by Thianna D
After a long shower where they couldn’t keep their hands off one another, they drove to the new restaurant. It sat at the northwest point of the property which was a good thing. That way, the scent of barbeque wouldn’t fill everyone’s homes. Unlike the rest of the buildings, it was encased in what looked like weathered wood. “Wow!” she exclaimed as he took her hand to help her from the car. “When did they do this?”
“It was completed while I was in Mississippi. But you have to see the inside. Come on.”
The interior was amazing. High-vaulted ceilings set off the two-story building. The bottom floor was half-kitchen/half-seating area. The second story consisted of a twenty foot area just for seating that ran around the outside so that people on the second level could look down at what was happening below. “This is fantastic!” Everything was wood from the walls to the tables and chairs, making the place look rustic.
“The kitchen’s even better.” Squeezing her hand, he pulled her through a set of swinging doors into a huge professional kitchen with stainless steel appliances and a separate room for the smokers.
“So when do you open?” she teased as he showed her everything.
“Three weeks.”
“Three weeks? Really?”
“Yep. Devern and Colby start on Monday. They’ll break in all the equipment and get the ordering going. I’ll be hiring wait staff and some more cooks and the week before we open, the air will be filled with the scent of barbeque. The weather’s so good, I figure we’ll have our grand opening party outside.”
“What? Near the dome?”
“Nope.” His eyes twinkled as he pulled her out of the kitchen and through the seating area toward the back where two sets of large French doors stood. He opened one and they walked out into a large patio with a pergola overhead and the trees in the distance.
“Beautiful.”
“Yep. Inside, we can seat almost a hundred-fifty. Out here, we can add another fifty. And,” he added with a chuckle, “with the amazing contract Corbin’s Bend does with its restaurants, this place could literally not make money for three years and still be solvent.”
“I have no doubt it’s gonna be a hit. I can hardly wait. I swear I can smell barbeque.”
* * * * *
“All right,” Devern said, grinning at Corbin. “Are you ready, boss?” Corbin might not admit it, but hearing that accent from home felt warm to him. He had been thrilled when his uncle suggested Devern would work out well for him. As the man had wanted to leave Mississippi and, as it turned out was a spanko, it had worked out well.
“Definitely. Tables are set?”
“Everything’s ready!” Tessa, one of his waitresses said, bouncing into the kitchen. At eighteen, she was the youngest help he had, but her eagerness for the job and her bubbly personality had convinced him to give her a chance.
“Perfect. Thanks, everyone,” he said quietly, smiling at the people in front of him. All of them, including him, were dressed in the The Pit’s uniform: a bright yellow t-shirt with a cartoon of a pig roasting over an open fire, along with denim overall shorts. Once summer was over, they had overalls that covered their legs. He didn’t want anyone freezing. “All right. Everyone ready?”
“Yes!” they shouted back.
Grinning, he nodded. “Alrighty, then. Let me open some doors. Places, please.”
With a squeal, Tessa ran to the outside seating while his three other waiters sauntered after her, amused. Zinnia waited for him right inside the doors, a wide smile on her beautiful face.
“Ready to celebrate?”
“Oh, yeah.”
They had invited everyone they knew, but knowing how word could spread, Corbin had made sure enough food was prepared just in case. It was a good thing. While seventy people were invited, one hundred showed up. The waiters opened up both sets of French doors so that those who had to sit inside were still part of the party.
It was loud, raucous… just what a barbeque joint should be. Country music played in the background as his guests as well as he and Zinnia pigged out on racks of pork and beef ribs, pulled pork, beef, and chicken sandwiches, and of course, bread pudding, peach pie, and his absolute favorite, Mississippi mud cake.
“This was a great idea,” moaned Zinnia as she took another piece of cake. “Seriously, Cary. Great idea.”
“Cary?” Brent said, looking over at them as he wiped a speck of barbeque sauce from his chin.
“She thinks I look like Cary Grant.”
Brent raised an eyebrow in amusement even as Zinnia nodded. Before she’d swallowed enough to speak, though, Char chimed in. “That’s who you look like! I kept thinking you looked familiar. Wow. You even kind of have the voice.”
“I know, right?” Zinnia said. “He’s got it all. The looks, the voice, the gentlemanly mannerisms, the hard hand…” She grinned up at him making him laugh.
“Was Cary Grant a spanko?” Jenna asked from further down the table.
“From everything I’ve read,” Zinnia said. “In fact, one report said that one of his wives divorced him because of his hard hand.”
“Stupid woman,” someone shouted behind them out making several people laugh.
