Still Hooked on You

Chapter 5 - A Date to Remember

The limo ride took around twenty minutes in total but Scarlett hadn’t even noticed as they pulled up to the curb side of the five-star restaurant.

Her mind was currently fixated on the impossibly wonderful man she had fallen head over heels for.

Adam…

In the beginning, it was quite a shock for her to learn that he was infinitely rich, with his family name alone worth billions. Sure, when she was with Dimitri Scarlett had always been spoiled rotten, with endless gifts and surprises. But this was a whole other level of the meaning ‘rich’.

This was more like ‘filthy rich’.

And it was in that sudden moment that Scarlett began to wonder whether she could possibly fit into such a spectacular world, filled with all the glitz and glamour.

A world filled with endless parties and prestige events…

Would she ever be able to find her place in such a world?

It had never been a problem for Adam, he’d been born into such a privileged lifestyle. But Scarlett on the other hand, her past was far from privileged.

Quite the opposite, in fact.

Her father, otherwise known and labelled as the abusive drunk, had decided to leave both her and her mother when Scarlett was only six years old.

With no other choice, her poor mother was forced to take on three separate jobs, only just scraping by to keep a roof over their heads and food in their bellies.

As far as Scarlett was concerned, it had always just been the two of them; Scarlett and her mother against the rest of the world.

But all that suddenly changed one fateful evening, thanks to some i***t texting on his phone while driving.

The car crash itself was horrendous; Scarlett vividly remembered pictures of her mother’s compacted car in the newspaper the following day.

The headlines read ‘Horrifying Crash Kills Mother and Orphans Child.’

The only person in her life that made her feel safe and wanted had been senselessly mowed down by a careless stranger.

And Scarlett’s life had changed forever from that day forward.

Her horrific thoughts quickly ceased as soon as the car door opened beside her and she saw Charles standing there, waiting for her to exit the limousine with a gentle smile.

Taking the both the rose and her clutch purse in her hand, Scarlett slid to the edge of the seat and then climbed out, one foot after the other.

-

The restaurant appeared eerily quiet for a Saturday night and she couldn’t help but frown as she turned to speak to Charles.

“Are we early or something? Where is everyone?”

Closing the car door, Charles fought to hide his smile as he thought up a quick reply.

He had every intention of keeping Adam’s secret, as promised earlier on. Being such a loyal and trusted friend, the last thing Charles wanted was to spoil such a wonderful surprise.

“Uh, well… it usually picks up within an hour or two.” he lied confidently.

“Now, Mr. Cunningham has informed me that he’ll be waiting for you inside the restaurant. Best be on your way, don’t keep him waiting.”

Scarlett could sense the obvious lies that Charles was freely spilling, but she pushed such thoughts aside and decided to do as he had instructed her to do.

Her crimson heels clicked against the marble pavement leading up towards the main entry to the restaurant Adam had chosen for tonight.

The place was called “L’Artusi” and it appeared quite massive in size from the outside. Dim candle lighting surrounded the old white brick exterior of the building and large black silk curtains lined each of the huge glass windows.

Just as she had reached the front door it was opened for her by a doorman wearing a sensible black suit. He smiled at her and nodded his head politely as she approached him.

“Good evening. Miss Workman, I presume?” he asked, both brows rising along with his question.

Scarlett seemed taken aback.

“Um… yes.”

She was timid now, uncertain of how or why this man would know her by her last name. She was certain they had never met before. Luckily the doorman went on to explain.

“Welcome to L’Artusi, we’ve been expecting you. My name is Neville and I will be escorting you to your table.” he grinned waving his arm in a foreword gesture.

“Come this way please…”

With that he led her through the main entrance and into the heart of the massive restaurant.

It was a spectacular sight to say the least and Scarlett couldn’t believe her eyes. Whoever had designed such a place had a keen eye for detail and interior design.

“Would you like anything to drink Miss Workman?” Neville enquired as they continued along.

She thought for a moment, being put on the spot like this so suddenly.

“Um… a wine, please.”

“Red or white?”

“Red, let’s start with that.” she shrugged with an uncomfortable smile.

“Any particular kind? We have an excellent Merlot at the moment.” Neville suggested.

“Sure, that sounds lovely.” she nodded her head.

“Very good.”

A second employee of the restaurant dressed similarly to Neville suddenly emerged from behind a black divider, approaching them with a white towel draped over his arm.

“A bottle of Merlot for the lady.” Neville commanded kindly with a smile.

The waiter nodded and headed back to retrieve her drink order, leaving Neville and Scarlett alone once more.

The two walked for a little longer until they finally reached a secluded part of the restaurant, surrounded by what appeared to be hundreds of red roses all positioned around the singular table, set for two.

A large modern-looking crystal candelabra stood in the middle of the table, which was covered in a large black silk table-cloth.

The candelabra’s thick candles burned brightly, setting the mood for their romantic dinner.

Neville pulled Scarlett’s chair out for her and helped her to sit down comfortably, tucking her in afterwards.

