and leaned into a group of pretty blondes. He was tall and muscular with black hair and brown eyes. His black suit was tailored to him like a glove and looked expensive. Oh shit. It was him. Ozi. The owner of Dolce Sale…my new boss. His pictures did not do him justice.
I willed myself to look away. I didn’t want Enzo or any of the other staff members to catch me gawking at him. I tried to focus on the skyline but my gaze kept wandering back over to this gorgeous specimen of a man. Men didn’t look like that in Maplewood. Sure we had our share of handsome boys next door, but not like this. This man could make women do whatever he wanted. I was getting dizzy just thinking about it. Why was he making me feel tingly all over? I didn’t come here for that.
It had only been a year since Alex broke my trust and my heart. I didn’t know if I’d ever be ready to love again, let alone even date. I was so empty inside… What would I even have to offer? The betrayal left a wound so deep, I wasn’t sure the bleeding had ever stopped. But damn, Ozi was sexy. The way he licked his full lips with each sip of his whiskey, it was giving me all kinds of wicked thoughts. Like what else that tongue of his could do.
I spun around toward the bar and cornered Max.
“Do you have the next round of drinks? I’m getting bored out here.” Truth was I needed something to drag my attention away from our hot boss.
“Okay, girl. I see you.” He winked as he handed me a tray of old fashions. Oh dear god. Did he see me salivating over Ozi? I was mortified. I stared down at my tray and wished I could disappear into one of the glasses. The whiskey was a creamy caramel color, offset by the dark juicy black Italian cherry and bright orange peel.
I immediately started drifting in and out of the crowd, passing out drinks like they were candy. The guests didn’t hesitate, lapping them up like water. I kept my back strategically turned away from Ozi. The last thing I needed was to get flustered and drop this entire tray of drinks on some spoiled socialite. I wasn’t a clumsy person but Ozi made me nervous. There was something about the way he leaned into the woman he was chatting with. The way his lips hovered over her ear as she threw her head back in laughter at whatever charming thing he had said. I bet he smelled good too. Stop it, Raven. Get your head in the game.
The music seemed to get louder with each strum of the violin and it reverberated through me, enchanting me like a dream. What time was it? It had to be close to midnight. I stifled a yawn and went back toward the bar to fill up my tray.
“Raven, there you are. Don’t wander too far, I’d like you to meet the owner later,” Enzo said. “If I can ever pull him away from that blonde over there.”
I followed the direction of his gaze and felt all the blood rush to my cheeks. I had completely forgotten that I’d have to meet him. Of course he would want to meet his new employee. How was I going to keep my cool when just one look at him sent my pulse racing? Shit.
Within an hour, the terrace was filled with beautiful people in designer clothes, gathering to partake in my free food and booze. As vapid and dull as most of these people were, they temporarily filled a void that would allow me to pretend I was like them for the night.
“Mr. Fabiano, is everything to your liking?” Like a ghost, Enzo appeared out of nowhere. If I didn’t know for certain that he was human, I would have sworn he was a vampire.
“Si, Grazie, Enzo. You have outdone yourself as usual.” Enzo had been with me for thirty years. He knew me better than anyone.
“We have a new girl here tonight. She interned at Ozi Wines in Italy. She is a little out of her element, but catches on quick,” Enzo said.
I glanced around the terrace and spotted her. It was easy to do because I made a point to know every single person who worked for me. I had a file on each of them. The new girl’s