by Anise Storm
“Saw who?” Lania asked as she took another bite of her breakfast. She had to admit that she was equally as shocked and curious that her friend even agreed to go to a place like that to begin with.
“Luka, silly,” Olivia replied. “You know I’ve always had a crush on him. I mean, he is gorgeous, and those eyes, I lose myself every time I look into them. But I’m digressing. He saw the other guys who had approached me, and I guess he was trying to swoop in to save me. Whatever it was, one thing led to another, and I found myself in another room, alone with only him and something he called a flogger.”
Lania’s mouth was gaping by this time. Luka was into BDSM and Olivia tried it with him? “What did you do?”
She grinned. “What do you think I did? I stripped naked, knelt on the floor at his feet, and let him spank my ass. It was different than I first thought it was going to be.”
“Different?” Lania asked. “How so?”
“I thought that a spanking would hurt, and it did at first, but then it actually felt good. He didn’t use anything else on me and the rest of the night was just like regular sex. When it was over, I left and expected him to call me.” Her voice started to shake, forcing her to stop. Finally, she continued. “I was so hurt when he never did. I really liked him, but I guess he didn’t feel the same way. A few weeks later, I missed my period, took a test and it was positive. I had no idea what I was going to do. I went home for Christmas break and while there, I started bleeding badly and went to the hospital. Turns out, I miscarried.”
Lania got up from her seat and wrapped her arms around Olivia. Her friend started to sob, so she held her until she stopped. Finally, she had to ask. “Did you ever tell him?”
Her head rose quickly. “No. I mean, I would have told him had the miscarriage not happened. Since it did and he didn’t want to see me anyway, I assumed it was for the best that I keep quiet about it. I’m so sorry to have kept that from everyone.”
Still rubbing Olivia’s back, Lania tried to comfort her the best way she could. “You have nothing to be sorry about. I’m just glad that you’re physically okay. I have to know something, though.”
“Anything,” she said.
“Did he not wear a condom?”
“Yes, he did, but I guess they’re right when they say no contraception is a hundred percent effective,” she answered. “Now I have a question for you.”
“For me?” Lania had an idea of what she was about to ask before the question even came out.
“You failed to mention how smoking hot Mario De Palma is. Did you two, you know?” Olivia blushed, and Lania almost giggled. She could talk about spankings with no problem but then became modest when asking if her friend had had sex.
“To be honest, I don’t remember.” They both giggled, and Lania added, “Surely if we did, I would’ve remembered it. I honestly hope we didn’t because he already believes the entire female population wants him. I like to think that my continued rejection of him is a way of knocking his ego down a few pegs.”
“I’m sure it’s something foreign for him, Lania,” Olivia said before winking. “And I also came over to share some other news with you.”
“I sure as hell hope that it’s better than the news you’ve already shared,” she told her as she took her seat. Her omelet was getting cold, but she was famished, so she took another bite of it. “What is it?”
Olivia cringed, and Lania sighed. That couldn’t be a good sign. Taking another bite, she arched her brow at her friend and made a sweeping motion with her hand to hurry her up.
“On the way over here, I passed De Palmas, and the grand opening is scheduled for next weekend.”
Lania felt her stomach coil up at the news. She pushed her plate away and let out a huge sigh. “That bastard. I hate him so much.”
She felt herself pout like she did when her parents wouldn’t get her a pony for her sixth birthday or when they wouldn’t hire a heavy metal band to play at her sweet sixteen party. Deep down, she knew that their restaurants were very different and that there was room for both of them. The selfish part of her didn’t care. She didn’t want to share her success or anything else with Mario, of all people.
Well, maybe she wanted to share one thing with him, but it would be a cold day in Hell before she ever admitted that to his pompous ass. Her morning and now day was ruined with that piece of news, and after Olivia left to go to class, Lania went back in her bedroom to curl up in bed.
