Chapter 18
The trill of an incoming message woke Portia from a restless sleep. She hadn’t had a good night’s sleep since... Scrunching her nose, she tried to remember. Since waking up in Aleks’s bed. Before that, it had been months.
Now some asshole was messing with what little sleep she got.
Rolling over, she reached for her phone. If it was an emergency at the office, she wasn’t sure she cared enough to fix it right now. Her father had left a hell of a mess in her lap when he disappeared. First, Dizzie. Then all the other kids he’d grown for organs.
Her stomach churned. That horror show had nearly done her in. What kind of monster created a plan like that?
Her father, that was who. So, what did that make her?
Portia pulled up the message. If it was really bad, maybe she’d pretend she hadn’t received it and go back to sleep.
Need to see you.
Aleks’s message sent her heart fluttering like a schoolgirl with a crush. Portia tamped that feeling down immediately. He’d chosen work over her.
Was this how Tommy had felt all those years? Her heart broke for him. All those times she’d put the company first. He must have really loved her to have stayed.
Steeling her spine, she set aside the grieving widow and stepped into the CEO role. No one, especially not the man working for the enemy, could demand her presence like that. No matter how much she enjoyed his company.
Why?
His response was immediate. Meet me for breakfast?
Looking at the time, she ignored that stupid little flutter again. It wasn’t even seven yet. Ugh.
She’d planned to catch up on work. And, as much as she didn’t want to, she needed to prepare for the meeting with the Solveig Consortium. She needed to be armed with as much information as she could be.
So really, spending time with Aleks could count as gathering intel against the Solveig Consortium, right?
I can fit you in. Where do you want to meet?
No response popped up. The sinking sensation in her stomach was not disappointment. She had plenty to do today. Plus, she wasn’t a big fan of breakfast anyway.
She dropped her phone on the bedside table. It trilled with another message and practically bounced back into her hand.
Outside your place, 10 minutes?
Ten minutes? This obviously wasn’t a date, so she wouldn’t put date-level effort into it.
OK
She sprang out of bed and into her closet. So many clothes, but none of them projected the this-isn’t-a-date-I-woke-up-this-way-vibe that she wanted. Except...
The slim-fit jeans were a few years old, but the trouser cut was classic and the denim was butter soft and expensive. The fact that they made her ass look amazing was a bonus.
She paired them with a black tailored shirt in high-tech fabric that breathed like linen but never wrinkled. Something else to thank the space program for.
A brown leather jacket and heeled ankle boots finished the look. The outfit said she had dressed for the office rather than Aleks. Sixty–forty, maybe, but she’d never admit it.
Swirling her hair into a French twist, she donned understated but expensive jewelry, and grabbed her purse.
Portia slipped out of her apartment to the private elevator for her floor. She’d missed the ten-minute mark, but only by a minute. Alone in the elevator, she pulled a lipstick from her purse. Leaning close to the reflective interior wall, she slicked the color over her lips.
Pursing her lips, she studied her reflection. Almost there, but she still needed... something. Her gaze flicked to the counter marking the floors they passed. Just a few seconds until the doors opened. She swiped the lipstick over her lips again, this time with a heavier hand.
Another glance at her reflection showed her that the pink popped and provided the little something extra that she’d sought. “Perfect,” she told the Portia in the mirror.
The elevator stopped on the ground floor with barely a bump. She pressed a hand to her nervous stomach, then dropped it, smiling as the doors opened.
The doorman greeted her as she crossed to the front doors. “Good morning, Ms. Tremaine.” He glanced out the door, then looked back to her with a frown. “Your driver isn’t out front. Shall I call a car for you?”
“No need, Sam. I’m meeting someone outside.”
His rapid blinking was the only sign that she’d surprised him. “I see. Have a lovely day, Ms. Tremaine.”
“You too, Sam.” Portia smiled at the older man as he held the door for her. Sam had taken care of her and Tommy for years. What had started as treating the building’s employees well to keep Portia and Tommy’s business out of the tabloids had grown into a deep appreciation of the staff. Especially over the past year when they had taken extra care to ensure her privacy and protection. It was more than her father had ever done for her.
