Fuck me, that was close.
I wiped the sweat off my brow with a kitchen rag, straightened my collar, and went back out into the party.
“Ozi,” Enzo called for me. He squeezed my elbow and guided me toward the bar. “Remember, play nice.”
I was still out of sorts but my head was starting to clear. The crisp night air cooled the sweat on the back of my neck and it felt amazing. Everything was always heightened. The slightest breeze could feel like tiny fingertips stroking my face. It was as if the wind were seducing me.
As we approached the brunette, her scent nearly stopped me in my tracks. It was jarring. I could hear her heart race as Enzo spoke to her. She hesitated, then turned toward me, and it took everything in my power not to pounce.
“Raven Monroe, I’d like you to meet your new boss, the esteemed owner of Dolce Sale. I present to you, Ozi Fabiano.”
I whipped around with my hand out ready to shake and lost my breath. It was him. The man I’d been ogling all night. Our eyes met and it was as if the whole room blurred around me. We stared at each other without speaking. My heart raced like a speeding train, threatening to crash and burn into a million pieces. It wasn’t until Enzo dramatically cleared his throat that I was able to snap back into reality.
Ozi took my hand, but instead of shaking it, he brought it to his lips and placed the softest kiss on my skin that I had ever felt. Every nerve in my body tingled. A slight, almost unnoticeable quiver of warm breath brushed over my knuckles. “It’s a pleasure, signorina. Welcome to the family.” His voice, heavily soaked in his Italian accent, was deep and rich and melodic. And it vibrated through me like the violins.
“Thank you for this opportunity,” was all I could muster. I sounded like a robot but I was on the verge of passing out. His presence was dizzying. Intoxicating. A sense of guilt washed over me. I had been lusting after him all night, but he was my boss. Off limits and a very bad idea for multiple reasons. I needed this job and I couldn’t risk anything screwing it up. I also had no intention of letting my guard down around a man anytime soon. Even one that looked like him.
“I was just telling Ozi how you interned at his vineyard years ago. No one else at Dolce Sale has even visited. Raven, tell us what you learned there.” Enzo was trying to steer the conversation into a more professional direction and I was grateful.
My mouth was so dry, I wished I could have grabbed one of the flutes of sparkling wine that whizzed by me. “It…It was one of the best times of my life. I stayed in the guest house and got to wake up in the middle of a vineyard in Tuscany every day. I picked olives and learned how to make cheese. Sometimes I wish I were still back there.” I felt like I had said too much but it was true. My time on Ozi’s vineyard was the last time I remembered being truly happy.
“I’m surprised we never crossed paths. I must have just missed you. I tend to spend my winters there. I find the New York winters a bit depressing. I’d love to hear more about it sometime.” Ozi didn’t blink or take his eyes off of me. He was one of the most present people I’d ever spoken to. Most people were often distracted or thinking about what they were going to say next. But not Ozi. He literally savored and noted every word I said. He was completely in tune to me and seemed to forget that Enzo was still standing there.
“I would like that,” I murmured. Oh dear god, he still had the tips of my fingers in his hand.
“All right, we kept you long enough, Raven. Max is making drinks faster than everyone can get them out. I swear, he’s too efficient for his own good sometimes.” Enzo chuckled and made a shooing motion with his hands.
I nodded and I swear I almost curtsied toward Ozi. What in the hell was wrong with me?
“It was nice to meet you, sir. I—”
“Please, call me Ozi,” he interjected.
I pulled my hand away under Enzo’s curious stare. “I better get back.”
“Of course. I will see you again.” Ozi didn’t break eye contact with me until I turned around. I could have held his gaze all night long.
I rushed back over to Max, my face flushed and my lower back pooling in sweat. “Sorry about that. Enzo wanted me to meet Ozi.”
Max arched an eyebrow at me. “Whatever you say, country girl. Now please get these drinks out of my sight. I can’t even look at them anymore. Who fucking drinks white zin anyways?” He looked like he was actually disgusted. I couldn’t help but giggle at him. And it was enough to snap me out of my stupor.
