because her body is fantastic and my fingers itch even now, wanting to stroke those curves.
“You’re a beautiful woman, Addy,” I say in a low growl.
She looks up at me quickly, her cheeks flushed.
“Thank you, Mr. Steele. I mean, Marcus. I mean, you’re a handsome man too. Not a beautiful woman.”
I laugh at her stumbling words. She’s adorable.
“Thank you.”
I’d continue to compliment her, but she’s obviously a bit nervous at the moment, so I go easy.
“How are you feeling about the promotion?” I ask, turning the conversation to business matters. Addy smiles shyly.
“I feel wonderful, thank you. I’m grateful that you thought of me for this position. It’s a big step for sure, but I’m excited to get started.”
“Are you nervous about Monday? I know it’ll be your first official day then.”
She takes a deep breath and nods.
“Yes and no because in some ways, I’ve prepared for it, but in other ways, I’m not prepared at all. You see, I’ve been peers with the design team for so long, but now I’m their boss. Plus, Marissa set high standards for the lines House of Steele puts out, so I hope I can fill her shoes.”
I nod.
“You’re going to do great. If you think about it, you’ve been doing so much management for the design team already. I think you’ll find it’s a natural transition.”
She nods and bites her lip again, making it rosy.
“I hope so. The design team has been nothing but supportive, so I think they’ll make it easy for me. It helps that I know them and that I’ve had plenty of interaction with them over the last few years.”
I smile.
“Exactly. You’re a natural born leader. I’ve seen you work with them, and the staff treats you with respect. It was part of the reason for your promotion.”
Addy’s jaw drops. “You’ve been watching me? I thought you only focused on operations? I didn’t think you paid any attention to the design team.”
I smile ruefully.
“Sort of. Marissa was nominally in charge of you guys, but the fact is that our marriage has been on the rocks for a while now. It’s part of the reason why she began to delegate more and more to you. Even though we only made the announcement last week, she’s been pulling back from the business for almost an entire year. As
