Kate
I’m glad we took a cab to Champagne. I didn’t feel like walking. The last thing I wanted to do was look over my shoulder every step of the way. I wasn’t prepared to be social after receiving the bombshell that Tony laid on me. However, when I entered through the door of the restaurant, my mood changed significantly. I was greeted by several of the staff and the manager. Addison showed up to our table where there was a bottle of a 2006 Vintage of Cristal iced and waiting for us. I love how the staff takes the time to get to know my preferences.
Before Italy, I’d spent a lot of time in each one my father’s restaurants. I was always there on opening day, and I’d pop in frequently just to check things out and make sure everything was going well and the employees were happy. I think that’s a unique thing that we do. As owners, we like to be very personable and develop a relationship with our staff. It seems to build a stronger sense of loyalty. Most of our crew stays with us for years. The turnover is very low, and we were recently voted in the New Yorker as one of the top one hundred places to work.
Our waitress is Maggie. She takes the bottle of champagne, pops the cork, and pours a sample for Tony and me. I take a sip of the bubbly liquid and nod in approval. It’s crisp, refreshing, and it is somewhat dry. It’s just what I need to calm my nerves. Maggie expertly fills our glasses without spilling a drop and returns the bottle to the ice.
“Would you care to hear the specials for the evening?” Maggie puts her hands behind her back. Her black pants, white shirt, and black vest with matching tie are crisply ironed with creases in the appropriate places. This is the standard attire for most of our restaurants. Her shoulder length blond curly hair is pulled back in a ponytail. She looks very professional and meets our dress code requirements.
“Sure, that would be nice.” I smile at Tony who takes a sip of his champagne. He nods his head in approval.
Maggie smiles before proceeding. “To start off with, we have a lovely pear and gorgonzola salad. It’s on a bed of mixed greens, with fresh slices of pear, toasted hazelnuts, and gorgonzola finished with a champagne vinaigrette.” Maggie continued giving the rest of the specials before allowing us a minute to go over the menu.
Tony smiles and shifts in his seat. He looks around, and I can tell he’s somewhat out of his element.
“What do you think?” This is by far my favorite out of all of Dad’s restaurants, and I hope Tony loves it.
“It’s very nice. I love the chandeliers. They are quite impressive. You don’t see fixtures like this in many restaurants, especially in the States.”
I look up at the beautiful crystal pieces. I’m a little surprised that they’re the first thing Tony comments on, but he’s right. The lamps provide some amazing lighting and a nice ambiance.
“Each of the crystals were handmade. My dad had them designed just for this space.” I direct my attention back at Tony. “What do you think of the champagne?”
“It’s fabulous. I’ve never had Cristal. I must say, I’m pleased.” Tony continues to look around. “I knew your father was a mogul, but this is impressive. I never expected the restaurants to be like this. I always figured they’d be like a chain.”
I smile thinking about my dad. “Daddy likes to make each place unique and a special dining experience you’ll remember forever. I think he’s accomplished his goal.”
“Thank you for bringing me here. I like learning about what your life was like before you met me.” Tony picks up his glass, ready to give a toast. I retrieve my glass and hold it next to his.
“To my beautiful woman and new beginnings. I’m so happy I found you, and I can’t wait to share more firsts with you.” Tony clinks his glass to mine.
My heart warms. My eyes get a bit misty. I wave away the pending tears. Each day I’m with this man, I realize how lucky I really am. Tony is so handsome and totally in love with me. He’s kind, compassionate, and wants nothing more than to take care of me and ensure my happiness. Whoever said when one door closes another one opens, couldn’t have been more accurate in this case.
Tony winks at me before picking up his menu. I watch as he peruses the selections. For just a little bit, I forget all about the green-eyed monster and appreciate how good my life is. I glance across the restaurant and connect with some familiar eyes. I don’t realize I’m holding my breath until Tony takes my hand in his, distracting me from what I can only hope is a strange coincidence.
“What’s wrong?”
I shift my attention back to Tony before finding the familiar face again in the crowd. “I’m not sure. It could be nothing.”
Tony follows my gaze to Demetrio from the wine tasting class Kendall and I did last week. His face is hardened and instead of the green eyes I saw before, they were now beads of coal. Chills rapidly work their way down my spine. Something isn’t right about this guy. I’ve learned to trust my red flags, and they’re popping up everywhere right now. My stomach is twisting and turning and food is now the last thing on my mind.
“Who is that?”
I can’t look away from the man as he makes his way to the bar. “Kendall and I met him at the wine tasting the other day. He’s from Italy. He just graduated college and decided to travel to see what he wanted to do with his life. He seemed nice enough the other day, it’s just weird he’s here.”
