Jackie beamed as she prepared to recount the story. “I could tell something was up, though I didn’t know what. He’d been acting strange all day and made me promise I would be on time for dinner at a little Italian place we like to go to. We met, and at the end of the meal, he asked if I wanted dessert. But I was full, so I said no. He kept insisting, so finally, I said yes, and he asked the waitress for the cannoli sampler. Apparently, he asked her to hide the ring in one of the cannoli but didn’t know which one. So he started smushing each one on the plate.”
Jackie started laughing, and Sonia joined her.
“By then I realized what was happening, but I didn’t want to spoil the surprise, so I patiently waited, and of course it was stuck in the last one. He picked up the ring and got down on one knee, but he was so nervous that he wasn’t paying attention, and ended up tripping a waiter holding a tray of drinks behind him.”
“Oh no!” Sonia covered her mouth.
Tears were streaming down Jackie’s face now. She swiped them away. “Luckily, the waiter must’ve been a juggler or something, because he managed to right himself and barely spilled a drop of water from one of the glasses onto the floor. Poor Evan was sweating. So much his hair was stuck to his face around the forehead. Then he opened his mouth, and I think he asked me to marry him.”
“What do you mean, you think?”
“Because he asked me in Cantonese, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him I don’t speak Cantonese. I speak Mandarin, so I didn’t know what he was saying, but whatever it was, it must have been lovely, because he spoke for a solid minute. In the end, I said yes. I went by the visual and assumed he was asking me to marry him.”
They fell out laughing.
“At least he tried,” Sonia said, wiping tears of laughter from her cheeks.
“Yes, my darling fiancé gets an A for effort.”
“And your parents are on board.”
“They are surprisingly excited, even though my future husband is not wealthy. I think they’re happy I’m finally settling down.” Jackie pinched her own arm. “Can you believe it? I’m getting married.” She stared at the ring on her finger.
“I am so happy for you.” Sonia sounded like a robot, but Jackie didn’t notice. She was too busy twisting her hand one way and then the other to let the light catch the diamond at different angles, while the knife of jealousy twisted another quarter turn.
“Oh my goodness! I’ve been talking about me, me, me. What about you? We haven’t talked about your trip.”
“You’re getting married, so that’s big news.” Sonia took a deep breath. “There’s nothing going on with me right now. We had a great time in Argentina. Esteban’s back to work, and I…I’m taking Spanish classes and getting better all the time.”
“Good. I’m sure he appreciates it.”
“He does, and we practice sometimes.”
“What about your somm certification? How are you going to use it?”
“I won’t right now.”
“Why not, for goodness’ sake? Because you’re with Esteban? You didn’t go through all that trouble to sit on your certification, did you?”
“No, I didn’t, but…” Sonia couldn’t bring herself to tell Jackie that part of her agreement with Esteban was that she wouldn’t work, so that she would be available to him at all times. She figured she’d get back to work after her relationship with him ended. Whenever that was.
“There’s no harm in staying busy. Maybe you could do something part-time,” Jackie suggested.
“Maybe,” Sonia murmured.
The more she thought about it, the more appealing the idea became. Now that she had her certification, so many more doors would be opened to her. Working nights at a restaurant was problematic, and she had no desire to restart her wine consulting business, which even during the best of times had been fledgling at best.
The best option, for now, was to find a company interested in contracting her services. She knew of one based out of California called the Sommelier Group. They had offices around the country, including one in the Miami area. She’d spoken to a rep in their recruitment office before, and though he was impressed by her knowledge, he’d suggested she come back when she had earned her certification.
“You know what, you just gave me an idea,” Sonia said.
“I did?”
“Yes. I’ll start floating my résumé around.”
“Brilliant idea.”
If they could use her part-time, Esteban shouldn’t mind.
Ever since they returned from Argentina, things hadn’t been quite right between them. Sonia couldn’t put her finger on precisely where the problem lay, and she wasn’t certain whose fault it was, hers or Esteban’s. All she knew was that something felt a little…off. So tonight’s event was an opportunity for them to reset.
Esteban received invitations to all kinds of events, not only in the Miami area, but around the country. Most often, he attended parties that doubled as opportunities for networking, but tonight was not the case.
While some of the residents of Star Island kept a low profile, others took full advantage of their celebrity status and competed against each other to throw the biggest and best shindig that would be talked about in the press and lauded for its excess on social media. Tonight promised to be one of those events.
Italian billionaire Cesar Bertolli lived on Star Island and was throwing a thirtieth birthday party for his wife, French actress Veronique, thirty-three years his junior. Guests were flying in from all over the United States and Europe, with limousines commissioned to ferry them from the airport, to their hotels, and eventually to Cesar’s palatial waterfront home.
Because of the black-and-white theme of the party, Sonia wore a black jumpsuit with three-quarter-length sleeves and a plunging neckline. The white in her outfit would be the pair of Harry Winston diamond drop earrings from the jeweler’s New York collection.
After a quick assessment of her appearance, she went in search of Esteban, and found him in the living room with the phone to his ear, speaking to someone in what sounded like Italian. The white shirt and black slacks were the perfect uniform for a man of his complexion and physique. He managed to look casual, yet elegant, his skin glowing from a healthy tan.
