Page 45 of Heart of Stone

It’s not my business. Curiosity killed the cat. More detail means an increased risk of attachment.Time to change the subject.

I sat there pondering over what else we could talk about. The atmosphere had become so uncomfortable after his revelation, that I wasn’t sure where to begin. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more I realized how little I actually knew Alexander. The only thing I had to go on were a few tidbits that I read on the internet. He was a mystery, and I grappled with finding a safe topic of discussion.

I could bring up the reason I’m actually here. We haven’t talked about that yet.

My brow furrowed in concentration.

So why am I here?

He had said in the coffee shop that he wanted me naked, yet he had been nothing but a polite gentleman since my arrival. There were no sexual insinuations, no coy remarks. Nothing. Surprisingly, I found myself disappointed and frustrated by his mannerly attitude. He wasn’t playing his usual part.

“You’ve become very quiet, Krystina,” Alexander commented after a long while. I glanced up at him to find that he was watching me curiously. “I can tell that you’re thinking something. I can almost see the wheels spinning in your head.”

It’s time to cut to the chase.

I put my fork down next to my plate and leveled my eyes to his.

“Look, I’m fairly certain that you don’t want to talk about where I grew up or about your parents that – .”

“The subject of my parents is off limits. Never bring them up again,” he said frostily, stopping me midsentence.

Personal details are private. Got it.

“Okay, I can respect that. Besides, it’s probably better if we stopped playing show-and-tell. I want to get to the bottom of this supposed meeting, Alexander,” I said, deliberately dropping the formalities for the first time.

“You can call me Alex.”

“But that’s not your name,” I jokingly threw back in his face in an attempt to lighten the sudden somber mood. My efforts seemed to work because he afforded me a sexy lopsided grin.

“Touché,” he said with a wink, and reached over to pour us both more wine.

“Thank you,” I accepted graciously. Making a mental note to slow down, I didn’t take a sip of the refilled glass right away. A plan was starting to formulate in my head and I needed my wits about me if I was going to play this right.

“I think I was pretty clear this afternoon at the café, Krystina,” he said in response to my question.

It wasn’t really an answer at all, and I began to understand his polite behavior. I had a nagging suspicion that he was trying to feel me out.

Is he leaving it up to me to make the first move?

If that were truly the case, then it was very atypical for Alexander. He had told me himself – he likes to be in control. Putting the ball in my court was obviously not what he was doing.

I eyed him warily, trying to decide if I was ready to push our so-called relationship to the next level. He had already laid out his employment expectations. That part was perfectly clear. It was his other proposal that I needed to be careful of. Taking it slow was an absolute must, but I didn’t know if I had the gumption to take the plunge back into the world of dating.

If I take charge from the beginning, then maybe I can control the pace. I can do that. How hard can it be?

Throwing all caution to the wind, I swallowed a huge gulp of wine, took a deep breath and plunged ahead.

“Yes, you were very explicit as I recall. I b-believe you said something about…um…wanting me naked,” I faltered.

Epic fail.Could I have said that any more awkwardly? God, I suck at this.

“Is that going to be a problem for you?” he asked offhandedly.

Is it a problem?

His mouth quirked up in an impish smile and he looked like he was enjoying some sort of wicked thought.

“Well, um…” I started, pursing my lips in a frown trying to will away the flush the crept up my neck and threatened to enflame my cheeks. “What happens if I say that it is? Would I still get the job at Turning Stone?”

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