by Клео Коул
“How long ago was that?”
“Before I started here. About four years.”
“Has that older editor been in touch lately? Maybe threatened your boss?”
Terri shook her head. “The woman got married and moved to Australia with her new husband. I hear she’s doing really well, started her own e-book publishing company.” She checked her watch. “Listen, we better get that coffee started. Ms. Summour’s going to be pissed.”
Oh, God forbid Ms. Summour should be pissed. “Okay, fine, let’s see what we’ve got to work with here.”
I rummaged around the cupboards and fridge, satisfied with what I found (at first). There was a small grinder and a bag of whole coffee beans beside the microwave. I found milk in the fridge and a few lemons, no doubt for the many tea drinkers on staff (one entire cupboard was filled with herbal, green, and “weight-loss” varieties). Unfortunately for me, the situation deteriorated from there.
The drip coffeemaker stank of mildew. It probably hadn’t been cleaned since the Carter administration. And the beans on the counter were nearly as old. The French roast was a quality Arabica, purchased from the Whole Foods Market in the basement. The beans might have been okay if the vacuum bag hadn’t been left wide open (air and light being the enemies of freshness). I sniffed the shrunken black gravel and gagged at the level of bitterness.
Great.
Nunzio was an Italian artist, born and raised in a country with over 200,000 espresso bars and a century-old tradition of serious java making. If I served him this swill, he’d probably spit it out right in front of me.
I considered my options and had a thought.
“Terri, you have a product closet here, don’t you?” (I remembered Matt scoring a few choice items when Breanne invited him to peruse the thing.)
“That’s right,” Terri said. “It’s down the hall.”
“Show me.”
It took me all of three minutes to dig among the straightening wands, kitchen appliances, shower attachments, and exercise devices to find a home espresso maker, sent gratis to the magazine in hopes of getting a mention in Trend’s Hot Products page. As a bonus, I even found a set of espresso cups and a serving tray. Terri helped me carry everything to the break room, where I hurriedly set it up.
“Do you know where Bouchon Bakery is, Terri?”
“You’re kidding, right? Everyone in this building knows where it is: right downstairs in the lobby shops, follow the smell of warm croissants.”
I fished out some cash (after all, if Bree could buy me a $900 outfit, the least I could do was spring for some decent joe). “Go down to the bakery’s take-out counter and buy a package of their whole bean coffee—”
“Their what?”
“Bouchon doesn’t just peddle éclairs and tartlets. They sell freshly roasted coffee beans in small bags. Ask for whole bean. Not preground and not decaffeinated.”
“Whole bean. Not decaf. Got it,” Terri said, giving me a team-player thumbs-up.
Bouchon Bakery was run by Thomas Keller, one of the greatest American chefs alive. And the coffee beans I’d just sprung for weren’t only served at the man’s bakery twenty-two floors below me, they were artisan roasted by the same woman-owned company that provided the coffees for Keller’s French Laundry in California and his Per Se in New York, two of the finest restaurants in the country.
No home espresso unit could summon the level of heat and pressure of a professional machine. But the premium Bouchon beans would help overcome the limitations of the method. Even if the home machine extracted half of what was present, I figured I’d get some magnificent, mood-altering cups for Nunzio.
Terri was gone and back in under ten minutes. “Nunzio’s arrived, Clare. He’s been escorted to Breanne’s office already. I better get back there.”
As Terri raced off, I opened the bag of magic beans and went to work.
The Bouchon House Blend smelled heavenly: woody and sweetly dark, like caramelized nuts with traces of cocoa and spice. It was primarily a Sumatra Golden Pawani mixed with African and Latin American beans. I ground them fine, packed them into the portafilter, secured the handle, and started the pull.
While the test cup was extracting, I grabbed a lemon from the fridge and used a small knife from a cupboard to artfully corkscrew the rind. Then I reached for the first cup and tasted it.
