—Mabel—
Hours later, the meeting came to an end, and I proceeded to the grand lobby.
“Mabel. Mabel?” I turned around to see Alec jogging toward me.
“We’ll wait in the car,” Mara, my secretary and a member of my team, murmured, a knowing glint in her eyes as she glanced between us before leading the others away.
I looked back at Alec.
He stopped before me and smiled. “Hi.”
“Hi,” I replied.
“Do you remember me this time?” he asked.
“Alec Rivera from the gala, right?” I played along.
“Painfully—yes,” he chuckled. “Great speech in there.”
“You too.”
Silence settled between us. I suddenly became aware of the intoxicating scent of his cologne, stirring memories of that night, and how close we stood. I took a step back.
“C—Can I have your contact?”
“Actually, I don’t mix business wit
