Thank you so much for the reviews! I am so excited to have some motivation for the first time in a long time writing a story, and it's great receiving feedback! Please continue to offer your suggestions, I do read your comments and would love to hear what you think.

Also, PLEASE feel free to correct me on grammatical/spelling/redundant word errors. I work at an accounting firm and I'm using my lunch breaks to get my idea's out of my head and onto virtual paper so I may miss a few things here and there. Thanks :D

Serena huffed as she stormed out of the complex double doors, stomping her foot in overdramatized fury. "The nerve of that ass!" she belted out loudly, not caring at the looks passer-buyers tossed her as they breezed by her. Mina put her hand on her shoulder gently, trying to ease the ferocity that Serena was showcasing.

"I know you're mad, Sere, but maybe you're a little too worked up about this? It's only a dress code error. Sure, that guy was an ass and deserved to be put in his place, but you were a little intense there. I mean you did call that guy a dickweed, after all." Serena grimaced; Mina's words were sobering. Controlling her feelings a bit, she took a few deep breaths before speaking.

"Ok, you're right, I did let my emotions get a bit out of control there. I just can't stand places like that! They think that they are so 'above' the everyday person that I can't help but feel biased to them. I mean, look at us, it's not like we stepped out of the gym and arrived in our sweats. Just because we don't have a suit jacket on isn't a reason to toss someone out," she vented.

"You sure you didn't see anything on their website?" Mina asked. "For such a reaction from that guy it seems odd that it wouldn't be on there."

"I'm positive, Min; that's why I was so thrown off-guard at that guy's response. I know places like that normally do require a dress code, which is why I kept clicking around their website to confirm that. Either way though, that guy didn't need to be so rude about it." With that final sentiment, Serena crossed her arms.

"You are absolutely right-" a voice interjected "-and I am so sorry at the way I behaved." Both girls spun around, Mister Tall-Dark-and-Asshole standing beside them. "I had no right to make such assumptions. Please forgive me."

Serena pursed her lips, her arms still crossed as she looked at him with mistrusting eyes. "You're only apologizing because you Googled me, aren't you?" she asked with one eyebrow raised. He frowned.

"No; honestly, I didn't mean to come off so presumptuous. Tensions were running high knowing that, well, you were coming, and I don't work at the restaurant on a daily basis, so I let my misguided opinions take over. Please accept my apology," he asked again. Serena looked over at Mina, who gave a slight nod of encouragement. Serena looked back at the suit, considering on what to say next.

"Fine, but only because I let my temper get the better of me as well," Serena eventually said, watching as the Suit visibly relaxed at her verbiage. "But you seriously need to update your website. I did not know of any dress code when I checked your page to make sure I was showing up I appropriately dressed. There is nothing indicating any sort of required attire anywhere."

"Of course, I will discuss it with my marketing department and have that fixed right away. Now, ladies, can I please invite you back upstairs? I will have our chefs prepare you the best lunch in the city," he purred, extending his arm to guide the ladies back into the building. Mina was about to take a step, but Serena extended her arm to stop her.

"No, that will not be happening today, Sir," Serena stated. Mina and the man both looked at her with surprise at the decline.

"May I be so bold as to ask why the hell not? I mean, I apologized," he inquired, his eyebrows narrowing. Mina stood off to the side, her mouth pressed thin with her opinions.

"And I accepted your apology, but if I come back in there right now, I know you're going to go over whatever meal we order with a fine-tooth comb. Your meal won't be genuine," she explained.

"Of course it will be!" he retorted, clearly frustrated.

"Listen, this isn't my first rodeo. I am not doing the review today. I am sorry, but after our interaction, it would be a biased review and I'm not going put out any sort of false work," Serena briefly explained. "I will come back at a later time, when enough time has passed to forget this," she paused, "incident occurred. It will be at random, unannounced, and I hope to see improvements when I return. And I, in exchange, will come back with no misguided opinion or bias, and will give you an honest and fair review."

Serena watched as he processed her words, visibly disappointed. "Understood," he eventually replied. She nodded in confirmation.

"Thank you. I just realized that I didn't catch your name," Serena alluded as she reached in to offer a handshake.

