Waiting on Summer Read online

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Table of Contents

  Acclaim for Bella Settarra

  Look for these titles from Bella Settarra

  Title Page

  Copyright Warning

  Dedication

  GLOSSARY OF WAITING ON AND KITCHEN TERMS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  About the Author

  Also by Bella Settarra

  More Romance from Etopia Press

  A Bonus Excerpt for Ménage on Moone Mountain

  ~ Acclaim for Bella Settarra ~

  For Ménage on Moone Mountain

  “What a fantastic read! Loved the relationship between Travis and Kent—their banter had me laughing out loud. The descriptions were really vivid and the sex scenes were incredibly hot although they still managed to show the love and caring nature of the characters. I would definitely recommend this book and can't wait for the next one!”

  —5 Stars by Brit Blogger

  ~ Look for these titles from Bella Settarra ~

  Now Available

  The Men of Moone Mountain Series

  Ménage on Moone Mountain (Book One)

  Red-Light Wrangler (Book Two)

  The Collars and Cuffs Series

  Waiting on Summer (Book One)

  Coming Soon

  Waiting on Tuesday (Book Two)

  Waiting on Summer

  Collar and Cuffs Book One

  Bella Settarra

  Etopia Press

  Copyright Warning

  EBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared, or given away. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is a crime punishable by law. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded to or downloaded from file sharing sites, or distributed in any other way via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000 (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/).

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Published By

  Etopia Press

  136 S. Illinois Ave. Suite 212

  Oak Ridge, TN 37830

  http://www.etopiapress.com

  Waiting on Summer

  Copyright © 2015 by Bella Settarra

  ISBN: 978-1-941692-55-4

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  First Etopia Press electronic publication: February 2015

  ~ Dedication ~

  To Jo. Thank you for all your support. You’ll never know how much it means to me.

  GLOSSARY OF WAITING ON AND KITCHEN TERMS

  This is a list of some of the terminology used in the Collar and Cuffs series. Some terms may differ between establishments and/or countries.

  Waiting on—the term used for serving customers in a restaurant.

  Silver Service—the practice of serving each item of food separately using a fork and spoon (occasionally two forks or two spoons depending on food). Term refers to the use of silverware—food is served from silver platters/dishes with silver cutlery.

  Plate Service—the act of serving meals already plated, usually used in cafés, diners etc.

  Dumbwaiter—type of sideboard that is assigned to each station to hold cutlery, cloths, etc.

  Station—the area or tables to which a specific waiter/waitress is assigned to serve.

  Covers—the number of guests eating, i.e. “set that table for six covers,” or “we served over two hundred covers tonight.”

  Deuce—refers to a table of two diners or a party of two.

  Busboy/busgirl/busperson—a member of the restaurant staff who is assigned to help the waiting on staff by clearing and setting tables, taking dirty dishes from the restaurant to the dishwasher, etc. (In Britain this person is usually referred to as a commis waiter.)

  Bussing—roles performed by a busboy.

  Front of house—the area of the restaurant that a customer will usually see.

  Back of house—any area of a restaurant that a customer won’t be able to see, usually refers to the kitchen, but can also include changing rooms, utility areas, etc.

  The line—the area of the kitchen where waiting on staff wait to receive their food orders. (Sometimes used as in “waiting in line,” “waiting on the line,” etc.)

  The window—the area of the kitchen where waiting on staff are passed their food orders. “The line” leads up to this section.

  Expeditor (or “expo”)—this person is responsible for overseeing the food leaving the kitchen to be taken to the restaurant. They usually stand by “the window” to monitor quality, speed, etc.

  Eight-six—refers to an item that is “off” the menu, or a customer who is being or has been refused service.

  “In the weeds”—hellishly busy.

  Slammed—not quite “in the weeds” but close to it.

  Jumpin—very busy.

  “On the fly”—done straight away, i.e. a VIP’s meal may be done “on the fly” so he doesn’t have to wait around for it.

  To walk—to literally walk out of the job; to leave before the end of the shift.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Summer paused outside the building in surprise. When she had answered the advert for waiting on staff in a high-class restaurant, this was not quite what she expected. Although it looked like a neat, two-story building in a nice part of the city, it wasn’t exactly high profile. There didn’t seem to be any stores around this area, and the few office blocks she noticed on the way seemed to be quiet places, maybe full of old men studying dusty ledgers—certainly not the kind of places that would provide a steady clientele to an expensive restaurant and club.

