CHAPTER THREE
Balsamico is probably the most fancy place I've ever been to. Although the decor is rustic with its traditional woodwork and exposed red brick walls, there is an elegance to everything. The crisp linen table cloths, the gorgeous industrial lamps, the shiny copper finishes, the beautifully made wood burning oven that was imported direct from Italy, all of these new and old elements really came together to create a warm and inviting environment. On our car ride over, Dominic explained how he was integral to importing the oven into the USA with little hassle over the border. Along with some other things he didn't want to mention... Which may explain why the owner is in his debt.
I can't help but admire restaurant as Dominic and I follow their stylish hostess in tall stiletto heels to our table. She keeps looking back at him as she heavily bats her eyelashes and gives him her best flirtatious smile as she whispers a little something to him here and there. Its apparent that she doesn't want me to overhear, because she avoids my eyes completely, so I'm not included in their conversations. A part of me wants to punch her in the face, but another part of me wonders why I want to hurt her so much. I've never been the jealous type before and it's not like Dominic is my boyfriend. It's probably because you've never went out with a guy like Dominic before... I think to myself as I try to ignore this envious side to me.
"Here we are. There's your table Mr. Crossfire," She tells him with flourish of her hands. We were taken to a secluded alcove of the restaurant where a candlelit table awaits for us.
"If there's anything else you need, I will personally see to it." She says suggestively in a seductive voice as she hands him some menus. Dominic appears uninterested and takes the menus from her with a smirk.
"Considering how unprofessional you've been towards my guest and I..." He retorts coldly. "I highly doubt that I'll be requesting your assistance."
She gasps slightly and quickly disappears from our view. I can't help myself but to chuckle at her fast exit. He really knew how to put her in her place. He then moves behind me to help into chiavari chair.
"You don't mince words," I simply state as I take a seat. "I think I admire that in a guy."
"In my business, time is money. I have to speak plainly." He explains with my favourite half smile on his lips and gets into his own chair.
"So, what would you call this impromptu dinner?" I tease him as I open the menu.
"Well, you know what they say about too much hard work making Jack a dull boy," He replies with a wicked smile on his face. "I have to etch out time to play hard too."
"My guess is that dull is not word that people typically use to describe you," I guessed aloud, as I dip my head to peruse the menu trying the hide the blush I feel creeping up my face. This man was way too sexy for his own good. "And I've only known you for a few hours."
"I'll call that high praise then," He answers, smiling knowingly at me as he hands me a smaller menu. "Here's the wine list. Would you like to choose the vintage for the night? We can order a bottle of whatever you want."
I take the menu from him and give a quick glance at the wines and my jaw drops. I cannot believe the prices of some of these wines! The most expensive bottle of wine I've ever tried had to have costed $20 at the most and that alone had made me feel fancy. The wines on this list were about 3 to 4 digits!
"I think its best that you choose the wine. I'm a bit out my depth here," I admit as I give the wine menu back to him.
"Well, do you have an idea of what you're going to order? That will help me choose between a red or white wine." He explained.
"I didn't know it was possible, but there are actually too many enticing items here. I want to order one of everything." I tell him, my mouth watering at the mere descriptions of their food. "Do I want crispy squid? Truffle tagliatelle? The mozzarella in carrozza? They all sound so good..."
"We can start with a bottle of rosé then," he says as he peers through the wine list. "I'll get the arancini and you can order all of those things that you've been drooling over. And we can share it, like an appetizer platter."
"That sounds heavenly," I reply with a soft smile. "Although, I'm not even sure if I want share my food with you..."
We chuckle and a well-dressed waiter appears and takes our wine and appetizer orders. The waiter returns with a tiny snifter of rosé wine for Dominic to taste. Dominic swirls the pale pink liquid in the glass and then he breathes it in deeply. He takes a sip and provides the waiter with a satisfied grin.
"You've pick another great wine, Enzo," Dominic compliments him. The waiter appears pleased by his praise.
"Thank you sir, I'll bring the bottle then." He replies and then he departs.
It doesn't take too long before Enzo is pouring some rosé into my wine glass. Copying Dominic, I sniff the fragrant liquid and I am mildly surprised by how nice it is. It smells slightly acidic but the sweet notes of strawberries and grapes overcomes my senses. Dominic is watching me with an amused smile playing on his lips.
"It tastes even better," he advises as he takes a dignified sip from his glass. I take a tentative sip and I then realize the wine I've been drinking before is nothing but grape juice in comparison.
