Ajay looked down at his clothes and grinned. “I would’ve swept you away to the Hamptons in this thing if I could. The weather is always gorgeous this time of year. But we’d have to clear our schedules and our EAs would probably have killed us.”

She was still laughing as he pulled away from the curb and drove toward RFK Bridge. “They’d make it happen, but then do something truly heinous to get back at us later, like reschedule all our canceled calls for six in the morning.”

“Rafael has definitely done that to me before,” Ajay said. “He hates when I cancel.”

They talked about business for a few minutes as Ajay maneuvered through Saturday-evening traffic. He reached out and took her hand once he made it to FDR Drive.

She jolted as if he’d electrocuted her.

“What?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”

“I think you should probably tell me your terms,” she said, glancing down at their joined hands.

“I’m not following.”

“Ajay, although I’ve been married, any intimate relationship I’ve had with a man has been physical and discreet.”

“Discrete? Is that what you want from me, too?”

She let out a breath. “I . . . I don’t know. I’m still not divorced, and I’m looking to start a position with Gen One. Maybe. While you’re at the verge of taking over as CEO.”

“And it gets complicated. Okay, I understand what you’re saying. We can remain discrete for as long as our current circumstances exist. As for us, I expect you to come to me for whatever you need.”

“Whatever?” she said with amusement in her voice.

“Yes. And for as long as we’re doing this, I expect your honesty. I’ll give you the same.”

She let out a deep breath. “You need to qualify.”

“I need to qualify honesty?”

Raj nodded. “To be frank, I can be honest with what I tell you, but that doesn’t mean I share all my secrets.”

“I want your secrets,” he said. He wanted everything. He’d spent half the night and most of his Saturday thinking about what drew him to her. Her confidence, her intelligence, the chemistry were all a given. But maybe her complexity was part of it, too. Ajay knew that he was quickly becoming addicted to uncovering her pockets of sweetness.

“That may be a deal breaker,” she replied.

“I’m willing to compromise,” he said, squeezing her hand. “No lying by omission. Just admit whether or not you’re ready to share information and we’ll review on a case-by-case basis.”

“Deal,” she said. “Monogamous?”

“Without question.”

“Sleeping arrangements?” she continued. “I work late or work from home, and since our last security breach—”

Ajay snorted.

“I can’t get a lot done if you’re present.”