Part 4 Asha
Liam watched me as I devoured the burger with enthusiasm, holding the extra-large buns with both hands and opening my mouth wide. It had been so long since I'd been here, and I'd forgotten just how incredible it tasted. He chuckled softly. I glanced up at him, narrowing my eyes. Swallowing, I asked, "What?"
"First, that burger is half the size of your head. At first, I didn't think you'd finish it, but now I'm convinced you will. Second, you look so out of place in a place like this, Asha."
I took another bite and spoke with my mouth full. "Why?"
"You look so... polished. You're too refined in a joint like this."
I flushed, and I couldn't understand why he made me flush all the time. "I'm not as refined as you think," I said after swallowing, eyeing the burger and considering which juicy part to bite into next. "I'm in the steel business, after all."
"Yeah," he nodded, "I just found out you're the CEO. How did you end up in a field like that?"
I took another bite and savored the flavor before responding. "It wasn't exactly a planned path. I started out in a bottom role and just gradually moved up through the ranks."
"It's a male-dominated field, I presume. So, how does a woman like you become the leader of them all?"
"Determination," I said, not caring that bits of my burger sprayed from my mouth as I spoke and chewed. Somehow, I was certain Liam wasn't the type to care about pretentious manners, and I had to admit, it was refreshing. "Resilience. Stubbornness," I added with a grin. "And pride."
"Brain," he added with a smirk. "And beauty."
I shook my head, chuckling. "I'm not so sure about the latter part," I said. "But I know I'm smarter than all of them."
"Arrogant," he teased, flashing a boyish grin that deepened the dimples in his cheeks.
I glared up at him, which only made his grin stretch wider. "Not if it's a fact."
"Tell me about yourself." He demanded.
"Tell me about yours first." I countered.
"Okay. First name: Liam. Middle name Christopher. Last name: Banks. Thirty-two years old. Six foot four, two hundred and thirty pounds. Never married. Youngest of four siblings, all boys. Self-proclaimed book nerd. Fortnite World Cup Solo Champion, and this is by far my proudest achievement in my life. Firm believer that Chicken Kung Pao is the best food in the world, second only to this burger. Secretly watch Downton Abbey when I'm alone, and if you ever mention that to anyone, I'll deny it until the day I die."
I laughed at that, and he shrugged. "They're fucking hilarious. Your turn."
"That's not enough information." I shook my head, giving him a serious face. "Give me more."
"What else do you want to know?" He asked.
"Where are you from?" I asked.
"A little town about two hours from here called Dawson Hill. My parents still live there, in my childhood home. They refuse to leave, no matter how much I try to persuade them."
"I thought you were younger, though," I admitted. "Like somewhere in your twenties."
"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or an offense. I'd like to think of myself as a mature man." He flashed me another blinding smile. "How old are you?"
I balked, caught off guard. "That's kind of rude, asking that."
"It's only rude if you're not confident about your age."
"Well, I'm older than you."
"How much older?"
I took a moment to consider if I wanted to answer him. "I just turned thirty-nine last month."
"Oh, I thought you were older than that!" He feigned an exaggerated surprise, and I shot him a glare before tossing one of my fries at him. He laughed out loud. "No, I'm joking. I asked because I couldn't guess your age. You look young, but you're a CEO of a big company, so you couldn't be that young."
Huffing, I leaned back in my chair. "As I mentioned, I am old."
"And you are the most beautiful thirty-nine-year-old woman I have ever seen."
I narrowed my eyes to him. "I don't know how you compliment and offend so perfectly in one sentence."
"I just said you're beautiful. How was that offensive?" He bawled, both hands flew in the air, but his grin was getting wider and wider. He seemed to love teasing me. "Now stop stalling. Your turn now. Tell me."
"Tell you what?"
"Everything about you."
I was probably imagining things, but that sentence seemed to be loaded with something that I didn't dare to think about.
"Okay." I wiped my hands with the towel napkin, leaving only tiny remnants of the burger on my plate. I finished the burger, and now my stomach felt like it was about to burst. "First name: Madeline. Middle name: Asha. Last name: Blackthorne. That's my husband's last name." I paused as Liam mouthed the word "ouch," but I ignored it. "Aiden and I have been together for twenty years. I married him when I was nineteen, and Aiden was twenty-two. We dated for two years before that. Met in college. We have two children that we completely adore—a boy, sixteen, and a girl, fourteen. I love gardening, and I'm very good at it. Plants come alive in my hands. I'm shit at cooking, except for simple breakfasts, which mostly comprise pancakes, scrambled eggs and toast. When I was a teenager, my goal in life was to be a homemaker, but knowing that I would never excel in cooking, I decided to pursue a career in an office. Never thought, not in a million years, I'd be sitting in the position I'm in now. I'm a triplet, and the other two are boys. I was lucky to graduate high school at fifteen, same as my brothers, and I was raised by a single mom who was a science teacher at a secondary school. Never knew my dad."
