Gods and Monsters

V

Buon Cibo Italian Restaurant – Mayfair, London

The clinking of wine glasses and a light buzz of chatter from the opposite side of the room was all that could distract Jack Canterbury on his table, as he sat there alone like so many times before. Buon Cibo, whilst a fancy restaurant in itself, wasn't frequented by Jack because of its great food or even just based off of its reputation. Instead, Jack came here for the atmosphere; a soft and quiet open room with many tables and booths for friends and family, but he always picked the same table over by the window as he looked across west London.

"Mr Canterbury," The Italian manager said as she moved behind him. "Is everything okay with your meal?" Jack turned to face the beautiful manager, her long black hair shining in the candlelight as she peered over his shoulder. "I see you went for the ravioli."

"As cliché as it may seem, it reminds me of the food my mother used to make when I was a child."

"Ironically enough, my mother always preferred flavours from other countries. Maybe that's what drove me to run a restaurant based on dishes from my own country?" The manager moved round the table before pulling the opposite chair out and sitting down, looking out of the glass window across the city.

Jack took a sip of his scotch before addressing the manager again. "Aren't you a little busy to be fraternising with customers, Miss...?"

"Miss D'Angelo, but you can call me Maria. And to answer your question, Mr Canterbury, that is what I have staff for. Besides, you looked a little lonely."

"I enjoy my own company," He replied sharply before taking a few more mouthfuls of the tomato sauce, dabbing around his lips with the pristine white napkin once finishing.

Maria chuckled lightly to herself as she observed the man in front of her. She had met a fair few business men in her time, but none like Jack. For the founder and CEO of arguably the world's largest company, Jack was a quiet, shy man who preferred to avoid the typical activities that went along with the notoriety of his position. Buon Cibo had a reputation for being a quiet haven, and Maria imagined this was what had attracted Jack to the restaurant initially, however for a man with his resources, she couldn't help but find it peculiar that he visited with such frequency.

"Maria, if you don't mind me asking, when you look out that window, what do you see?" Once again she laughed to herself believing this would lead to a joke or perhaps a flirty comment that she had come to expect from her customers, however, she looked back at Jack's steely blue eyes as they remained fixed on her own, his face unchanged. To humour him, she turned in her chair slightly, crossing one white trouser leg over the other.

"Well, I see London. West London, more specifically. Across the street is a jeweller and just down the road is a luxury department store. Other than that, it's a rather ordinary street." Still no change in expression. Maria was finding it hard to read Jack. "Why? What do you see, Mr Canterbury."

"Wasted potential. I see...wasted potential." Another sip of scotch before Jack began playing with his watch, a golden face with a black leather strap to match his all black suit.

Maria waved a waiter over and asked for her own drink, a vodka martini, before continuing with the conversation. "You're an interesting man, Mr Canterbury."

"And you're a beautiful woman, Maria."

She blushed slightly at this making her tan cheeks glow further. "Are you flirting with me, Mr Canterbury." Now it was Jack's turn to blush, although he attempted to hide it behind another sip of scotch. A ruckus from the other side of the restaurant distracted the pair from their drinks momentarily.

The disgruntled man causing the scene was dressed in a grey shirt rolled up at the arms and a pair of black slacks that looked a size too small."Mr Canterbury! Jack, you bastard! Get over here right now or your security won't be able to hold me back any longer!"

Maria smirked although couldn't hide her concern as she stepped up from the table. "A friend of yours?"

"More likely a disgruntled client, I'll take care of him for you. Apologies for this Maria, but I would love to do this again if you would be interested too?"

"Well, I'm sure you will come here soon enough, Mr Canterbury. Enjoy your afternoon." Jack couldn't help but feel slightly dejected. He had hoped for a more positive answer from Maria, but because of this irritation their conversation was forced to be interrupted. Jack would have to make the appropriate arrangements to rid himself of this bug of a man.

"Mr Phillips. A pleasure to see you again." Jack said as he escorted the gentleman out of the restaurant with his security close behind. Taking a final look back at Maria in her white suit, Jack quietly requested that security brings the car round. An interruption from Mr Phillips would no longer be a problem in the future.

Continued in Part 6