I didn’t run into Ozi again for the rest of the night, but I could still feel his gaze on me from across the terrace. I stole a peek every twenty minutes or so and I was right. He was watching me. It was probably just because I was the new girl and he wanted to make sure I didn’t screw up his party. At least that’s what I kept telling myself.
We finished cleaning up around two AM and I made it home by three. As exhausted as I was, I laid in bed wide awake. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I will see you again. I couldn’t get the sound of his voice out of my head. This was not good. I came to New York to become a chef, not to have fantasies about my hot new boss. So how was I going to work for a man that made me want to rip his clothes off?
Cassius was seated in the living room. “What, no hot model waiting for you tonight? You must be losing your touch.”
I laughed as I poured us a couple whiskeys. Cassius knew me well. We had been partners for a long time, and friends even longer. I was still reeling from Raven’s presence that I hadn’t even bothered to notice that the party had cleared out before I could make my move on anyone.
“Watch your tongue,” I teased. “I already played twice today. Besides, we need to discuss whatever it is you’re concerned about.”
His smile faded. “It’s about our black account. I think someone is trying to hack into it. And with Lux out of the country on one of his little artifact expeditions, that leaves just you and me to figure it out.”
“I thought that account was unbreachable, Cassius. We can’t afford to have any of it leak out. You have to fix this. I can’t be seen anywhere near this. My presence is too public.” Our black account belonged to me, Cassius, and Lux, and it contained all our hidden assets and black-market dealings. It could also point out to what we were. Immortal.
Cassius paced around my living room, his wolf eyes glowing gold. “I know. I’m working on it. This is why you should never have turned yourself into a public playboy. You draw too much attention to yourself. Lux and I warned you about it decades ago.” While the three of us were well over a hundred years old, neither of us looked a day over thirty.
“Well, forgive me for not wanting to hide out in the wilderness like you. Or lock myself in an ivory tower as Lux has done. What’s the fun in being the strongest creature in the world if you can’t reap the carnal benefits?” I winked over my glass.
He huffed and slumped down onto my black leather couch. “And you, my friend, have too much fun. Anyhow, I’ve got my team on it. I’ll send word to Lux when he checks in. I just have a bad feeling about this.”
Cassius was always the most paranoid out of the three of us.
I wagged my finger at him. “You, my friend, don’t have enough fun. Aren’t you wolves designed to mate? When was the last time you had a woman in your bed?”
“None of your business, Ozi.” His brow scrunched together as he looked away.
“Look, I trust you will get to the bottom of this. We are the Sons of the Fallen. Don’t ever forget that. People don’t just stumble upon us.” We were an organization of only three for a reason. While there were plenty of immortals out there, most could not be trusted. Lux and Cassius had proven their loyalty to me and I to them. We got lucky in finding each other. If someone was trying to hack into our accounts, it had to be some nosy human. No other immortal would be stupid enough to cross us.
Cassius nodded and went for his coat. “I’ll show myself out. I’ll let you know if I find out anything substantial.”
“I have total faith
in you, brother,” I called out as he reached the front door. “And try to have some fun for once. Life is short for them but long and boring for us.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Cassius muttered as he shut the door behind him.
Now that I was finally alone, I let my mind drift back to earlier. To Raven. I wanted her. I wanted to taste every part of her. She was different. But Enzo would never let me hear the end of it. Plus, I knew that the second I had her, she’d fall. She’d want more. And I wasn’t sure I trusted myself not to drink from her either. I couldn’t let my desire cloud my judgement.
But she was sexy as hell and her restrained demeanor, the way she was so tightly wound, suggested something wilder lurking beneath the surface. The thought of her writhing underneath me made my dick so hard, I regretted not lining up someone to fuck tonight.
It was almost four in the morning by the time I had made up my mind. I had said I’d stay away, but I had to see her face again. Fuck Enzo. It was my restaurant and she was my employee. I would do with her what I wanted.
