Subject change, Angel!
“How about you?”
“How about me, what?”
“I take it from your rich Russian accent you didn’t grow up in the US?”
“No. I was born in Moscow.”
“Do you have siblings?”
“Yes, a sister.”
“Is she as cheeky as you?”
“Hell, no. She’s far worse. How’s your steak?
“Amazing.”
“Good. The chef is safe. Why law?”
“Why not?”
“Now who’s being cheeky?” he grinned.
“You started it. Let’s see. At first, I wanted to do criminal law. But the idea of defending the guilty didn’t sit well with me. And, let’s be honest, public defenders work for peanuts. So, I decided instead to study business law.”
“Ah, a woman with a conscience. Your marks are very impressive. You’re a smart cookie.”
“Thank you. I worked hard. How did you get into imports and exports?”
“My family back home dabbled in it when I was a kid. I learned from my father, so I decided to build on what I knew.”
“Your father must be very proud of you. You’ve done well.”
“I’m sure he would have been. He passed away when I was a teen.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Max. Is your sister back in Russia?”
“No, she lives in LA. I didn’t want to leave her behind. The two of us are the only ones left, so I wanted her close by.”
“Family is important, isn’t it?”
“I’ll drink to that,” Max said and raised his glass.
“Cheers.”
We looked into each other’s eyes as we held our glasses up for a moment.
“You’re very beautiful, Angel.”
My breath caught in my throat. Heat creeped gently up my thighs.
No! Stop it, Angel.
“Thank you, Max,” I answered, my voice thick with nervous tension.
“I won’t if you say no,” he said without looking away from my eyes.