Chapter 11 - A Date Without Bodyguards
Z
Chloe agreed to one date.
She made it clear that it would not take place at the mansion, in a private restaurant, or anywhere that required Dominic to dismiss an entire staff.
They met at a small bookstore café in Chicago.
Dominic arrived wearing dark jeans and a plain sweater. He had no visible security detail, although Chloe suspected Leo was somewhere nearby.
“You look different,” she said.
“Is that good?”
“It's less intimidating.”
“I'll take it.”
They ordered coffee and sat beside a window overlooking the street.
At first, conversation was awkward. Dominic was skilled at negotiating contracts and managing crises, but he had little practice discussing ordinary things without turning them into questions that sounded like interrogations.
Chloe told him about her dream of returning to college to study social work. She wanted to help families whose children communicated differently, particularly those who couldn't afford private specialists.
Dominic listened without interrupting.
When she finished, he asked, “What stopped you?”
“Money. Toby needed support, and our mother was sick. I took the jobs I could get.”
“Would you go back?”
“Yes.”
“Then I hope you do.”
She smiled.
“You're not going to offer to pay for it?”
“No.”
That surprised her.
He continued, “If you want help finding scholarships or financial assistance, I'll help you research the options. But you should decide how to fund it.”
Chloe felt something inside her relax.
She had spent years expecting generosity to come with invisible strings.
Dominic was learning that respect sometimes meant refusing to use the easiest solution.
After coffee, they walked through the bookstore.
He stopped at a children's shelf and picked up a picture book about feelings.
“Mia likes these,” he said.
“She likes stories where the characters solve their own problems.”
“Sounds familiar.”
Chloe laughed.
It was the first time she had heard him laugh without looking around to see who might be watching.
They discussed Isabella, but Dominic didn't turn his grief into a demand for comfort. He spoke about the woman he had loved, the mistakes he had made, and the things he wished he had understood before she died.
Chloe told him about her mother.
They shared their losses without trying to compete over whose pain was greater.
When they reached the café entrance, Dominic stopped.
“Can I kiss you?”
The question startled her.
Not because she didn't want him to.
Because nobody had asked her that simply in a very long time.
“Yes,” she whispered.
He leaned toward her slowly, giving her time to change her mind.
She didn't.
The kiss was gentle, brief, and unexpectedly sweet.
When they separated, Dominic rested his forehead against hers.
“I'm glad you came.”
“Me too.”
Her phone buzzed.
A message from Toby.
DID YOU HAVE FUN?
Chloe typed back.
Maybe.
Toby replied with three laughing emojis and a heart.
Dominic glanced at the screen.
“Your brother approves?”
“He approves of teasing me.”
“Smart man.”
As Chloe left, she realized something important.
She wasn't falling for Dominic because he was powerful, wealthy, or dangerous.
May you like
She was falling for him because he was learning to be honest when honesty cost him something.
And that was the only kind of strength she could trust.