I waited for his response, but he just stared at me in silence. Finally, he broke the stillness. "Triplet?" He looked stunned.
"Yeah. There are two more humans looking exactly like me, wandering around in this world."
"Wow. I can't even imagine how the three of you would look if I ever got the chance to see it. It must be mind-blowing."
"Why?" I asked, confused.
"Because you look like elves," he said, observing my puzzled expression. When I continued to stare at him blankly, he added, "Elves, you know, those angelic, beautiful creatures from The Lord of the Rings ?"
When my confusion lingered, he bellowed in utter disbelief, "Oh my God. You've never seen the movie?"
I shook my head. "No, I've heard about it, but I never had the time to watch it."
"One of these days, Asha, I'll take you to my movie room—I have one here in the office—and we'll watch it together."
I thought about it for a moment; the idea growing on me. It sounded like fun. It's been so long since I had fun. "I'd like that," I said with a smile.
"Yeah?" His eyes softened, his expression lighting up with childlike enthusiasm.
"Yeah," I nodded, genuinely excited about the prospect. "Tell me more about you."
"Will you promise to tell me more about yourself too?" he asked in return, his tone earnest and hopeful.
I nodded. "Yes."
He looked pleased. "Okay. I really don't want to brag, but I'm excellent at cooking."
The way he looked proud of himself made me smile. "Are you?"
"Yes. But unlike you, I seem to have a talent for murdering any plant I try to care for," he added with a chuckle. "I did my research. Did everything I needed to do. Even so, they died on me."
"What else?" I asked, intrigued and curious about him.
"I used to play football in college," he said. "I got drafted to the pros but didn't take it."
"What happened?" I inquired with curiosity, leaning forward slightly.
He shrugged. "Nothing dramatic. I just found I liked academics more than sports. I joined the team because my brothers—all three of them—were footballers. At one point, all I wanted was to be like them."
"You must have been very good if you got drafted."
"I supposed so," He paused, reflecting. "But the grueling training, being constantly bruised and exhausted, was disrupting my studies. When I told them I wanted to decline the offer, my brothers thought I was crazy. They were so disappointed, so sad, that I almost changed my mind. They had worked so hard, and none of them had been drafted, so they thought I didn't appreciate how lucky I was. But my mother convinced me to choose for myself what was best for me and my future. My brothers eventually forgave me—though it took years of groveling and pleading. They finally came around and accepted my decision."
"Was that when you earned your first billion?" I asked with a grin. I knew for a fact that his company was listed to be worth twenty-one billion dollars, and that was last year.
He laughed. "Yeah, somewhere around that time. But actually, not because of it. They just loved me too much to let me pass up a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but they were finally convinced that I knew what I was doing."
"Are you the baby in the family?" I teased, though I couldn't quite picture how anyone could baby someone as big as him.
He gave a huff. "I'm the youngest, so I guess it was expected." I liked the fact that he was confident enough to admit it without worrying that it might undermine his masculinity. Maybe because his imposing size seemed to eclipse any such concerns.
"So, we can conclude that you were a big, baby nerd at school."
"You can," he said, his eyes dancing with mischief. "But I was a popular big baby nerd, you know. Got my way with the ladies." He winked at me.
The most un-ladylike snort escaped me.
Liam's eyes widened in mock shock, his mouth falling open in an exaggerated gasp. "Did you just snort at me?"
"I did," I admitted, laughing. I couldn't even remember the last time I laughed like that. "I'm sorry."
"I was really a stud in high school." He said seriously. His attempt to convince me only made me laugh even harder.
It took me a moment to catch my breath. After a stretch of comfortable silence, I asked, "How did you become so successful at such a young age?" The conversation suddenly grew serious, but I was genuinely impressed and appreciated how grounded he remained despite his success.
"I figured out what people needed and provided it. My team and I created something unique that hadn't been done before."
I nodded, agreeing with him. I read enough about his company to know what he said was true.
"My turn to ask," he said.
"Okay..." I said slowly, feeling a little nervous as I couldn't imagine what he would ask me.
"Why didn't you reply to your husband's text? I'm guessing that text you just received was from him?"
I was dumbfounded, completely surprised by his question. Liam had this uncanny ability to stun me with his words. "That's personal," I seethed.
"I didn't mean to look," he said, his tone softening, almost apologetic. "But you opened your phone right in my line of vision—it was impossible for me to miss it. I know I have no right to ask. But I'm dying to know."
