Chapter 13: Dinner With The CEO
1861 Words
Eliana knew something was wrong the moment Scott walked out of his office at four-thirty.
He had his jacket over one arm and his phone pressed against his ear.
That alone wasn’t unusual.
What was unusual was the fact that he looked prepared.
Scott rarely looked prepared for anything that wasn’t a board meeting.
He ended the call and looked at her.
“Change of plans.”
Eliana sighed.
“Of course.”
“We’re having dinner tonight.”
She looked at him.
“We?”
“You and me.”
“No.”
Scott’s mouth twitched.
“You didn’t even ask why.”
“I don’t need to.”
“It’s business.”
She paused.
“That changes things.”
“I know.”
He placed a folder on her desk.
“Our clients from Sterling Holdings are in town. They want to discuss the partnership before tomorrow’s board presentation.”
Eliana opened the folder.
Three names were highlighted.
She scanned the information.
“You could meet them at the office.”
“I could.”
“But?”
“They requested dinner.”
She looked at him.
“And you accepted?”
“Yes.”
“Without telling me?”
“You’re telling me now.”
Eliana closed the folder.
“What time?”
“Seven.”
“Where?”
“Bellanova.”
She nodded and added it to his schedule.
Scott watched her type.
“You’re not going to complain?”
“It’s business.”
“You complained yesterday.”
“Yesterday wasn’t business.”
He smiled.
“Right.”
Eliana glanced at him.
“And before you ask, no, this doesn’t count as the dinner you asked me to go to.”
Scott’s eyebrows rose.
“I wasn’t going to ask.”
“You were thinking about it.”
“I was not.”
“You were.”
He laughed.
“Fine.”
He picked up his jacket.
“Seven.”
At six-forty-five, Eliana stood outside Bellanova wondering why she’d agreed to this.
It was a beautiful restaurant.
Expensive without being excessively flashy.
Warm lighting spilled through the tall windows, and the dining room was filled with people speaking in low voices.
She checked her reflection in the glass.
She had changed into a simple dark green dress.
Professional.
Comfortable.
Nothing that would make the evening feel like a date.
That mattered.
She wasn’t there as a woman Scott had invited to dinner.
She was there as his secretary.
A distinction she intended to maintain.
“You’re early.”
She turned.
Scott stood behind her.
Black suit.
White shirt.
No tie.
He looked annoyingly good.
Eliana hated that she noticed.
“You’re on time,” she said.
“I can be.”
“Occasionally.”
He smiled.
“Come on.”
They walked inside.
The clients were already seated.
Scott greeted them confidently.
Eliana sat beside him, taking notes as the conversation began.
For the first few minutes, everything was formal.
Business.
Numbers.
Contracts.
Timelines.
Then one of the clients raised an issue.
“We’re concerned about the company’s recent expansion.”
Scott didn’t hesitate.
“I understand.”
“You’ve opened three new branches in less than a year.”
“And all three are profitable.”
“That isn’t the concern.”
Scott leaned back.
“What is?”
“The pace.”
Eliana looked up.
The client continued.
“Your father built this company carefully. We don’t want aggressive expansion to put pressure on the existing operations.”
Scott was silent for a moment.
Then he answered.
“My father built the foundation. I’m responsible for deciding where we go next.”
His voice wasn’t defensive.
It was measured.
“We aren’t expanding because I want more buildings with my name on them. We’re expanding because the market is changing.”
He opened the folder in front of him.
“These are the numbers from the last six months.”
He slid the documents across the table.
“Look at the return on each investment.”
The client studied them.
Scott continued.
“If the numbers told me to stop, I’d stop.”
Eliana watched him.
This wasn’t the man who changed meetings because he was bored.
This wasn’t the man who treated his schedule like a suggestion.
This was a man who knew exactly what he was doing.
And he was good at it.
Very good.
Dinner arrived halfway through the discussion.
Eliana barely touched hers.
She was too busy listening.
The conversation moved from business to strategy, and Scott remained completely engaged.
He asked questions.
He listened to the answers.
He disagreed without insulting anyone.
When one of the clients challenged him, he didn’t lose his temper.
He simply explained his position.
By the end of the meal, the tension had disappeared.
One of the clients smiled.
“You’re not what I expected.”
Scott laughed.
“I get that a lot.”
“I can see why your father is preparing you for the next stage.”
Scott’s expression changed slightly.
“My father doesn’t prepare me for anything.”
The client laughed.
“I think he would disagree.”
Scott said nothing.
Eliana noticed.
When the clients finally left, Scott leaned back in his chair.
“That went well.”
Eliana nodded.
“Yes.”
“You sound surprised.”
“I am.”
He looked at her.
“Why?”
“I’ve seen you at work.”
“And?”
“You’re not usually this patient.”
Scott smiled.