Portia shook off those thoughts. There was no time for sadness or bitterness. She was meeting Aleks for breakfast, and while it was likely to be a boring business meeting, she’d let herself enjoy his company.
She stepped out into the misty Seattle morning. Loose fog blanketed the city, though it didn’t obscure the buildings today, the way it did some mornings. Instead, the fog gave everything a hazy overlay.
“Good morning, Portia.” Aleks’s deep voice came from her left.
She spun around to greet him and the words caught in her throat. He was dressed for the unpredictable Seattle weather, where autumn could bring anything from rain and sleet to unseasonably warm sunny days. Black jeans hugged firm thighs that she’d gripped with her own. An old-timey bomber-style leather jacket over a white shirt covered his broad chest. He held two cups and a small bag. But it was the grin on his face that made her heart skip a beat.
“Good morning.” The greeting came out huskier than she intended and heat tinged her cheeks.
“Thank you for meeting me, especially on such short notice.” His sincerity flustered her. He handed her one of the cups.
“I was surprised to get your message this morning. Especially after the call last night.” The words came out a little sharper than she intended and she hid a wince.
He exhaled sharply. “I’m sorry about that. Ignoring my employers isn’t something I can do lightly. They expect immediate and absolute loyalty.” A shadow passed over his face.
“Dealing with my father was frequently like that.” Crap. She had definitely not intended to say that. She needed caffeine immediately.
Taking a tentative sip of the drink he’d handed her, she let the contents roll over her tongue. Coffee, slightly sweet and balanced with steamed milk. “It’s perfect.” She looked up at him in surprise.
“Flat white, two sugars,” he said smugly. “I used your dossier for something other than its intended purpose.”
She should be concerned that the Solveigs’ dossier on her was that detailed but decided to be amused instead. It was the kind of thing Tommy would have done. The thought made her smile. “Is that breakfast?” She nodded at the bag.
“Yes. There’s a little European coffee shop near Pike Place Market.” His smile brightened the morning.
“There is?” Coffee was still big business in Seattle. The reigning corporation had gotten its claws deep into the city years and years ago. Sure, rivals cropped up from time to time, but the odds of survival were low. The other coffee companies either faded away quietly or they were made to disappear... violently.
Aleks looked at Portia, laughter in his deep-sea eyes. “Yes. Tucked in a corner, only a few tables, known for delicious pastries?”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t sound familiar.” Admitting that felt like failure. How could she not know about a hidden gem of a coffee shop in her city, only a few blocks from where she lived? And it was her city.
Portia glanced from him to the bag of pastries. It was a sweet gesture, one that touched her a little too much, since it would have been so much easier to eat at a restaurant. At least then she wouldn’t have to wonder where he intended them to eat. “Did you want to eat at your hotel suite? Or did you want to come up?” Panic nipped at the words. It felt too—soon? Too much? Too personal?—to invite him into the home she’d shared with Tommy. The apartment had been their place. Her escape from the pressures of work. The only person they’d ever had over was Killian.
“I thought we’d just walk, if that’s okay with you.” He was watching her closely and she worried about what her expression may have given away.
“Yes, that’s great,” she said, her relief obvious in her tone.
Aleks discombobulated her. He worked for the enemy and yet he made her feel things she hadn’t expected to feel again. It was as infuriating as it was special. He made her want to lower her defenses, but that had proven to be a mistake two nights ago.
Yet here she was, meeting him for breakfast in broad daylight. Or at least fog.
“We can play tourist in your city.”
Be a tourist in her own city? Portia had never even considered that. She was actually surprised that Tommy had never suggested it either. Then again, maybe she wasn’t. He’d probably done everything there was to do in the city while she was working.
“I’d like that,” she admitted. “But not today. I do have time for coffee and pastries, though.”
Maybe Tommy had been right. Maybe she did need to spend less time in the office.