The young hostess had multiple piercings and tattoos. “Ms. Taylor?” I tried to look at all of them at once while she waited patiently. “Mr. Betts is waiting for you.”
She brought me to my table, and I saw Gabriel Betts from behind, sitting and waiting. I hesitated for a moment. He looked large and muscular, almost too big for the small table. I swallowed hard, remembering his handsome face from the photos I’d scrolled through online.
What the hell was I going to talk to him about?
He must have felt me staring at him, because he turned around and flashed me a wide smile. “Lauren, I’m so happy you could make it.”
I forced myself to smile as he stood up, towering over me. I shook his hand, noticing how large and strong it was. I gulped. “It’s my pleasure, Gabriel.”
“You’re taller than I expected,” he said. “And even lovelier than your pictures.”
I took my seat, blushing furiously. “Um…thanks.”
He had short, thick dark hair, dark brown eyes, and just enough lines on his face to make it interesting rather than just blandly handsome. In person, he was what my sister would deem extremely gorgeous.
Or even worse, sexy.
I tried to stop staring at him. I reminded myself that I was the CEO of a large company that employed more than one hundred workers; that I had security guards because my head was filled to the brim with trade secrets worth billions of dollars. I couldn’t turn into a quivering, salivating Chihuahua just because Gabriel Betts was tall and handsome. I could manage to have a normal conversation with this man over lunch.
I hoped.
Gabriel’s dark brown eyes twinkled as he smiled at me. “It’s funny that our paths have never crossed before.”
I took a sip of water. “Not really. I don’t get out much.” Ever. I don’t get out ever.
“So you admit to being reclusive.” He had an easy-going, confident way about him—a way that only insanely gorgeous, successful, and brilliant male Silicon Valley CEOs must have.
I quickly scanned the menu, needing to look away from him. “It’s not that I’m reclusive. I’ve just been busy working.”
“Would you like me to order for us? I come here pretty regularly.”
“That’s okay. I can do it myself.” My tone sounded bristly and curt to my own ears.
Gabriel gently pushed my menu down. “I’m sure you’re more than capable of ordering for yourself. But I’d like to order some of my favorites to share. But only if that’s all right with you.”
“That’s fine, but I need to be back to the lab in an hour.” I looked at my watch, wishing it were already time.
He motioned for the waiter. “Any dietary restrictions?”
“I don’t eat beef, pork, or chicken.”
He smiled and my stomach tied itself in a knot. “Fish and shellfish okay?”
I nodded, trying not to be flattered by his careful attention. “Thank you for asking.”
“You’re very welcome.” His smile broadened, and I noticed a lone dimple located on the left side of his face. For some reason, this annoyed me. A lot.
He ordered all manner of things, some of which I’d never heard of before, and he also ordered wine.
I stopped the server when he went to fill my glass. “No thank you.” To Gabe, I said, “I don’t drink alcohol when I’m working.”
Gabriel motioned to the waiter and my glass was immediately filled, against my will. “You don’t have to finish it. Just enjoy it to taste.”
I frowned at him, but he continued to smile at me pleasantly. “I’m not trying to boss you around, I swear. I just want you to enjoy your lunch.”
I wanted to enjoy it too. But he might have been too handsome to eat across from.
The servers placed sashimi and lobster dumplings in front of us, along with a delicious-looking salad with roasted poblano peppers and shaved Parmesan.
Gabriel held up his wineglass, and I raised mine too.
“Cheers to finally meeting.”
I tentatively tapped my glass against his. “Cheers.”
I took a sip of the wine, which was heavenly, as he started putting food on my plate. I took a bite of the sashimi and tried to ignore its simple deliciousness. I could feel myself getting wrapped up in the food, the wine, our sunny seats in the restaurant, and the man across from me. But I needed to stay focused on Paragon and all the work waiting for me back at the office.
Gabriel was saying something about the food when I cleared my throat. “I don’t mean to be rude, but if we’re going to talk about business, we should do it soon.”
“I’m sorry. I get a little excited about taking a break during the day. Especially with a beautiful woman.”
I almost choked on my dumpling.
“Once I go back to the office, I’ll be there until ten—and I’ll forget to eat dinner.”
I finally managed to swallow. “You do that too?”
“Of course. I do it most days.” He took a sip of wine, and I tried not to watch him, but I found myself staring nonetheless. His handsome features smoothed out as he sat quietly for a moment. It looked as if he were considering what to say next. “So…regarding why we’re here. I’ve been wanting to meet you for a long time. Paragon’s an interesting business.”
I took another sip of wine. “It’s not that interesting. It’s just a laboratory, really. It’s only interesting if you’re a scientist.”
He nodded. “I’m a scientist. And I went to school in Cambridge too. Harvard.”
“How did you know I went to school in Cambridge?”
He looked at me as if I might be a little bit crazy. “Everybody knows you went to MIT.”
Everybody? Everybody who?
“I didn’t graduate,” I said quickly. I never wanted to pretend to be someone I wasn’t.
“Me neither. I attended Harvard. Sporadically.” He chuckled. “I came out to California to start my business. My undergraduate studies weren’t going to help me get the funding I needed to research and implement my technology. So I decided to cut my losses and come out here to see what I could make of myself.”
“That’s exactly what I did.”
“I know.”
I looked at him sharply. “How did you know that?”
“It’s this little thing called the Internet—you may have heard of it. Did you google me before you came here today?”
“Of course.” The words tumbled out before I could stop myself.
“Well, I googled you too. That’s how I know you’re an MIT dropout.” His eyes flickered with mischief. “Were you only looking at my pictures?”
I coughed instead of answering. The truth was, I had only looked at his pictures and his brief bio. In addition to information about his company, Dynamica, his bio had listed his height (six foot three), his weight (two hundred thirty pounds), and his age (thirty-two).
“Also, I know about you because people talk. Silicon Valley’s not that big—there’s a lot of curiosity about you and Paragon. I also happen to know one of the professors at MIT pretty well. You were his student before you dropped out.”
I put down my fork before I dropped it. “How do you know that?”