“Michael, who is my boyfriend, will be your server tonight,” she said as a college-aged man came forward. Lydia then returned to the hostess station.
“Good evening. May I offer you the wine list? I would recommend our house red. It goes nicely with almost everything on the menu,” Michael offered.
“That sounds good,” Melinda said.
“I’ll have iced tea.”
After Michael left, Melinda leaned in so only I could hear her.
“What the heck is this all about? I’ve never gotten this kind of service. Do they owe you money or something?” she asked.
“I’ve met the hostess before and did her a favor, but nothing that would merit this type of treatment.”
I noticed a young man get up from where he was seated with two women. As he came over to our table, I observed that he was thin, with piercing blue eyes. He had style and exhibited a quiet confidence you’d associate with someone who was used to being in charge. He leaned over slightly to talk to me.
“Mr. Dawson, my sincere apologies for interrupting your dinner with this lovely young lady. I’m good friends with a girl who happens to have gone to Harvard and had an encounter with someone who hurt her badly, whom you know. I would appreciate it so very much if I could take a few moments now to talk with you about it privately. And I’d like to express our most sincere appreciation and gratitude for what you’ve done.”
The two girls who had been Brandon’s last victims at Harvard had been well connected, according to Fritz’s friends. One was the daughter of a powerful judge, and the other was the fiancée of someone ‘connected.’ Evidently, that meant connected to the Mafia.
I looked questioningly to Melinda, and she silently nodded, so I turned back to him.
“I’d like that very much.”
He smiled in relief and held out his hand.
“Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Anthony Giovanni, and my friends call me Tony or ‘LT’ for Little Tony. My grandfather is also named Tony, so my family calls me Little Tony.”
I just smiled as I thought of Little David. For some reason, the name Tony Giovanni sounded familiar.
“If I may,” he continued, “I would like to introduce my wife and my business partner. They are both big fans of yours. I personally am a fan of yours, Miss Kesh. You’re my favorite Victoria’s Secret model.”
He motioned, and the two women came over. The first was a classic Italian beauty with dark brown hair and eyes and the kind of curves I thought all young women should have. I felt an attraction right away. The other had red hair and confident green eyes; she was just my type. Her expression almost dared me. I purposely let my eyes drop and take in her body when I noticed the wedding ring. She wore an amused expression.
“May I introduce my business partner, Kendra Bianco,” he said as I got up, took her hand in mine and kissed it.
Melinda gave me a wink when the Italian beauty blushed.
“I would also like to introduce my wife Nancy,” LT said.
“You’re Senator Wilson’s daughter,” Melinda surmised.
“Yes, I am. We just wanted to say hello,” Nancy said gracefully.
“And get your autographs,” Kendra added with a big smile.
Nancy giggled at her friend’s brazen behavior. They had autograph books. I signed, and while Melinda did hers, LT took me aside. He led me into the kitchen like he owned the place. I was shocked when everyone seemed to disappear.
“I wanted a moment alone. Do you know who I am?” he asked.
“Not exactly,” I admitted.
“My father is Alphonso ‘The Bull’ Giovanni, and Kendra’s father is Nicholas ‘Nicky’ Bianco. They are the heads of our respective families,” he said.
I was out of my depth, so I did the Dawson thing and just nodded. I guess I looked worried.
“Relax. I just wanted to introduce myself and give you a number in case you ever need anything. I’m afraid I don’t carry a cell phone, so don’t be surprised if someone else answers. Just tell them what you need, and I will make it happen.”
“What am I supposed to say to that?” I asked.
“Just say ‘Thank you,’” Tony said with a big smile.
“Thanks.”
“Come on. Let’s let them get back to work.”
We returned to the table to find the women chatting like old friends. I guess I wasn’t surprised when they brought out another table and Tony and the women joined us. Tony suggested I would like the wine and ordered food for the table.
I found I liked Tony. He was smart as a whip and entirely charming. I caught a glimpse of his other side when Michael spilled wine, but it was gone in an instant when Kendra touched his hand. If I hadn’t seen the ring on Nancy, I would have assumed that he was married to Kendra.
After dinner, Tony leaned over so we could talk and not disturb the women.
“I have to apologize. I didn’t realize this was your first date with Melinda.”
One of his women must have told him.
“I did a photo shoot with her in New York. We had a lot of chemistry on camera, so they wanted to do an additional shoot. We ended up stealing my Valentine’s plans and using them,” I said.
“What do you mean?”
