Zahra was still kind or reeling from that kiss by the time he was coming around to open the card door for her. Good thing she hadn’t been wearing socks, because he’d have knocked them right the hell off. Nolan Delaney knew how to kiss a girl. Woohoo.
Sure she’d made some minxy little comment about it, something that had made him laugh and place a smaller, follow up kiss on her lips before helping her into the car and closing the door gently after her. Sure she’d kept up a witty repartee and flirty banter on the long-ish drive up to Cedar Ridge. They’d laughed and teased and played the take-turns question-y game. Sure, she’d played it cool.
But in all honesty she was shaking inside. Her knees were distinctly untrustworthy—they were a rebellious amount of watery at present and she wondered what she would do to recover from falling on her ass at La Buggia Bella 5-star restaurant and winery.
And don’t even get her started on the damn lily. Now who needed to be pinched? And no matter how she scolded herself for over-reacting to the symbolic combination of red, yellow, and silver—the sight of it, in this man’s open palms, had thrown her for such a loop.
Because thinking about forever was a stupid ass thing to do on a first date. And he wasn’t Indian; he had had no idea that he was handing her a color combination that screamed ‘wedding wedding wedding’! She smiled to herself. And hadn’t she worn white? For her white wasn’t first and fore-most a wedding dress (in fact, her mother would have a conniption to see her wearing white outside of a funeral—her mother could be so old fashioned!), but for him? She wondered if that look that had crossed his face when he’d turned around and seen her garbed in white and silver with an up-do—she wondered if he hadn’t had a breathless vision of the future like she had when he pulled out that damned flower.
Probably not. The dress may be white, but it certainly didn’t look like a wedding gown. Probably that expression that had stolen over his face had had more to do with how dynamite her breasts looked tonight. She smiled down at them just as her door opened and he extended his hand for her. They looked spectacular. ‘Looking good ladies’, she told them silently, before slipping her hand into his waiting palm and stepping from the vehicle.
Would it always tingle like this when they touched? It was unlike anything she’d ever felt with anyone before. She tried not to let that fact get her all carried away. No sense putting carts before horses or eggs in baskets or whatever idiom was appropriate. He was a good-looking guy, an interesting guy, a funny guy, who was taking her out on a date. No sense jumping the gun (there’s another one!) and ordering monogrammed towels or anything. Sheesh.
But damn if he didn’t look like he wanted to kiss her again right now, as she stood close to him, a repeat of how close he’d stayed when he’d helped her up from her beach blanket that afternoon. She chuckled at him. “Save something up for the proverbial ‘good-night’ kiss, Nolan Delaney.” She teased, her eyes sparkling.
He nodded sagely. “Thanks for reminding me.” And he offered his arm again, buttoning the button of his sport coat casually. Damn he was a sexy piece of man.
She let him take the burden of conversation as they walked up toward the graceful, sprawling restaurant building that attached to the main winery, nestled nicely over cliff with an exquisite drop, and no doubt an equally exquisite view. He talked about some of the winery’s long history, named a few stats about what kinds of grapes they grew, what kinds of wine they produced.
“Hey.” She said, a sudden thought occurring to her.
“What’s up?” He asked, not the least bit ruffled that she’d very rudely interrupted something he’d been saying about altitude and late-harvests. “Boring you?”
“No, no, ice wines, got it, no—“ She looked around. There was valet parking but he’d opted to park rather far away and walk up. Strange. And he’d parked off to the side, the view was great, but she hoped he’d put on his emergency brake because it seemed like someone could walk by and look too hard at it and it might topple over the ridge and meet a fiery doom on the rocks below. “No, you work at The Riverside Bistro.”
They walked quietly for a moment. “Yes.” He said.
“The Riv is one of the fanciest places in town—in fact, one might say it’s the main competitor to this place.”
She watched him purse his lips and nod. “One might.” He agreed.
“So why are we here?”
“I’m not gunna take you to the place I work—not on the first date.” He laughed. “Would you take me to the dentist’s office?” He’d finally gotten around to asking her what she did for a living during the car ride up.
“You have a great smile, by the way.” She said, not for the first time.
