As soon as they walked in, the smell of Italian food hit Remi’s nose and he inhaled deeply. The scent alone was amazing, and even though it was a higher end restaurant, it still had the homey, old-world vibe. The atmosphere felt much more welcoming than the modern and austere decor favored in newer restaurants.
Dimitrios led the way to the podium that was manned by the maître d’.
“How may I help you, sirs?” The man said, inclining his head respectfully.
“There should be a reservation under the name Simon Westin.”
He checked his list and nodded.
“Yes sir, the rest of your party has already arrived. Please, let me take your coats and I’ll show you to the parlor.”
Dimitrios unbuttoned his coat and allowed the maître d’ to take it from his shoulders, but when he turned to assist Remi, Dimitrios cut him off, removing Remi’s layers himself and handing them to the employee, who had stepped back and waited respectfully. The coats were handed off to another employee and the couple were led through the restaurant and into one of the private parlors in the back.
Inside was a male alpha and a female omega. The alpha stood instantly as they walked through the door and offered his hand to Dimitrios with a huge smile.
“Dimitrios! Good to see you! You remember my mate, Amirah.” He indicated to the omega next to him.
“Of course. This is my boyfriend, Remi Laroche.” Dimitrios said, releasing his handshake and using that arm to wrap around Remi’s shoulders and bring him to his side. “Remi, this is Simon Westin. He’s one of Scepter Tech’s vendors.”
Remi shook hands with the alpha, then his mate, who seemed eager to meet him.
“Dimitrios has done very well for himself. It’s nice to meet you. I hope we can be friends. It will be nice to have someone new to talk to at events.” Amirah said.
“Thank you. It will be nice for me to even know one person.” Remi said with a small chuckle.
It didn’t take long for Remi to discover that Dimitrios’ description of the alpha they were meeting was accurate. Simon Westin was a chatterbox. He showered questions on them and listened to their answers before going off on his own tangents before coming back around again.
Remi felt like he knew more about the alpha than one should be able to learn before the appetizers were even gone, but Remi sipped at his excellent wine and smiled, answering questions and occasionally responding with a short anecdote of his own.
Simon was very interested in Remi’s training to become a chef, and he insisted that the omega order for the group, a suggestion that Amirah immediately agreed with. Remi was pleased and ordered their food and wine. He’d chosen a few of the restaurant’s most well-known items for their dinners, and a sweet red wine that would accompany them all very well.
Dimitrios had been right. Remi was fabulous. He was charming, smart, and beautiful, and the alpha could tell that Simon and Amirah were both already wowed by him. Remi was just that kind of omega. No one could help but to be pulled in by his charisma. More than once Remi’s words had everyone laughing.
Dimitrios had been doing these business dinners for years, and had it down to an art, but Remi made him look like a complete amateur as he slowly wove a little nest of mutual comfort and interest. As much as he liked watching the omega work, Dimitrios wished that the dinner would end, because he was desperate to get the omega back to his place, but Simon insisted on dessert and coffee before they parted.
Simon somehow dragged out another fifteen minutes of conversation outside the restaurant, and it was only as they were about to part that the issue Dimitrios had been dealing with throughout the day came up. Dimitrios wondered if Simon had planned it that way, or if he simply hadn’t thought about it until that very moment, but Dimitrios knew that their ability to provide products to sell would inevitably affect their vendors.
“So, I meant to ask about OTR Manufacturing. Isn’t that your manufacturer?” Simon asked.
“Yes, they were. We were already in the process of switching to another manufacturer before the news broke. Scepter has enough stock to continue to provide all our current forecasts for the upcoming months until the other plant is online. Don’t worry, as far as your side is concerned, there will be no interruption in the flow of products. We’re working hard to ensure that all our vendors and customers get what they were promised.” Dimitrios reassured.
There was no mistaking the relief on Simon’s face as he smiled and reached to shake Dimitrios' hand one last time.
“That’s great to hear. Well, if any issues come up, please give me a call.”
“Absolutely. I will. You two have a good evening.”
Next Simon turned to Remi and shook his hand in both of his larger ones as he smiled at the omega and gave his farewell.
“It was wonderful to meet you Remi. I can’t wait until you open your restaurant. We’ll be your first patrons! The meals you picked were exquisite. You’ve got excellent taste. I look forward to meeting you again, hopefully we can all get together for another dinner before long.”
“It was wonderful meeting you both. I’m so touched that you’ll want to come to my restaurant. I’ll be sure to invite you, though I think we are still a few years away from that!” Remi said with a laugh that was echoed by the other two.
Dimitrios wrapped an arm around Remi and they finally turned away and headed toward the alpha’s car. Dimitrios opened the omega’s door for him like a gentleman before walking around to the driver’s side and getting in. He looked over at Remi, and it was like watching him deflate as he relaxed against the seat, letting out a long breath before looking over at Dimitrios with a small smile.
“How did I do?”
Dimitrios reached across the console to cup Remi’s soft cheek in his hand, and the omega instantly pushed against his palm, purring and nuzzling him softly as his eyes slid closed again.