by Chloe Blake
“She did well tonight, Right?” Dani said.
“Oh! It was like 1985 all over again. She is fierce on that stage, like a panther.” Roberto bared his teeth and clawed the air. Dani smothered a laugh.
“Well, she looks busy with press. Can you tell her I’m heading back to the hotel? And that I’m really proud of her?”
“No. No. No. Mommy dearest said you have to come to the after party.” He handed her another pass. “Then you can tell her how proud you are yourself. Addio, bella.” He clapped his hands and kissed her cheek before disappearing through the crowd.
After party? The address on the card said the Armani Ristorante. There were three restaurants Dani loved to visit when she was in Milan and the Armani was one of them. She wondered if Martin still managed the place and felt her heart flutter. Martin had been a line cook and her first real boyfriend. She thought about their goodbye kiss years ago and then wondered if a taxi would be the quickest way there.
* * *
Where the hell was she? Toni prowled round the bar at the Armani Ritsorante and downed his second complimentary champagne. Sliding by a server, he switched out his empty flute with a full one and took another swig.
Ava’s call took him by surprise. She wanted to talk...about what? And why here in this crowded space? He plucked a few crudités from the buffet table and blew out a frustrated breath. She had a way of manipulating him that he didn’t see coming until after the fact, like tonight. He’d agreed only to talk, the next thing you knew he was arranging a babysitter for Sophia and going to the show. Watching her walk the show had brought back memories, good and bad. As did the Armani. Maybe that’s why he was in a mood. The back couches were where they had gotten engaged.
A woman approached with a smile and an inviting gaze that ran down his body. He nodded politely, uninterested but conscious of offending the lady, and turned away. Dark eyes, generous hips and a floral tattoo had been haunting him all day. As did the look on her face when he protested her working at the restaurant. It wasn’t his finest moment and all he could think of was begging her forgiveness, then making passionate love to her.
Toni chatted with the few people he knew by association, then sank into a couch in the back corner. He texted Sophia, who was at home with a babysitter, and smiled at the poo emoji she sent him. Because of the other night, he had vetoed her plans to go to the movies with her friends. They had yet to have their family talk, but the person he really needed to talk to was Ava. She needed a reminder that family was the most important thing in life. Not this charade, he thought, scanning the room of drunk fashionable people.
Speaking of which, he spied his ex-wife making her way through the crowd toward him. Her silver dress was as thin as tissue paper and hugged the slender contours of her body. Only a dead man would be able to look way, and yet the vision in front of him was blurred by years of painful baggage. He rose when she reached him and executed kisses on both of her cheeks. He was taken aback when her mouth slid to the corner of his on the last kiss.
Ava sat on the leather chair across from him and they exchanged pleasantries, with him congratulating her on the show, and her going into detail of the backstage antics. He sipped his champagne and nodded at the fluctuations of her voice. She hadn’t mentioned leaving Sophia home alone, or the text he had sent, to which she had never replied. As usual, she hadn’t inquired into his life, something he hadn’t realized until after they’d married.
As she spoke, his gaze shifted as another barrage of people entered the bar and he glimpsed a shining cascade of black curly hair moving tentatively through the throng. Danica? She wore a purple satin dress that showed lots of skin and hugged her soft womanly curves. The tattoo on her arm looked like a wild accessory. He blinked as she wet her red lips and leaned over the bar to speak to the bartender.
“Are you listening to me?” Ava frowned.
Toni shifted his gaze back to his ex. He hadn’t been, but answered with a confident, “Of course.”
“Well, would you like to?”
Oh God, what was she saying? “I don’t know...” What you are talking about?
“I think family dinners on Sunday would be nice for Sophia.”
“Oh! I mean...you’re right I think I can make it work.”
He frowned as she stood and moved to sit next to him. “And then we can work on us too.”
