“I hope so,” she murmurs, worriedly chewing her bottom lip.

I tug her lip out of her mouth with my fingers. “Are you okay?”

She gives me a slight smile. “I’ll be fine.” She inhales and exhales and raises her chin gallantly, ready to battle again.

I smile and usher her further inside the club. It’s a four-storey town house at an exclusive place in Berkley Square. It has restaurants, a nightclub, a limited edition wine cellar and private dining areas. We drop our jackets in the coatroom and head towards the garden restaurant. Aaliya takes one step inside and pauses, her eyes widening as she takes in the grandeur of the restaurant.

I never gave this place much thought in all the times I’ve dined here, but now I see it through her eyes and it is indeed incredible. The interiors are all burgundy and gold wallpaper, complete with huge pots overflowing with flowers, small trees, shrubs and soft lights.

A small band is playing in the corner doling out jazz music. Various tables with cushioned chairs and stuffed sofas are scattered across the polished granite floors.

She looks up at the retractable glass roof and then turns to me, her eyes glowing. “Fantastic, I love it. This whole place is...something else.”

I tilt my head back to observe her. Her knee length, fitted, steel grey dress is short sleeved with a square neck and is teemed with black high heels. The dress sinfully accentuates every curve of her body. Her hair flows behind her as she twists her head this way and that, taking in every detail of this restaurant. My eyes latch onto her lips that are painted a deep red and I step forward and kiss her mouth.

“You are so beautiful,” I tell her after I release her lips.

“Well, you’re not doing too badly yourself, Your Grace.” She gives me a wink and adjusts the knot of my tie.

I settle her at our table and take a seat next to her. A server appears and we order our drinks. Aaliya opts for a red wine while I order my regular malt whiskey.

“So, I have a gift for you.” I grin, handing her a wrapped present.

“Oh!” she gasps, her dark eyes rounding. “When did you get this? I didn’t see anything in your hands when we left the car?”

“It was left here, at our table, as per my instructions.”

“Wow!” she exclaims as she turns the present in her hand. “But why? My birthday is still a few weeks away.”

“Well, this is something more for me than you. Go ahead, open it.”

She unwraps the present, tearing at its bindings. Her eyebrows rise as she fingers the brand name written on the box. She opens the box, moving the soft tissue wrapping aside and grins.

“You got me a Louis Vuitton shawl in full black! It is gorgeous and I love it.”