Taste of Love (12 page)

"EXCUSE ME! TAAAAXI!" That, too, passed him by.

His hands flew to his hips. "Do I have fucking queen written on my forehead? Is that why you won't stop?"

Madison was still giggling, but she had had enough. She didn't want Chase riled any more than he already was, funny as it may be. "Hey Chase, it's alright. I got a ride."

Chase looked over to where Madison stood with a man he didn't know; a very fine specimen of a man he didn't know. He strolled over to the curb, wanting an introduction. "And who is this hunk of a man?"

Madison looked mortified. But before she could introduce them, Thomas held out his hand. "Thomas Winters. Pleased to meet you." He smiled and showed his perfectly straight, bright white teeth.

"Well hello Tommy Boy. I'm Chase, the man of your dreams." He shook his hand, holding on to it a little longer than necessary.

"Chase!" Madison scolded. She grabbed Chase by the ear and dragged him away from Thomas, then whisper-yelled, "I can't believe you are embarrassing me like that."

"Sweetie, he's a closet flamer. I hate to tell you," Chase told her, matter-of-factly.

"What? You're delusional!" She protested. She looked over at Thomas, who gave a little wave in their direction. "I've got to go, we can't be late."

"Okay, at least I know you're safe tonight with him as your date." He smirked and kissed her cheek before he turned and strutted away.

"Sorry about that," Madison said, rejoining Thomas. "I'm ready whenever you are."

The ride to the house had them comparing notes on recent pop culture. They seemed to enjoy the same music, books, movies, and shows on television. By the time they had arrived, Madison thought Chase was way out in left field, thinking that Thomas was gay.

Thomas got out of the car first, then turned to offer his hand to Madison. "Here we go."

"Thank you, Thomas." She held tightly to his arm as he led her through the front doors and into the foyer, where Sasha was greeting her guests.

"Ah, Madison. I see that Thomas got you here safely." Sasha was obviously quite pleased to see Madison with her son.

"Yes, he was the perfect gentleman. And thank you for sending him, though it was completely unnecessary," Madison told her. "Did the appetizers arrive?"

"They did. They were delivered about half an hour ago. Right on time. So now you can relax and enjoy yourself," Sasha winked. "Thomas will be your personal escort this evening, so if you need anything, you just let him know."

Madison thanked her, then moved off with Thomas to get a drink from the bar. As they were waiting, Madison heard a woman behind her raving about the Lobster Dainties. It sent a warm tingle to her ego and made her smile. Thomas handed her a glass of champagne, and led her through the room to mingle with the guests.

About an hour into the party, Madison and Thomas were leaving the dance floor when she looked up and locked eyes with the last person she would have expected to see there. "Excuse me for a minute," she said to Thomas, and walked in the direction she had just seen him.

Seeing her coming towards him, he met her half way, then leaned down and kissed her cheek. "How're you feeling?" Cameron asked.

"Much better, thanks. How've you been?" she asked him, feeling like it had been weeks since they last saw each other, rather than just a few days.

"I'm good." He lifted her hand over her head and twirled her around. "You look phenomenal."

The look he was giving her added to her dizziness. "Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself."

"You can thank Mother for that. As if I was still five, she picked this out for me," he told her with a shake of his head.

"Well, she did great." Madison told him, just happy to be in his presence.

"Darling, I turned to speak with someone, and you left me," a blonde woman pouted as she came up to Cameron.

Cameron jumped and turned around to see his date. His eyes darted back and forth between Madison and Lynda. "Uh, Madison, this is my date, Lynda. Lynda, Madison."

"Nice to meet you," Lynda told Madison without emotion, letting her know that it wasn't quite as nice to meet her as she said.

"I'm sure," Madison quipped back. "Well, I have to run, I'm sure Thomas is looking for me. Nice seeing you."

She turned to leave, but was stopped by a hand on her arm.

"Thomas?" Cameron questioned.

"Yes, Thomas Winters. My date for the night." She gave him a winning smile, then shrugged out of his grip and walked away.

Cameron stood there and watched Madison disappear into the crowd, only to appear a few minutes later with Thomas on the dance floor. He shook his head, and realized there was nothing he could do about it as he returned to his own date. They were friends, and he had no claim on her, just as she had no claim on him. That was how it needed to remain.

M
adison excused herself from Thomas after getting directions to the powder room. With the door in sight, she thought she heard her name and turned to see who called her. A genuine smile graced her face. "Well hello, Bunny. I haven't seen you all night."

"Hello dear. You look absolutely gorgeous! I bet you've been beating the suitors off with a stick all night," Bunny teased.

"Not quite," Madison laughed. "But I've had a lot of fun."

"Just wait until next week. Nothing compares to a Bunny Rome party," she announced.

"I'm really looking forward to it," she told her. "But if you'll excuse me?" She motioned to the bathroom that was just ahead of her.

"Of course, darling," Bunny told her, and patted her arm as she took her leave.

