by C. M. Steele
Chapter Two
Fabio
Anger, brutal anger and regret flowed through my veins as I watched her walk in with a beautiful smile on her perfect face.
I regret the damn offer of a free dinner for Dr. Malcolm. He was my brother’s surgeon and so I had him handle Isabelle’s surgery, having no idea that he’d go after Anabelle.
My Anabelle.
She’s supposed to be with me, and there’s no way she won’t be. I’ve waited too long to learn of her existence, and now someone’s trying to take my place. Hell, I had no idea I’d want Anabelle until she answered the phone last week when I was trying to call Isabelle to check on her recovery.
“Talk dirty to me,” Anabelle answers with a sultry tone that shoots through me.
“Excuse me,” I reply, choking out my shock. My dick instantly stiffens, taking me by greater surprise.
“Oh my God. I totally thought you were someone else, Mr. Fiore.” I can almost see her stunned expression and blush over the phone because I know what her twin looks like. I know they’re twins, but I’m starting to wonder why I’m instantly attracted to Anabelle. The sound of her voice is different than her sister’s. Fuck, my dick is hard thinking about talking dirty to her, but then my mind jumps straight to who the fuck that was for.
“Now you have me curious who that someone else is,” I growl out, feeling extremely possessive.
“How about we just forget all about it, Mr. Fiore?”
“I’m not sure I’d like that.”
She refused to tell me who she thought it was, but I hadn’t forgotten and now I know. She’s been seeing the asshole I invited into her life—a doctor no less. Four years, and she’s been under my nose this whole time. Thoughts of having a family with her plague my mind. We could have had a couple of kids by now, and she wouldn’t be out on a date with another man. That’s the worst part of it all, having set the path for the two of them to meet in the first place.
Fuck. I had to have an excuse to push my way into her life without just demanding she marry me, so I asked her to redesign our menus and our website scheme. Apparently, I didn’t move fast enough. Now I have to get rid of him. Murder and burying him on my brother’s estate all come to mind as I watch them like a creepy voyeur. I can’t take my eyes off her as he helps her remove her coat, and bile fills my throat as I think about them together.
I stab my fork into the table in front of me, bending the fucker because I’m so pissed that her flawless skin is under his hands. He makes a concerted effort to touch her. She wore a long, dark green dress with sleeves that are slit down the middle. I want to tear that dress from her body and make her mine for the world to see. Still, I know I can’t, considering I’m pretty sure she doesn’t like me one bit.
She goes to the bathroom, giving me my opening. I make my way to their table, which will be dealt with by tomorrow. “Having a good time?” I snarl.
“I would be if you weren’t shooting daggers my way while staring at my date. I get that you’re not just upset because she works for you. You want her for yourself.” His accusation is one hundred percent correct, which makes this all the more easier to get my point across.
“You’re a smart man. Maybe you should find another woman because I’m going to do everything in my power to stop any relationship between you two.”
He stands and asks in a hushed whisper, “Is that a threat?”
“No. Just a promise. She’s mine.”
He chuckles with a cocky grin on his face. “And yet, she’s on a date with me.” His phone goes off in his pocket like instant karma. “Son of a bitch.” He pulls it out and mutes it, but the phone rings again. “It looks like you won this round, but unless she says otherwise, Anabelle and I are dating, so you’ll need to find a new pretty little thing.”
“We’ll see about that.” I want to knock his teeth out right now, but it won’t help my cause and I’d put up with a lot of shit to avoid creating bad publicity for the restaurants.
“May the best man win.” His phone doesn’t stop ringing.
“Maybe you should answer that.”
“Maybe you should mind your own fucking business.” Still, he answers his phone. “Dr. Malcolm speaking. Yes. Very well. I’ll be there shortly.” He huffs and ends the call, tossing his napkin.
