“So what you’re telling me is I won’t be able to get you drunk tonight.”
She laughed and took a couple sips of water. “I do have my limits, and I know what they are. But no. You won’t get me drunk.”
“Too bad. It must be a rough job having to deal with all those pain-in-the-ass politicians.”
“They’re not as bad as you paint them to be. And neither is your father.”
He shrugged and downed the contents of a glass. It was a smooth bourbon with a sweet oak flavor that didn’t burn on the way down, just the way he liked it.
After the tasting, they ordered their meal. Gray was happy to see Evelyn order both a salad appetizer and the duck for her main course. He had the beef tenderloins, which tasted just as good as he’d remembered from the last time he was there.
He was mostly interested to see Evelyn eat. Sometimes the women he took out barely touched their food, then bragged that they were watching their figures like he should hand them some kind of trophy for starvation. Evelyn was slender, but she obviously worked out or she had a great metabolism, because she clearly enjoyed her food and ate almost everything on her plate.
She caught him watching, because at one point, she paused with her fork midway to her mouth. “Do I have food on my face or something?”
“No. I just like watching a woman eat. And where do you put it?”
“I have an amazing metabolism. I’m very lucky. It’s a good thing, too, because I really like food, and this meal is incredible. Thank you for bringing me here.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you like it.”
“You should come to D.C. There are some fantastic restaurants there.”
“I try to avoid the capitol.”
“Because your father’s there.”
He polished off the last of his steak and set his plate to the side. “Mainly, yes.”
“Do you want to tell me what your problem is with your father?”
“Not particularly.”
“All right.” She finished her duck and took a drink of water.
He liked that she didn’t push for more details about his relationship with his dad, because he sure as hell didn’t like talking about it. But he did like talking to her. Liked being with her, too, even if she did represent his dad. And she sure was pretty to look at, especially tonight, with her hair swept up. And that dress. Damn that dress. It was cut tight across her br**sts and had thin straps, and he could already imagine sliding it off her creamy shoulders while he kissed her neck.
Shit. He’d promised he wasn’t going to think about her that way, and he was doing it anyway.
“What are you thinking about?”
He lifted his gaze to hers. “Huh?”
“You were lost in thought and staring somewhere in the vicinity of my br**sts.”
“Probably because of your dress. Sorry, I was staring. It was rude.”
Her lips curved. “Complimentary. I’m sorry if the dress disturbs you.”
“Oh, the dress definitely disturbs me, Evelyn. But not in a bad way.”
He paid the bill and came around to pull her chair out, taking a moment to lean in and inhale her scent. So subtle. She didn’t load herself down in perfume, making him nearly choke. Evelyn’s scent was definitely all Evelyn.
His dick took notice. Hell, his dick took notice of everything having to do with her.
Wasn’t he the one who was supposed to pour on the charm tonight? It seemed like their roles were being reversed. He was ready to fall at her feet, and she wasn’t even trying.
Time to change that.
“Tell me about this party we’re going to,” Evelyn said as they left the restaurant.
“Craig and I went to college together. We played baseball together, too. Craig got drafted by Cincinnati after college and played three seasons for them before an injury ended his career.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t feel too sorry for him. He’s doing just fine,” Gray said, taking an exit and heading toward a residential area.
“Obviously. This seems like a very nice neighborhood.”
“It is. Like me, Craig comes from old family money, so after he left baseball he had a fallback position in his father’s company.”
She looked at him. “I like that you don’t apologize for that.”
“For what?”
“For having family money.”
He shrugged. “Why should I? It’s no fault of mine. The trust my grandfather left me gave me the stake I needed to separate myself from my father and to help build Preston Racing. I’ve also worked my ass off to make more money. I’ve set up several charities, because my grandfather taught me it’s important to share the wealth when you have money. And it’s not like I spend my life sailing or traveling or pissing the money away sitting on my butt doing nothing, so I don’t see any reason to apologize for having money.”
“It’s a good outlook to have. As someone who doesn’t come from money, I don’t begrudge you. I imagine others do.”
“Frankly, I don’t give a shit what others think. I have a lot of close friends who haven’t grown up rich. None of them have ever judged me for it.”
“I imagine that’s why they’re your close friends.”
He smiled. “You’re right.”
“So tell me more about Craig.”
“His family is from around here, so he settled here and went to work for his father’s company after he left baseball. He married one hell of a stunning woman. But Miranda isn’t a gold digger. She, like a lot of my friends, didn’t grow up with money. He met her at one of the charity fund-raisers he was participating in. She was running it, along with about ten others she’s involved in. Philanthropy is what she does best. She believes in giving back, too, and she’s brought out the best in Craig. They’ve been married three years and have a baby on the way.”
“How nice for them.”
“Yeah, I think you’ll like them.”
“Maybe I’ll hit them up for a campaign contribution.”
Gray shot her a horrified look.
Evelyn laughed. “I’m joking.”
“You scare me, Evelyn.”
“And you need to get to know me.”
“Obviously, I do.”