I tear my eyes away from the sexy stranger. “Drink…no. I’m, um, fine.”
Kazimir claps the guy behind him on the shoulder and pushes him toward the table. “Guys, this is Zeno. He’s a friend of the family, in for a visit. He needs a drink.”
“Oh, me, me, me!” Chloe mutters under her breath.
I give her a nudge, plastering a smile on my face as Kaz introduces us. He stops at Chloe. “You. I don’t know you.”
She takes that opportunity to stand up and puff out her very ample chest as she sticks out her hand first to Kazimir and then to Zeno. “Chloe. I’m a friend of Lily’s.”
I’d like to stand up, except my legs have morphed into Jell-O under his hypnotic stare and I’m afraid I might just face-plant into the champagne bucket if I try.
“Lil, I heard the great news. Congratulations. Always good to have a doctor on staff, ya know?” Kazimir says with a wink.
“Thanks. And sure, if anyone needs their anal glands expressed in the future, then I’m your girl.”
He snickers. “Noted.” He helps Lindy out of the booth. “Now, if you don’t mind, I need to steal my wife for the rest of the night.” He nods at Zeno. “Have a couple of drinks and relax. We’ll catch up in the morning.”
Zeno nods and shakes his hand before looking back at the three of us.
Chloe pats the seat beside her, inviting Zeno to slide into the booth, but instead he chooses to sit across from me. He pours himself a shot of whiskey and sits back, not speaking.
Just watching.
But Chloe has an objective and she’s not going to let him remain quiet for long. “So, Zeno, where are you from?”
His lips lift into a smirk. “Kansas,” he says in a deep baritone with a distinct Italian accent. Oh, God, and when I thought he could not possibly get any bit sexier.
I swallow a giggle and Chloe rolls her eyes.
“Come on, I’m not drunk enough to buy that. Tell the truth, Man of Mystery,” she coos. “You’re from somewhere overseas, right? Somewhere glamorous?”
He nods, a serious look on his face. “Yes. Very glamorous. I live in a castle overlooking the Mediterranean in Monte Carlo.”
She gasps. “Really?”
I shake my head. “He’s screwing with you, Chloe.”
Zeno grins at me, and when he winks, I swear I can feel my heart leap.
But even the teasing doesn’t stop Chloe. She grazes his arm and smiles invitingly. “Okay, so we’ve at least established that you’re from Europe.”
“Have we?” he asks with a quirk of his brow.
“Well, maybe not, but that’s okay.” She scoots closer to him. “Let’s see if you can answer at least one question truthfully, like, how long will you be in town?” She tilts her head to the side. “I’d love to show you around.”
I shift on the seat because it’s a little odd that Chloe is asking him all of these questions and making the offers, but yet he hasn’t taken his eyes off ofme.
I can sense it’s pissing her off and even though she’s a good friend, she’s definitely one who needs all eyes on her all of the time. She’s kind of an attention-whore and I’m the exact opposite, which is why this is so unsettling.
Guys always look at Chloe. She just has that aura about her. She exudes confidence and sex appeal, and she’s gorgeous to boot.
But this guy…Zeno…is seemingly oblivious to all of it.
It’s like he’s immune to all of her charms, and she has no idea what to do with that realization.
I, on the other hand, know exactly what I’d like to do.
And damn, it feels nice to have this god-like man make me the focus of his attention.