Page 14 of Pain and Pleasure

I sip at the wine before me and try to appear both relaxed and confident, but I can't ignore the eerie feeling I get from these men. Dante waves his hand in their direction as I set my wine glass down, introducing us.

"Esmeralda, Ricky, I'd like you to meet members of my team. Andres, Luis and Oscar. We've been in business together for a very long time."

I say hello and they nod slowly at me. Dante takes a sip of wine and then leans back in his chair, one leg crossing over the other in his most casual and common position. They feel like a threat, but he's not treating them as one. Which makes me think that these could be bosses he's reporting to from here to Columbia.

Which makes me even more nervous because these men could slit my throat even if Dante asks them not to. I give them a tight, but gleaming smile. I don't want to appear on edge or stupid. I have to be as calm and collected as Dante is, so I take another sip of wine.

"Gentleman, I'm sure you remember Marianne. Ricky is her new intern for the season. He'll be staying here while she finishes a collaboration that she and I have been working on. I think you could appreciate some of the amazing work that she's already done so far."

One of the men, the bigger one whose name I believe is Andres, nods slowly and lights a cigar at the table. It is huge and smoke billows around him as he lights the end of it, cherry burning bright like the fireplace behind him.

The middle man is short, probably a few inches shorter than my average five foot six. He is balding and even though he is a small man, his face looks red with residual anger. I try not to look at him for too long, he is small, but he radiates this energy that he could kill someone in cold blood without a second thought. I’m sure all of these men can.

Oscar looks very similar to Dante, though definitely not as good looking. He has less hair and he’s not as muscular, but they share the same, peculiar eye color. An uncommon eye color which makes me deeply believe that they are related. He’s at least ten years older than Dante, you can see his age in the wrinkles around his eyes.

He’s the man that stares at me the longest, assessing much more than the others do. He eyes me up and down, sizing me up and trying to intimidate me. I sit tall and smile at him, holding his gaze and making sure that I don’t show him the intimidation that he is trying to make me feel. I feel Dante eyeing me carefully in my peripheral, but I don’t break my gaze away from Oscar.

“And Esmeralda, please tell me what you do and how you’ve come to know my baby brother?” Oscar asks. His voice is low and thick with a Spanish accent.

So, they are related.

I take a sip of my wine and make sure that my response is both calm and collected.

“I’m currently a student at UCLA. I’m in my last semester there now, very close to getting my BA with a major in business and minor in culinary arts. I met Dante-”

“At one of my restaurants. She was dining in with a few professors and I overheard them discussing her upcoming internship. She’s working towards opening her own restaurant. I knew both Javier and I could expand her knowledge much more than anyone else could, and she seemed bright enough. Why not take her under my wing and show her my expertise, right, brother?” Dante interjected, tipping his wine glass to Oscar in a casual salute.

Oscar eyes him from across the table before leaning back in his seat, crossing his leg just like Dante does. He’s testing us and Dante is feeding him the same amount of lies that he’s made me feed everyone since knowing him. I’m not sure how much more I can keep up with, but I’m finding that I have no choice but to lie with this man in my life. Even to his own blood. I’m sure it’s something that he’s been doing for decades because his poker face is impeccable.

“And what kind of restaurant are you looking to create, Esmeralda? Surely one that is fine dining, since that is Javier’s specialty.”

Javier comes around and starts serving our dinner, setting gold plates of potatoes with sliced chicken down in front of us. The plating of dinner is both elegant and mouthwatering, appealing to every sense. Javier really is an artist, and though Dante and I are lying to his brother and partners, I feel truth in his words and mine. I’ve learned so much from Javier already and I know he’ll show me more, the business aspect just isn’t really needed from Dante. I’ve learned what I need to from school, and I don’t need any lessons or dirty tricks from him.

“Please, call me Emmie.”My full name is preferred from your brother's lips.

“I’m looking for more of a fine dining establishment that has elements of comfort in a homey setting. I also want to host cooking classes there. I have so many fond memories while learning from others, and I want to share that with the world and my customers. I want them to feel like they are coming home.”

I take a bite of my dinner and all but moan in delight. I catch Dante’s stare as I dab my mouth with a napkin. His eyes hold an emotion that I have yet to see from him. It looks a lot like pride, and it does a lot to ease those silly little butterflies that he’s put in my stomach. We all eat in silence for a while, thanking Javier as he removes our plates and refills our wine glasses.

“Tell me,Emmie,” Oscar continues after swallowing down the rest of his wine, waving at Javier to refill it again. I don’t like this guy at all, but I try my best not to show it. I feel like if I piss him off, he’ll be a lot less forgiving than his brother.

“Have you learned much from my brother yet? I do have several businesses and restaurants as well, though most of mine are back home in Columbia.”

Dante scoffs and waves a hand at him, answering before I can even think of a response.

“Don’t try to steal my intern from me, big brother. I’m sure Emmie has no interest in moving to South America anytime soon. Keep your sticky fingers away from my protege.”

Oscar holds his hands up in defense. Their banter may appear light, but I have no doubt that Dante’s older brother has had the upper hand in their relationship with many things in life. The conversations are light for the rest of dinner, mostly small talk here and there with less interest in me, which brings me immense joy because with the more wine that I drink, the less confidence I have in myself to keep lying well.

I find out that Marianne actually does have a collaboration with Dante, the look in her eyes is so prideful that I know what she describes is no lie. It turns out Mr. Millionaire-Dante is actually dabbling in the designer world. He and Marianne are currently working with designers to exhibit some of Marianne’s pieces in fashion shows. including both the fashion week in Paris and New York. It seems that she has been working on her debut collection for many years now and Dante is going to fund her new designer business as well as provide her elite connections to skyrocket her work. It’s a really nice thing that he’s doing for her, even nicer that Ricky now gets to be a part of it. They’re already planning on sending him with her to the fashion week in New York. I want to cry with joy for him, but I hold back.

Dinner ends with Dante’s men standing, Andres and Luis both nod their heads in goodbye, but Oscar comes around to stand by Dante and me, grabbing my hand and kissing it gently.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Emmie. Please contact me if you find that you are bored with my brother's approach to his...business tactics.”

He winks at me and slaps Dante's shoulder before leaving with his two men trailing behind him. I look to Dante who is staring darkly after him, his eyes black and narrowed. It makes me wonder about their back story, but I know I will find another time to ask about it because as soon as his eyes meet mine, my brain turns to mush.

He is staring at me with so much desire, that both Marianne and Ricky clear their throats.

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