  A black, shiny sign stood above the large double doors of the white brick building. “Collar and Cuffs” was written in bold, but not brash, letters. It showed the face of a handsome man on one side with a white collar and a black bow tie, and on the other end of the sign was a pair of masculine hands showing shirt cuffs fastened with gold cuff links. It certainly looked like a classy place. She watched a cab pull up, delivering a couple of men dressed in expensive-looking suits, and she followed them into the large reception area.

  As she did so she was aware of someone walking in behind her, and she turned to see a gorgeous guy in a gray suit smiling down at her. Big brown eyes met her green ones, and he gave her a wicked smile, cocking one eyebrow as if surprised to see her.

  “Hi. I haven’t seen you here before.” His voice was like soft velvet, smooth and deep.

  “No…er…I’ve come to see Mr. Ray about a new position,” she stammered.

  His salacious grin told her that she had phrased that all wrong, and she blushed at the innuendo.

  “A new position, eh? Well, good luck with that, sugar. And if it doesn’t work out with him perhaps you’d like to try a new position under me instead? I’ll see you around.”

  He winked at her, and his eyes twinkled cheekily
. Summer found herself staring at him as he took off in the direction of a corridor.

  Hoping to see him again, she cleared her throat and her thoughts before approaching the large counter facing her.

  “Summer Marsden,” she told the lady behind the desk. “I’m here to meet Dominic Ray about the waiting on position.”

  The young girl smiled at her and told her to take a seat. She looked very elegant in a black shift dress with a white jacket, echoing the monochrome theme of the building. Her hair was neatly tied in a ponytail, and she wore large glasses on her pretty face.

  Summer sat on a large sofa, which lined one wall of the foyer, and took the opportunity to study the area. It looked very modern with streamlined furniture, broken up a little by bright green foliage, which may or may not have been artificial. Summer was just contemplating touching one of the lush leaves of a nearby parlor palm to check its authenticity when she heard someone clear their throat from the front desk.

  “Miss Marsden?”

  She looked up and felt herself flush at the sight of the handsome man in a morning suit who stood completely upright with his chin up and his hand outstretched to greet her.

  “Um…yes, that’s me.” She stood up, trembling slightly as she clutched her folder and purse, almost dropping them both in her hurry to get over to him. She held out her hand and was sure she saw a flicker of a smile from him over her quaking.

  “Dominic Ray, the maître d’hôtel. Welcome to Collar and Cuffs.” His voice was deep and confident, with a slightly British accent, and Summer couldn’t work out why she felt so intimidated by him. He was very good-looking and had quite an austere manner, complemented by his short, dark hair and very dark eyes. He was completely clean-shaven and looked the epitome of an upper-class English gentleman. His hand was cool and his hold was firm as he shook her hot, trembling hand in his.

  “Thank you,” she mumbled nervously.

  She followed him through to the back of the reception area and into a very large, plush restaurant. Her feet sank into the thick carpet, and she noticed the pristine white tablecloths, which almost shone under the light of the overhead chandeliers. The whole place boasted an opulence and class that made her gasp.

  “Take a seat.” He led her over to a table by the window, which hadn’t yet been made up for dinner, and she almost submerged into the soft leather of the chair.

  “Your résumé was quite impressive,” he began, opening a leather portfolio on the table in front of him. “You have brought your certificates, I assume?” He was staring at the plastic folder in her sweaty hand.

  “Yes,” she said, hastily opening the cover.

  “That’s all right. HR will check them afterwards,” he told her, putting up his hand to halt her movements.

  “Oh right. Of course.” Why on earth would he deal with anything so menial? She secretly admonished herself for even considering such a ridiculous notion.

  “You are qualified and experienced in silver service waiting on,” he continued, “and have extensive knowledge of serving alcoholic beverages.”

  Summer nodded, not surprised at his precise use of terminology. No “waiting staff” or “servers” here. She grinned as she imagined his expression if she were to urge the customers to “have a nice day.” Then she realized that they were probably called “clients” or “patrons” around here anyhow.

  Dominic cleared his throat, and she suddenly noticed he was staring at her. With a flush of horror she also noted she had actually giggled out loud and was wearing a grin like a Cheshire cat! She quickly straightened in her seat, cleared her own throat, and composed herself as the familiar sensation of flaming-hot embarrassment swamped her face.

  He looked back down at his papers, but she couldn’t help noticing a tiny smirk twitch the corners of his lips. “Have you ever worked in an establishment of this caliber before?”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. He no doubt knew full well she had not.

  “Not exactly like this, but I worked in some top London restaurants when I was over there,” she replied, trying to sound impressive.

