Midnight Call (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (13 page)

“Wow,” she said, panting as he rested his forehead against hers. “That was amazing.”

“I aim to please,” Greg said with an arrogant smirk.

Cocky bastard
, she thought as she laughed. She couldn’t get over how one minute he was so shy and the next so confident. “Is this the part where I should be down on my knees thanking you?”

Greg laughed as he released her. Once she was steady on her feet, he let her go and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “You can thank me later. Be ready to go at seven.”

With that, he strolled out of Addison’s room like he didn’t have a care in the world, leaving Nadia shivering at his sensual tone and the feeling of his breath against her ear. Nadia glanced over at Addison and was glad to see that she was still asleep. She tried to feel guilty about the very adult things she had just done in the baby’s room but couldn’t. All she could think about was her date with Greg and what the night would bring.

Looking at the clock, Nadia realized she had slept the morning and most of the afternoon away. She needed to get moving if she was going to have enough time to get ready for her date. She couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she set about doing everything she needed to get done.

* * * *

Greg wiped his sweaty palms against his thighs for what felt like the hundredth time. He had no clue why he was so nervous. In his mind he knew there was no reason to be nervous, that it was one simple date. His body seemed to think differently and had decided to rebel on him. He went from pacing one minute to having to sit down for fear his knees would give out the next. It was utterly ridiculous.

“What the hell is wrong with you, man? I can’t concentrate with you having a panic attack over there,” Steve said from behind his computer.

“Yeah,” Jackson said, snickering. He pressed pause on the video game he was playing and looked over at Greg. “Are you ready for your fancy date with Nadia? Where are you taking her anyway?”

“I had Steve call in a favor and get us a table at that Italian restaurant his friend owns,” Greg said. He would much rather stay home and order a pizza, but he figured a girl like Nadia would enjoy a night out on the town and dinner at a classy restaurant.

Jackson let out a sharp whistle. “Wow. That place is expensive. Since when do you know the owner?” he asked, turning to Steve.

“I designed their new website last year. The owner loved it so much he told me I had a table waiting anytime I needed it. I have never had a reason to go, so I called in a favor for Greg. No big deal.”

Greg watched as Steve turned red. No big deal was an understatement. Bella Italiana was one of the hottest restaurants in town. The place was seated by reservation only, and the wait was three months. For Steve to swing a table with only a couple hours notice was a huge deal. The thoughts in Greg’s head came to a screeching halt when Nadia entered the room. His mouth went dry, and he had to swallow a few times before he could find his voice.

“God, you are gorgeous.” The dress Nadia had on almost made him swallow his tongue. The front was so low he could see the curve of each breast. The color was a deep rich red.

Nadia did a little spin. “You like? I wasn’t sure what to wear because you didn’t tell me where we were going.”

The back of her dress was lower than the front. Nadia’s entire back was exposed all the way down to the top of her tight little bottom. Greg had to reach down to adjust his pants because they were suddenly two tight. Judging by the two gasps he had heard coming from the other side of the room when Nadia walked in, Jackson and Steve were just as affected. Nadia’s smirk told him that she knew exactly what she was doing.

“In that dress, you would look great no matter where we were going.” Greg needed to get out of the house fast. It was too hot all of a sudden and sweat stains in his pits was not a good way to start off the date.

Without another word, he ushered Nadia to his car and opened her door for her. When he turned to back out of the drive, he noticed the bottom of Nadia’s dress had a split in it and had parted to show one of her creamy thighs.

Greg groaned. “You’re killing me with that dress, baby.” Nadia laughed and pulled the pieces of her dress together over her thigh. “Is that better? You still haven’t told me where we are going.”

“Well, I thought we would go out for dinner. I didn’t really make it past that in the planning, so if you have something you want to do after dinner, just let me know.”

Nadia nodded and was quiet the rest of the ride to the restaurant. When he pulled into the parking lot of Bella Italiana, she smiled.

“How did you know that Italian was my favorite? I’ve never been here before, but I have been dying to try it.”

“Steve knows the owner and got us a table. I’ve never been here either, so hopefully we will enjoy it,” Greg said as he led Nadia inside. His hand tingled where he placed it against her lower back to guide her. All he could think about was sliding his hand just a tad lower to see if she was wearing panties. All too soon he had to let her go so they could be seated.

“Wow, look at this place. Everything is so expensive and rich looking. I’m not trying to be rude or anything, but can you afford this? I don’t need you to take me somewhere like this to have a good time. This would definitely be way out of my price range.”

Greg thought about what Nadia was asking. Only two people knew about his financial situation, and those were Steve and Jackson. Looking at Nadia, he had a feeling that, if anyone could understand him, it would be her. She was someone he could see himself falling in love with, so he decided to take a chance.

“My parents were wealthy, and when they died, they left me all that money. The sad thing about it is I haven’t even touched it. It has been just sitting in the bank for years drawing interest.” He watched for Nadia’s reaction the whole time. When she didn’t get the gleam in her eyes most girls got when they were imagining the shopping spree they could go on with his money, he continued. “The thing is I didn’t need their money. By the time they died, I had already been out on my own for a while and was earning more money than I knew what to do with. You would be surprised how much you can make when you help develop a few video games. After hiring an accountant and investing in a few of the games I helped create, I basically have enough money to last me several lifetimes.”

The waiter interrupted them and took their drink orders. Greg waited patiently while Nadia looked over the menu and then placed her dinner order. He tried to read her expression, but her face was blank.

“Say something,” he finally said when it seemed she wasn’t going to respond to what he told her.