“Thank you.”
“No, thank you—it’s great to look at.” She said distractedly. “So you just wanted to take me somewhere swanky and since you work at one of the two best restaurants, you had to take me to this one by default?”
He made a non-committal sound. “Well, I used to work here.” He offered with a funny smile. “And the wine selection is pretty much unrivaled in the area.” But he wasn’t telling her everything.
They mounted the wide steps and approached the tall, wide entry doors.
“You used to work here.” She restated. Yeah, he’d said something about that earlier in the afternoon, but she hadn’t given it a second thought at the time.
“Mmmhmm.” He responded, looking up and ahead of them as they climbed. “Did my apprenticeship here, worked as a cater-waiter, bartended through college.” He murmured.
He was smiling at someone. She followed his gaze to where a large, good-looking black man stood, apparently waiting for them, wearing a wide grin and shaking his head slightly. Zahra had seen this guy at the lakeshore that afternoon. He’d been teammates with Nolan. They’d lost several rounds, but not because of this man. Nolan had been playing lousy. This guy hadn’t been half bad.
“What happened?” She asked sassily. “You get fired?”
Nolan tucked his chin to his chest and smiled at the ground as they made it to the top. “Yeah, actually.” He said humbly.
She stopped and pulled her arm from his to get a better look at him. It was dark out now, the valley below twinkling with the tiny dots of streetlamps and headlights and porchlights. The entrance to La Buggia Bella was illuminated in a very warm amber. He looked like a Hollywood star. “Then why the hell would you want to come here?” She asked with a half-laugh. “I got fired from Bombay Grille in the city when I was in college and I still tell people they have roaches and that they use expired milk in everything to this day.”
He laughed. “Well, this place is the best, whether I got my ass fired or not.” He said.
“Plus, he knows the owner.” Rumbled a deep baritone-almost-bass voice as the tall black man stepped toward them. Nolan grinned and embraced him heartily. Then the two men turned their full attention on Zahra.
“Len, this is Zahra Keerthani.” Nolan said, stepping to her side and placing his hand casually on her mid-back. Her nipples hardened immediately. Dammit. It had been a while since she’d had sex, but not so long that she could expect her body to respond like a horny teenager at the slightest male attention. She hoped Len’s eyes stayed on her face. “Zahra, meet the owner of La Buggia Bella vineyard and winery—and my best friend—“ The men smiled. “Lennox Knight.”
Wow. Yeah, she’d read about him. They had a few copies of the month-old magazine with his face on the cover in the waiting room at the office. He was even better looking in person. She held her hand out reflexively and he didn’t hesitate to take it and bend over it in a smooth but tame kiss. “Pleased to meet you Mr. Knight.” She said. She’d felt Nolan’s hand press more firmly into her back when Len bent to pay courtly tribute. Oooh. He didn’t seem like a jealous type.
“Call me Len.” The man said smoothly as her straightened. “It’s an absolute pleasure to meet you Zahra.” He shifted his eyes to Nolan for a moment and his expression sparked of mischief.
“Thank you.” She said breezily. “Tell me Len, why did you fire Nolan?”
Len threw his head back and laughed richly. He gestured for them to continue on into the restaurant. They walked, Nolan gave her a small smile and kept his hand planted on her back, though now it slipped a little lower, a more comfortable location for him—a decidedly more distracting place for her.
“This was years ago—“ Nolan started to explain.
“I was still a bus-boy cater-waiter when all that went down.” Len reminisced fondly. “So I’m not privy to why Old Mack gave Delaney the boot.” He chuckled. Zahra suspected he knew exactly why. These two were best friends and had been since at least their college cater-waiter days? He knew. “But I can tell you, it’s the stuff of legend, and there are quite a few juicy rumors about it, still to this day.”
As they walked, employees in fine La Buggia Bella uniforms were opening doors and gesturing mute directions, preceding them now with menus and preparing a table for two by a wide expanse of windows overlooking a view that gave Zahra pause. She glanced around. This had to be the best table in the place. She furrowed her brow curiously. “Drinking on the job?” She offered teasingly. She would find out. She had an inkling that whatever had happened somehow played a key role in making the man who was now deftly guiding her to her chair, shooing the gawky college aged waiter kindly so that he could hold her chair for her.