Just as he did, the waiter from before appeared with an unopened bottle of 2015 Chateau Mercian Merlot.

She watched as he presented it to her, brandishing the label for her to view and approve the choice of wine.

Nodding her head, Scarlett allowed him to continue and watched as the waiter proceeded to uncork the bottle, pouring a small amount of wine into her glass.

She reached out and took the glass between her fingers, lifting it up just under her nose and taking a quick sniff of the intoxicating aroma. Swirling it around in the glass, Scarlett then took a sip from the glass.

The wine was incredible. So smooth and thick, she enjoyed the way it rolled down her throat leaving a warmed sensation behind afterwards.

“Mmmm, that’s lovely.” she commented, placing the glass back down onto the table to be refilled.

As the waiter refilled her glass, Scarlett took in a deep breath and looked around the restaurant for other people.

There were none.

Before she could think too much into it, a familiar voice suddenly spoke from behind her chair, warming her entire body within a matter of seconds.

“Started without me, I see?”

She couldn’t help but smile as she breathed in his scented cologne, then feeling his warm hand rest on her right shoulder as he stepped right up behind her.

“You’re late…” she taunted him, “If you were here on time maybe you could have chosen the wine.”

Adam chuckled deeply, leaning down to hover his chin just over her left shoulder blade. She could feel his warm, minty breath fanning across her cheek as he spoke softly, just for her.

“Hello beautiful.”

“Hello yourself.” she replied with a grin.

It was then that Adam had noticed the diamond earrings hanging down from her earlobes and he felt a sudden surge of pride flow through him.

His finger reached out and touched one of them as he spoke.

“You’re wearing them.”

“I couldn’t resist.” she replied. “They’re beautiful by the way, thank you.”

“You’re more than welcome.” he cooed softly.

With that he kissed her gently on the side of her cheek before coming around to stand in front of her.

Scarlett’s hazel eyes widened with surprise and astonishment at just how well Adam was dressed. She felt as all the air suddenly left her lungs and her core begin to heat up with untameable desire.

He wore a three-piece pressed black suit with a silver tie and his dark hair had been spiked nicely on top of his head. Basically, he looked good enough to eat.

And boy was Scarlett hungry!

“Wow… you sure dress up nicely.” she complimented him.

“You should wear suits more often.”

He laughed deeply before sitting down opposite her at the table.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Now it was his turn.

His chocolate brown eyes began to roam all over her now, hungrily taking in every single curve of her voluptuous body hidden beneath nothing but a thin layer of crimson fabric. The large slit going up her left side revealed her slender leg peeking through the opening.

How he longed to have those silky legs wrapped around him as he pummelled deep inside of her.

Adam could feel himself hardening at the thought of it alone. Scarlett looked delectable and Adam was certain that he would have a hard time restraining himself from lunging at her during dinner.

But he had to at least try.

“What?” she asked with a smile, noticing that he was lost in thoughts of his own.

“Hmm?” he asked, raising both brows.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

“I’m afraid that I’m having a hard time controlling myself around you… dressed like that, I mean.” he gestured with a wave of his hand toward her dress.

“You look… incredible in that dress...”

Scarlett felt the warmth rush toward her cheeks as she blushed at his compliment.

Just then the waiter approached their table and stood beside Adam.

“Can I get you something to drink, sir?” he enquired.

“Yeah, uh… a scotch, neat.” Adam replied with a smile.

Nodding his head in understanding, the waiter turned and headed toward the bar to prepare his order.

Scarlett took this moment to glance around at the empty restaurant. There were still no other diners having arrived yet. Something was off.

Frowning she turned back towards Adam as she asked.

“Where is everyone? The restaurant’s completely empty.” she announced. “It’s just the two of us.”

“That’s probably because I booked the restaurant out for the night.”

Adam’s admitted explanation had Scarlett baffled as both her eyes and her mouth opened wide.

“You… you what?”

“I booked the whole place for the night. We won’t be disturbed by anyone. We got the whole place to ourselves. And an entire menu to try…”

With that he reached out and took the fancy black leather menu in his hand, then opening it and scanning the options one at a time.

But Scarlett was still stuck on the idea that someone could buy an entire restaurant out for the night. This place could easily have seated over three hundred people, if not more!

“Let me get this straight… you’re paying for an entire restaurant of non-existent guests, just so that we can have a meal to ourselves?” she asked.

“Yep.”

His eyes never left the menu as he spoke his response casually.

“Adam, that’s gotta be a ridiculous amount of money!”

“It’s just money, Scarlett. I still have plenty of it…” he pointed out, lifting his gaze from the menu up to meet her eyes now.

“But spending time alone with you… now that’s priceless.”

Scarlett’s heart danced inside her chest at such a sweet and romantic comment.

Her smile slowly grew as she decided not to argue any further on the matter. It was his money, after all. He was the one who decided what he did with it, not her.

“So, what are you feeling like tonight? Anything in particular?” he questioned, lowering his menu to the table and turning his full attention on her.

“They do a mean Pappardelle with Sea Urchin and Cauliflower Sauce.”

