Maya woke up the next morning convinced she'd dreamed the entire encounter. Alexander Sinclair asking her to dinner? Impossible.
But then her phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number: Good morning, Maya. Looking forward to tonight. - A
She stared at the message for a full minute before it sank in. It was real.
The final day of the conference passed in a blur. Maya tried to focus on the presentations and networking opportunities, but her mind kept drifting to the evening ahead. What did one wear to dinner with a billionaire CEO? Where would they even go?
Her phone buzzed again at 3 PM: I'll pick you up at 7. Casual dress. - A
Casual? Maya's idea of casual and Alexander Sinclair's were probably very different things.
She spent an hour getting ready, finally settling on a navy blue dress that was elegant but not too formal, paired with heels that wouldn't leave her towering over most people but would give her some confidence.
At exactly 7 PM, there was a knock on her hotel room door.
Maya opened it to find Alexander looking devastatingly handsome in dark jeans and a button-down shirt, the sleeves rolled up to reveal strong forearms.
"Hi," she said, suddenly feeling shy.
"Hi yourself." His eyes traveled over her appreciatively. "You look beautiful."