When she entered the room, pieces from the night before began to come back to her, and she smacked her forehead. She kissed him? Lania bet that he just loved that. Was coming onto him the same thing as begging? God, she hoped not or else she’d never be able to face him again.
Chapter 11
IT WAS OPENING NIGHT at De Palmas, and Mario was just as nervous as he’d been when he opened his very first restaurant in Singapore. He could still remember that day as if it had been only yesterday. At twenty-four, he was arrogant and just assumed anything he touched would turn to gold. The awakening came when he walked into his place a few hours prior to the grand opening to find the floors of the kitchen soaked and retaining water. The clogged drain was the least of his worries because a short time later, there was a power outage caused by a downed pole at the resort they were building beside him. The driver of one of those destructive trucks even knocked over one of the large coconut palms outside, which fell directly in front of the front door. Thank fuck it had actually missed the large plate glass windows.
Mario had managed to persevere through those mishaps and had to knock on the wooden tabletop that so far today there had been no issues such as those. In fact, everything was running smoothly, which was reason enough to give him concern. “Don’t borrow trouble.”
That advice had been given to him by his father more than once in his lifetime, and he decided not to in this case. In addition to the expected grand opening crowd, Mario also had some close friends of his stopping in to celebrate this latest success with him. There was one guest who would have made this evening perfect, but he knew not to count on Melania to show up, even though her parents had also made the two-hour trip to South Beach.
She naturally assumed that he was there to sabotage her restaurant in some way, which was the farthest thing from the truth. The atmospheres of both places were like night and day and the menu also reflected that. The spitfire’s place, Basilico, was traditional Italian with the brick oven pizzas, rustic recipes, and Tuscan vibe. De Palmas had always been a modern fusion that combined Italian elements with other Mediterranean flavors.
Even the décor of his restaurant reflected that. Stepping out from the back area into the dining room, he took in the large expansive area that seemed to go on for as far as the eye could see. There was a traditional earthiness to the place with the deep brown color palette for the tabletops and chair backs, but that was where it ended. The warm, inviting space practically shimmered with opulence from the soft gold lighting and fixtures throughout. The sheer buttery curtains could be pushed aside for a fantastic ocean view or pulled together to complete the romantic setting. There was also a large communal area on both sides of the bar with large, clear pendent lighting that dangled down at the perfect height and leather covered columns that seemed to frame the large bar area.
“Everything is looking good, Mario,” a voice from the doorway sounded.
Looking toward the door, he grinned as Brayden Cross entered the building. His friend currently owned a BDSM club called the Vault. The two had first met one summer while Mario vacationed in New Orleans. Over the years, the two had remained close, and he was glad to finally lay eyes on him again.
Bray, as he liked to be called, was the quintessential businessman. He owned a string of nightclubs all over the country. The Vault was the newest one for him and knowing he’d have friends here in South Beach, it made the decision to relocate here a no-brainer.
“Hey, man. How have you been? And have you seen Daxton or Asher?” Mario asked.
He’d invited his three most trusted friends to help him ring in the start of what he hoped would be another profitable venture. If De Palmas failed, it would be a crushing blow to him, along with his entire family, as it was their namesake.
“Dax sent me a text message about five minutes ago. He said he’s on his way once he swung by and picked up Ash,” Bray answered as he looked around the place.
Mario wasn’t so much nervous about how the place looked because he’d hired one of the best interior decorators in the state to help him bring his vision to life. The restaurant was exactly what he’d envisioned.
“You’ve done a great job with the place, Rio.” His hazel eyes continued to peruse the space and finally he looked up. “Damn, how tall are these ceilings, anyway?”
Mario chuckled. Most of his friends were around the same height as him. Daxton was the shortest, coming in just under six foot, while he was currently six foot one and both Brayden and Asher were six foot two respectively. “The dining room has twelve-foot ceilings.”
“I can tell. I think that—” His sentence was cut short as two more men entered the dining room. “It’s about time you two got here.”
