A moment later, Tony walked away and Dimitri’s gaze followed his path, noticing three other men, all glaring at him as if he’d just murdered someone.
“Ignore Tony,” Pepper told him, following his gaze. “He’s a bit…protective.”
“Of you?” Dimitri asked, not sure if he should thank the men for watching out for Pepper or offended that they thought he was some sort of rapist.
“Yes. Of me.” She sighed. “I don’t know why they act like that, but I’m sure they do it to all of the single women who dine here. Trust me, those men are all very sweet and harmless. They wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
Dimitri wondered if the four were as harmless as she assumed, but decided not to tackle her assumptions at this point.
“How did you discover your passion for designing clothes?” he asked, thinking that a change of subject was needed.
Her smile turned a bit deprecating. “Oh, I sort of fell into it accidentally. When I was a teenager, just starting off in high school, I had to come up with some way to earn some money to help with household expenses.” She shrugged dismissively. “We were in a…place…that was next to a store that gave away clothes.” She fiddled with the folded, linen napkin, turning it around and placing it off to the side but no longer looking into his eyes. “My sister needed something for a job interview. I had seen an old suit that was boxy and completely dated, like something from back in the eighties, or some other decade. But the material was good quality. So I paid the four dollars to buy it, then borrowed a sewing machine from my high school home economics class, and with a few snips and tucks in various places, I was able to update the suit into something that was more current. That suit helped my oldest sister win the job and the rest is…sort of history.”
Dimitri listened to the story, but heard what she wasn’t telling him as clearly as what she’d admitted. “Why did you need to earn money? Where were your parents?”
She smiled, the look more wistful than happy. “My father…I never knew him. When my mother told him she was pregnant with me, he disappeared.”
Dimitri was stunned, not sure how to respond. He watched her carefully, but all he saw was the closed expression, the hard, blue eyes that had previously been sparkling with mischief and happiness, as well as the tense shoulders, both of which indicated she was hiding something. “And your mother?” he probed, needing to understand more about her.
“She died unexpectedly.” Dimitri could see from the expression in her eyes that she didn’t want to discuss it. But he suspected that it had been a pivotal moment for her.
“How did she die?”
Confirming his suspicion, Pepper lifted her glass of wine and drained half of it. When she set it back down on the table, she seemed to be very precise about the placement. When she lifted her eyes again, Pepper didn’t look at him. Instead, she looked out the window, but Dimitri doubted she saw anything. “A drunk driver hit her, killing her instantly.”
Damn, Dimitri thought. He wanted to reach out and touch her, to give her some of his strength. But Pepper Abbot was already strong, and she turned her lovely face to look at him, pulling the corners of her lips up into a smile. “So, what about you? What made you such a powerful man? What tragedy in your life caused you to be uber focused on conquering every business deal that comes across your desk?”
For a long moment, he considered her words. They were revealing and he wished that he could hold her. Yet, he understood that he barely knew her and doubted she would appreciate his comfort.
“My parents are still living in a small town outside of Athens, Greece. There was no tragedy in my past. In fact, I had an idyllic childhood.”
Her head tilted slightly and her shoulders seemed to relax with his explanation. “So, what makes you so ambitious?”
He shrugged, not sure how to answer that question. “I just…know when to move in on a business and how to attack, I suppose.”
“The business-shark instinct?” she teased.
He didn’t laugh because she was right. “Something like that.”
Before they could continue, Tony interrupted and placed a large basket of warm bread in the middle of the table. “You tell her to eat,” Tony instructed Dimitri. “She never eats the bread, thinking she’s not skinny enough.”
Dimitri’s eyes moved to Pepper, and the blush staining her cheeks confirmed the kind man’s words. “I think she looks perfect.”
Tony straightened, nodding his approval. Without saying anything more, Tony turned and walked back into the kitchen.
Dimitri pushed the basket of bread in her direction. “You don’t like bread?”
Pepper sighed, thinking of the soft, delicious bread. “I love it.” Shaking her head, she crossed her arms, resting her forearms over the table. “But no, I have pasta coming. That’s enough of a burden on my hips. I won’t add that decadent, garlic and butter soaked glory to my burden.”
He laughed softly, thinking again she was delightful. Instead of sinking into a funk about her parents, as some might have done, she’d pushed the sadness away and was again looking as if she were hoping to tease him.
“How about if you enjoy the bread, and I’ll watch your figure?”
She laughed, which had been his intention, but ignored the allure of the bread.
“Do you have siblings?” she asked, changing the subject.
“I’m an only child,” he replied. “And you?”
“Two older sisters.”
“Where are they now?”
“Sloane, the oldest, works with Josh Starke, who I understand you know?”
“I have worked with Starke in the past, yes. But how did you know that he and I are acquainted?” The blush told him a great deal. “Ah. He called and told you that I was trying to contact you. So, my efforts were not in vain, just as I suspected.”
She laughed softly. “No, your efforts were not thwarted. But sending some skinny guy to demand my contact information, with no context or any hint as to what the guy was going to do with my information…that was weird, Dimitri.”
He tilted his head as he chose a roll, split it, and buttered it. “I apologize. I’m usually more charming in my pursuit.” He placed half of the soft, buttered roll onto her small plate. “Eat.”
She tilted her head, ignoring the roll as she looked right back at him. “Why am I different?”
He paused to consider that question, but shook his head. “I don’t know.”
She leaned forward, her eyes glinting. “Well, at least I can say that I’m mysterious and special. I’m guessing that not many people in your world can say the same.”
Thankfully, Tony arrived with their meals before Dimitri had to answer.
“What do you think?” Pepper asked, watching as Dimitri stared down at the ravioli in a red cream sauce. “It’s incredibly good, I promise.”
She’d been wondering how she was going to make it through dinner. The way he looked at her made her…nervous. But it was more than just nerves. There was something about him, something that made her body tingle with awareness.
“It looks good.”
Pepper blinked, trying to remember what she’d asked. “Good” could apply to a whole bunch of things. Then he took a bite of the ravioli and nodded. “Excellent!”