Waiting on Summer Read online

  “Great. I’ll be in the Bottom Bar later. Just come find me when you’re free.” With that the elevator stopped, and they both got out.

  “Well, I guess I’ll see you later, Brad,” she said with a smile. He seemed real amicable, and it would be nice to get to know some of the folks around here.

  “Sure thing, sweetheart.” Brad winked again as he made his way toward a corridor, while Summer headed for a small reception desk in front of her.

  The receptionist was certainly friendly and pointed her toward the HR office where a very nice lady called Mandy sorted out her paperwork.

  “I’ll show you to your locker,” she said after a few minutes and took Summer down another corridor to a large changing room. “This is your key. Don’t lose it or you’ll have to pay for a replacement,” Mandy told her with a smile. “Most girls put them on a chain around their necks, although there is a pocket in your skirt. What size are you?”

  Summer hesitated before she told Mandy, a little self-conscious of her slightly curvaceous figure. Mandy unlocked a large cupboard and took out several items of clothing, including a pair of black high-heeled shoes.

  “I know it’s not the norm, but this is Collar and Cuffs—not much is normal here!” Mandy sniggered, no doubt from the look of shock on Summer’s face.

  “Well, OK.” Summer grinned and started to change as Mandy left her.

  The blouse was cut a little lower than she expected, with a pretty frill leading down the cleavage, and she had never been allowed to wear such a short skirt as part of her uniform before. She was surprised to have even been issued black thigh highs to go with the outfit, and she admired herself in the mirror as she quickly combed her short hair and touched up her lip gloss. As she stared at her reflection with the frilly blouse and short black skirt and heels, she thought how she looked more like she was going out to eat a meal, not serve one. She smiled at her new look. With her short, pixie-cut hair and her natural makeup, no one would recognize her here. She took the tiny key and popped it onto her neck chain, which also held a small cross, and hurried off for work.

  * * *

  Summer was overwhelmed. The turnover rate was exhausting, with every table used at least three times during service, and she was surprised they didn’t use a busboy to clear and set.

  About halfway through the evening Summer entered the kitchen to join the line and was surprised to find that the back of house was “in the weeds.” Although every member of staff was hurrying, and the expeditor was calling orders left, right, and center, there was a professional order about the place. There was no panic or rushing, and everyone was efficiently getting on with their jobs in an orderly manner, albeit fast.

  “Table fourteen entrées, please,” Summer told the expeditor when he turned to her.

  Above the shouts all around the kitchen she could hear her order being called away, and soon food was being passed across the line to her.

  “Eight-six on filet mignon,” the expeditor shouted over to her as she left the kitchen.

  Damn! She’d sold a lot of the filet tonight, purposely pushing it as it was one of the most expensive dishes on the menu.

  She served her guests, pleased her skills were improving as the night went on. It had been several years since she had actually used her silver service techniques—all of the cafés and diners she had found work in had used plate service, which was much easier, but she knew that tips were bound to be much higher in a place like this.

  “Creamed potatoes, sir?” Summer spoke loudly just as Dominic walked past her. She was rewarded by a slight smirk from him. She smiled to herself. Dominic was a foreboding presence as he strutted around the restaurant, and she was sure he saw and heard everything that went on. She still felt very nervous whenever he came near or she caught him watching her from across the room. There was calmness in his demeanor though, which told her that no matter what happened in his domain he would be able to sort it out. The thought gave her confidence.

  “Eight-six on the chicken chasseur,” Heaven told her as she walked past with a platter of perfectly dressed salmon.

  “Is it always like this?” Summer asked her quietly.

  “Nope. Sometimes it gets busy.” Heaven winked at her and grinned.

  Summer giggled. Heaven Blake was a beautiful redhead with warm brown eyes that twinkled with mirth. She had been a tremendous help to Summer as they shared a station. Heaven was a little older than the newbie, probably around thirty, Summer surmised, and had taken her under her wing somewhat. Summer was eternally grateful for her help, especially as she was trying to convince their perfectionist maître d’ she wasn’t as stupid as he probably thought she was.

