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“You sound unsure,” he answered in a low, sensual voice that had me practically panting. Is it hot in here suddenly, or is it me?
“Yes, I’m sure,” I rasped out, my voice scratchy.
He snapped his fingers in the air. A moment later, a cocktail waitress materialized as if she’d been waiting in the wings, listening for his signal.
“A Coke,” he ordered, eyes still on me.
“Yes, Mr. Lupu,” she replied in a silky voice that had my head jerking to the side to throw her a narrow-eyed glare. Her tone made me want to scratch her eyes. I sat back with a little huff, somewhat shocked by my reaction. What the heck was happening to me? First, I’d started an argument with Alex as if I were some bold, brave woman, who I most certainly was not. Then I had a jealous pique over a strange woman hitting on Alex, when that was par for the course. He was gorgeous, rich, and powerful. Who was I to expect anything less from a red-blooded woman?
“Thank you,” he replied with a dismissive wave of his hand.
It was clear that Alex had noticed my sudden ire, because his little smirk transformed into a huge grin. “I’m learning new things tonight about my little bird, Nicu,” he said while staring straight at me. “She gets upset on behalf of others. She gets riled up when another woman tries to catch my attention.”
“I do not,” I hissed out vehemently, lying through my teeth because, yeah, he was spot on. Even though I’d known them most of my life, I suddenly felt exposed and too seen. Tasa was the blooming rose, while I preferred being the…trellis in the background?
While we had spent time together, Alex and I were strangers in many ways. He mentioned he’d noticed me for years, but there were huge differences between us. He was a busy man who might’ve lusted after me during breaks from his demanding life, but I was a lonely, shy girl with way too much time on my hands. My sense of who this man was, having stalked him for years, was far more refined than what he thought he knew of me. Oh, sure, there were parts of his life I knew little about, but I had a strong grip on who he was, on his character. I did not, for an instant, think it was reciprocated.
As if sensing my discomfort, Alex assured me, “You’ll get used to it. You’ll have to. I’m a demanding man with high expectations of everyone around me. Now, that includes you. Your loyalty and your passion will serve you well. Believe me, in the dog-eat-dog world I’m about to introduce you to, you’ll need both in spades.”
