My heart raced. “So there will be a next time?” I’ll take that as a win. “Come on, darling. Let’s get you home.” I didn’t expect it would be that easy to get her into my bed, but it was worth a try. I had a feeling she wouldn’t be so quick to crack. That excited me all the more.
We pulled up in front of her place and she lingered in my car. “Thank you for a really nice night. The food was amazing and the company was…surprising.”
“How so?” I was curious to understand how her mind ticked.
She blushed and reached for the door handle. “You were more of a gentleman than I thought you’d be.”
I laughed. “Just say the word and I can change that. In all seriousness, Raven, this was a true pleasure. And I meant what I said, I will help you any way I can in your dreams to become a chef.”
She looked back and her eyelids fluttered. I couldn’t move. She had me frozen in place under her stare. Without warning, she slid closer to me across the leather seats. The carnal hunger clawed at me and I willed myself to not devour her. With her fragile fingers, she traced my lips. I let out a soft quiver and tried with all my power to restrain myself.
“What are you doing?” I whispered.
She looked up at me with her big green eyes and shook her head. “I don’t know. But I’ve been wanting to do that all night.”
I clasped her hands in mine and drew them down into my lap. “What do you want right now?”
She licked her lips as she eyed me. “I…I had too much to drink. I’m sorry. I should go.” But she didn’t budge.
I leaned forward. Her hands were still inside mine and our lips were just inches apart. Her pulse raced. “Tell me to stop and I will,” I whispered.
She didn’t make a sound as she closed her eyes. The roundness of her lips puckered toward me and I had to push down the guttural growl that threatened to escape. I was going to claim her. She whimpered at the tickle of my breath on her neck as I inhaled her scent, letting my lips hover over her ear. “Tell me to stop,” I pleaded.
Without warning, she pressed her lips to mine. She was warm and sweet and I lost it. I pushed my tongue insider her mouth and she moaned. I had never seen a woman react like that from just a kiss.
But it ended as quickly as it had started. She squeezed my shoulders and nudged me back, gasping for air.
My dick was harder than a rock and all I could think about was draining her dry. But somehow she managed to reign me in. She held me in place with just her gaze.
“I’m—I’m sorry. I can’t do this.” Without another word or glance she leapt out of my car and bolted up the stairs to her apartment.
I sank back into the leather seats, shuddering. What the fuck just happened? I cupped my swollen dick in my hands and willed my heartbeat to slow down. In over a hundred years, I had never met any woman who could have her way with me like that.
I slid down the terra cotta tiled shower wall and let the cold water rain over me. The tears gushed down my cheeks like a dam breaking. What in the hell had come over me back there? I let him kiss me. I kissed him. What was wrong with me? Just because Alex was getting married didn’t mean I had to go make out with the first man who showed me affection. That’s not who I was. But…Ozi. He did something to me. Stirred something inside of me that I thought was dead.
I was mortified. I drank too much and made a pass at my boss. How was I ever going to face him again? To make matters worse, I kissed him and then ran like a confused teenager. He must think I’m such a mess. I wrapped myself up in my robe and made a cup of tea. Just as the bag was almost finished steeping, the light blinked on my phone.
It was a text from an unknown number:
We need to talk, darling.
Shit. He didn’t waste any time. He probably wanted to take back his offer about helping me and fire me altogether. I can’t believe how unprofessional I acted. Sure he flirted with me first, but I took the bait and literally ran away with it.
I thought for a second and then texted back:
Of course. Again, I’m sorry for my unprofessional behavior tonight.
A couple minutes went by. Without thinking, I took a gulp of my steaming hot tea and burned my tongue. Dammit. I was not myself. My phone light flashed.
I’m at your door.
Oh dear god. This can’t be happening. He must really want to get this over with. How could I blame him? There wasn’t any time to change. I tucked the strap of my robe in tight and tip-toed to the door.
“Open the door, Raven,” Ozi called out.
My heart was practically in my throat, beating so fast I could barely breathe.
