Free Love in the City, an erotic romance novel by Heather Hall Page A

to leave. Anabelle had stared at the phone in anger and hurt so much all day she expected to see it half melted. It just sat there. Indifferent to her plight. She quietly left the office, not speaking to anyone, and headed home. She picked up a couple of slices of pizza on her way home. She didn’t have the energy to cook.
    She got home, fed Jasper, ate her pizza in silence and then plopped down on the couch, scrolling through channels. Nothing grabbed her. Jasper curled up beside her, happy with a full belly. She went to pick up the phone to call Sarah and complain to her what misery she was in, when it rang. It startled her. She startled Jasper.
    “It’s ok ay, boy, sorry I made you jump.” She placed a comforting hand on his side as she picked up the phone, expecting it to be Sarah. “Hey,” she said.
    “Anabelle?” the man’s voice said.
    Her voice caught in her throat.
    “Hello?” he said.
    “Um, hi?” she said, her voice wavering.
    “It’s Giorgio. Is this a good time to talk?
    Her throat felt tight. “It’s fine.”
    “I missed you the other night,” he said, his deep voice soft, probing.
    She blinked. “What do you mean?”
    “At dinner. You didn’t show. You were working late?”
    “What?”
    “Raquel said you weren’t available.”
    Anabelle was furious. “She lied.”
    “Lied? Why?”
    “She told me I wasn’t invited. That it was a meeting just for the two of you.”
    He exhaled. “I see. That’s not what she told me.”
    “Mmmhmm,” she said. She was steamed.
    “And then when I didn’t call you…”
    “Yeah,” she said, feeling silly and gullible. She thought of Raquel and how manipulative and selfish and outright mean she was. She didn’t know how she was going to continue to work for someone like that.
    “Your boss is a piece of work,” he said. “I’ll have to keep my guard up. But she does seem capable of handling our campaign. I’d still like to work with you, if you’d be comfortable with that?”
    “Yes, yes, of course,” Anabelle replied, putting a hand to her forehead. A headache was forming. “I think Kinetic can help.”
    “Good, glad to hear it. I’m looking forward working with you.”
    Her heart sank.
    “And hopefully going on that date?”
    “I’d like that,” she said, twirling her hair and biting her lip.
    “Then, how about Monday night? I have to fly out early tomorrow morning for a quick business trip, but I’m back in the office Monday. I could come by and pick you up after work if you like?”
    “Sure,” she said, feeling a huge sense of relief, but also kind of disappointed she’d have to wait until after the weekend to see him.
    “Would you be in interested in an early dinner and then maybe a walk through Central Park?”
    “That sounds lovely,” Anabelle said, thrilled at the thought.
    “I know a great place in Manhattan – Carlo’s, if you like Italian.”
    “Love Italian. I’ve heard of the place, but I’ve never been there. I know it’s popular though.”
    “Great, I’ll get us a reservation and then pick you up at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, if that works for you?”
    “Perfect,” she said, and then they hung up the phone. She couldn’t believe it. She was actually going on a date with the gorgeous G iorgio Tsarkopolis. She was on cloud nine.
     
    Anabelle went to sleep happy and hopeful that night that Raquel wasn’t going to win this battle, no matter what tricks she had up her sleeve.

Chapter 10
     
    Monday morning came and Anabelle was a bundle of nerves in anticipation of her first actual date with Giorgio. She had spent the weekend agonizing over every detail of what had transpired so far and wondering about what was to come. She had played countless scenarios in her head about how things might go, what he was going to be like on a date.
    She had also been letting her insecurities play on her mind a bit, wondering if he really was on a weekend business trip or if there was something else he was doing. She thought