Chapter 8

Megan

We went down to the restaurant getting a few stares from the familiar staff along the way. Once we were seated at a cozy little table for two in the back of the room, I felt more at ease. I wasn’t used to dating or even having dinner with someone of the opposite sex. The only man that had ever bought me dinner was my grandpa, and that was at fast food restaurants, nothing like this place.

The round tables were dressed in red with candles in the center the lights had been dimmed so much I could hardly read the menu when it was given to me.

After some contemplation and a suggestion or two from Ryan, who seemed to like everything on the menu, I played it safe and ordered the roasted chicken and vegetables.

“You mean you’re not a vegetarian?” His eyes narrowed behind his grin.

“No, just because I care about the environment doesn’t mean I’m opposed to eating meat. I guess that’s a misconception of my trade, though I’ve never had anyone else think that.” I pursed my lips to keep from laughing as he sipped his beer.

“What made you want to do this? I know you don’t want to get too personal, but it seems to be a real passion of yours and honestly, Megan, I’d like to get to know you better.” He folded his hands on the table in front of him.

“It’s fine, but only if you open up too. I find myself intrigued how someone so young is head of a billion dollar industry.”

“You first, and then I’ll tell you anything you want to know.” He held his hand up as if to vow before turning up his frosted glass.

I wasn’t sure how to paint the picture to be a pleasant one, so I decided the truth was best. “I lied when I said I grew up in Chicago. The truth is, I grew up with my mother and grandparents in a small town about thirty-five miles from there. After the construction of a factory nearby, half of the population in that area started coming down with different types of abdominal cancers. It was mostly the kidneys and liver, but there was some pancreatic, and colon as well.

“Mother and I had moved away about the time the factory was built, and I was just out of high school when he was diagnosed, so I went back home to take care of him and help grandma until he passed away. Mom had her own life by then and was settling down and remarried. Hell, she needed her own life by that time if she was ever going to have one.” I took a breath and remembered how at first I hadn’t understood my mother’s decision, but as time passed, I forgave her more and more. I’d cherished the time I had with my grandparents.

I looked up, and he was still waiting for more, so I took a sip of my soda and continued. “At that time there was an investigation of the factory, and it was dumping into a nearby drainage site. The water was going through the proper treatments, but the chemical contaminates were undetected until it was too late. They didn’t know what they were looking for. I was so upset by it all I went out to talk to the man in charge of the investigation, and he turned me on to the program at the local college. I’ve been at it since.”

“So it really is a passion, then. That’s a touching story and amazing. You know, I’ve never wanted to be one of those fat cats who doesn’t care about people. That’s why I hired a team. I guess I could keep a better eye on them, but that’s what they’re paid to do.”

“I understand, but now you owe me the reason you’re there in the first place.”

“A generational curse would be my only defense. My father formed the company before I was born. He didn’t have me or my brother until later in life, and after my brother passed away, around the time for my father to retire, I took the reins.”

“I’m so sorry,” I suddenly felt so small, but he didn’t notice me shrinking in my seat.

He shrugged and continued. “We started out doing well enough, but I grew the business from the millions to the billions in a matter of a year. I could have done it faster too if my father had gotten out of the way.”

“I had no idea you’d lost your brother. I feel like such an ass. Please forgive me for being such a jerk the past few days. The truth is, I haven’t been taken very seriously, and so I sometimes feel like I have to be aggressive to be taken seriously.” I wanted to crawl under the table and hide.

“Actually, since we’re being honest, the assertive behavior is really kind of hot, even when you’re being a brat.”

Brat. I felt my cheeks redden and I covered my face with my hand. “I called you that too, right? Ugh. I’m so embarrassed.”

Suddenly we were laughing together, and he reached across the table and took my hand. I didn’t mind. “It’s fine, really. I kind of liked the back and forth, it keeps me on my toes.”

I felt the need to explain and wondered if I shared my other deep dark secret if it would explain my tough girl act or maybe ruin it. I winced still wondering if I should spill, the inner battle playing across my face until he squeezed my hand and asked, “What is it?”

“I guess you’re just a little intimidating for me. I’ve been so busy pursuing my dreams that I’ve never really had time for men in my life. I mean there was college, and I had a boyfriend in high school, but—

“You’ve never been with a man?” His eyes widened, and he took another long swig of beer as I shook my head and bit my lip. “Wow. That’s a total turn on, but yeah, I’ll behave.”

I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to behave, but I knew it was for the best. I’d let my guard down and exposed too much, and I was left feeling vulnerable. It was exactly what I’d been trying to avoid with the bitchy attitude. A sinking feeling washed over me, but he patted my hand, and until then I hadn’t realized he was still holding it.

“Are you okay?” His voice was soft and tender.

“Yes, just a bit exposed I suppose.” Our waiter arrived with our food, and he let go of my hand.

The whole time we enjoyed our dinner, I kept wondering how to hold his hand again. Was it an in the moment kind of thing or would it be something he’d welcome? Maybe I should let him do it. I released a long breath thinking I had to be the only twenty-four year old on earth who didn’t have the guts to take a man’s hand. But then again, he wasn’t an ordinary man. How many women went on dates with billionaires, men who owned billion-dollar industries and private jets. He’s way out of my league. The words made it even harder to decided what to do, so I decided to relax and eat and the rest of the night happen as it would.

Dinner was over much too soon, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to go upstairs and sit through an awkward night of will we/won’t we. But then as we were standing he held out his hand, and I took it. He let me lead us out, weaving through the busy crowd up front.

As soon as I thought I’d cleared all the obstacles, a waiter walked right out in front of me, and I stopped short. Ryan, who was still behind me ended up pressed up against me. Everything seemed to stop as I felt his erection his my ass. There was no mistaking it, and as I turned around to meet his eyes. He reached for me and pulled me close, leaning in and kissing me with a passion I wasn’t sure existed before that point.

I melted into him, my head falling back as my heart grew lighter. The world stopped around us as he stroked my cheek and mingled his lips against mine. I pressed my hips into his, and he moaned as his tongue slipped softly between my lips and into my mouth taking the kiss even deeper. He slung an arm around my waist and hurried us to the elevator.

As the metal doors opened, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirrored walls. My lips were swollen with need and my face had flushed from excitement.

“I shouldn’t have done that. Should I?” he whispered in my ear. The chills that ran up my spine sent an aching heat across my breast and through my core.

Words escaped me, but my lips had found a much better use. I captured his face in my hands and pulled him in for another taste.