Chapter 2 #2
“Do I ask about your dates, Nate?” She lifted her brow a fraction of an inch as her steel-blue eyes met Nate’s green gaze.
“You don’t have to,” he said dryly. “My love life is nonexistent.”
Nell gave him a flat, vaguely amused look in the mirror. “It’s not business, golden boy, but it’s still a negotiation. Now, let’s go.”
Upon her arrival, Nell was greeted by the ma?tre d’, who led her through the softly lit restaurant without exchanging any additional or unnecessary words.
The private dining accommodations kept them secluded from the rest of the restaurant, and the lights were dim enough to set the right mood.
Textured linen wallpaper and artfully chosen decor muffled the sounds of the restaurant beyond the walls of their dining room, and ambient music of her choosing floated around.
Nell strategically positioned herself with her back to the wall, wanting an unobstructed view of Sarah when she arrived.
Another check of her watch. 8:00 p.m. It’s showtime.
Nell’s satisfied smile formed at the corners of her mouth when she spotted the familiar outline of a woman moving toward her.
She stood as Sarah entered the room, taking in her cream cardigan layered over a black turtleneck tucked crisply into tailored black trousers. Understated, professional, but still thoughtful. Exactly the right mix of precision and restraint, just like Nell.
Sarah was devastatingly beautiful in a rare way only trained eyes could spot.
It was subtle, but to the right person, the magnetic pull she emanated was powerful.
She could see it in how Sarah carried herself, the power in her presence when she was in a room.
Was that the feeling that spread through Nell’s body whenever Sarah was near?
“Sarah,” she said warmly, leaning in to greet her, pressing a brief, deliberate air-kiss to each cheek. The smile she’d been fighting finally broke through at the smoothness of Sarah’s cheek against hers. “It’s good to see you again.”
Sarah, for her part, didn’t flinch. She mirrored Nell’s greeting, and when she pulled back, Nell was pleased to see confidence reflected in Sarah’s eyes. They were a pretty hazel, a true murky green that seemed to swirl almost like something was lurking beneath the surface.
They took their seats opposite each other, but the sommelier approached as Sarah was about to speak.
“A bottle of the Cabernet Franc, 2020, from Hasting Cellars, please,” Nell said smoothly, without looking at the wine list. She didn’t miss the glance Sarah shot her over the rim of her water glass.
“I pegged you for a Burgundy purist.”
“I am,” Nell said, resting her chin lightly on one hand, “but excellence doesn’t always match the price tag, nor the passport stamp. Washington wine has its moments. I guarantee you’ll enjoy it.”
“You guarantee?”
“I do.”
Sarah’s lips curled slightly, causing the familiar pulse of satisfaction Nell only ever got from reading someone correctly and knowing they knew it.
A moment of considered silence stretched between them as they each tested the other in search of boundaries.
“Thank you for joining me tonight,” Nell said sincerely.
“Was there a choice? I don’t recall there being a question in your invitation.”
Nell couldn’t help but grin at Sarah’s question.
“Everything you do in life is a choice, Sarah. You would have said no if you wanted to dismiss my offer.” Nell held her gaze as her smirk stretched into a genuine smile.
“I’m a busy woman, as are you. You’ll have to excuse the brevity in my communication occasionally.
” Nell let her voice flatten slightly, reminding Sarah she was in control here but not reprimanding her.
Nell liked the way Sarah challenged her.
“But I will always make time for the things that interest me,” she said delicately.
Nell watched Sarah consume her words like they were the appetizer to their main course. Sarah didn’t blush or shift, only tilted her head slightly, a playful smirk already on her lips.
“And you don’t think that comes across as pushy?”
“I think,” Nell said slowly, carefully and meticulously selecting her words, “that when women know what they want, it gets called many things. ‘Pushy’ is the polite version. But let’s not fall prey to that kind of thinking, Sarah; we’re both more evolved than that.”
That earned her a genuine smile, sharp and a little rueful. “Fair enough,” Sarah said, with a chuckle, as they settled into conversation the way fencers settle into a match: with small movements, subtle feints, and fancier footwork.
VYSE Technologies came up. Sarah, it turned out, had a high level of knowledge of the company through her proximity to Jamie Lyons. Even with that prior knowledge, she had made some insightful observations about its scalability and IP that Nell was kicking herself for not seeing sooner.
A waiter appeared with their first course, placing dishes before them.
Sarah raised an eyebrow, unbridled curiosity written all over her face. “First, you order the wine, and I’m assuming you’ve taken care of our dinner menu also? For someone who said everything in life is a choice, you seem to have removed mine.”
“I did. Does that bother you?” Nell asked, never breaking Sarah’s gaze.
She watched her closely as Sarah considered her for a moment. “No,” she said, smiling, taking a bite of the lamb appetizer. “It’s been nice not to have to make the decisions for a change.”
They continued like that throughout the meal, each testing the other and revealing just enough to keep the balance from tipping too far in either direction.
By the time the final course arrived—a dark chocolate soufflé, rich and unapologetically decadent—the air between them was charged.
Sarah pushed her second glass of wine to the side.
She leaned forward, her eyes narrowing in a way that made Nell feel like she was in her crosshairs, no doubt a skill honed over the years of negotiations Sarah had under her belt.
“Do you ever find it exhausting, Nell?” she asked.
Nell studied her, but she was not quite sure what Sarah was talking about.
“You’ve been nothing short of prepared this whole evening.
You’ve done your research on me, and while I can’t say I researched you as extensively, I’m exceptionally good at reading people.
