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The waiter’s face reddened, and Ezio’s countenance darkened. He took the menu from her hand and put it together with his to hand to the waiter. “
That will be all,” he barked, and the frightened man ran off.
Shakarri glared at her husband. “I don’t appreciate you taking my choice away from me. You don’t know what I want.”
“I’ve ordered for you before.”
“Yeah, when I was in the ladies room or when that one woman stopped me to talk at that one restaurant. I appreciated it because I was starving. That doesn’t mean I want you doing it every time! Call him back, or I can do it and decide for myself.”
He didn’t move or look away from her. “It’s more efficient if I order.”
“You’re not serious.” Her voice rose a little in her anger.
A nerve twitched in his jaw. “Lower your voice, Shakarri. I won’t have my wife yelling at me in a public place, anywhere for that matter. We can have a discussion as two adults.”
“A discussion? This isn’t a discussion.” She was tempted to huff like a child she was so pissed off. “What do you want me to do, sit here like a submissive little ornament and let you handle everything?”
His eyes narrowed. “Exactly.”
“Go to hell.”
This time he reddened, and he snapped his fingers in the air. The crackle of sound might as well be thunder it punctuated his mood so succinctly. Several heads turned their way, including the waiter’s. He rushed over, and Shakarri experienced a surge of triumph before Ezio spoke.
“We’ve changed our mind.” He stood and pulled money from his wallet. “This should cover the bill.”
Her mouth fell open. “We’re leaving?”
Ezio didn’t say a word. He grasped her arm and propelled her toward the door. Shakarri broke free and faced him. He gestured as if to say she’d better go or be left behind.
“You’re the one behaving like a child,” she snapped. He still didn’t respond, and she had no choice but to walk out the door with him or be left at the restaurant with no way to get home.
Furious, she rode alongside of him back to the mansion. As soon as they drew up the long drive, Shakarri spotted two vehicles that didn’t belong to the immediate family. The front door opened and a little girl who was the spitting image of her blonde-haired mom came bounding out of the house.
“Papà,” she shouted and threw herself into Ezio’s arms as soon as he climbed out of the car. Ezio hoisted his daughter into his arms and kissed her cheeks.
“You are very early,” he said.
Shakarri rolled her eyes. Even his daughter wasn’t allowed to mess up his order. A woman strode from the house, long and slender, moving with sensual grace. This wasn’t Catarina’s mother or nanny. That was for sure.
The woman, outfitted in a stark white dress that scarcely covered her junk, also threw herself at Ezio and said something in broken Italian. Shakarri didn’t know more than a handful of Italian words, but she had heard it enough over the last few weeks to know this woman’s vocabulary wasn’t as broad as the native speakers, and she butchered the pronunciation.
“Caro mio,” she simpered, clinging to Ezio’s arm. “I’m back at last. Did you miss me? I swear the Spaniards are just awful. I almost forgot how to speak Italian. We can practice together now that I’m back.”
Shakarri checked the time on her cell phone. Nearly nine o’clock was too late for this person to be showing up at the mansion for a visit. Besides that, a blind woman could see she had designs on Ezio. Shakarri felt jealousy rising up but attributed it to the fact that Ezio had laid down the law with her saying he’d rip a man to pieces who touched her. Didn’t the same go for him?
He greeted the woman as was common in his culture, kissing both her cheeks, but she lingered, tilting her head back as if she expected him to kiss her lips. Shakarri blinked in disbelief. Ezio drew away from the woman and shifted his daughter to the side where the woman clung, forcing her to release him.
Shakarri wasn’t impressed by the move. Her stomach growled, and she decided to forget them all. She’d go inside and get something to eat even if she had to cook it herself. Trying not to flounce or stomp because that would give him too much satisfaction, she entered the house and left the three of them on the doorstep.
Once she reached the kitchen, she found the light off and flicked it on. Ezio must have informed Clara earlier that they would be out to dinner. Everything was cleaned up and put away. The back of the house lay in silence, while Miss Thing giggled too loudly toward the front. Catarina’s high-pitched voice echoed off the walls. Shakarri grabbed a package of lunchmeat from the fridge and slammed it on the island counter.
“Ah, I see you’ve met Madison.”
She jumped at Cason’s voice and tried to school her features. The question slipped out before she could stop it. “Who is she?”
He moved up next to her and leaned an elbow on the counter while stealing a slice of salami. “His lover.”
Chapter 6
