After Hours by Rochelle Alers

live?”
    â€œIrvington.”
    â€œYou came all the way from Irvington by public transportation?”
    A slow smile found its way over Dina’s lips when she saw his shocked expression. “Why do you make it sound as if I’d walked across Death Valley in the middle of the summer?” A rush of color darkened Lance’s face with her backhanded retort, she finding it endearing. “You’re a snob, Lance Haynes.”
    His blush deepened. “No, I’m not! And why would you say that?”
    â€œWhen was the last time you took public transportation?”
    An expression of surprise froze his features. “I…I don’t remember.”
    Dina pointed a finger at him. “See. I was right. You are a snob.” She angled her head. “You’re finicky and very particular about where you eat or sleep. You’re probably so obsessive that you check out a chair before you sit down.”
    Lance didn’t confirm or deny her assessment of him. “What about restaurants?”
    She blinked once. “You only dine in the best restaurants.”
    He lifted a light brown eyebrow. “You think?”
    Dina nodded. “I know.”
    His gaze beamed approval. Dina Gordon was a good judge of character. “If you say I helped you, then I want you to help me.”
    â€œHelp you how?” She wasn’t clairvoyant, but she could predict the words that would come out of Lance’s mouth. He wanted to drive her back to Irvington.
    â€œLet me drive you back to Irvington.”
    She gave herself a mental check. “What’s the catch?”
    â€œWhy does there have to be a catch, Dina?”
    â€œI’ve been told that men who offer to do something for a woman usually want something in return.”
    â€œWho told you that?”
    â€œMy grandmother.”
    â€œWell, your grandmother’s wrong, because I won’t ask for anything in return except dinner.”
    Her luminous eyes grew larger. “You want me to cook dinner for you?”
    â€œNo. I want you to share dinner with me at a restaurant. ”
    â€œAre you sure that’s all you want?”
    Nodding slowly, Lance glanced down the handkerchief clutched in her hand. Dina was afraid of him, and he wondered whether her fear had anything to do with the man who’d left quickly when he’d returned with her soft drink.
    â€œYou don’t trust men, do you?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œHas a man ever hurt you?”
    â€œNo, but I’ve seen what they’ve done to other women.”
    Stretching out his right arm, he rested it over the back of her seat. “You’re judging all men by a few you’ve known?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œYou’re too young to be so cynical,” he said softly.
    She gave him a shy smile. “Spoken like a wise elder.”
    His hand slipped lower as he caressed her hair. “I want you to trust me enough to take you to dinner, then to make certain you get home safely.”
    Dina stared up at Lance through her lashes, totally aware of the seductiveness of the gesture when he exhaled audibly. “What guarantee can you give me that I’ll be safe with you?”
    The seconds ticked off as Lance and Dina regarded each other. “My word,” he said.
    She’d been with enough men to know if she could or couldn’t trust them, but Lance Haynes was one she knew intuitively she could trust. “Do you have a cell phone on you?” He nodded. She held out her hand. “Give it to me.”
    His flaring nostrils opened wider. “Why?”
    â€œI’ll give it back after you bring me home.”
    Shifting slightly, Lance reached for the cell phone on his waist, handing it to Dina and watching as she slipped it into her purse. “What would you like to eat?”
    She’d alternated eating at the diner and ordering from soul food and Chinese take-out restaurants. The meals, though staving off hunger,