"Darien Shields," he replied curtly as he gave her a brief shake. He produced a business card out of his pocket and passed it along to her, which Serena accepted, quickly glancing at the contact information. "If you wish to inform me of your impending arrival, or have any questions, please contact me," he assured. She nodded in response, tucking it into her portfolio. "If you will excuse me. Have a nice afternoon, ladies," he concluded as he turned to walk away.

"Damn, he may be an ass, but he has a mighty fine ass," Mina whispered when he was out of earshot, to which Serena let out an amused snort of a laugh. "But seriously, you think you'll go back?"

Serena smiled back at Mina with a calculated grin. "Oh, yes," she replied, "starting off with girls' night on Friday. Let's see how quickly he can rebound after that one."

"Oh ho ho," Mina laughed behind her hand in amusement as Serena crossed her arms in wicked delight. Oh yes, she would be returning… in less than 72 hours. She pulled Darien's business card back out, looking at the unimpressive simplicity of it.

"See what I mean?" Serena flicked her card over to Mina, who grabbed it and stared at it in confusion, her eyebrow raised in question. "Another businessman wanting a restaurant on his portfolio!" she exclaimed, tossing her hands up in the air before making her way down the walkway, Mina following behind.

Serena sat back in her couch, phone in hand as she added Raye, Lita, and Mina to a group text.

Zwei Towers for ladies night? Raye says they have a killer bar!

It didn't take long for a response to populate.

Raye: I though you didn't want to go there due to your review.

Review is on hold -_-

Mina: LOL OMG Raye you've GOT to hear this one! BAHAHA. Serena and the restaurant dude got into a huge beef! Now she's gonna go ahead and surprise him!

Lita: Serena what did you do now?

Raye: WTF happened?

Long story short: quasi-restaurant entrepreneur informed me I wasn't up to dress code. I called him an ass and informed him I was the critic. He apologized and tried to coax me back in and I told him no. Now it's time for a surprise visit ;)

Mina: DUDE. Sere called him a DICKWEED XD

Raye: SERIOUSLY?

Lita: SERENA! THAT'S SO RUDE!

Mina: OMG Sere you're my hero. Dickweed? I can't stop laughing!

He deserved it! Listen, we made amends, but I need to sneak up on him. Please, girls? First round is on me if you will join me for some espionage!

Raye: I'm game. Their drinks are good.

Lita: Ok, fine.

Mina: I'll never turn down free booze.

Awesome. 9:00? Dress code is business casual.

Serena continued to type into her phone, concluding her planning with the girls and moving on to television. After some brief channel surfing, she decided on a crime show, but quickly lost interest. Curiosity knocking, she grabbed her phone and opened up her browser. Darien Shields Tokyo she typed in to the search bar, and in no time were images and links of articles of the successful businessman splashed on her phone. Briefly impressed, she thumbed through the image results, often times seeing him standing next to some new real estate development, or photographed with a state leader. A couple of images had him posed next to some gorgeous model, which made her frown with insecurity. No wonder he was so quick to judge her state of dress if he was used to women looking as fierce as the ones in the photo. She did quickly notice, however, that the women in the photos quickly shuffled. Playboy I bet, she mentally scoffed. Tired of the images, she clicked back to the web results, opening up various links to his success in the real estate community. The Mayor had praised him of being a "brilliant young man, gifted with finding success in each property he acquires." Just as she was about to close the browser, she saw the title of the restaurant in one of the titles, to which she promptly clicked on. There he stood in all his magnificence, photographed with a petite woman whose hair was an odd strange of black that it had a blue hue to it. Zooming, in, Serena read the caption: Investor Darien Shield and his sister, Ami Mizuno-Shields, Owner of Zwei Towers (financial district) on opening day. A smile twitched at the corners of Serena's lips, her conscious wanting to feel bad for being so quick to lose her temper. Clearly Darien helped his sister achieve her dream in opening her restaurant rather than being who Serena had assumed he would be: another portfolio expander. Exiting out of the browser, Serena debated if her espionage girls' night was just, but quickly shrugged it off. She would just treat it as a girls' night rather than a "check-up on the site" like she had initially planned it to be. It wasn't fair to the real owner, Ami, for her to do otherwise.

