Hakim couldn’t remember having so much fun over dinner in a long time. Lauren was not only an excellent cook, she was great company.

Surprisingly, talking about their families had been easy. Even hearing more about Patricia was enlightening. Hakim could tell Lauren was trying so hard to paint a positive picture of her mother. It was good business sense to learn all he could about his rival, but he also found himself wanting to understand the woman who had raised the rather stunning person sitting across from him.

They lingered over the meal and drank more wine, chatting about their favorite foods and restaurants in the city. Hakim mentioned again how much he enjoyed Lauren’s cooking and was surprised when she started giggling.

Lauren waved a hand, trying to stop, and finally she was able to get words out. “I’m sorry. I do appreciate the compliment and I’m really glad you enjoyed dinner. It’s just that…it’s my mother’s signature recipe.”

She went off into another fit of giggles, and Hakim slowly shook his head. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope. She makes it all the time.”

“And you decided to make it for me?” Hakim found that he liked Lauren’s giggle. It was so free and open, completely unlike any other CEO he’d ever met and certainly not what he would have expected of anyone raised by Patricia Sanders.

She shook her head and did her best to stop laughing. “I make it all the time, too, so I guess you can call my signature dish if you want to. But Mom created it when I was a kid.”

Hakim started laughing along with her. “Okay, I admit, it is funny.”

“I really wasn’t trying to make a statement. You just had everything in your kitchen and I’m so used to making it, I didn’t even think of it until just now.”

“I suppose I can’t even complain, given that I was the one who put you in this situation.”

Lauren pointed her fork at him. “That is true.”

Hakim hesitated, then asked, “Would it be a terrible breach of rivalry protocol if I asked for the recipe?”

Lauren bent over in giggles again. “Yes. I think it might be. But I might give it to you anyway.”

It had also been a long time since he’d laughed so much with a woman. His dates were fun, but not this kind of easy-going, no pressure fun. He liked having this kind of lightness in his life, even with the oddness of their meeting.

“I don’t suppose you have Patricia’s famous dessert recipe?” He grinned at Lauren as he asked.

Lauren shook her head. “She does have one, of course, but it takes two days and some specialty ingredients. I do, however, have the next best thing.”

Hakim gave her a startled look. “I was teasing. You don’t have to make dessert.”

She snorted a laugh. “Who said anything about making?”

“Now I’m extremely curious. Why don’t I clear the table and then we can have dessert?”

“Done and done. I’ll get everything out.”

Lauren went back into the kitchen and Hakim followed a minute later carrying the dishes. She had already pulled a carton out of the freezer and sat it on the counter. By the time Hakim had loaded the dishwasher, Lauren had dished the ice cream into two bowls.

He stood next to her and peered over her shoulder. Each bowl was layered, starting with a brownie, then chocolate ice cream, then chocolate syrup. Lauren sprinkled nuts on the top of the ice cream in each bowl and then picked up a can of whip cream and squirted out a whirled dollop on top.

“I don’t know, that looks like making dessert to me,” he said thoughtfully.

“Okay, well, it’s the easiest version of dessert out there. And don’t tell me you don’t like chocolate. If you don’t like chocolate, we can’t be friends.”

“As it happens, I do like chocolate,” he grinned. He watched her finish the sundaes off with a few chocolate sprinkles and wondered if they were becoming friends in truth.

Lauren turned to him. “What wine goes with ice cream sundaes?”

“Ah, that’s an excellent question. Hang on.” Hakim went to look through his wine racks; he pulled out one bottle and then another, before finding the one he wanted.

“What’s the verdict?” Lauren asked.

Hakim held the bottle up for her to inspect. It was a port wine, perfect for dessert.

Lauren nodded. “That’ll do.”

Hakim got two clean glasses, smaller ones that were designed for dessert wine. He carried the bottle and the glasses into the living room, while Lauren followed with the bowls.

Instead of sitting at the table again, Hakim put the glasses down on the coffee table next to the couch.

“Okay with you?” he asked.

She nodded. “After I eat all this, I may not want to move. Best to be comfortable.”

Hakim laughed in agreement. “Sugar and wine coma. Sounds like an excellent plan.”

Hakim flipped the switch to turn on the gas fireplace. Ice cream and a crackling fire might seem like a contradiction, but he thought the ambiance was nice.

They got comfortable on the couch and dug into the sundaes. Lauren closed her eyes in delight and Hakim relished watching her enjoy herself. She opened her eyes and saw him watching her. Even the way she wrinkled her nose was cute, he decided.

“I’m sure you don’t indulge in this kind of high-calorie therapy very often, but let me tell you, chocolate cures all.”

Hakim chuckled. “You don’t think I eat ice cream?”

Lauren rolled her eyes. “Please. Look at you.”

He raised one eyebrow and she shook her head.

“If you eat like this every day and don’t spend two hours in the gym, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”

That startled him into another laugh. “I don’t eat like this every day, no. And I don’t spend all my time at the gym.”

That got him another eye roll. “You so work out.”

“I run. With Zeus. You’ve seen how much energy he has. That’s what keeps me in shape.”

“Mm-hm.”

“Really. That’s all I do,” he insisted.

Lauren stared at him over her spoon.

Hakim stared back, and then finally broke. “Okay, yes. There’s a fully equipped fitness center at the office, and unless I have a business meeting booked, that’s where I usually spend lunch.”

Lauren nodded, vindicated, and Hakim tried not to read too much into the fact that she had blatantly been checking him out.

Trying to change the subject, he asked her about the first thing that came to mind.

“You obviously like dogs; why don’t you have one?”

“How do you know I don’t?” she retorted.

