Chapter 4 - Natalie

As I exit the elevator and enter the restaurant on the top floor of one of the skyscrapers near Rockefeller Tower, I take a deep breath, overwhelmed by the ambiance. The city spreads out before me like a glittering tapestry, and the air is charged with anticipation. I can feel the pulse of Manhattan resonating through my veins. I have never been to such a stylish and elegant restaurant. Soft jazz music plays from a hidden corner, and crystal chandeliers illuminate the room in a gentle light.

Waiting for the Matre'd, my gaze is drawn to the ceiling–a fascinating mosaic of glass tiles. Each reflects the soft light and creates a kaleidoscope of colors as if the essence of elegance has been captured in these delicate, shimmering fragments.

I pull out my cell phone and take a quick photo, wishing to send it to Marina. If I did, she would only be angry with me. It"s all captured in this photo–a clandestine rebellion against Marina's wishes and proof of my audacity. Her disapproval lingers like a shadow over my defiance, but the thrill, the fear, and my unyielding determination are my promise of a new beginning.

Only time will tell whether the wounds will heal.

I follow the Matre'd as she shows me the way to Tyler's table. I run my clammy hands over the dark purple satin dress. The dress was created by an up-and-coming Russian designer, a friend from college, and it's perfect for this venue. Its elegant design hugs my figure and accentuates my every curve. The delicate side slit reveals a hint of skin as I move through the room. My high heels clack softly on the parquet floor as I spot Tyler near the floor-to-ceiling window at one of the tables.

With every step, my stomach becomes a tighter ball of knots.

Tyler stands up as I move closer to the table, a crooked smile on his face. "You look beautiful tonight. That shade of purple looks stunning on you."

He pulls out a chair for me, and I sit down. "Thank you. You've cleaned up well, too."

His attire stands in stark contrast to the restaurant's formality. While servers glide past in black pants, crisp white shirts, and vests, he wears a light gray polo shirt and dark pants. Does he think that because he is rich, he can do what he wants, or is that a rebellion against convention?

I bite the inside of my cheek and let the gold chain of my handbag slide down my arm as I tuck it between my leg and the arm of my chair. "This restaurant is beautiful."

He nods and hands me one of the menus. "I wanted to book the private room for us so we could get to know each other better, but someone else has booked it for tonight."

Relax, boy, you don"t have to show off like that.

"That"s perfect." I look around at the other people eating and talking to each other, the low murmur of their voices filling the room. "I've never been anywhere like this."

"Well, you sure know how to dress perfectly for it. You look very … um … classy, very sophisticated. You fit right in with these wealthy people here." He stumbles over his words, no doubt without much thought.

"You don"t need much money to dress well. It's the effort that counts." I"m trying not to sound too cynical. Somehow, I have the feeling that this date won"t end well.

Is it me, or is he just a young, spoiled, rich brat with few brains?

Tyler smiles, reaches across the table, and puts his hand on mine. "You are beautiful. That's all I wanted to say. And that's an observation."

He leans forward and takes the menu from me again. "I"ve already ordered. We'll have the lobster ravioli and scallops as an appetizer."

I give him a friendly smile as I don"t want to ruin the date by telling him I don't like seafood. "Thank you. That sounds delicious."

For one night, I can suck it and eat the food. If there will be another date, I will be the one who gets to choose where we eat.

Tyler reaches for the bottle of wine beside him. "Want some?"

"No. Thank you." I reach for my glass of water instead and take a sip. "I can't officially drink yet. I won"t be twenty-one for a few weeks."

Even though I've been drinking since I was eighteen, there's a little voice in the back of my head that tells me drinking with Tyler would be a mistake.

Something strange flashes in his gaze, but it's gone as quickly as it came. "So, what brought you to New York? Was it the club scene? We have some of the best in the world."

I shake my head. "No."

The corner of his mouth tilts. "Of course you don"t. If we"re honest, you don't seem like that kind of girl. If you're not here to party, why did you move to the other side of the world?"

"To find out who I am." This is not the exact truth, but part of it. "The home I had in Russia is nice, but the art schools here are second to none, and since we're being honest, I"m looking for someone here, though I don't know how long it will take me to find him."

"You know, I have connections; I could help you." He sits back in his seat as the waiter appears with our appetizers.

I look down at the scallop on the plate. It sits in a kind of pale-yellow sauce. My stomach turns at the thought of eating it, but I keep my smile and pick up my knife and fork.