Serena smoothed out the imaginary wrinkle in her abdomen as she stood in front of the full-length mirror, having decided on a sleeveless heather-gray form fitting dress that fell just above the knee for her girls' night attire. She accented it with a slender black belt with a chunky gold buckle, giving the outfit a little flash of color. Bored with leaving her hair down, she parted and braided her long hair into twin buns, adding a bit of youthful flare to her posh outfit. Since the dress was high-collared, Serena decided on a pair of simple white-gold hoops and a couple of bangles on her wrist for jewelry before concluding the look with a pair of simple black pumps. Serena nodded in approval, but felt the corner of her lip twitch with sinister glee. Sure, she looked like a respectable businesswoman, but she knew that she was dancing on a fine line with the hairstyle she created. It wasn't sloppy, but it wasn't anything you would normally see a woman in her late twenties wear. A small giggle raised in the back of her throat; that was just Serena's personality. She may be 27, but at heart she was still the teenager who loved food, overslept, and participating in the occasional childlike behavior. It kept her personality young, after all!

Serena looked down at her phone after it let out a ding, advising her that her Uber had arrived. Grabbing her clutch, she descended the building and out into the unseasonably warm May evening, silently praising herself for not lugging a jacket or cardigan around on such a beautiful night. Soon the Uber merged into traffic and she made her way to the building, to which she was the last to arrive. Mina was dressed in a formfitting white dress splashed with hues of fuchsia, tangerine, and yellow with a high collar, similar to Serena's, to which she paired with large gold bangles and a pair of white sling-back pumps. Raye was the modest one, wearing a fire-red sleeveless blouse that was accented with ruffles that accented her figure. She paired it with a black pencil skirt and black pumps, her hair pulled back into a neat ponytail. Lita, the ever-so-confident one, was dressed to kill with a cold-shoulder dress that had a modest cut in the cleavage, which she had no problem filling out. The chestnut colored dress cinched in at her waist before cascading down her legs, falling down her endless legs that were accentuated even more with her strappy wedges. Serena had on a huge smile as she stepped out of the car, knowing her and the girls were looking fine tonight! They all shared a giddy smile as they turned around to enter the establishment, excited to spend some much needed quality time together.

"Hold the door please!" Mina excitedly shouted as she impressively ran over to the doors, sticking her clutch in between to keep them from shutting. Sure enough two young men were standing inside, their glances indicating that they were more than willing to wait for the girls. Soon they filed in, all individuals heading up to the restaurant, a silence filling the elevator as the girls stood closely to one another, aware of the two men checking them out.

"Hey Sere, maybe this time you won't get kicked out of the restaurant," Mina chuckled as they ascended the high-rise.

"What's with the hairdo anyway?" Raye asked, poking one of the blonde balls on the side of Serena's head.

"I felt like doing something different," she shrugged with a smile.

"I think it looks good on you," one of the two men chimed in, to which Serena turned around with a flirty smile.

"You think?" she playfully asked, batting her eyelashes confidently. Her smile grew as she watched him fumble over his words, nodding as he clearly could not find his voice. Lita and Raye held back their laughter, whereas Mina tossed Serena a huge grin that shouted "you go girl!" Shortly thereafter the elevator stopped and the doors sprung open, to which the girls entered into the establishment. A brief sour taste entered Serena's system, but she squashed it down quickly, determined to not let the other day manifest. Tonight was simply a night out; the only judgment would be reserved for the quality of the drinks and the attractiveness of the men.

After a few minutes (and no issues getting in!), the girls secured a table and ordered a round of cosmopolitans. Serena's eyes wandered, hopeful to find someone she could enjoy as some eye candy tonight as she chatted away with her girls. Unfortunately, no one was jumping out, but the night was still young. Turning away from the crowd, she looked back at her best friends with a smile.

"So, thoughts so far?"

"It's a little too much for my liking, but it's not bad," Lita contributed as she accepted the drink from the waitress, dressed entirely in black. "I'm not too sure I like the industrial look."

"Yeah, that's my sentiments exactly," Serena agreed as she took a sip of her drink. "This, however, makes up for it, in my opinion," she added, impressed by the taste of the drink.

