Page 44 of Delicious Surrender

Bill was right. Ivanov was enjoying her discomfort.

Garrick arrived and asked her how it was going.

“He’s trying to get under my skin, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“All eyes are on him, so you have nothing to worry about.”

How could she explain it wasn’t a physical threat that worried her? It was his Hannibal Lecter-style questioning. Noone could protect her from that.

Garrick glanced over her shoulder in their direction. “They are ready to order. You just let Bill know if he gets out of line.”

“Sure. Thanks, Garrick.” She headed back to the table.

“Have you decided what you want for the main course?”

Dimitri stopped studying the menu and looked up at her. “I’m looking for a new submissive. Are you available, kitten?”

She choked back a laugh. “No. I am spoken for.”

His eyes narrowed. “Really?” His lips compressed into a hard line. “Has he collared you yet?”

The game is on. “No,shehasn’t yet. Our relationship is quite new.”

“She? You are with a woman?” he said, skepticism blazing from his eyes.

“Yes. Not that it’s any of your business.”

Dimitri scoffed, and his friend cleared his throat loudly.

“What would you like to order?”

He continued to watch her, his hand rubbing the stubble on his square chin. “I’ll have the escargot, and my comrade will have the French onion soup.”

“Certainly.”

“I will choose the wine when you come back.” The other man spoke, and Dimitri turned away, effectively dismissing her. She wished she could understand Russian.

Gage was nowhere to be seen, and she was a little disappointed. After her cheeky text messages, he was probably ignoring her. Which was what she wanted, right? He couldn’t be the one to show her the ropes. Hell, neither could Dimitri. That dude wanted ownership. So where did that leave her? All revved up with no place to go.

When Brynne got to the table with their appetizers, Dimitri rose with the wine list and edged close to her. His big body dwarfed hers and she fought to hold her ground as he invaded her personal space.

He pointed to a line on the menu. “I want a bottle of this.” She saw the price and her eyes almost popped out of her head. He continued, unfazed. “We will both have the sixteen-ounce ribeye, medium rare. You can choose the sides.”

Nervous to tell him no, Brynne cleared her throat. “Uh, I must confirm I can serve those items. They are on the dining room menu. I’ll check on that right away.”

“Da.” His blue eyes glittered. “I expect you can make that happen.”

Brynne hurried over to Bill. “He wants the ’88 Richebourg Grand Cru and steaks off the main dining room menu. Can we do that?”

He shook his head, his mouth a hard line. “That bastard always likes to push the envelope. Punch it in and then go find Gage or Garrick to approve it. I’ll hunt down that bottle.”

“Okay, got it.” Off she went.

Garrick wasn’t in his office, so she reluctantly knocked on Gage’s door.

“Yes?”

“It’s Brynne, I mean Tink. May I come in?”