Chapter 8

Grace styled her long brown hair down in loose waves. She kept her makeup light, wanting to look natural, like herself, for their first meeting. She wore a simple, yet elegant black dress. It had a conservative length but hugged her curves in all the right places. She paired it with her black, strappy three-inch heels, bringing her height from a shorter five-foot-five to five-foot-eight.

She knew she looked good, but she was nervous. Talking to someone online was easy. Meeting them face to face was nerve-wracking. She felt better knowing he wanted to meet in a crowded area, where all the popular restaurants were located. Surely a creep would have picked somewhere more secluded?

When Grace was a block away from where they had arranged to meet, she felt her phone vibrate in her bag.

Dimitri

Hey! Just letting you know I'm here

He attached a selfie, showing him in front of a crowded restaurant. Relieved that his selfie matched all the other pictures he sent, she replied.

Grace

Great, I'm walking, almost there. Be another couple of minutes

She didn't send a selfie back. She wanted to see his reaction to her outfit in real time.

Spring was transitioning into summer, so the evenings remained warm. She took her time walking the rest of the way, enjoying the comfortable night air. Plus, her feet were already screaming at her. She forgot how much those shoes hurt her feet. With sheer will and determination, her sore feet made it to the street, and she found Dimitri in the crowd.

She watched him watch her walk the last few feet, exaggerating her swaying hips just a little. His mouth was slightly agape, as his eyes roamed up and down her figure freely. She thought he looked great himself in his sports coat and jeans. His curly black hair was jelled and styled, and he was freshly shaven. He lied about his height though. He had written five-foot-eleven in his profile, but he couldn't have been taller than five-nine.

"You are a sight," Dimitri said in greeting, before giving her a quick, friendly hug. "You have to be the first person ever who looks better than their pictures."

"Thank you, you're too kind," Grace replied shyly.

"So, good news. My contact pulled through for me, and I was able to get us reservations at the hottest restaurant downtown," he said excitedly.

"That's great, where are we going?"

"Chevalier Noir," he answered while using his hands to present the restaurant they were standing in front of. "Have you been?"

"No, I don't think so."

Chevalier Noir? Chevalier Noir? Why does that name sound so familiar? she thought. Have I been here before ?

"Oh, you'd know if you have. Come on, I think our table should be ready."

The restaurant was massive, which was not typical for a fine dining. One-half of Chevalier Noir offered a two-story dining experience with at least a six-week waitlist. The other side of the building hosted an upscale bar and lounge. Their table wasn't ready yet, so they went to the lounge to grab a drink and wait.

"No fucking way!"

Grace knew that voice and was hoping it wasn't directed at her.

"Grace! What a coincidence!"

Shit.

Grace turned around to find Scarlett waving at her.

Chevalier Noir. Scarlett. That's where I've heard the name before. she thought. Oh No! That means…

She watched Scarlett rush towards her, pulling Mr. Kennedy behind her by his sleeve.

"Look who I bumped into," she said, giving Grace a sly wink. "He had a reservation for one tonight, but he got them to make it for two. And now you're here with…?"

Grace looked towards Dimitri and gave him an apologetic smile.

"This is Dimitri. Dimitri, this is my boss, Mr. Kennedy, and my friend, slash work assistant, Scarlett."

"A pleasure," Dimitri said, shaking their hands. Grace thought he looked annoyed, which she could understand. First dates were hard enough without adding friends and co-workers into the mix. Still, it bothered her, but she couldn't quite figure out why.

"I'll go grab us a drink," Dimitri offered. "Red wine?"

"It's okay, I'll come with you," she said, wanting to show him that she also wanted to prioritize their date .

"Enjoy your evening," she said to Scarlett and Mr Kennedy.

Scarlett waved goodbye, but her boss didn't say a word. He just stared blankly at Grace, clenching his jaw, his eyes slightly squinted. Then he nodded in response and walked away, following Scarlett.

Strange , she thought, considering their last exchange at work earlier felt like they were on friendlier terms.

They had to wait a half hour for their table, but Grace didn't mind. The lounge area had comfortable seating and she thought it was a nice place to begin a first date, instead of shoving food into their faces right away.

