Chapter 37 - The Dinner of Contention (1/2)
Claire had intended to be at the restaurant at least 10 minutes before the agreed time, yet Jake's already there, sitting patiently like a tame puppy, waiting for her.
The restaurant is called Fastidio's, and of course, Claire had never heard of it before—how would she? She's never eaten at any of these expensive steakhouses in the city. Yet, she's ready, too—if the dinner turns sour, she could pay her share and leave, so Jake Magno wouldn't have any reason to bad mouth her at the office about being such a bitch. Paying for her share of the dinner, as the Dutch do, would take a bit out of Jake's sense of machismo and might somehow put him in his place.
”You're ravishing,” Jake says as he stands up and pulls out a seat for her, like a true gentleman.
Claire smiles at the compliment. She knows the like of Jake too well. Somehow, the phrase ”Jake the Snake” keepings flashing in her mind, not only because it rhymes, but also because it's uncannily appropriate.
”Have you dined at this place before?” Jake says, looking dapper in his black suite. To be fair, the guy looks good.
”Not really,” she says. ”I've never gravitated towards anything swanky such as this. I'd usually stuff my face with cheap unhealthy food.”
Jake laughs. ”I like your sense of humor. Which means you don't take yourself too seriously. I like that in a woman.”
”Why's that?”
”Well, I've dated a few girls and it's mostly a huge turn-off for me when the girl is only too aware of how gorgeous she is, so she acts all fake and pretentious. So unlike you. You're pretty, but you talk and act like you don't know you're pretty.”
Oh, my God, he has started to turn on the legendary Jake Magno charm, Claire thinks.
”So what would you like, for starters?” Jake asks as the waiter appears.
”Just the salad.”
”Really?”
”Yeah,” Claire says, looking around. The restaurant is just right—not too many people, but enough to create a lively ambiance. If she were honest, she'd like a slab of that meat, though. But she's wary about what Jake might think—after all, she's here on a mission.
”You should really try the New York Strip,” Jake says. ”It's heaven on the tongue.”
”I'm sure it's heavenly, but I'm not really too keen on having some heavy dinner tonight, Jake,” she says. ”I have an early meeting tomorrow.”
”Okay,” Jake mutters, then to the waiter. ”A New York Strip for me and a glass of your house red. And a salad for the lady. Maybe pair it with a glass of Riesling, please.”
Suave, Claire thinks. She doesn't even know what a Riesling is, but it sounds just right for the salad.
”So,” Jake says. ”What's a beautiful blonde bombshell doing in the office of TXCI Industries, working for the most evil boss in the world?”
”For money, like everyone else,” Claire says without batting an eye. ”And he's not totally evil, you know.”
Jake's eyes go round. ”Really? You'd say that about him despite the little tantrum he threw this afternoon?”
She shrugs. ”Was having a bad day, and I guess it's a secretary's lot to at least bear the brunt of it.”
”That's not fair, if you'd ask me.”
No one's asking you, she thinks. ”To be fair, I think sometimes Gabriel only needs to diffuse his anger. He has too much on his head.”
”Yeah,” Jake agrees. ”And on his heart, too. I'm sure you already know about the fiancée who cheated on him.”
Claire feigns ignorance. ”What do you mean?”
Jake makes a face. ”I'm surprised you don't know. Does the name Michelle Alcantara ring a bell?”
Claire's brow knits in confusion. Or so what she hopes he'd think. ”I'm not really into reading the society pages on the newspaper.”
Jake makes a big production of showing his frustration. ”Michelle is, for want of a better word, an idiot. Imagine doing something like that to someone like Gabriel? You've gotta be totally demented to sleep around when you're supposed to marry one of the world's most eligible bachelors.”
”Oh.”
”But on the bright side,” Jake says, ”Gabriel has a new fiancée.”