I watched the sun come up while sipping a cup of black coffee then picked up my phone and dialed Enzo. “I’m not ready to leave the city. Have my usual table ready for me. I’ll be there around nine PM.”
“Si, signor. Any special requests I can have prepared for you?” Enzo sounded groggy. I must have woken him.
“Yes. Make sure Raven is my server.”
Silence.
“Enzo?”
He cleared his throat. “Si, si. Of course, but—”
I hung up before he could finish.
By the time my black stretch town car rolled up to the front of Dolce Sale, I was starting to regret my decision. It wasn’t like me to dine alone. I had to fix that.
Charlie picked up on the first ring. “Mr. Fabiano, what can I do for you tonight?”
“I need a date, blond preferably, and I need her to be here in five minutes. The more adventurous the better.” I needed a distraction and to show Enzo and Raven that I wasn’t readily available.
“You got it, boss. I’ll have her there in four.” Charlie hung up before I could respond. That was what I liked about him. No casual chit-chat. No bullshit. He just got the job done.
And in three minutes, a tall voluptuous blond goddess tapped on my window. She wore a black lace mini dress with a plunging neckline, so tight it looked as if it had been painted on. Her makeup was slightly smudged around her eyes and a fresh sheen of sweat glittered across her half-exposed breasts. And I could smell the vodka in her blood.
I gave her the standard Italian greeting, a kiss on each cheek. “Looks like you’ve already started the party without me, bella. Are you hungry?” I whispered suggestively in her ear.
She licked her lips as the back of her hand grazed my crotch. “Starving.”
We were seated at my usual table in the back—a dark corner in which I could discreetly keep an eye on everything on the dining room floor. Before I could even fully sit down in my chair, my date’s pale white hand was already traveling up my thigh.
“Easy, bella. That’s for dessert,” I cooed in her ear.
She laughed throatily. “Mmm, my favorite course.” I swept a strand of her hair back so I could nibble on her ear.
“Hello—hi.” Raven cleared her throat. “Can I start you two off with something to drink?”
My pulse raced. How about your blood? “We’ll take a bottle of sangiovese from my label. The private reserve. How are you this evening?”
She was doing her best to not gawk at my semi-clad date. I could see the heat rushing to her cheeks, hear the racing of her heart, the throbbing in her pulse. “Wonderful, thank you for asking. I’ll be right back with your thigh—I mean your wine.”
I couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across my face. She rushed off and almost knocked a whole tray over on her way to the wine cellar. I was getting under her skin. This was going to be fun.
Why was he here?
Yes, it was his restaurant but the other servers said he rarely came in. And why did he request me to wait on him and the half-naked bombshell? She looked like a porn star. And here I was, miss country girl, lusting after a man so far out of my league, I wasn’t even on the correct playing field.
I found the wine he requested and almost tripped again on the way back to his table. Apparently every time I got around Ozi, I seemed to lose all motor functions. He must’ve thought I was the biggest klutz on the planet.
“Did you go to Italy to get the wine?” the blonde quipped, laughing at her own joke.
“Sorry, I’m new here. It took me a minute to find it.” I unscrewed the cork while avoiding his stare.
Ozi gave my elbow a light squeeze. “No need to apologize, Raven. I have all the time in the world.”
Our eyes locked and a tingle sparked between my legs like an electric shock. The blonde scooted closer to him and draped her arm across his back. “I think we need a few more minutes to decide on what we want to eat. Unless he’s on the menu, of course.”
Oh my god, every time this chick opened her mouth something stupid came out. Ozi shrank back a bit and forced a tight smile. Was this really his type? The dumber, the better, I guess.
After another three attempts to get their order, they finally decided on another bottle of wine and oysters on the half shell. I tried not to cringe every time he fed her one. It was like watching a child giggle over a piece of candy, the over-dramatic way she squealed with delight after each raw slippery oyster slid down her throat.
“How did you get so lucky to have Ozi in your section?” Tori snapped. She couldn’t keep the jealousy out of her voice.
