Homewrecker Incorporated by S. Simone Chavous

blackberry, and vanilla. I took a sip and then nodded for a full pour.
    "Leave the bottle, please," Grey said after the waiter filled his glass as well.
    The young man set the bottle down with an appreciative nod before walking away, clearly pleased with the anticipated tip on a meal which included a $500 bottle of wine.
    "I never kiss and tell," Grey said with a sly smile as he watched me enjoy my wine. "You know, you don't really strike me as the administrative assistant type, Ms. Winston."
    "Exactly what type
do
I strike you as, then?"
    "You strike me as the type of woman who knows what she wants and knows exactly how to get it. The job seems beneath you."
    "I'm not sure Janet would appreciate hearing you say that."
    He was right of course. It surprised me he was so perceptive about who I was after such a short acquaintance. The only depth the men I typically dealt with cared about was that of my neckline.
    "I didn't mean it like that. Janet's great. There's just a different fire in your eyes. You actually remind me of someone."
    "If you say it's an ex-girlfriend I'm leaving." I took my napkin off my lap to back up the feigned threat. He reached for my arm even though it was clear I was joking.
    "It's going to sound weird now." He ran his hand through his hair. "It's my mom."
    "You're right. That's fucking weird." I laughed.
    "I thought women liked men who love their mothers," he said with a half grin.
    "Maybe, but I don't know any woman who wants a man to say she reminds him of his mother." I laughed a little harder.
    "Jesus, I'm not saying you look like her or anything. Just I see the same kind of strength in you she's always had. G&G Components wouldn't exist without her."
    "Oh," I said, genuinely touch by the compliment. I was used to hearing good things about how I looked, but Grey's words were foreign and knocked me a little off balance.
    "Well, Grey, my dream is to save up enough money to buy a modest vineyard in Italy or maybe California and live out my years making and drinking good wine."
    I couldn't believe I'd actually shared that with him. Grace was the only other person who knew my ultimate goal. I smiled as I imagined walking through the rows of vines, feeling the sun that nourished the grapes warming my face. 
    Grey smiled, taking his first sip of the wine I'd ordered. Someday, I'd be watching people drink wine I'd made.
    He swirled the glass of burgundy liquid. "This wine is excellent."
    "Wine's been a passion since I was a teenager," I said, joining him in the drinking. "What about you? Did you always dream of selling electronic vehicle components when you were I kid?"
    He laughed, flashing those perfect white teeth. Grey was attractive all the time, but he was downright irresistible when he smiled like that.
    "Hardly, at around five I was pretty set on being a starfighter," he replied, still smiling.
    "As in
The Last Starfighter
?" I asked and he nodded. "I loved that movie when I was little!" I said with a giggle.
    I wasn't sure if it was the alcohol, Grey, or that we only had that one night together, but I hadn't ever been so open with a man in my adult life up to that point. Even stranger, I was actually having fun.
    "By the time I got to high school, soccer was the dream. Gregory and I were both pretty good, and our parents were really supportive even though they'd always hoped we'd take over the company someday. It's named for us, after all."
    "So what happened with soccer, then?" I rested my elbows on the table.
    "We both earned athletic scholarships, but by the end of freshman year Gregory decided to quit and focus on school and his soon-to-be wife, Elsa. I stuck with it, and it was looking as though I had a real shot at playing professionally, but I got injured the first game of senior year. Shattered my lower leg and that was it."
    There was a hint of sadness in Grey's eyes as he looked down at his hands. 
    "I'm sorry." I put my hand over his on the table. "I know how tough an injury can be on