The roast method was Viennese, which brought out the tropical wood nuances in the beans while preserving a wallop of caffeine punch. The taste profile included a hint of citrus and berry with a heavy spice finish.
Not bad!
I drew four new espressos, placed a tiny, perfect lemon rind curl on the edge of each demitasse, and set the small cups and saucers on the serving tray. Then I hoisted the tray onto my shoulder and headed down the hall.
I found Terri pacing in front of Breanne’s office. The double doors were closed, but I could hear muffled voices from the other side.
“Careful,” she whispered. “Nunzio’s in a really foul mood, and Monica hasn’t come back from the art department. The profile pages should have been here five minutes ago. See, I told you Monica can’t be trusted.”
“Open the door for me, Terri.”
She did and stood aside. Then I strode in.
Fifteen
Walking into Breanne’s corner office was like stepping onto a giant magic carpet floating high above Manhattan. Two of the four walls consisted of unbreakable glass. Far below me, traffic looped Christopher Columbus’s statue in a diorama of matchbox cars. Stretching out before me, the tops of Central Park’s trees sprouted newly green buds all the way to the horizon line.
If this were my office, no work would ever get done. I’d just stare out the floor-to-ceiling windows all day with a sketch pad in my lap, continually reframing the views—uptown and downtown and crosstown.
Breanne wasn’t looking at any of these sights. She was sitting tensely behind her massive glass desk, having obvious issues with the brooding sculptor, who was sprawled across the geometric lines of the art deco chair in front of her.
In his late thirties, Nunzio was clad in black Armani with a plain white T-shirt beneath. He’d chosen a fitted size, I noticed, snug enough to reveal his well-developed body. His long, wavy ebony hair was tied into an ink-black ponytail.
“Ah, at last,” Breanne said, her smile tense, her blue eyes almost pleading as she waved me in.
Holding the tray with one hand, I set my first shot in front of the editor-in-chief then turned to her jet-lagged guest. Nunzio had a broad, forceful face, not unlike the chiseled marble monument to the intrepid Italian mariner twenty-two floors below. His dark eyes were half-closed, and he barely glanced at me as I handed him one of the three remaining espresso cups.
When I’d first come through the door, Breanne had been telling him all about her wedding plans. Nunzio didn’t appear to be listening. As she resumed her chattering, the man’s large hand lifted my tiny cup to his Roman nose. He sniffed once, grunted, and downed the shot in a single gulp.
His heavy, half-closed eyelids lifted a fraction. “Mmmmm.”
While Bree continued talking, I took the empty demitasse and saucer, placed them on my tray, and handed him a second espresso. He glanced at me briefly, then one corner of his frowning mouth lifted slightly.
“Grazie,” he said.
“Prego,” I whispered.
He sipped this one slowly until it was finished. While he did, I found myself studying his hands. The man was a hardworking artisan on the rise, and his hands were amazingly muscular. I noticed thick calluses on the pads of his fingers and thumbs, wondered what his workshop looked like, what he was molding these days.
He noticed me noticing him, and his head tilted slightly. Then his artist’s gaze moved subtly down my body and up again. “Very nice,” he murmured in Italian. He drained his second cup and held it out to me.
“You’d like to offer me something more, signorina?”
Again he’d used Italian.
The tone was suggestive. I ignored it. Averting my focus downward, I placed his empty demitasse back on my tray and held out the final espresso. Nunzio intentionally overreached, moving his hand beyond the cup. His long, callused fingers lightly brushed my wrist then moved down, tickling the outside edge of my hand before taking possession of the saucer.
The contact was not subtle. The caress was deliberate and a little bit shocking. When I glanced up, his liquid-brown eyes locked on to my startled green ones. Then his lips lifted in private amusement. Obviously, the sculptor had caught me admiring his hands, so he’d decided to let me feel them, too.
I said nothing, simply swallowed and turned to leave the room. There was a palpable intensity in the man that became more apparent as he became more awake. I was glad, frankly, to get myself clear of it.
