“I’m sorry, Dante, I must sound extremely ungrateful for the life I had.”
“And should I hate you because you had and I didn’t?” He shook his head. “I’ve learned to make peace with the cards I was dealt. And trust me, it hasn’t been easy. To never know where you truly come from…” Dante’s voice trailed off and it gave Adrianna pause. He never talked about being abandoned as a child.
“Peanuts, peanuts!” A vendor stopped on the steps in front of them and displayed some to Adrianna, but she shook her head.
“It must be hard for you not knowing who your birth parents are.”
“It’s funny. As a child, I would look into strangers’ faces wondering if they were my mom and dad. Trying to see if I could see any reflection of myself in them, but eventually I had to give up the ghost.”
“Did you ever try to find them?”
Dante shook his head. “Why bother? My mother couldn’t be bothered to take care of me as a toddler and abandoned me at a hospital. That’s when it hit me. Would I really want to know that person? And the answer was no.”
Adrianna’s eyes teared up as she thought of Dante abandoned as a child with no one to turn to but the system. Thank God he’d lucked out and met Malik, Quentin and Sage.
“Is everything okay?” Dante asked. When she nodded, he asked again. “Are you sure? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring you down talking about the past.” He reached for his beer which he’d set on the concrete floor, but Adrianna placed a hand in his lap.
“Don’t ever be sorry. You have every right to feel sad, ambivalent or just plain angry for the hand you were dealt in life. It was a raw deal and I’m sorry.”
Dante leaned over and brushed his lips across hers. “Thank you, darling. So let’s turn this dial back to some fun, all right?” He stood up and cheered. “C’mon, Yankees!”
Adrianna got in on the fun and shouted right along with him. Pretty soon the somber mood that had overtaken them had vanished and was replaced with good times.
After the game, Dante’s friend helped them get access to the locker rooms. Dante and Adrianna waited outside until the players filed out. Thanks to Dante, Adrianna now had a Yankees baseball from the gift store signed by Dante’s favorite player.
“I had a great time,” Adrianna said as she snuggled in his arms on the drive back to the city.
“So did I,” Dante replied. “I can’t believe that last home run. The Yankees are a gifted team.”
Once back at Dante’s place, duty called and Adrianna used her cell phone to check on her father. Nigel indicated that her Aunt Mimi, Madison’s mother, had dropped by for a visit which had tired him out, but he was now resting comfortably. Thank God for Nigel, Adrianna thought as she hung up. If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t have the opportunity to spend this amount of time with Dante. She’d be tied to her father’s bedside. The nurse she’d hired helped as well, but it was Nigel that her father relied on and respected.
“Everything okay?” Dante asked, coming into the living room with a gift-wrapped box with a large bow on it.
Adrianna’s eyes grew wide. “Everything is fine and is that for me?” She pointed to the box.
Dante rubbed his goatee. “Hmm, let me think…of course it’s for you, silly. Open it up.” He plopped down on the couch beside her.
Slowly, Adrianna untied the bow and lifted the top lid. Inside lay a beautiful passion-colored one-shouldered draped dress. Adrianna grinned from ear to ear. “Dante, you shouldn’t have.”
“Well.” He shrugged. “What else were you going to wear to dinner? I know my sweats are quite the fashion statement, so if you want to wear them again, they are all yours.”
“Absolutely not,” Adrianna said, taking the designer dress out of the box and dangling it over the side of the couch. “This dress is stunning and it must be worn.”
“Ya think?” A glint of humor flickered in his eyes. “Go try it on.”
“Gladly,” Adrianna said, but instead of going to his bathroom to change, she unzipped her skinny jeans and slowly started to pull them down her hips. Surprisingly, she wasn’t embarrassed at the prospect of undressing right in front of Dante. She loved the way he looked at her with such passion lurking in those brown depths.
Dante raised a brow. “Hmm…I’m getting my own private strip show. I like.”
