It was so wonderful being alone with James as we sipped our wine and he told me about the various upgrades that they were doing to the restaurant, most of which I’d already noticed.
Several minutes later, David entered the room.
“The appetizers will arrive shortly Mr. Moretti and I located the server you wished to speak to, she will be here momentarily as well.”
“Thank you, David,” James said nonchalantly, as he turned and quickly left the room.
Before I had a chance to ask James what was going on, Gianna appeared and was walking towards us.
My mouth opened in complete surprise. Gianna was the server that James wanted to speak to? She had changed out of her server’s uniform and was now wearing a short, white jean skirt and a pretty pink lace top with sandals; presumably, the clothes she wore to work before she changed into her uniform.
Once she reached our table she hesitantly began to speak.
“David said that you wanted to speak with me.”
She looked so nervous, I was sure that she thought she was somehow in trouble.
James stood and extended his hand.
“I’m James Moretti, and it’s very nice to make your acquaintance.”
I watched as they shook hands. Gianna’s expression softened as she started to realize that her boss wasn’t upset with her.
“I’m Gianna Fiscella, and it’s nice to meet you too.”
“Am I correct in assuming that you are Italian?”
She smiled, “Yes, Sicilian actually, my family is originally from Palermo.”
“I have a favor to ask of you. Melanie and I would love it if you would join us for dinner. I’m in the process of hiring a new executive chef and we are going to be sampling various Italian dishes and I’d appreciate if you’d give me your expert opinion.”
I watched as Gianna blushed slightly. James could be so charming and smooth. Their interaction reminded me of the first night we met when it felt as if he had swept me off of my feet.
“I’d love to have dinner with you both,” she said warmly.
“Please sit here,” James said, as he slid one chair to the left so Gianna could sit in-between us.
Over the next two hours, we sampled some of the most delicious Italian food that I had ever eaten. All three chefs were at the top of their game as they prepared amazing Italian dishes for us to eat. We must have tried at least fifty appetizers, entrees, and desserts.
While we enjoyed the delicious dishes, David sat with us and was relegated to the role of secretary, jotting down which entrees and appetizers we liked best and the ones that we felt weren’t as good as the others.
While we ate, Gianna gave James her impression of each dish. Once James learned that she had been to Italy several times with her parents and traveled extensively through the country visiting her relatives, he really listened to and valued her opinion on the various dishes that we sampled. He seemed very interested to know which entrees she thought tasted authentically Italian compared to the ones that had been ‘Americanized,’ as she called it.
James also asked Gianna about her coursework and what type of nursing specialization she planned to pursue once she graduated. She told him that she had narrowed her choice of specializations down to emergency room or inpatient care. He also mentioned how impressed he was with her ability to hold down a full-time job at the restaurant while taking a full-time course load.
I marveled at how well they seemed to hit it off. James appeared to be very interested in everything Gianna had to say, and throughout the evening, he always kept their conversations professional, or at the very least, casual. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but James was a perfect, charming gentleman throughout the entire meal.
Once we had finished sampling all of the amazing dishes and enjoyed bites of very decadent desserts, James spoke.
“If you’ll both excuse me, David and I need to confer in the office and make a decision concerning our new executive chef, it shouldn’t take too long.”
James rose, gently kissed my cheek, turned, and then walked out of the banquet room with David.
Gianna and I watched the men exit the room, and she slid her chair up against mine.
“God, he’s so handsome isn’t he?” She said, enthusiastically.
“He is,” I said, quietly.
“To be honest Mel, the first night we met, and I saw both of you together, he looked so gruff and mean, I really didn’t know what you saw in him, and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why you were with him. But now, I think I have a better appreciation of him.”
I thought back to the evening a month ago when I had first met Gianna. James was so upset that night with David concerning the assistant manager, who had been stealing money. I could see her point, he had made such a bad impression, and she must have thought she was working for some sort of monster. Thankfully, she got to see a better side of him this evening.
Even though I had only been seeing Gianna for about a month, we never talked about what our sex lives were like outside of each other. I honestly didn’t want to know what she did with her boyfriend because I knew I was developing serious feelings for her. Also, I reasoned that if she shared that intimate knowledge with me, I’d then be obliged to reciprocate, and I wasn’t ready to reveal to her what I let James do in the bedroom. His smooth, charming, jovial nature she saw this evening was a stark contrast to the demanding and dominant man he could be when we had sex.
