揈liza棓
揘o. You抣l be mad.?
揑 won抰 be. Now spit it out. You抳e said too much to back out,?I warn.
揙kay, well… You know how you got mad when I told you Wired Cup抯 whole brand was reliable??
揧eah??
揧ou don抰 drink enough coffee. You don抰 savor it enough to know the difference between reliable and reverent.?
揋uilty. That抯 why I hired you.?
揟hen why were you so offended about being called reliable??
I grin, shaking my head.
揥oman, just because I don抰 want to spend all day tasting coffee doesn抰 mean I want to be known as the CEO of a boring fucking brand.?
揧ou抮e a strange man,?she muses, pushing her hand into mine. 揋ood thing I抦 hooked on you.?
It抯 about half an hour before we arrive at the posh restaurant. Tom opens the door with an affable nod, and I help Eliza out of the car, walking her through the stylish glass doors.
Her hand stays clasped in mine as we walk to the hostess booth.
揑 have a reservation for a private room,?I say.
揥hat抯 the name??the hostess asks.
揝mith.?
She checks her book and nods. 揑抳e got it.?She picks up a couple of menus. 揜ight this way, Mr. and Mrs. Smith?
Eliza抯 brows knit together as she leans up to whisper in my ear. 揃ut it抯 Lancaster? Don抰 tell me you picked a name so unoriginal for whatever it is you抮e hiding??
17
Secret Recipe （Eliza）
Cole doesn抰 answer when I ask what kind of game he抯 playing with the Smith alias.
We follow the hostess to a back room with menus waiting on each side of the table.
He pulls out my chair and waits for me to sit. He might be a grump to his core, but at least he抯 a chivalrous one.
揟hanks,?I say, trying not to blush as he sits across from me.
揑抣l grab you some waters and your server will be with you shortly.?The hostess exits the arched entryway to this private room with its black walls, tan seats, glass, and low lights that make it look like it was transplanted straight from Tokyo.
揝o, why did you make the reservations under a fake name, Mr. Smith??I should probably drop it, but I have to know.
揚rivacy,?he answers, his eyes narrowed.
揥e really need more of that??I whisper across the table.
He studies me for a moment.
揈liza, is something wrong??
?I抦 just curious.?
揧ou抮e sitting at the most exclusive Japanese restaurant in a city of almost a million people. Places like this attract money, and it抯 a small world. You抎 be surprised how ruthless the competition can be. All it takes is a little encounter with an executive from another coffee company who slips some jagoff on Twitter a juicy tidbit about Cole Lancaster dining with a beautiful young woman. Suddenly, my 'eligible bachelor' face is plastered all over social media and I抳e got a very big, very annoying distraction to deal with. When you head up a major business of any sort, you抮e always somebody抯 target.?
My stomach drops.
That抯 definitely a fair reason for secrecy, and worlds apart from any two-timing older men who played me before. I almost feel guilty for wondering.
揃ut Smith? Seriously??
He glowers, but before he can speak, a young girl with curly red hair arrives to take our order.
揥e抣l start with two sakes,?Cole says. They throw a few expensive brand names back and forth. I can抰 even pronounce them without knowing a word of Japanese.
This is me. Swimming with the big fish and already drowning.
揇o you have ginger ale too??I ask.
揥e have a house made ginger soda,?the waitress tells me.
揑抣l take it.?
His lips barely move, but Cole laughs with his eyes.
揂fraid you can抰 handle the sake??he asks after she moves away.
揑 don抰 drink a lot…？
He nods, studying me over the rim of his glass as he sips his water.
揑 don抰 think you were done.?
揥hat??He sets his glass down.
揧ou explained the need for privacy桰 get it梑ut it seems like you wanted to add something more.?I sip my water, studying his handsome face.
He shifts in his seat梐nd do I see a tiny crinkle of nervousness on his face?
揙ur co-workers can抰 find out about this yet, Eliza. Until I talk to HR, we抮e technically breaching several major rules against fraternization.?
揊raternization.?I laugh sourly.
Also, didn抰 he say he抎 deal with HR days ago? I can抰 be too judgmental.
He抯 not Derek. I抦 not being played for a selfish man抯 ego.
Still, when you抳e been burned before, you start looking for any whiff of smoke.
揥hat抯 wrong??he asks gruffly, fixing me with a stare.
揌mm??
揟hat laugh. It抯 not your usual peppy giggle.?