“Oh yes.” Adrianna turned backward to Dante and peeled off her tunic inch by inch. She gave him a wink just as she pulled it over her head and tossed it to him. He caught it with one hand.
Dante was thrilled watching Adrianna undress. She had such a beautiful body. She was all curves and lusciousness. Dante wanted to take her back to his bed and have his way with her, but there was plenty of time for that later. He had a quiet romantic dinner planned at the River Café that Adrianna was going to love.
Bare-chested, wearing only bikini panties, Adrianna felt no shame reaching for the dress. She slipped it over her head. When she was fully dressed she spun around, but Dante remained silent.
“Well?” She bunched her shoulders.
The hem of the dress hit Adrianna’s gorgeously toned thighs and the satin draped over her sexy shoulders with ease. “Breathtaking,” Dante whispered. He quickly rose to his feet, closed the distance between them and enveloped her in his arms. The kiss was electric.
Once they finally broke free, Dante said, “Now, I’m completely underdressed for dinner.” He motioned down to his jersey and jeans.
“Then let’s get showered.” Adrianna smirked, heading toward the master bedroom.
An hour later, Adrianna emerged from the master bedroom wearing the dress along with the drop diamond earrings and matching necklace she’d worn the night before. Luckily, she had her compact with some pressed powder, lip liner and gloss in her cocktail purse. Her makeup was minimal, so she hoped Dante wasn’t too disappointed.
He was waiting for her in the living room in a Calvin Klein black suit and a pink tie that matched her dress. “Someone looks dashing.” Adrianna smiled as she approached him.
“And you look amazing as well.”
“Do I?” Adrianna asked, fluffing her hair. “I don’t have my makeup so forgive the bare face.”
Dante stroked her cheek. “Don’t you get it by now? You could be wearing absolutely nothing and you’d still look beautiful to me.”
Adrianna brushed her lips across his. “Thank you. You make me feel like a million dollars.”
“Let’s go, baby.”
Nestled under the Brooklyn Bridge, the River Café was every bit as romantic and elegant as Dante envisioned. It offered a sweeping view of the Manhattan skyline that Dante knew would appeal to Adrianna.
Holding hands, they walked the short pathway through the garden to the restaurant. They took time to stop and literally smell the roses. Then the hostess seated them in the Terrace Room at a table near the floor-to-ceiling window.
“This is a perfect ending to an amazing day,” Adrianna commented after Dante ordered a bottle of Madeira wine from one of River Café’s finest collections.
“I agree,” Dante said. “It’s been so long since I’ve taken a day off. For last few years, I’ve been a workaholic, devoting myself to building up Dante’s and now Renaissance.”
“That you haven’t stopped to take time for yourself?” Adrianna asked. It reminded her of herself. She’d been so unhappy with her life that she’d wrapped herself up in her work, barely dating. She’d stopped living.
“Exactly. You know what I’m talking about.”
“I do, but now we have so much more to look forward to,” Adrianna said. “Can you believe we’ll have our television show soon?”
Dante nodded. “I can hardly believe it, but it’s the next logical step for me. I’ve achieved the goal of owning my own restaurants and creating my visions. Now it’s time to take it to a bigger audience.”
The waiter returned with the Madeira wine and poured them each a glass. “Thank you,” Dante said and took care of orderi
ng the bay scallop ceviche as an appetizer.
“And you’re sure you don’t mind having me along for the ride?” Adrianna asked.
“Why would you ask me that?” Dante asked. “Are you still unsure of me?”
“No.” Adrianna shook her head. “But maybe of myself.”
“Don’t doubt yourself.” Dante reached for Adrianna’s hand and squeezed it. “You have what it takes to be a great chef. I saw that at Renaissance when you pinch-hit for my staff. You have great instincts which is why our show is going to be a success.” He reached for his wineglass. “So let’s toast. To making it big.”
“To making it big.” Adrianna clinked her glass with his.
