Page 51 of Pretend To Be Mine

“I remind myself none of this is possible without fans.” He reached over and squeezed my knee. “I’m sorry. I should have anticipated that would happen after the interview went so well.”

“It’s not your fault.” I covered his hand with mine. “I knew it would be like this. You warned me. Everyone warned me. But it’s different when it’s actually happening.”

“I know.” He withdrew his hand to navigate a turn. I immediately missed the warmth of it. “Tell you what. To make it up to you, let me take you somewhere no one will bug us. A place I know where we can have an amazing dinner, and you won’t have to smile for any cameras or answer any questions.”

“That sounds perfect.”

“We should celebrate anyway. The interviews went well, you’re trending as America’s sweetheart, and the PR team is probably doing backflips right now.” He glanced at me with a smile. “You deserve a nice dinner.”

My heart did that stupid flutter thing it had been doing all day whenever he looked at me. “Okay. Yes. Let’s do it.”

Now that Adrian and I had gotten closer, it had been a dream to spend time with him. Sometimes I had to remind myself this was real.

He was more than just the gruff CEO of Blackwell Couture. He had a soft side, one he kept carefully hidden from the world but had started showing me. The patience he’d shown when I’d been struggling to adjust to this arrangement was evidence of an entirely different man beneath that surly exterior.

I no longer saw the icon when I looked at him. I saw the man.

And it turned out the man was so much better than the myth. Kinder. Funnier. More vulnerable than anyone would guess.

Adrian drove us away from the chaos that was Manhattan. I simply sat back and enjoyed the ride in his luxury car. Eventually, he pulled up in front of a tiny restaurant. The sign above the door read “Vesuvius” in faded red letters, and through the window I could see maybe six tables total.

“This is your secret spot?” I asked as Adrian opened my door.

“Trust me.” He offered his hand, and I took it, letting him help me out. “Looks can be deceiving.”

The moment we stepped inside, a round man with a shiny bald head and the warmest smile I’d ever seen rushed over. The guy couldn’t have been more than an inch or two over five foot, and he was as wide as he was tall.

“Adriano! Mio ragazzo!” He pulled Adrian into a hug that Adrian returned with obvious affection.

“Marco, it’s good to see you.” Adrian gestured to me. “This is Elizabeth.”

Marco’s eyes lit up as he took my hand and kissed it in a gesture that should have been cheesy but somehow wasn’t. “Bella! Welcome, welcome. Come, I have the perfect table for you.”

He led us through the main dining room with checkered tablecloths and old photographs covering the wall. We went through a doorway hidden behind a curtain. The room beyond was tiny, maybe ten by ten feet, with a single table set for two. A candle flickered in the center next to a basket of bread that was still steaming. The whole space felt like a hideout from the rest of the world.

“Your private room, as always,” Marco said with a flourish. “I’ll send Rosa with the wine.”

He disappeared before I could respond, leaving us alone in the intimate space.

“You have a private room here?” I asked as Adrian pulled out my chair.

“I’ve been coming here since I was a kid. I texted and asked him if he could accommodate us.”

“That’s so cool.” I grinned as I looked around.

“Marco’s good people. And the food here is incredible, Real Italian, not the fancy stuff you get in Midtown.”

A woman who must have been Rosa appeared with wine and water, filling our glasses before melting away again. Adrian raised his wine glass.

“To surviving Liza Pizza and the coffee-shop mob.”

I clinked my glass against his. “Cheers.”

We sipped our wine, and I tore off a piece of bread, still warm from the oven. I dipped it in some olive oil and the first bite was heaven.

“Oh my God,” I mumbled around the bread. “This is amazing.”

“I told you.” Adrian watched me with amusement. “Marco’s wife makes the bread fresh every few hours. It’s worth the trip alone.”