Tiptoe Kisses

Chapter 8

Chapter 8-Hearts a Mess

Taylor takes a glance at Nathan’s face while they are being guided to their new seats and as expected he is mad.  His phone rings and he waves at her to keep walking he will catch up.

It's the third call he has received since picking her up.  He told her the calls were about business and he takes each call in private.  Taylor doesn’t mind, she needs the break from his hovering over her. She knew by the time they arrived at the restaurant that her decision to have drinks with him was a bad one.  She has allowed him to do what he has always done throughout their relationship.  He pursues her for what he wants until she gives in.

She knows she has made the situation worse by agreeing to have dinner with him but she's hungry, she didn’t get a chance to eat her lunch and judging by the two drinks Nathan has consumed while sitting at the bar, he needs some food in him to.  

Seeing Julian at the restaurant couldn’t have come at a better time.   Taylor is happy to join him and the Donati’s at their table but Nathan feels coherenced into it.  He saw Julian before her and he held back trying to convince the hostess to seat them somewhere else.  His phone call gave him time to adjust to the situation.  When he finally gets to the table he fumes when he sees the seating arrangement.  The table is long with a chair on each end and one lone chair centered on the side.  The opposite side of the table is a banquette and the three men have made sure he’s not sitting on it with Taylor.  

Alberto Donati really knows how to flatter a girl and he enchants Taylor with his charm as he takes her hand from Julian’s and guides her to a seat at the banquette next to Santo.

Santo takes over where his indomitable father leaves off and Taylor learns they have a mutual love of sushi.  They all enjoy cocktails and mixed drinks while waiting for their food to arrive and Santo holds Taylor's attention as they discuss their likes and dislikes of different kinds of sushi they have tried at different restaurants.    Julian and Alberto exchange several looks between them as they watch the interchanges between Taylor, Nathan and Santo.

It’s obvious that Santo and Nathan have a fervid dislike for each other.   Santo chooses his words carefully whenever addressing Nathan while Nathan continues his drinking becoming surly in conversation before their meal arrives.  

Alberto and Julian talk about how they became friends and tell stories of how they built their businesses. Santo and Taylor have individually heard some of these stories while growing up but listening to the two older men retell them Taylor can see that they truly enjoy being around each other and she understands why they are best friends.

Nathan is having another drink and he’s tired of hearing the two men regal tales of their youth.  He argues that Alberto and Julian have achieved much of their success by luck and having the right connections.    

As their conversation goes on and Nathan becomes more inebriated and more insulting.   He insinuates Julian is greedy and has opened to many stores for them all to remain successful.  He further insults Santo by calling him to incompetent to help Julian resolve his cash flow problem.  Nathan then starts to infer that the Donati’s have acquired their vast wealth through unscrupulous means destroying a lot of people to achieve their wealth.

The insulted men allow Nathan his drunken moments refusing to respond to anything he accuses them of.  They realize he is drunk but they are sure he is expressing how he really feels about each of them.  Taylor is embarrassed but she has given up trying to shut him up.

Santo has ordered them different types of sushi and sashimi’s some of which Taylor has never tried.  They are in the middle of eating their main course when Nathan decides to try to get Taylor to focus her attention solely on him.  He reaches for her hand across the table and she moves it away.  He tries to get her attention with his eyes but she won’t look at him.  He’s frustrated and tired of sharing her with the three men.  Noticing the way Santo looks at her, he understands that look because he has it to.  He knows he messed up, but he still wants Taylor to be a part of his life.