Chapter 0007

This is something you can handle. It'll only take a few of hours. He's not going to murder you. Pretend it's a date, and forget that you've never truly dated and are probably terrible at it. You'll be OK.

"Yes, sir," Ambrose responds, his face set on a mad run for the door.

"Thank you for driving me, Ambrose" I grin up at him, he bobs his head and keeps his attention on the ground as if he isn't permitted to look at me directly.

"Enjoy your evening, Miss Kendrick, Mr Whitlock," and my buffer vanished. It's just the two of us now. I return my gaze to the man in front of me and give him a nice smile.

"Nervous?" I can't lie, he says. His fixed gaze on me makes me feel like I'm hooked up to a lie detecting machine. I nod my head and crack a shy smile.

"Yes, I've never done anything like this before," I say as he tilts his head and watches me, his own lips twisting into a delicate smile.

"How did you get involved in this?" As he takes a sip of his water, ice crystals clink on the goblet, he asks.

"My friend Poppy, she has an um, well, she's done this kind of thing before" I'm hesitant to use the right terminology; I'm not even sure I know what they are.

"She has a sugar daddy?" Rhodes affirms, and I nod in agreement. I'm not sure if it's the word'sugar' or 'daddy' that bothers me the most, or if it's the mixture of the two.

"And why would such a lovely young lady as you want to be with an older man?" You'd have men your own age knocking on your door." His voice is soft and whispered, and he leans in as if he's telling me a secret. As I shake my head softly, I notice a red flush forming on my cheeks.

"Men my age don't see me," I say with a lovely smile. He smirks lightly and shakes his head.

"I don't believe that. You're...stunning," his eyes soften and I blush even more at the comment, he's quite the charmer.

"Thank you," I say softly. "To be honest, I don't care for boys my age." "I sometimes find them childish and unmotivated, if not a little gross," I admit.

Of course, I've had crushes on males my own age, but it's usually over moment they open their mouth to speak. No boy my age would ever take me out for a dinner or even a drink without first attempting to sleep with me, and if I turned down his advances, I'd be labeled as ugly and unworthy of his time.

He stifles a smile and grins softly, "Can't disagree with you there, love." You want something a little more refined and refined. "Some maturity and sophistication," I agree and smile pleasantly. See, he understands. A young girl in a neat black apron and white collar shirt stands near us, interrupting our moment.

"Would you like to order anything to eat or drink?" She doesn't look at me; instead, her gaze is fixed on Rhodes. And I'm not sure if it's because he's clearly her boss or because she likes him.

Rhodes nods and orders a classy-sounding bottle of wine for us to share; I'm not a big drinker, but I'll drink a glass or two to appear mature.

"I'll have the steak, and Amelia will have the pasta thank you Anna" She nods and rushes away; I'm a little concerned that he's ordered for me, but I decide to dismiss it. He might just be a control freak, but that's nothing I can't handle. Plus, I'm starving, so I'll eat anything is handed to me.

"You're a student correct?" After the waitress has left, Rhodes asks, and I agree as I take a sip of my ice water, only now realizing how thirsty this whole process has made me. "Do you enjoy it?"

I tilt my head to the side and smile. "Honestly, not really," he says as I go on. "I wanted to study literature, but my mother insisted I study something that would get me a job." It's not absolutely bad, but I'm not crazy about it."

"There are a lot of different careers you could go into with literature," he says as the waiter approaches us and begins pouring a deep crimson wine into two huge glasses in front of us.

"I spent a year telling her that, no such luck" I scrunch up my nose slightly. That had been a difficult year, fighting an uphill battle I knew I couldn't win but still trying. At the very least, I didn't give up without a fight.

"Do you work?" Rhodes inquires as he picks up his glass and takes a sip, clearly enjoying it.

"I work at a cafe on weekends, and on the days that I don't have lectures I work in the university bookstore"

"Surrounded by the things you love?" He smirks as he replaces his glass on the clean white tablecloth. I can't help but laugh quietly.

"I suppose so, though I spend most of my time unpacking textbooks rather than reading." At the very least, I get a staff discount." I'm strangely at ease in his company; he seems content to control the conversation, and I'm as content to be led.

"Do you enjoy your work?" I inquire as I reach for my own glass of wine. Though I'd be delighted to let him lead the conversation, I'm curious to learn more about him. As he looks around the room, the sides of his mouth curve up in a pleasant smile.

"I truly believe it. It's hard job, I don't get much time off, and it's quite stressful, but I enjoy it." I grin in answer and take a drink of the wine, amazed that I appreciate it more than any other wine I've ever had. Having said that, all of the other wines I've tried have tasted like nail varnish.

"How many hotels do you have?" I inquire as I lick my bottom lip and replace the glass. He observes me silently for a moment before responding.

"13, but there are plans in the works to open two more in the next two years." I travel frequently. "Do you enjoy traveling?" He inquires.

I slightly shrug my shoulders. "I've never left the UK," I confess, embarrassed. We never had the money growing up to go on vacations, and I've never even been on an airline.

"Perhaps you'll have to accompany me someday," he says gently, his voice lower. As I take another sip of wine, my cheeks begin to flush, and I hope my sweet smile is enough of a reaction.

Would I want to accompany him? I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with him yet or if it's just his charisma that makes me feel at ease. Fortunately, we are stopped by the waitress bringing us our lunch; a plate of creamy pasta is placed in front of me, and the aroma is almost enough to make me salivate.

I say goodbye to the waitress and pick up my fork, slowly taking a bite of my dish.

It's rich, creamy, and extremely delectable; I could get used to it.