Dayanara Chapter 18
We were at our dinner destination. My guys asked if we’d like to ask Stryder to join us. Breezy and I readily agreed as long as it was okay with Predator and Stalker. They assured us it was.
It was astonishing to walk into a crowded restaurant accompanied by three tall, muscular, fierce-looking bikers.
They drew attention from everyone, young and old, male and female.
The place they chose was a steakhouse. The place was called Sabor da Amaz?nia.
I had to look up what it meant. It was Portuguese for Taste of the .
I worried we weren’t dressed appropriately, but I was assured we were.
The guys wore their standard boots, jeans, and cuts.
The only concessions to the venue were changing out their T-shirts for button-down, collared shirts and dark wash jeans.
As for Breezy and me, we wore our best jeans, dressy tops, and for me, my property cut. I waltzed in there proudly displaying my status as Stalker’s and Predator’s old lady. Even though it was a Monday night, the restaurant was crowded, and there was a wait. Or there was a wait for others.
The smells hit us the moment we entered.
My stomach growled in approval. Breezy and I hadn’t been here on the occasions we were in Hunters Creek.
Gazes tracked us. People moved out of the way as the guys approached the hostess stand.
There were two young women and a young guy, no more than in their early twenties, standing there. They stared somewhat stunned at us.
“Reservation for five. Name is Stalker,” he said.
Even though he wasn’t yelling and the noise in there was pretty loud, his words easily carried. The girl he spoke to stared at him with her mouth open for several blinks, then she seemed to come out of the trance she was in. She looked down at her tablet.
“Y-yes, of course. Here you are, Mr.…Stalker. If you’ll give us a minute, we’ll get your party seated,” she breathed. Her cheeks were red. The other girl stumbled out of the way as the young guy left them.
“Thank you. We’ll step over here,” Stalker replied before we moved as a unit to stand against the wall.
There were other people on either side of and across from us. Their murmurs and the way they snuck peeks at us made us the topic of conversation. While it was rude, as long as that was all they did, I’d keep my mouth shut.
“You’re gonna love this place. We’ve been here numerous times. What about you, Stryder?” Predator asked.
“I’ve been here a couple of times. I agree it’s great. And these two love steak and seafood, so it’s a perfect choice,” our cousin told them.
“We do love it. And since we’ve never been here, I can’t wait to taste it,” Breezy added.
Our small talk was about the menu and the items they’d tried. We were interrupted by the young host’s return a few minutes later. He fumbled and dropped a menu, then picked it up and got another. Finally, his eyes came to rest on us.
“Mr. Stalker, your table is ready. If you follow me, I’ll show you there.” There was a tiny wobble to his tone.
“Lead the way,” Stalker told him.
As we moved behind the host, I was guarded by my old men on both sides. Stryder had his hand on Breezy’s back. She chatted away with him. Seeing her so relaxed made me smile, and some of my tension eased. She was coming out of her shell even more.
Of course, we were the center of attention as we wound ourselves through the dining room. The booth the host stopped next to was along the side, with no window and only tables on two sides. My training kicked in.
I approved of its positioning from a strategic standpoint.
On the third side, not against the wall, there was an exit half a dozen steps away.
No one would be able to come up on us from that direction.
It was alarmed and opened from the inside.
And on the two sides where we were exposed, there was plenty of room between our booth and the others. The booth was a semicircle.
I was assisted in sitting and scooting in on one end, while Stryder did the same with my sister.
Then, Stryder sat on the other side of Breezy, and I had Stalker followed by Predator next to me.
It placed the men on the outside, which I knew was strategic.
I didn’t bother to remind them that I was capable of defending myself and Breezy.
It was nice to be treated like a lady occasionally.
I sat there, half-listening to our host run through the specials, offering his assistance if we had questions, and then he left us to wait for our waitress. The relaxation of his body was notable as he walked away.
“Does anyone else feel like we’re animals at the zoo and all these other people are here to see what we do? Should we eat with our hands and throw food at each other? You know, to stay in character,” Breezy suggested, amused.