As I slice off a tiny sliver of the scallop, Tyler digs into his food, eating it in one bite before returning his attention to me. "Who're you looking for?"

"I'm not sure, honestly. I only got a name from my mother, but I've never met the man."

"What's his name?" Tyler sips his wine, his gaze turning a little hazy.

I glance at the half-full bottle as he tops up his glass again. "Boris Petrovsky."

Tyler grumbles and downs his glass in one gulp. "I'm going to ask around. A few people I know might be able to find out something about him."

"I have tried to look into Boris." I wash down the taste of scallops with a big gulp of water. "When I searched, I found nothing. A name mentioned in a few obituaries as a surviving family member, but nothing else."

Even though he says he has connections, I hold back from telling Tyler about my adoption. Maybe he could find the records on it, which I couldn't, but I tried for years to find anything about my childhood in New York. But if he can find Boris for me, maybe I"ll finally get the answers I've sought.

We fall silent for a few minutes as we finish our appetizers, waiting for the waiter to return and whisk away the plates.

After he does, Tyler reaches across the table again and brushes a strand of hair behind my ear. "You"re really beautiful, you know that? Have you ever thought about modeling for a figure painting class?"

I almost spit out the mouthful of water and take a second to suppress my initial reaction. "No. I don't think being naked in front of a room full of strangers is for me."

He gives me that charming smile, but this time, the butterflies don't erupt the way they have. "Well, maybe you could be my private muse."

My laughter is awkward and hangs like a fragile veil covering my discomfort. I don't know how to react. We"ve barely met, and he's already asking me to get naked for him. As much as I like it when a man is straightforward and in control, something in my guts feels weird, not just the scallops. Red flags are fluttering in my head. I'm open to sex on a first date, but this guy, as handsome and wealthy as he is, has terrible manners. He makes me feel like what he thinks I am—a desperate foreigner in a foreign city, trying to get laid.

Before I can register what he is doing, he pushes his chair to my side of the table and puts his arm around my shoulders. His fingers graze my bare collarbone as he leans closer to me.

"What the fuck, Tyler!" A woman stands before us, her hands planted on her hips as she glares at Tyler.

I take the opportunity to shuffle my chair to the side, getting out from under his arm.

"Jennifer?" Tyler sounds shocked as he looks up at her, his eyes widening. He moves away from me, stands up, and steps toward her.

She slaps his hands away as he reaches for her. "You told me you couldn't come to our anniversary dinner tonight because you have to work late!"

His cheeks turn red and blotchy as he tries to reach for her again. ‘Please, baby. You have to believe me. I was working, but then Natalie asked me to go to dinner with her after my shift."

Jennifer throws her hands in the air, not caring about the dozens of people in the restaurant who are focusing their attention on us. "Am I really supposed to believe this? You brought me here on our first date! I came to get a piece of your favorite cake so we could eat it when you got home."

"Listen," he says, holding her hand tightly, "I didn't think anything of going out with Natalie tonight. She's been pressuring me for weeks, and I thought one night would shut her up."

My jaw drops. "Excuse me? That's not true. I just met him the other day, and he asked me out. I can show you the message."

Jennifer's icy blue eyes turn to me. "That's not necessary. I know what kind of man he is."

Tyler twists around and glares at me. "You stay out of this!"

"No!" Jennifer yanks her hand away from Tyler. "That"s the last time you"ll ever do that to me. I was an idiot to forgive you the first time. We're over."

She turns on her heel and strides out of the restaurant, people clapping as she leaves.

Tyler takes a couple of steps after her before turning to me. "If you just kept your mouth shut, I could have handled this. I didn't need you to get involved."

I stand up; the chair creaks on the floor. "I wasn't going to lie to your girlfriend for you. If I had known you were seeing someone, I would never have gone on a date with you."

As I turn to leave, his hand wraps around my wrist, callouses scraping against my skin as he pulls me backward.

"Where the hell do you think you're going, Natalie?"

"Leaving." I try to wrench my wrist away from him, but his grip is too tight.

Tyler smirks. "You were saying?"

"She said she wanted to leave. Let her go." A commanding voice rumbles beside me, and the timbre sends a strange shiver down my spine.

