NO SAINT (SAMPLE- Available in paperback & eBook)

Chapter 6

Thank you all for your support. I appreciate you. :)

(Eden)

It was shortly after six-thirty when the doorbell rang. Leaving the kitchen, I hurried through the house to the front door. Unlocking the door, I opened it and found a man standing there. A quick once-over had me coming to the conclusion that he was Mr. Saint's brother. There were similarities between the two men.

"You must be Eden," he said, smiling. "Gran has told me about you."

"And you must be Anthony." I moved aside so he could cross the threshold. "May I call you Anthony?"

"Of course," he said. "What's that amazing smell?"

"Eggplant Parmesan," I said, closing the door. "Your grandmother asked me to make it for you."

"Thank God Gloria didn't make it," he said, shuddering.

I laughed softly. "She's not allowed to cook, Mr. Saint's orders."

At that moment, Meredith entered the foyer. Her face lit up when she saw her grandson.

"Hello, Gran," Anthony said.

Meredith embraced him, kissing his cheek. The way she treated him was a far cry from how she treated Mr. Saint. It made me wonder, what happened between her and my boss?

"I'm so glad you're here, dear," Meredith said.

Before Anthony could respond the front door opened and Mr. Saint and Jackson stepped inside.

"Hey, Dom," Anthony said.

"Tony." Mr. Saint gave his brother a quick hug. "Good to see you, bro. Are you staying with us?"

"If that's all right," Anthony said.

"Of course it's all right," Meredith said. "You belong here with family, not in some hotel."

Mr. Saint nodded. "What she said."

Anthony shook Jackson's hand and they made small talk.

"How was your day, Eden?" Mr. Saint inquired, turning his beautiful blue eyes on me.

"It was busy," I replied. "And how was your day?"

"A nightmare," he sighed. "I had to fire one of my bartenders. She was showing up late to work."

"If you need help until you find a replacement, I have some experience in bartending," I told him.

"Jackson told me that you did." He stepped closer and said in a low voice, "Thank you for the offer, Eden, but I would like for you to stay out of my nightclubs."

I frowned at him. "May I ask why?"

"I don't want men coming on to you," he answered. "I don't want them treating you like an object. You deserve better than that."

"Thank you, sir," I said softly, "but I can take care of myself."

"Eden, I want you to call me by my first name," he said. "When you call me sir it makes me feel old."

"Mr Saint then," I said.

"No," he breathed, gazing into my eyes. "It's Dominic, Eden." He crossed his arms in front of him and smirked at me. "Now say my name."

I swallowed hard. Calling him by his first name took us beyond the role of employee and employer. It felt intimate to me.

"Come on, Eden," he said. "You can do it."

"Dear, you should check on dinner," Meredith said to me.

Mr. Saint lowered his head and said near my ear, "Before this night is over you will say my name." He straightened up and turned to Anthony.

My heart racing, I made my way to the kitchen.

"That was the best Eggplant Parmesan I've ever had," Anthony said, pushing his plate away. "Forget about my brother and come be my chef, Eden."

"I think not," Mr. Saint uttered dryly. "I know a good thing when I see it. Sorry, bro, but I'm going to be holding on to her."

I smiled and said, "I'm glad you enjoyed dinner. I hope you have room for dessert. I made chocolate chip biscotti."

"I think I can find the room," Anthony said.

Jackson helped with clearing the table since Gloria wasn't here to help me. In the kitchen I poured coffee into cups while he transferred the biscotti on to plates.

"Biscotti is Boss's favorite cookie," Jackson told me.

"I didn't know that," I said.

"It doesn't matter to him what flavor they are." He bit into a cookie, chewed, and then swallowed. "These are good, little cousin."

"They're better dipped in coffee," I said.

Once we had everything prepared, we headed back to the dining room. I served Mr. Saint first and then Anthony, Jackson took care of Meredith.

"I understand you and Jackson are cousins," Anthony said, dunking his biscotti into his coffee. "Anymore family around here that Dom can hire?"

"Jackson's parents and brother live about an hour away." Picking up my coffee cup, I took a drink. I set the cup down and smile. "They're not looking for work."

"Do you have any siblings?" Mr. Saint inquired.

"No, although Jackson has been like a brother to me." I winked at my cousin. "I lived with him and his family off and on throughout my childhood. I didn't have an easy relationship with my parents."

"That's putting it lightly," Jackson said. "She still doesn't have an easy relationship with them."

Just then, a cell phone started ringing.

"It's mine." Anthony dropped his cookie on his plate, removed his phone from his pocket, and glanced at the caller ID. "It's Mom."

"You can take the call somewhere else," Mr. Saint said coolly.

I gazed at him and discovered he had a stony expression on his face. Shifting my gaze to Meredith, I saw she was eyeing Mr. Saint with a similar expression on her face. There was something there, but it was none of my business.

Anthony pushed back his chair and stood. He quickly left the dining room, answering the call.

"Do you have anything planned for the evening, Boss?" Jackson inquired, cutting through the tense silence.

"I'm taking Eden to the museum to see the Paris In Spring exhibit by Francois Chevalier," Mr. Saint informed him.

I choked on a bite of biscotti. Mr. Saint, who was closest to me, slipped out of his chair and gently thumped me on the back. "Nothing to get all choked up about, Eden."

I managed to get the cookie to go down. Coughing, I reached for my coffee and took a drink.

"Better?" Mr. Saint asked, returning to his chair.

"Yes," I croaked. "The Paris In Spring exhibit doesn't open until tomorrow."

"I happen to know Mr. Chevalier," he said. "I gave him a call and requested permission to view the exhibit before everyone else." He glanced at his watch. "We need to be there by nine."

I checked my own watch and found it was a quarter after eight. Needing to take care of the dishes and leftovers before we left, I excused myself and went to the kitchen.