“He can’t help himself!” Len laughed. “Always an open bottle when this guy’s around.”
Nolan slid the seat in beneath her like a pro. Well. She supposed he was a pro, wasn’t he? Nolan Delaney was no amateur in the hospitality department. “I’d better be careful, don’t want to lose my head over some wino.” She joked, wishing Len would go away so she could focus on Nolan.
Nolan sat, wearing an expression that communicated a fondness for having his balls busted by her. She flashed him her dimples and he smiled broadly in return.
“I can take his keys now, if you think this lush’ll make a scene.” Len offered smilingly.
Nolan gave him an arched eyebrow. “You going to be our waiter, wise ass?” He asked. He talked to Len the way she did to her brother.
Len chuckled. “Nah.” He said, waving a hand dismissively. “As much as I could use the hefty tip, I’ve got other things to worry about without worrying that I’m turning this lovely lady’s head with my unstoppable game.”
Nolan laughed, but he shot her an almost nervous little glance. It was subtle, it was barely perceptible, but Zahra caught it and it made her like him more than all his charming confidence could have done in that moment. She laughed a full throated laugh, winked at him, and then turned her eyes up to Len. “Well, I saw you both looking at the beach today.” She said wickedly. “Was it his turn? Or did you flip a coin?”
Len looked startled and then laughed approvingly. “Either way he’s the lucky one who gets to sit here with you tonight.” Nolan’s best friend replied suavely and gave her a very warm, but’ definitely friendly--rather than more-than-friendly—smile. Then he turned to Nolan. “Alright Delaney.” He said, his tone changing to a more ball-busting one. “I’ve done my part—walked you in, got my staff in a tizzy, got everyone looking; anything else you needed?”
Nolan glanced around the restaurant approvingly. “Nah, that’ll do Len. Nice work.” He busted right back. “Too short notice for the harp music and red carpet, huhn?”
“Well now you’ve ruined the desert surprise. Good going.”
Zahra smiled for their back and forth. The royal treatment they’d received hadn’t escaped her notice. All eyes in the restaurant, server and patron alike, were turned their way. Now she watched Len shake Nolan’s hand, saying something about ‘anything you need, just say the word’, and Zahra was sure she caught the flash of something shiny exchanged from his hand to Nolan’s. Then he was gathering up her hand once again and placing another warm, but passionless, kiss thereupon. Zahra rewarded his loyalty to his friend with a dazzling smile and a murmured ‘thanks’.
Len nodded goodbye and stepped away, pulling a waiter aside with a litany of low-voiced instructions.
One young waitress approached rather timidly to light a candle on their table. A rather bored looking young man approached with a pitcher of ice water and wordlessly overturned their glasses and poured without splashing one drop. Yet another different face followed on his heels with two handsomely bound menus, an attractively done list of specials, and then a veritable book that read ‘Wine List’ in scrolling silver script across the front.
When at last they were left alone for a moment, Zahra finally let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding and laughed gently. “Well, if I was the kind of girl that could be bought, Nolan Delaney, you’d be getting lucky in the restroom right about now.”
Nolan let out a surprised laugh and his eyes sparkled. “I understand the coat closet offers more space.” In truth, though, he looked a tad rueful about all the fuss. The good-looking, shirtless, lousy, beach volleyball player seemed just slightly ill-at-ease with being on this end of the hospitality service. He looked, to Zahra, as if he might pop out of his seat, throw on an apron and settle in behind the bar or something.
She shook her head, puzzled. “You’re good looking, good humored, and seem pretty good all around.” She stated. He tilted his head in a question. “You don’t need to woo a girl with all this, is what I’m getting at.” She explained.
“Oh.” He said, and scratched lightly at the back of his collar. “Thanks.” He responded lamely. “I don’t usually—“ He trailed off.
She huffed a little puff of air from her nostrils. “You seem to be doing a lot of things around me that you don’t usually do.” She noted cannily.