“Mel, are you happy with him?” her words bringing me back to the now.
I took her hand and kissed it softly.
“Yes, he makes me happy honey, just like you.”
We leaned in and shared a soft, romantic kiss.
Have you ever looked back on a relationship and tried to pinpoint the exact moment when you fell in love with someone? For me, that moment was that night at James’ restaurant with Gianna. She was so kind, loving, and nurturing. She could have been furious with me about the yellow club dress that James had made me wear. Instead, she could see how upset I was over it and offered nothing but support and encouragement. I was so apprehensive when James told me we’d be eating dinner at his restaurant that evening because I didn’t want him anywhere near Gianna. However, she helped me get through a very traumatic event and being with her that evening was exactly what I needed.
Just as we were breaking our soft kiss, James entered the room. When I looked up, I saw him smiling as he witnessed our embrace. Gianna and I held hands as he approached the table and sat back down next to us.
“I want to thank you again for your help tonight Gianna, your input was invaluable in my decision concerning who to hire, and I really appreciate it,” he said sincerely.
“You’re very welcome James, she said, blushing slightly, “I’m glad I could help you.”
James looked at both of us thoughtfully.
“Ladies, I feel like celebrating. If you’re interested in joining us Gianna, you two can decide where you’d like to go. Perhaps we could take in a show or…”
Gianna and I smiled at each other, both of us simultaneously thinking the same thing.
“James, we’d love to go clubbing, if that would be okay,” I said excitedly.
His eyes got wide and slight grin crossed his face.
“I’ve never been much of a dancer, but I did say it was ladies choice, so clubbing is fine with me,” he said, giving us a mock-apprehensive grin.
It was about a half hour drive from James’ restaurant in Summerlin to the nightclub ‘Rain’ at the Palms casino. Gianna and I loved to dance and we had been there one other time since we had been seeing each other. I was so excited about getting an unexpected evening out with her that I was very easily able to ignore the hurtful stares, gawking, and sneering from many of the older women as we exited the restaurant.
James was in such a good mood as we drove down Summerlin Parkway towards Paradise Nevada, a suburb of Las Vegas where the Palms is located. I could tell that he was relieved to hire a new executive chef and I was so happy that Gianna was able to assist him. The mood was light and jovial as Gianna and I gently teased each other about the rather heavy meal we had just consumed. Even though we had only taken a bite or two out of each dish the chefs had prepared, it was still very filling and we’d joked that we probably wouldn’t be able to get out of our seats at the club, much less be able to dance.
The three of us were having so much fun laughing and joking with each other, but inwardly, I was concerned that James might try to orchestrate a threesome like he had the night before. He had given me his word earlier that there wouldn’t be a repeat of the previous night’s activities. But still, I couldn’t help feeling apprehensive because I knew how much James had loved having sex with Megyn and me. I started to get a queasy feeling in my stomach, Gianna was so beautiful, and they were getting on so well, this was going to be a real test of whether or not James would keep his word.
I heard the pounding, hypnotic beat of the house music as we approached the entrance to ‘Rain’ nightclub at the Palms. I was holding Gianna’s hand and I felt James’ arm wrapped securely around my waist. I was with the two people who I loved, and the world felt perfect.
We were met at the door by a young man dressed smartly in a very stylish black suit.
“How may I help you Sir?” he asked.
James took a few seconds to read over the Club’s amenities list.
“I’d like a VIP Skybox, and am I correct in assuming you have bottle service?” he asked.
“We do have one skybox left Sir, and we do offer bottle service,” the young man stated, “if you’ll please follow me.”
We followed the young man into the club. The music was thumping loudly and the hundreds of lights were changing color in time to the beat of the music. I felt like I was home. The enormous club could accommodate nearly two-thousand people and had two levels. There were booths and tables on the lower level that surrounded the massive dance floor, and an upper VIP level that had six skyboxes that featured balconies which overlooked the entire club below. I had been to Rain many times, but never to the upper VIP level. It wasn’t uncommon to see celebrities, from actors to hip-hop artists, on the second level.
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