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

about the rumors that Monday nights were usually reserved for low-priority, secondary dates, and that the important dates for people you were super interested in were always on a Friday or Saturday night.
    Not letting her worries deter her, Anabelle had spent a bit more time on her makeup and hair that morning, and dressed up a little for the occasion. Nothing too flashy since she’d be at work all day and they were heading to the park later. She wore a fitted pink blouse, with a tasteful collar, not too deep of a plunge, and not too prim, along with a dark plum-colored, flowy skirt that fell above the knee had a slight flair to its scalloped edges. She wore crystal drop earrings with a matching pendant on a thin silver chain. She chose sling-back kitten heels, not too high for walking, and not too drab. It was a flirty, feminine outfit without being inappropriate for work and the park.
     
    The workday went by at a crawl for her. Her anticipation was building by the hour. Raquel kept coming by dropping mentions of the Tsar marketing campaign, but Anabelle wasn’t taking the bait. She could tell her boss was trying to pump her for information on Giorgio. Wondering if they had spoken, if her lie about the dinner at the French restaurant was out, if things between him and Anabelle were progressing, where Raquel might stand with him, if she had a shot at the hot, rich client. Anabelle put on her best poker face, simply shrugging and saying she hadn’t heard anything from him. She took enormous delight in knowing she had a secret and Raquel was out in the cold. It was a delicious swing in the balance of power between them.
     
    Anabelle freshened up before her big date; applying some strategically placed dabs of perfume, some lipstick, and touched up her hair. She looked at herself in the mirror. The blouse flattered her bustline and the flowy skirt hid the couple of extra pounds she carried. She didn’t have Raquel’s budget to meet with a personal trainer four nights a week, so her figure wasn’t very sleek. It was feminine with curves, not stick thin. She hoped Giorgio would like her just the same. She took one last look in the mirror. Hmmm, she thought. She undid a couple more buttons on her blouse to show off a bit more cleavage. She took in the effect. It was sexier without being too provocative. Just a peek. She grinned, liking the look.
    She hoped to get out of the office without Raquel seeing her, so she had texted Giorgio earlier to ask him not to come directly to the office. She’d meet him one building over. He understood why.
    Finally, 5:30 p.m. came and he texted her when he was parked. She went out to meet him.
    The next building over, there he stood, leaning against his shiny, new, silver Jaguar XK coupe. The car had plenty of automotive sex appeal. It complemented him perfectly. Not too flashy, but high class and undeniably sexy. He wore midnight blue fitted dress pants, tailored perfectly to his fit physique and an ice-blue semi-casual, buttoned shirt, which complemented his striking blue eyes. The first three buttons of his shirt were undone, giving just a hint of sex appeal. His thick, dark hair was styled with a carefully undone look. His belt was understated, but with a stylish, clean rectangular silver buckle. His handsome face brightened when he saw her.
    The sight of him took her breath away. “Hi there,” she said, giving him a big smile. “Nice car.”
    “Thanks. You look beautiful,” he said in his deep voice, his eyes glinting with appreciation as he took in her appearance. He stood up straight and gave her a hug.
    His 6’3” height and toned, muscled body made her heart skip a beat. His cologne was heavenly. She could have stayed in his embrace all evening.
    “Shall we?” he asked finally, as he went to open the car door for her.
    “We shall,” she said, beaming as she got in. The interior of the car was spotless and nicely cool, with soft music playing.
    They drove to the