“Knucks,” said Zoe, holding out her fist for me to pound.
He ignored my sarcasm. “It’s because I control every single detail, from the menu prices down to the nails they use during construction.”
I arched a brow. “That style of leadership only works when you’re infallible, and last time I checked, you’re not a god. You have to be able to recognize when other people just know better than you.”
“Excuse me?” he asked, his brows furrowing in disbelief. Had anyone ever talked to him the way I did? How could they not?
“No one likes a tyrant! Especially one who is so stuck in his ways that he doesn’t even realize a good idea when it’s right in front of him.”
He rubbed his hand over his mouth, probably trying to keep the curse words from spilling out. I was being harsh, unprofessional, and rude. Unfortunately, it was the only way I could get a word in edgewise with him. He’d blow right over me if I didn’t speak up.
“Let’s reiterate the roles really quickly,” Dean said, pointing to me. “You are here to help me with the food, drinks, and ambiance. End of story.” He pointed to himself. “I will handle every other detail of the restaurant, including the name.”
I crossed my arms, feeling my face flush with anger.
Sorry Mom.
You raised a murderer.
My eyes glanced over his desk for a sharp instrument to stick in his black-hole-of-a-heart, but there was nothing, save for an expensive pen clutched in his fist.
“You know what I think we need?” Zoe asked, pushing off the doorframe and circling back behind Dean’s desk. Her head barely came up to his shoulders, but he still looked down in fear of what she was about to say. “Some team bonding.”
Hunter grunted and Julian laughed. I stood in silence, waiting for Dean’s reaction.
“C’mon,” Zoe said. “Let’s take your boat out this weekend and relax. No talk about the restaurant. Just fun.”
“Josephine has been bugging me about going back out on the water,” Julian added.
Before Dean could reject the plan, Zoe turned her gaze on me. “You in, Black?”
If I said yes, I’d look overly eager.
If I said no, I’d look like I was the asshole of the group.
I sighed, picked up my clipboard from the edge of Dean’s desk, and then plopped down in my seat. “Yeah, whatever.”
She clapped. “Perfect!”
“Saturday morning?” Julian asked, already pulling out his phone, undoubtedly Snapchatting his lover. Blech.
Dean offered Julian a curt nod, and just like that, the meeting was adjourned. We’d succeeded in making zero decisions, but I was marginally closer to losing my voice from yelling at Dean. That counted for something, I guess.
Julian stood to talk something over with Dean and Zoe in the hallway, and I reached down to grab my purse. A shadow loomed over me as I sat back up, and I realized too late that Hunter was practically on top of me as he leaned over my chair. His heavy cologne nearly choked me to death.
“Oh, wow, that’s close,” I mutter, leaning as far away from him as I could. The guy clearly didn’t know the concept of personal space.
“Looking forward to seeing you out on the boat this weekend, Lily,” he said, dropping his hand on the back of my chair.
“Oh, uh yeah, should be fun,” I replied with a curt, pleasant smile.
“I’m glad we’ll have some time to chat.” He waggled his eyebrow. “Just you and me.”
Oh my god. How was no one hearing this crap?
I narrowed my eyes up at him and pointed at where his hand sat on the back of my chair. His thin gold wedding band was two inches from my shoulder. “What kind of ring is that on your finger?” I asked, playing the not-so-subtle game of “fuck off”.
He laughed.
“The slippery kind,” he replied with a snakelike hiss.
I stood so abruptly that he had to flinch back to avoid my head colliding with his face. “You’re disgusting.”
“Aw, c’mon, can’t you take a little joke?”
I brushed past him and stepped into the hallway. Dean, Zoe, and Julian stood in silence as I stepped past them. I knew they’d heard the last part of our conversation, but I didn’t bother stopping to correct their assumptions. I headed toward the front of the restaurant and prayed there was a cab waiting for me. I was in a different town, but I was still dealing with the same old crap. Hunter saw blonde hair and tits. He didn’t see me as a colleague.
“Hey! Jeez. Would you wait up a second?”
I heard Dean’s voice, shocked that he cared enough to follow me out onto the sidewalk. His hand hit my forearm, inches from my palm, and I froze, surprised by the comfort of his grip.
“You said the meeting was over,” I said, staring up at him for confirmation.
“It is.”
I shrugged, shying away from his touch, but his hand tightened on my arm. “Well, I’m leaving then. I’ll see you on Saturday.”
“What did Hunter just do?” he asked, ignoring my brush off.
A part of me wanted to cover up Hunter’s attempted indiscretion. I’d dealt with this situation plenty of times before. A male superior came on to you? Did you tempt him in some way? Surely, you lead him on.
“It wasn’t a big deal. Hunter came on to me and I told him off. End of story.”
He nodded and rolled his lips together as he mulled over how to proceed. “I’ll take care of it.”
I swallowed. He sounded like a mobster. Did he have brass knuckles hidden in a pocket of that designer suit? “What are you going to do?”
The edge of his lip curled up as he met my eyes. “Nothing that will leave scars.”
My eyes widened. Oh shit.
“Lily, I’m joking. I’m not going to beat Hunter up because he hit on you.”
I smirked. “Maybe just a little kick in the balls? Or a karate chop? Nothing major.”
He rolled his eyes and dropped his hand. My arm felt instantly lighter, like it might float away without the weight of his hand holding it down.
“See you Saturday,” he said, taking a step back. His eyes scanned over my face and across my cheeks. “Don’t forget sunscreen.”
I tilted my head and smiled. “Y’know if I didn’t know any better, I’d think that you were being nice to me right now.”
He smiled and then bent his head toward the ground to hide it. By the time he glanced back up, the smile was gone, but there was still humor in his eyes.
“Yeah? Well don’t get used to it.”
Chapter Eighteen
Dean
“Sir, everything is set. As soon as your guests arrive, I’m prepared to head out.”
I nodded at the captain. “Sounds good.”
“How long would you like to be out on the water?”
I thought of Lily, of how volatile she made me feel. “Let’s make this a short trip. Just a few hours.”
The less time I had to spend in close proximity to her, the better. Every minute I spent arguing with her probably shaved off another year of my life.
He nodded and then retreated back to the helm. I reclined on the sundeck’s couch and took the opportunity to check my email one final time before everyone arrived.
I had the usual crap clogging up my inbox, but third from the top, there was an email I’d been waiting to receive for the last few days. I scrolled past the introduction and smiled.
Mr. Harper, I’d be happy to meet with you during LV Restaurant Week. I have available appointments throughout the event, so once you and your team know your schedule, get in touch with me and we can work something out. In the meantime, I’ll start preparing dishes.
Las Vegas Restaurant Week was an annual event. For one week a year, every restaurateur worth their shit dropped everything and headed to Sin City. LVRW was where deals were brokered, chefs were hired, drinks were thought up, and new fads were invented. I’d been on the fence about attending again, but that email changed everything.