"Oh, that is yummy!" Mina exclaimed as she continuously sipped her own Cosmo, enjoying its fruity flavor. A chorus of agreement rang out amongst the girls before they fell into idle chit chat about the ongoing of their daily lives.

Time started to pass, and soon the bar crowd began to thicken. Serena's wandering eyes continuously made their way to the crowd, but so far no one perked her interest. She unknowingly pouted. A few drinks in, she wouldn't mind having some male-female conversation for a moment or two.

"You expecting someone?" Raye called Serena out, who tore her attention from the crowd back to the table.

"No, just checking out the prospects," she dismissed with a wave of her hand. "Nothing impressive out there tonight."

"Yeah, because tall, dark and handsome isn't out there," Mina nudged Serena, who shot her a glance.

"As if!" she replied, raising her drink to her lips before finishing off the contents. "I wouldn't flirt with that man if he was the last asshole on earth!"

"Let us know how you really fell about him," Lita grinned into her drink. "Meanwhile, I am really feeling that hot piece of ass over there. God, he might even be taller than me, which we all know is an instant A+ for me." The girls quickly looked over, to which Mina began laughing and Serena began fuming. "No shit, please don't tell me that's him!"

"Oh yes!" both girls replied, both on different pitch levels. Mina couldn't stop laughing, meanwhile Serena grumbled in annoyance. Her annoyance was quickly displaced by internal panic as she watched Darien turn and look at their group, no thanks to Mina's piercing decibel that spanned across the bar. She looked away quickly, but watched in her peripheral as he casted a knowing look of identification confirmation their way, to which he finished his drink and stood up. Serena felt herself go as stiff as a board; clearly he was coming over to their table.

"Good job, Mina," she grumbled, to which Mina sent her looks of apology. Raye and Lita stared down into their glasses as all were aware of the male making their way to the table.

"Hello there, ladies," Darien greeted, his deep voice melting over the brief awkward silence that had filled the tables. "I am the owner of this establishment and I wanted to see if there was anything I could do enhance your night tonight." Serena looked around the table, Raye and Lita clearly batting their eyelashes at him while Mina continued to look at her glass.

"I think I could use another drink. After all, I think they're outstanding," Lita replied as she leaned over the table, giving him a sly grin as she exposed part of her generous bosom his way. He returned a friendly smile her way while waving the waitress to come to the table.

"Molly, please refill these ladies drinks," he politely instructed, to which the waitress nodded and scurried away. Serena continued to stay mute as her two friends obviously fawned over him. Traitors, she mentally mumbled. Soon enough, his eyes made contact with hers, to which she felt her eyes slightly widen in awareness.

"Serena," he acknowledged.

"Darien," she replied.

"Nice to see that you were willing to return, and so quickly," he added.

"Well, Raye here was so insistent on coming here for drinks, so I figured why not," she shrugged, to which Raye raised an eyebrow at her white lie.

"Well, I'm so glad you were open to returning. I hope everything fares well," he said in businesslike fashion, clearly flattering her. Serena, however, was in no mood for flattery.

"I'm not telling you if or when I'm returning," she said flatly, to which his mouth pressed in a thin line.

"I wasn't asking you to tell me," he coolly replied, the trace of sweet talk gone.

"Oh you weren't?" she challenged. She briefly saw the girls tossing her looks telling her to knock it off, but the disrespect from the other day began to creep up, to which she was having a hard time controlling her tongue.

"No, Serena, I wasn't. I was simply asking if you were having a decent time," he carefully replied, to which she snorted.

"Yeah right!" she accosted.

"Serena!" the girls replied in horror.

"Excuse me," Darien said in annoyance as he dismissed himself from the girls table, to which the girls shot Serena scolding glares.

"What?!" she cried out in childlike defense, fully-knowing she was at fault this time around.

"Go apologize!" Raye insisted as she pointed over to Darien, who made his way back up towards the bar.

"No," Serena frowned.

"Yes!" Mina cried out. "You were wrong this time, Serena."

"Raye and Mina are right," Lita chimed in. "Go apologize."