Dinner was a feast of the senses with crispy duck breast with white truffle honey and potato croquettes for Adrianna, and Mediterranean seabass with a chorizo and shrimp stuffing and zucchini for Dante. Afterward, they sat and listened to a band singing Frank Sinatra tunes.
Adrianna soaked in the ambience as this was the last night she could stay with Dante. She needed to get back to her father and spend time with him. No one knew how long he had left—months or even weeks—so she was going to have to enjoy this night with Dante because they might be few and far between from here on out.
So when Dante asked her to dance, she gladly accepted. Time spent in his arms was like heaven. He clutched her to him and together they swayed to the soothing big band music.
When it was over, Dante took her back to his place and made love to her slowly, gently and with a reverence Adrianna had never felt before with any other man. Afterward as they lay snuggled together in each other’s arms, Adrianna said, “This has been one of the best weekends I’ve had in a long time and I will cherish it.”
“I feel the same way,” Dante replied. “And there’re many more in store.” He lowered his head and captured her mouth in a long, deep kiss.
Chapter 8
“Are you nervous?” Malik asked Dante when they met at the gym for their weekly workout session. Before Malik was married, they used to go more often, but now they had settled on Wednesdays.
“About what?” Dante asked as he completed several reps on the chest press.
“Don’t you start taping the show next week?” Malik inquired, grabbing two twenty-pound weights.
“We do, but I’m not too worried about it,” Dante responded. “Adrianna and I already met with the show’s producer on Monday and discussed the vision for the show. And in the interim, she and I have collaborated on several ideas for dishes, so I think we’ll be fine.” Over the weekend—in bed—they’d discussed ideas they had for dishes for the show.
Malik stopped lunging and lifting the free weights to stare at Dante. “You and Adrianna have collaborated?” He raised a brow. “So I take it your relationship has been reignited?”
Dante laughed out loud. “C’mon, don’t act like Sage didn’t call you and spill the beans when she found out we’d be hosting the show together. I know Miss Thing told you.”
“Actually, I didn’t know,” Malik replied, continuing with his lunges. “She’d left a couple of messages for me, but I’ve been so busy with another renovation at one of my community centers that I hadn’t had the time to call her back.”
“Well, now you know.”
“And things are going well?” he asked, returning to his lunges while doing bicep curls.
“If by ‘well,’ you mean we’re not arguing and have made up in bed, then the answer would be a resounding yes.”
“That’s great,” Malik replied. “It’s good to see you happy, man.”
“I feel blessed,” Dante said. “To have Adrianna in my life after all these years and to have my career taking off right now, life couldn’t be better.”
“You are glowing, girlfriend,” Madison said when they met for manicures and pedicures at Madison’s favorite salon that afternoon.
“Am I really?” Adrianna asked and glanced at her reflection in the mirror. “Here’s my color.” Adrianna handed the manicurist the nail color she’d selected.
“Clearly, some good loving is doing wonders for your complexion,” Madison stated. “Care to pass some of it along to us sexually-repressed sistas?”
“Madison, you always have several guys on a string,” Adrianna responded.
“And none of them have rocked my boat recently, but Dante must have all the right moves.” Madison patted Adrianna’s knee.
“Madison! Hush!” Adrianna colored and she turned around to see if anyone was listening to their conversation. “What if someone heard you?”
“What if they did?” Madison asked, raising her voice just an octave higher. “They’re all probably wishing they were you.”
Adrianna laughed and instantly relaxed. Trust Madison to give it to her straight.
“So, give me some juicy details.”
“All I will say is that Dante and I have reconnected and the sparks—” Adrianna’s eyes flew upward “—are just amazing. I don’t remember ever feeling this way, even back then. Maybe I was just young and naive and didn’t know true passion. But now… Whew.” She snapped her fingers. “It’s like every emotion has been heightened. Every kiss, every touch. Every time we’re together it’s like the Fourth of July.”
“Wow!” Madison’s eyes grew large. “That’s fabulous, darling. See, what you needed all this time was for Dante to release the sexual diva within.”
