Page 6 of The Price of Power

“Who in their right mind would stand you up?” Oh, shit. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud. The words had fallen out of my mouth before I could stop them. “I am so sorry. I…I don’t know why I said that. I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast, and I’m feeling a little wobbly.”

As apologies went, it was pretty pathetic. But the man sitting across from me didn’t seem to mind.

“No need to be sorry,” he said, a slight smile slowly lifting his full lips. “Not for a compliment like that. But it sounds like we should get you some dinner.”

I could feel my blush deepening.

He raised his hand and was surprised when one of the servers appeared at his side a moment later. For someone who swore he wasn’t a VIP, he certainly got a lot of attention.

“What can I get you, sir?” the waiter asked, but Gabriel politely gestured for me to order first.

“The Caesar Salad,” I said. “And a gin and tonic, please.”

“Classic choice,” Gabriel nodded appreciatively. “Make it two gin and tonics, and tell McKinley at the bar to use the Nolet’s Reserve.”

That was some top-shelf gin. Beyond top shelf.

“The silver will be just fine for mine,” I broke in.

The waiter looked at Gabriel as if his word mattered far more than mine. After a full second, he gave a nod and sent the server away with a slight twitch of his finger.

“I don’t know many people who would turn down a taste of the reserve,” he said after a moment. “Especially when someone else is buying.”

“I’ve heard that it’s fabulous,” Not that I’d ever had the opportunity to try it myself. “But it’s too good for a mixer. The silver will pair better with the tonic.”

“Is that right?”

“It is.” Even though I hadn’t had a drop of alcohol yet, just the sight of his smile was enough to make me light-headed.

Fortunately, the chime of his text alarm sounded again, and I was saved from him noticing the blush that was quickly heating up my cheeks when he pulled his phone out of his pocket again.

“And you didn’t have to buy me anything,” I said, doing my best to control my racing heart. “After what you just did I should be the one buying you a drink.”

Not that I was in the financial position to buy anything for someone with such pricy tastes.

Luckily for my poor savings account, Gabriel gave his head a shake as he looked up from his phone. “That’s not going to happen. What kind of gentleman would I be if I let a woman pay?”

“Gentleman?” A small chuckle sneaked out from between my lips. Clearly, skipping lunch had messed with my head. My poker face was usually much better than this.

“You find that funny?” he asked.

I was willing to guess with his fine suit and commanding presence, he wasn’t used to being laughed at…especially not to his face.

For a second, I thought about lying. It would be so much easier—not to mention safer—to soothe his pride and say that I’d been thinking about something else. But strangely, I didn’t want to. Especially not when, instead of appearing offended, he leaned forward in his chair, his expression genuinely curious.

“Honestly, a little, yeah,” I admitted, more aware than ever of all the eyes fixed on our conversation. I choose my next words carefully. “Don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate how you ran that jerk out of here, but how easily you did it sort of proves that you aren’t really a gentleman, doesn’t it?”

His gaze lingered on my face for a long moment, his expression almost painfully intense as he studied my face. For a second, I feared that he was going to call me names or get aggressive, just like the drunk had, but he surprised me by letting out a laugh of his own.

For a sound that should have cut the tension, the room strangely only became quieter.

“You’re very perceptive,” he said before adding, “…and brave.”

Now, that was a word people rarely used to describe me. “For stating the obvious?”

“It’s rarer than you think,” he said. “There aren’t many people who would risk talking to me like that.”

Somehow, I had no trouble believing that. Even just sitting across from me, the man radiated an aura of intimidation.

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