Yours Truly (Billionaires and Brides 2)

What took longer was her choice of shoe. After all, he was the CEO of Shoesy, and he had probably already seen a hundred times the shoes that a normal guy would see in his entire life. He had probably even seen more shoes and purses than she had. She wondered what his preference was, and wondered even more if he had a preference beyond selling whatever was best for the company.

It came down to black, Mary-Jane style pumps that were classic and work appropriate, or a pair of red stilettos that made her legs and ass look fantastic, even in pants.

She finally settled on the pair of classy black pumps. They matched the pant length and they were pretty and feminine, yet practical and comfortable. If she was to keep up the guise of this being a business meeting, she had to keep things on the down low. No matter how good the red stilettos would have looked, they weren’t something that was business appropriate.

Kat went out to the apartment parking lot, excited and ready for her date. Except she was blocked in. A huge moving truck was parked directly behind her, completely blocking her in.

“Hello?” Kat called, walking around the truck. “Is anyone there?”

No one answered. The truck was empty and she couldn’t see anyone around.

Kat sighed. At least she had budgeted extra time. She glanced around again, making sure that there really wasn’t anyone there. She didn’t have time to wait around for whoever was driving the offending truck, so she pulled out her phone and opened up a ride share app.

Luckily, there was a driver available two minutes away, and the drive to the restaurant was quick and uneventful. The driver dropped her off at the valet station of the fancy restaurant and then drove off.

The early summer air was warm and humid as she hurried into the fancy restaurant. The West Wing Steakhouse was the premier place to eat on the whole West Coast. She’d never eaten here, and to be honest, never thought she would. The place was so far out of her price range that she was fairly sure just looking at the menu cost her weekly salary.

Her nerves were wracked as she walked into the dimly-lit restaurant. Heavy leather booths with dark wood filled the interior, giving the place an opulent and very masculine feel. Kat could see why AJ would chose to hold business meetings here. Anyone who walked in would be impressed just by the restaurant.

She was right on time, but AJ was already seated. The hostess guided her to a private room near the back of the restaurant. Kat followed gingerly, but felt a sense of relief when she saw AJ already waiting at their table. For a moment, she was afraid that someone else would be waiting for her, or that he wouldn’t be alone and their business meeting would be an actual meeting, rather than the date she was hoping for.

The room was big enough for fourteen people comfortably. A huge heavy wooden table dominated the room, surrounded by carved wooden chairs. AJ already had his computer up on the table and a smattering of papers scattered across it, as if he had been here working for hours before she had arrived.

He stood up as she entered the room and then quickly moved to pull a chair out for her. “Please, join me,” he said with a smile.

Kat tried not to stare as she moved to the table. She already knew that AJ knew how to dress. The precise trim of his suit and the leather of his shoes were some of the first things she had noticed at the wedding. It told her that this guy knew that he looked good and she was moved by his confidence.

Today, he made what he wore at the wedding look dull. The dark suit was tailored to perfection, showing off his incredibly broad and muscular shoulders. The man was built like a Greek god and the suit highlighted every bit of his masculine physique.

His hair was neatly combed and his cologne smelled pristine and crisp, as if he had just stepped out from the shower. His light blue eyes glistened against his dark suit coat and seemed to radiate more than the faint light above them.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” he said softly, taking her briefcase as the hostess shut the heavy wooden door behind them. Soft music floated through invisible speakers, but there was no other sign of life in the room. Kat could see how this would be a great place to hold a high-powered executive meeting, or in this case, an elicit romance.

“Here’s some more work I’ve done on the project,” Kat told him, pulling out her paperwork.

Now that she was here, she wasn’t quite sure what to do next. How long was she supposed to keep up the pretext of a business meeting? Were they going to kiss again? Could they lock that heavy wooden door and have the room all to themselves, or would the wait staff grow anxious and break it down?

She knew her questions were over the top, but that didn’t stop the nervous thoughts from flying through her head and making her want to giggle nervously.

AJ took all of her files and spread them around the table. He didn’t seem to have any of the nervousness that was currently plaguing Kat. He began by asking her how his secretary had sounded on the phone, adding that she can occasionally sound dismissive to anyone without the name, ‘Chief Something’ or ‘Senior Vice President’ in their job title. Kat assured him that his secretary had been far more pleasant than she actually was, and their conversation took on both a humorous and enjoyable spirit.

Kat felt comfortable and much more at ease by the time the waitress came to check on them and take their order.

“You can get anything you’d like,” AJ told her. “The company is picking up the tab, so if you want to split a bottle of Dom Perignon Champagne, that’s perfectly acceptable.”

“Oh, I’m good, thank you. Champagne might cloud my business judgment.” She shot AJ a sort of ironic grin.

“Are you sure?” he asked, then added, “I get to deduct it from my taxes.”

His smirk was too much for her to handle. She giggled softly and then conceded, “Maybe a little fruit drink. Something kind of festive, but non-alcoholic.”

“We have an amazing pomegranate lemonade,” the waitress offered and Kat nodded her approval.

“Make it two. And go ahead and add some little umbrellas, just for fun.” AJ said to the waitress.

“Of course,” the waitress replied. “And can I bring out any appetizers with those drinks?”

“One tray of the oysters, please.” AJ spoke quickly and then looked back at her. His smile had become so grand and playful that Kat was surprised that the waitress didn’t seem to notice. Or maybe, it was just that Kat was really paying attention. The waitress repeated their order and then hurried off to the kitchen, closing the heavy door behind her.