Page 31 of Wolf's Redemption

"I have a date today with a woman who is very important to me, and I want her to feel comfortable and make it an unforgettable night," I said.

He rested his hand on his chin.

"Do you have something in mind?" he asked.

"I thought I'd take her out for Asian food," I replied.

He immediately wrinkled his face.

"It's cliché if you want a more romantic and enjoyable atmosphere... I recommend Italian food," he said.

"I like that idea." My heart was pounding so hard from the excitement that I felt like it would burst out of my chest; it felt like the day was going by too fast, and I wouldn't have time to get everything ready. "I'm going to ask you one more favor. When our guest is ready, take her to the address I'm going to give you."

He smiled as he put two and two together and discovered that my date was with Cathy. "Count on it," he said.

I went up to my room. It was all tidy, and the bed was made, my shelf of finance books stacked in size order forming a ladder, and my desk where I had my personal belongings was neat.

I opened my laptop, went to Google, and searched for "Italian food restaurant." A lot of them popped up, and I checked the customer reviews and photos of the place and its dishes.

"This will be it," I said.

Casa D'Angelo looked familiar, and after going through the pictures of the place, I remember we once had a family gathering there. The service was so good that my father managed to get the owner’s personal card. All in all, it was an elegant, minimalist restaurant that reminded me of a typical corner restaurant in Milan. The perfect place, and the food looked delicious.

I checked their website and got the phone number.

"Good evening, how can I help you," asked a lady.

"Hello, I would like a reservation," I said.

"When would the date be and for how many people, sir?" she asked.

"For today, for two people, but I want to book the whole restaurant," I said.

"I don't think it's possible," she said. "Reservations are made days in advance, but if you leave me your name and e-mail, I can estimate when we can make your reservation."

"It has to be today," I replied. "I'll pay anything." She was silent for a while as if, for some reason, my words had been enough to come to an agreement.

"Let me put you in touch with my supervisor," she said.

The lady put me on hold and began to play a melody of an Italian song that, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember it.

"Hello, my name is Giovanni. You want to book the whole restaurant?" Said a man with a thick accent.

"Yes, and I need it ready in an hour," I said.

"Can you tell me whose name the reservation would be in?" he asked.

"Eric Night."

"Mr. Night? You should have said earlier that it was you," the man said. "Is there anything special you want?"

I sorted my thoughts in my head quickly. "Yes, I want the best wine you have, a full gourmet menu with all the food from your restaurant, and for you to decorate the place with flowers."

I heard the sound of a pencil against paper. "Anything else?"

I finished giving him the last requests and hung up to get ready. In my mind, I had already pictured the scenario and wanted to be there first to make sure everything was perfect.

I took off my clothes and threw them on the bed. I walked completely naked to the bathroom and stepped into the shower, I let the cold water pour over me to freshen up a bit, and as I did, I couldn't get Cathy out of my mind. I wished she was here with me.

---