The Winemaker's Dinner: Entrée (20 page)

“Aw, baby girl, I know you can hold your own,” he’d said with a laugh.

Oh, how wrong he was…

“Damn, girl!” Kat exclaimed, drawing her back to the present. “Have you been crying all night or something? Your eyes are all puffy and red.” She reached into her oversized makeup bag and fished out a silver tin of loose powder. “You must’ve been a party
animal
this weekend. No worries. Just sit here. I’ll have you fixed up in a jiffy!”

Jaden sighed and closed her eyes, taking a seat and tilting her head back to let Kat work her magic. “I guess I’m just overtired.”

“So? How was the party? Did you have fun? Any gossip, hook-ups? Oh, how did Damian look? Was he a prick or tolerable for once?” Kat lowered her voice and continued. “Was Queen Cougar on the prowl?”

Jaden squeezed her eyes shut and fought back a rush of uneasiness. “Damian was, well, Damian. It was mostly a bunch of drunken businessmen and actors.”

“Including you?” Kat asked.

“I had a few but…” Jaden trailed off, sensing someone approaching. She opened her eyes to find Damian wearing a hideous smirk.

“A few?” he laughed. “You were a regular sorority sister, Jade. You polished off every drop of alcohol in sight.” His look grew even more smug. “Seems to me you were running away from something—or maybe to someone?”

“Looks like we have a comedian in the crowd, folks,” she scoffed, sitting up straight. She turned to face him, her fear now morphing into rage. Oh yes, she was going to enjoy laying into this asshole. “Kat, would you please excuse us for a minute?”

“Actually, you’re all done, boss,” Kat said, not seeming to notice the vehemence in Jaden’s voice. In an instant she disappeared.

She spoke so only Damian could hear. “Listen here, you fucking asshole. I’ve had just about enough of your shit. The other night was a mistake, and I’m disgusted with myself for—”

“Disgusted? Do you really think your Prince Charming isn’t sticking his dick in every wannabe model in South Beach? You should be thanking me.”

“Thank you? For what? For taking advantage of me when I was drunk?”

“Oh, come on! You wanted to get laid. Don’t lie. You kissed me! You should consider yourself lucky. Women would kill to be in your situation.” He grinned with his eyebrows, and Jaden felt her blood boil.

“One minute to go. Are you guys ready?” the segment producer called.

“Yes!” Damian barked while Jaden screamed,
“No!”

The producer just grunted. “You have one minute,” he said again.

Leaning over, Damian lowered his voice to match Jaden’s. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to tell anyone what happened or how freaky you are in bed. I’m gonna keep that juicy little piece of gossip to myself. Or maybe I won’t.”

She felt sick. She’d risked everything she had with Ivan over someone who thought of her as nothing more than a sexual conquest. Everything was a game to Damian, including her, and she’d allowed him to win. “I can promise you this,” she hissed. “If you breathe one word of this to anyone, and I mean
anyone
, I’ll make sure every woman here knows you’re hung like a light switch.”

“Good luck with that,” he said with a shrug. “I’ve fucked half the staff, including my co-host.” He turned on his heel and stalked toward the set, leaving her to hurry after him.

“Three…two…one…Action!”

“Hello, I’m Damian Gris, and this is my co-host Jaden Thorne,” he began smoothly before she could get to her place. “I hope you’re ready for
One Hot Kitchen
because we’ve got one hot show for you!”

Wait, did she just hear that right? Did he just take charge of the intro and call her his co-host? It was bad enough that he’d ruined her personal life. Now, to make her despair complete, he was making a play to steal the show. Jaden went numb. With movements merely mechanical, she could think of nothing to do but go with the flow.

As they continued to film, Damian interrupted her, joking loudly, and stepped all over her demonstrations. She knew what he was doing. He was displaying his dominance, a dominance she had forfeited to him when she’d succumbed to his touch. She hated herself.

Hours later, which seemed like days, the cameraman called, “That’s a wrap for today.”

“Yes, yes it is.” Damian shot her a cocky look, solidifying his victory.

Jaden left him to review the take alone. She was tired of fighting. She hung her head as she headed for her dressing room, but not low enough to avoid Stacey.

“Hey!” she demanded. “You okay? What happened to you on Friday? Adam was a wreck trying to find you. How on earth did you get home?”

Jaden broke into a cold sweat. What did Stacey know about Damian? She prayed the woman wouldn’t catch her in a lie. “I had a bit too much to drink, and I couldn’t find Adam. I took a cab home.”

“Oh, okay. I just wanted to make sure everything was all right.”

Relief washed over her. “Yeah, it is.” Jaden forced a smile. “Thanks for your concern.” She stood frozen for a moment as Stacey strolled off.

With a heavy heart and a splitting headache, Jaden continued to her dressing room. As she changed out of her kitchen whites, her eyes fell on the calendar on the wall beside the vanity. She’d drawn large red Xs to mark off the days leading up to the Colorado trip—a trip she could no longer look forward to with her whole heart. But she needed to. She had to. This trip could be just the thing to help her move forward with Ivan and put Damian Gris out of her mind for good. Turning on her phone, she found an unread message.

Just thinking about you, baby girl,
and can’t wait for Colorado!!!

Me neither
, she thought.
Let’s just get there.

“Don’t Let Me Down”

L
OOKING
O
UT
T
HE
P
ENTHOUSE
W
INDOW
of his new office, which now sat atop one of the beach’s staple boutique hotels, Ivan lounged behind his desk. The fresh smell of pine, with a twist of lemon and lavender, washed over him as he lost himself in thought.

Should I? I totally should. Hell yeah, I should.

His life and the decisions he made had always been calculated, but they often teetered on the sharp edge of risky. The rush of pursuing the unattainable or, even better, claiming the big prizes in life were what thrilled him most. His entrepreneurial spirit and most recent career change were testament to that. Practicing at his own medical spa before he hit thirty? Not bad.

