Mi Carino by Sienna Mynx Read Free Book Online Page B

smirk. Once more, his intense stare reflected an uncanny awareness of her. Her cheeks warmed. There remained an air of mischief in his smile. It sparked her perilous urge to play with fire, to get burned by whatever fate had in store for her now.  
     
    “ Um…your name?” she said with a soft chuckle.
     
    “ Forgive me.” He pressed his hand to his chest. The platinum watch on his wrist peeked out through his sleeve, diamonds glistening around the bezel.
     
    What is that watch worth, ten, twenty thousand? It’s far too extravagant for everyday wear, and kind of gaudy—a major turnoff.
     
    Marcella secretly deducted cool points from Mr. Casanova. She remembered the men back home with fancy suits and sexy smiles who had tried to court her mother. Most of them were criminally inclined. It would be such a disappointment if he turned out to be a man of flash and no substance.
     
    “ They call me Diego.”
     
    “ Call you Diego? Is it your name or a nickname?”
     
    He chuckled. “It’s my name.”
     
    “ Do you have a last name?”
     
    He nodded. “Andes.”
     
    “ Nice to meet you, Diego Andes.”
     
    “ It is my pleasure. You tempt me, e res muy atractiva. It’s my pleasure to meet you Marcella, ” He spoke words slightly foreign to her with quiet emphasis.
     
    Uh-oh, Marcella thought. This flirtation would be far from harmless. Marcella hadn’t anticipated such familiarity with him, but it felt natural. Even though he didn’t strike her as a man who casually approached women in a restaurant, he was smooth, a bit too smooth. Diego said he found her attractive, and the way the words rolled off his tongue in that deep timbered voice of his, she had been convinced. Unsure of the intent of the compliment, she held to her poise, and gave him a soft smile. The air of superiority about him made her a bit uncomfortable. She looked away from his intense stare hoping the waiter would return. It had been quite a while since she’d been physically aware of a man, and not since Richard had she even considered dating.
     
    “ Señor Andes!” The manager gasped from across the room. He hurried over. A short man with an evaporating hairline, his eyes bulged out of their sockets and his hands waved around him nervously as he bumped customer chairs and tables trying to quicken his greeting. Marcella frowned at the near panicked state of the man. Even the patrons in the quaint little eatery turned their heads in curiosity.
     
    The man bowed his head in respect. “We didn’t know… I didn’t know. We were told to expect you tomorrow. Lo siento .” The man said it all without taking a breath. Marcella looked over at Diego. He just stared at the man, expressionless. “Oh, yes, of course you are here for lunch? Excúseme , I will make sure the chef knows. Carlotta! Carlotta! ”
     
    Marcella followed the animated man as he ran off a list of instructions to his staff in Spanish. Everyone moved with urgency, giving nods of respect to Diego. It made her feel a little sad for the worried actions of the workers, and a little uncomfortable.
     
    “ What was that about? Those people, they act like you’re royalty or the devil.” She chuckled.
     
    “ Let’s just say I’m close with the owner.” He gave her a clipped response, another hint of a smile to his lips.
     
    “ Mr. Juarez? Yes I met him.”
     
    Diego’s stare hardened. Again she felt the tense vibe from uttering the man’s name. Why was the man viewed as a pariah to people in his own business?
     
    “ I have a question, Marcella.”
     
    “ Okay?”
     
    “ Have you decided on the menu?”
     
    It wasn’t the question she anticipated. Something in his tone and manner said he knew she hadn’t. But she shrugged it off. “Actually I’ve never eaten here. I work close to here, so I’ve eaten at a couple of places along the boardwalk.” She swallowed her voice, she barely knew him, she certainly shouldn’t reveal more than what was cursory.