Page 50 of One Midnight Kiss

19

FOX

The first night of the symposium was supposed to be a simple showcase. It was a chance to let investors and industry folks see the new tech rollouts and shake hands with the right people. This was the night for schmoozing and having a good time.

But standing in the hotel lobby, I felt anything but relaxed. In an effort to make me seem more relatable, I had been told to ditch my flashy designer suits to wear something a little more conservative. The dark gray button-down shirt I bought for tonight felt too tight around my neck. I pulled at the collar, unbuttoning the top two buttons and rolling up my sleeves until I felt like I could breathe again. I wasn’t wearing a jacket tonight. I wasn’t sure I was going to be wearing one tomorrow night either.

Looking at my watch, I realized I had been standing there for too long. I was early—damn it. Now I looked like I was waiting for her.

The elevator doors opened, and Natalia stepped out.

I had seen her in business attire with all polished edges and sharp lines. But tonight? She was wearing a little black dress that hugged her body in a way I couldn’t look away from. It was different than the dress she had worn the night her tire blew. I never really got a chance to check her out in the dress that night. My mouth went dry, my tongue sticking to the roof.

Her hair was down, styled in its natural curls. Fresh faced, she looked almost unrefined, softer. My breath caught for a second. I wasn’t sure if it was the shock of seeing her like this or the memory that slammed into me uninvited—the woman from Paris, turning to face me, her curly brown hair catching the soft lighting just right.

“Hey,” she mumbled as she walked toward me. “I couldn’t find my toiletry bag after I checked my luggage, so…” She gestured awkwardly to her hair, almost embarrassed.

“You look amazing,” I said, voice sounding rougher than I intended. “I mean, fine. You look fine.”

“Uh huh.” She gave me a funny look, like she wasn’t sure whether to believe me or roll her eyes. I took her arm, steering us out the door before I made a bigger idiot of myself.

It was these clothes, throwing me off my stride. I needed to get my head straight but every time I looked at her it started spinning.

The convention center was right across the street. We joined a large crowd making their way over the crosswalk. I could feel the excitement the second we stepped inside. The buzz of energy hit us like a wall. This wasn’t the usual stiff, buttoned-up crowd talking policy over champagne in a brightly lit room. No, this was different. Lights were flashing, music was playing, and booths were set up with tech everywhere: drones, AI bots, holograms, interactive displays. It was all light and action and color.

I glanced at Natalia, expecting her to look overwhelmed or out of place, but instead, she just looked intrigued. She raised an eyebrow at me. “Not what I expected.”

“Yeah.” I grinned. “Welcome to the circus.”

“I had no idea tech geeks knew how to party.”

I laughed. “You know what they say, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” I waggled my eyebrows.

She laughed, a sound I was quickly becoming addicted to. I found myself grinning like a fool. She lit up the room without even trying. I really wished she would laugh more often. She was the most beautiful woman in the world when she let loose.

We hadn’t been there five minutes when a robotic waiter rolled up to us, holding a tray with two shots of tequila.

“We didn’t order these,” I told the thing, but it didn’t budge, just held the tray steady between us. It beeped and booped like it was telling me to hurry up and take the drinks.

“Bad robot. Go away.” The little bastard wasn’t registering my commands. “What a piece of junk.”

Natalia plucked one of the shots off the tray. “Let’s not upset the terminator robot. The thing obviously wants us to drink.” Before I could stop her, she knocked it back and put the glass back down with a flourish.

An LED smile appeared on the screen that served as the robot’s face.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright then, clockwork man.”

I took my own shot, feeling the burn settle into my chest, loosening me up a bit. He grew excited again when my empty shot glass landed on the tray. It was weirdly heartwarming to see his little smile. I wondered if I could put Hanna in something like that.

A message flashed on its robot face, announcing round two.

I grabbed Natalia’s hand and led her away. “Let’s get out of here before he peer pressures us into smoking a joint next.”

Natalia laughed again and I felt like I was floating beside her. We fled deeper into the chaos. If she was game for a night like this, I decided I wasn’t going to waste it.

I gave her the grand tour, pointing out some of the other companies I was familiar with, making jokes about the flashy products, half of which would never make it to market.

She was laughing at my commentary. I couldn’t stop staring at her. Her hair bounced when she laughed, her eyes crinkling at the corners. I realized I didn’t know if I’d ever seen her like this before—free.