The guys chuckled while I grinned. “That sounds like a good idea. And maybe we should wave at those staring the most. You know, to entertain them more. Do you think any will whip out their phones to record us?” I asked.
“I can’t blame them for it. They don’t see women as beautiful as you two are every day,” Stalker stated.
“Oh, you’re going for a reward later, aren’t you?” I winked at him, then continued. “I hate to break it to you, but it’s not us drawing all the attention. I believe more than one woman just went wet. Hell, even a few guys are panting,” I informed them.
As the three men protested, my sister and I had fun teasing them. We were laughing when a woman in her early thirties, by the looks of her, came to a stop at the booth. She was attractive, though somewhat tired-looking. I wondered how long her shift was. Her smile was genuine.
“Good evening, everyone. I’m Pamela. I’ll be your waitress tonight. If you’d like to place your drink and appetizer orders, I can get them started. And if you have questions about the menu, I’ll be happy to assist.”
I liked Pamela. She didn’t ogle us. Her manner was polite and professional. She was matter-of-fact, and when we had questions, she was knowledgeable. After a few minutes, we had given our first round of orders. She assured us she’d be back soon. After she walked off, I looked around the booth.
“I swear, the appetizers you ordered will more than feed us if we were normal humans. But with these bottomless pits, we’ll be lucky if we get one bite of our food, Breezy. Are you armed in case we have to defend our plates?” I wisecracked.
“Hey, I resent that. I resemble that remark,” Stryder mocked himself.
“We know. I thought you were an anomaly, but since we’ve been at the club, we've realized we were wrong. Daya, it’s a good thing you’ll be working too. Your check and then some will go toward covering the food bill. For rent, and other stuff, I’ll have to get a job to help you out,” Breezy jested.
“Whoa, there’s no need for you to work. You need to concentrate on school.
Your goals are too important to jeopardize.
And when you get done, you can work for the club if you want.
We could use your services at Haven and Mooring.
But it’s up to you, no pressure. As for Daya’s check, that money will go to her savings or whatever she wants to do with it. We can cover the bills,” Predator said.
“Wait a minute. Savings? You seriously believe I’ll have you and Stalker pay for everything? That’s not fair, or how it works. And you spoke of us having a house built as the others have. Those cost money. I’m not a kept woman. I’m your partner,” I reminded them.
I didn’t expect the grins my men exchanged. Then Stalker responded. “It was worth a try, but she shot it down like we knew she would. Damn. I guess we’ll have to let her pay, too. After all, she’s right. We’re partners. But know this. We’ll split things based on more than monetary contributions.”
“Oh really,” I replied.
“Yes, really, but that’s a private conversation,” Predator said.
I let it go for the moment. I refused to bring down the festive vibe.
Instead, I gave each one of them a kiss.
It wasn’t a full-on passionate one, but it was clear we were together.
After I finished, we opened our menus and studied them.
My sister and I asked the most questions, though Stryder had a couple.
Everything sounded so good. My hunger had me unable to decide.
I was so absorbed in the choosing that I was impatient to get the appetizers.
As promised, our first round was out quickly. Nothing was messed up, and everything smelled so good. The evening progressed in a predictable yet fun way. We blocked everyone else from our bubble except Pamela.
We were having such a wonderful time that I hated it when the bubble was popped. It occurred when we were finishing our dessert. The bill had already been paid. Pamela had just left, so we could finish eating. Pamela thanked us profusely for her generous tip. We assured her it was earned.
Even though it was my guys’ idea to go to dinner, our cousin insisted he would pay.
They’d debated until he submitted. I was cuddled up between my men, and they’d given me several kisses.
I knew when we got home, it would be bedtime soon.
However, sleep was the last thing on our minds.
I was contemplating it and recalling the session in Stalker’s office when I was yanked back to reality.
The culprit was the arrival of an older couple accompanied by two younger couples. They shared features with some of the younger ones, which made me think they were the older people’s children. Scowls were clear on their faces. The women had their arms crossed. The men glared.
“Yes, may we help you?” My cousin asked politely.
“Do you realize the spectacle you’re making of yourselves?” the older man asked with a snap.