Adriana sat at her vanity at Wayne Manor and finished her makeup with a deep red lipstick. She hadn't seen herself made up in a long time. Eric Warrington would arrive soon for take her on what he didn't know what a fake date. The only thing that mattered was that people would hopefully recognizer her and take photos. It wouldn't take long for the press to find pictures of Eric and Bruce together at Yale, parties, and vacationing. They appeared to be close friends.
She looked at her phone and sighed. She stood up and went down to the foyer in the manor and put on a black trench coat. She didn't see anyone. No staff, no Alfred, no Bruce. It was a relief. All she wanted was to slip out and return discreetly.
When Eric pulled up, she opened the front door and started down the steps. She wouldn't allow him to have to do the most uncomfortable thing in the universe, knock on his friend's door for a date with his wife. Adriana saw no need to torture Eric. All she wanted was for the evening to be through and go to Jack's place and sleep.
"Adriana," Eric said to her as she reached the bottom of the stairs.
He was wearing a black two-piece suit with a black shirt underneath and his deep blonde hair looked like it had just been cut.
"Hi, Eric," she said to him and they kissed each other on the cheek.
"You look stunning," he said to her.
"Thanks," Adriana said with a smile.
He opened the passenger side door on his car, a black Rolls Royce Ghost. After they both got in, he pulled off.
"They security here is tight," he said to her. "I've been here many times before and was never stopped. But I got stopped on my way in tonight."
"Oh wow," Adriana said casually. She knew that security had been amped up ever since the threats came from Bruce's unnamed enemies.
"Yeah they just appeared out of nowhere," he said. "Few black cars and vans. Felt like I was getting stopped by the FBI. They had me show them my ID, patted me down, and all."
Adriana giggled innocently. "Well, sorry about that," she said.
"Not a problem," he said to her and then looked over at her for a second. "So, was Bruce at home?"
Adriana answered honestly. Bruce seemed to have disappeared after they put Arsenio to bed.
"I actually don't know," she said. "I didn't see him."
She heard Eric's quiet sigh of relief. Adriana watched the trees flying past the window . It was dark outside and she was so sleepy. She missed Jack terribly even though she had just seen him that morning. Knowing she would see him again soon after this date was over brought her some joy.
"Have you been to La Rini?" Eric asked her about the restaurant they were going to.
"A few times," Adriana said. "I liked it."
"Wonderful," he said to her. "I'm sure you've been to most of the fine dining establishments in Gotham."
Adriana could see that Eric was comparing himself to Bruce. Eric thought he could not show her anything new. Eric was wealthy, but Bruce had far more.
"Yeah, but some of them are overrated," Adriana shrugged. "Like Tapestri."
"Ah, yeah I hate that place," he said and they both laughed.
When they arrived at the restaurant the valet recognized her. Adriana could see it. She only hoped more people would recognize her and spread the word that she and Bruce really were over and that she was dating.
