Page 30 of Smoke

“Oh, darling, there are a lot of places I’d love to take you,” he emphasizes on the ‘take,’ and damn it if my skin doesn’t heat again. “But now, we’re going to a place where they serve the best steak and lobster I’ve ever tasted.”

“Sounds good, but I’ve never had lobster, so I’m holding judgement on that,” I respond, purposely avoiding commenting on his outrageous innuendo. The less said, the better and hopefully, my dismissal of it will put it to bed. Not as in bed. As in, forgotten, dead and buried. “Do you dine out often?” I enquire.

“Only when I have the need to quench my hunger with something exquisite and of exceptional quality.” His head turns, his eyes purposely seek mine and hold it. I’m no longer sure that he’s talking about food. I should look away, but the intensity in his eyes makes it clear exactly what he means.

I hold my breath.

I swallow hard.

It seems like forever before his gaze falls back to the road before us. I’m like a deer caught in the headlightsthat’s miraculously escaped. Few people in my life have rendered me speechless. Not until him, anyway.

Oh, and Smoke, of course.

“We’re here,” he announces before my mind gets caught up with thoughts of the dirty biker. He pulls into the parkway of the Alexandra Hotel and Casino.

“We’re having dinner here?” I query as I take in the impressive building in front of us.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m aware of the Alexandra, not that I’ve seen it other than while driving past, or the editorial photographs that are plastered over the internet, their sole purpose to tempt you into the lavishness that they boast to be hiding behind the ostentatious glass-fronted building. But this place is expensive, with a capital mega dollar sign and way, way too much for a second date.

“This is way too much,” I voice my thoughts. It’s lost on Paddy as he’s already out of the car, making his way around to my side. When he opens the door, his hand is instantly there to help me out of the car. “Paddy, this is way over the top,” I hesitate in taking his offered hand.

“Will you get out of the car, darling,” he gestures with a shake of his hand. “Don’t make me look like a total eejit standing here waiting in front of the valet and other guests.”

I glanced over to a young guy dressed in hotel uniform, hands linked in front of him, patiently waiting to receive the car so he can move it to let the cars behind forward.

“Shit,” I concede, taking Paddy’s hand and stepping out of the car. In my haste, I forget about veiling mydignity, possibly giving him and anyone else within viewing distance a flash of my silky lace panties. I check his expression to see if there’s any sign that he did, but when I’m met with a salacious grin plastered on his lips and fire in his eyes that could burn down the world, all hope is quickly lost.

“Are you teasing me, Tenley?” he says, confirming that indeed I’d given him a glance of next week’s washing. “Because it’s working, but I’d rather you keep it for my eyes only.”

“I didn’t mean to,” I say defensively as we walk towards the entrance. No longer holding hands, his falls to the hollow of my back. “You were rushing me.”

“Is it bad that I don’t regret it?” he winks as we get to the entrance.

The door is opened for us, saving me from any further embarrassment in trying to defend myself. We step inside and are immediately hit with the overwhelming grandeur. The online pictures don’t do the reality any justice.

“Wow,” I can’t help blurting out as we step further into the foyer, and I take in the sight that is all that sparkles, glitters and shines.

A thousand tiny lights light up the blue and cream walls. The tiled floor is like glass with its highly polished surface. The centerpiece, a water feature with human sized seahorses with water cascading from their mouths. Purely white seashells scattered around them complete the impressive fountain.

“Why would you bring us here, of all places? This is incredible, but holy hell, I bet the cost of a coffee here ismore than an entire month's worth of caramel lattes from Starbucks.”

“Like I said,” he laughs at my comparison. “The food is incredible, and the services is the best you can get here in Reno. I also thought that after we’ve eaten, we could spend some time in the casino. Have a little fun.” He suddenly stops, spinning me around to face him. “That’s unless you’re against gambling?”

“Not as such. I am however, not one for flitting away my hard-earned cash on blackjack or roulette, if that counts.”

“Well, you won’t be losing anything, because I’ll be the one fronting the cash to play, and I’m not the slightest bit concerned.”

Paddy quickly leads me through the hotel, not giving me a chance to refuse his generosity, that I have no intention of taking. It’s obvious that he’s been here before with the way he moves easily within the place. It makes me wonder how a man like him can afford to be so frivolous with his cash. The Death Valley Irish must be much deeper involved in corruption for it to be so lucrative for them and able to splash the cash like Paddy seems to do.

When we get to the fine dining restaurant within the resort, the maître d’s face immediately lights up with a huge grin. Paddy’s hand instantly snaps away from my back as if my skin had burnt at the touch. The extra couple of inches that he moves to put between us don’t skip my notice, either.

“Mr Dunne, I noticed your name on the guest listtonight,” he welcomes. “How lovely to see you again. It’s been a while.”

“Well, hello there, Danny,” he greets back. “It has that, then again, it’s not the same when you come on your own.”

“That’s so true, sir,” he chuckles. “But tonight, I see you are not alone.”

“No, I’m not,” he shuffles uneasily from one foot to the other and for once, I think I’m seeing Paddy slightly out of his comfort zone. “This is a business meeting, so I’d be grateful if you could seat us at a table where we won’t be disturbed too much and that will give us a level of privacy.”

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