Page 5

Chapter 5

Something in the Wine

Ethan

O nly someone with Leo’s confidence and bank account could decide on a whim to get one of the hottest new restaurants in Manhattan to open exclusively for us. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little intrigued by the idea of private dining, but it was completely unnecessary and a waste of money.

As we stepped out of the SUV, Leo went to the ornate iron doors leading into Quintessence and keyed in a code before pushing one of the doors open.

Carter walked in the door Leo held open, shaking his head. “Really, Leo? You made the staff come in early?”

Leo shot Carter a weary look and shrugged. “The kitchen staff were already here prepping for tonight’s service. Don’t worry, they’ll be compensated accordingly.”

I stopped in front of Leo and lowered my voice so only he could hear. “What are you up to, Caponetti? She’s out of your league.”

He finally looked at me after having ignored me the entire car ride. “I’m treating my new employees to lunch.”

My eyes were going to seriously get stuck from how much I rolled them at this man. “Libby doesn’t like this kind of shit.” I didn’t know why I was telling him something that could potentially help him.

“We’ll see.” He let the door go and it nearly hit me as he strode toward where Libby and Carter waited in front of the hostess station.

Libby looked around the opulent restaurant in complete awe like she’d never been in such a place before, even though she had. It never got old seeing how she reacted to things. What did surprise me was that she was already comfortable showing her emotions in front of Leo and Carter.

Since the moment I’d met her, Libby had been hesitant and distant around new people, which usually presented as her being shy. It hadn’t taken long for me to break through her walls and gain her trust, but it seemed like these two were managing the same feat a lot faster than I could have ever imagined.

On one hand, I was glad that she felt comfortable around them, but on the other, I couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed that they were able to get through her walls so easily. There must have been some kind of rich playboy voodoo at work. Carter hadn’t said he was wealthy, but the expensive watch on his wrist told a different story.

A woman with long dark hair dressed in a black dress came from the back of the restaurant. “Mr. Caponetti, your table is ready for you, if you’ll follow me.”

“Thank you, AJ.” Leo put his hand on the small of Libby’s back, urging her to follow the hostess. I wanted to smack his hand away, but she was a grown woman and seemed fine with it, to my utter horror.

“He knows the staff?” I muttered to Carter as we followed Leo and Libby.

Carter made a dismissive sound. “He owns it.”

I tried not to be too obvious about my disdain and managed to give Carter a half-smile instead. He was friends with Leo, so I needed to watch myself.

I took in the modern interior of the restaurant as we walked between the tables. It was warm and inviting with deep blues and dark wood tones. If it hadn’t belonged to some rich asshole, I’d say it was the perfect spot for a romantic dinner.

We walked through two opaque doors that opened to a private dining room at the back of the restaurant. There was an electric fireplace on the back wall, modern art, and some sort of exotic flower arrangement in the center of the round table that probably cost more than my entire outfit.

“This is gorgeous.” Libby took the seat Leo had pulled out for her.

Leo gave me a smug smile. “I wanted to make sure you got the full Quintessence experience.”

I quickly took the chair next to Libby, and Carter practically tripped over his own feet to get the other one while Leo pushed her chair in. Leo muttered something unintelligible under his breath and went around the table to sit across from Libby.

AJ handed each of us a leather-bound menu before looking at Leo. “Sir, would you like your favorite bottle of wine for the table?”

“Yes, please.” Leo smiled across the table at Libby. He did have a nice smile, so I could see how Libby was faltering in her previous disdain for him. “The wine is from my family’s vineyard in Italy.”

Yeah, this was going to be a boozy lunch if I was going to sit through an hour of boastful chit-chat. “Is that Shania Twain I hear?” I put a hand to my ear as AJ disappeared to get us wine and water.

Leo gave me a confused look. “The music playing? It’s Debussy.”

“Oh! From Twilight . Right?” Bless Libby’s little book-obsessed heart.

Carter’s eyes had been narrowed on me in thought but then suddenly widened before he threw his head back and laughed. “Oh, man. I’m going to use that from now on any time Leo doesn’t impress me much.”

“Haha,” Leo deadpanned, flipping open his menu. “And yes, Debussy like in Twilight .”

Libby’s eyes lit up like they always did when someone got a book reference. It was a sure-fire way to break the ice with her. I’d even taken to reading a few of the books she talked about so I could understand what she rambled about half the time.

AJ came back with a pitcher of water and two bottles of wine. After filling our glasses, she left us to decide on our meals.

I skimmed the single page of the menu, every item sounding ridiculously fancy. There weren’t even prices next to the items. If cost mattered, this restaurant was not for you. “Leo, do they not have chicken fingers and fries?”

Libby kicked my foot under the table and gave me a death glare, and I couldn’t help but crack up. She always ordered chicken fingers whenever we went out, and I knew it drove her crazy when I teased her about it.

