Chapter 5 : Business Lunch.

Irina had barely stepped out of the office room the following day after work when she heard footsteps behind her.

Fast footsteps.

Purposeful footsteps.

She didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.

“Miss Solace.”

She sighed.

“Kyle.”

His smile widened at the sound of his name.

“I like hearing you say that.”

Irina rolled her eyes.

“Do all CEOs flirt during business meetings?” She asked

“Only with difficult women.”Kyle said , his eyes smiling.

“Difficult?” She asked.

“The kind that reject coffee invitations.”

She pressed the elevator button.

“And whose fault is that?”

“Their own.”

The elevator doors opened.

Kyle stepped inside beside her.

The confined space suddenly felt much smaller.

Much warmer.

Much more dangerous.

Neither spoke for several moments.

Then Kyle broke the silence.

“Have lunch with me.” He said almost as immediately as the elevator doors opened at the last floor.

Irina groaned.

“There it is again.” She said.

“What?”

“The invitation.”

“It’s not an invitation.” Kyle said fighting a mocking grin at the corner of his mouth.

She glanced at him.

“No?”

“It’s a business lunch.”

“A business lunch?”

“Exactly.”

His face remained perfectly serious.

Irina narrowed her eyes.

“I don’t believe you.”

“You wound me.”

Together they walked through the lobby.

“One hour,” Kyle said.

“Business only.”

“And if I refuse?”

His grin returned.

“I’ll keep asking.”

To her annoyance…

She laughed.

The sound seemed to surprise him.

For a brief moment his expression softened.

As though hearing her laugh was somehow important.

“One hour,” she finally agreed.

Kyle’s smile was immediate.

Victorious.

And entirely too handsome.

Irina instantly regretted saying yes.

⸻

An hour later they sat across from each other inside one of New York’s most luxurious restaurants.

Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city.

Soft music played in the background.

The atmosphere was almost painfully romantic.

Which made it completely unsuitable for a business lunch.

Kyle seemed unaware.

Or perhaps he was pretending.

The conversation began professionally.

Market trends.

Investments.

Expansion opportunities.

Then somehow…

They started talking about books.

Travel.

Food.

Life.

Irina found herself relaxing.

For the first time in months.

Maybe years.

And that terrified her.

Because Kyle George was becoming easy to talk to.

Far too easy.

As lunch ended, Kyle leaned back in his chair.

His gaze lingered on her.

“You’re different.”

Irina froze.

“Different from what?”

“The women I usually meet.”

She immediately frowned.

“I’ll pretend that’s a compliment.”

“It is.”

For several seconds neither looked away.

Something shifted between them.

Something neither wanted to name.

And for the first time…

Kyle George found himself looking forward to

tomorrow….

THE GALA.

***********

The soft glow of the vanity mirror illuminated Irina’s face as she stared at her reflection.

For the third time in ten minutes, she adjusted the diamond earrings hanging from her ears.

And for the third time, she found herself distracted.

By him.

Kyle George.

With an annoyed sigh, she set the earrings down.

This was ridiculous.

She had built a multimillion-dollar company from the ground up.

Negotiated contracts worth more than some people’s lifetime earnings.

Yet somehow a single lunch with a billionaire CEO had managed to throw her thoughts into chaos.

Her gaze drifted toward the floor-to-ceiling window of her hotel suite.

The New York skyline glittered against the evening sky.

Beautiful.

Powerful.

Untouchable.

Much like Kyle himself.

Irina frowned.

Why was she even thinking about him?

It was only lunch.

A business lunch.

At least that was what he had called it.

A small laugh escaped her lips.

Business lunch.

The man had barely talked about business.

Instead, he had asked about her favorite books.

Her childhood.

The countries she wanted to visit.

Even the ridiculous fact that she secretly preferred vanilla ice cream over expensive desserts.

No investor had ever cared about such things.

No businessman had ever looked at her the way Kyle did.

As though he wasn’t interested in her company.

As though he was interested in her.

The realization made her heartbeat quicken.

“No.”

She immediately shook her head.

Absolutely not.

She had already made the mistake of trusting a charming man once.

Look where that had gotten her.

Divorced.

Alone.

Separated from her son.

A knock interrupted her thoughts.

“Come in.”

Maria entered carrying a garment bag.

The moment she saw Irina’s expression, she grinned.

“Oh.”

Irina immediately became suspicious.

“Oh what?”

“Nothing.”

“Maria.”

“You’re thinking about him.”

Irina nearly choked.

“What?”

“The CEO.”

Irina’s eyes widened.

“How do you know about that?”

Maria raised an eyebrow.

“You forgot to mention him.”

“What?”

“Which means he’s important.”

Irina stared.

Then groaned.

Her assistant laughed.

“You should see your face.”

“There’s nothing to see.”

“Sure.”

Maria placed the garment bag on the bed.

“You’ve only been in New York for a few days and you’re already distracted.”

“I’m not distracted.”

“You are.”

“I’m not.”

“You wore two different earrings.”

Irina froze.

Maria burst into laughter.

“Oh my God.”

Immediately rushing to the mirror, Irina discovered her assistant was right.

One diamond earring.

One pearl earring.

Heat flooded her cheeks.

Maria was laughing so hard she had to sit down.

“Okay,” she gasped. “Now I’m definitely worried.”

Irina threw a cushion at her.

“Get out.”

Still laughing, Maria opened the garment bag.

Inside was a breathtaking black evening gown.

Elegant.

Sophisticated.

Powerful.

Perfect.

The laughter slowly faded from Maria’s face.

“You look happier.”

The simple observation caught Irina off guard.

“Happier?”

Maria nodded.

“Than six months ago.”

Silence settled between them.

Irina glanced back at her reflection.

Six months ago, she had cried herself to sleep every night.

Six months ago, every thought had revolved around Tyler.

Jacob.

The life she had lost.

Now…

For the first time in a very long time…

She had spent an entire afternoon laughing.

Living.

Existing without pain.

And somehow Kyle had been part of that.

The realization unsettled her.

Because it felt good.

Far too good.

Maria smiled softly.

“Maybe New York is exactly what you needed.”

Irina looked away.

Perhaps.

Or maybe it wasn’t New York.

Maybe it was the man who kept finding reasons to be around her.

The thought lingered long after Maria left the room.