Chapter 4 - Dinner

 Natalia was on edge the rest of the day after agreeing to dinner with Hayden.  She thought about canceling a hundred times but stopped by reminding herself it was a business dinner and nothing else.  Patrice had brought the suit jacket back about an hour ago, fresh from the cleaners.  

 She was supposed to meet him at a rooftop garden restaurant at six.  She'd never been there before because her typical dinner was take-out.  She sometimes was at the office until after ten and came back first thing in the morning.  It didn't leave much room for a social life.  She thought about running home to change but decided against it wanting to wear what she would wear to a business meeting.  

 At five-thirty, she received a text that her car was downstairs.  She grabbed her briefcase, purse, and Hayden's suit jacket as she walked out.  Everyone else had left for the day around five, so she locked up after turning off the lights.  

 The ride to the restaurant took about twenty minutes in traffic.  Natalia's heart was beating so loudly in her ears that she was surprised the driver couldn't hear it.  When they pulled up, she saw Hayden standing outside waiting for her.  Could he have gotten more handsome overnight?  She saw the women passing by, trying to get his attention, but he acted like he didn't see them. 

 Natalia took a couple deep breaths before opening her car door.  As soon as Hayden saw it was her, he rushed over.  She could smell his expensive cologne, which had a pleasant musky smell that was all man.  

 "I'm so glad you could make it."  He said in his warm voice that made her heart beat faster.  Hayden held his hand out as she stepped out of the car.  Natalia hesitated briefly before taking it, but eventually, she did.  His hand was strong, warm, and big enough to swallow hers.  Once on the sidewalk, she attempted to release him, but he seemed reluctant to let go.

 "Here's your jacket."  She said, holding it out to him.

 "Thanks.  I left my other one at the office since I knew you were bringing this one with you.  Are you ready to go in?"  He took the hanger and dry cleaning tags off the jacket, throwing them into the trash can on the sidewalk.  

 "Yes.  I've never been here before.  Honestly, I haven't been to many restaurants here unless they serve take-out."  Hayden looked at her in surprise.  He thought it was sad to have lived in the city for any amount of time but not dine out.  It was almost a sin.  He decided that if he could get her to see him again, he would take her to many restaurants.  

 "It's my pleasure to treat you to this fine cuisine.  I reserved a private table so we could talk without a bunch of nosey people interrupting us."  Natalia immediately froze.  She wasn't about to make the same mistake twice. 

 "How private?"  She asked quietly.  Hayden looked at her and saw the fear in her eyes.  He knew she was thinking about what had happened yesterday, and it broke his heart.

 "It's just in the back with fewer diners, but still plenty of people coming and going.  Natalia, I promise I won't hurt you."  She looked into his eyes and saw the concern in them.  After controlling her hands which had been shaking, she gave him a small smile.

 "Sorry, that was almost the exact same thing that asshole said to me last night to get me alone.  I guess it hit me a little harder than I thought."  Natalia looked away as they walked through the door of the tall building and headed toward the elevators.  

 "After you left, I went back briefly, broke his nose, and punched him in the stomach.  I told him I would kill him if he ever touched you again.  Don't worry.  I didn't say your name, so no one else had a clue of who I was talking about."  He had already anticipated that she didn't want anyone to know what had happened.  To his delight, Natalia started laughing, a sweet, light laugh that made his heart stop.  

 "I wish I could have seen that,"  The thought of blood running down his chubby face immediately lifted her spirits as they got into the elevator.  There were a lot of people pushing their way on.  Eventually, she and Hayden were shoved into a corner with no room to move.  They were standing face to face, and Natalia felt herself blushing being so close to him.  

 On each floor, they let people off, and there was more room.  Hayden didn't move entirely away from her, though.  They weren't touching but were still aware of one another.  

 When they reached the restaurant on the top floor, Natalia felt extremely hot.  She fanned herself as they were shown to their table in the back.  Just as Hayden had said, it was private but not isolated.  She actually thought it was perfect.  Once they sat down, she ordered an iced tea, and he ordered red wine.

 "You don't like wine?"  He asked, remembering her drinking a glass of white the night before.

 "Not really.  I only drink it at some social events, but only one glass.  It makes people talk if they think you're drinking with them."  She shrugged as she looked down at the menu.  Natalia didn't want to tell him she didn't drink because her parents were killed by a drunk driver.  

 

 Hayden watched her as she read over the menu.  He once again thought he had never seen a more beautiful woman in his entire life.  She appeared rough and tough, but he could tell she was actually a softy.  He had done his research and knew that her employees loved her.  She had little to no turnover, which didn't happen if you were a lousy boss.  

 "What do you normally get?"  Natalia asked as she looked up and caught him staring at her.

 "Uh, either the lobster or the steak.  Honestly, all the food is great."  Hayden looked at his menu but wasn't seeing the selections.  He was thinking of how innocent she looked at that moment.  The waiter came over to take their order a few minutes later.