She’d grown accustomed to his moods, and could tell by the knit in his brow and the way he paced the floor that this was not a personal call.
He worked too hard. Days, nights, weekdays, weekends—he seldom took time off. She understood the need for him to stay on top of his business affairs but wondered at times if something else drove him. Not the need for success or to accumulate more wealth, but another, more deeply rooted reason for his ambition and obsession with perfection.
Esteban’s gaze landed on her, and he stopped pacing. Immediately, the crease in his brow smoothed out, and he looked at her with what she deemed to be genuine affection, letting his gaze trail down her attire in appreciation. Keeping his eyes on her, he said a few words in Italian and then hung up.
“Maybe we should stay in. You’re going to take all the attention from Veronique,” he said.
“I won’t do that, and we’re not staying in.”
He stepped up from the living room and towered over her. The warmth in his eyes coiled heat low in her belly.
“Then we should plan to leave early, because I don’t see how I could possibly keep my hands off you for very long.” Esteban slid an arm around her waist and dropped a kiss to her breastbone.
“I’ll consider it,” Sonia whispered.
He chuckled. His breath fanned lightly over her skin, and her nipples puckered in response.
After another quick kiss to her jaw line, he steered her toward the door, but she stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Let’s just have fun tonight, okay?”
He studied her for a moment. “Okay.”
“So no business and no phones.”
His eyebrow arched. “Sonia, you know—”
“Yes, I know, you
’re a very busy man. But we’ll probably only be there for a couple of hours, and whatever happens, I’m sure you can have Abena or someone else on your staff handle it.” She extended her hand for the phone and held her breath.
He didn’t move. “You really want me to do this?”
“Yes. Please.”
A small smile lifted the corner of his mouth, and he handed over his phone without another word.
“I’m going to send Abena a quick message and let her know you’re not available for the rest of the evening unless it’s an emergency.” Sonia tapped out the text as Esteban looked on, then she tucked the phone into her black wristlet. “There. Now we’re ready.” She grinned at him.
Esteban took her hand and started toward the door. “If my empire falls apart tonight, we know whose fault it is.”
“Your empire won’t fall apart,” Sonia said, leaning into him. Her mood had elevated already.
Outside, thunder rolled and a flash of lighting zigzagged across the sky.
Walking briskly to the car, they stared at the dark clouds overhead.
“A storm is coming,” Esteban murmured.
Chapter 28
The glitterati were out in force when Esteban’s Porsche pulled up in the long line of cars outside Cesar’s mansion. Valets whisked away the vehicles, and attendants in solar-powered golf carts carried guests from the gated entrance to the front door.
Sonia had attended her fair share of parties since becoming Esteban’s “lady friend,” as some people referred to her, but this had to be one of the most outrageous ones. Inside, her mouth fell open at the topless women wearing glittery black booty shorts and performing an amazing feat of acrobatics on swings suspended from the three-story ceiling.
Black and white balloons decorated the wide-open space, which led into a great hall packed with guests clad in black-and-white attire, some of them dancing in front of the live band on a stage near the back of the room. Other performers circulated among the throng—a fire breather, a sword swallower, and a woman in a thong bikini juggling on stilts.
Familiar faces, acquaintances and friends, approached or waved when she and Esteban entered the room. She still marveled at how Esteban managed to keep a low profile among all the revelry and excess he was exposed to. Though friendly, he stayed aloof enough that no one tried to rope him into selfies or other types of candid shots.
Sonia jumped when she heard a high-pitched scream, but grinned when she saw Veronique rushing toward her in a sparkling red strapless gown, with arms outstretched. The actress pulled her into an exuberant hug.
“Darlings, you made it.” Veronique’s puckered red lips delivered air kisses on either side of Sonia’s cheeks.
“Feliz cumpleaños,” Esteban said. With a loose arm around Veronique’s waist, he leaned in to give her a proper kiss on the cheek.
“Merci beaucoup, mon amour.” Veronique batted her eyelashes, but Sonia paid her flirtations no mind. Veronique enjoyed playing the role of French temptress, but she was as devoted to her husband as he was to her.
“We wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” Sonia said. “You went all out, I see.”
Orchids rumored to cost in the neighborhood of forty thousand dollars, and more black and white balloons, filled the party room.
“Oh, this.” Flamboyant and theatrical, Veronique spoke with her hands. Her normally dirty blonde hair was dyed black this month for a role in a period film. “You know Cesar. This is all his doing. Everything must be big and bold and extravagant! It’s too much, but I know it makes him happy.”
Sonia barely managed to not burst out laughing at the blatant lie. Esteban lifted a hand to his mouth and cleared his throat, hiding his laughter, but Sonia was certain Veronique didn’t notice.
The actress looped her arm through Esteban’s. “I must steal you away. I know you’re not here on business, but I have a friend who’s interested in opening a restaurant and wanted some advice. I told her I know just the person to offer guidance. Do you mind terribly, darling, helping my friend?”