Tony pulls his phone from his pocket and speaks into the newly adapted iPhone.
“Dark-haired gentleman with gray suit at the bar.”
My eyes flash to Tony. Whoever he’s talking to is here with us in the restaurant. I look around searching for this unknown person.
“Kate.”
I direct my attention back to Tony.
“What’s his name?”
I’m puzzled. Is he talking to me or the person on the phone? Whose name are we referring to? “Are you talking to me?”
Tony nods. I glance back to the Italian man who has now instilled fear in me and possibly ruined my night. “He said it was Demetrio. I didn’t catch his last name.”
Tony relays the information into the phone. He speaks for a few more minutes before putting it down.
“Who were you talking to?”
“Travis. He’s one of the guys on the security detail. He’s sitting over there, in the corner of the bar area.” Tony motions to a guy who looks to be in his thirties. He’s wearing black slacks, a button down dark purple shirt, and a jacket. Even with the jacket on, I can tell he was very muscular. Travis’ chest muscles made the shirt fit rather snugly. He has short blond hair and looks as though he’s just relaxing enjoying a beverage after a hard day’s work. If Tony didn’t point him out, I wouldn’t have noticed him.
I wipe the hairs on my arm that are now standing on end. “When did he get here?” I’m perplexed as to how all this went down.
“Before we did, and he’ll stay until we’re done.” Tony purses his lips and watches as Travis makes his way over to Demetrio. Travis shakes the Italian man’s hand and orders another drink.
“Does Travis know him?”
Tony brings his attention back to me. “Not yet, but he will soon.”
“Is it common for security guards to go up to a suspicious person like that?”
“Sometimes they do. We don’t know anything about this guy yet. So Travis can do some idle bar chat and learn a bit about him. It can also be a form of distraction to keep the guy from watching us if that’s what he was doing. Like you said, it may just be a coincidence.” Tony picks up his menu. “So, what do you suggest?”
I’m completely taken aback. How can he act so aloof? There could be someone in the bar watching us and reporting back to Matteo and Tony’s thinking about food. How can he do that?
“Shouldn’t we go?”
Tony glances up from the menu. “Go where?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Away? Anywhere but here?”
“Why? We came here to have a nice evening. Let’s enjoy it.” Tony picks up the champagne and fills my glass.
“Tony! There’s a strange man who’s a possible threat over there. How can we just sit here and enjoy our food?” My blood is starting to boil. It’s maddening that he’s not more serious about this.
Tony puts down the menu and leans toward me. His calloused hand rub against my soft flesh. “I’ve got everything under control. That man isn’t going to bother us. Please trust that Jasper and I are taking good care of you. If you’d like, I can have the man removed.”
Jasper must be some miracle worker or amazingly good at his job for Tony to not even show the slightest sign of stress. I’m still skeptical. “I don’t need you to have him removed. This is my family’s restaurant, and I can have him removed if I want.” I cross my arms, somewhat satisfied that I do have some control over this situation.
Tony chuckles. “Good point. Shall we get back to our evening?”
I look at Tony and back to Demetrio. The fear that plagued me only moments before has turned into anger. I want to know who this guy really is and why he’s in my damn restaurant. I throw my napkin on the table, stand up, and beeline straight toward him and Travis. Adrenaline courses through my veins. I’m amped and I’m ready for a fight. I have about ten seconds to get my emotions into check, or I could create a scene that wouldn’t look so good. I count to ten as I’m walking and force myself to take slow, deep breaths. Before I even see him, I can sense him. My skin tingles. Tony slides an arm behind my back and proceeds to escort me to the two gentlemen who look as though they’re enjoying a friendly chat.
I cock my head to the side. “Demetrio, was it?” I extend my hand to him. “Remember me? We met at the wine tasting the other night. What a surprise to run into you again.” I’m shocked by the sugary voice that escapes from my throat.
Demetrio turns and smiles, takes my hand and kisses it. “Oh, yes. I thought I recognized you a few minutes ago. What a pleasure it is to meet your acquaintance again.” Apparently, he’s been to charm school. The beady eyes, which were ever so present moments before, now shine like jade.
I pull my hand away and place it on Tony’s chest. “This is my boyfriend, Tony.”
Demetrio extends his hand, but Tony refuses to shake it. The fire that consumed my body only moments before begins to die down at Tony’s reaction. He’s not happy, which allows me to step back and not be the brute anymore. He’s going to do that instead. “So, what brings you here tonight?” I need to get answers for myself. I don’t want to wait for Travis to relay them back to Tony for me to get the abridged version.
