My Life as Duke Starr's Assistant

My Life as Duke Starr's Assistant...[Part 16]

I stood back to examine how I looked in the vertical mirror on the back of my closet door.

I wore a royal blue dress with black netting along the top and bottom edges. I wore black heels and my hair in a bun at the center back of my head. I wore more eye make-up than usual.

I tilted my head to the side. I couldn't remember the last time I had gotten this dressed up for a date. Actually, I couldn't even remember the last time I had gone on a date. I was always so busy with school and work and meetings. I never had time for a personal life. Denise was my only friend. I hadn't had a boyfriend since my undergraduate studies. It had been a while. It was time I got out there. And what better way to do that than with an extremely handsome and ambitious lawyer?

I heard the doorbell ring. I glanced at my watch. 6:30. Right on time.

I turned the light off in my closet and walked out to the front door. I opened it and to reveal a grinning Brandon standing attractively in a simple light blue shirt and black pants. He held red roses in his hands. I smiled at him.

"Hi," I said a little breathlessly.

"I'm debating on whether I should give you these or not," he said, indicating the roses. I raised my eyebrows at him. "It's not fair to the flowers how incredibly beautiful you are," he added, an amused glint in his eye. I laughed.

"Clever. I like that," I said, stepping aside so he could come in.

"You can expect nothing less," he replied, handing me the roses. I took them and breathed in their flowery scent. The smell of roses was my favorite.

"Thanks for the roses," I told him. He smiled at me and kissed my cheek. "I'll get a vase for them," I said, walking into the kitchen.

I picked up the empty vase that was sitting on the corner of the counter and filled it up with water. I brought it into the family room and placed the roses in it. The red of the roses contrasted sharply and romantically with the white of the room.

"Ready to go?" he asked, coming up behind me and placing his hand lightly on my waist.

"Yes. Give me one second. I have to get my bag," I replied. I went to my room and got my clutch bag and checked my face and hair in the mirror once more before walking back out. "Ready," I said.

"Great. Let's go," he said, opening the door.

He drove us to a restaraunt that was about 20 minutes from my apartment. When we pulled into the lot, I read the name, not recognizing it.

"What is this place?" I asked. He came around and opened my door for me, offering his hand as I got out of the car.

"It's a Spanish restaraunt. It's amazing and the food is delicious," he answered, closing the door behind me. We began walking towards the entrance. I could hear the sound of a beautiful Spanish guitar playing from inside.

"I used to come here with my parents when I was younger. My sister had her engagement dinner here, too. It's a really big part of my family," he explained, opening the door for me. I smiled at him. Who said chivalry was dead?

"Hola. Reservations for Dougherty," he said to the host.

"Right this way," the man said, nodding at us. We followed him to a table by the windows. The cloth of the table was white and gold and the seats matched. Brandon pulled my chair out for me and I sat down, thanking him and smiling. He was being so gentlemanly. He sat in his chair across from me.

"So why this place?" I asked after we had ordered our drinks.

"It's amazing," he replied, leaning forward a little. "They don't serve cheap Mexican food like other places. They serve really rich Spanish food from all the regions of Spain. The whole atmosphere makes you feel like you're in Spain. The music they play is from the different regions, they'll greet you in Spanish. And after dinner, they always have dancing. It's really fantastic," Brandon told me.