As she was returning, Madison took a right when she should have taken a left, but luckily found an empty balcony. The view was amazing; it overlooked an impressive garden that was well-lit in all the right places, drawing focus to some amazing rose bushes. There was also a pretty little gazebo with flowered vines growing up the sides. A little further down a path bordered by flowers sat an intricately carved bench with an arched trellis over it. Even though it was dark, she could appreciate the beauty of what was in front of her. Some peace and quiet was exactly what she needed, because the champagne and dancing were really starting to get to her.

"I thought I'd find you out here." Madison turned with a smile at the sound of his voice.

"Hi, Cameron. Having fun?" she asked. "I'm surprised Lynda isn't chasing after you."

"You're not the only one." He rolled his eyes. "If I'd known that you were going to attend, I'd have asked you come with me. I'm sure we'd both be having a lot more fun."

"So I take it that you didn't tell your mom anything about us."

Cameron was quiet. "Remember what I told you the other night? Getting a girl pregnant after a one night stand isn't exactly my mother's idea of proper, especially a girl she holds in such high esteem. I don't know. I've just disappointed her so much, I felt this one would've put her over the edge."

Madison empathized with him. "But what would you have done had I not lost the baby?"

"I'd have told her, but I think that maybe we could have dated for a while first. That's what she really wants, you know," he told her, bumping into her with a flirty wiggle.

She smiled. "I'm aware of that. I think she and Sasha have a bet going."

"I wouldn't put it past her." He looked over at her. "Are you sure you're doing alright?"

"The wound's still fresh, but day by day I'm getting better. Everything happens for a reason, right?"

"So they say." Cameron put his arm around her, and together they stood in silence, each with their own thoughts, looking out into the night.

"There you are!" A masculine voice invaded their solace. "I was wondering where you went to."

Madison and Cameron both jumped and turned towards the intruder. "Thomas! We were just catching up. I needed a breather, so I came out here."

"Mother was looking for you. She and Bunny wanted to introduce you to some of their friends," he said, casting a questioning glare at Cameron as he spoke to Madison.

"I'll be right in," she told him, and after hesitating for a moment, he turned and went back in the house.

"Why do I feel like I'm in high school and we just got caught making out by my dad?" Madison asked Cameron.

"Thomas can be pretty condescending sometimes, especially when it comes to me. Let's just say that thanks to our mothers, we've often competed for the proverbial prize. But I've always been the 'wild one', and he was always the 'straight arrow'," Cameron explained without a small bit of irritation.

"I can see that." Madison smiled at Cameron. "Well, I better get in there," she told him, feeling strangely disappointed. She had enjoyed their moment of solace before the interruption.

Cameron nodded and turned back to the garden as she left, leaning on the balcony railing. He inhaled deeply, then sighed, wishing things could be different for once. It was the first time he wasn't excited about getting out on the road and touring, but it was his job, and it's what had made him so successful.

Madison located Sasha and Bunny when she went back inside, and true to Thomas's word, she was introduced to many friends that had enjoyed her appetizers immensely.

By the end of the night, Madison was tired and tipsy. All she could think about was getting home and crawling between the covers. When Thomas suggested they go somewhere for coffee, she regretfully declined.

"I'm sorry, I'm wiped out. But I do appreciate the offer," she told him, feeling bad, since he had been nice to her all night.

"I understand." He gave her a half smile. "But we're still on for Bunny's party next week, right?"

"You bet." She smiled as he let her off at the door to her apartment. "I had a great time tonight. Thanks for everything." She fished through her evening bag, trying to find her keys. Once she had them in hand, she looked up triumphantly, only to have her lips taken in a soft, chaste kiss.

"Good night sweet Madison," Thomas whispered, then left before she could even respond.

The next day the restaurant was busier than ever and Madison was glad, for it kept her mind off Thomas and Cameron. It was clear that some of the people Sasha and Bunny had introduced the night before had come to the restaurant to try it out. The dining room was at capacity, and had been for hours. People were milling about in the lobby, hoping to get a table before the restaurant closed. It was fabulous for Madison, though she disliked seeing people waiting for so long. She sent a few rounds of appetizers out to the lobby so that people wouldn't get too upset about the wait.

She barely had time to make her hourly rounds of the restaurant before she had to run back in the kitchen and help out. But she felt it was important to get out, and let her customers know she appreciated them.

The kitchen stayed open an hour later than normal, to accommodate all those who were waiting to get a table. Madison hated turning people away, even if it was late. Her staff all understood and agreed.

By the time they finally left the restaurant, they were all exhausted. Madison checked the reservations and saw that the restaurant was fully booked for the next three weeks. Booked absolutely solid. Proud of everything she had accomplished, and thankful for Sasha and Bunny's introductions, she shut off all the lights and locked the doors.

Over the next few days, Madison and Austin realized a few changes were needed. They decided to open up the banquet room to the nightly diners, and not host any large parties there, unless the price was right. That would free up another twenty tables, something they sorely needed.

They also decided to hire five more people to help out in the kitchen, and three more servers. It was a big step for Madison to take, but she realized that if she didn't do it, the staff would start to complain. Another idea in the works was a separate location, just for catering, but that would come sometime down the road. For now, the catering requests that had increased since Sasha's party would be handled through the restaurant.