Beneath the Vine

by Lillian Bryant

  “I’ll find your server, just a moment.” The fake, saccharine smile plastered on my face was enough to appease the overly plump man.

  There wasn’t a moment to breathe all day today. The lunch rush was crazy, and it seemed the dinner rush was now in full swing. At first, I was happy to work, the distraction was well appreciated. Renee had been breathing down my neck since I came home from the winery three nights ago. She was floored that I had sex with a total stranger, and a rich and sexy winery owner at that. You’d think she was more excited than me. Every morning she’d assault me with new questions. “So he just went down on you, just like that?” “Against the wall? Didn’t the cement hurt your back?” “Did he text yet?” “Oh my god, when is he gonna text you?” “Do you think he just got what he wanted? Bastard.” The last question was this morning. I was sure she was plotting Bennett’s death. Renee was so dramatic; I was surprised she wasn’t an A-List actress yet. But, she was probably right. The thought made my stomach flip.

  His jacket might still be draped across the foot of my bed. I might have, on occasion, smelled it… a few times since that night. But, letting myself have one night with him, with a man in a dark cellar, was what I’d wanted. After all was said and done, I needed to be okay with never seeing him again. It was hot, and definitely the best sex I’d ever had, but men, sex, dating — it was the least of my worries. Paying rent, playing music, getting that teaching job in Los Angeles, those should be the only things on my mind. I swallowed down my irritation at myself and focused on the here and now.

  “Table eleven needs a server,” I told the hostess and she rolled her eyes. She was always such a bitch to me, and I wasn’t sure why.

  “Well, isn’t that your job, Selene… go serve them.” She snickered at her own joke and the other hostess’s eyes widened in horror.

  “Brandon has two tables, and I have three. Give it to him. And Jenny, you ever talk to me like that again, I’ll fucking rip your eyes out.” I turned and left her blank stare behind. Fucking bitch! As much as I left “Gio” back in Brooklyn, on occasion she’d been known to come to the cat fight.

  The noisy chatter rose in the high-ceilinged room; my head was pounding and Jenny’s bullshit didn’t help. I took a moment and stepped back into the kitchen. Felix was wide open — no hallways and no places to hide when all you wanted was to be alone. The loud clanging of pots and pans, the line cooks shouting, wasn’t any better. My phone vibrated in the pocket of my apron just as I was about to go back out on the floor.

  Unknown: Where did you go?

  I didn’t recognize the number. I tried not to hope.

  Me: You must have the wrong number.

  I waited, my eyes locked on the screen, my teeth gnawing at my bottom lip.

  Unknown: I assure you I do not, Selene.

  My stomach sank and I smiled.

  Me: Bennett?

  Bennett: Yes. Was it you I just saw slip into the kitchen?

  The kitchen. Holy shit. Is he here? I stepped out of the kitchen door and scanned the restaurant.

  Bennett: To your left.

  My gaze lifted from the screen and was met by a pair of chocolate colored eyes. He was dressed in a tailored white button-down and burgundy tie. His lips spread into a richly handsome smile. He was sitting at a table with two other men, dressed just as fine. I moved slowly to where they were sitting. His smell, his voice, his hands — my senses were more vivid with him here, in the present. My memories didn’t do him justice. I heard his hearty laughter and the other men smiled at me as I approached.

  “Bennett.” My voice was small, and I felt the heat in my cheeks. The men gave me a cursory glance, but Bennett’s eyes never left mine.

  “Ms. Cavalier.” His hooded eyes cast down my body before falling to my mouth. I swallowed deeply; the sound of his voice in person brought me right back down into the cellar. I could almost feel his mouth on me. “It’s good to see you again.” He reached his hand out and I offered him mine. The warmth of his palm seeped into my skin and gradually traveled up my arm as his stare captured me.

  My breathing was too fast, and I was sure my cheeks were full of color. The pulse between my legs thrummed. I couldn’t find the will to speak. He released my hand, and the smile that pulled sideways across his face was salacious.

