Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Valentina
I could feel the stares of nearly everyone in the room. They were watching me with Luca, wondering, speculating. The gossip would spread like wildfire across all of Paesano by tomorrow.
I tried not to let it bother me.
Tonight wasn’t about me; it was about celebrating the reopening and Giovanni’s brilliance. I didn’t know if an upscale Italian bistro would work in this small town, but I was willing to try. The social media posts were getting good results, and everyone seemed encouraged. There were a large number of tourists in the Hudson Valley, especially in the summer and fall, so maybe they would come here.
But I couldn’t worry about all that, not right now.
I finished my small plate of saffron risotto, which was absurdly delicious. Luca had a linguini and shrimp dish, and he said it was the best he’d ever tasted. No doubt this was a lie for my benefit, but I’d take it. I needed all the positivity I could get.
Luca topped off my wine, then refilled his glass. His hands were sexy and strong, the veins shifting along with bones and tendons. He had clean, manicured nails. There was something appealing about a man who took care of himself, who liked for the world to notice him.
“Are you done inspecting me?”
I looked up and found him smirking at me. “I like your hands.”
“This is good because they will be all over you in a short while.”
I rolled my eyes. Relentless, this man. But I wasn’t leaving early tonight. How would it look if I left before everyone else? This was my restaurant. I had to stay and congratulate everyone, not to mention close out the receipts. I reached for my water, not the wine. I needed to keep my wits around Luca.
Lizzie returned with our next course and when she set the plate in front of me, I smiled. Chicken parmigiana. “Tell him thank you,” I told Lizzie. “I know he wanted to send out something else.”
As she gave Luca an order of the stuffed chicken, Lizzie said, “I think it’s growing on him. And it’s one of the most popular orders tonight.”
“I’m not surprised. It’s a classic for a reason.” I loved the way Giovanni prepared my grandfather’s chicken parm. It was the same Montella sauce, but Giovanni used tomatoes canned in Italy and fresh herbs instead of dried. He also sprinkled a blend of cheeses atop the breaded chicken instead of just mozzarella. In my humble opinion, more cheese makes most things taste better.
I waved my hand toward the magnificence that was my plate and asked Luca, “Would you like another taste?”
“No, thank you. Once was enough.”
I studied him as he cut his stuffed chicken. “Did you finish it or throw it away that night? Be honest.”
“I ate it. Every bite.”
“Admit it. You loved it.”
“I most definitely did not.”
I shrugged and cut a tiny bite of chicken and cheese. “Fine. That just means more for me.”
The first bite was heaven, the second even better. I couldn’t remember the last time I was this happy. Good food, good company. The restaurant was bustling, just like I remembered from my childhood. My mother would be so proud right now.
“I love to see you like this,” Luca said. “You’re practically glowing.”
I didn’t know how to put it into words. “This is what my family intended for the restaurant, to provide a welcoming place for people to gather by serving really good food. And when I was younger we used to be this busy every night. So it’s very gratifying to experience it again, even if it’s only tonight.”
“It won’t only be tonight, bella. I wouldn’t have brought Giovanni here if I didn’t believe in his talent. The reviewers are going to love it and word will spread.”
“I hope so,” I said around a bite of chicken parm.
Over the next thirty minutes Roberto and our server stopped by to check in. But mainly, Luca and I talked over dinner, the conversation flowing easily. Giovanni then came out to personally serve our dessert, which was a hard chocolate ball covering a scoop of pistachio stracciatella gelato. He poured hot espresso over the top, which melted the chocolate onto the gelato. The result was like a sundae flavored with chocolate and coffee. I nearly climaxed when I tasted it.
“Holy shit, this is good,” I muttered as I scooped up another bite. Luca merely watched me, sipping on an espresso, and I couldn’t understand why he wasn’t digging in. “Don’t you want to try it?”
“And miss the little noises you’re making, licking your lips for me? No, you eat it, amore.”
