“Oh good then.”
“I did it in Korean. Most of the owner’s family is from there; it’s why truly delicious kimchi is on the menu.”
“So you did order for me!”
“I wanted to give you a traditional time. I almost always order for my dates,” he said, setting the menu down and tenting his hands. “Why wouldn’t I? Maybe you wanted to go Dutch and split the tab at the end of the night as well?”
“I couldn’t begin to afford that,” she admitted, blushing brightly and looking down at the table. “I just meant that I can order for myself, and this is a date then, isn’t it?”
“I think it’s just a casual gathering of people who want to know each other better, take that as you would. Perhaps I let my chivalry get the better of me. I’ll ask next time, but I promise you that you’ll find everything else completely delightful. If you
don’t like what I’ve ordered, then you can try anything else on the menu.”
“Good then,” she said, her eyes growing wide with curiosity when the sake pitcher and the small, clay cups were delivered to their table. The chefs had also been kind enough to get them a couple of rolls, including eel and tempura shrimp. “So that would be the wine?”
“The sake, yes. Have you ever had any?”
“Some not great stuff heated up in the microwave back in college. I have a feeling it’s as much real sake as a Slim Jim is meat.”
“Then,” he said, accepting the sake from the waitress, “you’re in for a treat. This brand has a surprisingly fruity flavor but packs a wallop.”
Addison gladly accepted his drink and brought it to her lips. Part of him wished fervently that she’d bring something else to her soft, pillowy lips, but that was for another time. She took a swig and grinned broadly back at him. “That burned all the way down, but it was good, very citrus-y.”
“So a burning orange, then? A worthwhile way to spend your time?” he asked.
She nodded and picked up her chopsticks. “And then what are these? The white stuff in the middle doesn’t look like my usual California roll.”
“Eel,” he said, eating his own bite. “Fatty but delicious.”
She grimaced. “Well it wouldn’t be the weirdest thing I’ve ever put in my mouth,” she concluded as she chomped down. “It’s not bad but it’s definitely fatty. I think I’ll stick to the tempura roll. At least that much is familiar.” Addison took another huge gulp of the sake and poured herself a second cup. “The rest? Not so much.”
“I’m sure you’ve had eel before if you’ve had sushi, maybe not realized it.”
“No, I mean a boss I can actually stand, Zahir.”
He chuckled. “Well that is certainly high praise, isn’t it? I’m glad you can stand me, Addison.”
She rolled her eyes back at him playfully and munched on another tempura roll. “I’m serious. My last boss…I don’t want to get the reputation as a gossip. I should be more professional. It’s not fair to speak poorly of someone who isn’t here to defend himself. I mean, my mom raised me with better manners. I’ve tried so hard to be professional since I got out here and…”
Zahir tensed. This was the last thing he needed. He’d been working hard to get her to tell him everything that he needed to know about Clayton. He had no doubt that as the other man’s personal secretary for months, she’d overheard and seen things that Clayton wished she hadn’t. He hadn’t been able to get her to offload at the office, hence this meeting here.
Okay, to be honest, it was a date. He wanted to get to know his newest and most irresistible employee more intimately, even if it were just conversation afforded him over fresh fish. However, he absolutely could not have her back off from this conversation. He needed this information, or he’d never have the leverage he wanted in the merger renegotiations.
Thinking quickly, he offered her something she could grab on to, something that would in turn make her comfortable as well. “I don’t think it’s unprofessional. I have to admit that my company has had reason to do business with his steelworks. I’ve found him less than trustworthy, and, assuredly, less than easy to deal with. There’s a lot of scorn and derision from Clayton, and that’s for other men, usually, who are as powerful and rich as he is, sometimes with an even higher station in life. I can’t imagine he was any less severe to you.”
“He was a jerk, sure, but everyone has a bad boss.”
“I haven’t.”
She laughed and took a third cup of sake. He hoped she’d pace herself. Maybe he should take some away from Addison, but she had already yelled at him for going overboard with chivalry (not that he had). If he did anything to stop her from opening up now, then he wasn’t going to get the information he needed. As a result, he decided to let her be her own judge of her tolerance as he still sipped his first cup.
Addison pushed some curls back from her face. “You’ve never had to be anything but your own boss. It must be nice. If you don’t want to come in for a week, who’s going to fire you?”
“There is a board, and I wouldn’t want to do anything to ultimately hurt the bottom line. I feel, in a way, that my employees are the ones who I answer to. If I make a mistake, then profits fall, and sometimes to save money we cut employees. Any business must. It’s heart wrenching. But if I’m my best, then I give all those families the best possible shot to stay solvent and to have their best possible lives. So, in a way, I have thousands of bosses.”
Addison sniffled a bit at that and ate another sushi roll. After she’d chewed some, she responded thoughtfully. “I wish that Mr. McDermott had been that way. I felt like I was such a failure, that there was nothing I could do to be perfect enough. Though, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that he was being rude to even other business associates. Some of the things I saw him do…frankly, I don’t know much about business but I had to wonder if it was even legal.”
Pay dirt.