What the Lightning Sees: Part One by Louise Bay Read Free Book Online Page B

about three months and I’d never seen her anything other than fully made up with a new outfit on.
    She smiled at me. “Thanks. I do try for you. So where are you taking me?”
    “It’s a surprise,” I replied as I opened the car door for her.
    I might be still living in the flat I was in when I was a student but I’d upgraded my car. I had two in fact. An Aston Martin DB9 for nights like this and then a run-around Golf.
    As I rounded the hood to take the driver’s side, I glanced back at her. She suited the car perfectly, like she was made for it. No one could deny she was beautiful, and she was good in bed. A surprisingly rare combination in a woman, I’d come to realise. She was the kind of girl that made other guys jealous—not that that was my intention, it was just a fact. But it came at a price. She liked the finer things in life, and there was no chance of us kicking back on the sofa on a Saturday night, or a long walk and lunch in a pub on Sunday. Millie was all about high-end glamour. She made me work for it, but I was okay with that. I liked to work for things that were worth it.
    “Chiltern Firehouse sound okay?”
    It was a good compromise. Relaxed enough that I could wear jeans but full of enough designer-clad celebrities to keep Millie happy.
    The twitching at the corners of her mouth suggested that she was trying to hide a shit-eating grin.
    “What would you like to drink?” I asked her as we arrived at the bar adjoining the restaurant.
    “Something bubbly,” she replied.
    Of course. I ordered a beer and a glass of champagne. “So how have you kept yourself busy today?” I asked in an attempt to get her to stop so obviously scanning for celebrities.
    “I went to the spa with Cissy, and then we went shopping.” She smiled at me. “Underwear shopping,” she whispered. “You deserve a reward for getting a table here.”
    Normally a comment like that from her would create a dozen mental pictures of Millie in various states of undress and a distinct stirring in my trousers. For some reason, I didn’t feel anything.
    “Come on, let’s get seated if you’re so keen,” I said and guided her through to the restaurant, my hand on the bottom of her back.
    The waiter led us to our table and handed us our menus. I wasn’t sure what the fuss was about. It seemed like a hundred restaurants I’d been to before. I’d been given a token for some private members’ club for after dinner, but I’d decided not to tell Millie about that yet.
    “Was it what you expected?” I asked her, glancing round again.
    “Yes, I mean, if it’s good enough for Orlando Bloom and Victoria Beckham then it’s good enough for me.”
    I smiled at her. I was glad she was pleased.
    I turned my attention to the menu. I grinned when I noticed one of the starters was a soft poached egg. “What’s your favorite food?”
    She stared at me and her eyebrows knitted together. “What?”
    “Your favorite food, what is it?”
    “I’ve never thought about it. Caviar? Why? Have you arranged for us to have some?”
    My heart sank and I shook my head. I wondered if she liked caviar or if she liked it because that was what she was supposed to like. I wondered if I really liked Millie, or if was I was dating her because she was the kind of woman I was supposed to date.
    “Apparently there’s a super-exclusive private members’ club at the back that some customers get invited to join,” she said.
    “Really?” I feigned ignorance.
    “Getting in there would mean I would give you free entry anywhere, if you get my meaning.”
    Was she offering me anal sex if I got her into a nightclub? My appetite died. I always understood our relationship was a transaction of sorts, but it had never been in such sharp focus for me.
    “Another night,” I said.
    I signed the bill and felt relieved. I hadn’t enjoyed the evening. Being with Millie had made me feel uncomfortable.
    As we headed out, I caught her doing a final scan of the