“Stop making everything dirty.”
“I can’t help it when I’m around you. Everything you do makes me want to get you naked.”
Holding his gaze, I lifted the spoon to my lips and slowly slipped it into my mouth. The creamy sweetness hit my tongue and I cleaned the metal dramatically, letting out a little moan to torture him.
Luca put his arm on the back of my chair and angled toward me. My skin broke out in goosebumps as his mouth found my ear. “ Unless you want to get fucked in the bathroom, say your goodbyes. I’m taking you home.”
Heat gathered between my legs, an undeniable wave of arousal, and I was fully on board for whatever Luca had in mind. But I wasn’t sure I could leave yet. “Later, baby. I need?—”
“No.” He reached into his pocket and took out a grip of money. I watched, mesmerized, as he peeled off five hundred dollars and dropped it onto the table. “Let’s go,” he said, his jaw tight and hard, his demeanor in full boss mode.
It was probably wise not to test the bathroom threat.
“Okay, but let me say goodbye to the kitchen staff and Roberto. Ten minutes, okay?”
“Five,” he said, his voice deep and almost menacing.
But I wasn’t scared. Far, far from it. There must be something wrong with me, because I suddenly craved all of that aggression and domination focused solely on me.
I pushed away from the table and hurried to the kitchen. As I crossed the dining room, friends and acquaintances offered up their congratulations, so the journey took longer than I anticipated.
Inside, the kitchen was winding down. They were still busy, but not slammed, so I gushed to Giovanni over his food, then gave my sincerest thanks to the entire crew. I apologized for leaving early, but no one seemed to care. Huh. Maybe Luca had been right about that.
My bag was back in the office, so I went to the rear of the kitchen to get it. No way was I leaving a twenty-thousand dollar handbag here overnight. I’d locked it in my desk drawer earlier, terrified someone would steal it.
I unlocked the office door, then removed my bag from the drawer. I left Roberto a note, telling him thank you and that we’d catch up tomorrow. Just as I was leaving, one of the kitchen staff came in from a smoke break in the alley. These were common, so I didn’t think twice about it, until he said, “Miss Valentina? A man was asking for you outside.”
A man? I was instantly on edge. “Who? ”
The line cook pointed to the alley behind him. “He said to tell you only if you were alone. It’s your father.”
Every muscle in my body went rigid. My father? Here? What the actual fuck? Why would he come here tonight of all nights?
I hesitated, my mind debating what to do. I wasn’t eager to talk to Flavio Segreto, but I didn’t want him interacting with any of my staff members—or Luca. That could be a total shitshow. No, my father needed to go away and stay gone.
I took a deep breath and stormed out into the alley, ready for battle.
It was dark. Only the light over the door provided any illumination, so I peered into the gloom. “Where are you?” I hissed.
“Over here,” an accented male voice said by the dumpster.
I marched over, my heels clicking on the cement. Sure enough, my father was waiting there, cleverly concealed. God forbid he actually acted like a normal father.
He looked the same, with a little more gray in his closely cropped hair. Maybe a little more round through his middle. But the haggard face, the dark suspicious eyes? I’d recognize them anywhere.
“What do you want, Flavio?” I snapped. “I’m a little busy.”
“Luca Benetti is a dangerous man. You need to stay away from him.”
I exhaled heavily and looked to the sky for support. “Seriously? That’s what you came here to tell me? You have no right to comment on anything regarding my life. Now, if that’s all, see you in five years or so.”
I started to turn, but he grabbed my arm to hold me. “Valentina, don’t be stupid. He is a murderer, a torturer. He is not a nice man. Even if he weren’t too old for you?—”
I ripped my arm out of his grip. “God, stop it. I know exactly who Luca is, and none of it is your business. If this is your attempt at protecting me or acting like a real father, it’s too little, too late. I don’t want to hear anything you have to say.”
“You need to listen to me! I know you hate me, but you do not want to get mixed up with him or his family. He would kill you without a moment’s thought.”