“What, Bernie? Would you have let him spank you?”
“I would have stood in line!”
The party went well into the night, the last stragglers not leaving until almost two in the morning. They’d had to move everyone inside by ten as it had gotten cold and they hadn’t received the space heaters yet, but nobody seemed to mind. Devern and Colby came out of the kitchens a few times to talk to people, get their take on the food, and see how things were going before they’d duck back in. One of the single ladies flirted outright with both of them. Colby flirted right back but Devern looked as though he didn’t know how to react. Corbin was pretty sure once he got used to the town, Devern would be a hot commodity between the singles. If his uncle was right, he certainly was back in Mississippi,.
* * * * *
Collapsing onto their bed, Corbin let out a huge sigh of relief.
“You okay?” Zinnia asked from across the room.
“Yeah. Just tired. The rush to get The Pit open took a lot of energy. From what I saw tonight, I think the place will get a lot of visitors.”
“Of course it will. The ambience is great and the food? Oh, Corbin, the food was fantastic! It’s now my favorite restaurant in town. Hands down best dessert.”
Laughing, he nodded. “The mud cake recipe is from my grandmother. It was my favorite thing to eat as a kid.”
“I don’t blame you. It was nummie.”
He watched as the amazing woman across from him stripped, dropping her clothing in the hamper. At one time, she would have been a little nervous about being completely naked with him watching, but her self-esteem had jumped up over the last few weeks and she now showed off those curves as often as she could.
As Zinnia went in to brush her teeth and wash her face, an idea that had been bouncing around in the back of his head came to the forefront. “Baby, when are you going to audition?”
“In July.”
“How long is the season?”
“Practice takes several months, but productions are in November and May. Why?”
“I was just thinking. After the restaurant gets going smoothly, if you aren’t under contract, what do you think about going away for vacation?”
“Sounds fun. Where?”
“Italy.”
The water shut off and she walked out, staring at him. “Italy?”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been there and I’d love to share it with the woman I love. What do you say?”
A breathtaking smile lit up her face. “Oh, Corbin, I’d love to go!” She leapt onto the bed, bouncing over to him. “Can we go to La Scala?”
“Of course. In fact, I used to attend the opera in New York, but I’ll admit I’m a bit rusty. We can make plans once we know when you’re contracts will be and scout out what operas are playin
g.”
Giggling, she clapped her hands together. “Oh, that will be wonderful. Can we go to Florence, too?”
“Yep. And I’d love to head over to Provence, as well.”
She curled up to him and they talked about places they’d like to see. It wasn’t until light shown around the curtains that he realized they had never actually closed their eyes. “I’d better get undressed so we can sleep,” he said with a yawn. “While I don’t have to be there until eleven, I told my people to call me if they needed anything.” He got up and quickly removed his clothes as she slid under the covers and held his side up. Moving in next to her, he pulled her close.
Going to Italy with Zinnia would be amazing, and yet he also wanted her to get on with the local opera house. Corbin was a patient man. If she got a part in the opera for November, they could head to Europe next spring. If she didn’t, they’d head out the end of August and stay for a few weeks. He had so much to show her. Plus, he knew exactly where he wanted to take her to ask her an important question. A question that if answered in the affirmative, would make her, Zinnia Nelson, and him the happiest man in the world.
Pulling her even tighter against him, he kissed her lightly on top of the head and closed his eyes, imagining the look on his beautiful girl’s face when he popped the question before taking her back to a little villa he owned where he could spank her luscious tush. The image firmly in his mind, he drifted off to sleep, smiling.
The End
Thianna D
Thianna loves to read and write; likes to say she’s eclectic, fun, and just a bit naughty. One of her passions is erotica; stories that capture her interest, characters that capture her attention, and sex that turns her attention upside down until she is panting along with the characters themselves. She writes erotica and erotic romance with both M/F and M/M main characters.
As the creator of and acquisition editor for the Corbin’s Bend spanking romance series, she wants to know: Who else wants to be safe, secure, and spanked in Colorado?
Her blog can be found at: http://blog.thiannad.com/
Her author website is at: http://www.thiannad.com/
Visit her Facebook page:
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Don’t miss these exciting titles by Thianna and Blushing Books!
All They Ever Needed Series:
As Natural As Breathing, Book 1
Took My Breath Away, Book 2
Breathe Each Other In, Book 3
Corbin's Bend Series:
Finding Their Bliss, Book 1
Where They Both Belong, Book 9
Chemistry of Attraction
A Holiday Beginning
Knowing What She Needs
His Damsel in Distress
Blushing Books
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