Tuscan Heat (SoBe Heat Book 1)

by Anise Storm

Finally, sighing out in resignation, she placed the jet back into its holder and turned off the water. Her towel was right outside of the enclosure, so she grabbed and then wrapped it around herself as she walked over to her vanity. She ran her brush through her long, damp locks and then finished towel drying herself off. Re-entering her bedroom, she pulled a pair of panties from her top dresser drawer and then slipped them on along with a long T-shirt.

  Lania would watch television until she fell asleep, and she just hoped it would be soon. Flipping through the channels, nothing seemed to interest her until she saw one of her favorite shows. She had managed to catch it right at the beginning and after the theme song began, she started to sing along.

  She held the last note a few seconds longer than the telecast and then sighed. Living in Miami, she and her friends had often joked that this would be them in forty years. Lania could see that too. Being the Italian with a temper, she liked to think that she would be the matriarch of the bunch. Niles would have to be the intimidating one, although Kimara might give her a run for her money since she was just as head-strong. Hands down, Jade and Arielle would definitely be able to recreate the flirtatious female’s magic, and Olivia, bless her heart, would be the perfect one with her naivety.

  It was very comforting to know that despite what was happened in life, they would always have someone to grow old with. When she finally reached her golden years, she truly hoped to be as fabulous as the women on this show. Settling into bed, she watched as woman told another that she had gotten into a fender bender in the other woman’s car. She couldn’t help but smile at the lengths that she went to in order to meet men. Maybe if she tried something like that, she’d have a date more often.

  Thinking about her champagne-colored Porsche Cayman, Lania shuddered at the thought of even getting a single scratch on her baby. It was a graduation gift from her parents, and she treasured the vehicle. “I think I’ll stick to more conventional ways,” she said aloud.

  And then an idea struck her. She had Saturday night off, so maybe she would do like most twenty-five-year-olds and hit the club. South Beach was notorious for partying and even if she didn’t meet a steady man, she might at least meet someone who could help her take the edge off.

  She made a mental note to check out the others’ schedules, especially Niles’, because Delirium would be the first place on her list. She glanced back up at the episode and laughed as Rose ran with footage that proved the man in the neck brace was faking his injuries. The credits rolled, and she turned the television off. Lania was about to turn the bedside lamp off too and try to go to bed when her phone started to ring. She would’ve just ignored it had it not been the unique ringtone she had for her mother.

  Her mother rarely ever called her after ten at night and it was eleven-thirty. A frisson of fear shook her that something was wrong. “Mom,” she said after hitting the accept button on her iPhone. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yes, baby,” Carlotta Barone said. “I’m sorry to call you so late.”

  Lania sighed in relief but wondered what was so pressing that it couldn’t wait until morning. “It’s okay. What’s up?”

  “I’m not sure if you heard the news yet, but Mario De Palma is finally moving back home from Singapore,” she told her.

  “I’ve heard,” she responded listlessly. She had the overwhelming urge to roll her eyes. It was obvious that her mother didn’t understand what his return meant for her daughter or else she wouldn’t be so excited.

  “Oh good,” Carlotta said. “We’re having a welcome home party for him on Saturday.”

  Now Lania knew why her mother was calling her so late. Sure that it was at their country club, she was glad that she would be far away from there.

  “And we’ve decided to throw him a party ourselves at our estate. Naturally, we expect you to be there, Melania.”

  Was her mother serious? “I have other plans for Saturday. Sorry.”

  She heard the sigh of disappointment come across the line loud and clear. “I’m sure your father will be very disappointed with your absence. You know he told you a few weeks ago how much he missed you.”

  Her father was being used as a weapon to get her to agree. Lania knew it, and she wouldn’t have been surprised if Gorgio Barone was there listening to the entire conversation. She was a huge daddy’s girl and as upsetting as it was to hurt the man she idolized so much, the thought of spending five minutes in the same room with Mario was even more so.

  She knew Mario had only returned to Miami to destroy her business. It was a mystery to Lania why her parents couldn’t see that. Their throwing him a party might as well have been an open invitation to him to make their daughter’s life miserable. If any of them thought that she would simply roll over and allow him to run roughshod over her dream, then they were all mistaken.

  “I’m not sure why I have to be there. I mean, it’s been years since I last saw him,” she argued. Her mother’s voice was muffled and there was a rustling sound before she heard a male clear his deep voice.

  “Melania Grace Barone,” her father began, and she cringed. It was very rare that he called her by her full name, so Lania knew he wasn’t pleased with her. “The De Palma family is very important to us, and we expect you to be standing there beside us in support of them. Mario has grown into a fine young man, and he deserves a proper homecoming.”

  A fine man? Was he talking about the same Mario that she knew? “B-but,” she stammered as she frantically tried to come up with a legitimate excuse.

  “There are no ifs, ands or buts about it. We’ll see you at the house around seven,” he ordered, and she knew it wasn’t negotiable.

  “Fine,” she mumbled under her breath. This was so not how she wanted to end her night. “I’m going to go to sleep now, Dad. I’ll see you then.”

