“What the hell do you think you're doing?” Valentin sounds pissed.
“I'm in a client meeting, and you’re interrupting me. Can I call you back?”
“Like hell!” he hisses. “I came home and saw you were gone. Do you know how worried I was? You can’t just leave without informing me, Gela.”
“I have Dmitri with me,” I protest, keeping my voice even. “I'm in a public place and perfectly safe.”
“I didn’t even know you were with Dmitri! I had to call a bunch of people before I realized you didn’t head out alone. Do you know how worried I was? Couldn’t you have left just one voicemail, or a god damn note?”
“Look,” I hiss back. “I’m in a meeting. Can this tantrum of yours wait till I get home?”
“Fine. I’ll be waiting.” He ends the call angrily.
I take a few deep breaths to race my own fuming heart, before heading back to our table.
“Everything okay?” Alex asks.
“Fine. Just had a small emergency to handle.” I shake it off. “Where were we?”
The meeting goes on for another half an hour, after which Alex leans back in his chair and lets out a low whistle.
“Dear god, Gela. You’re a fucking star, you know that?”
I sit up straighter and break into a wide grin, before leaning forward to look him in the eye. “Do you think you could help find this star some new clients? I’ve got a couple of spots open.”
“After I’ve seen what you do? It’s a no-brainer!”
I can’t help the excitement from tainting my voice. “You serious?”
“Of course!” he grins. “I’d be happy to refer you to a couple of guys I know.”
“That would be amazing, Alex. Thank you so much!” I mean every word.
“No worries.” He looks sideways, trying to catch the waiter’s attention to ask for the check, but I stop him in histracks. Since he’s going out of his way for me as a client, the least I can do is buy him coffee.
“Please. Let today be my treat!” I insist.
“But, it’s on the company account,” he protests.
I wave him off. “Alright then, consider it a thank you to the company.” I pull out my card.
“That’s so very kind of you,” he nods. “If you don’t mind, can I rush out? I’ve got another meeting to get to.”
“Go, go.” I wave him off. I watch him leave and wait around a while, hoping to catch the waiter’s eye, but he looks swamped.
Just then, my eyes land on the folder I have lying on the table, and I freeze as I realize I've forgotten to hand Alex the hard copy of our projections for SkyMark.
I immediately grab the folder and my purse and slam my credit card down in front of Dmitri. “Can you just get the bill for yourself and our table, please? I’ve got to give my client this folder!”
“But, Mrs. Yuri, I can’t let you go alone!” he protests.
“Please, Dmitri!” I beg, every word rushed. “He just stepped out. I’ll be back within seconds.”
I don’t even wait for him to argue back as I dash out the door, leaving a confused Dmitri alone to pay the bill.
I know I'm pushing it on the safety front, but the parking lot is just around the corner, and it's broad daylight with plenty of people around.
To make it in time to catch Alex, I take the shortcut through a small alleyway that connects to the café's side entrance, but I stop when I hear voices.