 "I'll have the stuffed Tortellini with a side salad,"  Natalia said with a smile.  Hayden saw the waiter's face get a little flushed from being on the receiving end of her smile, and it made him jealous. 

 "I'll have the steak, baked potato, and salad,"  Hayden spoke louder than he meant to as he tried to get the man's attention off her.  The waiter quickly took his order and left without saying anything else.  Natalia chuckled softly.  

 "What was that about?  I think you have him running scared."  She looked at him in question, and Hayden smiled.

 "I didn't like how he was looking at you."  He answered honestly as he took a sip of his wine.

 "What?  How exactly was he looking at me?  He barely made eye contact."  She thought back to her interaction with the waiter and wondered why Hayden even cared.  It wasn't like they were dating.

 "You have a powerful smile, and I believe you just made his day.  I was reminding him you weren't alone.  We're here for business, but he doesn't know that."  He hadn't expected her to actually question him about it.  Now he was fumbling to make an excuse.  He didn't want to tell her he was envious because he wanted her to smile at him like that.

 "Now that our food has been ordered, why don't you tell me how you think we can work together."  Natalia took a drink of her iced tea as she watched him.  She thought his reaction was cute but wanted to return to business.  There was no point in getting comfortable with Hayden because she wasn't in the market for a relationship.  

 "First, I want to get something straight."  Hayden tried to look serious.

 "What's that?"  She asked with her head tilted.

 "What is up with the nickname the ice queen?  You don't seem very icy to me."  Natalia almost spit her drink out as she started laughing.  He smiled brightly at her reaction.

 "When interning, I refused all advances from men who were my bosses.  When I started out on my own, I continued to refuse them and still became successful.  Men don't like a woman who doesn't need them to help her get what she wants.  I wanted to be respected for the way I worked, not who I slept with.  Those same men started calling me the ice queen.  The name stuck the more I rose because I don't get personal with anyone.  Honestly, my staff and I laugh about the nickname."  She gave him a smile that made his heart feel like it was melting. 

 "You're a strong woman, but I don't think that makes you icy.  Don't listen to those idiots.  They're sharks who only want to use you to increase their status."  Hayden gave her a smile before taking another drink of his wine as their food was served.  They ate for a few minutes in silence before Natalia looked toward him again.

 "So, how do you see us working together?"  She asked between bites.  

 "You and I are obviously in similar situations.  I am the youngest man, and you are the youngest woman at the top of this field.  Why don't we start collaborating and increasing both of our businesses?  I think we could conquer the world.  I know that you prefer to help struggling companies and become partners.  On the other hand, I like to buy a struggling business and give everyone a hefty severance package.  If you send those who don't want to be saved to me, I'll send you the ones I come across who don't want to be broken up."  

 Natalia listened to what he said with interest.  It would be good for them to be partners to help each other.  She ate a few more bites while she thought about it, and she found no reason to say no.  She did feel that he was genuine, and Hayden hadn't tried to make any comments that said he was only doing this with an ulterior motive.  

 He watched as she contemplated what he said.  He was being honest.  He thought this would be good for both their businesses, but he was also hoping to get closer to her.  He knew from his research that she never had relationships with those in their field.  However, if they could be friends first, they could eventually be more.  

 

 What made him different from those other sleazeballs chasing her was that he didn't want her just for her body.  Hayden wanted her for her.  The more he got to know Natalia, the more he thought he had found the woman of his dreams.  He could have any number of women for sex, but they couldn't compare to a woman who had it all.

 "You have a deal.  Do you want to put it officially on paper?"  Natalia asked as she finished her pasta.

 "I'll have my people draw something up.  I believe this is the beginning of a beautiful partnership."  Hayden lifted his glass and clinked it with hers.  

____________

 On the other side of the restaurant, two young women were being shown to their seats.  One of them looked around and spotted the couple sitting on the private side of the room.

 "Isn't that Hayden?"  Lea asked her friend as they sat down.  Shania looked across the room, and she felt her blood boiling.  Who was that woman he was with?

 "Yes."  She said simply as she stared at the couple, smiling at each other.  

 "Isn't that the woman they call the ice queen?"  Lea asked quietly.

 Shania stared at the beautiful woman sitting across from the man she loved as she seethed with anger.  Hayden was hers.  They only had a casual relationship.  Still, for her, he was the only man she wanted.  He had never said he loved her or even wanted anything serious with her, but that didn't matter to Shania.  She was just waiting for him to get the other women out of his system so he could finally see they were meant for each other.  

 As she watched Hayden with that woman, her heart ached.  He never looked at her the way he was looking at the blonde.  Shania could see in the way he was leaning toward her that he was hanging on every word she said.  He never did that with her.  Whenever she talked, he ignored her.  After they had sex, he would sometimes leave without saying a word.  They had only been together a few times, but that was enough for her to want something more.  She didn't like this at all.  Shania could tell this woman was different from the others he'd been with.  She would put a stop to this before it went any further.