“Duly noted. A second bottle it is.”

She laughed. “Let’s start with one and see how it goes.”

The waiter returned with the champagne, which he opened with an understated flourish. After filling two crystal flutes, he placed it in a sterling silver ice bucket that stood conveniently next to the table.

Hudson raised his glass. “I suppose I should say something profound. But at the moment the words escape me.”

What Hudson failed to understand was that for Allie, no words were necessary. The way he was looking at her said it perfectly. She smiled and lifted her glass, clinking it gently against his. “Cheers.”

They both sipped their champagne in silence for a moment, each of them drinking in the sight of the other. Allie wondered idly if the other patrons noticed the unabashed lust that pulsed between them like a tangible force. Not that it mattered. She and Hudson were finally together, and there wasn’t a person in the world who could ruin this moment for her.

“Drink your champagne,” he said. “I have plans to take advantage of you later.”

Thank God. With a little luck, maybe she could even convince him to skip dinner and call it a night after cocktails. She drained the rest of her glass, hoping he’d take the hint. Almost instantly she felt the warmth bubble inside her. “You could have taken advantage of me in your office, you know. No champagne needed.”

“I’m aware.” He shifted in his seat. “A missed opportunity, to be sure.”

She held her glass out and watched as he lifted the bottle out of the ice bucket and refilled the delicate flute. Outwardly, he was the picture of composure. But she knew he was just as affected as she was, perhaps more. A hopeful smile stretched across her face. “Why Mr. Chase, you’re not regretting that decision, are you?”

He chuckled quietly to himself as he worked the bottle back into the ice. “Only since the moment we left my office.” He lifted his glass and licked his lips. “But the anticipation will make it all the sweeter.”

Damn. She slugged back another gulp of champagne. It was going to be a long night.

Behind her a string quartet began to play. Allie turned to find a parquet dance floor where several couples swayed to the music.

Hudson stood and held out his hand. “Would you dance with me?”

As if she could deny him anything.

Allie placed her hand in his, unable to take her eyes off him as he led her to the dance floor and pulled her into his arms. Something was different. The shadows that had marred his beautiful face at his office were gone, and in their place was a smile unlike any she’d ever seen on him. He looked relaxed, yes, but it was more than that. She just couldn’t put her finger on it. “What’s that look for?” she finally asked.

“Happiness,” he said, tugging her closer and pressing his lips to her temple. “It’s not every day a man gets what he’s always wanted.”

She reared back to look at him, confused. “We’ve danced together before.”

“If you’re referring to the gala at the Field Museum, it was hardly the same.” He spun them slowly through the now sizable crowd. “And if you’ll recall, that dance was cut short.”

How could she forget? She’d been so caught up in the memories of her teenage romance with Hudson that she’d barely remembered her own name, much less that she had a fiancé. When Julian put his hand on her shoulder that night, she’d nearly jumped out of her skin.

“I was thinking more about the night we danced barefoot in the living room of your lake house,” she said.

“That was nice.” The gleam in his eye told her exactly where his thoughts had wandered. “What followed was even better. Left a distinct impression, if memory serves. But dancing with you wasn’t what I was referring to.”

She tilted her head to one side. “Then what did you mean?”

“This, out with you at my side. Looking at me as if nothing else exists in the room but the two of us.”

And at that moment, nothing did. Allie’s world narrowed to just him. The way his eyes darkened as they drank her in. The way his hand cradled hers as he held her in his arms. The way his lips parted as they hovered a breath away.

Their dancing slowed to nothing more than a gentle sway. “Allie, I . . .”

Someone bumped into her as the couples surrounding them made their way back to their tables. Allie glanced around the nearly empty dance floor. When had the music stopped?

Over her shoulder something caught Hudson’s eye and he gave a tight nod. “It appears our table is ready.”

Allie started toward the grand staircase that led to the dining room one floor below, but Hudson stopped her with a hand on her elbow. His lips brushed against her ear. “Go to the ladies room and take your panties off,” he whispered.

She gaped at him. Her first thought was to ask if he was serious, but the look in his eyes left no doubt as to his intentions.

“Go,” he commanded quietly. “And when you’re done, meet me in the Michigan Room.”

Allie blinked up at him. “We’re not dining in the restaurant?”

“No, I’ve arranged for a private room.”

“I thought the whole point was to take me out in public?”

“I shared you with the rest of the world during cocktails, but I’m a selfish man, and for dinner I want you all to myself. Besides, as much as I like tormenting you in public, knowing you’re wet and naked under that skirt will undoubtedly make my cock hard.” He leveled his dark stare. “Now go.”

Allie turned, her heart pounding a furious beat as she made her way to the restroom. Once inside, she bypassed the vanity and headed straight for one of the stalls. If she gave herself time to think about what she was doing, she would never have the nerve to follow through. Reaching under her skirt, she shimmied out of her panties. The cool air rushed against her aching core and she shivered. She suspected her reaction had less to do with the temperature of the room than it did with the idea of Hudson touching her overly sensitive skin. The mere thought of what he had planned for her during dinner had her body trembling with anticipation.

On her way out she stopped to check her appearance in the mirror. Her eyes were bright and her cheeks were flushed, but other than that she looked completely presentable. No one would suspect she was about to walk through the restaurant pantyless, consumed by the thought of Hudson’s skilled fingers bringing her to climax again and again.

The Michigan Room was on the south end of the building. When Allie pushed the door open she found the intimate space to be completely empty except for one lone table. Draped in white linen, it was set for an elegant dinner for two. Black-and-white china with gold accents sat atop gold chargers, perfectly accenting the city lights that glimmered in gold at her feet. Groupings of crystal stemware flanked each setting, and in the center of the table flickering votives circled an arrangement of fresh flowers.

But it wasn’t the sight of the sumptuous private accommodations that rendered Allie speechless as she walked into the room. It was Hudson, standing against the backdrop of the city’s skyline, that took her breath away.

“Hi,” was all she managed to say when she was finally standing in front of him.

He smiled as he pulled out her chair. She sat, taking note that the other chair was adjacent to hers at the square table and not across. The words ‘within arm’s reach’ popped into her mind and she shifted slightly in her seat.

“You look so lovely in the candlelight,” he said, joining her at the table. “But then, you look lovely in any light.”

Allie felt a warm flush spread across her cheeks. Why in the world was she so nervous? Was it because she was sitting at a table perched high above the city with her panties in her purse? Or because she was sitting at a table perched high above the city with the man she loved? While it should have probably been the former, she suspected the latter was more to blame. Sex had never been a problem for them. They jumped into that rather quickly and their chemistry was undeniable. But a relationship was unchartered territory for them. How would it be now that they didn’t have to sneak around? How would their friends and co-workers react?