Chapter 7
"Ah, here we are, I hope you like Italian food" Kazuya said fifteen minutes later as the limo driver pulled into a large parking lot
"I love it" Anna replied "This is a busy spot" she continued, noting the lot was nearly full
"Yeah this place is very popular on weekends…It helps that the trio who perform here are great, and the dance floor adds to the attraction."
"Dance floor?" Anna repeated, a flicker of alarm chased through her
The driver came around and opened the door, Kazuya climbed out then offered Anna his hand.
"You do know how to dance don't you?" He asked as he helped her out of the car
"Yes, I can dance but I-"
"Good" Kazuya responded cutting her off in mid sentence. "But first I think we should eat," he went on. "I made reservations before we left."
Anna fell into step beside him she couldn't tell if he was merely teasing her, but the thought of dancing with Kazuya was making her heart beat faster.
Once they were inside the restaurant a waiter took them to their table not far from the dance floor and handed them the menus once they were seated.
"Have a nice evening" He said and left.
Anna scanned the spacious restaurant as Kazuya studied the menu. Most of the tables were occupied and the low buzz of conversation echoed around the room. White cotton tablecloths draped the tables, in the center of each one stood a tall candle and a vase with a single red carnation. The smell of spaghetti sauce mixed with melted cheese and garlic as well as other enticing aromas filled the air, making Anna's mouth water.
Anna opened the leather-bound menu and tried to concentrate on the items listed. Was Kazuya serious? Was he really going to ask her to dance? She lowered her menu to peek at him. Their gazes collided and instantly her heart pounded against her ribs in reaction.
"Have you decided?" he asked
"Um…No." She dropped her gaze back to the menu but the words didn't seem to make sense.
"I recommend the red wine and mushroom risotto - it's one of my favourites," Kazuya said. "The lasagne is also very good and their spaghetti and meatballs are the best in town."
Anna closed the menu and smiled.
"They all sound nice" she replied. "I think I'll try the risotto."
"Excellent choice," he said "And how about Caesar salad to start off?"
"That would be lovely, thank you." she smiled
The reality of it all hit Anna and she questioned herself about why Kazuya wanted to take her, of all people, on a date. She watched him with a small smile as he gave their order to the waiter, then she noticed two men and a tall, dark-haired woman wearing a sequined purple dress making their way toward the instruments in the corner of the dance floor. It must be the trio he was talking about before she thought.
"Would you like a glass of wine?" Kazuya asked, capturing her attention.
"No thanks, I'll pass," she responded and the waiter gave a small nod then left them again.
"So tell me more about yourself," Kazuya invited once the waiter had gone.
Anna met his gaze, silently acknowledging that Kazuya Mishima was by far the most attractive man she'd ever met. She swallowed nervously.
"There's not really that much to tell."
Kazuya leaned forward resting his forearms on the table, "If there's nothing to tell then let me have a few guesses, with the name Williams you must be related to that Nina woman."
"Yes…We're sisters" Anna nodded and then thought "Maybe that's why I'm here, he's interested in Nina -- Why does that sound so familiar." She rolled her eyes slightly.
"I thought so." he said with a satisfied smile although he already knew the answer.
Then he chuckled.
"So, what were you doing when you ran into me before?" Kazuya grinned
Before Anna could answer, a busboy set a small basket of buns on the table. Moments later the first bars of a familiar song filled the room as the trio began to play.
Anna turned towards the sound. The woman she'd seen walking to the stage was now standing behind a microphone. She started to sing in a low and seductive voice while several couples rose from their seats and crossed to the dance floor.
"She has an amazing voice," Anna said, relieved to use the interruption to shift the conversation away from her sister.
"She does," Kazuya agreed as the waiter appeared with their salads.
Throughout the meal Anna kept the conversation on more general topics and she readily answered his questions about how she was doing in the tournament. The musicians continued to entertain the dinner crowd and Anna noted that the dance floor was rarely empty.
"How about dessert, or coffee?" Kazuya asked
"Coffee please," Anna answered with a smile "And the meal was delicious, thanks" she added.
"My pleasure," he said "But the evening isn't over. We must be the only two people who haven't taken a turn on the dance floor, what do you say?" His smile was inviting and Anna felt her heart skip a beat.
"I really -" She began
"You did say you could dance, right? I promise I won't step on your toes" Kazuya teased as he stood up.
Anna looked up at him, there was no mistaking the gleam of challenge in his eyes. With a shy smile she rose and followed him to the dance floor, the music playing was another sad song about someone breaking someone's heart. Reaching the floor Kazuya turned to Anna and seconds later she was in his arms. Anna's skin tingled as their bodies made contact, she was also glad she had worn high heels as he was quite a bit taller than her. But it was as if they'd been dance partners for years, she followed every step, every turn, her feet seemed to scarcely touch the ground and she silently wished the song would never end.
