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Alex intended to follow up with a question about her familial history before she thought better of it. They ordered food and settled into each other’s company.

“So, what does a mogul do when she’s not running her little kingdom?” Charlotte asked abruptly while adjusting the cloth napkin in her lap.

Alex quirked an eyebrow. “Little kingdom? That’s how you see it?”

The flame flickering on the candle at the center of the table was mirrored in Charlotte’s brightening eyes. There was something wild in them. Mischievous. “If the Louboutin fits.”

“There are so many di erent ways to rule.” Alex played along. “Am I meant to be a benevolent leader or a controlling

despot?” she asked, refilling their wine glasses.

Charlotte cocked her head to the side and swirled the drink around before taking a sip. “I haven’t decided.”

“Oh, no?” Alex flashed an errant smirk, enjoying the playful banter and the alcohol loosening her body.

“Maybe I’ll have a verdict for you tonight.”

“So, this is a fact-finding mission?” Alex pressed, entirely amused.

“Possibly. What do you do when you’re not at work?”

Charlotte’s face was stern like a detective tasked with solving a murder.

“An inquisition before the first course?” Alex set her glass down before leaning back and crossing her legs.

Charlotte mimicked her pose and sat back. Her vibrant eyes focused, brimming with curiosity. Alex had never noticed how stunning they were.

“I garden,” she answered honestly when the silence stretched too long.

“Garden?” Charlotte echoed in open disbelief. “For real?”

She dropped the Sherlock Holmes stoicism.

Resisting the urge to laugh, Alex moistened her lips already sweet from the Chardonnay. “What did you expect me to say?”

Charlotte considered the question. “Shopping trips to Paris. Sun-soaked vacations in Saint-Tropez. You know, stu like that.”

Alex’s laugh broke free and vibrated in her chest. “I was born in Spain. Not France,” she explained. “Am I meant to have a private jet too? This sounds like quite the exciting life you’ve imagined. The truth might bore you to tears.”

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“Where in Spain?” Charlotte asked, dropping the airy note to her voice and sounding more like herself. She was finished playing, a notion that made Alex a touch nervous.

“Barcelona,” she replied after a gulp of wine. “Have you been?”

“Can’t say I’ve ever left the country,” Charlotte admitted as color returned to her face in a pink flush. “I’ve actually never left the state.”

Alex refrained from having a reaction. If she didn’t know her history she might ask why, but she moved to another topic without skipping a beat. “Miami has its charms.”

“If you like crushing humidity and endless tra c,”

Charlotte joked as she picked up her wine glass.

“It’s not like that everywhere,” she countered. “Maybe you’re not looking in the right places.”

Charlotte didn’t hit the volley back. Instead, she held Alex in her gaze as if extending a silent challenge. The ambient noise of alien conversations and clamoring dishes faded.

Nothing existed but Charlotte’s piercing stare and the inviting curve of her lips.