3. Chapter 3

3

I laria walked into the new Japanese restaurant, Zen, the newest venture in the Carosi family organization. She was here before the busy dinner hours so she could meet with the general manager and do a walkthrough.

She allowed herself to admire the Japanese minimalist interior: clean lines, earth tones of browns, creams, and grays, airy, modern yet timeless.

Her father had handed her this project from the start. She had found the up-and-coming chef, Sayuri Takesheda, and recruited her from an established competitor, then created a concept around her cuisine.

Ilaria managed the construction, which took six months, much faster than the expected one year, just in time to open at the beginning of summer.

And it was paying off. Zen was booked solid ninety days out. Even the reservation she had finagled for tonight only happened to be available because someone canceled at the last minute, and she had to twist her GM's arm to give it to her rather than someone on the waitlist.

"Hi, Ilaria," Sarah, her general manager, greeted. "Come on back."

"Thanks," Ilaria responded and followed Sarah. "The place looks fantastic."

"Team's been working really hard." Sarah led Ilaria into the kitchen where the staff was prepping for the dinner service.

Sayuri glanced up from her chopping. "Ilaria!"

"How's my head chef doing?" Ilaria grinned as she gave Sayuri a hug.

"I'm great. Long hours, but wonderful to see all the bookings we're getting."

"All the credit goes to you and the team," Ilaria said as she looked around and smiled at the staff. All of them looked up briefly and then went back to work, matter-of-fact about their restaurant's hype.

"I have special things planned for your meal specifically," said Sayuri as her hands got busy again.

"Can't wait. See you later."

Ilaria followed Sarah into the tiny office behind the kitchen and shut the door. Sarah handed her a printed spreadsheet.

"Here's what we've been bringing in for revenue for the month, last ninety days, and year to date." Sarah pointed to the respective columns. "Cost, profit." She pointed accordingly.

"Basically, you've been killing it," Ilaria said. She couldn't be happier with these numbers.

"Yep," Sarah agreed. "And the pace has been surprisingly manageable. The staff hasn't seemed to be overworked, and everyone is happy and inspired. Well, other than a few trial runs who didn't work out. We've already let them go. But overall, Sayuri really knows how to lead a kitchen."

Ilaria sat back and breathed a sigh of relief. "How about the front staff?"

"Same; motivated to be here. It makes a huge difference with the service and the customers. The tips have been pretty high on average."

"And how about you?" Ilaria asked, looking at her GM closely. "How do you feel about working here?"

Sarah grinned. "I've been doing this for years, you know that. This has been one of my favorite places to manage. The staff is great, the restaurant is beautiful, and the food is delicious. And we're making money." She laughed.

"Money does make it all a little more fun, doesn't it?" Ilaria said. They both laughed.

"Keep up the great work, Sarah." Ilaria stood up. "Time for me to have a drink."

"I'll send something good to your table," Sarah promised.

Ilaria threaded her way out of the kitchen and into the dining area. Noe, Emmy, and her cousin Gia were already seated at a table.

"Hello, ladies!" she called.

"‘Ladies' is right!" Noe called back. They all laughed.

Just then, the server showed up with a variety of cocktails, and everyone cheered.

"Ooh, I like this table," the waiter said as he set the drinks down. "Looks like we're ready to have a fun evening."

"Damn straight," Noe eyed the server's name tag. "Brandon." He gave Brandon a big grin.

Brandon returned an exaggerated wink. "The chef is preparing all the specials for y'all tonight, but let me know if you'd like to order anything else. I'll be back in a minute." He turned and sashayed back to the bar. Noe watched him leave, eyes admiring.

Gia turned to Ilaria as she took a sip of her Negroni. "This place is hopping. Numbers look good?"

Gia was the oldest daughter of her aunt, Maria, and managed her own portfolio of businesses for the Carosi family.

Ilaria nodded. "Numbers are great. Better than expected."

Emmy raised her glass. "Here's to good business, yummy drinks, and great friends!"

"Here, here!" Glasses clinked.

"So your parents believed your excuse about having food poisoning?" Emmy asked, looking at Ilaria. Brandon took the opportunity to set down an appetizer with another wink.

