She had been born to the world he had worked so hard to enter, but as far as she could see, that was all she had to offer him. At five foot seven, with small curves, average features, and rather boring dark brown hair, she was not particularly beautiful; she did little to cultivate the contacts others would kill to obtain; she abhorred the standards set by money and frequently refused to uphold them. Her job as an employment counselor for the state was as unglamorous as it got. Her clients wouldn't make it on to the "Who's Who" list of anything, for that matter…neither would she. Not anymore.
Her mom considered her career a complete waste of her Ivy League education, but she didn't care. She considered her overwhelming preoccupation with her business a waste, too. Not that she dismissed her company as unimportant, but she hated the fact that it always had and always would come before her, anyone or anything else.
Interrupting Ash's thoughts, the maître d' stopped beside the same table they always had when Nikos brought her here. Its placement was an indication of Nikos' importance, something her mother would take for granted, but she didn't think Nikos did. His dark blue eyes would glow with satisfaction for a brief moment at small things like this, as if they really mattered to him.
Which was another reason they weren't exactly well suited. Stuff like that just did not impress her. Maybe she was jaded by growing up around it, but she got a lot bigger thrill out of one of her clients getting a job, or a certification necessary to do so, or additional education.
She knew why she said yes to every one of Nikos' invitations. Because she was quite literally enthralled with the man. But she didn't understand why he kept extending them. Especially if he didn't want to sleep with her. He just didn't seem like the celibate type, but that might be her own libido talking.
Nikos seated her though typically the maître d' would have done so. She took it as a mark of his Greekness…or his possessiveness. She wasn't sure which, but for as little as she understood what Nikos saw in her, she knew she would not be the one to end their relationship. Because the little actions like him seating her personally made her feel special.
They also exhibited a side to his nature she found enticing. He didn't bow to the dictates of the world he inhabited, but insisted it take him on his terms. And when she was with him, she felt truly alive for the first time in her twenty-three years.