“Very funny,” Libby muttered. She kept her eyes on her menu but couldn’t hide the small smile playing on her lips.

“If you want chicken fingers, the chef can make them for you. They won’t be deep fried but will probably taste just as good if not better.” Leo gave me a bored look as if teasing was beneath him.

“No, that’s okay. I think I’ll try the quail. That’s like chicken, isn’t it?” She shut her menu and reached for her wine.

I don’t know why, but something inside me stirred as she brought the glass to her mouth and gently placed her lips against the rim. I’d been so close to those lips when Carter had taken photos, and damn it if I didn’t wonder what she would have done had I kissed her.

I looked away because what the hell was happening?

I felt like I couldn’t breathe, but no one seemed to notice my complete and utter identity meltdown that was happening right in front of them. Did I think women were attractive? Yes. Did I ever find myself wanting to ravage their mouths? Never.

I stared hard at the menu, hoping it would give me some guidance.

“If chicken tenders are your go-to meal, I’m not sure the quail is a good choice.” Carter swirled the red wine in his glass and looked around the table. “What if we get one of everything and share?”

“I’m always down for sharing.” Libby started to giggle.

My head whipped up, finding her hiding behind her menu, the visible part of her cheek flaming red. It was enough to snap me out of my existential crisis… for now.

I picked up my butter knife and pointed it at her. “Elizabeth Frances St. James. There will be none of that at this table.” Especially when the thought of it made my cock twitch to life.

“I’m sorry,” she managed to say as she slouched in her chair, laughter nearly choking her words.

“If the woman wants to share, who are we to deny her of such pleasure?” Carter grinned and winked at her.

Leo cleared his throat and loosened his tie. “I can have the chef bring out smaller portions on individual plates.”

“Well, that’s no fun.” Carter crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair. “You’ve never been good at giving women what they want.”

If Leo’s eyes could have shot laser beams out of them, they would have. His jaw clenched so hard, I swear I heard a crack. He’s also not good at giving men what they want.

“I’m okay now.” Libby closed her menu and sat up, fanning her red face. “What’s in that wine?”

Carter leaned over and put the back of his hand to her cheek. “Just making sure you don’t have a fever. You’re almost as red as the wine. What exactly were you thinking about? We were talking about food.”

She swatted his hand away. “Bullshit.”

Both men were practically drooling over her, and she was cracking jokes about sharing. Or was this her way of flirting? Had I even ever seen her flirt?

No, but she always flirts with you. The thought bounced around in my head, pinging off the way she teased me, touched me, looked at me. But the same was true for me too.

I grabbed my glass and drank the rest of it as AJ came back and took our order. At this point, I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to even eat because my stomach was turning into a ball of nerves for a multitude of reasons.

“Want some more?” Leo asked me, grabbing the second bottle AJ had left and standing to open it.

“Sure.” I watched as he expertly removed the cork and then came around the table to pour me another glass. “Thanks.”

He looked like he was about to say something but returned to his seat and refilled his glass before sitting back down.

God, he was so frustrating. And to think I’d almost slept with him after the company Christmas party last year. He shouldn’t have been there in the first place, but seeing as he was running the foundation one of my bosses started, he’d been invited. Luckily for the both of us, we’d been drunk off our asses when he’d invited me up to a room, and then he’d promptly passed out before anything had happened.

He acted like nothing had happened. Did he even remember how he’d flirted with me or shoved his tongue down my throat as he stroked me through my pants as we’d taken the elevator?

I stared into my glass. If I were an observer in this situation, I would have squealed with delight over the potential drama and fireworks sitting at the table. But seeing as I was smack dab in the middle of whatever the fuck was happening, I wanted to go find a fire extinguisher before someone got burned.

Libby leaned toward me, putting her hand on my forearm. “Are you okay?”

“Fine.” I downed my wine like it was a shot. I was already feeling better.

Carter caught my eye again from the other side of Libby. “I’d love to do a photoshoot with you two sometime. Just for fun. Your chemistry was off the charts.”

Why me? Why right now? Couldn’t he tell I was about to sprint out of here?

Libby pushed her hair behind her ears. “I don’t know if I’m the photoshoot type.”

I was stuck on him saying we had chemistry together. Did he mean in the besties kind of way or the I want to rip your clothes off kind of way? Could he tell?

I finally found my words. “Don’t sell yourself short, Lib. You’re gorgeous.”

Leo made a noise that sounded like a grunt. I looked at him with raised eyebrows.

“Just agreeing that she’s gorgeous.” He shrugged his shoulders as he pulled his buzzing phone out of his inner jacket pocket. “Shit, I have to take this.”

Leo stood, and I watched as he walked out of the room, my eyes lingering on his broad shoulders and muscular back. The way his suit hugged him made me want to run my hands all over him. I couldn’t ignore the way my body responded to him.

I also couldn’t ignore the way my pulse picked up at seeing Libby looking at him the same way.

Maybe there really was something in the wine.