Free Conquer Your Love by J. C. Reed

fished my phone out of my bag
and switched it on with trepidation at the outlook of calling him to pick me
up. The screen came to life with the usual swirls of colors. Three bars loaded
together with a welcome message from an Italian service provider. I scrolled
through my contact list when the text messages and call notifications began to
come in one after another.
    Holy.
    Cow.
    Ninety-eight messages. And
all from Jett.
    And then the phone started to vibrate and the
display showed his caller ID.
    I pressed the response button and held the
earpiece to my ear.
    “What did I tell you about switching on your
goddamn phone, Brooke?” His deep voice thundered down the line. I gasped at
just how amazingly sexy he sounded. He seemed slightly annoyed, but I could
sense a hint of amusement in his tone. “Have you forgotten about our meeting?”
    The idea that he still thought he was entitled
to treat me like he was my boss annoyed me. If he could play this game, so
could I.
    “Sorry, is it noon already?” I faked a
surprised pause, making sure I sounded sarcastic. “I didn’t realize. It’s been
such a busy day.”
    “Really?” His voice changed, became softer.
Did I detect a hint of jealousy?
    “Where are you? You were supposed to be at the
bus station in front of the club.”
    I communicated my location.
    “Okay, wait there. I’ll have you picked up.
The driver will be there in five.”
      And with that he disconnected, leaving me
more nervous than before. Was it really such a good idea to meet with him?
Probably not but, damn, I wasn’t going to back off now.

Chapter 7

 
 
 
 
    The waiter led me through an almost empty
restaurant, then up a broad staircase. Soft voices and the noise of cutlery
carried over from what I assumed was the kitchen area somewhere below us, but
apart from that nothing really stirred. I peered around me, wondering why a
restaurant in a famous tourist area would be so unusually quiet at this time of
day.
    “Where are we going?” I asked the waiter. He continued to walk, ignoring
my question, which led me to believe he either didn’t understand me, or he was
following specific instructions not to answer any questions. I clamped my mouth
shut, both confused and fascinated. Surprises weren’t my thing, however I had
to admit this one was more than interesting.
      We passed through a closed
off dining room on the second floor which—by the look of it—was
probably reserved for special events and wedding parties. To our left, chairs
were stacked on top of the tables. To my right, the whole wall was made of
glass, allowing a clear view of the blue sky and the mountain backdrop. Soft
Italian music played in the background—not loud enough to be intrusive,
but loud enough to give a romantic flair. The waiter slid the terrace doors
open and guided me out onto a panoramic patio decorated with flowers. In the
middle, near the white stone balustrade, were a table and two chairs, the white
brocade tablecloth shimmering unnaturally bright in the sunlight and building a
beautiful contrast to the crystal vase holding pink roses. A bottle of
champagne was perched between ice cubes in a silver bucket next to two
champagne flutes. I swallowed hard to get rid of the sudden dryness in my
throat.
    Holy shit.
    Did Jett pay to have the restaurant closed off to everyone but us? And I
thought by agreeing to just having lunch with him I could avoid exactly this
kind of shocker. From the way the roses were arranged, to the fine tablecloth
and sparkling glass and cutlery, I could tell someone had mulled over every
detail. It would have been the perfect spot for a marriage proposal.
    A proposal,
Stewart? Really?
    I snorted at the mad and absolutely irrational direction my thoughts
were taking. Obviously I was still the hopeless romantic, and yet I didn’t
quite want to be in love. Not to
mention the fact that I barely knew anything about Jett and his life, while I
had already told him everything about me