Kazuya closed his eyes and listened to the enchanting beat of the music. He admitted to himself that he'd deliberately chosen this restaurant for the simple reason he wanted to feel her in his arms. The scent of wildflowers and spring-time filled his senses as they danced and her cheek rested a little unsurely against his shoulder.
Anna was quite surprised by Kazuya's change in personality, she wouldn't have picked him to be the romantic type and would never have dreamed that he was such a wonderful dancer. There was a lot of things she didn't know about this man but she felt that she trusted him completely, which was unusual for her. The music began to fade out and Anna held back a sigh of disappointment as Kazuya slowly released her.
"That wasn't too bad was it?" He asked
Anna just nodded and smiled again, tucking her hair behind her ears.
The trio began playing another song, the music was fast and upbeat this time and Anna grinned.
"Hey, I love this song!" she giggled, feeling her shyness fade a bit more.
Kazuya took her hands again and before she knew it they were dancing once more to the quick pace of the music, a few of the other couples stopped to watch them as they moved perfectly in time with each other and looked like they had been practicing for weeks. By the time the song had finished Anna and Kazuya were both ready to sit down, they resumed their seats at the table just as the waiter appeared carrying two cups of coffee. The two were still laughing together while they finished their supper
"I had a great time tonight" Anna smiled as they headed back to the limo
"Me too, it was fun" Kazuya replied and returned the smile.
On the drive back, they hardly said anything, Anna was worn out from all the dancing and she leaned her head back on the cushy seat, staring out the window. The streets were brightly lit with orange streetlights and there were still a lot of people out and about, Anna could only see a few stars, there was no trace of the thunderstorms now and the air was warm. She yawned softly and noticed Kazuya glancing at his watch, he appeared to be deep in thought, his expression was back to it's normal indifference.
It seemed like ages before the large looming shapes of the Mishima Zaibatsu came into view and Anna felt slightly relieved. The silence continued as Kazuya walked her to her room and as she unlocked the door he came up behind her.
"We should do this again some time," Kazuya said and smiled slowly as Anna agreed.
They said goodnight and Anna turned to go inside. She didn't get far, Kazuya's hands reached out and grabbed her upper arms, turning her back toward him. His brown eyes looked into her blue ones, holding her captive. Anna raised her brows curiously but he simply smiled and lowered his head, bringing his lips down on hers in a soft, sweet goodnight kiss.
"Ah, here we are, I hope you like Italian food" Kazuya said fifteen minutes later as the limo driver pulled into a large parking lot
"I love it" Anna replied "This is a busy spot" she continued, noting the lot was nearly full
"Yeah this place is very popular on weekends…It helps that the trio who perform here are great, and the dance floor adds to the attraction."
"Dance floor?" Anna repeated, a flicker of alarm chased through her
The driver came around and opened the door, Kazuya climbed out then offered Anna his hand.
"You do know how to dance don't you?" He asked as he helped her out of the car
"Yes, I can dance but I-"
"Good" Kazuya responded cutting her off in mid sentence. "But first I think we should eat," he went on. "I made reservations before we left."
Anna fell into step beside him she couldn't tell if he was merely teasing her, but the thought of dancing with Kazuya was making her heart beat faster.
Once they were inside the restaurant a waiter took them to their table not far from the dance floor and handed them the menus once they were seated.
"Have a nice evening" He said and left.
Anna scanned the spacious restaurant as Kazuya studied the menu. Most of the tables were occupied and the low buzz of conversation echoed around the room. White cotton tablecloths draped the tables, in the center of each one stood a tall candle and a vase with a single red carnation. The smell of spaghetti sauce mixed with melted cheese and garlic as well as other enticing aromas filled the air, making Anna's mouth water.
Anna opened the leather-bound menu and tried to concentrate on the items listed. Was Kazuya serious? Was he really going to ask her to dance? She lowered her menu to peek at him. Their gazes collided and instantly her heart pounded against her ribs in reaction.
"Have you decided?" he asked
"Um…No." She dropped her gaze back to the menu but the words didn't seem to make sense.
"I recommend the red wine and mushroom risotto - it's one of my favourites," Kazuya said. "The lasagne is also very good and their spaghetti and meatballs are the best in town."
Anna closed the menu and smiled.
"They all sound nice" she replied. "I think I'll try the risotto."
"Excellent choice," he said "And how about Caesar salad to start off?"
"That would be lovely, thank you." she smiled
The reality of it all hit Anna and she questioned herself about why Kazuya wanted to take her, of all people, on a date. She watched him with a small smile as he gave their order to the waiter, then she noticed two men and a tall, dark-haired woman wearing a sequined purple dress making their way toward the instruments in the corner of the dance floor. It must be the trio he was talking about before she thought.
