Free For the Love of Alex by J.E. Hopkins Page B

there. The owner greeted him personally and arranged for a table for them within minutes despite the line of people ahead of them.
    “How did you do that?” Leah asked in wonder. “You snap your fingers and we are seated at the best table despite the line of customers throwing daggers in our direction.”
    Marcus threw his head back and laughed, his smile illuminating his face. He was even more handsome when he flashed those dimples.
    “I am a frequent patron of this restaurant. They are good about taking care of their regulars.”
    Leah suspected there was more to the story than that. Her inquisitive mind wanted to probe further, but Marcus was her boss. She would respect his privacy. They were not friends. Just colleagues having a working dinner.
    It didn’t feel much like a working dinner, though. Every time she tried to discuss her story, Marcus smoothly changed the subject, asking questions about her life that she didn’t want to answer.
    “You’re such an enigma, Leah. I don’t understand you.”
    “Why do you want to?” Other than Alex and Claire, no one showed much interest in knowing her.
    “I like to know the people who work for me. It helps me know who I can trust.”
    It sounded like a reasonable answer, but two could play at that game. “I feel the same. I like to know who I am dealing with as well and you are just as puzzling to me as I seem to be to you.”
    Marcus leaned in closer and flashed a devilish smile. “The difference is, I am a puzzle ready and willing to be solved. All you have to do is ask, Leah, and I will answer.”
    Would it be that simple, she wondered? “Let’s play a game.” Marcus arched an eyebrow, but she refused to let his reaction thwart her. For some reason, she felt bold tonight, and she was going to take full advantage of her newfound bravery. Marcus opened the door to it and she was going to race in full steam ahead. “We’ll interview each other. We each get to ask the other five questions, taking turns. We promise to answer them honestly.”
    Marcus smiled. “I think I will like this game. We have a deal. I am feeling so generous that I will allow you go first.”
    Of course her mind went blank at that moment. Not expecting him to say yes so easily, she wasn’t prepared and couldn’t think of a single question. That was a journalistic faux pas.
    This was humiliating. He was watching her impatiently and she was getting increasingly nervous, which made it harder to think of an appropriate question.
    “Are you giving up already, Leah? This is your game, let’s play.”
    She refused to give up. She blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. “Where did you go to school?” Stupid question. She was tempted to bang her head against the table, but it was too late. Foot already inserted in mouth.
    “Am I overestimating your journalistic skills? You have five questions to ask and you choose the one that you could easily answer on your own just my looking at the diplomas in my office? I don’t quite get the strategy.”
    “It’s an icebreaker,” Leah pretended.
    “Well then, let’s break the ice. I went to Notre Dame undergrad and I earned my Masters at Columbia. Did the ice thaw?”
    He was mocking her and she deserved it.
    “My turn now. I am not interested in breaking the ice, so I will jump right into my probing questions. Is that diamond on your finger a warning that all men should back off, or is the lack of an accompanying wedding band a sign that there is still hope that someone could come and win your heart?” He reached for her hand and inspected her ring. “I suspect your heart truly belongs to another. You have that look in your eyes. The look of a woman who deeply loves the man who put that ring on her finger.”
    Leah slipped her hand out of his. This was not what she expected. He dove right into the personal questions and was unnervingly insightful. Well, this dumb game was her idea so she couldn’t back out now even though she knew