  “He’s not all that bad,” Heaven whispered when they finally managed to take a breather by their dumbwaiter. She pinned a tendril of her wavy hair back into her beautiful chignon.

  “Who?” Summer flushed, half wishing she still had her long, wavy locks.

  “Master D.” Heaven giggled as they both began to polish cutlery.

  “Who?” Summer had asked the question before she remembered that, of course, “maître” meant “master.” “Oh, him? He just makes me a bit nervous, that’s all.”

  “He makes everyone nervous,” Heaven confided. “It’s just the way he is.”

  “It’s not just the job then?”

  “Nope. It’s the man himself, I’m afraid.” Heaven smiled. Summer wondered if she fancied the boss.

  “Is he married?”

  Heaven shook her head. “No, he’s not married.”

  “Hmm. I think I can see why,” Summer mused, fiddling with her service cloth.

  “Do tell.”

  The deep voice in Summer’s ear made her hair stand on end, and she felt every inch of her body glow boiling hot. She jumped around and saw Dominic Ray standing right behind her with an expectant expression on his face.

  “Um…what?” she spluttered.

  “I’d be very interested to hear your view on why I’m not married, Miss Marsden. Do tell us.” Dominic’s voice was loud enough to be heard over the murmuring of polite conversation, and everyone turned to look at her.

  Summer closed her eyes, hoping that when she opened them again all these people would be gone, and she would find herself lying in her bed at home, with all this nothing more than a bad dream. Unfortunately, life—her life anyway—was never quite so easy, and when she finally opened her eyes again she was still in the middle of the crowded restaurant with everyone watching her in stony silence. Oh shit!

  “Um…I only meant…well…what I was going to say was…” Her voice was feeble even to her own ears as she murmured and stuttered.

  “Go on.” Dominic was tenacious. His eyebrows were raised in expectation and his handsome face as straight as any poker player.

  Summer glanced over at Heaven who gave her a sympathetic smile.

  Taking a deep breath she attempted an audible answer. “I simply meant that although you’re…” She suddenly decided against flattery. Not that she didn’t think he was handsome, as she was about to say he was, but because there was no way she could actually tell him what she thought of his looks. Besides that, a guy like this would already know how drop-dead gorgeous he was and didn’t need her to stroke his ego.

  “Yes?”

  Summer pouted a little. How dare he? And on her first night at that, she thought ruefully. And probably last too. Damn, she needed this job.

  “Scary.” She blurted the word out, not daring to look him in the face. There was a silence, and she couldn’t put off examining his expression any longer. She peered up at him to see that he looked totally astounded. As he stared at her, his demeanor shifted slightly, and his face relaxed into the most gorgeous smile Summer had ever seen in her life.

  “You think I’m scary, Miss Marsden?”

  Now she just felt stupid! She could hear titters and chuckles all around the room, and she still felt every eye boring into her. She was hot and flustered as well as agitated and ann
oyed.

  “Yes, Mr. Ray. I think you’re scary. And that’s why I think you are not married.” She spoke through gritted teeth.

  The whole restaurant erupted into fits of laughter, staff included, and Summer wanted the ground to just open up and swallow her whole.

  She was surprised to see that Dominic Ray was laughing along with everyone else. Well, at least he’d remember her as the girl who gave him a laugh.

  As the hilarity died down and the guests went back to their meals, he leaned over to her. This was it! She closed her eyes, cringing as she felt his hot breath in her ear and waited for those immortal but dreaded words.

  “Table ten needs clearing, Miss Marsden.”

  It took a minute for the words to sink in. She narrowed her eyes. Probably wanted her to finish the shift, she surmised. They’d be short staffed if he threw her out now. She seethed, debating on whether or not to walk. She bit her lip. If she walked out now Heaven would have to finish her shift, and that would not be fair to poor Heaven. Also, she might as well get paid for this shift. It was almost over anyway.