  “I love you,” he responded, and she hung up the phone, scowling at it.

  “Just fucking great,” she sarcastically exclaimed before rolling over and burying her face in one of the pillows. Lania let out a scream, which did little to improve her temperament but still felt good nonetheless.

  There went her plan to hang out with her friends this weekend at a club. And as she started thinking about what she would wear to the party, she realized she had nothing that would send Mario the message she wanted him to send. It looked like she would also need to stop by a local boutique and buy a dress. She needed something that screamed “don’t fuck with me” and since her commute would be almost two hours, she would need to go shopping tomorrow. It was yet another thing to add to her already long to-do list. Letting out another scream, this time she didn’t even bother to muffle it. Now that felt good.

  Chapter 3

  AFTER A VERY RESTLESS night’s sleep, Lania’s temperament had barely improved and as she drove her Porsche down the Collins Avenue toward Basilico, she couldn’t help but pass the beachside resort that would soon house De Palmas Italian Restaurant. And what a fucking coincidence. It was on the same block as her own. She rolled her eyes at that. If Mario thought she would simply pack up and let him win then he would see how wrong that assumption was.

  Lania had put her heart and soul into Basilico, and he would only be able to destroy her dream over her dead body. She still had a pulse, albeit one that instantly raced at the mere thought of him, but it was one nonetheless. She didn’t believe her parents for a second when they said he’d grown into a fine young man. He was an arrogant asshole, and she would give him a piece of her mind tomorrow night before warning him not to mess with her.

  As she pulled into the parking lot of her restaurant, she already had a number of things she wanted to say to him. She would never roll over and let him take anything from her. Getting out of her car, Lania looked up at the sign to Basilico. It was Italian for basil, and something she thought to be very fitting considering it was the most widely used herbs in various recipes. She rummaged around in her purse for the building keys and then entered her happy place.

  It
was very traditional as far as décor went, but it fit the vibe of the place. Like a typical Italian home, she wanted every customer who entered to feel welcome as she took them on a culinary journey through all of Italy. The furniture was made of dark wood and there were rich colors on the wall. The marble tops lightened up the space and it reminded Lania of one of her favorite places in Florence.

  “Good morning, Lania,” Olivia said as she walked into the dining room. She turned around and smiled at her friend.

  “Thanks for coming in this morning. I wanted to have a quick staff meeting to talk about what I told you last night,” she explained. “We’ll start once everyone gets here. Feel free to make yourself some coffee.”

  Olivia pushed her dirty blond hair out of the way, and Lania could see the twinkle in her hazel eyes. “You mean to say that you’ve been holding out on me?”

  “If she’s holding out on you, then she is on the rest of us,” Benny Mercado said as he entered the dining room too.

  “No,” Lania replied. “It’s nothing like that. I just want to squash any rumors that might arise, is all. I need to get something out of my office, so I’ll be back in a few minutes. And, Liv, could you make us all a pot of coffee?”

  “Sure thing, boss,” she said as Lania walked into the back.

  Once she was inside her office, she pulled the article back. Lania had to admit that she was too pissed off to fully dissect the article when she first read it yesterday and would need to reread it before talking to her staff. Flopping down in her seat, she powered on her laptop, retrieving the story from her favorites.

  Lania skimmed through his accolades that seemed to be scattered through the entire piece. She knew all about the other two locations of De Palmas and how successful they were. It wasn’t a surprising revelation when she looked up reviews on some of the popular review sites like TripAdvisor. Even when they were in culinary school together, he was a masterful chef.

  She would never tell him that to his face. God knows how much worse he’d act if he knew she actually thought that about him. If he did, there would be no limit to his arrogance. Fine young man. Every time her father’s voice repeated that, it made her snort. If he only knew what kind of man, the so-called golden boy, really was then their opinions would most likely match hers. Just as she had seen his true colors for herself, one day they would too and then she could say “I told you so.”

  The article also went on to talk about the groundbreaking on the property and gave an estimated opening date of this summer. Of course he would choose to open then. While South Florida attracted a crowd year round, summer was the primary tourist season.

  Lania shook her head and then locked her screen before heading back out front. When she reentered the dining room, the rest of the staff had arrived and everyone was assembled at the bar with a cup of coffee or other beverage in hand. Olivia saw her and immediately brought her a steaming mug of her own.

  “Thanks, Liv.” She turned her attention to everyone and cleared her throat. “I appreciate everyone taking the time to meet with me this morning.” Her entire staff of six waitresses, two hostesses, five cooks, three dishwashers, and the three food-prep employees gathered. Her assistant manager was also in the back, looking at her with curiosity. With everyone else paying attention, she continued. “I’m sure you’ve all seen the reports on either the local news station or newspapers and know that Basilico is going to be encountering competition soon.”

  The majority of them nodded, and she heard some talking amongst them. Lania didn’t want to come across as actually being worried even if a part of her truly was. She needed to remain brave for her employees and not let them in on the sense of dread she felt since yesterday afternoon.

