Gabriel shook his head. “He is not the only one having difficulty adapting. There are others. And heiscoming around. I will not do anything drastic. I believe he will make the season wonderful if he lets himself go a little.” He grinned. “We all have egos we must deal with, no?”
Emily placed the dinner plates in front of the four men at her table, giving a warm smile to the man named Gabriel, who was the only one who made eye contact with her. The others stared at her breasts. His Mexican accent was too close to the Argentinian one that haunted her memories. He reminded her of Rafael, but his eyes were kinder and pale blue instead of angry brown.
“Can I bring you gentlemen anything else?” She looked around at the table, making sure she hadn’t forgotten anything.
“Not right now,” one of the men said, looking her up and down.
She smiled and gave a small nod of her head before walking away.
Geoffrey stood near the bar, watching over the restaurant with a critical eye. He’d already scolded a few girls tonight for tiny mistakes.
“How are things going over there?” He nodded toward the table she’d just left.
“They seem happy.”
Geoffrey nodded. “And your other table?”
Emily glanced over at the couple holding hands. “They’re perfectly content to stare at each other.”
Geoffrey scoffed. “Love,” he muttered. “Make sure they’re happy. I don’t want her father coming in and yelling.”
The young woman’s father was a lobbyist for the pharmaceutical industry. “I’ve been keeping a close eye on them.”
“Good.” He nodded toward the table with the four men again. “The man in the black shirt is the new maestro of the DC Symphony Orchestra. He’s who you’ll be entertaining after work.”
Emily’s mouth opened. “What?”
Geoffrey raised his brows. “Is there a problem? I thought he would enjoy you. He’s new in town and hasn’t had much time to meet women.” He gave a wicked smile. “He might enjoy your knowledge of music.”
“Yes, Geoffrey.” Oh, she didn’t want to go there. It was terrifying enough thinking about her lunch with Mark tomorrow. Why had she agreed to it in the first place? How could she face him after sleeping with someone he hated so much?
She bit her pen and Geoffrey slapped it out of her mouth. “Don’t.”
She slid the pen back into the pocket of her apron and swallowed. “I need to check on them.” She glanced at Geoffrey, and he nodded. She returned to the table, a smile on her face. “How is everything?”
The men nodded. Gabriel smiled. “It is wonderful. This steak melts in my mouth. My compliments to the chef!”
Emily smiled. “I’ll let him know. Henry loves to hear when our guests enjoy his food.”
She glanced around the rest of the table before leaving them to enjoy their meal. She refilled the other table’s water glasses and offered dessert, which they accepted, and headed to the kitchen to pass on the compliment to the head chef.
A few hours later, she unlocked the door to her condo, knowing Maestro Gabriel Novak waited inside for her. Geoffrey had sent him ahead so she could clean up her section before going home.
The condo was silent when she opened the door and she walked into the living room, her stomach turning over. “Hello.”
Gabriel put his phone down and stood, a grin on his face. “Hello, Emily. You have a very nice place.”
“Thank you.” She glanced around and forced a smile. “Do you mind if I take a quick shower to rinse the restaurant off?”
He laughed. “I do not mind at all.” His eyes glinted with amusement. “May I join you?”
Her eyes widened for a moment and she scolded herself. “Of course, if you’d like.”
He grinned. “There is nothing like a woman, slick with water, pressed against the wall of a shower.”
Emily led the way to her bathroom and undressed as Gabriel watched with an appreciative smile on his face. She reminded herself she was here for him. This was her purpose in life, to please the men Geoffrey sent to her. It didn’t matter what she wanted; only what Geoffrey and the other men wanted.
She had a warm place to sleep and food to eat. She shouldn’t complain.