As I approached the double doors, they swung open, and Monica strode in.
“Ah!” Breanne halted her nonstop monologue when she noticed the younger editor. “I see the layout is here!”
“Bene!” Nunzio said.
He was sitting up straight now. The dark storm in his olive-skinned face had dissipated; his mood had visibly improved.
As I turned around to close the double doors, Breanne stood, met my eyes, and nodded—probably the closest thing to a thank-you I’d ever get from the woman.
I slipped away as the three of them—Bree, Nunzio, and Monica—began to examine the layout. Back in the break room, I brewed up four more espressos, attracting attention from some of the magazine staff. Drawn by the heavenly aroma of the Bouchon House Blend, the assistants clustered around me at the counter. They were all young women. Like Terri, they were very slender with an ethereal beauty that reminded me of pixies in the forest.
I gave them a quick lesson in how to work the machine for themselves, taking the opportunity to casually question them about Breanne and Monica and office politics. I didn’t get much beyond what I already knew. Breanne was a tough, demanding boss, who had little patience for screwups and sometimes belittled employees. (Telling the receptionist to shut up was apparently par for the course.) And Monica had been a very trusted, well-liked golden girl for years, which she cunningly used to advance herself.
A few minutes later, I was off again with a tray full of espressos. Returning to the corner office, I found Nunzio and Bree talking animatedly—but not unhappily—about his profile pages. By now, Roman Brio had also joined them.
I served the sculptor, Monica, and Roman. This time Breanne passed, so I took the last espresso for myself and backed away. Sipping the shot near the office doorway, I quietly observed the scene, paying special attention to Monica. She seemed agitated and tense, just as she had at the House of Fen. There was a notepad in her hand, and she was furiously scribbling in it as Nunzio made comments on the pages.
“The layout is good,” he finally declared, his Italian accent strong. “Make the changes I desire, and I will review her again before she prints, si?”
“Of course!” Breanne said. “Your instructions will be followed to the letter, Nunzio. I assure you.”
“And now I have something for you...”
The sculptor’s powerful hand reached into his Armani jacket and came out holding a small blue ring box. He flipped open the lid and, with a little bow, presented it to Breanne. Nestled in the blue velvet were two wedding rings.
“Oh. Oh God. They’re magnificent...”
Bree’s voice had gone soft, as if she were actually envisioning the moment the rings would be exchanged with her groom—instead of the moment they’d be photographed for her magazine.
Everyone in the room fell silent, aware of Breanne’s emotional shift. I stepped a little closer to see the rings, too. Then Monica, Roman, and Breanne began gushing about the intricate design. Hundreds of micro-thin strands of the finest white, yellow, and rose gold had been woven into a patterned circle. The design was inspired, with the metallic threads reflecting light as if shimmering stars were hidden within.
“I worked with the finest goldsmith on the Ponte Vecchio to realize this vision,” Nunzio said. “There are no other rings like these on earth—” He paused and smiled. “At this time.”
“Yes, of course. They’re the perfect prototype to launch your international jewelry line,” Breanne said, her tone all business again. “And your profile in Trend will be your introduction to a lucrative market in the United States.”
Nunzio set his empty espresso cup aside and rose from his chair. With a little smile he said, “May your marriage be blessed.”
Breanne thanked the sculptor and turned to Roman. “Take these,” she said, handing him the blue velvet box. “You’re as good as my best man, Roman, and I’d like you to watch over the rings until the ceremony.”
Roman smiled, obviously touched. He tucked the box into his lapel pocket. Like Puck making promises to his fairy queen, he crossed his heart with his pudgy hand.
“I’ll keep them with me at all times, my dear. I’ll guard them with my life.”
“I believe him,” Nunzio said with a laugh. Then he checked his watch. “Now I must go. Scusa, please.”
Breanne air kissed the artist. “Monica, show Nunzio to the elevators.”
“Yes, Ms. Summour.”