Serena looked at the three girls disapproving looks before slumping her shoulders. "Fine," she said, turning on her heel to huff off towards his direction. She yielded her way around the patrons, finally making her way towards the bar, to which she saw Darien sitting in his original seat, his attention on the sports game on the television.

"How dare you walk away while I'm insulting you," Serena sullenly replied as she tapped Darien on the shoulder, who glanced at her with annoyance before returning his attention to the game. She stood for another moment before tapping him on the shoulder again. "I'm sorry for being rude back there," she apologized. He stared at her for another moment before turning his attention again to the television, clearly done talking to her. Serena stood for another moment, debating what to do. She was about to tap him on the shoulder again when he turned around.

"Seriously? Can't you take a hint?" he said in annoyance.

"What? I'm trying to apologize!" she stated. He scoffed. "What?!" she cried out.

"I don't need your apology. I don't need your review, either. I am perfectly capable of making this restaurant succeed without trying to impress you. So if you want to continue to treat me with this ridiculous, misplaced attitude, I suggest you take your ladies night elsewhere." Serena opened her mouth to retort, but couldn't find the words. "What, no response?" he taunted, his arms crossed.

Serena folded her hands and placed them on her lap, hanging her head in shame. "I'm sorry," she sincerely replied. "You're right. I'm acting childish."

"Apology accepted," he said into his drink, sipping in the clear liquid. She continued to stand there, feeling embarrassed, trying to figure out a way to extend an olive branch. She decided on sitting on the stool next to him, placing her clutch on the black granite bar top, it's metallic flecks enhanced from the simmering lights above.

"I like the bar top," she complemented. "The flakes of silver really stand out." He nodded into his drink in acknowledgement. They sat in silence again, Serena trying to think of something nice to say to smooth over their rocky start, but he spoke first.

"I'm sorry, I just have to ask," he said as he turned to her.

"Hmm?" She turned to face him, suddenly aware of how close he was to her, looking at her. Unintentionally, she found herself studying his handsome features again, focusing on the color of his eyes, reminding her of a misty blue lake at sunset, so rich in color. He was wearing a crisp black suit with a powder blue shirt, no tie with the top two buttons undone. Just looking at him she could tell that he had a nice body from the way his clothing sat on him. Closer in proximity, her original observation of his attractiveness was a far cry from the reality; he was downright gorgeous, she hated to admit.

"What's with the hairstyle?" Taken aback, her tunnel vision suddenly ended, quickly being thrust into reality.

"What's wrong with my hair?!" she exclaimed.

"It's just that it's such an unusual hairstyle for an adult. I don't think I've seen older than my four year old niece wear her hair as such," he commented.

"Well, your niece has impeccable taste I guess!" she sputtered.

"It looks like meatballs!" he suddenly exclaimed.

"WHAT?!" she cried out, her jaw dropped, shocked by the childish comparison he just used.

"Yes!" he said. "See, this is the spaghetti," he analyzed as he trailed his finger down her braids, "and these are the meatballs!" he grinned as he poked her bun, to which she promptly stood up.

"You… you…" she stuttered. He laughed at her speechlessness, to which she stared wide-eyed at him.

"Oh, Serena, we're going to have some fun. See you around, meatball head!" he said as he lifted himself off of the chair and waved goodbye, exiting out of the bar. She turned around to see her friends laughing hysterically, clearly having witness the banter between the two adults, before turning back in the direction Darien was last seen, nowhere to be found. Serena begrudgingly made her way back over to the table, her friends still laughing as she continued to shake her head in disbelief.

"The nerve of that man!" she exclaimed, to which her friends laughed louder. He, he, he called me meatball head!" Serena said dumbfounded.

"Meatball Head! Brilliant! Why didn't I think of that?!" Raye roared with laughter, about to spill her drink.

"You guys are horrible!" Serena whined.

"Oh Sere, looks like you've finally met your match!" Mina said in between laughs, Raye and Lita nodding enthusiastically, to which Serena grimaced.

"I really hope that isn't the last we see of him, because that was awesome," Lita said as the laughter died down. Serena felt some relief as the conversation moved on, but had a nagging feeling that would not be the last time she saw the hailed respected, brilliant, obnoxious, pain in the ass Darien Shields.