I opened the door. “Have you been outside this whole time?” I asked.
He pushed past me and invited himself in. “We circled around the block a few times…I couldn’t go home without speaking to you again.”
I hugged my arms to my chest. The dampness from my hair was starting to chill the back of my neck. “Look, about the kiss…I don’t know what came over me. I don’t want to lead you on or—”
“Stop, Raven. Just stop. You know exactly what came over you. We both do.” He crossed the room and backed me up against the kitchen wall. “The question I have is, why did you run away?”
I gazed up at his dark brown eyes. A part of me wanted to surrender and another part of me wanted to hide. “Because it was a mistake. I can’t go there with you. You’re my boss and I’m not…I’m not looking to get involved with anyone right now. I just can’t.”
Ozi inched closer to me, our noses almost touching. “You’re already involved with me. Whether you like it or not, you made that decision back in my car. There’s no going back from that now.” He gently squeezed the tie of my robe, using it to tug me forward till my hips were nestled against his. Shivers raced down my thighs. He whispered in my ear, “Maybe not tonight, or tomorrow, but we will finish this. I will have you.”
I wanted him to take me right there. To hoist me onto his hips and take me hard against this wall. I whimpered at the thought of it.
His lips curled into a half-smirk, half-snarl, and for a split second I could have sworn his eyes glowed in the dim light of my apartment. He sniffed my hair, shuddering as he inhaled my scent. “You intoxicate me. Your absence starves me. When I’m near you, I ache to taste you.” His soft lips tickled my earlobe. I couldn’t move. I didn’t want to. He had me pinned. “And I always get what I want, Raven. Always.” There was something predatory about him in that moment. A wild streak in his eyes that was almost inhuman.
“You—you should go.” If he stayed any longer, I was going to give in and let him do what he wanted with me. And when things didn’t work out, as they normally don’t, I’d have to look for a new job and possibly even a new city to live in. A man like Ozi didn’t seem like the type that was easy to get over. My wounds were still so fresh they didn’t even have scars yet. Fucking Ozi would be like pouring salt on them.
Ozi chuckled. “I know that’s not what you want but I’ll obey. But don’t fool yourself, darling…one of these nights soon, you will be begging for me to fuck you sideways.”
A whimper escaped my throat as he released me. I pulled my robe closer to my chest, relieved but also wishing he hadn’t let go.
He waltzed to the door, pausing at it without looking back. “I will break you.”
“You can’t break what’s already broken,” I murmured back.
The door shut with a thud behind him and I collapsed onto the hardwood floor like a rag doll. My whole body trembled. Everything about him was dark and dangerous, but all I could think about was how much I wanted more of him.
My head was spinning. I needed blood and a cold shower. I had half my collar unbuttoned when I sensed her presence before I even turned the key to my penthouse. Every hair on the back of my neck stood straight up.
Camille draped herself across my couch. “You’ve been a bad boy, Ozi. Fraternizing with humans again.”
This bitch had a lot of nerve. “How did yo
u get in here?”
“I’m a vampire, remember? Your security measures are pathetic.” She lifted a bottle of my finest scotch to her lips and took a long pull.
“What do you want, Camille? I’m not in the mood for your games.” I was half-tempted to toss her off the terrace.
She scooted down and spread her legs apart, nestling the bottle between them. “You used to love to play with me, my love. Seeing you with that fragile girl tonight…well, it made me jealous.”
“So you’re spying on me now? I swear if you go anywhere near her, I’ll—”
“Relax, lover. I’m not that vindictive. Or am I?” She let out a sadistic laugh.
I grabbed her by the arms and lifted her up, pushing her back into the wall. “Don’t you forget who you’re dealing with. I’m not the one to fuck with, Camille. Tell me what you’re really here for and then get the fuck out.” Her skin was starting to redden under my fingers. Yet it would take a lot more than that if I wanted to hurt her. Immortal creatures weren’t easily wounded. At least not physically that is. Emotionally…that was a different thing altogether. And she was clearly still wounded over what happened between us centuries ago.