Hell, even the way he’d chased after Jaden reflected this attitude. She’d been one shot in a million. But what he was considering now—the next big step—seemed like an easy one. It had to be low risk and high return, didn’t it? His instincts blazed green lights, and yet a small part of him wondered. She’d sounded strange on the phone when they spoke after the gala. At times he felt so close to her—as if their souls had connected—and other times he couldn’t quite get a read.
Ah, women
, he told himself with a silent chuckle.
But what if she said—

“Dr. Rusilko, you have a walk-in. Can you see him?”

Startled, he turned to find his very petite and very beautiful blonde receptionist in the doorway. “Umm, ahh…” he stuttered, trying to find the heart to say no as he looked at his watch.

“Don’t worry, doctor. I’ll say you’re busy,” she said with a rather unprofessional but undeniably captivating wink. “The things I would do to you.”

His eyebrows rose in surprise.

“I mean
for
you! The things I’d do
for
you!” She blushed bright red and continued with her retraction. “I, ah…I didn’t mean—oh, God. I’m so embarrassed. Can you forget that last part, please? I’ll just do you—
No!
What I’m saying is I’ll just tell the patient—”

“You’re a peach, Liz. Thank you for bailing me out,” he interrupted, throwing the girl a lifeline. “Why don’t you see if you can schedule him tomorrow morning?”

She smiled and nodded and apologized once more before she turned to go. He couldn’t help but admire her as she went.
If I was single…Jesus, she would be worth the lawsuit.
Shaking the lusty visions from his mind, his thoughts returned a much more meaningful place: the task at hand.

He grabbed his keys, took one last look at the rolling waves below, and headed for the elevator. He swelled with pride as he passed by the elegant exam rooms—bone white tapestries and green-apple accents—on his way to the private elevator they used to usher in the VIPs and very VIPs that frequented his new establishment. The elevator descended to the ground floor, and he popped out into the opulent lobby. But when he pushed open the door to the outside, he found something even more beautiful: a seventy-five degree mid-afternoon.

“Fuck it. I’m walking,” he mumbled to himself. The colors were neon bright around him, and the beach bustled with sound. The world seemed almost spotless. He was confident and excited and couldn’t help but strut down Collins Avenue as he covered the fifteen or so blocks on his way to meet Micky.

He window-shopped a little as he entered the shopping district. “What a fucking clown,” he said aloud, shaking his head as he passed a particularly over-the-top boutique. Miami was full of wannabes—even on Collins Avenue. And in this case, not even a swanky address could save them. He turned his attention to the day once again, ignoring the rest of the storefronts that dotted his route. He didn’t rush, but he walked with purpose, anticipating the meeting with every step. When he reached Mina D’s, he found his friend already inside perusing the goods.

“You looking or buying?” Ivan asked as he entered the store.

“How about that one?” Micky replied not even acknowledging his joke.

“Nah, she doesn’t like yellow gold.”

“Okay, then, how about this one?” He pointed to an oval-cut diamond beneath the glass.

Ivan looked where he pointed and shook his head. “Ovals are nice, but not for an engagement ring. Look for something square, not round.”

“What about this one?”

“That looks like the first one you showed me. Shit!”

“Jesus, Ivan!” Micky walked to a second display case. “This one?”

He lifted his head to look. “It’s fucking pink, man. What planet are you from?”

“Perfectionist, are we?”

“When it comes to Jaden, yes.” He shot him a glare.

Micky laughed and raised his hands in defeat. “All I’m saying is this is the fifth jewelry store we’ve been to. Tasha may start to think we’re secretly dating or something. I can only make so many excuses to keep coming on these little shopping adventures with you. Why can’t we just tell her?”

He glared at him once more and raised an eyebrow. “You know that’s not a good idea.”

“Fair enough,” Micky conceded and returned to browsing.

Then, as he shifted his gaze back to the display case in front of him, it happened. He found the One. Sitting above the others on a small pedestal was the most spectacular ring he’d ever laid eyes on. The perfect Asscher-cut stone burst the light into prismatic flames. He couldn’t look away. “This is it.”

Micky moved in for a look from across the store, and he too became entranced in the spectacle of dancing colors.

Within moments, a salesman sauntered over. “Hi there. I’m Paul. Can I help you gentlemen with something?”

“I’ll take that one!” Ivan blurted.

“Whoa,” Micky said under his breath.

But it wasn’t just the ring decision that swelled Ivan with confidence, it was his decision to propose to Jaden. This beautiful diamond brought him one step closer.

A series of serendipitous events had led him to this point. He’d made a bold decision to step out of his comfort zone and talk to the woman who stopped his heart one wine-filled evening. He’d traced her to her restaurant to demand an explanation for her sudden disappearance. He’d spent nights of passion with her and come to know her in a way he didn’t realize was possible. His family had loved the small town Colorado girl who could shoot guns and drink wine with the best of them, and perhaps most amazingly, he’d been brave enough to break his promise about never pursuing a long-distance relationship again.

He felt certain his decision to propose was right. Jaden was the woman he envisioned himself waking up with every morning for the rest of his life. He could trust her with his most intimate thoughts and feelings. Just like the ring sitting before him, she was the One.

“Excellent choice, sir.” Paul the salesman plucked the maroon box from the case and slid it across the counter.

Ivan pulled the ring from the box and held it up to the light. A shot of nerves raced through him. A spectrum of bright, colorful flares danced as he twirled it between his fingers. Fine etching adorned the sides of the platinum band, along with a trickle of smaller diamonds. The setting gripped the diamond the same way Jaden gripped his heart: delicately, but with fierce strength. It was spectacular.