Instead of some exclusive restaurant Maya had expected, Alexander took her to a small Italian place in North Beach that was clearly a local favorite. The owner greeted Alexander by name, and Maya realized this wasn't about impressing her with his wealth—this was about showing her something real.
"How did you find this place?" Maya asked as they settled into a corner booth.
"I lived in the neighborhood for a few years when I was starting out," Alexander said. "Before the company took off. Marco's been feeding me since I was broke and ambitious."
"You were broke?"
Alexander's smile was wry. "Hard to believe now, I know. But yes, I was eating ramen noodles and sleeping on a friend's couch when I started Sinclair Enterprises."
As the evening progressed, Maya found herself seeing past the intimidating reputation to the man underneath. Alexander told her stories about his early days in business, his failures as well as his successes. He asked about her background, her goals, her dreams beyond marketing proposals.
"I want to start my own agency someday," Maya admitted over dessert. "Help small businesses compete with the big corporations."
"Including mine?" Alexander asked, amused.
"Especially yours," Maya shot back, and they both laughed.
The conversation flowed as easily as it had the night before, but there was an undercurrent of something else now—an attraction that was becoming harder to ignore.
"I should probably get you back," Alexander said eventually, though he made no move to signal for the check.
"Probably," Maya agreed, though she didn't want the evening to end.