"I think so," she said. "If they didn't, they wouldn't have let me get out of it."

Gia popped a piece of tuna in her mouth. "You know you'll have to make it up to them with another trip soon." Ilaria had filled in her cousin earlier.

Ilaria shook her head. "Don't remind me. I'll deal with it when it comes. For now, I've suppressed my feelings like a champ and I'm perfectly okay with it." She laughed.

"And anyway, tonight is Operation: Hot Sex," Noe reminded. "That's our focus."

"Whoo!" Everyone raised their glasses again and clinked.

"What's our strategy?" Emmy piped up. "Just point out the hot men and make Ilaria go talk to them?"

"We should go to The Onyx Room after dinner," Gia suggested, naming one of her nightclubs. "There have been a ton of hot guys there the last few weekends." She scanned the restaurant. "Not that there aren't cute ones here, but they're all on dates."

"Yes!" Noe called out. "And we should be intentional. Like, our gorgeous Italian mama can do a little table dance. Flies to honey."

Ilaria laughed but shook her head. "I do not want to dance on a table." She took a big sip of her dirty martini. "I'll dance on the podium."

Noe pumped his fist into the air.

"And we'll nudge the hotties your way," Emmy added.

Noe clapped his hands together. "We got a plan, then. There's no way we can fail."

Brandon brought out the next set of dishes, and everyone oohed and aahed appropriately before digging in.

"Speaking of hot sex," Gia said with her mouth full. "I caught one of those for myself last weekend." Her deep brown eyes danced.

Ilaria slapped Gia's arm lightly. "Details," she ordered.

"Well, I met him at The Onyx Room last weekend. He was tall, at least a head taller than me, even though I was wearing four-inch heels. Tight abs. I don't remember much else." She snapped her fingers. "Oh, he had huge guns."

"I hope that wasn't the only huge thing on him," Noe said in a dry tone.

Ilaria and Emmy laughed.

"Oh, of course, the most important male body part was huge, too," Gia said airily. "That goes without saying."

Ilaria quirked one side of her mouth. "Why would anyone not say that?"

"Because I always pick ‘em huge." She grinned and tossed her hair.

Emmy looked at her, slightly awed. "How do you know…you know, beforehand?"

Gia leaned forward onto the table. Ilaria could see that her eyes were already alcohol-glazed. She said in a stage whisper, "I can just…sense it."

The whole table burst out laughing, turning the heads from nearby tables.

Noe translated. "What she means is, she feels the goods first."

"And if the goods aren't overflowing in her hand, back on the shelf they go," Ilaria finished.

Another bout of laughter.

"Well, well, if it isn't the lovely Carosi ladies. Naturally, your table is where the fun is."

Ilaria wiped her eyes and looked up to see Matt Ricci, the second-in-command of the Ricci family. His dark brown hair gleamed under the light while his matching brown eyes scanned her with appreciation. The dimple on his right cheek deepened.

She cleared her throat. "Matt, nice to see you. You know Gia. This is Emmy and Noe." She motioned to her friends.

Matt spared them a brief glance and a nod before his eyes lit on her again. "You've got a winner of a restaurant here." The rival families all kept tabs on which families owned which businesses, so she wasn't surprised that he knew Zen belonged to the Carosis.

"And you managed to get a reservation here," Ilaria observed. "Good for you."

"I know some people." He winked. She smiled. She'd have to ask Sarah about that. If members of rival families were talking to her staff, she'd have to nip that in the bud.

"Well, enjoy your dinner, Matt," Ilaria gave him another quick smile, dismissive this time. "It was nice running into you."

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Gia giving her a pointed stare. She glanced at her cousin, who opened her eyes wide.

Ilaria gave her a confused look in return, and Gia rolled her eyes.

Gia turned to Matt with a big smile. "Hey, we're going to The Onyx Room later. Why don't you meet us there?"

Ilaria moved her foot over to her cousin's and gave her a light kick. Gia moved her leg out of reach and continued to smile up at Matt.

Matt looked back at Ilaria. She didn't think her expression was encouraging, but Matt said, "If you'll all be there, then that's where the action will be tonight. Yeah, I'll see you there."

