Haze

A grin tugs at the corners of his mouth. "I have several I'd highly recommend. I'll put you in touch with them and then you can decide the right fit for your needs."

"That's very helpful."

He brings the glass of ice water to his lips. He drinks it slowly, all the while watching me over the rim. "I will help you in any way I can. You need only ask and I'll be right there. I'm always available for you."

"Can we talk about the other night?"

He shifts slightly in his chair, his eyes darting around the almost empty restaurant. "Yes, of course. What would you like to talk about?"

"You seem uncomfortable." I look towards the door. "We can go to another place if you prefer."

He shakes his head slightly from side-to-side. "This is fine. I've never been here. I don't generally wander into this part of the city."

"I don't either," I confess. "A customer who lives in the neighborhood said this place was fantastic."

He moves again. This time his hand scoops up his smartphone from the table. He scans the screen before he places it back down. It's not an act of curiosity. He's nervous, really, really nervous.

"Haze."

That brings another smile to his lips. A soft one. "You use your safeword at the most interesting times, Isla. What's going on?"

"Did I take you away from something important when I asked you to meet me here?"

"No," he answers quickly. "Not at all."

I don't know where to take the conversation from here. I can't push if I have no idea what's troubling him. He runs a huge fashion conglomerate. I imagine that he has a mountain of problems weighing him down on any given day.

"Tell me where haze comes from?" He motions to the server. "I'm going to need a drink after all."

I sit quietly while he orders a glass of red wine. I don't say anything while he types a message on his phone until the drink arrives.

"It came from you."

"What came from me?" he asks quietly. "Haze came from me?"

I reach forward to pull the wine glass towards me. I tip it back, swallowing a mouthful of the rich, red liquid. "Yes, it came from you."

He looks at me intently, his eyes studying every curve of my lips before they move to my eyes. "Explain, Isla."

"It's silly." I sip more of the wine, enjoying the warmth it provides in not only my throat but my entire body. "It's going to sound so stupid."

"There is nothing that you could ever say to me that would sound stupid." He raps his fingers on the top of the wooden table. "Tell me."

"I'm not sure why I applied at the boutique. I mean I wanted a job and when I was walking past one day there was a sign in the window. It said that there were jobs, so I walked in."

"I recall Cicely posting a notice on the window."

"I spoke to Wallis that day. She hired me on the spot after I filled out the application. I started the day after that."

"It was a quick process." He glides the glass back towards him, taking a small gulp before he pushes it back to me.

"I got up every day and went there. I did my job. I came home and every day I would stop at the deli two blocks up from my place and buy a turkey sandwich."

"A turkey sandwich with no mustard?"

"Yes, no mustard." I smile. "Then you came into the store that day. I swear that when I turned around and looked up at you, there was this glow around you."

His hands rest on the table. "Tell me more."

I feel a rush of embarrassment. "I wanted to kiss you. I really wanted to kiss you in your office that day you reprimanded me for inviting myself there."

"The day you said you'd come for a private lingerie show?"

"It was more of a private fuck me please party, but that's semantics."

He laughs loudly, his head falling back. "The truth finally comes out."

"That's part of it," I say softly. "That's just the beginning."

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

Gabriel

"Tell me the ending, Isla."

She looks at the wine glass, her fingers inching towards it, before she pulls them back with a faint shake of her head. "We obviously didn't kiss that day and then I thought you were hooking up with Cicely."

"That's unfortunate," I quip.

"She seriously made it sound like you were dating." She rolls her big blue eyes. "I bought into that. I totally believed she was your type."

"You are my only type." I lean back in my chair, feeling much less anxious than I did ten minutes ago.

She dips her chin down but not before I see the faint rush of pink that takes over her cheeks as she blushes.

"I was excited when I saw you at the charity event at the symphony." She pushes her hair back over her left shoulder, a few strands clinging to the fabric of her black dress. "You look amazing in a tuxedo, by the way."