chapter 5

They had walked the short distance to Roulette's. It wasn't far, and it was easier to get there by walking instead of driving. He was pleased to see she had worn her flowered sheath dress. It was so pretty on her and it already clung to her. Lunch would be amazing.

Once they were seated Mr. Phillips suggested they enjoy a drink while they waited for Mr. Jackson.

"I thought it was against company policy to have a drink while on the clock", she stated. Mr. Phillips raised his eyebrow.

"As I'm the boss, I make the rules", he stated and ordered her a dry white wine. She immediately regretted her words and murmured a thank you.

Almost immediately after the wine arrived his cell phone rang. He excused himself and went to the foyer. Miranda drank her wine and when she was offered a refill she accepted. She also helped herself to a buttery breadstick from the basket in front of her. His call was taking forever and she was starving! Days of watermelon had taken its toll. The carbs sang on her tongue and as they went down her throat.

As Mr. Phillips was walking back a large round wheel, about 18" in diameter was delivered to the table. Miranda looked at the food, her big brown eyes even wider than Mr. Phillips thought they could get.

"What's this?" she asked the waiter.

"It's our signature appetizer platter. A roulette wheel, like our name", he said and then disappeared. Mr. Phillips sat down next to her in the crescent booth. They were hidden away in a corner, where business meetings were able to be conducted privately.

"My goodness! Won't Mr. Jackson be surprised at all this food!" she exclaimed. "What is it?" she asked. She knew the bruschetta, and the caprese, but was lost as to the names of the others. Mr. Phillips smiled at her, really smiled with his whole handsome face. His beautiful blue eyes were glowing.

"Well, this is prosciutto and melon, garlic mushrooms, Coppa Gamberi, it's a prawn cocktail and it's delicious, mozzarella sticks and of course fried ravioli. Definitely try it all. Mr. Jackson will be a little later than he thought, so we have time to taste and enjoy. I've taken the liberty of ordering for you. You haven't been here before, have you?" he asked.

"No, never. It's not like this is a takeout joint. I'd have to have hours just to take it all in", she said in awe. The architecture was very old world with hanging plants and potted trees. It was a very private place.

"When Mr. Jackson gets here we'll be served so we can get to business right away. In the meantime, try the prawns, they are amazing", he said, rotating the dish to the prawns and putting some on her dish. It was the right thing to do. She felt pampered and cossetted.

"Oh my god these ARE good!" she beamed as she slumped back in her seat. "It's like eating heaven!"

"Mr. Phillips, you're going to eat too right? I can't eat all this by myself", she said looking into his baby blues.

"Of course, and Miranda, you can call me Mark. I feel so much older than you when you call me Mr. Phillips and we're practically the same age."

He poured her another glass of wine. "Thank you... Mark" She blushed again, not realizing it.

She felt like she was in one of her fantasies. Here was the man of her dreams, pouring her wine, buying her lunch in a fabulously expensive restaurant, and they were making eye contact.

"I think I might be getting a little drunk", she said softly.

"We don't want that. I need you ready to take notes when Mr. Jackson gets here. Have some more appetizers, that should soak up some of that wine", he said pleasantly enough, but directly as well and she caught the warning. She started to eat.

They talked about music and movies, schools and current events. They stayed away from the topic of family and spouses and anything else that might ruin the moment they were both enjoying. Every once in a while, when she looked at him, he would grab something off the tray, but Miranda was making quite the dent. He also kept adding wine to her glass when she wasn't looking.

After she returned from her second trip to the rest room, Mark told her that Mr. Jackson had been detained and wasn't going to make it after all. He'd known since that first phone call, but he wanted to make sure she wouldn't be able to go back to the office. He wanted to feed her dinner and see just how much she could handle. Already her watermelon belly was sticking out there. Her dress wasn't too tight, but he wanted to see just how tight he could get it. The wine had done the trick in letting her inhibitions down. She was barely concerned with the way she looked and was all about the taste and sounds and smells around her.

"Oh, I hate to go back to the office like this!", she blurted out.

"My dear, I ordered us dinner. You are not going back to the office now. At this point by the time we get done it'll be closing time anyway", he said, touching her arm.

"Mark, I'm too full to eat anymore. I'm so glad you helped me with the appetizers because I would have made a pig of myself if you hadn't!" she said.

"Miranda, there has to be room for dinner! You barely ate anything", he said as he poured her more wine.

As she sat and drank it she listed to him talk and kind of zoned out. She was happy! So happy! His leg brushed against hers and she wanted to jump on him. Then dinner arrived. Spaghetti with marinara sauce and chicken parmesan. It was family size and they would be sharing. It had been a half hour since she'd had her last appetizer, and she felt she could eat a normal size plate with no problem.

Mark served her and then himself and they ate and talked. She had no idea she was moaning about the food until Mark chuckled.

"I like a girl that enjoys her food. It's so hard to get a woman to say she actually likes to eat", he said, touching her arm once again. Her skin felt electrified. She wanted to tell him she was full but couldn't bring herself to do it after that admission. She excused herself to go to the restroom and when she got back she realized she had barely touched her plate. Feeling completely full she pushed her plate away.