I look in the direction of the restrooms and see Anabelle make her way toward us. She looks good enough to eat. I stare at her sexy dress that shows her thigh with every other step like a little peek-a-boo game, and my dick stiffens on the spot. Hot, seething jealousy simmers as I see what she wore for him. Not for me, but just for Dr. Malcolm. The prick. I’ve never hated anyone more than I hate him at this instant.
“Excuse me,” he says with a smile, walking around me to Anabelle who looks breathtaking in that long green dress. “I’m sorry, beautiful, but I have to go into the hospital.”
“It’s okay. I understand.”
“I really am sorry. I didn’t want this night to end.” He cups her face and kisses her cheek. She blushes and rubs her cheek while he walks away, winking at me.
Fuck, I’m losing big time. I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want Anabelle, and I never will. She’s all I’ve thought about since our one-minute conversation, and seeing her in person only amplifies this attraction that’s fucking unexplainable and yet so visceral.
“Now that he’s gone, maybe we should discuss the plans,” I say, hoping to get her to join me for dinner.
“Sorry, but I really should be going. I’ll have your materials ready come time for our meeting.” She takes her coat off the rack next to their table and slides it over her sexy arms.
“Anabelle,” I call out. She turns to look at me, but I hear a raised voice at one of the tables.
Again, my server interrupts my pursuit of Anabelle with a problem from another patron.
“I’ll see you Monday afternoon.”
She nods and rushes outside. It takes a while to deal with the unhappy customer and have their order made as requested. Still, I run outside with the hope that our valet has taken too long to get her car and she’s still there, but no such luck.
She’s gone.
“Everything okay, sir?” I turn to see one of my valets, Mario, standing next to me with a look mixed with curiosity and concern.
“Yes, Mario.” A stiff wind blows, sending a chill through my body, and then I remember that I ran outside without a coat. No wonder he thinks something is wrong.
“Is Isabelle okay?” he asks out of the blue.
“Yes, why?”
“Well, I greeted her before she left and well, she wasn’t as friendly as usual.”
I chuckle because most can’t see the difference between the two women, but I can. It’s her eyes and her voice. God, my dick’s getting hard again, despite the freezing weather. “Oh. Mario, she wasn’t Isabelle. The woman in the beautiful cream coat was her sister, Anabelle. They’re twins.”
“Wow, double the beauty. I’ve got twin cousins, and those guys are double the ugly.” That makes me laugh, allowing my temper to calm down.
“Will Isabelle be returning soon?”
I nod. “Yes. In a couple of days, right before the holiday rush.”
“Good. Andre’s a great chef, but her food is special.”
“Don’t tell him that.” I wink and clap his back before walking back into the restaurant because my hard-on has finally subsided, thanks to the frigid air.
I get several looks from customers, but they’re all the kind I get for being quite a celebrity. I never expected that status, but eight years down the road and I’m still a super-popular chef and restauranteur. Although, I hardly spend time in the kitchen these days. It’s something I miss, but the business end of things makes it a bit difficult.
“Sir, will that table not be returning?” Colin asks. He’s a good kid and always trying to please, at sixteen. He comes from a very poor family with an abusive father, so he is eager to get my approval.
“No.
They won’t be back tonight.” Dr. Malcolm won’t ever be back again, and the next time Anabelle comes in, it will be on my arm. I head into the back office and lock the door because I need to be alone with my thoughts.
Most nights we’re open until midnight, but the last reservation is for ten thirty because I don’t like keeping my staff past their scheduled time and don’t like rushing my guests out. As soon as the restaurant is closed for the night, I come up with a plan that will get both Franco and me the women we need.
I wait until everyone has left before I load the table and chairs into the back of my SUV. I need to dispose of this piece of shit before I lose my mind. The best place to get it done is my brother’s estate, so I make the hour drive to Rochester and enter my code to get in his gate. Only the family has access to the gate codes.
Pulling around to the back, I see his light in his office is still on. What the hell? It’s two in the morning. I try to be quiet and get out the table and chairs, setting them out to become firewood. The back door on the east end of the castle opens up and my brother, still dressed for the day, steps outside with his overcoat on. “What’s going on?”
