A Deal With De Niro

Chapter 6

Shannon stood outside the glass doors of Blaine's penthouse, adjusting her simple black midi dress for the tenth time. She'd chosen it because it was professional but not too formal - she didn't want to look like she was trying too hard.

Her hair was down for once, cascading over her shoulders in soft waves, and she'd kept her makeup minimal. At 5'7", she'd opted for flat sandals tonight - no need to try and match his 6'3" frame when she was already nervous enough.

It's just dinner, she told herself, pressing the doorbell. We're just two people getting to know each other so we can pretend better in front of our families. That's all.

The door swung open a few seconds later, and Blaine stood there looking like he'd just stepped out of a magazine. He was wearing dark jeans and a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing toned forearms covered in dark hair. His amber eyes lit up slightly when he saw her, and for a split second, he actually looked... happy to see her.

"Shannon. Come in," he said, stepping aside to let her pass. His voice was warmer than it had been in her office - less business, more human. "I hope you're not hungry yet - I'm still finishing up the pasta."

"You're cooking?" She raised an eyebrow as she walked inside, her eyes widening at the sight of his penthouse. It was nothing like her cozy apartment - this place was sleek and modern, with floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the entire city.

White leather couches, a glass coffee table, abstract art on the walls - everything looked expensive and carefully curated, but it also felt... empty. Like no one really lived here.

"Half Italian, remember?" He led her toward the kitchen, which was just as modern as the rest of the place - stainless steel appliances, marble countertops, every surface spotless. "My mother taught me how to cook when I was a kid. Said no De Niro man should rely on restaurants for good food."

Shannon leaned against the counter, watching him as he stirred a pot of sauce on the stove. He moved with ease, like he'd done this a hundred times before. The smell of garlic, tomatoes, and basil filled the air, making her stomach growl - she'd been so nervous all day that she'd forgotten to eat lunch.

"Want a drink?" He asked without looking up. "I have wine, whiskey, or I can make you juice if you don't want alcohol."

"Wine is fine - red, please." She watched as he pulled out a bottle of something that looked expensive, pouring it into two glasses before handing one to her. "So... how long have you lived here?"

"Three years," he said, turning off the stove and covering the pot. "I bought it when I moved back to Manila full-time. Before that, I was splitting time between Milan, New York, and here."

"Must be hard - moving around all the time, not having a real home." The words were out before she could stop them. She'd meant to keep the conversation light, business-related, but something about the empty penthouse made her feel sorry for him.

Blaine paused for a moment, then turned to look at her. His expression was unreadable, but there was something in his eyes that made her think she'd hit a nerve.

"Home is where your family is," he said finally, pouring the pasta into a large bowl and adding the sauce. "Or so my mother says. I've never really had a place I could call 'home' - just a lot of houses in a lot of different countries."

Shannon nodded, taking a sip of her wine. She knew what that felt like - growing up in a huge mansion with servants and security guards, but never really feeling like she belonged there. Her father was always working, her mother was gone, and even though her lola loved her, there was still a emptiness that nothing could fill.

"Let's eat," he said, leading her to a small dining table by the window. The view was incredible - the lights of BGC and Makati stretching out below them like a river of gold. "I hope you like Strangozzi Al Tartufo Nero - it's one of my specialties."

"It smells amazing," she said, sitting down as he placed a plate in front of her. She took a bite and felt her eyes widen - it was better than any carbonara she'd ever had at a restaurant. "Wow. You're really good at this."

He smiled - a real smile this time, one that made his eyes crinkle at the corners and showed off a dimple she hadn't noticed before. "Told you - my mother taught me well. She says if you can cook good pasta, you can do anything in life."

They ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the food and the view. Every so often, their eyes would meet, and Shannon would feel a little flutter in her stomach - the same feeling she'd gotten when he'd smiled at her in her office. She tried to ignore it - this was just a business arrangement, nothing more - but it was hard when he was being so... nice.

"So," he said after a while, setting his fork down and leaning back in his chair. "Tell me about yourself. Not the COO of López Consolidated - you. What do you like to do when you're not working?"

Shannon thought for a moment, trying to remember the last time someone had asked her that. Most people only cared about her job, her family, her looks - no one ever asked about her.

"I like to read," she said finally. "Mostly fiction - romance novels, thrillers, sometimes fantasy. I have a whole shelf of books in my apartment that I've collected over the years."

"Really?" He looked surprised. "I would have thought you'd read business books or biographies."

"I do read those too - for work," she said with a small laugh. "But when I'm off the clock, I want to escape. I also like to paint - watercolors mostly. Nothing good, just little things - flowers, cityscapes, whatever catches my eye."

"That's actually... nice," he said, looking at her like he was seeing her for the first time. "I never would have guessed. What about sports? Do you play anything?"

"I used to do taekwondo when I was younger - got my black belt when I was sixteen," she said, grinning at the look on his face. "My father didn't like it - said it wasn't 'ladylike' - but my lola encouraged me. Said a woman should know how to defend herself."

"Smart woman," he said, nodding approvingly. "I box - have been since I was in college. Helps me blow off steam when work gets too stressful."

They talked for hours - about their favorite movies, their travel stories, the things they hated about Manila traffic, which was a lot, the things they loved about the Philippines. Shannon learned that he loved sinigang even though he couldn't handle too much spice, that he'd climbed Mount Fuji on a dare when he was twenty, that he spoke Italian to his mother and English to his father, who'd passed away three years ago.

Blaine learned that she loved mango float more than any other dessert, that she'd never been to Europe even though she'd always wanted to go, that she still slept with the stuffed bear her lola had given her when she was five, that she'd named her car "Bella" because it was the only thing she'd ever bought just because she wanted it.