Page 13 of Wicked Beautiful (Wicked Games 1)
“She did indeed. In fact, chef, I know she’s very much looking forward to the next course.” Frowning, I look over his shoulder. “Should I tell her it will be delayed?”
“No! No, no, everything is perfectly on schedule! The goddess will not wait!” He whirls around and sprints back to the stove, where he begins a frenzy of activity, shouting instructions to the staff.
I catch the eye of Julian, one of the bus boys who has worked for me for years, and nod at the mess on the floor. With a smile, Julian gets to work. This isn’t the first time he’s cleaned up after Hurricane Kai blew through. I know it won’t be the last.
One quick glance around tells me everything is back on track, so I leave them to it.
“I have to admit, you’re pretty amazing at that,” says Bailey when I walk back through the swinging doors to the kitchen. She’s been listening just outside.
“At what, exactly?”
She smiles. “Handling people. Especially the crazy ones.”
When I just shrug, she adds, “Did Darcy really say that? About the foie gras being orgasmic?”
“No. But judging by the way Kai was practically drooling over her, I thought a little sexual innuendo would go a long way.”
Bailey chuckles. “Turns out you were right. And did I hear him call her a goddess? This from the man who thinks everyone except his mother and Julia Child are pond scum?”
We walk together to the doorway that leads from the kitchen to the main room of the restaurant, where we were standing before. When I look at Victoria and Darcy’s table, I’m gratified to find Victoria glancing in my direction. Our eyes meet, but she quickly looks away. A waiter stops at their table, and they exchange a few words. Before he moves away, she bestows upon him a large, toothy smile.
The better to eat you with, my dear. I wonder if the poor waiter knows he’s serving the Big Bad Wolf.
Just as I’m about to turn back to Bailey, Victoria lifts her hand to her face. She tilts her head and tucks a strand of her long, dark hair behind her ear in a gesture that is graceful and girlish, and also hauntingly familiar.
My heart skips a beat.
Where have I seen that gesture before?
FIVE
~ Victoria ~
By the time Darcy and I reach the end of the meal, it’s nearly midnight, the gentle evening rain has turned into an angry downpour, and my face is aching from hosting three hours of forced smiles.
And I’m more determined than ever that Parker Maxwell is going down.
He thinks he’s being stealthy, but I know when I’m being watched. He and his skinny blonde sidekick haven’t stopped sending me furtive glances all night. More than once, I’ve caught them whispering together while looking my way.
I can’t help but wonder what the deal is with the two of them. If I’m being honest with myself, they’d make a gorgeous couple. All-American Ken and Barbie, complete with golden tans and perfect hair. But I can detect no chemistry between them; there’s no obvious flirtation or stray, admiring glances. If they’re an item, they’re being very discreet.
Chef Kai, however, is being anything but discreet about his blossoming obsession with Darcy. He’s at our tableside—for the nth time—with a dazzling array of exotic desserts, proffering them to her with a deferential tilt to his head, like the court jester before the queen. I can almost see the stars glittering in his eyes.
“Häschen,” he implores, “please try a sweet. Or four. You must!”
Darcy says, “Why don’t you just leave the whole platter, chef? I’ll probably have more than four.”
Kai’s smile is blinding. After he’s set the platter down on the table and bowed off, I turn to Darcy with a quizzical frown.
“What did he call you?”
“I dunno. Let’s look it up.” She digs her cell phone from her handbag and taps in a few words. After a moment she says, “According to Google translate, he called me ‘little rabbit.’” She grimaces. “Is that supposed to be sexy? Rabbits aren’t very sexy.”
“Bugs Bunny is kind of sexy.”
Darcy ignores me. “And ‘little?’” She harrumphs. “I haven’t been little since I was born. Not even then, actually.”
“I think it’s cute, Darse. It’s a pet name. Literally.”