  One of the men, wearing a crisp white button-down and green tie, cleared his throat and the other man in a tan three-piece suit chuckled. “Will you be serving us tonight, Ms. Cavalier?” The man in the suit asked with humor in his tone. Bennett’s smile dropped.

  “I can. If that’s okay?” I asked Bennett, unsure. His sudden change of mood made me feel insecure.

  Bennett stood abruptly. “If you’ll excuse me for a moment, gentlemen.” He wrapped his fingers around my upper arm and guided me away from the table.

  “What’s happening right now?” I asked with a slight hiss.

  Bennett didn’t answer me. We were finally in the small alcove where the bathrooms were. He opened the door to one of the restrooms and gestured for me to enter. I looked over my shoulder. Surely, someone just watched this man drag me back here. The room was buzzing with conversation — no eyes on him or me. The typical New York way, mind your own damn business.

  He locked the door and turned to face me. His breathing was irregular and he closed his eyes. He took three deep breaths before his gaze found mine again. “You’re not waiting on my table.”

  My heart dropped into my stomach, and I couldn’t help but let my eyes fall from his to the bathroom floor. The disappointment I felt was in myself. I’d let him rule my emotions, I’d dared to care, and it stung to be rejected after I’d given him myself so easily. “That’s fine. If you’ll excuse me, I have customers that actually want me to help them so—” I made an attempt to walk past him but he grasped my arm again, his lips were at my ear, his warm breath caused the skin along my neck to tingle.

  “You’re not going anywhere, Selene, and you’re definitely not serving those men.” His voice was barely audible, but the command made my heart hammer. I was confused, didn’t he just dismiss me? “You’re all I’ve thought about since that night,” he admitted to me in a hushed breath. I turned my head just a small beat of a motion to see his eyes, and, before I had a chance to speak, his mouth was on mine. His lips leisurely moving against me, his teeth pulled gently at my upper lip, and I wrapped my fingers in his hair as he pulled me in front of his body. The bathroom lights were off, but the candle on the sink flickered and made the atmosphere feel subterranean, just like the cellar — just like that night.

  He moved his mouth to my neck as he brought his hands to my waist. He effortlessly walked me backwards until my back hit the wall. His teeth nipped at my jaw. “I have to work.” It was a breathless statement, with no real conviction.

  His fingers trailed down my hip and he lifted my apron and skirt. His fingers sliding underneath the hem of my underwear. He hummed into the crook of my neck when he felt how wet I was, and the pulse between my legs grew. “I can be quick.” He twisted his fingers around the string of my panties and tore them from my body. I gasped and he captured it with his lips. The kiss was frenzied as I pulled his tie loose; my fingers hastily unbuttoning his shirt just enough to feel the heat of his skin on my fingertips. He pushed two fingers inside me, making me moan, and he smiled.

  I quickly undid his belt with my shaking hands. His fingers bringing me higher. My legs trembled and my hips moved to his rhythm. “Bennett.” My hands finally pulling him free from his pants. He groaned as I stroked up and down his length. He pulled his fingers from my body and grabbed my hips lifting me and pressing me harder into the wall. It felt as if there wasn’t enough air in the room to fill my lungs as he brought my body down, seating himself inside of me. The pinch turned to pleasure as he whispered my name.

  He groaned as he thrust himself in and then out, his thumb at my clit, my legs wrapped tightly around him. His eyes locked on mine. He watched me as my body began to submit to his tou
ch. My hands pushed his shirt just off his shoulders, and my eyes fell to his chiseled chest and the beautiful tattoo that covered the right side of it and just a portion of his shoulder. The elegant black ink scrawled in geometric shapes across the skin.

  “Selene, I need your eyes on mine.” His voice was harsh, but I complied and he rewarded me with long hard thrusts. I fell with him, watching him as we both came. He brought his mouth to mine stealing my sighs for himself. The air in the room was dense with our scent and the smell of wax. My forehead rested against his bare shoulder as we both caught our breath. I lifted my head and got a closer look at the tattoo. The shapes were intricate Celtic knots that, upon closer inspection, formed a deer head on his shoulder, the antlers curved down just barely onto his arm. The design spilled down to his chest, and the gorgeous swirls of ink stopped just below his heart.