"It's actually pretty amazing," I agree wholeheartedly, as I try my best not to gulp it all down in one shot.
The waiter returns with our appetizers, placing plates of deliciousness on our table. Everything is artfully ensembled on its plate and smells incredible. I pick up a piece of the crispy squid and pop it into my mouth. The batter is delightfully spicy and lemony but the texture of the squid is surprisingly soft.
"Oh my gosh. I'd come back for this squid alone," I gush as I pop another piece into my mouth.
"Here, why don't you try this?" Dominic suggested placing some of his arancini rice balls on my plate. Then he sneakily stabbed some of my crispy squid with his fork and brings it back to his own plate.
Using my fork, I cut a rice ball in half before bringing it to my mouth. The first bite is crisp and upon the second bite it's creamy and rich and full of flavor. No wonder Dominic is crazy about this dish.
"I think I want to marry the chef. Is he single?" I say as I pick up the other half of the rice ball with my fork. Dominic laughs.
"Well, there might be a problem or two there. First of all, the chef is a she. And furthermore, she has been happily married for the last 20 years," Dominic replies with a laugh.
"That's just my luck!" I joke as I turn my attention truffle tagilatelle. I'm determined to eat everything that I can at this place.
We spend the next couple hours talking, laughing and eating the most amazing food with our excellent wine. A part of me is amazed by how easy it is to talk to him, even though I barely know him. If a stranger walked past us, they would probably think we were old friends catching up.
Another part of me is also very scared by this and how attracted I am to him. How did I catch feelings so quickly? This wasn't like me at all. I'm usually very cautious when it comes to my heart and have built a formidable fortress around it. This was result from cleaning up Juliet's many messes which had usually had involved a boy. It had taught me to be careful always. Sometimes I wished it taught Juliet that too. But she always just followed her heart, come what may. Maybe there's something to be admired about Juliet's bravery in regards to following her heart.
The evening is drawing to an end and dessert is finally being served. They place a small plate in front of me holding lavender panna cotta with lemon infused whipped cream that is garnished with a sprig of mint and a candied lemon peel. For Dominic, they simply bring him a cup espresso and a biscotti. Again... I guess he really likes biscotti?
Taking the small dessert spoon, I dip it into the glassy surface of panna cotta and take my first bite. No surprises anymore, it's absolutely delicious. It's light, refreshing and sweet. There are subtle notes of lavender that work well with lemon flavored whipped cream.
"Have you tried the panna cotta here before? It's so yummy!" I rave as I take another bite. Dominic raises an eyebrow as he watches me eat.
"I have not. I don't like things that are overly sweet," He replies as he takes a quiet slurp of his expresso before I can hear an audible crunch of the biscotti.
"But this isn't overly sweet like your usual dessert. Here, try it! You are going to love it," I promise as I take a spoonful of panna cotta and some of the lemon cream and then direct it to his mouth. He tries to move away, so I accidentally smear some of the whipped cream along his jaw before the spoon makes it into his mouth.
"That isn't bad at all," He admits as he takes a linen napkin to wipe off the cream off his jawline.
"Don't you feel silly for not ordering one?" I tease as a spoon in another sweet morsel into my mouth. He inches closer to me with a determined look on his face.
"How about you share half of it with me?" He demands as he picks up the second dessert spoon that was set on the table.
"Just order another one!" I tell him, very unwillingly to give up my panna cotta so easily. A couple bites is fine, but half? He was asking for too much.
"But that takes time and your's is already here," He reasoned logically, as one of his arms circles around me to grab the dessert from the other side.
Realizing what he's up to, I start taking as many quick bites as I can barely leaving him any. It is a small panna cotta afterall, so it didn't take too many bites.
"Sorry, not sorry," I say triumphantly with a wide smile, to which he chuckles.
"You think you're so clever, do you?" He says, his voice suddenly gravelly.
With barely any warning he then grabs my chin and presses his mouth to mine in passionate kiss. His tongue strokes the bottom of my lip before it enters my mouth. I feel dizzy and heady all at once and cannot help myself by giving into his kiss. My tongue tangles with his as my arms travel up his well-built chest to finally join around his strong neck. As suddenly as the kiss started, it ends as he breaks away from my clasp with a devilish grin on his face.
"I think that the panna cotta is now my new favourite on the menu," He says with his own triumphant smile.