I beam at the alpha. “See? That’s the spirit! So where you from?” The awkward small talk continues as we take the elevator to the basement level.
When we get downstairs, I direct them down a long hall toward a door marked staff only.
“We can’t go in there,” Raven says.
“Oh yes, we can.” I open the door, and the chef greets us with a smile and a hearty,“Buonasera!”
Raven smiles at the man before looking at me with a question in her eyes.
“A buddy of mine in college knows the hotel’s head chef from a study abroad program. He’s gonna teach us to cook spaghetti bolognese and tiramisu.” I attempted to say the dish names in my best Italian accent, which is not great. The stereotypical hand motion probably didn’t help. But Raven laughs, which makes any embarrassment worth it.
The chef already has some of the food chopped and prepped, but he puts me to work sauteing the meat for the spaghetti while he shows Raven how to layer the lady fingers for the tiramisu. Maybe I didn’t think this through. I didn’t imagine her spending time with a handsome older Italian chef rather than me.
“Go,” Foster whispers, stepping up beside me.
“What?”
He takes the spoon from me. “Go help with that. I’ll do this.”
“Thanks, man. You’re alright, you know that?” I pat his chest, then hurry over to the other station where Raven and the chef are working. I come up behind my omega and wrap my arms around her middle, leaning my chin on her shoulder. “So, what are we doing over here?”
The chef looks a little panicked for a minute until he realizes Foster’s keeping the meat from burning. He hollers something to Foster in Italian and the bodyguard responds in turn. Damn, that’s hot. I wonder if he spoke Italian while he and Raven were doing whatever they were doing this morning. Man, I hope so.
The chef bounces between stations, giving us each instructions as needed, and we manage to laugh our way through cooking the classic dishes. It’s fun being in the kitchen with Raven, domestic in a way that gives me all kinds of dreams for the future.
Once our meals are beautifully plated, the chef guides us to a private room typically reserved for parties. I already set it up with candles and flowers. Everything an omega could want from a romantic dinner. But it’s not quite perfect yet.
I let Foster pull out Raven’s seat while I take the only other chair. “Sorry, big guy, but I need a moment alone with our girl.”
Foster checks in with Raven and doesn’t leave until she gives him an apprehensive nod. She won’t be nervous with me when this is over. By the end of the night, I’m going to prove to her I’m not the kid I was back in high school.
“I’ll be in the hall just outside.” Foster points to the only door in the room. “Scream if you need me.”
“If she’s screaming, it won’t be a threat. But feel free to take a peek anyway.” I wink at the burly bodyguard.
Raven sighs as she stands, then kisses him on the cheek. “I’ll be fine,sir.”
Foster goes very still, gaze slowly moving over Raven in a way that has her cheeks as red as the sauce on our plates. I expect the guy to make a comment about the honorific, since he clearly enjoyed it, but instead he just kisses her forehead and walks away.
Raven stares after him for a beat before sitting down.
I pour us each a glass of champagne. “Sir, huh?” Just because Foster didn’t comment on the way Raven’s eyes heated with that endearment, doesn’t mean I’m not going to. “You planning on keeping him, birdie?”
“Yes.” Raven meets my eyes with a hard set in her own. I’ve never seen her so confident. “You’re not my only scent match.”
Oh. Shit. I sit up straighter, looking at the door Foster left through. Guess that explains why we’ve all been so fine with the big guy.
“You planning on keeping us?” I ask, the words a little shakier than I’d like.
She looks down at her plate. “I haven’t decided yet.”
Her uncertainty levels me, but I lift my champagne flute in the air. We need to lighten things up. Of course she’s not sure yet. That makes sense after everything we put her through. I don’t want her to feel bad or pressured. I want her to want this. And if that takes time, well then, I’ll put in the effort to get there. “To new beginnings.”
Raven tentatively taps her drink against mine and takes a sip.
“Eat first,” I direct when Raven glances at the gift I set down at the corner of the table.
Rather than picking up my fork, I watch her bring a bite to her plump lips, the little bow parting as she takes in the food. A flash of Rhodes swallowing down my cock this morning briefly clouds my vision. Man, I wish she could have seen how good he looked on his knees. Someday soon.
