Chapter 18 - Dinner with the Reyes.

The Le Bernadine was exquisite. It was elegant in a minimalist sort of way, yet still echoed the natural world. The tables dominated the space, with circular tables of dark oak. The floor beneath it all was slate and with the cream walls and tall mullioned windows it was a fine place for the evening meal.

The lighting was dim and the air was thick with the scents of so many different foods. Booked three months in advance, it was not the kind of place you get a table on impulse and obviously Xavier must have used his connections to book an exclusive spot as they were both led to an inner private room where Mr and Mrs Reyes were waiting.

Amelia tried not to gag as a waitress carrying a plate of seafood walked by. She didn't hate seafood but she wasn't a huge fan of it either. Mr and Mr Reyes looked like a lovely couple. Mr Reyes was a man in his early fifties with greying hair in an elegant ponytail. He was wearing a charcoal black suit and he had a warm face with a well trimmed grey beard. His wife on the other hand was an elegant woman in a long black evening wear. She had her chestnut coloured hair in a low bun and she wore a string of pearls on her elegant neck.

They were smiling when Xavier and Amelia came in and Amelia had to smile.

"Mr and Mrs Reyes. It's lovely to see you again. This is my wife Amelia Black."

Xavier said as he introduced Amelia to the Reyes. Mrs Reyes stood and gave Amelia a brief hug with air kisses and Mr Reyes kissed Amelia's hand.

"Ohh so pretty! How was your honeymoon at Mauritius?"

Mrs Reyes asked and Amelia smiled.

"Oh it was wonderful!" She lied pleasantly. Although most of their trip had been ruined by the fact that Xavier had hidden some things from her, it wasn't that terrible.

"Yes, we had a great time, Mauritius was magical. Wasn't it darling?"

Xavier asked Amelia and she almost rolled her eyes in annoyance.

Why was he asking her again? She already said that it was wonderful.

"Yes, they have the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen."

The dinner went by smoothly after that. Since Amelia didn't know what to order, most of the menu was in French, she just ordered what Xavier was having. Ultra rare smoked sea trout with pickled red onion and a citrus miso emulsion. When the food arrived Amelia slowly picked at her food, she wasn't a huge fan of seafood, but she tried to enjoy it.

The Reyes were pleasant and they carried on most of the conversation. For some reason they were very impressed with Xavier and Amelia's relationship. Which surprised Amelia because she never knew she so good at acting. Apart from asking about their relationship, Mr Reyes talked about his plans with Xavier's company.

The soft classical Mozart piece that was playing in the background suddenly switched to a soft jazz and Mrs Reyes face lightened up.

"Oh! I love this song. Come on honey! Let's dance."
She urged her husband as she tugged on his shirt sleeve.

"We haven't even eaten dessert!"

"Oh we'll get back to that later. Don't you want to dance?"

She asked as she turned to Amelia and Xavier with an enthusiastic smile.

"Do we have to?" Was the question that Amelia wanted to ask but when she glanced at Xavier, his face held a different look.

"Shall we?" He asked and Amelia had no choice but to nod as Mr and Mrs Reyes were staring at them.

"Sure. Why not." Amelia shrugged.

They moved to the front of their table, there was enough space for them to dance and the music was filtering in from the other side of the restaurant as the band played beautifully. Mr and Mrs Reyes started off dancing and laughing while Amelia and Xavier watched them with growing amusement.

Soon Xavier took the first step by drawing Amelia close to him, his eyes briefly drawn to her inviting cleavage.

"Eyes up here Xavier." Amelia murmured and Xavier frowned as he pulled her close to him in one swift move. Amelia gasped softly as she gently collided with his chest. Honestly, she wasn't much of a classical dancer. She knew how to dance in clubs and parties but it had been a pain learning classical dances while growing up. She knew the waltz like the back of her hand since it was one of the dances her parents had made them practice.

The music spun around them lifting away gravity. Amelia watched in amazement as Xavier moved fluidly and gracefully, he was even much more better than her at dancing. She couldn't count how many times she had squished his foot under her own. Still he smiled brightly as her heels clicked over the floor. Xavier was mesmerised by Amelia, he watched as her eyes lit up anytime he swirled her and she was smiling the entire time. Her glossy black hair spun out and bounced more with each move and beat.

The Reyes too were having fun as they danced with as much grace and enthusiasm as Xavier and Amelia.

Slowly, the soft jazz was changed into l an even softer music, slower than the first but much more romantic. They just couldn't resist dancing.
The slow music twirled like thread around them. Amelia rested her head into his chest and let him sway her body 'round and 'round again.

The violins came in, then the piano, and then the slow and sure beating of a drum.

Xavier and Amelia were lost in each others eyes, it felt as if everything else melted away and all they could see was each other. All they could feel was the music slowly moving in their body in a fluid motion like the blood in their veins. And in that void there was nothing else than the music and the two of them.

And the music slowed, and they met at the hands. Amelia blinked and gazed into his alarmingly frost blue eyes that held emotions that she could not fathom.

"Well, looks like you guys certainly enjoyed the music much more than we did." Mr Reyes commented and Xavier and Amelia broke out of their reverie.

Amelia recovered faster than Xavier as she smiled demurely and slipped back into her seat. Xavier joined her and they looked at the menu so they could order dessert. Dessert turned out to be much more better, Amelia ordered the Banana S'mores, it was a pretty dessert with caramelized banana strips, warm chocolate cake and a generous drizzle of smoked meringue coquito sauce.
The dinner ended shortly after that and they said their goodbyes. Mr Reyes also expressed his enthusiasm at working with Xavier. Amelia and Xavier breathed a sign of relief after that, all their acting paid off.


"Amelia."

Xavier called out as they arrived at the penthouse, tired and exhausted. She slowly turned, seeing Xavier taking off his suit jacket and tie.

"Yes?"

"Thank you. Thank you for today."

Amelia smiled.

"You're welcome. I had a good time."

Xavier nodded.

"Me too. I hope that in the future, we can learn to be more friendly towards each other."

"Sure. It's possible."

Amelia replied as she shrugged.

She was about to leave again when Xavier pulled her close to him. She gasped softly as she was fitted snugly into his arms.

Xavier's eyes went down to Amelia's lips and he felt a longing deep in his bones. He wanted to kiss her so bad that it hurt.

"I couldn't... I couldn't take my eyes off you." he whispered.

His voice was husky and low and Amelia averted her eyes from his predatory gaze.

"You looked so beautiful. So stunning. Most of it wasn't acting."

He added and Amelia lowered her eyes. She couldn't do it, she couldn't bring herself to look at Xavier and not remember that article. She didn't want to be with a man that didn't want her or wasn't completely honest with her either.

No, she couldn't do it. She pulled away from Xavier.

"Xavier, I can't do this. We can't do this."

She said softly, she wasn't only trying to convince him, she was also trying to convince herself, because the truth was that she wanted him as bad as he wanted her.

She was only paid to be his wife. She didn't marry him for love. She married him for money. She married him to save her family from bankruptcy. He had reminded her about it once. She didn't need him to remind her again.
Besides, his heart belonged to another. And Amelia was not going to settle for second place.

"Why?"

He asked as she started walking away.

"You know the answer to that."