Free A Forbidden Love (The Forbidden Series) by Niquel Page B

its
whatever.”
    “I’ll
be there.”
    I
scanned my closet for a simple, yet casual outfit for this chilly fall evening.
I was nervous and excited to have my first official date with Al. I found a
gray cable knit cowl neck sweater, my dark blue skinny jeans, and my black
mid-calf riding boots. Paired with my long black trench coat, I should be
fairly warm tonight.
    I
made my way to the tree around the corner from Al’s house and he was standing
right beside it, patiently awaiting my arrival. I parked in front of him and
cracked my window.
    “I
wasn’t sure if you were gonna show up.”
    “I
told you I was coming, who could pass up free food?” I giggled.
    “Slide
over, I’m driving tonight.”
    “Where
exactly are you taking me?”
    “To
Fire and Ice.”
    “I’ve
never heard of it.”
    “Good,
well let’s go.”
    We
reach our destination in less than an hour. Allan parked the car in the Valet
area and walked around the opposite side to open my door.
    “You’re
such a gentleman.”
    “I
aim to please.”
    There
were three levels inside the building. Level one was the bar, fitted with
wooden bar stools and tall round tables, Level two was the dining area and
Level three was the private party area. We made our way up to the second floor
for dinner.
    The
lighting was very warm and inviting, there were separate round booths
underneath a brick wall backdrop with a waterfront view and several round
tables with chairs scattered all over the place. A huge circular grill sat in
the middle of the room, ready to cook food for an army of a hundred guests. We
chose a booth right by the window, with a waterfront view.
    The
waitress, who was in awe of Allan, immediately came over before we sat down and
tried to take his drink order.
    “What
could I get for you sir? We have a huge selection of wines and spirits you can
choose from. The first glass is on the house.”
    “Can
you give us a minute to review the menu? I’ll call you when we’re ready, damn.”
Insulted, she rolled her eyes and quickly stormed off.
    While
he figured out which wine we should drink I looked around the room, admiring
all the beautiful buffet style fixtures full of fresh fish, meat, veggies,
sides and sauces. The combinations of meals were endless! He finally chose a
house red wine and placed the order. We walked over to the buffet tables,
grabbed a couple of bowls, and filled them with different sauces, sides, and
raw proteins. We handed our bowls to the cook, who then spread our concoction
in a straight line on the grill and cooked them to perfection.
    “How
is it?” he asked.
    “Mouth
watering, I’ll definitely be going back for seconds!”
    “How
did you find this place?”
    “I
rather not talk about it, but enjoy your food sweet-face.” I was going to
pursue further, but I didn’t because I was afraid of the real reason he didn’t
want to tell me. There was a possibility that he could have discovered this
place with Jake, or an ex and it was irrelevant at the moment.
    “So
if you’re from Auburn, how come you have a slight southern accent?”
    “My
mom lives in Texas, and I stayed with her for a few years to help raise my
younger brothers.”
    “Oh,
that was sweet of you. Family must be really important then huh?”
    “Not
really, but maybe in a few years that’ll change. I’m only 28 so there’s plenty
of time for the ‘family’ scene later.”
    “I
didn’t really plan on having kids, but I guess if I found the right guy, I’d
consider.”
    “You’re
a college girl; you just worry about partying, homework, and fucking me...
That’s it.”
    “Well
since you put it that way,” I said while trying to hide the embarrassment on my
face from what he just said, by picking up the half empty wine glass, swirling
the sweet dark liquid around and quickly gulping it down.
    After
dinner, we returned to the Valet to retrieve my car. He handed the guy a five
dollar bill. “Here’s for your trouble.”
    “Thank
you,