Before the young woman left, Bree caught Monica’s eye and smiled. “Good job on the pages.”
Monica’s tense expression registered relief. “Thank you.” She returned her boss’s smile then led Nunzio toward the door.
On his way out, the sculptor noticed me. “Arrivederci, signorina.”
“Buona permaneza,” I replied, telling him to enjoy his stay.
Monica continued into the hallway, but Nunzio slowed his steps until he’d stopped dead in front of me. Using two long fingers, he reached into his jacket’s breast pocket and brought out a cream-colored card. He held it out to me, his gaze holding mine until I took it. Then a half smile broke his intense mask, and he continued out the door.
Breanne didn’t miss the gesture. “What’s that he gave you?”
I shrugged. “Just his business card.”
Her eyebrow arched. “Let me see that.”
I handed her the small, flat rectangle. She examined it, flipped it over and laughed.
“What?” I asked.
“He asked me your name after you left the room. Then I watched him write something on one of his cards. It’s his hotel room number, Clare.”
“What?”
“At the Mandarin Oriental, about thirty floors up.”
“Good Lord. You keep it then. I have no intention of visiting the man in his hotel room. What does he think I am?”
She laughed again, slumping down in her chair as if the air had been let out of her. “You should be flattered. He obviously liked you as much as your espressos. Why not give him a whirl?”
Give him a whirl? Then and there I decided that Breanne Summour was the perfect mate for my ex-husband. Neither of them viewed sex as anything more meaningful than a carnival ride.
“I’m not going to the man’s hotel room,” I said, “because I’m in a relationship, and I don’t cheat.”
Breanne rolled her eyes. Clearly my morals, like my clothes, were far too bourgeoisie for her taste.
“Ms. Summour?” Terri was at the door, holding a package. “This was just delivered by courier. There’s no return address, but it’s marked ‘Wedding gift, open immediately.’ ”
“Bring it in,” she said. “Terri, would you like to see my rings?”
Terri nodded vigorously. Roman brought them out again.
“Ohmigod, they’re so beautiful!”
Bree and Terri talked for a minute about the rings, then her schedule, then some phone calls that had come in during her meeting with Nunzio.
“Terri, I don’t know what I’d do without you. You’re a gem! I’m just sorry your promotion will have to wait a little longer.”
“Oh, I don’t mind,” she said. “I’m already making lists for article ideas. I’ll be rea
dy to help out any of the section editors who want to work with me...”
As the two continued to talk, Roman examined the label on Breanne’s new gift. “Bree, sweetie, this gift says to open immediately. You might want to do that. What if it’s perishable? I mean, for heaven’s sake, it could be edible.”
“You open it then. I don’t want to break a nail.”
As Breanne sent Terri off to run an errand on another floor, Roman cut the tape with a letter opener and opened the cardboard box. Inside he found a long, slim package wrapped in glossy black paper. He pulled the gift card free and handed it to Breanne.
“It’s heavy,” he announced, tearing away the black paper. Roman opened the gift box and stared at the contents with puzzlement. “Odd gift for you,” he said, “seeing as how you seldom set foot in your own kitchen.”
I stepped forward and peered into the gift box. Nestled inside a blizzard of packing peanuts was a brand-new, stainless steel meat cleaver with a great big bow attached to its polished wooden handle. Like the wrapping paper, the bow’s color was not bridal white but funereal black.
The sight of it alone chilled my blood. “Who gave you this?” I asked Breanne sharply.
Her blue eyes squinted at the gift card. “It’s from Neville Perry. ‘A special gift to express my feelings for the bride.’ Signed, Neville. Oh, and he includes his ridiculous Prodigal Chef Web site address.”
Bree rolled her eyes and tossed the card into the garbage.
“Don’t do that!” I fished it out. “The gift is a threat. The card is evidence.”
“It’s a joke,” Breanne said. “And not a very clever one.”
I stepped up to her desk. “Let me use your computer.”