Dimitri on the other hand wasn't happy with the wait. He became short and abrupt in their conversation. His knee bounced impatiently and he kept looking around.

"Is everything okay?" she finally asked, no longer able to ignore his anxious movements. "If this is running too late, and you have someplace to be, I understand. We can do this another time."

"Grace, I'm so sorry, I just wanted tonight to be perfect. I feel bad that we've had to wait," he explained. "There is nowhere else I want to be right now."

"Please, don't worry about me," she assured him. "I'm having a great time."

"Me too," he smiled.

His smile didn't reach his eyes, and she still felt like something was off.

A few minutes later, they were collected and escorted to their table.

"This is not happening," Scarlett squealed when Grace and Dimitri were seated at the table next to theirs.

Grace gave Scarlett a friendly, but dismissive wave, then sat down. Before she gave Dimitri her undivided attention, she stole a quick look at her co-workers' table, wanting to get a feel for how their evening was going. Her eyes met Mr. Kennedy's. His gaze was dark, intense, and unmoving. He didn't exactly look angry but he looked put off, working his jaw as he maintained eye contact. She knew she should have looked away, but her curiosity kept her locked in his stare. Scarlett was oblivious to this exchange. Happily lost in one of her stories, no doubt filling him in on all the past office drama.

He picked up his glass without breaking their contact, took a sip, blinked slowly and when he opened his eyes, they returned to Scarlett.

Her phone vibrated. She ignored it.

What the hell was that? she thought, trying to brush off what just happened. Trying to act unaffected. Her heart skipped a beat, as she remembered Dimitri, worried he saw what just transpired, as brief as it was. She flashed him what she hoped was a fun, easy-going smile, but he was busy reading the menu. If he noticed what happened, he wasn't showing it.

What are you even worried about? Nothing happened, she scolded herself.

Nothing happened, yet she felt this sense of unease, or if she were being honest with herself, guilt.

Jesus Grace, get it together. People make eye contact all the time. Besides, he looked away first. You won. She giggled aloud at her absurd thought, letting out a little snort.

"Everything is so good here, I have no idea what I feel like tonight," Dimitri said, looking up from his menu.

Either he didn't hear her weird giggle-snort fit or was being a gentleman and ignoring it.

"There's a surprising amount of options," Grace answered back, finally looking down at the menu.

"Your bag vibrated a moment ago," Dimitri said, while turning a page of the menu .

"That was my phone. My messages can wait," she offered, waving her hand in dismissal.

"Really, I don't mind. I insist. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something was wrong and you found out too late because you were worried about how I'd react to you checking your phone."

"Okay sure, thanks," she said.

When she pulled out her phone, she saw it was only a notification from her dating app. She was going to ignore it, but then saw it was from her mysterious texter from the night before.

Misfit_138

Hey

How are you? Are you having a good Friday night?

"Everything okay?" Dimitri asked.

"Yes, all good. It's just my mom," she lied. "I forgot to tell her I was going out tonight. Do you mind if I–"

"Yes, of course. It's your mom. My dad is a bit clingy, so I get it. I'm surprised my phone isn't lighting up right now," he laughed.

Grace laughed with him, then texted back.

Pr_princess

I am, but I'm out right now. Can we chat later?

She waited a few seconds for a reply, but when she didn't get a response she put her phone away, and returned to her menu.

Grace thought the date was going well. Dimitri seemed too good to be true. The conversation was easy; he asked a lot of questions and was an active listener. He appeared to be genuinely interested in her life and hobbies. He was also very attentive; ensuring the server kept her drinks refilled, that each course they were served was correct, and that she was enjoying everything.

He was a perfect gentleman. So why did she feel on edge?

She didn't dare look at her co-workers' table during the meal. She could hear Scarlett throughout the evening, her voice was a constant background noise, suggesting that Scarlett was having a great time, whether the conversation was one-sided or not. But she could not shake the feeling of having eyes on her all evening. And not from her adoring date.

Yet, she wasn't sure that was the cause of her unease.

Maybe seeing your last date killed by a vampire is affecting you more than you realized , she told herself. Anyone would feel apprehensive and on edge after that.

