Alex looked up from the tablet, giving the girl who had come to stand at his table a once-over. Then he smiled and it reached his grey eyes. He stood up and extended a hand. "Jasmine Khan? Pleasure to finally meet you. I'm Alex."
She shook his hand, smiled slightly and took her seat opposite him.
"I didn't order anything,' Alex said as he settled back in his wooden chair.”Thought I'd wait."
She studied him for a few seconds, noting how handsome and tall he was. "How did you know who I was?" she asked him and waved at a waitress. The waitress held up a finger, indicating the customer she was serving and Jasmine nodded and turned back to Alex.
Alex was caught staring at her and he averted his eyes quickly, feeling his face flush a little. "Don't take this the wrong way but you look Middle Eastern, not at all Italian," he said, attempting an unaffected smile.
"I suppose I do," she replied. "Are you familiar with the Middle Eastern culture, Alex?"
He nodded. "Sort of," he said, looking at the waitress now as she approached their table with a friendly expression. "My best friend is Middle Eastern."
Jasmine nodded, making a mental note to ask more about the friendship and smiled at the red-haired waitress. "Hi, Kim. I'll take my usual, okay. What would you like, Alex?" She looked at him expectantly and he frowned a little.
"Er...I'll take your usual as well because I haven't had time to look at the menu yet," he said and Kim laughed. So did Jasmine. He looked adorable again.
"Well, I'll make it two serves then and I'm sure this handsome gentleman would absolutely love it." Kim smiled at Jasmine in amusement and waggled her eyebrows, probably thinking that Alex was her date or something.
Jasmine shook her head. "Kim, this is Alexander. He's someone I hope to work with and Alex, meet Kim."
They both said hello and shook hands and then Kim left them alone to get their breakfast.
"She's British." Alex was looking in the direction that Kim had gone.
"Yeah. She's only here for six months as a casual worker. I find it easier to talk to her because my Italian sucks." Actually, she understood Italian but made it a point not to let on. It was so much easier to remain aloof that way.
A curious light entered Alex's eyes. "You're nothing like I imagined."
"Really? And just how did you imagine me?"
He dimpled and Jasmine found that really cute. "You're even hotter," was his bold reply and Jasmine closed up immediately at that first sign of flirting. She did not have a problem with flirting but she did have a problem with flirting with a guy whom she would be working with very closely.
"Let's discuss business now, shall we?" Jasmine raised an eyebrow and he straightened.
"Of course." He reached in the briefcase that was propped against the leg of his chair and pulled out a sheaf of papers. "Here's the contract. I can go over it with you," he offered but Jasmine shook her head to indicate no and held out a hand.
Kim brought them two cups of coffee, winked at Alex and left quietly. Alex stared at the cup of coffee in front of him and his companion lowered the pages which she had been scrutinizing to smirk at him. "I only have a cup of coffee or tea for breakfast here," she told him, her eyes glowing with humor. "I hope you weren't very hungry."
Alex thought her glowing, dark eyes were the most beautiful things in the world. He decided to be a good sport. "Nope. Not hungry at all, actually." He sipped his coffee and savored the flavor and Jasmine resumed her perusal of the contract with an amused expression.
They stayed in the trattoria for nearly one hour and then, Jasmine felt sorry for him and ordered a risotto. He ate quickly and hungrily and when he saw her watching, they both laughed. Alex told her about Pyramid Publishing, the firm that she was signing up with and what she should expect once her books hit the stores. He also told her about his friendship with Armaan, the Muslim guy. They had met in Milan when they had both been nineteen and had remained friends ever since, thereby enhancing Alex's knowledge of the Islamic culture.
Jasmine decided that she liked Alex. He was the kind of person who could be familiar with people but still respect their boundaries. She knew because they shared quite a few laughs while getting to know each other better and at one point, he requested to snap a picture of her with his phone because he kept a photo of all his clients in his portfolio. But he never once attempted to flirt with her again.
~~~~
Milan (Same Day)
Armaan Qureshi scowled at his watch, barely stifling the curse that wanted to escape from his mouth. The music seemed to pound inside his body as he reclined in a leather seat in the V.I.P lounge of his club and tossed back a shot of tequila, not bothering with either lemon or salt. He was feeling more than a little pissed off. He hated it when people were not punctual. Patience was not one of his strong qualities. A sexy brunette sidled close to him on the leather and placed her hand on his thigh.
"Not now, Olivia," he growled and she pouted and moved away.
Closing his eyes, Armaan exhaled a rough breath. He was not enjoying himself tonight. The popular Milan club was alive and pumping but
