As agreed, Dunn showed up at the famous Thomas Keller restaurant in Beverly Hills. This place used to be a century-old French laundry spot, but now it's the go-to hub for fancy French cuisine in California.
Scoring a VIP private room here? Dunn was a bit surprised. Since when did Nicole Kidman have this kind of pull?
But the second he stepped into the room, it all clicked.
There, sitting with a handsome, all-too-familiar face, was none other than Tom Cruise!
Dunn shot a quick glance at Nicole, a mix of irritation and confusion in his eyes. What's this all about?
Nicole forced a smile and stood up, putting on her warmest act. "Dunn, let me introduce you to my husband, Tom Cruise. Just call him Tommy!"
Dunn plastered on a polite smile, shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Cruise."
"The pleasure's mine, Director Walker!" Tom replied with a professional grin. Gotta admit, the guy's got charm.
But…
Dunn's first impression wasn't about Tom's good looks or charisma. Nope. It was… man, this guy's *short*!
Nicole's nearly six feet tall, and even standing next to her made Dunn feel a bit of pressure. But Tom? How's he pulling this off with such confidence? What is he, like 5'6"? Next to Nicole, it's almost comical!
Any "cool guy" vibe Tom might've had in Dunn's mind crumbled right then and there. The two of them together? It was kinda jarring to see.
With this "third wheel" in the mix, Dunn's mood took a nosedive. He kept his expression neutral and got straight to the point. "So, what's the occasion for inviting me here today?"
Tom didn't come off as the arrogant hotshot the rumors made him out to be. His smile stayed professional, almost like a flight attendant's—warm and welcoming. He gestured for Dunn to sit. "There's been a lot of chatter in the papers lately. We both know it's all nonsense, but I thought…"
Dunn waved it off, not even sweating it. "I don't bother with tabloids. Never care about that stuff."
Tom let out a light chuckle. "Director Walker's got a big heart, doesn't he?"
But with this "lightbulb" of a third wheel sitting there, Dunn wasn't exactly thrilled. He had zero appetite for dinner and just wanted to bounce early. Then he noticed the seating arrangement—pretty interesting setup.
Tom, as the host, naturally took the head of the table. Dunn was on his right as the guest, and Nicole sat on the left, playing the dutiful companion.
Nicole was rocking a red-and-blue low-cut, form-fitting dress—classy, elegant, and, well, pretty darn sexy.
Dunn, sitting right across from her, had quite the view.
His eyes flicked over, and suddenly he thought, *Hey, sticking around for a meal might not be so bad after all.*
The vibe during dinner was surprisingly chill. Tom's constant smile was almost exhausting to watch, but he seemed totally used to it. Gotta give it to him—Pretty Boy's got some serious professional chops.
Though every now and then, he'd say something so out of pocket that it left Dunn dumbfounded, even cracking up a bit. Nicole looked pretty embarrassed too. Dude's EQ might need a little work!
But Dunn wasn't really paying attention to Tom's ramblings. His focus was locked on Nicole across the table, his eyes casually—but perfectly—darting to her neckline.
Tom was too busy yapping away, trying to be funny and buddy up with Dunn, to notice. Nicole, though? She wasn't blind. She'd already shot him a few death glares, but Dunn just grinned cheekily and doubled down.
Nicole, out of moves, propped up her left arm and leaned slightly to the side, blocking that tempting view. Dunn wasn't thrilled about that one bit.
Seeing his annoyed look, Nicole smirked victoriously, tilting her chin up slightly, her smug little grin impossible to hide.
"Nicole," Dunn said with a sly smile, "the reason *My Big Fat Greek Wedding* crushed it at the box office? All thanks to your amazing performance. Here's to you!" He raised his glass.
Tom's smile faltered for a second. Dunn toasting the lady of the house and skipping over him, the host? Kinda rude. But he kept his cool. "Actually, Nicole should be thanking you for the opportunity. How about this—we'll both toast to you!"
"Cheers to Dunn!" Nicole said reluctantly, lifting her glass. But right as they clinked, she felt something brush against her calf—a sneaky little move!
"Oh!"
Nicole, totally caught off guard, tilted her glass and spilled wine all over the table.
"Nicole!" Tom snapped, his polished smile finally cracking.
"No big deal, we're all friends here," Dunn said with a half-smirk, looking at Nicole with a mischievous glint in his eye. "You okay? Feeling off or something?"
Nicole was fuming. She caught on quick—this was Dunn messing with her! The nerve of this guy, flirting with her right in front of Tom!
Taking a deep breath, she forced a tight smile. "I'm fine. Thanks for the concern, Dunn."
While Tom and Dunn sipped their drinks, her eyes shot daggers at him.
Dunn wasn't backing down, though. His "wandering foot" went right back to work.
Nicole tried to dodge, but where was she supposed to go with those long legs of hers?
Before long, her face was flushed bright red, like she might burst.
Dunn, barely holding in his laughter, played dumb. "Nicole, you sure you're okay? Your face is super red."
"N-No… I'm fine…" she stammered, still battling it out with him under the table. She wasn't expecting him to throw that curveball question and caught her off guard.
Tom's expression darkened, his tone carrying a hint of warning. "Nicole, this is our first time hosting Dunn. Mind your manners."
"No worries, ha! Nicole and I are good friends," Dunn said with a grin, his face full of fake concern. "You sure you're okay? Maybe we should call it a night."
Nicole had been itching to leave for a while now. Sure, her marriage with Tom was basically over—just a title at this point—but it still felt weird. Flirting with another guy under the table while her husband sat there? Her heart was racing, and not just from embarrassment.
But Tom wasn't ready to wrap things up. He hadn't even gotten to the real reason for the dinner.
Seeing Nicole looking off—her face red like she'd had too much to drink, maybe coming down with something—Tom couldn't quite figure it out. So he decided to cut to the chase. "By the way, Dunn, have you seen a movie I produced and starred in? *Mission: Impossible*."
"Yeah, watched it. Solid action flick!" Dunn replied casually, still messing around under the table. Socks and shoes on, no real thrill—just the fun of stirring things up.
Tom didn't catch Dunn's distraction, his eyes lighting up. "Dunn, what do you say we team up? Restart the *Mission: Impossible* series, shoot a sequel."
"Team up?"
Dunn blinked, finally piecing it together. So *that's* why Tom invited him here.
Caught off guard, his foot froze for a second—just long enough for Nicole to seize her chance. Her sharp high heel came down hard on his shiny new leather shoe!
"Ow… ugh!"
Dunn winced, a yelp slipping out.
Nicole had been on the losing end this whole time, both feet pinned down by him. Now, finally getting her revenge and seeing Dunn squirm in pain? She couldn't hold back a grin, letting out a "pfft" as she burst into laughter.
Even someone as clueless as Tom, with all his EQ struggles, started to catch on.
Dunn suddenly sitting up straight, Nicole giggling like a schoolgirl—it didn't take a genius to figure out something was going on under that table!
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