“No, he wouldn’t. You don’t know him like I do. And you don’t have a leg to stand on, Flavio. You come from the exact same world.”
“Yes, which is why I am warning you away from him, figlia . This will only end badly for you.”
Maybe, but I didn’t want to hear it. Not from this man. He’d ignored me nearly all my life, letting my mother raise me alone, then letting her die with only me at her side. Letting me struggle with the restaurant, the mortgage. Fuck him. “Go away and don’t come back. I don’t need you or want you in my life.”
“Don’t be stubborn, Val. Not now. Your mother?—”
“Do not speak of my mother. Get her name out of your mouth. You lost that right years ago.”
“Mamma mia,” he said, dragging a hand across the back of his neck. “I know you hate me, and I can’t change that, but I’m telling you Benetti is the worst kind of man. I can’t let you get mixed up with him.”
“Can’t let me?” God, the absolute nerve. I made a sound that was half between a scoff and a dark laugh. “You have no control or influence over my life, Flavio. None. Thanks for stopping by,” I said sarcastically. “Don’t do it again.”
I started to walk away, but my father wasn’t done.
“He’s only here to use you to get to me.”
I stopped in my tracks and looked over my shoulder. “What are you talking about?”
“Benetti. He’s here in New York, getting close to you so he can find me.”
“You’re delusional.” I put up my palms like I was warding off an evil spirit. “Seriously. Now you’re trying to make me believe it’s all about you? Jesus. Just when I thought you couldn’t get any worse.”
“Think about it, Valentina. Why did he come to your restaurant that first night? Why is he hanging around this shithole town? Why has he moved you into his house?” He shook his head. “Do you really think this is some love affair between the two of you? You can’t be that naive.”
A lump formed in my throat. I wanted to brush off the words, but these were all of my deep-seated fears. Not even my own father had loved me, so how could any other man? I’d worked through a lot of this with a therapist before my mom grew sick, so I knew it wasn’t true. But inside my heart, buried in my soul, I always believed it.
I folded my arms. “Fine, let’s say you’re right. Why would Luca want to find you?”
“Because I’m a wanted man back in Italy. My enemies. They will put me to death. And Benetti means to make it happen.”
My god, the drama. This was unbelievable. My limbs vibrated with anger as I pointed at him. “You’re crazy. I get that you don’t want me to date him, but to make this stuff up is ridiculous. Seriously, go away.”
Turning on my heel, I hurried toward the kitchen. “You don’t know him!” my father called.
I didn’t stop. I needed to get back to the dining room. I didn’t want Luca coming to look for me and finding Flavio. My father was an embarrassment, nothing more than an old fool spouting lies and trying to act like he gives a shit about me.
I wish I’d never gone outside.
Luca and Roberto were chatting at our table when I returned. Needing to calm down, I inhaled and let it out slowly, then I put a smile on my face. Like we were tethered by an invisible string, Luca glanced over as soon as I started toward him. His eyes roamed all the way down my body, the examination slow and thorough. When I grew closer I could see that the heat in his gaze was genuine, not faked for my benefit. And it caused a riot in my bloodstream, my pussy growing wetter with need.
My dad could fuck off. Luca was the best thing that had ever happened to me.
And I was more ready to show him .
“Ciao,” Roberto greeted as I approached the table. “I was telling Mr. DiMarco of our success tonight.”
“That’s nice,” I said and reached for my half-full wine glass.
Luca rose and buttoned his suit coat. “Are you ready to go?”
Holding up a finger, I drained my remaining wine in two large swallows. “I am now.” I bid goodnight to Roberto and let Luca escort me from the dining room.
When we reached the front walk I threw myself into Luca’s arms. He grunted, but held me close. “Okay, piccolina?”
“Did you drive yourself to the restaurant?”
“Yes. Why?”
“I’ll show you on the way home. Hurry up.”