“Yeah, lucky me. They are practically having sex on the table. I feel so privileged,” I snapped back. It was bad enough I had to deal with Ozi’s arrogance, I didn’t have it in me to deal with Tori’s taunts tonight too.
She snickered and rolled her eyes as if I were the one being dramatic now. “Whatever you say, country girl.”
Max flashed me a toothy grin. “Girl, ignore her. She’s just threatened by you. You’re young, pretty, and about to receive a big tip from the owner. Ozi always leaves at least a hundred. Even if he orders a salad.”
“He better. At least for putting up with the little display he’s got going on with that bimbo,” I quipped.
Max laughed as he read the incoming ticket and reached for a martini shaker. “Hey, you should get drinks with us later. It’s sort of an after-work ritual. It will give you a chance to get to know everyone.”
The last thing I wanted was to have to divulge personal information about myself to total strangers. What if I have too many drinks and accidentally spill my sad pathetic relationship drama? Talk about a buzz kill. Alex always said I had loose lips when I was drunk. Too bad he had a loose dick when I wasn’t around.
But if I closed myself off too much, I’d always be an outsider here. “Sure. That sounds like fun.”
I tried to discreetly drop the check but Ozi took notice. “Raven, excellent job this evening. I believe you are fitting in here well. Thank you for your attention to detail.” He gave me a wink and the blonde at his side rolled her eyes.
He was enjoying it. The way his date vied for his attention. He loved the way I floundered and flustered about in his presence. Ozi must have known the affect he had on women and he relished it. He lapped it up like a dog. His arrogance was beginning to annoy me.
“Of course, sir. Have a wonderful evening.” I turned to leave but he caught me by the arm. I felt the crisp fold of a bill in my palm.
“Drinks are on me tonight, darling.” His gaze flitted over my lips.
“How did you know—”
“It’s tradition. The staff goes out together every Friday night. Unless, of course, you won’t be joining them?” Ozi rested his hand on the blonde’s leg, which delighted her as she was beginning to scowl at the lack of attention.
“It would be rude of me to turn it down. Thank you again.” I shoved the bill without lookin
g at it into my apron pocket and hastened my way back to the bar. The rest of the night was uneventful and I managed to avoid Ozi’s table until they left. I gathered my things and stepped out into the chilly New York City night.
Max was out front, scrolling through his phone. “There you are. The others went on ahead. The bar’s just a few blocks away.” I followed him as he walked.
“Thanks for waiting for me. So what’s the name of the bar?” I asked as if I knew anything about the bars in this city.
Max combed through his dark curls with his gloved fingers. “The Red Apothecary. It used to be an old pharmacy back in the day. The drinks are awesome. They’ve named them after old medicines and ancient remedies. And the décor is gorgeous—dark lighting, velvet drapes, very vintage chic.”
“I can’t wait. We only have two bars in Maplewood.” There was a dirty saloon that was older than the town itself and known to get rowdy on a weeknight, and a wine bar that no one went to because the locals thought it was too bougie for them.
Max laughed and linked his arm in mine. “You’re a long way from home, country girl.”
As we skipped down Fifth Avenue, he couldn’t have been more right. Every corner I turned reminded me of just how strange I must look to all the rest. We were almost to the entrance of the bar when I heard a low whisper against the wind. A chill traveled up my spine and I spun around. No one was there but I had the oddest feeling that someone was watching me.
The music was always too loud at the Red Apothecary. My senses were already heightened enough as it was and with this blonde nibbling on my ear, it was even harder to make out the conversation happening at the bar. Raven had just walked in with Max and I was straining to eavesdrop on them.
She hadn’t noticed me yet. But she will. I sent the blonde off to the dancefloor with a shot of their best whiskey and fixed my gaze on Raven, willing her to turn around. And like clockwork her eyes shifted to the dark corner of the bar that I was lurking in.
After I Fall (Immortal Billionaires Book 1) Page 4