He nodded at everyone and gave Ilaria one last look before he walked off.

Ilaria smacked Gia on the arm. "What'd you do that for?"

Gia looked smug. "Hello? Did you already forget about Operation: Hot Sex?"

"And Mr. Ricci qualifies as hot," Noe chimed in.

"Oh, yeah," Emmy nodded. "And the way he was looking at you, you already have it in the bag."

"No," Ilaria said firmly. "That's a big no. He's from a rival family. Operation: Hot Sex is supposed to have no strings attached. A rival family member has too many strings."

"Oh, come on, that's just a rule you made up," Gia argued.

"Yeah, what if something more comes out of it?" Emmy added. "Then strings or not is irrelevant."

Ilaria rolled her eyes. "Whatever. We can meet him at the club but I'd consider sleeping with every other guy first before I sleep with the son of a rival."

"Sweetie, I don't think you said that loud enough," Noe said mildly while motioning his chin behind her.

Ilaria whipped her head around and caught Matt's eyes on her. She quickly turned back. "Shit," she muttered. The other three all covered their mouths to hide their laughter.

***

The night was well underway at The Onyx Room, packed with sweaty twenty-, thirty-, and the occasional forty-somethings who were looking for, if not love, then a physical validation of self. The freedom of expression to grind up against strangers in near darkness, driven by the palpable beat of music, was alluring. Bring your feelings only, Ilaria mused. Leave the thinking at the door.

Which was exactly what she needed tonight, she thought, as Gia led their group to the VIP area. After ordering a round of drinks, they all scanned the crowd for potential candidates who could fulfill the goal of Operation: Hot Sex.

"Gia, good call," Emmy commended. "It's like a buffet of hot men in here."

"Right?" Gia grinned. "So get your ass up there." She pinched Ilaria's arm and pointed to the raised podium next to the deejay, its occupants on full display to the entire club.

"You should be up there before Matt gets here," Noe suggested. "Give him a show as he walks in."

Ilaria's head was spinning as she took another sip of her drink. She was definitely feeling the heady effects of the alcohol, music, heat, and moving bodies. Shoving any thoughts of a certain MacGregor prick out—or, at least, into a dark corner—of her mind, she resolved to have fun tonight.

"Come with me!" She grabbed Emmy's and Noe's hands. "Gia, you too."

"You guys go first," Gia said as she got up. "Gotta talk to my GM first. And I'll bring Matt around when he gets here." She gave her cousin a sly grin.

Ilaria led her friends up to the podium and squeezed them toward the front so they could see across the entire club floor, and vice versa. The deejay was mixing the top songs currently on every radio playlist, and they started moving to the music.

She closed her eyes, felt the beat move through her, and let her instincts take over. For tonight, she would free herself from all worries.

Noe grabbed her hand. "This is so much fun!" He had to yell over the music. "Why don't we do this more often?"

"Because we're borderline too old!" Emmy yelled back, grinning.

"Not tonight!" Noe took her hand and spun her around. Emmy squealed with laughter.

Ilaria looked out over the crowd as she danced. A hand wave caught her eye. Light brown hair. Nice face. Good looking. Not bad. He motioned her to come down to the main floor. She smiled and shook her head. Then he pointed at himself and then at her, indicating he wanted to come to her. She nodded. He immediately disappeared, headed for the podium stairs.

Within a minute, he slid in front of her, already dancing to the music. He grinned at her, his blue eyes sparkling. She grinned back and swayed her hips. Seeing that as an invitation, he placed his hands on her waist and synced his hips with hers.

It was nice to be touched. It had been a while since she'd had a satisfying roll. She knew Blue Eyes wasn't getting anything beyond a dance from her, but she decided to enjoy the moment anyway.

Ilaria looked over Blue Eyes' wide shoulders and saw Noe and Emmy smirking at her. She rolled her eyes in return and laughed. Blue Eyes took that to mean he was allowed to bring his hand to her lower back and pull her up against him.

Okay, enough of this. She put her hands on his shoulders and leaned in. "Thanks," she said into his ear. Then she pulled away. His face dropped with disappointment but he nodded.