“He has,” Adrianna replied. “I feel so much more in tune with myself and my feelings and my desires. It’s been truly liberating.”
“And trust me, now that the sexual diva is loose, you’ll never want her back in.”
“You’re a hot mess, Madison.” Adrianna chuckled.
“Are you as excited as I am?” Adrianna asked as the elevator climbed toward the tenth floor of Lawrence Enterprises where the television studio was located.
“I am.” Dante squeezed her hand. “This is a dream come true.”
They hadn’t been able to spend the entire weekend together as Adrianna had to be with her father, but she had come to Manhattan on Saturday and they’d attended a street festival and spent the better part of the evening in bed.
When they arrived to the television studio floor, they released hands. They had decided to keep their relationship private from people other than their family. The world did not need to know they were an item. The production team was already in full setup mode when they arrived. Todd was there waiting for them.
“Dante.” Todd shook his hand and then hers. “Adrianna.”
“Hi, Todd.” Adrianna beamed.
“Are you both ready to make some magic happen on screen?” Todd asked.
“We are indeed,” Dante replied.
“Let’s get you two kids to hair and makeup,” Todd said. He led them to a small area set up with two director’s chairs with their names on them in front of two lighted mirrors.
Dante glanced at Adrianna and winked. He could sense her nervousness. Surprisingly, he was calm. He’d waited his whole life for a moment like this. He relished the opportunity to show the world exactly the type of chef Dante Moore was. He’d toiled in the trenches for long enough. It was his moment to shine. And with Adrianna at his side, he couldn’t fail.
Spending time with her the last week had been amazing. Being able to wake up in her arms was the best way to start out a day. He knew she wouldn’t be able to do it for too much longer with her father’s health declining. She was going to have spend more time in the Hamptons with him, but that didn’t matter to Dante because as soon as he saw her, as soon as they came together, the rest of the world ceased.
“I’m just going to put a little pancake on you,” the makeup artist told Dante. “The cameras can be harsh.”
Dante smiled back at her. “No problem.” While the makeup artist worked on him, a barber came over to touch up his haircut and his goatee. Then it was on to wardrobe. Several button-down shirts, trousers and even some jeans hung on a rack for Dante to choose from.
/> As he was perusing the clothing, Todd came toward him. “How’s it going?”
“Fine,” Dante said. “These are some great designers.” He was familiar with several of the collections.
“Well, we want you to look stylish and sophisticated, yet approachable. We want the audience out there to be able to relate to your style. That’s why we chose casual wardrobes for both you and Adrianna.”
“I’m pretty much happy with everything you have here,” Dante said, selecting a blue button-down shirt and a pair of jeans.
“Great! I’ll see you at taping. I’m going to check on Adrianna.”
Across the way, Adrianna was getting her hair done. She’d purposely come in with it washed and straight so the hair stylist would have a blank canvas to work on. “I just love your hair,” the stylist gushed. “It’s so thick and full. Women would kill for this head of hair.”
“Thank you,” Adrianna said.
“If you don’t mind, I would like to give you just a few more layers. You’ll still have the length, but it would be a little bit more modern. Then we’re going to use a flat iron so that the hair frames your face.”
“I’m completely open to all your suggestions.” Adrianna hadn’t cut any significant length off her hair in years. She supposed it came from having been a society wife and having her hair tastefully pulled back in a bun or an updo. Even after the divorce, Adrianna hadn’t made any changes. She’d been so happy to move on with her life that she’d settled for the mundane. Not anymore. She was going after what she wanted.
A half hour later, Adrianna shook her hair in the mirror. It still reached past her shoulders, but had layers that accentuated her round face and petite nose. She loved the makeover.
“How do I look?” Adrianna asked when Dante walked toward her.
“Beautiful as always,” Dante said, grabbing her and giving her a playful spin.
The television studio set was much different than the demo Dante and Adrianna used previously. The new set had a very modern, elegant feel with black cabinets, granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.
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