More Than Fine. (Complete)

6- MTF Confirmed Bachelor

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     True to his word, Mr. Bellanti, did much better in the way he acted towards Gia. It was like night and day, but still there were times that she caught him watching her with darkness in his eyes. She hurt for him. It was clear that something greatly burdened him.

     Mr. Bellanti pulled out a seat, and Gia turned her eyes from the spectacular view of Central Park to sit. "Thank you. Do you eat here often?" She looked around the elegant restaurant of the Mandarin Oriental. Men and women in businesswear, and others who looked like wealthy tourists filled the space and murmured quietly.

     "A decent amount." He sat next to her at the small rectangular table. Leaving a seat across from them open for the attorney's assistant.

     "What do you recommend? I don't have allergies and will try almost anything."

     "Everything is delicious. If you're in the mood for seafood, try the salmon with citrus confit or the monkfish with chorizo and green curry. If you're craving meat, the braised short rib with truffled potatoes is perfect. And I really enjoy their tuna tartar."

     Gia nodded and looked down at the menu. Her eyes went wide at the prices, and she whispered, "This is pretty pricey for lunch."

     "Don't worry. It will be put on my expense tab. Order whatever looks good and ignore the prices."

     Gia gave him a doubtful look.

     "I'm very serious Gia. It's the cost of working for a finance company and doing business in New York. You'll have to get used to it."

     She swallowed and nodded slowly, thinking of how one meal for three here, would be roughly half the monthly cost of her apartment back at college. A shadow loomed over the table and she raised her eyes to find a handsome young man in a suit looking at her while he shook Mr. Bellanti's hand.

     Once Mr. Bellanti released his hand, he reached for Gia's. "You must be Gia Hoffman. So good to finally meet you." The man grinned. "I'm Brian Pearson. I've heard great things about you from Nick."

     Gia glanced at Mr. Bellanti, before responding to him. "So nice to meet you too, Mr. Pearson."

     "No need for formalities. Call me Brian."

     "Okay then. Well..." She looked at Mr. Pearson who seemed sincere. "Then you should call me Gia. Quickly deciding what to order, she laid her menu down and straightened the silverware that had shifted. Her eyes rose to find Mr. Bellanti watching her with a grin.

     "So, Gia. Tell me about yourself." Brian's smile was kind and warm.

     "Not much to tell. I just finished school at the University of South Carolina, was raised in a little beachside town called Lawrence, and I'm here doing an internship for a year."

     "What she's not telling you is that she graduated summa cum laude, and was the top student in their finance department," Mr. Bellanti added.

     "Impressive. You'll be following in Nick's shoes I see. He's the quite the finance whiz himself. Perfect mentor."

     Gia blushed. "What about yourself, Mr... I mean, Brian?"

     "Well, I just finished law school at Columbia, here in the city, and am working at Reynolds, Thompson & Associates as an assistant to one of our partners.

     "And what he's not telling you is that he graduated summa cum laude in pre-law from Yale, and summa cum laude from Columbia as well. And he was considered the top student to graduate with corporate law as a focus."