Relationships.
The Female CEO had been engaged once.
Years earlier.
Ended because both people loved achievement more than time.
The Single Dad had been married.
His daughter’s mother left when the child was two.
Not died.
Not tragedy.
Just gone.
That complicated things in a different way.
The Female CEO listened.
“You raised her alone?”
“Mostly.”
“Her mother?”
“Calls sometimes.”
“Visits maybe twice a year.”
“Does your daughter resent her?”
“Some days.”
“Other days she misses her.”
“Both are allowed.”
The Female CEO nodded.
“You’re good at being a father.”
“I make mistakes constantly.”
“That isn’t contradictory.”
He smiled.
Dinner ended.
They walked outside.
Cold.
Manhattan lights across the river.
The Female CEO stopped beneath a streetlamp.
“This is the part where one of us decides whether tonight was professional.”
The Single Dad looked at her.
“The contract ended Monday.”
“I remember.”
“No professional excuse left.”
She smiled.
The Single Dad stepped closer.
He gave her time.
Plenty.
She did not retreat.
His hand touched her waist lightly.
Her fingers rested against his coat.
The first kiss was slower than either expected.
No rush.
No dramatic hunger.
A question answered carefully.
When they separated, the Female CEO kept her forehead near his.
“Well.”
The Single Dad smiled.
“Professional?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Good.”
She kissed him again.
This time less cautious.
Still gentle.
Still adult.
Still chosen.
When they finally stepped apart, both were smiling.
The Female CEO said:
“I waited three weeks for that.”
“Technically eleven days.”
“I started earlier.”
The Single Dad stared.
“When?”
She smiled.
“Dangerously attractive.”
He laughed.
“That early?”
“Unfortunately.”
He shook his head.
“I’m never saying anything clever again.”
“Too late.”
Dating the Female CEO was not simple.
Not because she was wealthy.
Though that did create strange situations.
Restaurants recognized her.
Drivers appeared.
People photographed them once.
The Single Dad hated that.
She hated it more.
The real difficulty was time.
Her company consumed it.
His daughter deserved it.
Neither wanted the relationship to become something squeezed between obligations.
They learned.
Slowly.
She visited Queens.
His daughter finally used her real title.
Not expensive lady.
Mostly.
The CEO attended a school science fair.
Wore jeans.