He moved into my personal space, and my chest tightened. “She wasn’t from California?”
“She was born in Louisiana, so was I.”
He chuckled to himself and took a sip. “I couldn’t place if you were from the Midwest or the Southwest.”
“I would visit my grandparents in Baton Rouge every summer. My mother was an only child, and I was their only grandchild.”
Ben placed his arm on the back of the booth around me.
“Are you close to them?”
“Yes, but they are very religious. Another reason why my mom left. She was a free-spirited musician. A nomad with an illegitimate child. Apparently, it was complicated at first for my grandparents, but they came around after I was born. I grew up in dive bars and clubs, versus the church, but I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I learned a lot about music.”
“You have some great arrangements.”
“I must thank the bartender for making your drinks strong.” I shook my head, a bit surprised. “You have given me two compliments tonight.”
“Thick skin, Songbird.” His right brow arched. “Compliments are easy to come by, but very few people will tell you what you need to hear. Work on engaging the audience. Your projection was better, but a vocal coach can help you improve.”
“How do you know so much about singing? Are you a suit by day and a masked performer by night?” I laughed.
“I love your laugh,” he said plainly.
The bourbon warmed me up inside.
“What about you, Masked Man. Is your family from here? Do you have any siblings?”
He finished off his drink and signaled Suzy for another as he tapped the glass with his finger. That was all it took for a man like him—one look, one gesture, and the world came calling.
“My parents are from the old world, Italy and Germany. Most of my family migrated here to New York. I have one sister, who is as spoiled rotten as you, I’m sure. She was the only girl for a while with both sets of grandparents, until my mother’s brother had kids.”
“I wouldn’t call myself spoiled,” I defended.
“You walked up to me and demanded my breakfast.”
“In hindsight, that does seem a bit demanding.”
“Rude, you mean.”
I bit down on my lip. “It wasn’t very friendly, no, but I explained. You’re still an ass for eating it.”
“Ass or not, look where it got me.”
“It would have been a lot easier to ask me out on a date if you’d helped me.”
“I like a challenge. Besides, it’s much more enjoyable working for what you want, wouldn’t you say?”
My mouth was parched. I stared into his smoldering blue eyes over my water glass. He had that smirk on his face.
“You didn’t mention much about your father.”
“No, I didn’t.” He looked at his cell. There was a message flashing. He read the text and placed his phone on the table.
“I won’t pry.”
He placed his hand on my shoulder. “We aren’t close.”
I nodded in understanding.
His cell buzzed, and he looked perturbed as he texted back at the same time Suzy placed another drink down in front of him.
“Please bring the receipt,” he said, and she scurried away with his black card.
“Where are we going for dinner?”
“There’s an Italian restaurant in the Lower East Side I know you’ll love. It’s a hole-in-the-wall, but they have the best ravioli.”
“That sounds amazing.”
His cell buzzed again. “What the hell. Sorry, I need to handle this.” He dialed a number.
“What is so fucking urgent?” He listened intently. “No, it’s not necessary.” He looked over at me. “You are interrupting something very important. You bet your ass you owe me.” He hung up and shoved his phone in his coat pocket.
“Something came up that needs my immediate attention. I’m sorry, Songbird, but I’ll have to take a rain check.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s okay.”
He placed his hands on my face and rubbed my lower lip with his thumb.
“Not as sorry as I am.”
He grabbed my hand, and we moved out of the booth. We were stopped by Suzy, who gave him his receipt, but he made a call before we headed out into the blistering cold.
He wrapped his arms around me. “I’ll drop you off.”
The close proximity warmed me… everywhere.
“I can take the subway.”
A large car pulled up. “Get in,” he said.
He must have called Uber, I thought, but was very wrong.
“Scott, we will take Ms. Dumas home, then head to the office.”
I gave the driver my address, then turned to look at Ben. “Did I mention my last name?”
“Yes.”
I didn’t remember giving him that detail.
Because of Derek, I had looked up safe dating practices, and things—not meeting them at your home or giving out your last name—were mentioned.
“What do you do again?” I asked, looking around the car.
It was one I had never been in before, and I was surprised at how spacious the interior was. There were bucket seats that faced us.
“This is a very nice car for a finance man.”
Ben reached over and touched my knee.
“Chief Sales and Marketing Officer.”
That could have explained the car and driver.
Ben stepped out of the car and walked me to my front steps.
“I will call you tomorrow, and again, I apologize for having to cut our evening short.”
I shrugged as he pulled me into his chest, then leaned back, staring into his eyes. The scent of his cologne and the heat from his body were alluring. I wanted him to kiss me but was surprised by the quick peck on the cheek and a disappointing, “see you later,” as goodbye.
Ben watched me go into my building from his car, and for some reason, it felt like that would be the last time I would see him.
Chapter Five
Ben
Her smile brightened the damn room. Men were mesmerized by her tonight. She was their sun. Hell, she looked like the sun. She had a natural beauty. Those eyes... she needed to keep them open, but I wanted them all to myself. When she looked at me, it was as if she saw everything.
Damn, I hoped not.
The whole living in California made sense with her wearing bright-colored tank-tops in the middle of winter. How she didn’t freeze to death on that stage, beat the hell out of me. The attire she wore... her mom had to have been some type of hippie.
The memory of her eyes was all I thought about. They haunted me for days. Even when I looked at Susan, all I saw was Melody.
Being buried inside Melody was all I wanted. Damn him for interrupting my date. If it weren’t for Gianna, he could drown in the mess he created.
Scott said my name loudly, interrupting my thoughts, as I looked into the rearview mirror.
“Mr. Schilling, which office, sir?”
I couldn’t get Melody out of my mind as I reviewed the case. The way she looked at me when I said goodnight, I’d wanted to kiss her, devour her, if she’d let me. She was tiny in comparison, as I stood over her, delicate, with a purity about her.