Chapter 402

The car arrived at 7 pm on the dot. Christian grabbed the enormous bouquet of roses he had Derek buy.

"I can't believe you are doing this. I told you not to fall for her." Derek said.

"It couldn't be helped." Christian said, getting out of the car.

"Obviously." Derek said.

The penthouse on Pollen street was in an up and coming, cool and trendy area. A few of the windows were open. Christian could hear a woman say, "He's here, Nora. What in the fuck do I do? I'm going to have the king of England in my fucking living room!"

Then a man's voice said, "Ah pipe down you crazy bird. He's a regular bloke just like us. He's probably just like us skints."

Christian chuckled. He walked up to the door with Derek behind him.

Nora opened the door. "Hello." She said with a smile. She looked absolutely gorgeous in a black cocktail dress with heels. Her makeup was done a little darker than usual and her lips, red as cherries. He resisted the urge to devour her right there. "Hello, Nora." He said.

"Please. Come in." She said. He smiled and handed her the roses.

"Thank you. These are beautiful." She said.

"They pale in comparison to the beauty I see standing before me." Christian said. Nora cleared her throat and opened the door wider, motioning him inside.

"Blimey. He is here. Welcome to our home, your majesty." A man said, greeting him.

"Please, call me Christian." He said.

"Okay, call me awestruck." He said.

"Christian, this is Thomas. And that woman standing at the back of the room with her jaw on the floor is Dana." Nora said.

"Yes. Dana." The woman said, with a curtsy.

"Lovely to meet you both." Christian said.

"Fuck me, he's gorgeous too." Dana said.

"Dana! I apologize. She wasn't born with a tact filter." Nora said.

Christian laughed. "You should meet my mum's friend, Fi. I think you two would get on quite well." Christian said.

"The Oscar winning actress and director? Yeah. Love to." Dana said. Christian smiled.

"Oh, almost forgot." He said, handing Nora a jar of olives. She smiled.

"Thank you." She said. Dana and Thomas looked at one another and then back at them.

"We have some gin, want a drink?" Thomas asked.

"Why not?" Christian said. Nora smiled.

After a drink and much awkward conversation, Christian escorted Nora to the car.

"Are you sure about this?" She asked.

He looked into her eyes. "I've never been more sure about anything." He said. He opened the door and helped her inside.

"You better be sure." Derek whispered to him before getting into the driver's seat. Christian nodded.

"I sure as hell am." He said out loud before he opened his door and got in.

The car pulled up at Le Gavroche and a few press people were set up outside. It was normal for upscale restaurants to have that happen because of the celebrity clientele. When they saw the Royal limo, they all ran over. Derek directed them to keep a distance.

"Are you alright?" Christian asked Nora.

"Yes." She said. Derek opened the door and Christian got out, then offered his hand to Nora, helping her out of the car. "Christian! How are you this evening?" One of the yelled. He ignored him and walked to the door and inside, Derek behind them.

"That was terrifying." Nora said.

"That was nothing." Christian said.

She smiled nervously.

"Your majesty. We are honored to have you here, dining with us tonight. Please, follow me." The maitre d' said.

Christian reached out for Nora's hand and she took his. He wrapped her arm around his arm and lead her into the dining room. Many people watched them and took photos.

They sat down at the table and Christian could tell Nora was extremely nervous.

"Nora, look at me." Christian said.

She looked up from the menu and met his eyes with hers.

"We are having dinner. Two friends. Two people that know each other. Breathe. Relax. This is fine. You are fine." Christian said.

She nodded and took a deep breath.

"Thank you, I needed to hear that." She said.

The waiter took their order and Nora looked around. Everyone seemed to lose interest as the evening went on.

"This food is so, so amazing." Nora said.

"It is, isn't it? I've never eaten here. After tonight, I'm definitely eating here more often. Wow." Christian said, cleaning his plate. Nora laughed at him.

"There it is." He said.

She smiled. "There what is?" She asked, wiping her mouth.

"Your laugh." He said.

She smiled and hid her face behind her napkin.

"No. Don't." He reached for the napkin and put her hands down. "Don't hide your face from me." He said.

She stopped smiling and looked back at him. They remained that way, eyes locked, until the waiter interrupted them to clear the table.