She didn’t flinch and her icy blue eyes hardened with that steel piercing gaze she was so good at throwing my way. “Take your hands off me, Ozi, or the next thing you touch will be pieces of your new girlfriend’s body.”
I growled and could feel the tips of my fangs protruding out. I still needed to feed and now I was overwhelmed by this insatiable need to protect Raven at all costs. I released Camille from my hands and reached for the bottle of scotch, downing the rest of it before coming up for air.
“She means nothing to me. Just a girl I want to fuck next. So save the dramatics and tell me what you want. I’m tired and hungry and about two strides away from snapping your neck.”
Camille strutted to the door, picking up her fur coat and purse from the couch as she did. “I just came as a courtesy. To let you know I’ve purchased a restaurant of my own. I’ll be staying in New York indefinitely. Hope that’s not going to be a problem?”
Fuck. “Stay as long as you like, Camille. Just keep out of my way and my life. Whether you forgive me for the past or not, we both know I have paid enough for what I did. Open ten restaurants for all I care.”
She batted her eyelashes at me like an innocent little girl, but I knew better. She was far from innocent and she always had an ulterior motive. Her stiletto heels clicked, echoing across my marble floors as she walked toward the door. “Bye for now, Ozi. Oh and you might want to get a better security system. I’m sure I’m not the only other vampire who you’ve crossed in your infinite days. Ciao.”
Her perfume lingered in the air—Chanel No. 5. Some things never changed. She always did have good taste. Expensive taste. I charged toward the kitchen and scrambled open the safe—one of many safes I owned all over the city. I couldn’t get the blood bag opened fast enough. I had gone too long tonight. The chilled blood was refreshing, despite the fact that it tasted nothing like it did when it was fresh from the vein.
I slumped into a chair on the patio and gazed out at the city while I drained three more blood bags. Camille was nothing like she was when we first met. That was my fault probably. But she never loved me. Not before the change and not after. Otherwise she wouldn’t have rejected me when she learned what I was. I don’t think anyone can really love that much anyway. So I couldn’t blame her. I was asking her to love a monster and when she refused, I turned her into one. There were times she was scarier than me. And that was saying a lot. But Raven didn’t belong mixed up in all this. She was a sweet girl from a small town with big dreams.
Enzo was right, I needed to stay away from her. But after that kiss…I didn’t see how that was going to be possible.
The cooks in the kitchen of Dolce Sale stared at me like I had two heads. Watching Enzo explain to them that I would be training as a cook was comical. I understood enough Italian to know that they were not happy about country girl invading their space. Head chef, Arturo, glared at me like I had just stolen his knives.
“Enzo, are you sure this is okay? I don’t want to upset anyone.” I already felt like an outsider enough.
“Si, si. They hate change but they’ll get used to it. I have no doubt you will win them over just as you have done with Ozi.” Enzo handed me a white chef coat and left me standing alone with four angry Italians. If one of them broke the bechamel sauce it would be my fault.
Arturo pointed at the prep station and grumbled something I could barely understand. Something that sounded like mirepoix. I had read enough to know that was a mixture of diced carrots, onions, and celery. I tied my hair back, took a deep breath, and started chopping. Within minutes, he stomped over and yanked the knife out of my hand. “Basta. Stop,” he yelled. “No, watch. Like this.” The way he moved the knife in and out, slicing and dicing, like a dance, it was amazing he didn’t sever a finger. I followed his lead and after a few more tries and more yelling, I got the hang of it. I wasn’t as fast as him, but at least I was starting to get the technique down. And the red in his cheeks began to dissipate. I thought he was going to burst a vein in his neck at one point. If he threw me out of the kitchen, my career as a chef would be over before it even began.
The tension between me and the cooks was starting to subside as we fell into a rhythm. I stayed out of their way and did what I was told. I’d always been a fast learner and I was good at being quiet. When I was a kid, I’d go days without speaking sometimes, just wrapped up in my books. Alex was the one who had drawn me out of my shell. Ironic that he was the reason I retreated back into it.
