She smiled her thanks. “I’d love to, yes.”
Covent Garden was a hive of activity, as usual, and it took a little strolling to find somewhere that had a spare table. Had we wanted dinner, I would have suggested The Ivy. Although a little clichéd, the food was good. Instead, we found ourselves in a small courtyard coffee house sitting outside in the square under a parasol with a heater. We people watched for a little while. A juggler was throwing batons into the air and catching them while blindfolded. A circus artiste walked around on stilts, and a busker sang to entertain us all.
“I shall miss London if I ever leave,” she said, sighing wistfully as she spoke.
She had mentioned before that she wasn’t in a rush to leave and I wondered what would cause her to.
As if reading my mind she continued, “Mackenzie gets a pull to head home every now and again. As much as he loves being here, he’s a homeboy for sure. I was rather surprised when he asked me to accompany him here. Initially it was just for a year, but he keeps doing business,” she said.
“Well, I’m glad youbothdecided to stay,” I replied.
We paused our conversation for a little while, sipping our coffee. “Do you feel it, Alex?” she asked, looking at me over the rim of her white cup.
I instinctively knew what she meant. “Yes.”
“Is it odd?”
I contemplated my answer. “I don’t know. I guess, if you want it to be odd it could be.”
She placed her cup back on its saucer. “I don’t want it to be. I feel a connection with you, an attraction, and yet, I’ve met you three times.”
I reached out, placed my hand over hers and ran my thumb over her knuckles.
“See,” she said, “I feel that inside me.”
“Good,” I replied.
“But I think this is all way too fast,” she added, and I deflated a little.
I took in a long slow breath. “Yes, I agree, sort of…” I laughed and called for the waiter. I ordered a bottle of wine. “Let’s slow it down a little.”
* * *
Mackenzie had left me a list of instructions, things he wanted my input on, as well as figures and projections to study. He assured me that he was at the end of the phone if needed and would check in regularly. He expected to be away no more than a few days but was a little vague on specifics. He was also excited to know that Veronica wanted a meeting.
“Its not my usual type of investment but I do like to diversify occasionally,” he had said.
The more I thought about the club, the more lucrative I believed it could be. And the more attractive it became, considering the use. There were clubs in London and surrounding counties that catered for various sexual tastes but nothing as high-end or exclusive, and nothing that didn’t involve paid women. It wasn’t that I was averse to escorts; I’d used one myself on occasions when the event called for aplus one. The side benefits were, obviously, great, discrete, and expensive!
I settled down in my new office and went through the plans. Trymast wouldn’t be relocating for another week or so but the removal companies and some of the staff were back and forth with favourite desks or personal items. I made sure to introduce myself to every individual. Although I had been presented by Mackenzie to the main players in Trymast, and I’d walked around and smiled and nodded, I hadn’t had the time to talk and get to know the staff. I wanted an open-door policy; I wanted them to feel free to share their fears over the move. I wanted them to know I was approachable, and I respected them for taking the plunge and coming on board.
What I didn’t want them to know was that there was any kind of relationship between myself and Gabriella, beyond professional.
“Hi, are you free for lunch?”
I looked up to see Gabriella leaning against the doorframe. In the background a few of the guys were staring and I glared past her at them.
“I’m not, I’m sorry,” I said, probably too abruptly.
“Oh. Okay, I’m sorry for disturbing you,” she replied, and it was clear she was confused by my response. She straightened up and looked around her as if embarrassed.
I sighed as guilt niggled at me. “I’m sorry, that was probably a little sharp. Yes, let’s go and grab a quick lunch,” I said, retracting my earlier response.
I also made sure to leave a gap between us as we walked to the lift. When the lift doors closed, securing us from prying eyes, Gabriella turned to me. She placed her hands on her hips and I knew I was in trouble. I smirked.
“Please don’t do that, Alex. We don’t have a policy here that says you can’t date the staff. So, as long as it’s kept professional it’s fine. I also saw you give those guys the death stare. Although I rather like that little jealous streak you have,” she said, letting her hands slide from her hips.
I took one step; it was the one needed to have her pinned to the wall. “Yes, I get jealous. Since I’m CEO of Trymast, it will be my rules we’ll adhere to, not yours. I sincerely apologise for embarrassing you in any way, and thoseguyswere checking out your arse.”
