When we reached the restaurant, Adrian got out, and came around to my door, opening it for me, and offering me his hand. I took it, and stepped out, before he shut the door behind me. He looked at Eddie.

"I'll call you." He told him, before offering me his arm. I took it, and gave Eddie a warm smile, before taking Adrian's arm and allowing him to escort me inside. When we reached the hostess stand, the short brunette working looked up for a second, before doing a double-take. I watched as she blinked, and her breathing picked up slightly.

"Two?" She asked.

"I have reservations for Ivashkov." He told her, his voice hard and formal, completely unaffected by the way she was regarding him. She looked down at the stand, and nodded once, smiling up at him. She fluttered her eyelashes at him, causing my blood to get hot. Why the hell are you reacting this way? He isn't yours. I quickly gathered myself.

"Right this way." She told him, leading through the restaurant and through a door in the back. I noticed in the room there was only one table, completely cut off from the rest of the place. Oh boy.

"Thank you." Adrian said, before motioning for me to continue on to the table. He pulled out my chair for me, allowing me to sit. I smiled up at him as he scooted me closer to the table, and then walked around to sit down across from me. "I hope this is alright. I don't particularly care to dine in a crowded room." He told me.

"It's fine. It must be nice to be able to avoid all of that." I said. After I spoke, I realized I might have spoken out of turn. I met his eyes, and smiled apologetically.

"It definitely has its perks." He informed me. I nodded. The waitress walked into the room, and smiled at the two of us. She was tall, and had blonde hair that was braided and pulled around to the side. She smiled at Adrian.

"Mr. Ivashkov… it's nice to see you again." She said. Her eyes then fell on me, as she smiled warmly. I all of the sudden became curious if he'd brought girls here often. "Can I start you off with a bottle of wine?" Adrian looked to me.

"Is wine okay with you?" He asked, arching a perfect eyebrow. I debated on whether I should just go with water, but decided what the hell.

"That's fine." I said. Adrian smirked at me, and turned back to the waiter.

"Chenin Blanc, please." He told her. She nodded to both of us, before disappearing.

"Friend of yours?" I asked. He nodded.

"I've known her for awhile." He informed me, not saying more than that. I turned my head, looking out the large window to the right of us. When I glanced back at him, I saw his eyes go wide. "Rose, what happened to your face?" He asked, obviously concerned. I felt my face flush, as I remembered sticking the curling iron to me.

"It's nothing." I said, pulling my hair to cover it. Damn it.

"No, that's definitely something. What did you do?" He asked again, his voice harder this time. He reached across the table, and took my chin in between his thumb and forefinger, moving my head to the side, and tucking the hair behind my ear.

"Well, I was curling my hair, getting ready for tonight and… Lissa texted me, and my phone scared me. I jumped and accidentally stuck my four hundred and something degree curling iron to my face." I explained. He turned my face to look at him, and smiled. He was obviously amused.

"Are you really that skittish?" He asked. I shook my head.

"Not usually, but I was in the zone, getting ready and it just scared me." I said, sighing. It was like the embarrassment just kept on coming.

"It seems my adoration for your curls is dangerous for you." He said. I couldn't help but grin.

"You're right. I fully blame you for what happened to my face." I teased. I watched as his smile faded, and automatically I felt bad. "I was just kidding, Adrian." I watched as his head snapped up as I used his first name. Eventually, I'd have to ask if it bothered him, me using his first name. The waitress came back around the corner and sat down two wine glasses, before opening the bottle and pouring us both a glass. She sat the bottle on the table, and looked to Adrian.

"Have you decided on dinner yet?" Adrian shook his head at her. I hadn't even looked at the menu yet.

"We need a few minutes." He said, simply. She nodded once, before smiled at me, and turned to walk away. Adrian picked up his glass, and raised it to me in a toast. "To new friends." He said. That dark look was back in his eyes as he spoke.

"To new friends." I repeated, pressing my glass to his before taking a drink. The wine tasted amazing, not that I'd expected anything less. "Good choice in wine." I complimented.

"Well, after you suggested my drink yesterday… I owed you." He said, smiling. I picked up my menu, flipping through it as did he. I felt myself glancing up at him every few seconds. He really was gorgeous in his black sweater and jeans. He looked very casual compared to all the times I'd seen him dressed up. I finally decided when our waitress returned.