  Straightening her back, she put her nose in the air, her serving cloth over her arm, and set off toward table ten.

  “Good for you, dear,” a middle-aged woman whispered in her ear as she took her dish.

  Summer felt herself blush. “Thank you,” she whispered back discreetly.

  “If you think he’s scary you need to meet my master.” A young black-haired girl grinned across the table. The large man next to her placed his hand over the girl’s.

  “Don’t worry, sugar, his bark’s much worse than his bite,” another of their party confided, making the other guests titter. Mortified, Summer recognized the man as the hunk from the foyer. She hadn’t noticed him before as he had his back to her, but now she could clearly see his handsome profile. Bile rose in her throat as she realized that he had just witnessed her embarrassing ordeal. He tried to say something else to her, but Heaven rescued her by coming over and taking their coffee orders. Summer just hurriedly cleared their plates.

  “Thank you so much for all your help tonight,” Summer told her friend as they finished laying the last table.

  “You’re welcome. I hope we can work together again soon.”

  Summer frowned. “I wish!”

  Now it was Heaven’s turn to frown. “What do you mean?”

  “I doubt I’ll be here after tonight. You saw what happened. He’s bound to fire me after that fiasco,” Summer said gloomily.

  Heaven laughed. “Of course he won’t fire you! Don’t worry. He does have a sense of humor, you know?” She gave Summer a friendly tap on her arm. “You did great tonight. Don’t you worry.”

  Summer was surprised but not convinced. She saw everyone huddle together around Dominic and felt a heavy thud in her stomach. She nudged Heaven and pointed over to where the waiting on staff were flocking.

  “Team debrief,” Heaven explained. “We have one every night. We get to go home after this.” She smiled and threw an arm around Summer’s shoulder, leading her over.

  Like a lamb to the slaughter. Summer sighed.

  “OK, everyone, I won’t keep you long,” Dominic announced as everyone stood quietly around him in an arc. “I just wanted to say thank you for all your efforts tonight. I know we were in the weeds for a while back there, but you all kept your heads and the guests didn’t guess that anything was untoward. We had a calm, professional service, and that’s thanks to you all. Well done, have a good rest, and I’ll see you again tomorrow night. Thank you.”

  Everyone clapped and then made their way toward the door. Summer held her breath, expecting him to hold her back. A few seconds passed. Dominic turned and started chatting with Heaven. Eventually he looked up to see her waiting for him.

  “Summer. How was your first service at Collar and Cuffs?” He was actually smiling.

  “Er…um…good, I think.” She swayed on her feet a bit.

  “Great. Heaven and I think you did a splendid job. I’ll see you back here tomorrow night then. Half past six for the briefing, all right?”

  Summer was stunned. “Yes, thank you.” She turned and left the room before he could change his mind. Her heart raced as she followed the rest of the staff out toward reception and climbed in the elevator.

  “I told you he wasn’t about to fire you,” Heaven whispered, nudging her.

  Summer smiled. “I don’t know what you told him but whatever it was thank you. He seemed to think I did well tonight.”

  “You did great,” another co-worker, Tuesday, told her in a broad Irish accent. “You certainly gave us all a good laugh. I’ve never seen Dominic look so stunned as he did when you told him he was scary!”

  All the staff in the elevator started laughing, and this time Summer laughed with them. “Well he is,” she protested.

  Summer was one of the last to leave the changing room, having changed back into her smart summer dress and flat shoes. She literally moaned as her bare feet slipped into her cool peep-toes.

  “You’ll get used to the aching feet,” a pretty young girl with a black bun told her with a smile.

  “I’ve never worn heels to wait on before,” Summer told her.

  “I know. It’s crazy isn’t it? House rules, I’m afraid. Apart from in the Bottom Bar where you have to go barefoot. Much easier, believe me! I’m April, by the way. You’re Summer, right?”

  She nodded. “The Bottom Bar! Damn, I forgot! Nice to meet you, April. I’ll see you tomorrow night. I’ve gotta go. I just remembered I’ve got a date tonight.” Summer grabbed her purse and headed for the door.

