Rhodes seems to have found a new line of questioning. "You do that a lot" He comments as he picks up his utensils and cuts into his fish.

"Do what?" I ask after my first mouthful of salad.

"You thank people a lot, I saw it a lot the first night we met as well" I shrugs my shoulders and tuck some loose hairs behind my ear, I wasn't aware that my politeness was something novel to him.

"Well I've worked in the service industry for most of my life, I waitressed through high school and I still do now. Sometimes you can feel a little bit robotic, people don't really acknowledge you that much so you feel very inhuman. But when someone is polite or nice to you it just, it makes you feel like a person again. So I do it for other people when the roles are reversed. A little bit of kindness can go a long way" by the end of my ramblings I feel a little bit like one of those public service announcements they used to do on the Disney chEloisel. You know the ones: 'Bullying is bad, don't be a bully, be kind!'. Rhodes smiles a little.

"That's lovely, really it is. I forget to be nice sometimes, well most of the time" he chuckles a little, like he doesn't think that I've noticed. "In business I guess it's just different, it can be a bit of a brutal place sometimes. If you let your emotions take over, then you won't be successful" I finish a mouthful of salad before I respond.

"Well doesn't that, kind of suck? That you can't be both kind and successful?" The smile that he gives me reminds me of one you give a child when they ask a seemingly intelligent question; like why is the sky blue or what are clouds made of.

"Sometimes, but I'm not complaining. I've made a name for myself all over the world and I've provided a lot of jobs to a lot of people and given a lot to various charities over the years. I've done my fair share of good, despite the tough decisions I've had to make" He takes a sip of his beer when he finishes, I don't want to dive deeper into why he thinks it's fair that he's an ass because he writes some cheque's.

"So why hotels? How do you even get into the hotel business" the more he talks, the less I have to talk. But then the more he talks the more opportunity he has to say something rude or offensive. There's a fine line, I've just got to learn how to walk it.

"Well I always liked hotels growing up, a little paradise away from home filled with people who just wanted to make you feel welcome and looked after. My grandmother left me quite a large sum of money when she passed away, so I used it to open up my first hotel in Manchester. And it became a massive success, I didn't quite think it would turn out to be this massive empire, but once again, no complaints" He has such a goofy grin when he talks about the things he likes, so far that's his cars and his hotels. He even has dimples, I wouldn't have expected him to have dimples and yet there they are. I enjoy seeing them, and once they slip from his cheeks I want them to come back again.

"I imagine she would be quite proud of you then" I smile at him as I take a drink, he relaxes back in his seat slightly and nods.

"I did name them after her so she bloody well should be" I can't help but laugh, his own lips curling into a grin as I cover my mouth with my hands.

"Arcadia? That's a really lovely name. Don't think I've heard it before" I grin once I've settled down, he nods his head, dimples still there. I might be smiling more at them than at his joke.

"Yes, she was quite an enigma" Must run in the family then. I look down at his hands as he reaches for his beer, taking in the various swirlings of ink dotting his skin.

"You have quite a few tattoos" I comment and he follows my gaze, looking down at his arms and shrugging.

"I've got quite a few, I got my first one when I was 16. Once you get one they're kind of hard to stop getting, I still have more I want to get one day" I smile and observe them, a cross on the front of his left hand between his thumb and forefinger, he didn't strike me as a man of religion.

"I've always wanted one, but i never had the guts. I'm a major wuss when it comes to needles" I vote to not ask about the cross. There are many topics that are considered forbidden or taboo when it comes to dating; politics, your exes and religion.

He smiles widely. "It's not as bad as you might think, anything not on the bone isn't too bad. It feels a little like a bee sting at first, then you kind of get used to it. Can't imagine you with tattoos" I smile gently and take a sip of my drink.

"Why not?" I ask. He shrugs.

"Not sure, your skin is just so delicate, doesn't make sense to cover it up" My cheeks redden with blush and I dip my head down to look at my salad to avoid talking about it. This man can say the sweetest things sometimes, I still can't figure out which side of him is an act, or if any of it is an act at all.

"You said you were at work today?" Rhodes asks after a moment of silence, I nod my head. Oh man, I had just forgotten about my meeting with Alice. I was in a blissful wonderland where I hadn't let anyone down. "How was it?"

"It was okay, I gave my boss my months notice" I tell him casually shrugging and eating some more of my salad, hoping to allow to conversation to pass by us like a ship in the night, no such luck.

"How did that go?" He asks, though he doesn't seem too overly interested. At least his trying to take an interest?

"It was, well she took it really well, but I hated doing it. I really liked the work and I liked the people there too, I just don't like letting people down" I shrug my shoulders again.

"Giving your boss your notice isn't letting them down. People move on from jobs, they understand that" he's trying to make me feel better using his business side, but from what I've seen so far I don't like that side of him. I wouldn't last a day under his employ, I'd be running for the hills before lunch.

"Yeah I know, but my boss and I are really close. You don't find lots of students who will be willing to stay at university longer than they have to, let alone work there. I just feel guilty, I can't help it" I sigh softly and place my fork down on the plate. I've spent most of my life doing everything I can to avoid disappointing people, doing it for a guy I don't even know makes the situation so much worse somehow.

"I'm sure they will find someone easily enough. Thirty days is more than enough time to find someone, especially if it is only a bookstore" He doesn't understand, how could he? I don't truly know the amount of time and effort that goes into owning or operating a business but I do know that the work I did there could get very complex.

"I guess so" I quietly agree, I think I'm just desperate to avoid another disagreement at this point.

"Well I appreciate what you are doing for me" He gives me a genuine smile before the waitress interrupts us to clear up our plates. My mouth splits into a grin as Rhodes very politely thanks her, before he looks over at me and shrugs his shoulders.

"I suppose you're rubbing off on me already" He returns my smile, I hope he doesn't end up rubbing off on me.