“No work today?” he asked.
She let out a bit of a laugh. “You could say that I had the day off, yes.”
She was simply very pretty, he realized, as he took her in, kissing her cheek. He decided it was a good sign that she was so casual, it meant she still felt comfortable with him.
They made small talk through dinner—which she complimented heartily—and though it was slightly awkward in moments, he found her warm towards him. They both drank more wine than usual, he noticed, and wondered if she was as nervous as he was. After dinner, as he had hoped, they went back to the kitchen and she laughed at him doing the dishes.
“Better be careful, Dick. Don’t want anyone mistaking you for the help,” she quipped. She was leaning on the counter of the island next to him and he took her joke about their fight as an opening, wrapping his soapy hands around her waist.
“I’d work as a busboy if it meant I could spend every day with you,” he said as he leaned down to kiss her neck. But she pulled away from him.
“We should talk, don’t you think?” she said. He shut off the water. She was right. They should clear the air.
“Of course, Cherry. I’ve been thinking that, too. I … I want to apologize for my behavior at the party that day. I drank too much and was far too harsh, and—”
“It’s fine, Richard,” she said. “I think in some strange way it was good for me to hear that. It’s motivated me to do some soul searching about what I’m doing with myself … professionally.”
“Really, Cherry!?” he said with a bit of excitement. He hadn’t been expecting gratitude: a bonus. “Do I get rewarded for my inadvertent good deed?”
She laughed. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. As I mentioned, I come with a business proposition.”
His heart dropped a bit—just a bit—considering for a second that perhaps this was legitimate and that she didn’t come here to get back together. Then he realized this was likely just her way of breaking the ice.
“Do you want to embark on a new career with Eikenborn and Sons?” he asked, with a smile.
“Well, no, not exactly, but it does involve your business.”
“Really, now? This is intriguing.” He leaned in towards her, his hands resting on the counter, framing her body between his arms.
“There is a party in Puerto Rico, a group, really, interested in purchasing about two million dollars’ worth of solar panels.”
“Okay,” he said, “I’m listening. For private estates?”
“No,” she said. “I’m not at liberty to discuss the plans, but the condition of the purchase is that they need the panels ASAP.”
“Are they trying to resell these?” he asked, stroking her hair. “Because I’m not about to consider supplying a competitor. I could stand to make a killing with solar down there.”
“No, that’s definitely not the intention,” she said. He noticed the smile had fallen slightly from her face.
“Who is this buyer, Cherry?” he asked. He had taken one hand and placed it on her waist. She had not pulled it away.
“A philanthropist who would like to remain anonymous.”
He nuzzled her neck now, and felt her stiffen slightly. “Ah, a do-gooder! That’s nice. We need more do-gooders in the world.” He moved his hand towards her waist and undid the button of her jeans. She grabbed his wrist.
“So,” she said, “will you do it? Because if so, I can introduce you to their representative.”
“Can you now, Cherry?” he said, with a bit of a laugh as he bit her ear. He was mildly curious who this philanthropist was. If they had this kind of capital to expend on a charitable act, surely he’d have met them before. Unless they were foreign? An interesting possibility. Either way, this was pennies compared to what he could stand to make with Nick Selby by not providing solar panels to Puerto Rico, something he did not think he should share with Olga. He was fairly confident this would ruin his seduction. And besides, he hadn’t given Nick his commitment yet anyway.
She suddenly pulled away from him, but had not let go of his wrist.
“Richard,” she said, “I’m being serious. These are real potential buyers.”
“Ah, plural,” he said as he attempted to re-catch her in his arms.
She pulled away again.
“Dick,” she said quietly. She took a breath. “Richard, I’m seeing someone.”
“What?” Barely two months had passed since they stopped seeing each other. He decided that she must be trying some sort of joke. He laughed. She didn’t.