"You guys ready to order?" She asked, her eyes falling on Adrian once again. I couldn't help but notice how she always regarded him first, as if I wasn't sitting here. Adrian motioned for me to order.

"I'll have the Linguine with White Puttanesca." I told her. She nodded and scribbled it down on the paper, before turning to Adrian.

"I'll just have my usual." He told her. She wrote something down on the paper, before nodding.

"It'll be out shortly. Let me know if you need anything." She said, giving him an unnecessary smile before walking off. I watched her disappear out the door, and turned back to Adrian.

"So, what have you been in town for? I know you're corporation is in Missoula." I asked, curiously. He took a sip of his wine, and looked up at me.

"A few businesses in this area are funded by me and my company. I've been in town talking to owners, and making adjustments to certain things. I'm heading back Thursday, as I said in my note." He said. I nodded, not wanting to think about him leaving. "Enough about me… I want to hear about you, Ms. Hathaway."

"What would you like to know, sir?" I asked. I couldn't help but notice how his eyes lit up when I regarded him as sir, or Mr. Ivashkov. He looked at me for a minute, before posing his first question.

"What is it you plan to do with your soon to be obtained degree in psychology?" He asked. I picked up my glass of wine, before taking a sip.

"I don't know for sure yet, but I know I want to help teenagers. I had a rough upbringing, and I know what it's like. I want to help kids who are dealing with drugs, with family problems, with abuse, with… just all the things that life throws at them, because I know at one point in time… I was in their shoes." I told him. I watched as his face grew somber. I wondered if I'd said something that had struck a nerve with him. After a few moments, he nodded.

"You're an amazing person, Rosemarie. I can see that." He informed me. I was caught off guard when he used my full first name. No one had called me that in a really long time, and I'll admit… the way it rolled off his tongue was kind of nice.

"I try to be. Sometimes… I don't think I'm doing a very good job." I admitted. I felt his gaze intent on me, and when I looked up, I'd been right. He gave me one of those lip twitching smiles, and shook his head.

"I'd be willing to bet my entire corporation that you do an amazing job." He said. I couldn't help but return his smile. It was infectious.

"Thanks." I mumbled, feeling the blush creep to my face.

"So tell me about your friends… Lissa and Christian is it?" He asked. It was obvious he wasn't too fond of them since they were nowhere to be found when I'd needed them.

"Lissa is my roommate, and my best friend. We've known each other since we were little kids. She was around when I was going through a lot of my issues, and helped pull me back from a lot of them. She's always been there for me, and it's safe to say, I probably wouldn't be who I am today without her." I explained to him. He gave me a nod.

"And Christian?"

"Christian is her boyfriend. He's a constant pain in my ass, but I love him to death. He keeps me on my toes with his wit and sarcasm. He's definitely good to have around though." I told him. He smiled.
"Sounds like you live an interesting life."

"Interesting isn't the word I'd call it." I said. He raised an eyebrow at me, as he took another sip of his wine.

"Then, what would you call it, Ms. Hathaway?"

"Hectic…but I wouldn't change it." I said, simply. He smiled at me, as he swirled his wine around in his glass. "I feel like I've been talking forever. I want to hear about you. I feel like I've just dropped my entire life story on you."

"What would you like to know?" He asked. I saw a cautious look in his eyes, and knew that there was only so much he'd let me in on.

"Tell me about your job." I said. He smiled, and I knew I hadn't crossed any lines by asking about it.

"I started my business when I was twenty one with some help from a friend of mine. I ended up building it from the ground up. I'm a great negotiator and could make people listen and understand things, and where I wanted to take my business. It wasn't long before I was CEO of my own multimillion dollar company. Now, I'm the top of the food chain in the business world." He said. I nodded.

"What made you want to go into marketing?" I asked.

"It was something I was good at." He said.

"You like having control over your company, being a big bad CEO?" I gave him a shy smile, and he nodded. That dark look was back in his eyes, but this time… it was very prominent.

"I love having control." He said. There was a double-meaning to his words, even though I couldn't put my finger on the other meaning. Nonetheless, I knew it was there.

"What about your family?" I asked. He shrugged.