Suddenly the air in the space got thin. He took a gulp of champagne as she slid a hand on his thigh. He willed himself to relax. Ava could smell fear. And rejecting the mother of his daughter needed to be done with more finesse than a polite grin. He knew Ava, and as beautiful as she was, she was insecure. If she felt the tiniest bit rejected, she would try to hurt him by using Sophia.
He recalled how he went to court to stop her from taking Sophia to another country during their divorce. When he found out she still planned to leave, he promised her a generous monthly allowance if she stayed. He was still paying it.
Toni set down his glass and twisted toward her, taking her hand from his thigh and enclosing it in his.
“Ava, for Sophia’s sake,” he said as she leaned in and he dodged a kiss, “let’s take this slow. We have to be sure this is what we want, no?” She tipped her face to his, her eyes glassy and unfocused. He inwardly sighed, suspecting she was on something.
“You want to be a family. So do I.”
“We are a family. But you and I have history.”
“History is good.” Her other hand reached for his groin and he caught it and brought it to his lips.
“We need to know each other again. Let’s start with the dinners,” he pleaded.
“Don’t you want me?” She pouted.
“You’re very beautiful, Ava. Always.” He was relieved at her smile. And he hoped this notion was a product of whatever drug she took, and that it would wear off along with the effects.
He let his guard down, satisfied that he had wriggled out of a bad situation, when she grabbed the back of his head and crushed her lips against his. His first instinct was to struggle, but that wouldn’t go over well. He leaned into the kiss, ran his hands over her arms and tangled his fingers in her hair, then gently cupped her jaw and pulled his lips from hers.
Ava gazed at him with a triumphant smile. He gazed back under lowered lids, hoping his eyes didn’t reveal how annoyed he was. He pulled back farther and looked over Ava’s head, right into Dani’s eyes.
Chapter 9
The severe beige, white and black decor of the Armani Ristorante was the perfect playground for Chanel’s partygoers clad in sky-high heels, glossy hair and jewel-toned lips. Inquiring about Martin at the bar, Dani held her breath when she saw a man with dark hair and swarthy skin come out from a back room and make his way toward the bar. Dani caught Martin’s attention with a small wave and his face lit up as he came around the bar to stand in front of her.
“Wow. It’s been too long.” He leaned over so his Spanish-Italian accent was thick in her ear, cutting through the music. “Nice dress.” Martin was even more handsome than Dani remembered and the way his gaze dipped into her cleavage made her blush gratefully.
His flirty smile was infectious. She smiled back, feeling at ease suddenly. He hadn’t changed, which was nice considering that she was still feeling out of place in the throng of the fashion obsessed. She wasn’t used to showing this much skin, even though every dress that walked by was held together by a thin strap or a barely there chain. She shook her hair over her shoulders for a little cover, but Martin swiped one side away with his hand before suggesting they grab a lounge chair to catch up.
Dani and Martin dodged servers in pastel wigs, some stopping him for a quick issue. She remembered when they had both been poor, ambitious cooks taken under Marcello’s wing. Now he was the manager of a Michelin-starred restaurant. And she was...she didn’t want to think about it anymore.
Toni
’s look when he showed her the blog said it all. His eyes had accused her of being a fake. Meanwhile, he’d kissed her in the kitchen like a man who’d been trapped in the desert. He hadn’t been calling her fake then, had he? That kiss. Martin caught up to her and steered her toward the back of the room, his gaze running over her bare shoulders.
Martin was going to help her forget about that kiss.
Dani scanned the lounge area and did a double take when she saw Toni kissing a lithe blonde.
“Excuse us,” she said, quickly turning away. Dani sighed. Would she ever get away from this man? “Let’s have a seat over here, Martin.” Martin followed closely behind, then stopped.
“Toni! And Ava! You two are back together?” Dani whipped around at Martin’s declaration. Did Toni know everyone in this town?
Toni stood and grasped Martin’s hand like an old friend. Dani noted that the blonde didn’t turn around, taking the opportunity to apply more lipstick.
