Chapter 5 - Fire and Silk
Julian Vance spun around, his arrogant composure instantly cracking as Dominic walked slowly into the room.
"Dominic," Vance stammered, adjusting his tie. "I was just informing your... new manager about the lease transition."
Dominic didn't look at Vance. He walked straight up to Penelope, his eyes scanning her navy pantsuit, resting on the fierce, intelligent sparkle in her hazel eyes.
"Did he disrespect you?" Dominic asked Penelope softly, his tone laced with a dark threat.
"He tried," Penelope said calmly, handing the legal envelope to Dominic. "He bought the land rights through a shell corporation to bypass the Historic Preservation Act. But he forgot that the original deed was co-signed by the Italian-American Cultural League in 1992."
Dominic glanced at the paper, a slow, dark smile spreading across his face. He looked at Vance with icy contempt.
"You heard the lady, Vance," Dominic said smoothly. "You bought a worthless piece of paper. Now get out of my restaurant before I have my security escort you out by your expensive lapels."
Vance glared at Penelope with pure venom, then turned and hurried out the door, his two bodyguards following close behind.
When the doors swung shut, the dining room fell silent. Chloe and the other staff members stared at Penelope in absolute awe.
Dominic turned back to Penelope, stepping closer until she could smell his cedarwood cologne. "Where did a waitress learn Manhattan municipal zoning law?"
"I took night classes at CUNY for four years while working double shifts," Penelope said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I have a bachelor’s degree in Urban Hospitality Management. But Martin Galloway thought my resume was too 'heavy' for the front desk."
Dominic’s dark eyes burned with an intense, electric admiration. He reached out, his long fingers gently brushing a stray lock of dark hair away from her cheek. The light touch sent a shiver straight down Penelope’s spine.
"Martin Galloway was an idiot," Dominic whispered, his voice low and intimate. "And I am the luckiest man in New York."
Penelope felt her breath catch in her throat. She looked into his dark, dangerous eyes, feeling a powerful, terrifying attraction surging between them.
"Mr. Moretti—"
"Dominic," he corrected softly. "When you're off the clock, it's Dominic."
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"Dominic," she murmured, her heart hammering against her ribs. "I took this job to run a restaurant, not to get involved in a corporate war."
"The war was already here, Penelope," Dominic said gently. "But with you standing beside me... I think we're going to win it."