  He eased me to the floor, my skirt billowing down, my panties shredded on the floor. He picked them up and threw them in the trash. “Now you’ll think about me all night.” He smirked as he buttoned his shirt, hiding away the brilliant artwork. He was quick with his pants and then his tie, and, as I watched him gather himself, I felt utterly used. There was no way I was going to talk myself out of it this time. I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. He was a stranger, and I had no idea who this man was, but I’d let him fuck me twice, and no matter what I said to myself to make it okay… it wasn’t.

  I grabbed a few paper towels and handed them to Selene. She took them reluctantly, not giving me eye contact. I turned away from her in an effort to give her privacy as she cleaned herself up. There was something special about coming inside a woman. It was a silent command, a quiet mark… a physical presence that made her mine. I’d only ever gone without protection with Clara, and I wasn’t sure why I’d given this part of myself to Selene. She had this fragile need; I could see it in her dark eyes. She wanted to be a possession, she wanted to give herself to me. It was a rare gift, and I wasn’t about to throw it away.

  She inhaled nervously as I turned to look at her again. Her hair pulled up in a messy bun. The skin on her neck red from my stubble, her cheeks pink, she looked properly fucked. I couldn’t help myself, my lips spread into a smug smile. Her eyes narrowed.

  “I should get back to work.” She tried to sound aloof, but the slight ring of self-doubt echoed in the dark bathroom.

  My fingers drifted across her jaw, her eyes still cast down, and even though I lifted her chin, she wouldn’t look at me. Was she ashamed?

  “Look at me.”

  She shook her head and my chest tightened.

  “Look at me, Selene. Always look at me when I ask it of you.” My tone darkened. I hated that she wouldn’t meet my gaze. I needed to see those expressive brown eyes. It was the only way I could read her; when she gave me those eyes, she gave me everything I needed to know.

  “Always?” Her brow furrowed.

  “Yes.”

  She slowly gave in and met my stare. The tears spilled down her cheeks and my chest constricted. “Are you hurt?”

  She sniffled. “No… not yet. I don’t… this isn’t… I don’t fuck strangers in cellars and bathrooms. I’m not a whore.”

  Her angry tone slapped me in the face. “I never said you were.”

  The crease in her brow line deepened.

  “Bennett.” She sounded incredulous.

  “Did I treat you like a whore?” I was confused. I hadn’t said anything offensive.

  “No, but, it’s sort of whorish…isn’t it?” She chewed nervously at her bottom lip.

  “Do you think you’re a whore, Selene?”

  “This isn’t who I am. This isn’t what I want.” She spoke as if I wasn’t in the room. “I have to work, Bennett.”

  She breezed past me and I let her go. Selene unlocked the door and swung it open. The light of the restaurant poured into the dark room bringing me back to reality. This woman was making me crazy. I gave my reflection a nod as I made my choice. Selene and I — it was going to happen. She wanted it but was fighting her own fucking insecurities. I’d just have to help her along, but tonight I’d had enough, and I was ready to leave. I needed to get out from under Charlie, and I needed to focus on my life before I worried about this woman, this woman who I had marked as mine.

  “What do you mean we ain’t eating here? Bennie, I’m fucking starving.” Charlie’s words were filled with a nasal tone that ate at my temples. He stood, his tan suit that probably fell out of the back of a truck, was wrinkled

  “Grab your shit and don’t make a scene,” I spoke through gritted teeth.

  “Sorry, Bennett.” Thomas Bartolie frowned at his younger brother.

  “That’s the girl from the other night. You fuck that chick or something?” Charlie snorted and my molars clenched together.

  “Charlie! Jesus Christ.” Thomas shook his head as I seethed.