“You should come find me, Toni,” Martin said. “I spoke to Anton, who spoke to Destin, who said I need to speak to you—” Martin poked Toni playfully “—about the Deschamps wine.”
“I was coming to you, Martin. Of course we want Deschamps here.” Toni slid his gaze to Dani and she responded by putting her hands on her hips. “But you are busy right now,” Toni said, gesturing toward her with a flick of his chin, “so I’ll find you tomorrow afternoon.”
“I’m holding you to that.” Martin turned to Dani. “Dani, come meet Toni.”
Dani didn’t move. “We’ve met. Buona sera, Toni.”
“Buona sera, Chef. You look lovely,” Toni said, sliding his hands in his pockets.
Dani raised a brow. Chef? Was that a barb?
Martins gaze darted between the two of them. “You know each other? How?”
“Marcello.”
They said simultaneously.
“Ahh yes!” Martin continued. “Dani and I knew each other when she was his sous-chef. I heard he was in the hospital. How is he doing?”
“He’s well. I saw him this morning...” Toni said.
“He’s better. I saw him this afternoon...” Dani said.
They both started talking and then stopped, silently competing.
Toni cleared his throat and spoke to Dani. “This is my ex-wife, Ava.” Ava finally twisted around to give Dani a once-over and a half smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Dani looked away, doing her best not to feel self-conscious. She recognized Ava as one of the models that walked in the show and suddenly her designer dress felt like a potato sack. Of course Toni’s ex was a model. It was par for the course, right? Hot guy, hot girl. The building blocks of every perfect match. Dani cringed inside.
“Would you like to join us?” Toni suggested, looking out the side of his eye at Dani.
“No!” Ava shouted. “I mean...they seem to have some catching up to do, as do we, darling.”
Dani suppressed an eye roll. “We do have some catching up to do, but grazie. There is room over here, Martin. Buona sera, Toni. Ava.”
Martin and Dani settled in the open seating and jumped right into old times. Martin was as funny and engaging as she had remembered, but Dani struggled to focus on the gorgeous man that was sitting in front of her. Instead her gaze drifted repeatedly to the couple about ten feet behind him.
Dani watched Ava lean toward Toni suggestively, then saw Toni scoot back a little. If she didn’t know better, she’d say he was dodging her advances.
“And then I met Vivian.” Dani’s gaze slid back to Martin.
“Who is Vivian?”
“My wife.”
Dani’s smile flickered. Martin wore no ring and she had allowed herself to hope that he might be single. But who was she kidding? Not everyone was as pathetic as she was when it came to relationships.
“That’s great. Sounds like you have it all together.”
“What about you? I heard you were no longer working with Andre?”
Dani balked. “How did you hear that?”
“We are a small community, Dani. You know that.”
Oh God. He’d read the blog, of course he did. “Umm... I’m exploring my options right now.”
Saying it aloud to Martin made her feel like a failure, not just in her career, but in life. She saw him frown and lean in to ask more questions but over his shoulder she glimpsed her mother taking selfies with fans. She abruptly stood. “I’m sorry to cut this short, but there is my mother. Come say hi. She’d love to see you.”
Dani quickly quit the couch, staring straight ahead to avoid making eye contact with Toni. She made it to the bar when she felt a hand on her arm. Whipping around, her gaze dropped to the hand, then lifted to the serious look in Toni’s eyes.
“We need to talk.”
* * *
“No we don’t.” Dani tugged her arm back and he gently released her. Her eyes flashed and he found himself intrigued by how naturally beautiful she looked in just lipstick and mascara.
“I want to apologize. It wasn’t personal.”
“Saying I would bring negative press is personal.” She angrily flipped the heavy tresses of her hair to one shoulder exposing the plunging neckline and an expanse of skin that looked like silk.
Toni sighed. “You have to understand how much my family and I have riding on this venture. Ten years of investment is a lot of money. We won’t even begin to recoup some in the first few years.”
Someone shifted at the bar, allowing Toni to slip in beside Dani. Holding up two fingers, he signaled the bartender and called out something by name.