Her face instantly screwed up in disgust at the mention of sea urchin and caused him to burst into a sudden fit laughter.

“Yeah, no thanks…” she opened the menu and began reading it herself.

-

Their meal was delicious and having the entire place booked out gave them the perfect chance they needed to have some serious alone time, getting to know one another even more than they thought possible.

It was obvious that the lovers were in their own little world, consumed by one another and with nothing else to concern them. Neither one had ever been so happy. Before they knew it several hours had passed by.

But their happiness was about to be cut short a lot sooner than planned.

Both Scarlett and Adam were in a fit of laughter as Neville approached the table. He waited for Adam to acknowledge him before he started to speak.

“Excuse me, Mr. Cunningham… Miss Workman, there is a phone call for you in the lounge.” Neville explained politely, making eye contact with them both.

Scarlett looked to Adam for a moment.

“Who would call me here?” she asked.

Adam looked to Neville as he took his chance to speak.

“Did they say who it was?” he enquired.

Neville shook his head as he replied, “I’m afraid not sir, but they were rather insistent needing to speak with Miss Workman. I can take a message for you if you’d like?”

Before Adam could agree with that idea, Scarlett spoke up.

“No… I’ll get it.” she looked to Adam who was frowning back at her.

“Scarlett, he just said he can take a message.”

“Oh, it’s hardly a problem. I won’t be gone long…” she paused as she stood from her seat and began following along after Neville.

Before she stepped out of sight from him, Scarlett called out over her shoulder one last warning for Adam.

“And don’t even think about touching my Tiramisu, Mr. Cunningham!”

Neville led Scarlett into a dimly-lit hallway where a cordless phone was sitting on a bench, waiting for her to pick it up.

“I’ll leave you to speak in private, Miss Workman.”

Neville smiled and stepped out through the doorway as Scarlett reached out for the phone, lifting it up to her ear.

“Hello, this is Scarlett…”

She waited for an answer but could only hear a soft, controlled breathing on the other end of the line. The awkwardness of it caused her gut to tie into knots and her face to frown as she tried once more to start a conversation.

“Hello? Is someone there?”

Nothing but a soft breathing down the end of the line.

Now she felt uncomfortable and decided the conversation had run its course. 

Someone was playing games with her.

Pressing the ‘end call’ button with her thumb, she looked down at the phone for a moment, trying to control her suddenly rising levels of fear. Sure, it was strange, but also not the first time she had been prank-called in her life.

Still, she found it baffling that the caller had asked for her in person. That would have to have meant that the caller knew her name and that she was there at the restaurant right now.

“Who was it?” Adam asked as Scarlett approached the table, with Neville leading the way.

“I have no idea.” she replied. “They didn’t say anything… all I could hear was some breathing on the other end of the line.”

Immediately alarm bells went off inside of Adam’s head and his expression changed, becoming more serious. He didn’t like this one little bit.

With a concerned frown he quickly reached into his jacket pocket and took out his phone. His fingers moved swiftly as he began dialling, then lifting it up to rest against his ear as he kept his eyes on Scarlett.

“Wait, what are you doing?” she asked him.

“We’re leaving.” he spoke bluntly, “Neville, the bill please.”

Neville nodded his head and scurried off to arrange it.

Scarlett was confused. And now it was her turn to frown.

“Adam, it was probably just some i***t crank caller trying to mess with me. They probably don’t even know who I am.” she tried reasoning with him.

But Adam had made up his mind and his expression had told her that. He looked at her as he spoke into the phone.

“Yeah, Charles… Can you meet us out front of the restaurant? Five minutes, thanks.”

Scarlett huffed and crossed her arms defiantly as she watched Adam hang up and pocket the phone once more.

“Seriously Adam, I’m not ready to leave.”

Scarlett tried one last time, desperate for them to stay and continue enjoying their time alone.

“We were having such a good time…”

Adam suddenly stood from his seat and manoeuvred around the table to stand in front of her. His large hand reached out and cupped the side of her face as he looked deeply into her eyes and spoke his concerns aloud.

“With everything we’ve been through, do you really wanna risk it?” both his brows rose as he asked his question.

Scarlett lowered her eyes and hunched over in defeat.

He was right; leaving now would be the safer idea. Sure, the more boring one, but also the safest. And she could clearly see just how much Adam wanted to keep her safe from harm.

The very thought of it made her smile.

“Alright, fine… let’s go.” she agreed.

-

Just outside of the restaurant, a black car was parked on the other side of the street and inside sat three men, each watching in darkness as the well-dressed couple emerged from the doorway of the restaurant. It was Scarlett and Adam.

“There they are…” Diego announced playfully, alerting the others to look.

They watched as both Adam and Scarlett quickly climbed into a black limousine before it pulled out from the curb and disappeared off into the flow of evening traffic.

Gabrielle who was seated up front watched as the limo stopped at a red traffic light just up ahead.

He nodded toward the driver; a silent command to follow the limo and their sleek black car pulled out from the curb, did a U-turn and began to pursue the limousine.

Now the chase was on…