Demetrio picks up his drink, takes a sip, and hesitates before putting it back down. “Your friend mentioned this place the other day. I overheard you talking about it and decided to try it out for myself.” He looks around. “You two were right. This place is swanky.”
Swanky? I don’t recall ever using that word the other day. Either I was really tipsy or this man is lying. It’s hard for me to say, because we did have a lot to drink. “Were you planning on having dinner or are you just enjoying the bar?”
He looks at Tony and then back at me. “I hadn’t made my mind up yet. I was just going to have a drink to check it out and then decide.”
I nod. The tension in my shoulders and neck begins to subside. Maybe this guy is harmless after all. Judging by the clenching of Tony’s jaw, I’d say he isn’t as convinced. “Well, it was nice running into you. We’re going to get back to our table.” I turn to head back across the bar. Tony hasn’t moved. As I glance back, he’s staring Demetrio down. I clear my throat and Tony puts his arm around my lower back as he begins to walk with me. I’m not sure what’s going on. I don’t know if it’s a pissing contest or maybe there’s something that Tony knows and I don’t.
As we arrive back at the table, Tony is noticeably on edge. He isn’t as relaxed as he was only moments before. He doesn’t look as self-assured. “What’s wrong? Are you worried?”
Tony places a napkin over his lap and rubs the sexy scruff that has formed on his jaw. “I’d like to know exactly what type of conversation you had with that guy.” Tony motions to Demetrio.
I clasp my hands under my chin. “I’m not sure what you’re asking?”
Tony purses his lips before speaking. Tony is suddenly all business. “It appears you had quite the chummy conversation with him if he knew about your restaurant. What else does he know? Do you talk to all guys like that?”
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I try to cool the blood that has begun to boil once again. I hope he’s not insinuating what I think he is. “Are you jealous?”
Tony’s face turns red, and he takes a sip of his water. “Could you please just answer my questions?”
I grit my teeth and think about whether or not I should even dignify his questions with an answer. I mean, seriously. He knows I’ve been cheated on. Does he honestly think that I’d do that to him? Tears threaten to form in my eyes. I don’t think this day could get any worse. What I want to do is run. I want to go back to my apartment and climb into bed and hide from the world under my covers. If I close my eyes and go to sleep, maybe I’ll wake up and all these things will be gone. Too bad that’s not how life works.
“I can’t believe you’re asking this. I didn’t wait a year without knowing whether you’re dead or alive just for you to come back so that I can turn around and cheat on you with some stranger. He may be Italian, but I can assure you I have eyes for only one Italian man. Further, I wasn’t even sitting next to him nor did I want to talk to him. In fact, at first sight I was scared shitless when I looked into his eyes, and had flashbacks of what happened before. You know Kendall. You understand how she loves to talk and flirt. She’s the one who spilled everything. I, for the most part, only talked to Kendall. In the future, I’d appreciate if you’d have a little more faith in me and respect the fact that I know how to handle myself around other men without you worrying whether or not I’m cheating.”
Oh my God, do I feel better. I can’t believe I said all that, but I’m so glad I did. I take a deep breath, and all the anger that had built up has now been cleansed away. A sense of satisfaction settles over me.
Tony takes my hand. “You’re right. I’m so sorry. I should’ve never said those things. You haven’t given me reason not to trust you.” Tony leans in closer. “I’ve never felt about anyone the way I feel about you. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to keep you safe. Something snapped when I saw the way that slime ball was staring. It was as if you were a piece of meat.”
I’m puzzled. I certainly didn’t get that impression when Demetrio was talking to me. I glance over at Demetrio, who winks at me. He’s not paying any attention to Travis. My stomach seems to twist and tie itself into impossible knots. Something isn’t right here. Part of me wants to figure it out. The other part of me wants to forget everything and just enjoy what’s left of this dreadful day.
“I forgive you. Just don’t let it happen again. You’re much too handsome to turn into a jealous monster. I prefer my hot Italian Stallion.” My cheeks heat up. I can’t believe I just said that aloud, but it couldn’t be any closer to the truth.
Tony’s sexy grin returns. One side of his mouth is a little higher than usual. He does that head cocking thing that guys do when they think they’re all that and a bag of chips. “I’m your Stallion, huh?”
Oh boy, what did I start? I might as well go with it. “Baby, you’re that and so much more!”
Tony chuckles. “Wait ’til we get home. I’ll show you what this horse can do.” The gruffness in his voice returns, and I’m sure he’s going to let out the soft growl that I love so much.
My sex clenches, and I’m immediately turned on. Fortunately, Maggie returns with our salads. Her interruption couldn’t come at a better time.