Mario shook his head and then bumped fists with both Asher Stone and Daxton Boyd. They, along with Brayden, were his best friends. They’d known each other for years even though all four came from different places.
Dax worked with the coast guard here in Miami. He’d moved to South Florida during their junior year of high school. The blond from San Diego, California, had a love of the water and could usually be found surfing, swimming, or boating.
Ash, who hailed from Chicago, Illinois, was two years older than Mario, and had recently completed his five-year surgical residency at a local hospital. He’d just landed a job at Jackson Memorial Hospital and it was a shock that he’d actually had tonight off.
“The place looks really good, Rio,” Ash told him as he walked over to the bar. “Since it’s my night off and Dax is the designated driver, hook me up with something to drink.”
Brayden had already walked behind the bar, so Mario and Dax took a seat beside Ash. This felt just like their college years except neither of them actually owned a club. They used to hit up Delirium where the bartenders all knew to keep the drinks flowing. His friend had plenty of experience behind a bar, which was evident as he mixed and then shook some alcoholic concoctions for all of them except Dax.
Cocktails were then set in front of everyone except for the blond, who was content with a bottle of water. Mario didn’t plan to drink the entire tumbler of liquor, but since his friend had gone through the trouble of making him one too, he at least needed to taste it.
As soon as he did, he smirked. He’d grown used to this particular drink made with gin, Cointreau, and pineapple juice. “A Singapore Sling, man?” he asked. “Where did you learn to make them?”
Mario doubted it was a popular drink at the Vault, because it was more well-known in Asia. In fact, one couldn’t actually travel to Indonesia and not try one for themselves. In the year and a half that he lived there, it had become a staple to him.
“I do own a bar and club, Rio,” Bray answered as he popped a piece of pineapple into his mouth. “Plus, I knew you spent a lot of time out there opening the first De Palmas. As successful as that place still is, we all know this one will be too.”
The men raised their glasses, and Dax raised his bottle, then clinked them together in a toast. Mario then emptied his glass out, earning a look from the men. “I’ve got a restaurant to open, guys. If you stick around until closing, I’ll have two drinks with you all.”
“Mr. De Palma?” came a soft voice from behind him. Mario turned and saw Julie, one of the hostesses, standing there. “A line is starting to form outside. Are we still on schedule to open at four?”
Mario glanced at his watch and realized it was already three forty-five. “Yes, we are, Julie.”
The curvy redhead walked back to the front of the restaurant, and he looked over at his friends. “I need to make sure everyone in the back is ready to go. You three hang out here and enjoy yourselves. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“All right, Rio,” Dax told him before turning to talk to the other guys.
The earlier feeling of nervousness returned, and Mario found himself inspecting almost everything once again, earning a few chuckles from the kitchen and dish room staff. He didn’t care. Everything needed to be perfect because first impressions left lasting ones as far as he was concerned. This venture was the greatest one of his life because he didn’t move back to Miami to fail at business or at love. Claiming Melania as his own would take much more work than De Palmas would. He not only needed the restaurant to run smoothly so it would allow him to work on the second conquest, deep down he wanted to impress her.
Just in the short time since he’d been back to Florida, Melania seemed just as spoiled, if not more so, than she’d ever been growing up. She was daddy’s little princess, and he knew that. Gorgio Barone had always given his daughter the world. He just wondered how she would feel when she realized that this location of De Palmas was made possible in part due to help he received from her father.
Mario pushed that thought away. He turned his focus back to the grand opening and looked into the cooler and storage room to make sure everything needed would be readily available. He had seven cooks, most who’d alternate stations, all present for opening night.
“Is everything ready to go?” he asked Lucian, one of the two executive chefs.
The man grinned and then nodded, so he decided to go check out his waitstaff. The dining room was huge, so he’d made sure to schedule every man and woman he could to work tonight. Since it was a grand opening and the crowds would be large, there would be twenty people running the floor. It was very important to him that no customer had to wait for anything. Once he got a sense of the regular business volumes, the schedules would be adjusted accordingly, but not beforehand.
