He laughed once.
“You see?”
“See what?”
“You don’t know when to stop.”
The Female CEO moved closer.
“Tell me.”
“What?”
“To stop.”
He looked at her.
She held his gaze.
“Tell me to leave.”
He could have.
He should have.
Instead:
“I don’t want you to.”
Her expression changed.
All the sharpness softened.
She stepped into the remaining distance.
The Single Dad did not touch her immediately.
He waited.
She hated how much that mattered.
The CEO reached for his shirt.
Two fingers caught the fabric near his chest.
“Still think I’m terrified?”
“Yes.”
“Of what?”
“This.”
She looked at his mouth.
“Maybe.”
The Single Dad lifted one hand.
Touched her cheek.
Carefully.
Her eyes closed for half a second.
Then he kissed her.
Slow.
No urgency at first.
Then the Female CEO gripped his shirt harder.
The kiss deepened.
His other hand settled at her waist.
Her body moved closer.
For several seconds, the industrial shop disappeared.
Then the Single Dad stopped.
Forehead against hers.
The CEO whispered:
“Why does every man I like eventually stop at the wrong moment?”
He laughed softly.
“Every man?”
“Don’t ruin this.”
He looked at her.
“My daughter comes home tomorrow.”
“I know.”
“My life is not casual.”
“I know.”
“I don’t do people passing through.”
The CEO stared.
That hurt because it sounded like something she might be.
A visitor.
A wealthy woman playing in a world that felt real because hers felt empty.
She stepped back slightly.
“I’m not asking for casual.”
The Single Dad searched her face.
“Then what are you asking?”
The CEO looked around.
At tools.
Oil stains.
Old tires.
A trumpet case in the corner.
Things that belonged somewhere.
“I don’t know yet.”
The Single Dad nodded.
“Good answer.”
She smiled faintly.
“You taught me maybe.”
He smiled too.
Dating began strangely.
The CEO tried restaurants.
The Single Dad hated them.
Too quiet.
Too much staff.
Too many forks.
He took her to a diner instead.
She loved it.
Not because the food was extraordinary.
Because nobody cared who she was.
The waitress called her “honey.”
The Single Dad laughed when she looked shocked.
The Daughter joined them on the third outing.
That was more serious than any kiss.
The girl watched everything.
The CEO did not try to impress her.
That helped.
They ate burgers.