Reservations

On that thought, he quickly tipped the valet and went straight for the front doors of the hotel. No reason to be any later than he was. “I have luggage in the back.”

“Yes, sir. I saw you were staying the night. I’ll get ’em to your room.”

Normally, he’d take the minute to appreciate the over-the-top, magnificently decorated lobby, be proud that his own accomplishments had led him to do business with the likes of people who created such beauty, but not this time. Instead, he headed toward the sweeping staircase leading to the second-floor conference area and took those steps up two at a time.

A few years ago, right out of college, Thane had been working for an investment banker. He’d stumbled on a failing small chain of family-owned restaurants. They’d had three locations, and out of nothing more than Thane’s love for food, he’d made the declining company an offer. At the time, he’d been naïve and completely full of himself, but that had turned out to be the winning mix for his newly acquired business. After replacing the entire staff, including the management team, and putting some strict policies and procedures in place, Thane had those under-performing restaurants turning a profit within a couple of months.

In five short years, he’d rinsed and repeated the same concept with more than two hundred restaurants spread out across thirty-three states. To the delight of his taste buds, his restaurants offered every type of cuisine.

From that humble beginning, he now rubbed elbows with the likes of Arik Layne. It was almost unimaginable. He could feel his heartbeat increase with his excitement. Today was the day Arik was either going to sign on to his newest venture or bail. All indicators signaled the first option’s likelihood, which meant his dream project would truly come to life.

Thane hit the top step and came face-to-face with Arik who must have been notified of his arrival, proving again, the Escape team was damn good at what they did. Thane was attempting to tie his newest project to the best of the best in his industry. He extended his hand. “I’m sorry I’m late. I ran into some traffic on the way from the airport.”

“It’s not a problem. I just arrived myself,” Arik said, shaking his hand. “I’ve got a conference room reserved. Tristan’s teleconferencing in. I hope you carved out the remainder of the afternoon. We have a lot to go over.”

“I did. And I’ve also arranged to stay the night. One of my restaurants downstairs is having a big celebration this evening,” Thane replied.

Thane had spent quite a bit of money trying to get ahead of the diversity trends in food. When he had gotten the call he’d been approved for two restaurant spaces here at Escape Coronado, he’d jumped in. One he’d kept conservative: an American grill. The other he’d splurged on. He built Castelli’s from the ground up, and the somewhat fine-dining, Italian slash Asian fusion cuisine restaurant had taken off like a dream, beating even his wildest expectations.

“I heard Castelli’s made top sales this quarter. Is that correct?” Arik asked, sticking his hands in his slacks pockets.

“Yes, it won our internal corporate contest. They came out of nowhere and took the prize. I have a Tex-Mex restaurant in Texas that thought they had it in the bag. Of course, Castelli’s has the popularity of the resort to thank. It seems all anyone’s talking about is the magnificence of this place. You’ve outdone yourself.”

“That’s nice to hear, but I think Castelli’s holds its own. Come this way.” Arik started across the long catwalk above the front desk, and Thane followed, keeping Arik’s casual pace as they walked side by side. “I noticed you have a signature brand of infused oils and vinegars. They seem to be a big draw to your customer base. Chef Ferico explained you’re taking your oils to merchandise.”

If Arik knew so much about the oils, he had to have spent time in the restaurant, which gave Thane a tremendous sense of pride. As much as Arik was known for his resorts, the two of them had bonded over their mutual love of food. It pleased him that Arik enjoyed his restaurant, but that didn’t stop the warning bells that began to ring. Mass producing his blends was proprietary information only a handful of people knew anything about.

Thane slowed until he came to a stop just steps away from a door that automatically opened as they approached. He cocked his head in Arik’s direction as the man came to a stop to face him. Arik was a bold one; he stared straight at Thane while trying to hide his knowing grin.

“We are taking them to market,” Thane finally said and nodded.

“Don’t worry. I can be very persuasive when I want to be, especially when it comes to delicious food. One night I was alone, Kellus wasn’t with me, and I finagled my way into the kitchen where I stayed quite a long time. I sampled all the flavors of the oils and vinegars Chef Ferico had freshly fused together. They’re outstanding. That’s when I discovered some of the plans you have. And honestly, he kept the secret until I tried to get him to go into business with me.” Arik laughed now, lifting both hands in the air in some sort of truce offering. “I’ll confess that my intentions weren’t completely honorable. I didn’t necessarily include you in my plans, but in my defense, it was after an entire bottle of wine. I’m sure I would have done right by you in the morning.”