“I’m just trying to wrap my head around what you said. You don’t act like a person who has that kind of money.” Nadia held up her hand to stop him when he opened his mouth to comment. “I’m not saying that is a bad thing. Actually, it is a good thing. You know I grew up around money, and I have seen what it does to people. For you to have it and not let it be the center of your world is refreshing. You didn’t let all that money change who you are. You are the kind of person I wish my family and their acquaintances could be. Life would have been so much easier growing up.”

Greg felt the weight lift off his shoulders. For Nadia to accept him and not see dollar signs when she looked at him was the greatest feeling in the world.

By the time their food arrived, they had moved on to less serious topics, and Greg was truly enjoying himself until an older couple stepped over to their table. He had noticed throughout dinner the couple kept watching their table and frowning, but he figured it was because he and Nadia weren’t exactly quiet. They had both laughed out loud several times. Now that the couple was so close, Greg could see the resemblance between them and Nadia. They had to be her parents. Nadia confirmed his suspicions.

“Mother, Father, how are you doing tonight?”

Greg hated that Nadia was no longer relaxed and smiling. She held herself stiff and kept her eyes on the table.

“This is not how a Cassidy behaves in public, young lady. What is the meaning of this?” Nadia’s father said.

At least Greg assumed it was her father. The man didn’t even introduce himself or look Greg’s way. He just went immediately into berating his own daughter. Greg tried to think back over dinner to what infraction the man thought his daughter had made, but he couldn’t come up with anything.

“I’m not sure what you mean, Father,” Nadia said, almost too low for Greg to hear.

“You know exactly what I mean. Making a spectacle of yourself in a place that several of my colleagues frequent. And that dress makes you look like nothing more than a cheap prostitute.”

“That’s enough right there,” Greg said standing. “I am not going to sit her while you insult your own daughter. She has done nothing wrong. We were having a good time until you and your wife brought your condescending attitude over to this side of the room. Now it looks to me like you are the ones making a spectacle out of yourselves because no one was paying us any attention until you came over here.”

Greg was livid. He balled his hands to keep from reaching out and wrapping them around the asshole’s neck. If the man insulted Nadia one more time, he was going to either strangle him or knock him flat on his ass. He didn’t care if he was Nadia’s father or not.

“Nadia, get your things this instant. We are leaving. I gave you the time to run off and do whatever it is that you felt you had to do. Now it’s time for you to come home. This silliness of yours stops this instant. I will not have my daughter gallivanting around town with someone beneath her.”

Greg held his breath and waited for Nadia’s response. She was either going to stand up to her parents, or she was going to cave and go with them. Either way, it was a decision she needed to make on her own.

“No, Father,” she said in a low voice.

“What did you say to me?” Nadia’s father said in a threatening voice as he stepped toward her.

Greg also moved closer to her and noticed Nadia’s mother’s eyes widen, but she never said a word. In fact, she hadn’t said anything since the whole confrontation started. He found it sad that she wouldn’t even speak up to help her own daughter.

“I said no, Father,” Nadia said, finally meeting his eyes. “I will not go with you. I am happy where I am.”

“You will come with me this instant. I will not have my daughter with this trash.”

“Didn’t you hear me? I said no, and Greg is not trash. He is kind, sweet, and gentle. All of those are things you will never be. If he is trash, I would gladly take ten of him than live another day trapped in that house with you.”

“If you stay with him, that’s it. I will cut you off. You will no longer be my daughter.”

Nadia laughed. “Father, I haven’t used your money since I moved out two years ago. You can check my bank account. Every penny is still there. I have been doing fine without it for this long. I’m sure I can continue to manage. Just know that your decision to disown me is yours, not mine. You will still be my parents, and I will still love you. If and when you decide that you want to see or talk to me, I will be here. Now if you will excuse us, we were enjoying our dinner.”

Greg was impressed at how Nadia handled things and immediately dismissed her father. Judging by the man’s red face and the huge vein bulging at his temple, her father was not used to being dismissed either. After glaring at Nadia for a few seconds, he finally stormed off, causing his wife to run to catch up.

“I’m sorry I ruined dinner,” Nadia said, staring at the table.

“Hey, look at me,” Greg said, reaching for her hand. He waited until she finally looked up to continue. “You did nothing wrong, and you didn’t ruin anything.”

Nadia blushed and picked up her fork to finish her dinner. Greg could tell by the way her hands shook she was more affected than she was letting on, but he didn’t call attention to it. He had to admit he was affected as well. Just not in the way Nadia was. He was so turned on he could hardly keep himself from squirming in his chair. The thought of Nadia standing up for him to her parents nearly had him coming in his slacks. She was beautiful when she was angry. Thank goodness the tablecloths were long. They had already given the diners one show. He didn’t think they needed to see him tugging at his crotch as well.

When dinner was over, Greg paid the check and left a generous tip on the table. He led Nadia to the car and helped her in. He hated that she was so quiet. He wanted her laughing and talking again.

“Did you enjoy dinner?” he asked when he got into the driver’s seat.

“I really did, Greg. Everything was delicious. I’m just sorry it was ruined.”

“I told you it wasn’t ruined,” he said as he pulled out of the parking lot. “Look at it this way. There is no way we can ever forget our first date. When we are old, we can tell our grandkids about the scandal we caused in Bella Italiana. We will have to name our first born after the restaurant to commemorate the occasion.”

Nadia laughed, which was exactly what he was going for. She didn’t comment on the fact he already had their future planned out. He knew it was too soon to tell her that he wasn’t joking, but he could see himself having a future with this extraordinary woman.

Greg couldn’t wait any longer. He found a reasonably private spot on the side of the road and pulled over.