Total Respect (Sample)

Chapter 2

The following Friday, Kiara waited for diners to fill Alonso's, one of the best Spanish restaurants in Orlando. Since she had worked there for five months, Kiara's section would be sat fourth. She had kept herself busy by wrapping silverware and cleaning menus; then she carried a large container to the host stand.

As she was walking back to the server station, she saw him—Miguel. He walked through the door with three other men and two women. All were dressed in suits and ties, the women in flawless evening gowns. They must have had somewhere fancy to go after dinner.

Kiara ducked behind the divider between the guests and the employees. She did not want to serve her boss. She did not want him to judge her performance at a completely different job.

Kiara doubted he saw her anyway. He seemed much too focused on the discussion at hand and did not glance her way. She sighed with relief and returned to the stacked white napkins and container of silverware. After two minutes passed, the host approached.

"Kiara, I just sat a six top at table fourteen." It was Kiara's luck. She sighed and grabbed six sets of silverware she had wrapped.

"Thank you," she said and walked out to the dining room with a smile. If she must serve her boss from her other job, she might as well do it well. "Good evening." She circled the table, placing gold-lined coasters to their right. "My name is Kiara. Would you like a few minutes to look at our drinks?"

"No, I think we're all ready to order." Miguel gave Kiara a steady look, pausing a moment before returning his attention to the woman next to him. "After you." He held out his hand.

When Kiara returned with their drinks, the men remained in heavy conversation. From the bits she picked up, they must have been talking about which cruise ship to upgrade first. Miguel kept shaking his head; then the other men would throw another idea at him. Again he shook his head. As Kiara set down the last glass of wine, a man sitting next to Miguel stopped her with his palm.

"What can I get for you?" She smiled at him.

The man glanced at Miguel. "We need you to settle a dispute on the better choice. Which would make more money—a casino, a waterpark or a carnival?"

Kiara thought for a second but saw the host look at her as another table was sat. "Let me think it over while you decide on an entree."

Another man at the table looked up before she left. "Sergio, why do you always involve strangers in our decisions? This is a closed discussion."

Sergio puffed. "Lighten up, Javier. Sometimes strangers bring ideas that Miguel didn't think of before."

"How much can she possibly know about the subject?" The woman sitting beside Miguel spoke up. "She's only a server."

Kiara smiled but resented the woman's remark. She probably would not lift a finger to save her life. Kiara also wondered what was with the blond hair. It annoyed her. Were men that attracted to blondes? Julian had cheated on her with a blonde.

Kiara watched the woman place her arm through Miguel's. It was a definite show that she was more important than Kiara, being able to touch the owner like that. It worked. Even though Miguel seemed uninterested in the gesture, he did not pull away. Kiara felt the sting of being inferior to the group and looked down at the floor.

"We'll be ready to order in a couple of minutes," said Miguel.

"And come back with an answer." Sergio laughed, triumphant at further irritating Javier.

Kiara attended her next customers, putting in their drink orders and entrees before going back to Miguel's table. As she set down wine for her new guests, she noticed the serious look on Miguel's face and returned to serve him. "Were you ready to order now?" she asked, hoping she did not keep them waiting too long.