  “Bye.”

  She could hear April giggling as she ran for the elevator. As soon as the door opened Summer shot inside, barging past someone on the way in, and stood panting against the back wall.

  “In a hurry?”

  Summer recognized the voice before she dared look at his face. Dominic Ray!

  “Sorry. Yes. I forgot I’ve got a date tonight. He’ll be waiting,” she spluttered nervously.

  She heard a chuckle from deep within his throat. “You’re not married either then?”

  Summer blushed.

  “Do you have a theory on why not?” he went on.

  Her mouth went dry. “Well, I…um—”

  “Ground floor?”

  She realized that they hadn’t even moved yet.

  “Um, I’m not sure. I’m meeting him at the Bottom Bar. Is that the ground floor?”

  Summer watched her boss’s demeanor change in an instant. He tensed right up and stared down at her.

  “Meeting whom?” he demanded.

  “Um…a guy I met earlier. Brad, Brad Dexter. Do you know him?” She felt herself go hot but didn’t quite know why. He sure was mad about something.

  “Yes, I know him. Did he tell you to meet him there?” Dominic had a face like thunder.

  “Yes. He said to come find him there when I was free. I am free now, right?”

  “You are free to leave the building. You are not free to visit the Bottom Bar.” He spoke through gritted teeth as he keyed in the ground floor.

  “Oh. I didn’t know.” Her voice was small, and she felt like she wanted to cry. Not because she really wanted to go for a drink but because she had annoyed Dominic Ray. Her face was hot, and she purposely looked away from him as she felt tears prick the inside of her eyes.

  They were only traveling from one floor to the next, but it felt like she was in that elevator for hours. She breathed deeply and blinked, trying to think of anything except the guy standing next to her. She could smell his faint, spicy aftershave and feel his wrath. She noticed his fists clench and wondered why he was so mad at her. Finally there was a pinging sound, and the doors opened. He stood back, allowing her to get out.

  “Good night,” she muttered as she passed him.

  “Good night, Summer. Have a safe journey home.”

  She turned back just as the doors were closing and noticed he hadn’t followed her.
She blinked back angry, embarrassed tears as she strode through the reception area and welcomed the bite of cold air as she left Collar and Cuffs.

  CHAPTER TWO

  The following night Summer entered her workplace feeling a lot more confident. She had given herself a darn good talking-to and was determined not to let anyone upset her or embarrass her tonight. She was also going to try to keep her mouth shut so Dominic Ray would have no reason to speak to her. She would work really hard and try to get as many tips as she could. Lord knows she needed the money.

  “Good evening, staff. It’s nice to see you all looking bright and happy tonight. We’re expecting another busy service, though hopefully not quite as hectic as last night.

  “The soup of the day is minestrone, so don’t forget to prepare enough Parmesan for your station, and vegetables for the table d’hôte menu are broiled asparagus tips, broccoli florets, and julienned carrots. I’m afraid the lavender streusel with orange crème from the à la carte menu is eight-six tonight. If Chef manages to come up with a replacement dish I will let you know in due course. Be warned that we may have one or two VIPs in later. If they’re going to be on your station I’ll let you know, and you’ll need to get their meals done on the fly.

  “Lastly, Summer is here for her second night tonight, so I’d like April to work with her.”

  April gave a little yelp of excitement and Summer smiled.

  “OK everybody, to your usual stations please, and let’s have a good service.” Dominic finished off, and they all went straight to their places.

  “I’m glad I’m with you tonight. This is going to be fun,” April said gleefully. She was a very pretty, petite girl with what appeared to be shoulder-length hair tied in a tight bun. “If there’s anything you need to know just shout. Shall I show you where to get the Parmesan first?”

  Summer was relieved April was so pleased to be working with her. She actually felt like she was going to make some good friends here. They prepared some small bowls of the cheese and stored them ready. Next April showed her where to find all the various sauces that might be required to accompany different dishes and then where to get the fresh bread.