RC.

Ch7 ... C

The waiter clears our appetizers away, asking us if we enjoyed them. What a question!

I give him my best smile nodding assent.

Another waiter comes up to our table with a bottle of red wine.

Waiter:"Who would like to taste the wine?"

(Leave it to Ryan.)

I gesture to Ryan. He has shown sufficient good taste in gastronomy, lately, to do him the honour.

I watch him as he swirls the dark red liquid with a serious look on his face. He takes a sip after having plunged his nose into the large footed glass.

Even this very simple gesture doesn't leave me indifferent ...

R:"It's perfect."

The server nods and then serves me, before Ryan.

I make the most of Ryan's recent confidences to talk to him about Jenny.

T:"You told me last time that Jenny was your half-sister. Your mother remarried then, after your father's death?"

Ryan rolls the base of the glass between his thumb and his forefinger, looking dreamy.

I'm taking risks...

But I want to get to know him better.

R:"After my father died, my mother never remarried. He was her first and last true love ..."

R:"Once we've found who we're looking for, everyone else seems... bland."

His grey eyes delve into mine as if they were trying to sound me out.

(And what if Ryan was the one?)

I can't help but think about him. Since I've know  him, all the others seem plain, sadly normal.

R:"Three years after my father's death my mother had a brief affair."

R:"Jenny is the fruit of this fleeting encounter. An accident" for her... biological father who simply disappeared."

A bitter smile distorts his beautiful face.

R:"I never knew what became of him. I only know that I took care of Jenny like a real sister."

(A big brother taking on the role of a cowardly father. That's why those two are so close.)

T:"Was it your grandparents who raised you and Jenny up?"

R:"My father's parents, yes."

A fleeting shadow passes over his eyes. I remember now that the subject of his grandparents seemed a sensitive one.

For the matter, I noticed that he doesn't talk about them as grandparents.

(I talk to him about Jenny.)

T:"There's a lot of affection between you both."

(And you can tell that the little sister takes her protective role very seriously...)

R:"When our mother died, we learned to look out for each other."

He obviously isn't the daddy's boy I had imagined at first. His past seems rather sombre, and I feel he still has a monkey on his back ...

I don't feel sufficiently battle-hardened yet to try to confront his demons. At least, not for the time being ...

The waiter politely interrupts us to bring us our plates.

Waiter:"Madam, sir, for the next dish here is our mi-cuit duck foie gras, served with a range of Solliès figs presented in petals. Bon appétit."

I gaze at the dish with longing. The figs are cut and spread out over the dish forming a kind of large flower.

T:"Mmmh ... it looks delicious!"

Ryan smirks.

R:"You know a lot about me, but I know so little about you ..."

T:"Are you kidding? I'm sure you keep detailed records of all your employees ..."

I let out an amused little sigh.

R:"Yes, my dear lady, I do make a minimum of enquiries beforehand when I hire an assistant."

He tilts his head slightly to the side looking at me irresistibly.

(I provoke him.)

T:"Oh ... I hope you're not as tactile with all your assistants. As to that matter, allow me to express reservations as to how you recruit ..."

He raises a sardonic eyebrow before replying.

R:"Where does this insolence come from...?"

His question disarms me a little. To tell the truth, I don't know. Maybe I developed an ability to protect myself.

Most often it helped me, but sometimes it can give me somewhat aggressive image.

(I continue in a playful mood.)

T:"Let's see Ry, just admit that that's what you like about me?"

I put the stress on the diminutive, and innocently put my hand against my cheek, titling my head to one side and smile coyly.

R:"There's a lot of things that baffle me, about you, my angel, and that's what I like ..."

He takes a sip of wine, fixing me sideways. A few small electric sparks shake my little heart.

T:"You're intrigued by me, that's it isn't it?"

R:"I like challenges and you're a surprising little thing that I want to tame ..."

T:"Don't try to tie me down, Mr. CEO, you won't succeed."

Again he looks at me with a smirk on his face.

R:"I didn't talk about tying you, I thought you liked playing with my ties ..."

R:"If it's your fantasy, I can redo the same thing with other accessories. Whatever will satisfy you ..."

I stay silent for a moment! Redness comes to my cheeks. I let out a little nervous laugh.

T:"But where do all these indecent proposals come from...?"

R:"From you and your little greedy mouth they give me such an appetite ..."

I clear my throat. I'm suddenly very hot, very very hot. Ryan's ideas are always so interesting ...