  “There will be another restaurant, De Palmas, moving in just down the street. This will be the third location they will have world-wide. From what I’ve been able to gather, the place has received rave reviews in both Singapore and London.” The staff began to look worried, and she realized she was singing his praises too much. Needing to reassure everyone, she added, “We also have rave reviews and every plate put out at Basilico is authentic Italian too. I’ve only called this meeting to let each of you know what is going on and to remind you that quality is of utmost importance in everything we do here. Nothing is going to change as far as menu or décor. I’ve looked up pictures of the food served at De Palmas and it leans more on modern presentation whereas ours is more traditional here. I intend to keep everything status quo.”

  Lania looked at everyone, and they all seemed to be on board with everything. Taking a sip of her coffee, she just hoped that everything she was saying was true. While she wasn’t worried that her food wouldn’t hold up to his, she was nervous about him trying to sabotage her in some way.

  Memories from their time together at culinary school in Tuscany came flooding back, and she could recall at least three occasions where he did something to ruin a dish like the time he switched up a few of the herbs. Wanting to look like a rock star chef, she just threw them into the sauce without even looking at them. That turned out to be a big mistake and thankfully she was able to cover up most of the pungent taste. Lania wouldn’t put it past him to try something else, although it would be much more difficult for him this time.

  “So are there any questions?” she asked the group, waiting to see if anyone spoke up. At first they were all silent until one of her chefs finally raised their hand. “Go ahead, Alfred.”

  “Miss Barone, I just wanted to let you know that I love my job here. You’re a great boss, this place serves kick-ass food, and I think our reputation will speak for itself,” the man told her, and she smiled at him.

  “Thanks, Alfred. And I couldn’t agree more about Basilico. We’re going to persevere as we’ve always done.” Lania was bound and determined to make sure that they did. She would scratch, claw, and fight to keep that promise. “I just also want to warn that sometimes rivaling businesses can resort to unsavory tactics to gain some type of advantage. That isn’t how we do things here, but I can’t be sure about De Palmas. I just want you all to keep your ears and eyes open for anything out of the ordinary and make sure to report those to me or Gladys,” she said, pointing to her assistant manager, “and we’ll investigate and handle. Are there any other questions?”

  She waited until everyone shook their heads and then dismissed the group. She needed to go find a dress and after messaging with Jade this morning, she was supposed to meet her at Michael Kors in Bal Harbour. Thankfully it was just down the street, so she hopped back into her Porsche and headed to the boutique.

  She made it there at the same time as her best friend. As she got out of her car, she waited for Jade to park her Maserati. The woman couldn’t parallel park worth a damn. Come to think about it, she couldn’t drive well either. The blue sports car was the third one she had in the last two years, having been in accidents with the other cars she had. None of their friends would ride with her anymore, and she grimaced at the sound of metal scraping concrete.

  Jade eventually parked it well enough for her liking and emerged looking every bit the serious professional. As they hugged, Lania needed to see how much time they were working with. “What time’s your next showing?”

  Her friend looked down at her watch. “Well, it’s almost ten now and my showing is at twelve. I should make it there in time as long as I leave by eleven,” Jade answered and then smiled. “You’re so gorgeous, with a body to die for, so I’m sure we’ll find you something in no time.”

  Lania laughed. “You’re the gorgeous one but thanks for the compliment anyway. I just hope Mario shares your opinion.” As soon as she said the last part, she regretted it immediately.

  Jade smirked at her, and she swatted her friend’s arm.

  “I need to show him exactly what he can’t have. If I don’t make his dick hard then it’s a wasted effort.”

  Jade clapped her hands together, obviously much more excited about this shopping excursion that Lania
was. The brunette pulled her arm toward the store. When they entered, all she could do was look around at everything. The selection she had to choose from was a little overwhelming, which was why she preferred casual attire most of the time.

  Her parents made sure to specify that this was a homecoming party, and she hoped her presence would be enough to make him see what he’d missed out on these last three years, not that she’d ever planned to repeat their earlier mistake. Lania wanted him to think about her on those nights when he lay alone in his bed. The same way she spent the night before thinking about him, she wanted to make sure he did the same.

  “Come on. I know exactly where to look first,” Jade told her, and Lania allowed her friend to lead the way.

  They moved to the back where a few racks of dresses were hanging. There were some in almost every color one could want, from black to red to green and even blue. Lania was almost leaning toward something red and sinful. She reached out and flipped through some of those, looking for her size.

  “What are you doing?” Jade asked, and she turned around to look at the other woman.

  “I’m looking for something in my size,” Lania replied. “What am I supposed to be doing?”

  “I’m about to see if Frederique is here.”

  She arched her brow, never having heard his name before.

  Jade stuck out her tongue. “He works here and always lets me look at any new arrivals. Trust me when I say that you don’t want to wear any of this stuff that is on the racks. Half of Miami could be wearing the same thing.”

  It wasn’t as if Lania needed a customized, one of a kind designer dress. She simply needed something that would catch Mario’s eye. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

  “Oh, say what now? What will you do when Aunt Bea or one of her plain Jane children show up in the same dress you’re wearing? Trust me when I tell you that will not be good.” It sounded like something personal for Jade, especially considering the fact that she shuddered.