“I missed you,” she said as she ran her fingers through my hair. “Adrienne told me that you’re doing very well in your new movie. She said she was disappointed, though, that you hadn’t reeled in Hannah yet. I have to agree with her. What’s taking so long?”
“It’s her stupid boyfriend. He seems to be smarter than her last few. I expected him to do something stupid by now, and she could use me as her rebound sex toy,” I pouted.
“That’s what I like. You always have a plan,” Kara said as she kissed me again.
“Speaking of plans, do you have some model friends who’d be willing to go to dinner with some of my movie-star friends?” I asked.
“How many do you need?”
“Three women and two men. Craig Wild is here with his manager Kent, who’s good-looking, according to some girls I know. Bree Steno, who was on that vampire show, and my manager Caryn, and my publicist Frank, who is older, will be joining us for dinner,” I said.
Kara made me get my phone out and show her pictures of everyone. She recognized Craig and Bree when I showed her our group shot for the movie. She got busy making calls while I unpacked. I called Caryn to make reservations for enough people. I had her add two more in case Adrienne and Tyler could get free.
We had a couple of hours before dinner, so Kara and I decided to get reacquainted. She reminded me that if we could ever land in the same area, we would be together.
◊◊◊
Caryn picked Le Bernardin for dinner. She was told they couldn’t accommodate us on such short notice, but she used Craig and Bree’s names to get us a table. It was a Michelin three-star rated restaurant every year since 2005. To make things simple, she preordered the chef’s tasting menu for the group.
Everyone met at the bar in the St. Regis. Kara and I found Craig, Kent, Bree, and Caryn waiting for us, having cocktails.
“I hope it’s okay. I got everyone dates,” I announced.
“Man, I like you more every time I see you,” Craig said.
“I suppose you only lined up dates for the boys,” Bree said as she crossed her arms and glared at me.
Right on cue, the models arrived. It was interesting to see how everyone interacted. Kara grabbed my arm to lay her claim on me. That didn’t seem to slow down a tall blond Scandinavian goddess. She pulled up a chair at our table and bumped into me.
“Excuse me, did you not notice me sitting here?” I asked.
She turned to me and raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, I saw you, but chose to ignore you,” she said, which caused Kara to grin.
“You must like living dangerously,” I said.
“I do, and that’s why I’m talking to you; it’s like playing with fire,” she said and turned away from me.
“There’s nothing wrong with a little casual conversation,” I shot back.
She turned and looked into my eyes.
“What happens when casual conversation turns into serious fun?”
At that, all other conversation around the table stopped, and Kara’s eyebrows disappeared into her hairline.
“You’re good,” I admitted.
“I can promise you I’m better than good. Hi, I’m Donna Nilsson,” she said.
“David.”
“Just David?” she teased.
“It’s a name and title all in one.”
Craig choked on something, and Kent had to beat his back to dislodge it.
“I’ve heard of this David character. Kara has been all abuzz about a feisty guy who was gracing our fair city.”
“Sorry, but if you’re trying to charm your way into anything more than dinner tonight, I’m afraid it’s not going to happen,” I said. Kara reached over and squeezed my bicep in approval.
“Uh, no. I’m not trying to charm my way into anything more than dinner
“What were you trying to charm your way into?” I asked.
“Okay, that’s enough. Donna, I think your date is here,” Kara said and then introduced her to Frank.
Donna winked at me and then turned her charm on Frank. I don’t imagine he was used to a nearly six-foot blond goddess who was as aggressive as she was. If Kara hadn’t been there, I would have enjoyed verbally sparring with her and everything that her come-ons promised.
After a couple of drinks, everyone seemed to be getting along. I smiled at Caryn because I could tell she was in lust with the living Ken doll she was with. Bree didn’t look quite as happy because her guy seemed to only be interested in checking himself out in any available mirror. When Adrienne and Tyler finally showed up, it was time to go to the restaurant.
Caryn’s forethought of preordering the chef’s tasting menu was perfect. It was a seven-course meal where each course was paired with a different wine. I skipped the wine, and by the end of the meal, I was glad I did. Even with small glasses of wine, the seven wine-pairings had everyone in fine spirits, considering they’d all had at least two cocktails before we got there.