With that thought, she was able to calm her nerves and enjoy the rest of the meal.

"I'm going to run to the ladies' room before dessert comes," Grace announced.

Before she stood up, Dimitri grabbed her hand.

"I'm having a great time," he said, while his thumb stroked the top of her hand. "Thank you for agreeing to come out with me."

"I'm having a great time too," she assured him. "I'll be right back."

She tugged her hand to break their connection. For a brief moment, Dimitri was reluctant to let her go. She looked down at their hands, then to his face, and he gave her a shy, apologetic smile as he released her .

Weird. Maybe he's just nervous , she thought on the way to the washroom. She wasn't the type of person to make excuses for someone, but she couldn't think of any other reason for his sudden urge to grab and keep hold of her hand.

Stop overthinking this. You're having fun, just go with it.

When she was touching up her makeup she felt her phone vibrate in her bag.

Misfit_138

I'm going to assume you're on a date cause why wouldn't you be? If you aren't, you should be

I hope you are having a great time

That's a lie

I selfishly hope it doesn't work out, so we can chat later ??

Goodnight

"Well that was bold," she said aloud.

She didn't reply. She was on a date and her mind needed to stay on Dimitri, not some random, mysterious guy, who she was starting to find intriguing.

He could have asked me out, instead of being jealous , she thought. Focus.

She put her phone away and headed back to her table. She was both anxious and excited to see how her date would end. As she approached her table, she couldn't help but notice Scarlett and Mr. Kennedy. Scarlett was blabbing away, not noticing that her dinner date's attention was elsewhere.

Not just elsewhere, but fixated on Dimitri. Narrowed eyes under furrowed brows stared down her date, while Dimitri remained unaware, as he checked his phone waiting for Grace to return. Her boss finally lifted his severe glare, when he noticed her return, then refocused h is attention back to Scarlett.

What the hell? she thought. What's his problem with my date? Is he…is he jealous? Is my boss into me?

That was the last thing she wanted. Although she couldn't deny that he was, without a doubt, one of the most attractive men she had ever met, he was still an arrogant, know-it-all, had to be right all the time, mood-swinging asshole who made her head spin. Maybe Scarlett could look past all that, but Grace couldn't. She couldn't ignore a shitty personality, even for a one-night stand, despite how attractive someone was.

Or maybe he's into Dimitri and is pissed off and giving my date the evil eye because he wishes Dimitri would notice him. Choose him, she considered.

Whatever her boss's problem was, she would worry about that later. When she approached her chair, Dimitri stood to greet her, and as they settled back down, she let all thoughts of Mr. Kennedy go.

"I ordered you another drink to have with dessert, I hope that's okay," Dimitri said.

"That was thoughtful of you, thank you," Grace replied. "I might not be able to finish it though, I already feel like I've had too much to drink."

"Dessert will help," he offered. "How about we have one last toast before we put down our drinks for the night," he proposed.

"And what should we toast to?" Grace asked, raising her wine glass.

"Let's toast to Doomsday Dating for bringing us together," he suggested.

"I'll drink to that," she said.

They both raised their glasses and clinked them together.

Then everything happened so fast.

Grace had brought her glass to her lips, ready to take a sip of her wine when she heard a crashin g noise next to her. Before she could register what happened, her drink was being batted out of her hand, landing in her date's lap, her drink spilling all over Dimitri and the table.

"Fuck!" Dimitri yelled, shooting up from his seat.

At the same moment, strong arms pulled Grace up out of her chair and wrapped tightly around her waist. She was roughly handed her bag and ushered past tables, down the stairs, and toward the exit.

Grace tried to pull away in protest but Mr. Kennedy tightened his grip.

"What are you doing? Let go," Grace ordered.

"Just keep walking, don't cause a scene," he answered, as he focused on walking them through the crowded lobby.

"You mean like the scene you just caused?" she hissed.

"I'm saving you from a terrible date," he hissed back.

"Saving me? You just embarrassed me and ruined any chance for a second date."

"You won't be seeing him again," he stated.

"You don't get to decide that," she spat.

Her boss didn't reply. Instead, he secured his grip around her waist and escorted her out of the building.