He met her eyes and she wondered if she’d ever get used to the way those stormy blue-gray depths made her heart thunder in her chest. “You aren’t a usual woman.” He replied bluntly.
She arched a brow but took it as he’d intended it—as a compliment. “Well you certainly make me feel like something special.” She confessed, edging the candid words with a playful spark to cover the vulnerability behind them.
His eyes went soft and he smiled. They had one of those long, wordless moments of just staring at one another. If someone had told her she’d one day enjoy just staring like an idiot at a guy on a date, she’d have called them delusional. But, damn, if she didn’t enjoy just gazing moon-eyed at Nolan Delaney. His face was so expressive, his eyes so rich and full of a language all their own.
“So, a place like this have a sommelier?” She asked at last, when neither of them had spoken in a minor eternity. She could feel the waiter Len had assigned them hovering not too far away, waiting on tenterhooks for the right opportunity to ooze over to them.
Nolan blinked, seeming to shake himself just barely, and then smiled a roguish little smile. “Naturally.” He said with a playful arrogance. “Full-time.” He added impressively.
“But it’s not you.” She said.
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
He opened his mouth and looked very close to speech, but then reconsidered. He reached for his water, sipped, and then gestured to their menus. He waited for her to lift hers before taking up his own. “I got fired from this place, remember?” He said, his eyes scanning the menu, but, Zahra suspected, not really seeing it.
“When you were a kid—“ She protested.
“Would you go back to work for the Bombay Grille?” He asked casually.
“Maybe if they offered me a cushy sommelier job and the ownership changed hands to my best friend.” She said off-hand.
She made a show of poring over the menu but out of the corner of her eye she saw him startle and then grin before setting his menu down.
The waiter took Nolan’s unoccupied posture as an invitation to approach. He was young and polite and more than a little nervous. Zahra’s heart warmed at the way Nolan was instantly able to put the kid at ease by making light jokes and being subtly complimentary. “I used to have your job.” He told the kid after a couple minutes of chatting with the lad, during which time Zahra watched the kid’s shoulders go from somewhere around his ears to the relaxed, easy posture of a person at a party. “We’ll try and make it easy on you—and I’ll put in a good word with the boss.” She responded to the down-to-earth tone he used; another man might have sounded like a condescending, stuffed-shirt prick.
Nolan Delaney sounded like a genuine guy. Like a bartender. She sipped her ice water to cool down. Bartenders did it for her.
When he was comfortable and smiling the young waiter recited, with little flair, the specials for the evening, and mentioned a wine that had just been added. Zahra watched Nolan for his reaction but he kept his smile polite and controlled. He had a poker face afterall. Why was he an open book almost all of the time when he looked at her, but he could throw on a neutral mask of affable charm with other people?
As he was leaving, the waiter casually tossed-off that he’d send the Sommelier their way. Nolan opened his mouth to respond, but the water was already gone. He looked at her and shrugged.
“Oooh.” She teased. “Two sommeliers in one day. When it rains it pours, Zahra.” She said wonderingly.
He chuckled.
“You worried I might have a thing for sommeliers and maybe I’ll take a shine to this one? Leave you high and dry?”
He raised his eyebrows, seemed to consider this for a moment and then gave her a devilish grin. “You’re a sommelier groupie?” He played.
“Maybe.” She purred. “If they all look like you, then sign me up for autographed posters and road trips following behind tour busses.”
He had the best smile. “They don’t.” He broke it to her. “And if you keep complimenting me like that I don’t think I’ll be able to keep my head on my shoulders.”
She shrugged languidly. Nolan spotted someone approaching and stood with an effortless grace that Zahra found particularly delicious. He sucked at volleyball, but this man was in-shape, athletic, and yummy from head to toe. She could imagine easily, because she’d spent all afternoon conjuring it, that he’d be dynamite in bed. She imagined he’d have great stamina, be able to last and last, and recoup quickly for more.
Shit. He was introducing her to someone.
Zahra looked up, a little startled to see a stunningly attractive woman beside them. What was this?
“Zahra, this is my good friend Simone; Simone, Zahra.” Nolan spoke warmly.