“I’ve got some wood chopping to do, but with city ordinances and all, I’ve come here,” I remark, dragging out the pieces and moving them toward the axe-chopping stump just a few feet away.
“It’s a table and chairs.” Yes, I suppose not your traditional firewood, but it will be just fine.
“Damn right it is. Now you can go back to bed. I won’t be too loud.”
“I’m just worried. You do realize what time it is, right?”
“And yet you’re still up.”
“I was reading a new book,” he says. Well, that’s a fair point.
“Fine. Let’s just say I won’t sit by while my woman moves on without me.” The thought of Malcolm kissing her, touching her causes me to swing the first strike, chopping one leg off the table.
“Your woman?” he asks. He knows me better than anyone. Everyone around me only sees what I want them to see, but Franco understands me.
“Yes. Your nosy ass has surveillance on my restaurant.”
“I haven’t watched it since she left.” Franco’s sole objective was seeing her, so I suppose that’s another fair point. The fucker has to stop making sense at this hour when I’m feeling nothing but irrational.
“Well, take the video back a few hours ago, and you’ll see why I’m doing this.”
“Okay.” He heads back inside, closing the door behind him so all the heat doesn’t get out, but he turns on the back floodlights for me. I get back to work, hacking up these pieces like an angry lumberjack or Jason Voorhees on unsuspecting horny teens. Sweat drips down my back as I continue giving my best to work out the ache in my heart.
About forty-five minutes later, he comes back with a glass of amber liquid. “Here you go, little bro. There’s just something about them.” I nod. “Now that you’re done destroying a perfectly good and expensive set, come inside and spend the night.”
“Thanks.” I follow him in, taking off my winter things and my boots before marching upstairs to our rooms.
“How are you feeling?”
“Physically, some days are better than others. Well, the other part you understand a lot more than before.”
“That I do. Goodnight, bro.”
“Goodnight.” We part ways, and I take the hall down to the room that I use while I’m here.
By the next morning, my plans have been thwarted as an emergency sends me down to the Rochester location to work hands-on. It’s lousy, but I have to cancel our afternoon meeting on Monday. For the next few days, we exchanged emails.
Chapter Three
Anabelle
Finishing the last of the menu design changes for Fabio, I send it over. Two minutes later, my phone rings. Seeing the caller ID, I’m tempted to send it to voicemail, but the sooner I get this over with, the better. “Hello?”
“It’s Fabio.” No shit. I roll my eyes, angry because I want him and every call is like teasing my broken heart.
“Did you get my email?” I ask, wondering why the fuck he’s calling, considering the email was self-explanatory.
“Yes, I did, and that’s why I’m calling. I don’t like the color.”
I start seeing red. After he ruined my dinner date and spent two days going back and forth when he’d had time, he’s changing his mind again. “It’s the color you asked for. Sometimes on different screens it appears a different shade.”
“I printed it out, and I still don’t like it. It’s drab. What do you think of the color?”
“Um…” I want to tell him it’s the color of his blood after I get a bit knife happy.
“Come on. Tell me what you really think of it.” The pleading in his voice plays to the good girl in me, and I want to make him happy.
“It’s dull, but what did you have in mind?”
“I don’t know.”
“It’s your restaurant. You want it to embody the feel of Fiore’s.” Is he fucking serious?
“How about we have dinner and discuss color options?” Really? He can’t be serious. John warned me that Fabio wants to add me to his list of lovers. I’ve already told John I wasn’t interested in a relationship with either man because I’m too busy with work and not in the mood to deal with two handsome men who are heartbreakers.
“I’m not going to sleep with you, Mr. Fiore,” I inform him, because there will be no mistaking this is business, my business, no matter how much I’m tempted.