“Noted, Toni. So whom have you secured to helm your investment until Marcello takes over?”
“We spoke on the phone a few hours ago. I’ve suggested a few people, but Marcello has been uncooperative.”
“Meaning he didn’t like your choices.”
Toni smiled sheepishly. “No. He didn’t.” They paused when two glasses of red wine appeared on the bar. “But he assured me he knows someone who will do it. He just hasn’t told me who.”
Toni slid a glass toward Dani and with a light swish, brought it to her nose. Toni did the same.
“Maybe he’s avoiding telling you because you’ll object and call them negative.”
“I never said you were negative.”
Toni watched Dani take a sip, and took his own.
“Mmm. That’s very nice. What is it?”
“It’s the Dolcetto Marcello was talking about.” He liked her chuckle and his gaze focused on her lips when she took another sip.
She nodded slowly. “He was right. I’ll have to remember this wine when I head to the villa next week. I’m staying with your mother, I believe.”
Her challenging gaze caught his over the rim of her glass. Marcello had refused to tell him who his choice was and now he knew why. His reservations still stood, but he no longer had the urge to fight her. If anything, he admitted that he was happy to know he would see her again. Toni lowered his head as if thinking, then flicked his gaze to hers. “Does it feel good to thwart me?”
“Yes. It does.” She smiled.
Toni couldn’t help the slow smile that spread across his face. He held up his glass and motioned for her to do the same.
“A toast to our new chef.”
“Temporary chef,” Dani corrected.
“What are we toasting?” Ava appeared with her hands on her hips, staring daggers at Dani. Toni felt his stomach twist. Ava was unpredictable when it came to other women.
“Dani is going to be our new chef at the villa.”
Ava cocked her hip and didn’t smile. “Ohhh, you’re the one that took over the other night? Sophia mentioned a ‘Danny.’ I thought you were a man.”
“No, just me.”
Ava raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips, giving Dani a deliberate once-over
—intimidation tactics that Toni had seen before. He had to get Ava away before she insulted Dani outright.
“It must be hard to be around all of that food, no?” Ava said with deliberate disdain.
“Ava,” Toni warned. Her insinuation was subtle, but direct. Dani straightened her back and glared at Ava, but refused to engage by taking a sip of her wine.
A commanding voice came from the side.
“Well, if you ate anything, Ava, you’d know that my daughter is one of the best chefs in New York. Speaking of, Ava, have you gained a little weight?” Toni watched in awe as Francesca Watts gracefully sidled next to Dani and kissed her on both cheeks.
Ava shrank. Dani suppressed a smile. And Toni couldn’t stop blinking. Daughter? His gaze darted between the two. He saw it then. The eyes and the high cheekbones were the same.
“Mother, this is Toni. I told you about him.”
“Oh my.” Francesca leaned in. “So you’re the young man who kidnapped my daughter last night.” She held out her fingers, which Toni brought to his lips. When he looked up, he caught Dani’s eye roll, and then her head turned to cover it up.
“Guilty, signora. Your daughter was our savior last night.”
The foursome paused briefly when a server presented a plate of mushroom and cheese croquettes.
“Ladies first,” Toni offered.
“We have a photo shoot tomorrow,” Francesca said just as Ava reached for a bite. A silent look passed between the two models, before Ava lowered her outstretched hand. “And Danica doesn’t eat after ten.”
Dani’s gaze touched his, then hit the floor.
Ava huffed away.
“I’ll see you at the shoot tomorrow, darling,” Dani’s mother called after Ava, who briefly turned with a snarl.
“Are you coming?” Ava snapped at Toni.
“In un minuto,” Toni nodded, relieved when Ava sat with a group at a table.
“Odd girl,” Francesca said.
“Mother,” Dani warned. “That’s Toni’s ex-wife.”
Toni almost chuckled at the questioning look on Francesca’s face. It reminded him of how his own mother had looked the day he’d announced they were engaged.