Perfect for You

noncommittal sound, but she couldn't agree to that. Not when the stakes were so high.

 
Chapter Eleven
     
     
    "I only have one goal tonight," Marcus said as he opened the menu. "To treat you like a queen."
    Freya would rather have been treated like a courtesan, truth be told. Only one glance at Dan and she'd known he wasn't going to be her muse. He wasn't tall enough, and his eyes weren't blue.
    But she'd committed to dinner, so she smiled mildly at him and looked at the entrŽe choices.
    At least it'd be an evening to remember. As a restaurateur, Marcus was treated like visiting royalty. They'd been seated in a cushy booth upstairs, with an excellent view of the entire restaurant. It was romantic—the type of place that was a prelude to a night of sexual debauchery. Too bad her companion wasn't as inspiring.
    "What do you think?" he asked, setting his menu aside.
    "The lamb." She put her menu on his.
    "Excellent choice. So."
    "So?"
    Marcus put his chin in his hand and stared at her.
    She waited for him to continue his thought, but the silence stretched out awkwardly. She raised her eyebrows and took a sip of wine, but he just gazed at her.
    How long would he sit there like that? She began to count in her head.
    She reached twenty-two before the waiter came and interrupted the stare-fest. Marcus ordered for them both and then he went back to looking at her after the waiter left.
    "So," she said brightly, "tell me—"
    "Freya, what a surprise to see you."
    She looked up to find Cavanaugh smiling down at her. "What are you doing here?"
    "Having dinner, of course." He turned to Marcus and held his hand out. "Greg Cavanaugh, Freya's neighbor."
    Marcus introduced himself, she guessed, though she missed it because she was distracted by the petite blonde with the fascinated look standing next to Cavanaugh. Freya recognized the woman—it was his girlfriend.
    The blonde held out her perfectly manicured hand. Her low neckline revealed black lace under the silky dress. "Jade Martin. I'm a colleague of Greg's."
    "Nice to meet you," Freya lied. Excellent—she was Lawyer Barbie.
    "Would you like to join us for a drink?" Marcus asked insincerely.
    "We'd love to, wouldn't we, Jade?" Greg elbowed his girlfriend.
    "Of course we would." She elbowed him back and scooted in next to Marcus.
    Which meant Greg had to sit on her side of the booth. She narrowed her eyes at him as he slid in next to her.
    He smiled and put his arm on the back of the booth.
    She might have believed he was stretching out, except his finger found one of her loose curls to play with. Trying to act casually, she batted his hand away.
    "So Marcus," Greg said as the waiter poured two additional glasses of wine, "how long have you known Freya?"
    Marcus looked at his watch. "About half an hour."
    They laughed, except Freya who waited for the other shoe to drop.
    "How about you and Jade?" Marcus asked.
    "Oh, Greg and I grew up together. We used to play doctor together." Jade grinned wickedly at her. "I only hope his technique has improved over the years."
    "Jade, remember that I'm doing you a favor." Greg glared retribution from across the table.
    "And here I thought I was helping you out." His girlfriend raised her glass to her lacquered lips.
    He turned to Freya. "Jade's date cancelled on her tonight and I'm being the good friend, taking her out so she doesn't wallow in self pity at home."
    She realized that he enunciated date carefully to make sure she caught it.
    "It's true," Jade said, "except for the self pity part. For the record, I don't wallow."
    Freya faced him. He didn't have a girlfriend?
    He shook his head, as if he could read her thoughts.
    She blinked, picking up her wine. It was like the world shifted. He was still a lawyer, and not to be trusted, but he didn't have a girlfriend.
    Greg's fingers brushed the nape of her neck. "Marcus, do you live in the city?"
    Freya stiffened as a shock of goose bumps rose up her back. Worse, her nipples tightened. She was torn between savoring the delicious sensation and pushing him away.
    Conversation flowed around her, but she couldn't focus on anything other than Greg's electric touch. She almost sobbed when he took his hand away.
    But then he put it on her leg.
    She pretended to listen to whatever story Jade was telling, laughing faintly when everyone else was, but she was struck stony by his touch.
    He slipped his fingers under her hem.
    She put her hand over his to keep him from going higher, but she was