“Well, that’s good, because I didn’t say I wanted to have your pussy for dinner. It’s a business dinner. I suppose you’ve never had one before.” God, my head went straight to the idea of his mouth between my legs eating my pussy out like the tastiest meal. Maybe I lied a lot because I’m so insanely horny right now. I pull out my calendar and check the date. It’s almost my time of the month; that explains the growing arousal. It’s like clockwork.
“Oh, I’ve had them before, but not all of us mix business with pleasure,” I hiss out, hiding how aroused I am. Sitting on my bed, I look over to my bedside table, itching to pull my toy from the drawer and handle this ache he created.
“I don’t ever mix… Okay. That’s not exactly true.” Never mind. Poof. All lust has disappeared while picturing him with that bimbo.
“I don’t want to hear about your sex life,” I say, grinding my teeth.
“That’s not what I mean. My business is pleasure. Watching people enjoy the food at my restaurants thrills me and why I love it when it’s difficult.” I suppose I understand because I’ve watched Isabelle light up with the glowing reviews of her hard work.
“Fine—meet me at the restaurant at seven, and we’ll get down to business.” That came off dirtier than it should have. Maybe it’s just in my head, though.
“Good. I want to talk to you about something else as well.”
“See you soon.” What else could he want to talk to me about? I don’t ask because the sound of his voice arouses me more than it should.
As soon as I end the call, I pull out my toy and make myself come twice, imagining his hands on me, mouth on my sweet slit, giving me what I need. Then I hit the shower, feeling boneless.
Once I’m ready to go, I slip my laptop along with my printouts for him into my case and walk into the living room to say goodbye to my sister.
“Where are you off to, looking sexy as hell?” she asks, twisting her neck to look at me with a load of suspicion.
“I’m not looking sexy. This is nothing special. Anyway, I’m meeting with Fabio to go over the changes he wants. The man is a real pain in my ass. He cancels our meeting, only to want it to happen again. I’ll be eating at the restaurant.”
She crosses her arms in a huff. “I’m jealous. I miss Fiore’s.”
“Do you want me to bring you back something in a fancy doggy bag? I’m sure they’ll do it for you.”
“No. I’m not hungry, but I miss serving people.”
I take a seat by her legs on the couch and rub her blanket covered thighs. “How about you test your strength on me tomorrow, if you really need to cook. You know I can’t pass on your meals.”
Her eyes light up like she just won a date with her dream guy or won the lotto or something. “I only have a couple more days, but I’ll need to get back to it. So, you’re getting a full seven-course meal. You better be prepared.”
“I’ll wear some stretchy pants.” I kiss her cheek and run out of the house, leaving my coat open before getting into my car. It looks like a nice night, but you can never be too sure.
I arrive at the restaurant two hours after Fabio and I spoke, and he’s waiting for me at a table in the back corner. He stands up, and I take in every inch of him.
He’s wearing a white dress shirt with the sleeves raised past his forearms, and I see several tattoos peeking out. Damn the man is pure sexy and it’s not fair that he looks so hot in my presence. We need to discuss business. He should be in a freaking full suit that is too big for him.
“I’m glad you could make it on such short notice.”
“No problem. It’s better to do these things in person so there’s less confusion.” I slide off my puffy coat to reveal a long-sleeved V-neck sweater and a pair of tight blue jeans that hug my hips with fuzzy boots.
A sound comes from Fabio, and I could have sworn it was a grunt.
“Sorry to drag you out when it’s cold, but thank you for coming tonight.” I wonder if he knows I came twice before I got here.
Blushing, I say, “You’re welcome.”
He pulls out a chair for me. “Please sit.” His voice is thicker, raspy. I allow him to push in my chair and then he asks, “What would you like to eat?”
“I don’t know. I can’t remember what’s good here. Isabelle only brings food home every once in a while, and my dinner was cut short last week.” I’m making excuses because I can’t tell him the second my eyes land on his handsome figure, my stomach does flips and I’m not sure I can eat a bite.