Ilaria grabbed Noe's and Emmy's hands. "Let's take a breather," she said. They maneuvered their way back to their table.

Matt Ricci was sitting with Gia and two friends at the table. His eyes warmed as Ilaria walked up. He smiled and stood to let her slide in and then slid in next to her, leaving little space between them. While their friends all introduced themselves to each other, Matt put his arm on the seat back behind her and leaned his head in. "You looked like you were having fun out there," he said, a touch of possession in his tone and eyes.

She raised her eyebrows. What is it with guys who thought they owned you just because you once gave them a friendly smile? But she was here to have fun tonight, and Matt was, admittedly, gorgeous, so she played along.

"I was," she responded. She angled her body toward him. "How about you?"

His eyes heated. "I'm having fun now that you're here."

She kept her eyes on him while she took a sip from her glass. His eyes followed her every movement. "Matt, tell me. Why don't you have a girlfriend? You seem like you have it all. I doubt you have any trouble finding women."

He grinned, dimple deepening. "Do I have it all? What do I have, exactly?"

Ilaria cocked her head. "Are you fishing for compliments? You're above that, aren't you?"

He laughed, a rumbling that echoed through her. "I just want to hear it from you, my supposed advantages."

She ticked her fingers. "You're loaded. You have influence. You seem like you have a sense of humor." She paused. "And you're kinda cute."

"Just kinda cute?" His lips quirked as his eyes pinned hers.

She shrugged, then huffed a laugh. He clearly had a high opinion of himself, which only made her want to hold back.

"No, seriously, why don't you have a girlfriend?" She was genuinely curious now.

"Maybe I'm waiting for the right girl to be ready for me," he said, his fingers playing with the ends of her hair.

"What does the right girl have?" she asked.

"Right now, the right girl is sitting next to me."

She laughed. He was full of shit, but for tonight, that was alright with her.

"Let's dance." She took another gulp of her drink and followed him out of the booth. She lifted her brows at her friends, who grinned knowingly at her.

Matt took her hand and led her into the crowd of dancing bodies. Then he turned to face her and started moving to the beat, not touching her but standing intimately close.

He was a good dancer, she admitted. He knew his body, knew how to move it. And so did she as she swayed with him.

He ran his hands up and down her arms, then lifted them up around his shoulders. He looked down at her, eyes hooded, and laid his palms on her hips, pulling her against him.

Ilaria was warm, buzzed, and in tune with the music. She was feeling good. The thought of the other gorgeous man from her dreams stayed quiet in the dark corner of her mind, a realization that satisfied her to no end.

Matt's eyes pinned hers, and she locked gazes with him. His hand came up to her elbow and traveled to her shoulder. Then he threaded his hand into her hair, holding the back of her head, while he leaned his head down to kiss her.

Dammit . Ilaria shifted her head and broke eye contact, and the moment was over.

He looked down at her, eyes questioning, then sighed and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. He took her hand and walked them back to the booth.

Ilaria took a seat next to Emmy on the opposite side of the table. Her friends looked at her and then at Matt but didn't ask questions.

She spent the next half hour pretending to talk and laugh with the whole group, feeling Matt's gaze on her but avoiding eye contact.

Finally, she whispered to Emmy, "I want to leave." Emmy nodded and nudged Noe on the arm, who glanced at Ilaria and stood up.

"Well, it's been fun," Noe announced, "but we gotta go."

Gia got up and gave Ilaria a hug, "Everything good?"

"Yes," she said in her cousin's ear. "Nothing happened. You gonna stay?" Gia nodded. "I'll call you tomorrow."

She finally looked at Matt and gave him a small smile and a wave. He nodded at her.

They walked out, arms looped, to Emmy's car, Emmy being their designated driver tonight.

"Sorry, guys, for ruining Operation: Hot Sex," she said to her friends.

Noe climbed into the backseat. "He better not have been an asshole," he growled.

"No, he was a gentleman," she said. "Well, he tried to kiss me. But I wasn't feeling it and he didn't push it."

"He seems great," Emmy asked. "What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing," Ilaria grumbled. "He's perfect on paper."

Noe leaned forward from his seat. "I know what's wrong with him. He's not Soren."

Ilaria groaned.