I worked in the kitchen for the next three nights. On night four, Chef Arturo felt confident enough to let me move off of prep and onto the sauce station. I still had to serve in the dining room the other two nights of the week but being in the kitchen made it worth it. I could literally see my dreams materializing. Visions of running my own kitchen filled my head. But I had a long way to go. I never went to culinary school so it would take me a lot longer to get my skills up to par with the chefs in this industry.
Tonight we were hustling. It was Friday and we were slammed. But the promise that I could have the weekend off kept me going. Working in the kitchen came with a nice raise that made up for the loss of tips on the floor. I’d been working my ass off and was looking for a little self-care wine weekend alone. Although, I did promise Max I’d have brunch with him on Sunday.
The rowdy kitchen fell to a hush. I looked up to see Ozi staring back at me. Arturo ran over to him and shook his hand. They conversed back and forth in Italian, so fast I could only pick up every other word. They liked and respected each other. That was evident from the wide grins on their faces and their relaxed body language. Arturo kept his hand on Ozi’s shoulder while he talked. Then he ushered him over to a large pot and shoveled a heaping spoon of Bolognese sauce into his mouth. Ozi’s eyes lit up as he swallowed.
“Ti piace?” Arturo asked. “Do you like?”
Ozi patted him on the back. “Si, Arturo. Molto bene. Delicious as always.”
“Grazie. Thank you.” Arturo beamed with pride like a child who had just received a gold star.
Ozi towered over me but I didn’t dare look up again. I continued to stir the bechamel I was working on for the truffle mac and cheese.
“Ciao, Raven. They treating you good back here?” His voice was silky and laced with desire. Images of his breath on my neck, his lips against mine, flashed through my mind, making me light headed.
I glanced over at Arturo who was watching us intently. “Great actually.” Arturo let out a sigh of relief and went back to plating. “I’m learning so much.”
Ozi smiled wide and dipped his finger in the sauce. He sucked it off slow. He closed his eyes as he savored it. “Wow, Raven. This…this tastes perfecto.”
Despite the nerves fluttering in my chest, I was pleased that he liked my sauce. Ozi was a perfectionist. That�
��s why his restaurants were award winning. “Thank you,” I murmured.
Enzo rushed in. “The vans are loaded and ready to go for tomorrow, signore. I’ll ride with the staff as usual.”
Ozi nodded and gave me a wink. “See you tomorrow night, Raven.”
Wait. What? He dashed out before I could respond. I arched an eyebrow at Enzo. “What did he mean by that?”
“Ozi’s party is tomorrow night. At his country estate. Didn’t you get the email I sent you?”
Email? Now we were being formal? I don’t even remember giving him my email address. The world I came from did not prepare me for this one. “Um…” I bit my lip.
Enzo burst out laughing. “I’m only kidding, Raven. There was no email. When you work for Ozi, you have to be prepared to change shifts at a moment’s notice. We will be catering a party at his house tomorrow night. It’s a bit of a drive so we always spend the night. The van will pick you up at eleven am sharp.” He helped himself to a spoonful of sauce. “Mmm, delicious.”
The rest of the night was a blur. After breaking down my station, I clocked out and hailed a cab. I still didn’t feel comfortable taking the subway at night by myself. Ugh. This was the last thing I wanted to happen. Not only was I not getting the weekend off like I’d planned, but I was going to have to spend the night at Ozi’s house. I called Max on my way home.
“We’re still doing brunch on Sunday, right?” Max spurted out before even saying hello.
“Well, I guess that depends on when we get back. Have you ever been to Ozi’s other house before? Where are we going to sleep?”
“We usually have a slumber party in Ozi’s room. We feed him grapes and take turns massaging each other.” Max snorted, but it took me a few minutes to realize he was joking.
“Very funny. Seriously though, what kind of party is this?” Before I kissed Ozi, I never would have questioned it. Now I was as nervous as I was on my first day.
After I Fall (Immortal Billionaires Book 1) Page 7