"They weren't in the picture much. They support me from afar. I visit them from time to time, but there isn't much to tell." I could tell that was a touchy subject by the way he regarded me.

"Any brothers or sisters?" He shook his head.

"I was an only child." He informed me. I nodded and looked down.

"Me too."

"I like to think I was better off an only child." He said. When I looked up, I could see he didn't plan on elaborating any further.

"You live in Missoula?" I asked. He nodded.

"I do."

"What's your house like?" I asked him, curious. He grinned.

"I live in a penthouse actually. I would love to show you my home." He said, as if the thought excited him. I'll admit, the thought of being in his house excited me too. Regardless, I was careful not to show it.

"I'd like that." I was hoping my response gave nothing away. It was then; the waitress came around the corner with our food. I hadn't realized that we'd been leaning in towards each other, until we both sat back in our chairs. I felt the blush creep to my face as I turned away. She sat the plates in front of us.

"Anything else I can get for you?" She asked, once again speaking directly to Adrian. Alright, bitch. I had to control myself to keep my temper from flaring up. He shook his head.

"No, thank you." He said, before she turned and walked away. "Would you like some more wine?" I looked up at him.

"Yes please." He picked up the bottle and poured me another glass, before setting it down in front of me. As we ate, the conversation had died down. I still felt like he knew a lot about me, and I knew very vague pieces of information about him. It made me curious to find out more. I looked up from my food to grab my glass of wine, and found him looking at me. I attempted to raise an eyebrow.

"What?" I asked, after I swallowed my mouth full of food. He shook his head.

"Nothing…" He said. I rolled my eyes at him, which caused his mouth to set in a hard line. I averted my gaze back to my food as I ate. When we were both finished, we sat back and as if on que, the waitress was back.

"Finished?" She asked. Adrian nodded, and motioned for her to take the plates. She cleared the table, and smiled. "I'll be back with the check." She turned and disappeared. I looked up at Adrian, and picked up my glass of wine, finishing off what was left in the bottom, before pouring myself another glass. He gave me a smug smirk.

"Have you enjoyed yourself this evening?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow at me. I nodded.

"I have enjoyed myself. Thank you for inviting me."

"It was a pleasure to be able to accompany you this evening." He informed me. I couldn't help but smile at him. The waitress brought the check back, and laid it on the table.

"No rush, of course you know that Mr. Ivashkov." She said.

"Thank you Emily." She nodded once, and fluttered her eyelashes at him, before walking away. I narrowed my eyes.

"She adores you." I said, before I could stop myself. He looked up at me, and raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry?" It was too late, don't back down now.

"The waitress, Emily? She absolutely adores you." He shrugged. Had he really not noticed? I liked to think that he hadn't, but then again, he has this affect on a lot of women. Ensnared hearts. I remembered his questions, and how I'd never gotten to answer him. I wouldn't have known how to answer if I had. I sipped on my glass of wine, as he started in on another round of questions.

"You know… if you wanted to start your own counseling business, like you said. I could help you. I could build it from the ground up, and let you run it. It'd be a great opportunity for you." He said. My jaw dropped. I hadn't heard him right. This man was willing to start a business for me. I snapped my mouth closed, before I started to speak.

"That's awfully generous; Mr. Ivashkov… but I'm not equipped to run anything of my own. Plus, I have a feeling if I accepted this offer, I'd end up spending more time worrying about running the joint then actually helping people." I said. He cocked his head to the side and looked at me for a second, before nodding.

"Suit yourself, just know the offer is on the table if you so choose to except. It's a worthy cause I'd love to invest in." He said. I just nodded.

"I'll keep it in mind." I told him. We both sipped our wine, and lapsed into silence, before I spoke. "So, what do you do in your spare time… when you're not off being a CEO of your million dollar company?"

"I don't get much spare time, actually. My job is… life consuming." He admitted.

"You have to have some down time… what do you like to do?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"I…I paint. I read every once and a great while. I like to go out on my boat… and fish every now and again just for the fun of it." He said.

"You don't have friends you hang out with?" He shook his head, and looked away from me now.

"Not exactly. My job consumes most of my time. I don't have time for friends, and the friends I do have understand that." He said. The next question was out of my mouth before I could stop it.

"What about a relationship?" I asked.

