Reflection - Hannah

It hadn't occurred to Hannah to worry about how she was dressed until they were in the back of his car and his two men in the front seat. She ran her hands on her jean-clad thighs. She was not dressed for an evening out with a man who typically was dressed in suits that cost more than one of her paychecks. And from the looks of the interior of the car, the man was used to the most expensive things money could buy.

She wanted to say something about not being dressed right, but the truth was she had no idea what to say. A part of her wanted to tell him off, but she had made a deal. She had agreed to go out with him in order for him to get through the line. Now she had to pay up. Then she could tell him where he could go. That gave her a little more confidence.

No words were exchanged between them. Hannah wasn't sure if she was thankful for the quiet or more unsettled because of it. She could feel his eyes on her during the entire trip. Once she glanced over and met them. A shiver went over her at the intensity within them.

Hannah couldn't deny the attraction she felt for him, but getting involved with anyone especially with someone with a not so clean background wasn't on her agenda for the year or the next. She just had to get through the night and then everything would go back to normal.

She let out a sigh of relief when the car pulled up and stopped. The door opened and Hannah had another wave of relief wash over her when she saw a small restaurant. She had been to this restaurant before. The jeans would be perfectly acceptable. That was one worry off her mind. And she knew good food was to be had.

She shouldn't have been surprised when the host saw Marcus and immediately began leading them to a table sat away from the others, already laid out for them. He obviously was a familiar face around there enough so nothing needed to be said. Whispering her thanks, she took the offered seat. Marcus took the only chair opposite her and promptly ordered a bottle of wine.

"Have you ever been here before?" Marcus sat back in his chair, appearing to be perfectly at ease with the situation. He draped one arm over the back of his chair. She was beginning to notice that was his position when he was relaxed. He did it many times in the coffee shop.

Hannah on the other hand was a nervous wreck inside. She couldn't understand exactly why. It wasn't like she hadn't ever been on a date before. It wasn't like she couldn't handle herself. But the attention she received from him was like nothing she had experienced before. There was an intensity behind his gaze that she wasn't sure to be excited about or frightened of.

She took a sip of her water. "Yes, with some friends a few months ago."

"Then you know how wonderful Al's lasagna is."

The waiter walked up with the wine. Marcus didn't hesitate as he placed the order for both of them, his eyes barely glancing away from hers as he spoke to the waiter. Hannah wanted to protest the high handed action, but she would have ordered the same dish anyway. She just couldn't reason out protesting when in the end it did save time.

She kept telling herself to chill and just relax. Her palms were sweating. She could only imagine the sheen of sweat forming on her forehead. One dinner. That's all he asked for. That's all she agreed to. She could enjoy the meal and then move on. Telling herself that gave her the kick in the rear she needed to pull out of her funk she had found herself in. What harm could the one dinner be. Might as well enjoy a free meal.

When the waiter departed with their order in hand, she smiled her thanks as Marcus poured the wine into her glass. The burgundy liquid swirled around before settling down in the crystal glass. She took a sip and appreciated the warmth from the wine as it danced around her tongue. Wine was also something she rarely had. It was something to enjoy.

"Have you had any of Al's other dishes?" Marcus sat his glass back down and watched her. She almost felt like he was looking at her as though she was one of Al's dishes.

She nodded. "Actually, yes. When I don't get the lasagna, I go for the seafood linguini."

"You have to try his chicken parmesan. He has a special coating that you'll never find anywhere else."

Hannah felt herself relax a bit more. "I'll have to do that one night. I have a friend who gets it every time we come here."

The rest of the evening flew by as they ate and talked. Hannah's opinion of the man took an entirely different path as she got to know him. Yes, he was arrogant. That she couldn't deny, but there was more to him than that.

Over the salad, lasagna, and tiramisu, Hannah discovered Marcus had a thing for classical movies and books. He spent many an evening working on wood carvings in a studio and frequented art galleries. From what he said, she quickly gathered he actually looked at the art and didn't just go to rub elbows. Marcus was turning out to be much deeper than she imagined. Her apprehension about him was waning.

Once Hannah opened her mouth to comment on his reputation in the news, but something made her think twice. Maybe it was the sight of his two bodyguards sitting a few feet away. Maybe it was the fact she wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer. She was actually enjoying herself. Ruining it with the possible knowledge she was sitting across from one of the FBI's most wanted was not something she was eager to do.

She glanced down at her watch and gasped. Midnight had already gone by. "Oh, my! I can't believe how late it is. I have to work tomorrow."

"Opening?"

"Yes." She could already see herself forgetting the simple things due to lack of sleep. If she left right then, she might get three good hours of sleep which was far from the amount she needed for the busy day. "I don't usually close and open but we had some issues with another manager so I volunteered." She wiped her mouth with the cloth napkin and reached for her purse on the back of her chair.

He didn't make a move to leave. "I'll just have to take you home...On one condition."

Hannah froze. She looked up at him to notice he had the same smile on his face he had earlier that day when he blackmailed her into dinner. A suspicious thought entered her mind as to the condition he was going to lay down. "And that is?"

"You have dinner with me again tomorrow night."

Her pulse quickened. Her guess had been right. The thought of having dinner with him again was not repulsive to say the least. She had enjoyed the night so far. Yet the wisdom in going out with him was questionable. Though she had learned a lot about him, she still didn't know him well enough to know if dating him was such a good idea. He had an air of danger and mystery that both attracted her and scared her.

Before she could tell him no, he said, "If I have to, I'll be the first one in line in the morning and will order a few dozen complicated drinks, and I'm sure I can come up with some other things that could hold the line up." He arched an eyebrow at her, daring her to decline him.

Hannah chuckled and shook her head again. "I don't understand you. Why go to such extremes to get a girl to go out with you?"

"Would you say yes otherwise?"

Her silence was answer enough for him.

"A man has to do whatever he can to get what he wants so badly."

Hannah felt her breath catch in her throat. Her heart raced to where she felt the flush rise in her cheeks. What could she say to that? With a nod she stood up. It was probably better to not say anything at the moment until she was able to gather her thoughts.

The ride to her apartment wasn't long as the restaurant was only a few miles from the cafe which was less than seven blocks from work. The car pulled to a stop in front of the large brick building she called home. She took the strap of her purse in hand and touched the door handle. Pausing, she looked over at Marcus.

"Thank you for a lovely dinner."

"Tomorrow night we'll go out to some place a little fancier."

A smile tugged at her lips and she nodded. Why not? "Okay."

"I'll pick you up at six."

With another nod, she got out and made her way into her apartment. It wasn't until she was showering that it dawned on her that she never gave him her address.