“You’re comparing me to the man who changes meetings every fifteen minutes.”
“You are that man.”
“Not always.”
“I’ve noticed.”
He studied her.
“Was I good tonight?”
Eliana smiled.
“Yes.”
“That’s twice.”
“What?”
“You’ve complimented me twice.”
“Don’t get used to it.”
He laughed.
The waiter approached.
“Dessert?”
Scott looked at Eliana.
She shook her head.
“No, thank you.”
“Coffee?”
Eliana hesitated.
Scott noticed.
“Coffee?”
She nodded.
“Fine.”
The waiter left.
Scott looked at her.
“You like coffee.”
“Yes.”
“Black?”
“No.”
He looked surprised.
“Really?”
“Coffee with milk.”
“I thought you drank it black.”
“I only make yours black.”
Scott stared at her.
Then smiled.
“So you’ve been lying to me.”
“About coffee.”
“Still.”
“You never asked.”
He shook his head.
“I learn something new every day.”
The coffee arrived.
Eliana took a sip.
Scott watched.
“What?”
“You look different outside the office.”
She lowered her cup.
“How?”
“Relaxed.”
“I am relaxed.”
“You’re always serious upstairs.”
“Because I’m working.”
“And now?”
“I’m still working.”
He smiled.
“Not really.”
She looked at him.
“You’re my boss.”
“Right.”
“And you’re also the reason I’m still sitting here.”
“Fair.”
A comfortable silence settled between them.
Eliana hadn’t expected that.
With Scott, silence usually felt like a challenge.
Tonight it didn’t.
She looked around the restaurant.
“You come here often?”
“Sometimes.”
“Alone?”
“Usually.”
“Why?”
“I like eating alone.”
She smiled.
“That sounds lonely.”
“It’s peaceful.”
“There’s a difference.”
Scott looked at her.
“You think I’m lonely?”
“I don’t know you well enough to decide that.”
“But you have an opinion.”
“Everyone has an opinion.”
“What’s yours?”
Eliana looked at him for a moment.
Then answered honestly.
“I think you don’t let many people get close to you.”
Scott’s expression became unreadable.
“And you think that’s a problem?”
“I think it’s your choice.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
She looked down at her cup.
“Then maybe I don’t have an answer.”
He nodded.
For once, he didn’t push.
The drive back was quieter.
The city lights moved past the windows.
Eliana looked out.
Scott drove with one hand on the wheel.
After several minutes, he spoke.
“Thank you.”
She turned.
“For what?”
“Tonight.”
“You’re welcome.”
“You handled yourself well.”
“It’s my job.”
“You always say that.”
“Because it is.”
Scott smiled.
“You really don’t want to make anything personal.”
Eliana’s chest tightened.
She looked back out the window.
“No.”
He didn’t argue.
When they reached her apartment, Scott stopped outside.
Eliana unbuckled her seat belt.
“Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
She opened the door.
“Eliana.”
She turned.
Scott looked at her.
“I know I can be difficult.”
She almost laughed.
“That might be the understatement of the year.”
He smiled.
“I was going to say thank you.”
She paused.
“For?”
“For telling me when I’m being an idiot.”
She smiled.
“You’re welcome.”
She stepped out.
Scott waited until she reached the building entrance before driving away.
Upstairs, Eliana changed into her pajamas and sat on the edge of her bed.
Her mind kept returning to the dinner.
Not the food.
Not the restaurant.
Scott.
She had seen a side of him she hadn’t expected.
He wasn’t pretending tonight.
He wasn’t trying to impress anyone.
He knew his business.
He respected the people sitting across from him.
He listened.
He thought before answering.
He had been different.
Or perhaps this was who he really was when he cared about something.
Eliana frowned.
That thought made the assignment harder.
Because how could she help reform a man who wasn’t entirely the man everyone claimed he was?
She reached for her phone.
A message was waiting.
Scott: You were right.
She stared at it.
She typed:
About what?
His reply came quickly.
Coffee.
She smiled.
Then another message appeared.
Scott: Yours is better with milk.
Eliana laughed.
She placed the phone beside her.
For the first time, she wondered whether changing Scott had ever been the real challenge.
Maybe the real challenge was figuring out which version of him was real.
On the twelfth floor, Scott stood by his office window.
The city stretched beneath him.
He thought about the dinner.
About the way Eliana had listened.
About the way she’d challenged him without trying to embarrass him.
About how easily she had noticed things other people ignored.
He picked up his phone.
Her name was still on the screen.
He smiled.
Then shook his head.
He was beginning to understand something.
He didn’t want her attention because she was difficult to get.
He wanted it because when she gave it, it felt genuine.
And that was new.
Very new.
Scott placed the phone down.
Tomorrow, he would see her again.
For some reason, he was already looking forward to it.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD