Chapter 275
After finishing his work, Bacchus left his car at the office and climbed into the passenger seat of Sophie’s Porsche Cayenne.
They drove straight to an exclusive, reservations-only restaurant. The moment they walked through the door, the manager recognized Sophie and hurried over to greet her like an old friend. “Ms. Sutherland, wonderful to see you.”
His eyes then shifted to Bacchus standing beside her. The man was dressed in a crisp executive jacket, radiating a natural, commanding aura.
Particularly upon spotting the discreet, high-end crest on his lapel, the manager couldn’t identify the exact title, but he instantly knew this man was a heavy hitter. The manager quickly pasted on a polite smile and asked, “And this gentleman is?” Before Sophie could say a word, Bacchus stepped forward, his tone perfectly smooth and completely unbothered. “Good evening. I’m Sophie’s boyfriend.”
Sophie looked up at him, amusement dancing in her eyes along with a flash of playful indignation. Her expression screamed: *Since when did I agree to that?*
Bacchus met her stare and raised a brow, feigning total innocence. “Did I get that wrong?”
Catching the vibe, the manager immediately chuckled to smooth things over. “What a stunning couple!”
Sophie pulled her gaze away and offered the manager a graceful nod. “Thank you. Our usual private room, I assume?”
The manager agreed enthusiastically, signaling a waiter to lead the way. The two of them followed closely behind.
Halfway down the hall, Sophie leaned in and lowered her voice. “Bacchus, since when did I agree to be your girlfriend? Aren’t we still in the ‘getting to know each other’ phase?”
“Ah, my mistake. I was being presumptuous,” Bacchus said, his expression completely serious but his tone laced with sly amusement. “Should I go back and clear things up with him right now?”
He looked as though, with one nod from Sophie, he would spin right around and retract his statement to the manager.
“You’re pretty manipulative for a guy who’s been single this long.”
Sophie suddenly stepped right into his personal space, dropping her voice to a teasing, breathless whisper. “Don’t tell me you’ve got some sort of hidden physical dysfunction?”
She shamelessly raked her eyes over his handsome features and incredibly fit physique, thinking to herself: *If all this hardware doesn’t work, that would be a damn tragedy.*
Hearing that, Bacchus let out a low, rough chuckle, his voice dripping with mock exasperation.
“If I stay single, I must have a dysfunction. If I’ve dated around, you’d accuse me of being a player. Honestly, it’s getting harder to be a man these days than a woman.”
He locked eyes with Sophie, holding her suggestive gaze before swiftly pivoting. “I’ll email you a copy of my physical exam report later.”
But Sophie wasn’t one to back down. She arched an eyebrow. “Medical reports only cover the basics. They don’t test for *that* particular kind of stamina.”
She shrugged off her trench coat as they entered the room. Bacchus took it from her as naturally as breathing and hung it on the nearby rack.
A second later, he planted one hand
on the back of her chair and the
other on the edge of the table,
caging her in. Leaning in close enough for her to feel the heat of his breath, he murmured, “So, does MS. Sutherland want me to offer a
hands-on demonstration?”
Sophie tilted her head to meet his
intense stare, a wicked smile curving her lips. “Ademonstration just means end up being taken advantage of. That’s a terrible deal, Gramps.” Bacchus grimaced slightly at the nickname. “I’m hardly a relic. I’m only eight years older than you.”
He pulled out the chair across from hers and sat down. Sophie nodded with exaggerated seriousness. “Oh you’re right. Definitely not that big of a gap You were just in the second grade when was born. By the time I you were in grad school, I had just finished elementary school.
Practically the same age.”
Watching her sharp, witty banter, a surge of genuine affection welled up inside Bacchus. Being around a woman like her was anything but boring.
“Fine. Call me whatever you want. I surrender,” he conceded smoothly.
Sophie pushed her luck, eyes sparkling. “Calling you Old Man puts you in the same generation as my dad. Technically, you’re the one coming out ahead.”
Bacchus picked up his water glass and took a slow sip, a dangerous, flirtatious gleam hiding in his eyes. “Trust me, your father’s position isn’t the one I’m interested in taking.”