Julian

 

 

As I walk into the restaurant, I take one look around and feel a surge of satisfaction at the full dining room.

I don't manage this aspect of the business. I have a team for that. We were approached early on by a restaurateur named Hunter Reynolds who wanted to establish a Tribeca location of his popular eatery. That's how Axel Tribeca was conceived. It launched when the attached hotel opened early last year. Both have surpassed my expectations.

I benefit from the steady stream of diners in the form of a percentage of the restaurant's profits. Hunter benefits in the same respect along with the glowing reviews.  It's been a win-win for us both, and we've already discussed the possibility of teaming up for our new location in Philadelphia that will launch two years from now.

"Mr. Bishop?" A young blond woman wearing the required attire of a simple black dress approaches me. "Ms. Newell said I should be expecting you. She's waiting at the table you requested."

When you're faced with the prospect of going to battle against the best attorney you know, you hire the second best to represent you. That's the reason why I'm meeting Chloe Newell, an expert in employment law for dinner.

I stop a server as he passes by me. "I'd like a scotch neat brought to my table immediately."

He doesn't hesitate as he heads toward the bar to my left.

"Is Hunter here tonight?" I turn back to the hostess.

Her eyes dart to my face. "He was in earlier but left. I can call him back if you'd like."

The man has two children and a wife who spends too much time at the hospital where she works as a doctor. If he's left this to go to them, I'm not about to interrupt. "No, that's fine."

"Shall I show you to your table now?"

I've put off the inevitable for too long. I was hopeful that Isadora and I could work out an agreement ourselves that would sever our ties, but that's not going to happen. Every attempt I've made to speak to her the past few days has been met with silence.

Bringing Chloe on board is a strictly strategic move. I know Isadora well enough to realize that at some point she's going to strike and I need to be prepared. 

"Lead the way," I say after glancing once more around the room.

"You'll be pleased to know that our special tonight is pan fried duck breast," she says over her shoulder as she weaves her way around guests waiting to be seated, servers and the chef who popped out of the kitchen to make small talk with a couple who appear to be celebrating a birthday based on the cake on their table. "It's served with a red wine and orange sauce. I sampled it earlier, sir, and I'd recommend it highly. I don't think I've ever tasted anything better than that. It's perfection."

Perfection.

I won't find it on a plate or in the glass of scotch I ordered that is already being delivered to the table where Chloe is seated waiting for me.

Perfection is the woman sitting across the dining room.

Maya Baker's eyes catch mine as I approach my table. A small smile tugs at the corner of her full lips before she turns her attention back to the man seated next to her. Charles Warton, Sr., his current wife and his son, Charlie, are all engrossed in whatever Maya is saying.

It looks like I underestimated Charlie's importance to Maya. I wasn't expecting to stumble on a Warton family dinner, but now that I have, it's going to be near impossible to focus on anything but how incredible Maya looks tonight.

 

***

 

I scratch my chin while I listen to Chloe outline the approach she wants to take. She's on top of her game. I've used her services in the past when Isadora was out with the flu and I needed someone to negotiate with a senior executive I fired without warning.

Chloe took over and within three days, the man had a severance package that put a smile on his face, and I was just as satisfied since I only had to part with a fraction of what he might have been entitled to if Chloe wouldn't have found a small loophole that Isadora had written into his contract.

"I can start on this tomorrow morning, if you give me the go ahead, Julian."

I tear my gaze away from Maya to look at her. She's garnered a few glances from some of the men dining at the tables near us. It's not surprising. Chloe's a beautiful woman. Blond hair, hazel eyes and a sweet smile are all punctuated by a soft voice.

She's disarming which makes her perfect to take over when Isadora leaves her post.

"Come work for me, Chloe."

"No." She laughs. "I told you on the phone earlier that I'm not interested, Julian. I work for myself. Why the hell would I give that up to work for you?"

The woman has a point.

"I will take on this job, because I love a good challenge." She sighs. "Once we get Isadora to sign off on her severance package, I'll put out some feelers and see who is looking. Does that work?"

I glance over her shoulder at Maya's table just in time to see Charlie kiss her cheek.

"That works." I wave at the server who has been patiently checking on us every few minutes since I sat down. "Are you ready to order?"

"Since you're paying me by the hour, I should stall, but I'm starving." She sighs. "I'm going to go with the duck and red wine sauce. It's the special tonight. What do you want?"

The only thing I want in this restaurant is Maya Baker and judging by the way she keeps looking in my direction, the feeling is mutual.