Page 49 of The Money Man
“You kind of have to, given your position,” she said, settling into the chair the host held for her. “You don’t build a company like KRG by kicking back and relaxing.” Alice’s words shunted Courtney aside, making his ex seem clueless.
He, Leland, and Tully had built it with blood, sweat, and tears, but also with laughter, exhilaration, and satisfaction. His father would never understand that.
“Oh my goodness, I wonder what river that is.” She was looking out the window that their table stood next to.
Feeling pleased with himself for anticipating her questions about the view, he slid his phone out of his jacket pocket, swiped across the screen a couple of times, and held it out to her. “There’s an app for that. It syncs with our table location and tells you the main points of interest. Tap on one and it gives you extra information.”
She took the phone from him, the tips of her fingers, with their short, unvarnished nails, barely brushing his, but even that made his skin tingle.
“You are the best tour guide ever,” she said, holding his phone as though it were fragile china and touching the screen gently. He felt as though she were touching him, not his phone, and a burst of arousal hit in him the groin.
“The Trinity River,” she read. “At seven hundred ten miles, the longest river whose watershed lies entirely within the state of Texas.” She flashed a self-mocking smile at him. “I promise not to bore you with any more fun facts.”
“I could use some educating about Texas. When I come here, I fly in, have a few meetings, and fly out again. Broaden my horizons.” He meant it too. Alice’s interest in her surroundings reminded him that there was more to life than meetings.
Their server, a young woman dressed entirely in black, asked what they’d like to drink. Alice put down his phone and asked for water.
“Is this a business lunch?” she asked after a moment’s hesitation.
“Only in the eyes of our accounting department.”
“Wine would be nice. You choose it.” She threw a glance at the racks of wine they’d walked past. “All those bottles are intimidating.”
“In that case, let’s decide what we’re eating first. Please give us a minute,” he said to the server.
Alice picked up the stiff folder that held the menu and flipped it open. As she scanned it, she fiddled with the small gold tassel that dangled from her earlobe, setting his imagination alight with the urge to lick the softness of the skin right behind her ear.
She lowered the folder and grinned at him. “Well, it’s not as extensive a menu as Nick’s, but I think I can find something to eat on it.”
She drew in a breath that sent a glint of sun along the delicate chain around her neck, drawing his eye to theVof her blouse. She had it buttoned up entirely too far, so that he could see not even a hint of the valley between her breasts, but he easily pictured unfastening those top two buttons to reveal that and the lace of her bra that showed faintly through the fabric. Then he imagined sucking on her nipples through her bra.
“Derek?” She spoke sharply and he realized that she’d said something while he was lost in his reverie.
“Sorry, I was trying to remember what I had eaten the last time I was here.”
“Oh, of course.” But he noticed a tinge of pink on her cheeks and he wondered what his expression had given away.
“The peppercorn-soaked buffalo tenderloin,” he said, choosing a dish at random. It seemed very Texan.
“I’m not really much of a red-meat eater. I was thinking about the Texas quail. I’ve never had that before.”
“Well, it beats rattlesnake.”
“They don’t really have that on the menu.” She looked startled and scanned the folder again before twinkling at him. “I hear it tastes like chicken.”
“I’ve never had the wish to find out.” He enjoyed the fact that she was open about her unfamiliarity with haute cuisine. He was self-taught about food and wine. His Pennsylvania upbringing didn’t run to high-end restaurants, but he’d had to learn fast, since he was the one responsible for wining and dining KRG’s clients right from the start. It felt good to relax with someone who didn’t try to one-up him. “Could I interest you in sharing the appetizer sampler of crab cakes, short ribs, and lobster tacos?”
Her face lit up. “I love samplers.”
He lifted his hand to bring the server back to their table, ordering the food, a light dry white wine for Alice, and a hearty red for himself.
“That’s too much wine,” she said as the server walked away. “You’ll be wasting most of the bottle. At least, of mine.”
“The staff will enjoy it,” he said, entertained by her thriftiness on his behalf. Although not that many years ago, he would have been more careful with KRG’s money. In their early days, those outrageously expensive business dinners were a serious drain on their capital. Back then, he’d been the one to insist that the image was important, even while Leland and Tully grumbled that he was the only one who got to enjoy the food and wine.
“Seriously?” Her expression was skeptical.
“They won’t let it go to waste, I assure you.”