"Would you like a glass of wine?" Kazuya asked, capturing her attention.
"No thanks, I'll pass," she responded and the waiter gave a small nod then left them again.
"So tell me more about yourself," Kazuya invited once the waiter had gone.
Anna met his gaze, silently acknowledging that Kazuya Mishima was by far the most attractive man she'd ever met. She swallowed nervously.
"There's not really that much to tell."
Kazuya leaned forward resting his forearms on the table, "If there's nothing to tell then let me have a few guesses, with the name Williams you must be related to that Nina woman."
"Yes…We're sisters" Anna nodded and then thought "Maybe that's why I'm here, he's interested in Nina -- Why does that sound so familiar." She rolled her eyes slightly.
"I thought so." he said with a satisfied smile although he already knew the answer.
Then he chuckled.
"So, what were you doing when you ran into me before?" Kazuya grinned
Before Anna could answer, a busboy set a small basket of buns on the table. Moments later the first bars of a familiar song filled the room as the trio began to play.
Anna turned towards the sound. The woman she'd seen walking to the stage was now standing behind a microphone. She started to sing in a low and seductive voice while several couples rose from their seats and crossed to the dance floor.
"She has an amazing voice," Anna said, relieved to use the interruption to shift the conversation away from her sister.
"She does," Kazuya agreed as the waiter appeared with their salads.
Throughout the meal Anna kept the conversation on more general topics and she readily answered his questions about how she was doing in the tournament. The musicians continued to entertain the dinner crowd and Anna noted that the dance floor was rarely empty.
"How about dessert, or coffee?" Kazuya asked
"Coffee please," Anna answered with a smile "And the meal was delicious, thanks" she added.
"My pleasure," he said "But the evening isn't over. We must be the only two people who haven't taken a turn on the dance floor, what do you say?" His smile was inviting and Anna felt her heart skip a beat.
"I really -" She began
"You did say you could dance, right? I promise I won't step on your toes" Kazuya teased as he stood up.
Anna looked up at him, there was no mistaking the gleam of challenge in his eyes. With a shy smile she rose and followed him to the dance floor, the music playing was another sad song about someone breaking someone's heart. Reaching the floor Kazuya turned to Anna and seconds later she was in his arms. Anna's skin tingled as their bodies made contact, she was also glad she had worn high heels as he was quite a bit taller than her. But it was as if they'd been dance partners for years, she followed every step, every turn, her feet seemed to scarcely touch the ground and she silently wished the song would never end.
Kazuya closed his eyes and listened to the enchanting beat of the music. He admitted to himself that he'd deliberately chosen this restaurant for the simple reason he wanted to feel her in his arms. The scent of wildflowers and spring-time filled his senses as they danced and her cheek rested a little unsurely against his shoulder.
Anna was quite surprised by Kazuya's change in personality, she wouldn't have picked him to be the romantic type and would never have dreamed that he was such a wonderful dancer. There was a lot of things she didn't know about this man but she felt that she trusted him completely, which was unusual for her. The music began to fade out and Anna held back a sigh of disappointment as Kazuya slowly released her.
"That wasn't too bad was it?" He asked
Anna just nodded and smiled again, tucking her hair behind her ears.
The trio began playing another song, the music was fast and upbeat this time and Anna grinned.
"Hey, I love this song!" she giggled, feeling her shyness fade a bit more.
Kazuya took her hands again and before she knew it they were dancing once more to the quick pace of the music, a few of the other couples stopped to watch them as they moved perfectly in time with each other and looked like they had been practicing for weeks. By the time the song had finished Anna and Kazuya were both ready to sit down, they resumed their seats at the table just as the waiter appeared carrying two cups of coffee. The two were still laughing together while they finished their supper
"I had a great time tonight" Anna smiled as they headed back to the limo
"Me too, it was fun" Kazuya replied and returned the smile.
On the drive back, they hardly said anything, Anna was worn out from all the dancing and she leaned her head back on the cushy seat, staring out the window. The streets were brightly lit with orange streetlights and there were still a lot of people out and about, Anna could only see a few stars, there was no trace of the thunderstorms now and the air was warm. She yawned softly and noticed Kazuya glancing at his watch, he appeared to be deep in thought, his expression was back to it's normal indifference.
It seemed like ages before the large looming shapes of the Mishima Zaibatsu came into view and Anna felt slightly relieved. The silence continued as Kazuya walked her to her room and as she unlocked the door he came up behind her.
"We should do this again some time," Kazuya said and smiled slowly as Anna agreed.
They said goodnight and Anna turned to go inside. She didn't get far, Kazuya's hands reached out and grabbed her upper arms, turning her back toward him. His brown eyes looked into her blue ones, holding her captive. Anna raised her brows curiously but he simply smiled and lowered his head, bringing his lips down on hers in a soft, sweet goodnight kiss.