“Because you wouldn’t have stayed to cook dinner if you had a dog at home.”

Lauren acknowledged the point with a tilt of her head. “My apartment isn’t dog-friendly. Plus, over the last couple of years, my work days have been so long that I’m not sure I could do right by any kind of animal.”

“I’m sorry.”

And he was. Even on the days where he regretted not having a girlfriend to come home to, Hakim consoled himself with the fact that Zeus was a good companion. The dog was always happy to see him, and after seeing Lauren with him, Hakim was sorry that she didn’t have the same kind of welcome to come home to.

“You know, I thought about letting people bring their dogs into the office, or working with a local shelter to do dog-friendly days,” Lauren said.

Hakim leaned forward. “That’s a great idea. Why don’t you do it?”

“Honestly, it got buried by bigger priorities. But I feel like we’re on better footing now, and maybe we can focus more on the fun stuff instead of only worrying if we’re going to make payroll the next month.”

“You mean there’s something more fun than making payroll?” he asked, teasing.

She tapped him with the back of her hand. “Come on, you’ve been doing this longer than I have. Your company has to do fun stuff, right?”

Hakim laughed. “We do, actually. There’s the traditional holiday party and summer picnic, but we also do birthday parties every month.”

“Oh, come on. Birthday parties? A grocery-store sheet cake in the conference room? You can do better than that.”

“And that’s why the birthdays we celebrate aren’t our employees’. Some people don’t want to celebrate their own birthday, which is fine—I don’t want to pressure any of my employees into doing anything they don’t want to do. So, every month, we pick a famous person—usually a historic figure—and celebrate their birthday. It gives us a fun theme for the event and I have a lunch catered that fits the person we’re celebrating. If people have a birthday that month, they can celebrate that or not. Their choice.”

Lauren stared at him with a surprised look on her face, but Hakim hoped it was a good surprised. It was completely outside the cold, uncaring image he projected to the world, but there was a reason his employees were loyal and committed. They knew Hakim cared about them as much as he cared about the company.

Her reaction shocked him. “Can I steal that idea?”

“Really? You like the idea?”

“Are you kidding? I love it. It’s a perfect blend of fun and thoughtfulness.”

Hakim found that he was warmed by her praise. It wasn’t just that she also understood what it was like to care for a team of employees; he wanted her personal approval.

“Of course you’re welcome to steal the idea—just make sure it’s the only one, okay?” he grinned.

Her smile sent a thrill of heat through him. Hakim wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, but it had been a long time since he’d felt drawn to anyone the way he was to Lauren. But with her mother being his rival, was a relationship with Lauren even possible?

“Thank you. I like to think we’re a very worker-friendly company, but I’m always looking for other things we can do.” Lauren leaned just a little bit more toward him, and took another sip from her wine glass.

Hakim sat his bowl down on the table, reached for the bottle, and held it up toward Lauren in a question. She nodded as she put her bowl on the table next to his. He poured her more wine, then added some to his glass as well. Feeling content but also a little hesitant, Hakim sat back and sighed.

Lauren poked at his arm. “You okay over there?”

“Yeah. Just, a long day, you know?”

She nodded. “You want me to go?”

“No, not really. I mean, I understand if you need to get home, but please don’t feel like you have to leave.”

Lauren held up her glass. “As long as you’re okay with it, I should let this wear off before I drive.”

“In that case, I insist on your staying a while longer.”

“Okay, but I’m getting comfortable, then.” She kicked her shoes off and curled her legs up on the couch, tucking her feet in as she shifted to face him.

Hakim liked how at home she looked, how easily she made herself comfortable there. He leaned back and pulled soft burgundy throw off the chair next to the couch, and then handed the blanket to Lauren.

“Here. If you’re getting comfortable, you need this.”

She smiled at him and took the blanket. Hakim watched as she tucked it in around her legs and feet, then leaned her head against the couch, cheek pressed to the comfortable fabric.

“It’s funny, isn’t it?” she asked, almost like she was talking to herself.

“What is?” Hakim asked her.

“That we get along well.”

Hakim studied her for a moment. They did get along well, and he was still a little surprised by it.

Lauren watched him, eyes half shut. “See, it’s funny.”

He conceded her point with a nod. “But not unpleasant.”

“True. Which is part of the funny. Patricia would have a fit if she knew I were here.”

“I’m glad you’re here,” Hakim said quietly.

Lauren smiled and murmured an agreement. Her eyes closed completely, and Hakim stretched out on the couch, too, his feet brushing up against her legs. She shifted so that she was a bit closer to him, and Hakim brushed his hand across her shoulder so that she would know she could get more comfortable.

Zeus padded into the living room and curled up next to the couch after nuzzling Hakim’s hand, checking in on his human. Hakim patted him once and then, feeling happier than he had in a long time, his eyes slowly drifted shut.

The next thing he knew, there was a beam of sunlight falling across the couch and the click of dog paws across the floor, just enough to wake him up. At first, he couldn’t recall why he’d fallen asleep on the couch, then he realized his arms were full of someone soft and warm.

Lauren. Asleep in his arms. She must have shifted in the middle of the night—not that he was complaining.

Feeling conflicted, he gently brushed a strand of hair off her face, wondering what they were going to do next. How could he like Lauren so much when he hated her mother?

It was an odd situation, there was no doubt about that. The auction, the rivalry with Patricia, making her wear that stupid maid’s uniform—could Lauren overlook the way they’d gotten to know each other and focus on what was growing between them? Could he overlook that fact that her mother was a bitter rival?

There was definitely a spark there, though, and Hakim found himself strangely reluctant to give up on it.