SITA
I descended the few flights of steps at the front of the hotel and there he was, waiting for me at the bottom, impeccably dressed.
My heart fluttered at the sight of Alessandro, looking sharp and handsome in his tailored suit. His smile widened as he caught sight of me, his eyes twinkling in the warm glow of the streetlights.
"Wow, Babe," he murmured, taking my hand. "You look... incredible."
I felt the color rising in my cheeks but managed to grin back at him. "Thank you."
"You've truly outdone yourself," I said, stepping closer to him, my hand still in his. "This dress... It's perfect."
He reached up, gently brushing a strand of hair from my face. "It's nothing compared to you, Hun. You could wear anything and still be the most beautiful woman in the world to me. I'm lucky to be here with you."
I blushed again, staring up into his brown eyes. "You're too sweet," I said softly. "But I do love this dress."
Alessandro smiled. " You don't know how glad I am to hear that."
"Where are we going tonight?" I asked as Alessandro led me to the waiting limousine.
He opened the passenger door for me with a flourish, his smile still warm and playful. "It's a surprise, Sweetheart. Just trust me."
I smiled back at him, intrigued, as I slid into the back seat. He climbed in after me, and we were off into the night, the city lights passing by in a blur.
"You know how to make a girl feel special, Alessandro," I said, resting my hand on his knee.
One of his hands covered mine on his knee, and he brought it up to his lip, pressing a kiss to the back.
" That's because you are special."
I giggled, loving the tingles that went through me at the gesture and the words that were spewing from his lip.
If it was someone I had just met, I would have thought he was trying to get into my pants. But this was Alessandro.
" Are you not going to tell me where we are going, though?"
Hesitation.
"Okay, fine. We're going to La Cantina," Alessandro answered with a hint of mischief in his voice. "It's one of the best Italian restaurants in Abidjan. I think you'll love it."
As the limo pulled up in front of the restaurant, I glanced out the window. "This is just around the corner from our hotel, we could have walked here," I commented.
Alessandro gave me a playful smirk. "Sita, when a woman looks as stunning as you do tonight, you don't walk her down the street like a commoner. Don't move."
He alighted from the car and made his way around to my side, pulling the car passenger door open.
"You deserve to be treated like the queen that you are, my dear," he continued, extending his hand to me. "Shall we?"
I couldn't help but giggle at his chivalry as I took his hand, and climbed out of the car. The walk to the restaurant was very brief, but I savored every second of it, relishing the way he made me feel like royalty.
As we stepped through the restaurant doors, the first thing to come to my notice was the empty chairs and tables. I could see the restaurant staff but aside from them, the place was empty.
My heart skipped a beat as I turned to Alessandro, a quizzical look on my face.
"Why is the place empty?" I whispered, my voice carrying across the space.
Alessandro smiled, a twinkle in his eyes. "I booked out the whole restaurant, just for us," he said, leading me to a table in the center of the room. "I wanted to have a private dinner with you, without any distractions. Just you and me."
I was stunned. I'd never had anyone go to such lengths for me before. Alessandro had truly outdone himself.
"You didn't need to do this," I said, my cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "It's too much."
"Not for you, Hun," he replied, pulling out my chair for me. "I wanted this night to be special, especially since it's our first night here, and it's worth every penny."
I smiled, my heart bursting with gratitude. My voice came out low, my eyes boring into his. "Thank you, you're one in a million."
He took my hand in his and kissed it softly, sending another wave of tingles down my spine.
Just then, the restaurant staff glided towards our table, ready to attend to our every need. Alessandro, ever the gentleman, asked if it was okay for him to order for us, and I nodded my consent.
He perused the menu, his finger tracing the words as he made his selections. "We'll start with the caprese salad, followed by the linguine alla vongole," he said to the waiter. "And a bottle of your finest Sangiovese, please."
The waiter nodded and disappeared, leaving us alone in the candlelit room.
As the food arrived and we began to eat, Alessandro and I chatted amicably about our surroundings, discussing the stunning architecture of the city and the activities we could do over the next few days.
I was laughing at one of his jokes when suddenly, he said, "You know, I had a patient once with a similar condition. He was in his mid-forties..."
I stopped him with a chuckle, putting my hand on his. "Remember our pact? No work talks for the next few days. This is our time."
He grinned sheepishly, sipping his wine. "You're right, I'm sorry." His smile still lingered. "No more talk about work. Tell me, what do you want to do tomorrow? There is a shopping mall around, or we could go sailing."
I considered his suggestions, rolling the wine around in my glass as I pondered. "I think I'd like to shop, and explore. Maybe the next day we can sail, you could teach me how to surf and then Spa treatment in the evening. What do you say?"
"It's a date then," he raised his glass to me.
***