He leaned over and whispered something in the woman's ear. She looked at Bride and laughed.
At that moment, Bride felt so small that it was all she could do not to run from the restaurant. But she refused to give him the satisfaction.
A male mantre d' approached from the back of the restaurant. "May I help you, sir?"
"Yes, we have a reservation for two for Taylor Winthrop. And make sure you give us a romantic, secluded table."
The mantre d' checked his name off the list and nodded. "It'll be just a few minutes, Mr. Winthrop."
Taylor passed the man a tip. The mantre d' turned to her. "May I help you, madam?"
She felt her face heat up. "There was a mix-up with our reservations. I'm just waiting for my date to arrive."
The man nodded again while Taylor laughed at her.
"That's what happens when you date losers," he said to the woman with him.
Bride's first instinct was to return the insult, but in truth she felt sorry for Taylor's trophy date. The poor woman had no idea what a snake she was dining with.
She just hoped the woman never found out.
Bride pulled her shawl up higher over her shoulders and felt three times more self-conscious. Of course, it didn't help that Taylor and his date kept looking over at her, whispering and then laughing. She wanted to die.
Just as she was about to leave, the door finally opened and in came Vane.
He was devastating. Dressed in a black Armani suit, he had left his black shirt open at the collar, showing off the powerful tendons of his tanned neck. The ebony color really brought out the green of his eyes. His dark, wavy hair hung loose, and his face was freshly shaved.
He'd never looked more dangerous. More appealing.
Sexier.
Bride heard Taylor's date suck her breath in sharply at the sight of him. She half-expected Vane to look at the woman. He didn't. He had eyes only for her.
He made his way straight to her side, placing his large warm hands on her shoulders and kissing her lightly on the cheek. She melted instantly as she inhaled the masculine scent of him and his aftershave.
It was all she could do not to purr.
"Why are you waiting at the door?" he asked as he pulled back slightly.
"We don't have reservations."
Vane scowled at her. "I never have reservations. I don't need them." He took her hand and led her over to the counter.
The mantre d' appeared instantly. "Mr. Kattalakis," he said, smiling. "It's so good to see you again."
"Hi, Henri," Vane said, placing his arm around Bride's waist. "Is my table ready?"
The smile faded as Henri's gaze went to Bride. He turned instantly contrite.
"Oh, I didn't realize she was your date. She said" He turned to Bride.
"Madam, please accept my deepest apologies that you were kept waiting. Was it Tiffany who left you standing here unseated? She's new, but I will have her instantly reprimanded for it."
"It's okay," she said, smiling happily at Vane as her heart pounded with relief.
"You sure?" Vane asked.
"Yes. It wasn't her fault."
Henri breathed a sigh of relief. "I will still have a word with her and this will never happen again. I promise you."
The woman with Taylor huffed loudly. "Why do they get a table without waiting, Taylor? He's not on TV."
Vane turned toward them with a penetrating glower that shut both of them up immediately.
"Please follow me," Henri said. "We have your terrace table waiting."
Bride looked over her shoulder at Vane as Henri led them through the restaurant.
"How do you get such great service?"
"It's good to be king," he said with a shrug as he tucked his hands in his pockets. "Money talks and a lot of money sings and dances."
Yeah, but still They were led to a corner table upstairs that overlooked the beautiful courtyard below. It had a breathtaking view of the flowering fauna. Henri held a chair out for Bride, who scooted into it.
Vane pulled out his wallet and handed several hundred-dollar bills to Henri.
"Do me a favor. That guy downstairs Taylor. Give him the worst table in the house."
Henri's eyes danced with amusement. "For you, Mr. Kattalakis, anything."
Vane took his seat as Henri walked off.
"That was so bad of you," she said with a coy smile.
"Do you want me to take it back?"
"Hardly. I was merely pointing out that it was bad."
"What can I say? I'm just a big bad wolf." Vane took her hand in his and laid a sweet, endearing kiss to her palm where that strange mark was. It was kind of odd that he didn't seem to notice it. "You look good enough to eat."
Heat exploded across her face. "Thank you. You look pretty scrumptious yourself."
"I'm sorry I was late," he said, pulling a single red rose out of his jacket and handing it to her. "It took them a little longer to get my suit ready than they thought it would."
"You bought a new suit for our date?"
"Well, yeah. I'm not really a suit kind of guy. I'm more of a natural beast."
Two waiters came up to the table dressed in black jackets and ties. One was an older, distinguished-looking gentleman, and by his short stature, accent, and coloring, Bride would take him for a Cajun. The other was a younger man in his early twenties.
"Mr. Kattalakis," the older one greeted. "How nice to see you with company for a change."
Vane gave her a hot, searing look. "Yeah, it is nice, isn't it?"
"Would you like your usual wine?" the waiter asked.