  “Oh really?” He was slowly turning over the pages in front of him, obviously seeking evidence of her assertion. “Where was this? The Grosvenor House? The Ritz? The…”

  “No, none of those,” she interrupted quickly, envisaging him ringing up all those places to substantiate her claim. “I worked in some slightly smaller, elite places. Sort of…um…quintessential English tearooms and places like that,” she clarified in a small voice.

  “I see.” He closed the folder, looking at her carefully. “But you have carried out full silver service?”

  “Oh yes,” she assured him, beaming. OK, so she may not have worked anywhere like this before—she’d never even seen anywhere like this before—but she knew how to hold a spoon and fork in one hand and balance a heavy platter on her forearm.

  “Show me,” he said abruptly, springing to his feet.

  “W-what?” She stared at him.

  “Show me. Get yourself some serving cutlery from that dumbwaiter and show me how you carry yourself. You can use one of those serving dishes.” He pointed to a wooden sideboard at the serving station nearby and watched her expectantly.

  Her heart thudded as she stood up and went to where he had waved his arm. She opened the drawer and took out a serving spoon and fork, being careful to polish them on a serving cloth neatly folded on the sparkling clean surface. She bent down to the cupboard beneath her and took up a two-portion serving dish, which she placed on the serving cloth in her left hand. She walked over to the table where Dominic had regained his seat and pretended to serve him something from the dish.

  As she leaned into his left side she caught a waft of his spicy aftershave and felt her stomach lurch in excitement. He really was a very handsome man, and he had a very firm jaw, which added to his austere appearance. There was something very commanding in his manner.

  “What is it?” His question cut into her thoughts like a knife through hot butter, and she quickly straightened up, wondering what she had done wrong.

  “I-I’m sorry?” she mumbled as her mind scrambled for a coherent thought.

  “What is it?” he asked again. His dark eyes blazed into hers, and she felt herself go hot right down to her core.

  She just stared at him blankly.

  He sighed. “What are you offering me?”

  She suddenly wondered if he had read her thoughts about him.

  “N-nothing,” she stuttered. “I mean…I was just…” She felt herself blush from the roots of her hair down to her toenails as she struggled for the right words. She straightened up and took a step backward.

  Dominic frowned. He took another deep breath before speaking. “When you offer the guest some food, do you not clarify what it is so that they can make an informed choice about whether or not to accept?”

  Summer let out a nervous little laugh. “Oh yes, of course.” She relaxed and went back to her position, but he was already glancing at his Rolex.

  “We haven’t got time to continue now. The staff will be arriving soon. Just remember to ask in future—oh, and the serving dish should have been placed on a salver before being presented to the guest.” He got up quickly, and Summer rushed to put the cutlery and dish back.

  “Those will need to be washed,” he told her.

  She felt herself blush again. “Oh yes…of course… I’m sorry, I…”

  “Leave them on the top for now.” He waved an irritated arm at her. “You need to get up to HR with your paperwork. I’ve signed the induction form for you, but you might need a little more practice. We’ll see how you do tonight.”

  Summer gasped. Tonight? “I’ve got the job?” she asked excitedly.

  “If you do well tonight.” His face didn’t even crack a smile. “You need to take these up to HR. Through reception. Take the elevator to the next floor. You’ll have to wait there while they verify everything and take your details. They’ll also give you a unifo
rm and show you where your locker is. Get changed and come back here as soon as you can. Service begins at seven o’clock sharp.”

  Summer took the portfolio from him and picked up her own folder and purse. “Yes, I will. Thank you, thank you so much.”

  She scurried out of the restaurant and over toward reception.

  “Hold on,” a voice shouted as the doors began to close in front of her. She quickly pressed the button to hold the elevator as another very good-looking man ran over.

  “Thanks,” he said with a grin as he got in beside her. “Which way?” He was standing next to the keypad. He too smelled of expensive aftershave, and he was dressed in black trousers and a smart green shirt. His fair hair shone under the fluorescent lighting, and he had gorgeous blue eyes.

  “HR. Up, I think,” she said, noticing there were three floors to the building, not just two as she had thought.

  “Up it is,” he said with a delightful smile as he keyed in the upper floor. “I’m Brad, by the way. Brad Dexter.” He held out his hand, and she shook it.

  “Summer Marsden.” She smiled back at him. It was nice to meet someone friendly after the intensity of her new boss. This guy was real good-looking too, though not quite as handsome as the man in the foyer earlier.

  “Fancy a drink later, Summer?”

  “Um…I er…” She felt that blush coming back on.

  “Go on. I’d like to get to know you, and this elevator doesn’t have a lot going for it in terms of meeting places,” he said with a wink.

  Summer giggled. “OK. I’d like that.”