I turn my head, mouth open, wondering what the hell just happened, and my gaze snaps up and falls into the deep blue ocean. It takes a moment for my brain to notice the towering man with the intimidating aura piercing Tyler with his blue eyes. His profile is striking, his nearly black hair combed back perfectly, but he has that tousled, carefree, just-fucked look that only certain men can pull off. One hand is in the pocket of his black pants, and his full lips are tipped into a little frown, sensual and sexy. I force myself to close my mouth so I can swallow my drool. I"ve never met such a beautiful specimen of a man, as stunningly handsome as him. The epitome of tall, dark, and attractive. My Dark Angel.

"Listen, buddy, I don't know who the hell you are, but I suggest you leave." Tyler sneers at the man. He grabs me tighter by the wrist and pulls me closer to him.

"I'm not your buddy. Let her go. Now!" Mr. Angel growls. His deep, smooth tone makes my body hum in all the right places, and heat pools straight to my core. I can detect a hint of a Russian accent in his voice, which sounds just as sinful as he looks.

"Or what?" Tyler is trying to use his best piss-off voice.

"Trust me, little boy, you don't want to find out." He chuckles, his strong jaw flexing as he takes a step toward Tyler, so close their bodies are almost touching.

I seize the chance, jerk my arm away, and turn back to face Mr. Angel. The sudden movement causes my brunette locks to fall into my face.

Tyler shakes his head and stares at me. "You're not worth my time anyway. You would have just been an easy fuck."

I brush my hair out of my face and squint my eyes.

"In your dreams, Tyler!" My anger gets the better of me, and I grab the glass of water from the table and throw it on Tyler's face.

Mr. Angel gives me a surprised look, then grabs Tyler's shirt with one large hand and almost lifts him off the ground. Tyler's eyes widen in panic.

"Apologize and then leave."

Mr. Angel tightens his grip on Tyler's collar and winks at me as I cross my arms in front of my chest, heat coursing through my entire body. He stares straight at me with a wicked hint of a smile on his face. His eyes are captivating and glittering with fury. And damn, the tilt of his lips makes him even hotter. We hold each other"s gaze for a beat longer than comfortable, almost ignoring the idiot, Tyler.

Tyler stammers. "S … Sorry."

My eyes follow Mr. Angel's upper body, the impeccably tailored suit hugging his powerful body and accentuating the bulging muscles beneath the fabric. This man was a mountain of rippling muscle, and his arms hung like menacing weapons from his broad shoulders. I imagine myself being embraced by his strong arms and clench my thighs.

He lets go of Tyler and gives him a shove. "Get out of here before my kindness runs out."

For what I'm sure is the first time in his life, Tyler takes the advice and wastes no time leaving the restaurant.

Realizing that I'm still standing here, staring, I shake my head and take a deep breath. "Thank you."

He adjusts his suit, his dark blue eyes studying me intently. "Are you okay, solnyshko?"

As his gaze wanders up and down my body, my pulse increases, and my heart pounds faster. Mr. Angel has just called me little sun. "I am. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't intervened."

"Knife to the throat," he says, his gravelly voice sounding somewhere between teasing and charming. "Men like that will only stop if you force them to, but hopefully you'll find a real man someday and not an asshole like him."

A real man like you.

I let my lower lip roll between my teeth, savoring once more how suave and handsome this man is. Thoughts come and go quickly, but Mr. Angel's eyebrows narrow as he looks at me. "Do you need a ride home?"

Although I don't want to get on the subway this late in the evening and don't have the money for a cab, the thought of getting into a car with a man I don't know gives me pause.

"Thank you, but … um … I don't know you." I stare up at him and think about how much I would like to get to know him.

"Leon. It is a pleasure to meet you." He extends his hand. As my palm slides into his, I feel the friction all the way to my center. His hand is so big that mine disappears in his grip. His fingers are warm, his grip is firm, and he kisses the back of my hand.

"Natalie." My voice sounds breathy.

"Well, Natalie, I promise I'll get you home safely."

He smirks and plays the role of protector yet again just perfectly. I am too enamored by this attractive man to care about any thoughts swirling in my head.

I nod and withdraw my hand from his. "I'm in Tribeca. Will that be a problem?"

He shakes his head, tipping his chin toward the door. "Let's go."

As I walk out of the restaurant with him, I'm sure I'm either making the biggest mistake of my life or embarking on the most incredible adventure.

The only problem is that I've never been good at discerning between the two.