Her Alpha CEO

Excitement thrummed through her veins as she applied her makeup — not too much, because she’d never really liked the feel of wearing a mask of gunk on her face, and her Mama had always told her that she had beautiful skin, and should show it off, not cover it up. Since her teenage years, she’d outgrown the rebellious phase and had reverted to more natural makeup.

A shimmer of eyeshadow, a hint of mascara, and some lip-gloss, and she was ready. She eyed her braids, wondering what she could do with them. If Brian was taking her dancing, and he’d indicated he was, then it was a bad idea to leave them loose. Moves like they’d pulled on the night of Jen’s party was sure to have Brian getting slapped in the face by her waist-length braids, and if she’d learned anything from her dancing lessons, it was that her hair stung like a whip when it hit right.

Nina giggled as she recalled her poor dancing instructor the first time he’d spun her after she’d just had her hair braided. He’d worn the welt across his cheek for a week and told everyone who’d asked that his boyfriend had gotten a bit excited in the bedroom.

She didn’t think Brian would have the same sense of humor about it, so she opted for twisting them back into a knot at the base of her neck. Eyeing her reflection, she was pleased with the result of her ensemble, which left her looking chic and sexy.

She was also nervous and ready twenty minutes early, which was unheard of for her. She was well-known among her friends for always keeping them waiting. Trying to calm her nerves, she did a quick walkthrough of the house, making sure it was as immaculate as it had been when she’d finished cleaning it the previous night. It was, and there were still fifteen minutes to go before Brian was due to pick her up.

She double-checked her clutch purse. Cell, lipstick, credit card. She had everything she could possibly need for the evening, and there were still ten minutes left. A wrap! She’d forgotten a wrap. She hurried into her bedroom, pulling open her cupboard and hesitating before choosing a black silken wrap that shimmered with silver threads woven through the fabric. Perfect.

She’d just closed the cupboard when the doorbell rang. Right on time. She hurried through to the living room, and opened the door, a smile hovering on her lips.

“Hi!” Brian stood on the threshold, his tuxedo immaculately tailored and showing off his tall frame to perfection. He smiled down at her and bent down to kiss her.

“You look beautiful.” he murmured against her lips, sending a thrill through her as he pulled back and held out his arm. Shall we go?”

Thank you. You’re looking quite debonair yourself.” she fluttered her lashes at him, and he grinned. He waited while she locked the door behind her, then escorted her to his car — an Audi, not quite top of the line, but certainly in the upper ranges, she noticed.

He held the door for her, waiting until she was settled before closing it gently behind her and moving round to get into the driver’s seat.

“There’s a little gift for you in the cubby hole.” he spoke as he pulled away and eased into the traffic. “I thought flowers might be a bit cliché, and since you’ve mentioned how much you hate clichés, I decided to get you something more useful.”

Curiosity tugged at her and she opened the cubby, pulling out the small gift-wrapped parcel inside. She shook it, twisting it round in her fingers as she tried to guess what it was.

“You can open it, you know?” Brian’s tone said he was laughing at her.

“I know, but half the fun is in guessing.” Nina grinned at him, and he rolled his eyes.

“I don’t have the patience for that. Just open your gift, woman.”

“Bossy.” Nina laughed, slipping her finger under the sellotape that held the package closed. It opened easily, and she flipped it over, letting the object inside slide out into her palm. “What is it?”

“I noticed when I came to dinner that your recipe book was lying flat on the counter. That’s a book stand, designed to hold your books while you work or cook or just get tired of holding the book. And if you look under the seat, the second part of the gift is hidden there.” He grinned like an excited child, eager to see her reaction.

She reached under the seat, and pulled out a slightly bulkier object, also wrapped. This time, she didn’t hesitate, and opened it immediately to reveal a lamp in the shape of a slender cat.

“It attaches to the stand, so you can rest the book on it, and have the pages lit while reading.”

“It’s lovely, thank you. But how did you know I like cats?”

“The placemats you used for dinner. They had pictures of cats on them.”

Nina stared at him. “Brian?”

“Mmhm?”

“You do realize that your powers of observation are ever so slightly creepy, right?”

He laughed, glancing over at her quickly before turning his attention back to the road.

“I may have been told that once or twice before. I can’t really help it though. It’s all those years spent gaming. I notice a lot of things other people normally wouldn’t.”

“Of course. It must be the gaming.” she teased him, enjoying the sound of his laughter. “So where are we going?”

“Ah, now if I told you that, it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?”

Nina chuckled. “I suppose not, but can I guess?”

“You can try.” Brian sounded smug, as though she’d never be able to guess. She wasn’t sure she would, she didn’t recognize the neighborhood Brian had been driving through for the last ten minutes, but she would try. She began by listing all the upmarket restaurants she could think of, Brian shaking his head at each one, his grin growing wider all the time.

When she ran out of restaurants she knew, she began making up names, each one more ridiculous than the last until both of them were laughing so hard they couldn’t continue. It was a childish game, but fun, and Nina was delighted that Brian had joined in with it.

As they turned into the parking lot of their destination though, Nina’s laughter died on a gasp of surprise. From the building, a neon sign announced their destination — a cabaret dancer kicking her leg high into the air, lit in shades of red and gold.

“Cantare? You brought me to Cantare?” Brian looked over at her as he parked the car in the crowded lot.

“You said you liked dancing, and your moves at Jen’s party hinted that you’d taken lessons. I thought you’d like it.”

Nina turned to look at him, her eyes sparkling, an excited grin pulling at her lips. “Are you kidding? I’ve wanted to come here for ages, but it’s not really a place a girl comes without a dancing partner. I could kiss you!”