"Those don't normally work out in my profession either." He admitted. Automatically, I knew he was lying. There was a piece of the story I wasn't getting, and I could tell. Regardless, I felt my heart drop into my stomach. What? Inevitably, you thought you'd be his girlfriend? Yeah, right. I just nodded.

"I guess I understand how it'd be difficult." I said. He nodded.

"Are you ready to go?"

"If you are." I said. He nodded, and stood up, offering me his hand. I laid mine in his as he intertwined our fingers, before walking me out of the restaurant. I couldn't really focus on anything other than the fact that he was holding my hand. The SUV was waiting for us outside. Adrian opened my door, allowing me to get in, before closing the door behind me. He then walked around and got in on the other side. The ride back was pretty silent. Very little was said, and there was a thick tension in the SUV around us. He reached over, and moved my hair, obviously examining the burn mark.

"That's going to leave a scar." He informed me. I shrugged.

"I've got plenty. I'm sure I'll live." I said, turning to him. He nodded once, before turning to look out the window. I felt like something was wrong, like I'd done something to bother him, and I hated thinking this was how our night was going to end. When we reached my apartment, he informed Eddie to stay, before he got out, and came around to my door, opening it for me. I could tell by the set of his face, he was no longer in a good mood. He took my hand, as he walked me to the door. He didn't speak, so when we stopped just outside, I turned to him.

"Thank you for dinner. It was lovely." He nodded.

"You're extremely welcome. Thank you for accompanying me."

"Not a problem." I said. Here we were, standing at my door like two teenagers. I looked up at him through my eyelashes, and realized that I wanted him to kiss me. God, I feel like I'm fifteen. He stared at me for a few seconds, almost as if he was thinking about it. He reached up, and placed his hand on the side of my face.

"Rose… I'm-." He stopped for a second, looking away from me. He looked back up and met my eyes. "I'm not the man for you, okay? You are so good, Rosemarie… and I am anything but. There's so much you don't know about me, and I shouldn't have even thought that-." He stopped, but it was too late. The damage was done, and the rejection was already coursing through me. I just stared up at him, confused about what I was supposed to say. I wanted to move, so he couldn't touch me, but my legs wouldn't cooperate. Finally, I forced myself to speak.

"Just go…"

"Rose… I wasn't trying to hurt you, or lead you on… I thought-." He stopped, and shook his head. "I was an idiot."

"You say there's a lot I don't know about you, then tell me. Why would you make a decision for me based on things I don't know? There are a lot of things you don't know about me too, Adrian… remember that." I snapped, my voice coming out harsh and clipped. I was hurt, and I'm sure he could see it.

"Listen, Rose-." I shook my head.

"I've heard enough. It's obvious you've made my decision. Just go." I said. He stared at me for a second, as if he was trying to figure out whether I meant what I said. He just nodded.

"As you wish. It's been a pleasure, Rosemarie." He leaned forward, and pressed his lips to my forehead, before turning and walking away. That was the closest you'll ever get to kissing him. I turned and walked inside, knowing I wouldn't be able to watch him leave. I got halfway upstairs and turned back to find the SUV still parked outside. I turned and continued walking upstairs and into the apartment. The moment I was inside, I threw my purse and phone and screamed. Why was I so stupid? Rich and sexy man stumbles into the coffee house, I think he has a thing for me, and BAM, I was fucking wrong. I walked to the fridge and grabbed a beer, plopping down on the couch. As I sat there, I just got angrier; even though I couldn't tell if I was angry at him or angry at me. A few tears even leaked down my cheeks, as I mourned something that wasn't even mine to lose in the first place.

A/N: Alright guys, to those of you who have been; (excuse my language) FLIPPING YOUR SHIT about how I altered Rose's appearance, I've changed it back. Now, when I say I changed it back, I meant I changed her eye color back. Her hair is Auburn for a reason you'll soon find out. I'm not changing it back because you guys want to freak out. It will be explained why her hair is that color later, but just to let you know… its bottle auburn. Her hair is naturally dark-almost black-brown. So, for those of you who wanted her to be EXACTLY like she is in the book, you've pretty much got it. To those of you who have been enjoying the story, and not blowing my PM up about how that's not what Rose looked like, I thank you. Anyway, enjoy…