He also made sure that all six hostesses were available too. Mario anticipated that there would be a huge wait tonight, even though a number of people had pre-booked reservations, and he wanted to ensure they would be seated as soon as possible. Lastly, he had ten guys on the schedule to clear the tables and eight dishwashers to handle the dishes once they did. Payroll this first week would skyrocket, but he was prepared ahead of time.
“You did well, Son,” his father, Salvatore, remarked as he walked into the restaurant with his wife on one arm and Carlotta Barone on the other.
“Thanks, Dad,” he told the man before pulling his mother, Isabella, into a tight hug. He’d been so focused on the grand opening that he hadn’t realized they even came in. “It’s good to see you again, Mom.”
“I’m so proud of you, Mario. The place looks fantastic,” she said.
He grinned and then shook hands with Gorgio Barone and kissed his wife, Carlotta, on the cheek. “It’s almost time to open, so why don’t the four of you take a seat over here in the back, and I’ll have your orders started right away.”
LeAnn, one of the newly hired waitresses, grabbed four menus and led the group to their table. With the parents settling into their seats, he walked back over to the bar to talk quickly to Brayden, Asher, and Daxton.
“Is it time to find a seat?” Ash asked, and Mario nodded.
“Yeah, take your pick of anywhere in the restaurant, and I’ll make sure your orders are placed right away,” Mario answered and then added, “And thanks again for coming tonight, guys.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it,” Dax replied and then smacked Brayden’s arm. “Let’s go, Bray. You can finish telling us about what happened at the club the other night.”
“You’ll need to repeat that story after closing tonight,” Mario interrupted. “I’d love to hear it, but right now I have to go open the doors.”
“Good luck, Rio,” Bray told him before the three men headed for a table in a separate corner from his and Melania’s parents.
Mario turned around slowly, making sure everyone was ready. The clock then struck the top of the hour, and he gave a curt nod to Julie, letting her know it was time to let everyone else in.
She headed to the door, and he walked into the kitchen. The order for the parents’ table was in, and he scanned the dishes they ordered. The table ordered the calamari fritti and the bruschetta for an appetizer. For an entrée, Isabella ordered the angel hair Pomodoro, while Salvatore ordered the braised short ribs. Gorgio ordered the same as his father, but Carlotta ordered the gnocchi al forno. They were some of his signature dishes and best sellers at the other two De Palmas. Mario truly hoped that this third location would follow in the others’ success.
Unbuttoning the cuff and gauntlet buttons on his dress shirt, Mario rolled them up and started getting the Caesar salads for the table ready. Once the four bowls were put together, he placed them onto a tray and walked out into the dining room. It was filling up quickly, and he could see the smiles on the faces of the waitstaff as they presumably explained the different menu items along with the specials of the day. His hostesses were just as cheerful, chatting up the guests as they walked them to their tables.
Mario realized he had no reason to worry after all. His nervousness began to fade and by the time he made it to the back table and handed out the salads to his parents and the other couple whom he considered extended family, there wasn’t a trace of concern to be detected.
“Your order is in and the appetizers should be out to you in a few minutes. Here’s a salad to start with,” he told them. “Enjoy.”
Chapter 12
LANIA LOOKED OUT INTO the dining room of Basilico. The restaurant was just as crowded as it usually was on a Friday, which made her question why she was ever worried to begin with. Mario might have been having his grand opening in the newly built beachside resort, but her place had a reputation for quality that she was confident De Palmas wouldn’t be able to surpass.
With everything running like clockwork, she decided to go back into her office and get some paperwork completed. Once she sat down, her attention was drawn to the scene outside. Lania loved everything about the ocean. It was almost a shame that she was cooped up inside of her restaurant. Finally, she closed the plantation shutters and powered on her laptop. While the laptop loaded all the programs, she turned on the flat-screen television. She might as well catch the news.