  “Let’s go,” I said and grabbed my suit jacket from the back of the chair. I scanned the room one more time and saw her. She was watching me from about six tables down. Her pad held up, pen poised on the paper, a deer in the headlights as she watched me walk away. She was too beautiful, and what made it worse was she didn’t know it. I’d always craved the meek ones, the humbled. Gage liked them, too, easier to get them to comply. When you had nothing to lose, you’d be surprised what people would agree to — including myself. A few years ago I’d never have thought I’d be trafficking cocaine for fucking Charlie Bartolie, but I was. I’d needed the money to get my father’s business up and running, and after I was left with nothing, after the company I worked for fucked me over, I’d had no other choice. I’d grown accustomed to a certain lifestyle, and I wasn’t ready to see how the other half lived.

  Now, looking at Charlie, his fat stomach hanging over his pants, I’d take it back. I’d live a meek life. I’d live the life my now dead parents would have been proud of. My parents had been friends with Frank and Annie, Charlie and Thomas’s mother and father. Gage and I grew up with them; they were a staple in my home at every Sunday dinner.

  But, Frank had wanted more than his life in Hell’s kitchen, and my father tried to help him out. They hadn’t had the privileges we had, and maybe that’s why Frank fell into crime. As much as I hated the asshole, as much as I blamed him as well as myself for the death of my mom and dad, he was sort of like family. Over time, Frank became the boss of a small crime organization that worked hand in hand with the Colombian cartels. Not something you see every day, these criminals, especially, never worked together. But Frank was a charming fucker. He had charmed my father into believing he was legit. My father loved Frank and his kids as his own; it’s why he had gone out of his way for them day in and day out.

  When Frank called, my father went. When Frank asked to go see a show with him and his wife, why wouldn’t my father accept? I felt the guilt of my parents’ death every damn day. I felt it pulling me down to hell. If only I had told my father who Frank really was.

  My driver pulled to the curb side. “We’ll have dinner in a couple of days, I’m really not feeling well, okay.” My brow creased as I gave Thomas a pleading look.

  Before Charlie rattled off something ignorant, Thomas spoke. I always did like Thomas better than Charlie. “Wednesday, Bennett. Frank wants to know the final plan.”

  I nodded. “Wednesday.”

  “See you then, Bennie.” Charlie gave me a shit eating grin and my stomach churned. This was the last run, and I was out.

  The Bartolie brothers, it had been years since I’d seen them. Charlie had gotten fat and Thomas looked like a bodyguard. Bennett’s face was drained of color, his eyes tired. He appeared frazzled as he spoke. Even from across the street, I could see the irritation on his face. A black Mercedes pulled up to the curb and relief washed across Bennett’s face. Thomas and Charlie finally left and Bennett dropped his eyes to the ground. I moved quickly through the crosswalk.

  “Rough night?” I asked with heavy sarcasm.

  Bennett’s head
shot up and he frowned. “Are you following me?”

  “Grabbed some dinner with a friend. Lucky coincidence.” I shrugged my shoulders.

  “You don’t have friends, Gage.” He laughed, placing his hands in his pockets. It’s something he did when he was uncomfortable; it was one of his tells.

  “I haven’t seen you in five years, Bennett, I think it’s safe to say you know very little about me and my friends these days.” My lips pulled into a lopsided grin.

  “Touché.” He pulled one of his hands from his pocket and raked it through his hair. He turned and looked through the open doors of Felix. I followed his gaze and found her at the end of it. Had he come here for her? Of course, he had.

  “Looks like you found someone to chase. Like old times, Bennett?” His jaw compressed and his dark glare scanned my features.

  “Those days are done, Gage.” He moved toward his waiting car.

  “They don’t have to be.” It was a true statement, and it was something I’d been thinking about since the Grand Opening. I wanted her. She seemed to hold every quality we had always desired. She was submissive, I could tell by her stature, by the blush on her cheeks when I ran into her that night. She had the spunk that I liked though, too, and the talent that Bennett collected. She was fucking stunning. Even though her body was lean, her curves were ample… she was the perfect girl for us. Everything wrapped up into that tight body. That body I wanted to break down, those fragile wrists I wanted to bind…

  Bennett licked his lips. “I’m already fighting too many old ghosts, Gage… I can’t add you to the mix.” He opened the door to the car and sat in the back seat.