” Sarah paused. “You strike me as someone who edits herself in real time—constantly taking in information and tweaking and adjusting your responses, always running calculations.”
Nell blinked once as she reached for her glass, buying herself a second.
Not because she didn’t have an answer, but because Sarah’s question had landed more cleanly than she’d expected.
Most people missed it—the constant recalibrating she did in her mind.
Whenever new information presented itself, she took it in, tweaked, and adjusted her approach as needed.
She had spent years perfecting that skill that most people overlooked, but Sarah hadn’t, and more than that, she hadn’t used it as an accusation—she’d just made a statement out of curiosity.
It’s not tiring, Nell wanted to say. It’s discipline. It’s power. It’s security.
“Your read is correct. Editing is a strategy,” she said simply. Sarah wasn’t wrong.
“Don’t you find it tiring having to be constantly on?
” Sarah tilted her head ever so slightly, a genuine curiosity, a desire to understand, behind her gaze.
That sent a shiver up Nell’s spine. For all the scenarios Nell had run in her mind for how this conversation would go, this had not been one of them.
For the first time all night, she hesitated.
Tonight, it felt like a little more work than usual.
Maybe she didn’t want to always be on all the time.
“I find it . . . clarifying,” she said steadily. “Don’t you?”
Sarah leaned back, her expression unreadable. “I think I’m still deciding.”
Nell watched her for a long beat. She could see the way Sarah shifted gears mid-thought. She knew that thought pattern well. It was a cousin to her own.
“Did I pass?” Sarah said, as she gently placed her fork on the now empty dessert plate.
Nell didn’t answer her, merely locked eyes and held her gaze firmly for a moment.
“I’m assuming tonight was a test. An interview of sorts,” Sarah added.
“I wouldn’t call it an interview . . . more like reconnaissance. I prefer not to make decisions until I have fully immersed myself in a subject, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise to you.” Nell’s grin curled across her lips involuntarily.
That was almost the truth. The real truth was that Sarah Gallagher fascinated Nell.
She was composed, competent, and hard-edged, all without being cold in the way some high-powered women could be.
Nell had watched her work a room as if it were nothing, then turn and soften completely in the presence of her daughter.
It wasn’t performative; it was real. It was a masterclass in context switching—graceful, seamless, and exact—Nell admired that.
Sarah knew how to bend, and Nell couldn’t help but wonder if Sarah would be the type of woman to bend for her, and in what ways.
“It doesn’t.” Sarah smirked again, her gaze assessing. She didn’t push for more, but Nell found herself wanting to give more anyway.
She hesitated, this time intentionally, silence a powerful tool. The art of withholding was one Nell had mastered early on in her life. Empty spaces make people more inclined to fill them with things they usually wouldn’t say.
“Don’t mistake my curiosity for indecision,” Nell said finally. “I’m not in the habit of wasting time.”
She caught herself. That had come out snappier, more reactive than she’d intended. But she reeled it back, sipped her water, and reset. Edit as you go.
Across the table, Sarah nodded. “And what exactly are you curious about?”
Another question. Nell was beginning to see the pattern. Sarah asked questions when she didn’t want to reveal anything. A clever but predictable tactic, given her profession.
“How do you carry such a heavy burden?” Nell said softly. “You command a lot of space, Sarah. I like that in a woman, but I’m curious how much of it is armor rather than space you truly want to be taking up.”
That, finally, got a pause. Sarah’s lips parted, but no sound came. Her throat moved as she swallowed.
“I’m also curious,” Nell said, voice steady and sure, “if you are always so ready to accept not having the upper hand?”
Sarah blinked, then—shockingly—laughed. “Is that what I’m doing?”
“You haven’t made a single move to take it all evening. That surprised me.” Her eyes traced Sarah’s features thoughtfully.
“I haven’t yet decided if having the upper hand is worth the energy,” Sarah replied, calm as ever, “and you seem rather committed to keeping it.”
There it was again—that flash of submission Nell had gotten a taste of earlier.
Not outright; still cloaked in command and authority.
She had seen how easily people could mistake submission for softness—yielding when someone lacked the will to fight—but Sarah didn’t yield.
She calculated. She conserved. She chose where to spend her energy.
She knew she didn’t have to take control to hold it.
And that fascinated Nell, because it meant Sarah wasn’t a threat to be neutralized. She was a force to be understood.
Nell laughed genuinely. “That is the most honest answer I’ve heard.” She leaned back in her seat, signaling to the waiter that they were ready for the check.
“My invitation, my treat,” she said sincerely, waving Sarah off, and they stood to exit the restaurant together. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Nate leaving slightly behind them.
Outside, the air had cooled, the sky turning the deep, rich blue that came with warm summer nights. Two cars were already waiting for them. Nell turned to Sarah, reached into her jacket pocket, then slipped a small, square black business card into Sarah’s hand.
“What’s this?” Sarah asked, examining the card with a slightly confused expression. She watched for a moment as Sarah flipped the card over in her long, slender fingers.
“A puzzle,” Nell said, with a grin. “Call me when you figure it out.”
Nate, who had been standing barely out of earshot, opened the car door, and Nell slid inside as Sarah called after her, “Does this mean I passed your test?”
Nell rolled down the window and let her eyes drag slowly over Sarah with purpose. She got the tiniest thrill at knowing Sarah was watching her.
“I’m still deciding,” she said, serving Sarah her words from earlier. With a last glance toward the card, Nell said, “Don’t keep me waiting too long.”
She smiled as the car pulled away, and her thoughts stayed planted on the sidewalk, right where Sarah had been.