Page 125 of Savage Vow (Mafia Marriages 3)

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We arrive at the restaurant and promptly are escorted to our table. It’s a small private table in the busy restaurant. The lights are dimmed, the atmosphere romantic.

He pulls out the chair for me to sit. “You look absolutely stunning,” Aurielo whispers into my ear.

I’m sure my blush matches the gown. That was his intent, wasn’t it? “Thank you,” I say. “You clean up really well yourself.”

It sounds stupid coming from my lips. He’s always in a fancy suit for work, but he looks sharper, cleaner, sexier tonight. I don’t know what it is, but I want to jump him.

The hostess hands us each a menu before disappearing to seat another guest.

I glance over at the menu. The prices are insane. “Have you eaten here before?”

“A few times,” Aurielo says. “Everything I’ve had is always delicious.”

He gestures the waitress over and orders a bottle of red wine, along with several appetizers.

That sounds fine to me. I can’t imagine having room for dinner after appetizers.

The waitress heads back to put in the order and bring out the wine.

“I hope you’re hungry,” Aurielo says.

I’m starving. “Everything smells so good,” I admit. “And it all sounds wonderful.” It’s been a while since I’ve eaten out. I can’t even remember when I went to a fancy restaurant last.

“Did you see anything that you want to try on the menu?” Aurielo asks.

The waitress brings over a bottle of red and three glasses. She uncorks the bottle and hands the cork to Aurielo.

I assume it’s to smell. I have no clue what the hell she’s doing. I’ve never ordered a full bottle of wine at a restaurant. It’s too expensive, and I don’t typically drink that much. But Ivy does, and if I order a bottle with my sister, then she’ll get trashed.

The waitress pours a small amount into the glass for Aurielo to try.

He swirls the wine and breathes in the aroma before having a taste.

“How is it, Sir?” the waitress asks.

“Very good,” Aurielo says. “You can pour us each a glass.”

The waitress pours a new glass for Aurielo and a second for me before hurrying to help another table.

I feel out of sorts at such a fancy restaurant, but Aurielo fits right in. Is this his lifestyle? How he lives? Lavishly? Does he come here with his mafia buddies?

“What do you think?” he asks as I take a sip of wine. I haven’t eaten since lunch and don’t want to get tipsy too early into the night.

“It’s good, but I don’t know much about wine,” I confess. “But it is the best bottle I’ve ever had.”

He smiles proudly. “Good.”

I don’t dare ask how much it costs.

“Did you find anything on the menu for dinner?” he asks again. I never answered him earlier when the waitress interrupted us with the wine unveiling.

“It all looks really good.”

“How about I order a few dishes that we can share?” Aurielo suggests.

I like the sound of that, but it seems like a lot of food. “Are you sure we need that much food? You ordered a bunch of appetizers already!” We’ll have leftovers for a week, even with feeding everyone back at the mansion.

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