"Why? Why do you want to know?" I asked, more confused than anything.
"Because it made you look so sad," He answered quietly. "And seeing you sad—it felt like something pinched me." he pressed his right palm against his chest, right over his heart. "Right here."
"Liam," I said, struggling to find the right words. I honestly didn't know how to respond. "We just met."
He smiled softly, suddenly sheepish. "I know, and I don't understand it myself, but I swear to you, I didn't say that as a cheap line to impress you. I really felt the pinch."
"Maybe it's just gas." I offered.
His lips twitched. "Perhaps."
"I chose not to answer that, though." I told him.
"Okay,"
"And I'm supposed to be upset with you, but I had an incredible meal, and I didn't want to ruin it."
"I'm glad."
I frowned. "You're too compliant. I'm starting to worry."
His expression briefly shifted to amusement, looking at me like he wanted to squeeze my face. But just as quickly, his usual mischievous look returned. I figured it was all in my head.
"Are you single?" I asked, boldly. My inhibitions had left me, and I had no filter in my mouth anymore.
One perfect brow rose, looking even more amused, his grin almost splitting his cheeks. "Why do you want to know?"
"The same reason as why you wanted to know why I didn't reply to Aiden's text."
"Curiosity, is it?"
"Probably."
"I was indeed curious, but I was also interested."
"In what?" I pressed, my heart beating just a little faster.
Liam leaned in slightly, his eyes locking onto mine. "In understanding you, Asha. There's something about you that draws me in, makes me want to know more." He paused, searching my face. "And what's going on with you and your husband is a part of that."
That rendered me speechless for a moment, and I wasn't sure if this conversation would be safe to continue. Then I remembered that he still hadn't answered my question. "So? Are you single?" I asked again.
"Yes," he replied with a slight shake of his head. "I don't have a girlfriend."
"Boyfriend?"
He chuckled softly, the sound warm and genuine. "Not that either."
"Why are you still single, Liam?"
His eyes flashed with mischief. "Why is that hard to believe?"
"Well," I began, my gaze lingering on his clean-shaven, gorgeous face, noting every sharp angle and smooth line. Then my eyes traced his flawless skin, his unique, captivating turquoise eyes, and those perfectly sculpted eyebrows and thick lashes. And his full lips—my God, he was stunning. "It's just surprising. For someone who looks like you."
"Are you saying that I'm good-looking, Asha?" he asked, tilting his head slightly to the left, a playful smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Oh, come on." I rolled my eyes, dismissing the pretense. "Let's stop pretending here. You know you are. And those muscles...those arms..." I pointed at the bulging arms that strained the fabric of his hoodie, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing a complex design of colorful tattoos on both his forearms. "They're bigger than my thighs."
His gaze dropped to his arm, and then he looked back at me, sliding his eyes down my figure, but of course, the table blocked his view. "I need to measure them. If you could stand up and move right next to me, I—"
Before he could finish, I tossed another piece of fries at him.
His eyes widened with playful surprise. "You want a food fight?" He laughed, grabbing a small piece of the leftover burger from my plate. "I'll give you a food fight." He took aim and launched the burger piece in my direction, and it landed on my lap.
I gasped, horrified. "You didn't!" I groaned, grabbing a napkin and rubbing at my Valentino midi skirt. "My skirt is white!"
He laughed so hard, clutching his stomach, his body shook until it tilted to the side. "Want my help?"
I narrowed my eyes at him. "You wish."
He nodded, "Yes, I'm going to wish—to pray, that Asha will let me clean the stain by rubbing her skirt thoroughly with my hands."
I blushed hotly. "You are bad, mister."
The stain stubbornly refused to leave, so I gave up.
"Want some dessert?" He offered.
"That offer scares me." I blinked at him. "It'll be a hell of a messy food fight."
"But they really have a very good chocolate cheesecake." He whined.
"As long as you don't throw it at me."
"Hey! You threw it at me first."
"Let's just behave now."
"Okay, mama."
I sucked in a breath, completely appalled. "You did not just call me that!"
If Liam shook in laughter harder than that, he was going to fall off his chair.
We ordered the chocolate cheesecake that he had been raving about, and we ended up sharing a plate.
When we finally left the place, he was walking ahead of me, and I couldn't help but stare at his long legs, enjoying the sight of the defined muscles in his strong thighs moving and rolling as he walked, even though his jeans covered them. Then my eyes found their way to his ass. His glorious, plump, muscular ass. And they got stuck there.
I jolted a little when he suddenly looked over his shoulder, smirking mischievously at me. I blushed furiously. I knew he had caught me.