Zahra was immediately struggling to hold her head above the tidal wave of insecurities that washed over her at the sight of this knock-out. It threatened to swallow her whole. She extended her hand to the beauty, hoping that she wasn’t trembling as noticeably as she felt like she was inside (she suddenly felt very much like a giant jell-o sculpture), and she smiled automatically to hide the pang of jealousy, confusion, and disappointment she was experiencing.
This woman was lithe and bronze and looked every inch a Calvin Klein model. “Zahra.” The woman spoke with a liquid, smooth, feminine voice that threw Zahra’s own rhaspy speaking voice into sharp contrast. She found she couldn’t think of a single thing to say, so she kept her tongue frozen and just smiled warmly.
Simone didn’t seem to notice the lack of verbal response, she just kept on as though Zahra were pulling her conversational weight. “My friend is a lucky man indeed tonight.” She said coyly. Great. She had an accent. Simone was lithe, bronze, model-esque, and now add to that: exotically European, sophisticated, and undeniably alluring. She was some kind of poster-child of male fantasy. Zahra doubted very much that the woman was wearing any undergarments of any kind beneath that slinky black dress.
Simone flashed a devastatingly perfect smile at Nolan, who kissed her cheek before turning to Zahra. “Simone is the Sommelier here at Bella.” He said simply.
Oh, spectacular. Even better.
Zahra couldn’t wrap her head around it. Was this why he’d wanted to bring her here tonight? Because surely these two smoking hot sommeliers had had a steamy sommelier romance. That much was obvious. Maybe that’s how Nolan had gotten fired! Maybe these two were sneaking a torrid affair down in the wine cellars and, in the throes of a vigorous, passionate fuck they had knocked over row after row of wine racks, and, in an awful mockery of dominos, bottle after bottle of rare, priceless wine had been smashed to smithereens while they climaxed together gloriously. Zahra imagined Simone the Sommelier moaning ‘Oooh, la, la!’ as Nolan brought her to an earth-shattering and wine-cellar destroying orgasm. Viva la France.
“Thanks entirely to Nolan.” She murmured, all milk and honey.
Nolan smiled humbly and resumed his seat. “Not at all.” He said dismissively. “You earned your place.” He insisted.
Simone raised an eyebrow. So did Zahra.
“We studied abroad together.” Nolan explained to Zahra with a perfectly innocuous smile.
Wonderful. Zahra immediately pictured the two of them fucking up against the Eiffel tower. Maybe Simone wore a beret and held a baguette suggestively while they did it.
“So what is this?” The French vixen hummed sensuously. “A pop-quiz?” Her laugh was light and musical. Zahra wished she was at home on her couch with a pint of the chocolaty-est of chocolate ice creams in her lap and a cheesy movie on the tube. “Am I being evaluated?” The lady sommelier was flirting, but Zahra detected a note of sincere concern underneath her words.
Nolan shook his head with a chuckle. “No, Simone, honestly, I didn’t expect them to send you over, but the waiter is new.” He glanced at Zahra. “I’m definitely not here on business this evening.” Pleasure was the implied flip side.
But Zahra wasn’t in the right headspace to enjoy the compliment. She was too preoccupied with subtracting the probable difference between her dress size and Simone’s. She wasn’t comfortable with the resulting numeral.
“Good.” Simone said, playing up the relief she felt for dramatic effect. “It is a little intimidating trying to sound knowledgeable to the man who practically wrote the entire wine list here.”
Zahra liked that Nolan had the grace to look embarrassed. “It’s good to see you, Mona.” He said affectionately, but quellingly. “We’ll likely start by the glass, no decisions yet.” He smiled pleasantly.
Zahra searched and searched the two for a hint at their sexual history, but she couldn’t be sure of anything. But surely they must have. Look at the two of them! And how many female sommeliers were there in the world? They probably felt obligated to do it together. Maybe one day soon they’d be forced to copulate to ensure the survival of the sommelier species.
Simone was buzzing on in that all-too sexy accent of hers, but Zahra was past the point of being able to listen and focus. Whoa. She was bone-rattlingly jealous. She’d never, ever, ever, been jealous like this. It was ridiculous. He wasn’t even hers. They hadn’t even been to bed together! They’d only met that afternoon! What the hell was this?