He turned to Sonia with a gleam in his eye. “You have to ask Sonia. I was given strict instructions to refrain from doing any business tonight.”
“I’ll make an exception for the birthday girl,” Sonia said.
“Oh thank you, darling. I promise to only borrow him for five minutes.” Veronique snapped her fingers at one of the servers. “Please see to my guest,” she said, pointing at Sonia.
The server hurried over as Veronique and Esteban walked away arm in arm. Sonia took one of the flutes of sparkling champagne and, searching the crowd, saw a trio of women she recognized and navigated over to them. They immediately greeted her with one-armed hugs and air kisses, and they all caught up on each other’s news since the last event. Inger’s daughter had started preschool, and a week ago Jasslyn had returned from a trip to Rome with her Italian boyfriend.
Ten minutes into the conversation, Sonia excused herself to go in search of something to eat. There were plenty of food stations with a variety of choices, but she ended up perusing a tray of crudités, when she heard a familiar, gravelly voice.
“Sonia?”
Eyes wide, she twisted around. Eight years had passed since she last saw this person.
His eyes lit up. “I thought that was you.”
Stone Riverton was the owner of Stone River restaurants, and twenty-five years older than Sonia. At nineteen, her love for him had been absolute when she worked at his restaurant in Atlanta. He’d left an indelible impression on her life and introduced her to heartbreak.
“Hello, Stone. It’s been a long time.”
Lines of maturity creased the corners of his eyes, and gray hair, absent during their affair, dusted his temples. He was dressed the same as Esteban in a white shirt and black pants, but carried a little more weight around the midsection. Overall he looked like a dignified fifty-three-year-old, not unlike the person she’d known him to be—her first lover and the man she thought she couldn’t live without until she learned the truth.
“It has been a long time, and you look great.” His gaze swept her from head to toe. “You’ve matured, and travel in different circles now, I see.”
“A little.”
She could guess what he saw. Back then, she’d been young and raw—now she was older, polished, wearing designer clothes, and partying with billionaires, movie stars, and music moguls.
“So, are you here alone?” he asked.
“No, I’m not. I’m here with someone.”
“Of course you are,” he said, with a rueful twist to his mouth. “Lucky man.”
“Stone…”
He smiled. “I know. Very inappropriate, but it’s true. He’s a lucky man, and I’m an old fool.”
“We shouldn’t have gotten together. You lied to me.”
He acknowledged her statement with a nod.
“I trusted you.” She’d been crushed when she learned about his wife.
Regret filled his eyes. “And I abused that trust. I took advantage of your naiveté.”
Having him acknowledge his sins came as a surprise. “You did,” Sonia said quietly.
“I’ve changed.”
Her gaze shifted to the gold wedding ring on his finger, something he’d omitted when they first started their affair. “Because you’re wearing a ring now?”
He stared at his finger, as if seeing the jewelry for the first time. “Yes, but I’m also a little older, a little wiser. Different.”
“But still married.”
“Yes. Although…there hasn’t been anyone else since you.”
Sonia gave a short, humorless laugh. “I’m not sure that’s a compliment.”
“It is, but I understand if you don’t take it as one.”
Sonia was fiddling with her wristlet, thinking about how to extricate herself from the conversation, when Stone asked, “So what have you been doing since you left Atlanta?”
A man came over to the table, and they edged out of t
he way, which caused them to stand closer together.
“Still working in the restaurant industry,” Sonia replied. “I’m a certified somm now.”
“That’s wonderful!” Stone looked shocked but pleased. “Where do you work?”
The little pride she felt suddenly deflated. “I’m not exactly working at the moment.”
Stone’s eyebrows rose. “Why not?”
“I…I plan to get back into it eventually, but I’ve been busy with other things.”
“Oh.” Stone frowned. “Would you like to work as a sommelier?”
“Eventually, definitely.”
A thoughtful look came into his eyes. “I’d like to help, if I can.”
“Help how?”
“I could find you job.”
She laughed.
“I’m serious,” Stone said.
“Why would you do that?”
“Why not?”
The smile fell off her face when she saw how serious he was. “Because you don’t have to do that.”
“I feel like I do.”
“You don’t owe me anything, Stone.”
“I do.” Briefly, he looked away and shook his head. “I took your innocence. I lied to you and didn’t tell you I was married. I owe you plenty.” He pulled out a gold business card holder and extended a card. “Take my card.”
“Stone, you don’t have to do this.”
“Take it. It’s the least I can do. I have a few connections here in Miami. Give me a call sometime, and I’ll see what I can set up for you. Matter of fact, I know a couple of people over at the Sommelier Group, if you’re interested in doing workshops and such. They’re always looking for good somms.”
“I was thinking about reaching out to them the other day.”
“Good, you should. Give me a call. Better yet, send me your résumé, and I’ll put in a good word for you.”
She smiled at him. “I appreciate that.”
“Like I said, it’s the least I could do.” He looked at her with fondness and hesitated, as if he wanted to say more or lean in for a hug.
Not wanting to encourage him, Sonia stood in place and ended the awkward moment by saying, “I’ll be in touch.”
More Than a Mistress (Latin Men Book 5) Page 17