She didn’t like it, whatever it was. And she didn’t like feeling enormous, and frumpy, and plain. She wanted to be home in her PJs fantasizing about some cute guy she’d seen at the lake.
Instead she was sitting across from that guy and wondering what in hell he was up to, getting her all dressed up like an elephant at a wedding, and trotting her out for his old girlfriend to look-over. And Simone had--looked her over, that is--more than once. Zahra felt ugly and fat and on-edge, where before she’d felt gorgeous and curvy and on top of the world.
The table was silent when Simone melted away. It was not one of those comfortable, electrically charged silences Zahra had liked so much.
“So.” He said. “You going to up and leave me for Simone?” He asked lightly.
She glowered at him and his smile evaporated.
“I was only kidding—“ He said, his brow coming together sharply, his beautiful mouth in a grim line.
“More like the other way around, isn’t it?” She challenged, wanting to sound cool and detached but managing only bitter.
Nolan blinked. “What?” He asked plainly.
“If you’re trying to make her jealous, I think you should be more discerning in who you pick next time.” She felt her throat grip up and blinked back a heat in her eyes. What the fuck was wrong with her?! This was ridiculous. “I don’t think she finds me at all threatening.” Zahra took a breath. “And maybe just give a girl a heads up next time. I’d have been only too glad to help you get back at your ex if you’d been upfront about it.”
Nolan ran a hand through his hair. “Zahra—“ He said, his voice tight.
“Look, I won’t embarrass you in front of your friend Len, and I’ll pretend we’re into eachother for Frenchy, but let’s you and me drop the bullshit ok?”
“There’s nothing between me and Simone—“ Nolan protested, leaning forward, his face earnest and a little desperate.
“I saw her looking me over, sizing me up.” Zahra said. “And she’s gorgeous. And she’s the only woman sommelier I’ve ever heard of, and you two make a very handsome couple.” Shut up shut up shut up, Zahra! She silently begged herself. Be cool, bitch. Nobody likes a jealous harpy. You sound like an insane person.
To her utter surprise Nolan laughed. She wanted to slap him. But he laughed.
“I’m glad it’s funny to you.” She said heatedly. “But the joke’s on you, pal, because as long as I’m here and all dolled up, I’m going to order the most expensive everything I can find on the menu.”
He managed to stifle his merriment, but not his smile. He cleared his throat, tossed a glance around them, and then said in a low voice: “She wasn’t sizing you up, Zahra, she was checking you out.”
She stared at him. Yeah. What was the difference?
“I mean checking you out.” He repeated. “Simone’s a lesbian.” He clarified.
Oh. Oh. Ohhhh. Zahra closed her eyes and wanted to just melt into the floor. “I’m so sorry.” She said immediately. And she was. She was sorry she’d ever agreed to this date. He was so perfect and she was such a moron.
“Forget it.” He said gently.
“No, I’m an ass.” She said miserably, unable to look him in the eye.
“Not at all.” He soothed quickly. “I didn’t realize how that would look if you didn’t know Simone and if you didn’t know me.”
She looked up tentatively.
“I’m clearly not her type.” He said with a soft smile. “But she wouldn’t be my type even if she were so inclined.”
Zahra could feel the heat lingering on her cheeks. She felt shamefaced and all jumbled up. “Oh yeah?” She inquired numbly. “Gorgeous isn’t your thing?”
He laughed a short laugh and then fixed her with a smoldering stare. “Oh, no, gorgeous definitely does it for me.” He said firmly. “You’re gorgeous Zee.” He told her.
The spontaneous nickname made her smile despite her abject mortification.
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.” He went on, without a hint of pretense or agenda. It was humbling and exhilarating and strange, this bald honesty of his. “And judging by the way she was ogling you, I’d guess Simone feels the same way.” He grinned brightly.
Zahra laughed deeply; grateful for Nolan Delaney. “Well.” She said, reaching for her water. “Now I have something new to fantasize about in the way of sommelier sex dreams. My cup runneth over.”
Damn, but she loved that smile.
