“That will be all, Carly.”

Dismissed, she simply nodded her head and left. I glanced around the restaurant nervously. It was completely empty.

“Is it closed?” I whispered, not really sure why I was whispering, but my voice felt too loud for some reason.

“No.” Nikolai reached for my wineglass and flipped it over. As if by magic, a server appeared and poured each of us a glass of wine.

“So…” I reached for the wine, needing it more than food at the moment. “Is it going out of business?”

“No.”

I glared at him. “Let’s try more than a one word answer.”

He leaned forward, his facial features positively glowing beneath the candlelight. Damn the man was beautiful. His full lips pressed into an easy, confident smile. “I own the restaurant. I wanted it empty tonight, therefore it’s empty.”

“I half expected you to snap your fingers and finish that sentence with evil laughter and maybe something like… and when I take over the world all will be mine.”

Nikolai choked on his wine.

“Something I said?”

His smile was back full force. “You think?”

“You don’t smile enough,” I blurted before I could stop myself. The words were out into the universe, and no matter how much I wanted to take them back—I couldn’t. I simply watched in fascination as they slowly sank in, causing Nikolai’s smile to fade and his posture to stiffen.

“Probably not something you should notice about your employer.” He leaned back in his chair. “Today has been difficult.”

The darkness was back. I tried to lighten the subject. “Do all employers close restaurants so they can have alone time with their favorite employees?”

“Did I say you were my favorite?”

“I nominated myself.” I nodded encouragingly then took another sip of wine.

“I see that.”

“Mr. Blazik.” A male server who looked to be around seventeen with a soul patch and dark black hair brought another bottle of wine and two new glasses. “For the appetizers.”

A new glass replaced my old one, and an elaborate shrimp cocktail was placed on my plate.

The smell of freshly baked bread assaulted my nose. An entire loaf was placed in between us.

My mouth watered as the steam danced its way toward me.

“Go ahead…” Nikolai nodded. “Before you make a fool of yourself and start clapping your hands or something.”

“I do clap before I eat.”

“Most women do. I think it’s in a last ditch effort to burn calories before consuming an abhorrent amount of carbohydrates.”

“Hah.” I reached for the bread.

Nikolai grabbed the butter and cut a generous amount from the block then took my bread and lathered it on. “Don’t forget the best part.”

“I should have clapped.”

“Life is full of regret.” He smiled. “Eat your bread, Maya.”

“Eat your bread, Maya. Sign the contract, Maya. Don’t ask questions, Maya. You sir, are bossy.” I took a huge bite of bread and nearly passed out with ecstasy.

“I imagine you forgive me now?” He cut off his own piece of bread and watched me eat, not in a creepy way but in a way that made me think he hadn’t ever seen anyone enjoy food the way I did.

Which was probably true.

Food was life. And life was meant to be enjoyed, right? At least my father got that part right. Eating was meant to be enjoyed, savored.

“What?” I swallowed the last bit of bread and reached for my white wine. “What’s so amusing?”

He leaned back, pieces of dark hair falling in rock star fashion across his forehead. “I think I want every evening.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m adding it in the contract.”

“What are we talking about?” I reached for another piece of sourdough.

He smirked. “I want all your dinners… maybe your breakfasts too… tell me do you always eat bread with such abandon?”

“Do you always treat your assistants with such extravagance?”

“No.” He sobered. “I don’t think I’ve ever been accused of that.”

“No.” I licked my lips suddenly feeling shy. “It’s the food… I love good food.”

“And good company?”

I tilted my head. “Hmm, good company being a man who never lets me ask questions.”

“How about I give you a free pass? Ask me anything you want.”

I almost choked on my wine. “Seriously?”

“No, I lied.” He rolled his eyes. “Yes, Maya, you get one question… choose carefully.”

“Damn, so I can’t ask if you’re a vampire or serial killer then?”

“You’re trying to trick me…” he smirked. “But I’ll put your mind at ease nonetheless. No, I’m not a vampire, I can’t imagine sucking anyone’s blood… now their skin? I could lick and suck their skin... blood?” He shrugged, while I had a mild heart attack at the vision of him sucking... anything.

“And serial killer doesn’t really knock your rocks either?”

He paused, his hand hovering over his wine glass. “Life is too precious to waste.”

“Fine…” I sat back in my chair, the wine doing its job by relaxing me. “Why the contract?”

“I knew you would ask that.”

“Oh, did you, now?”

“Too curious for your own good, Miss Petrov.”

“Thank you, Mr. Blazik.”

With an exaggerated eye-roll he lifted his hand and the bread, and appetizers were immediately removed from our table only to be replaced by two Caesar salads. “The contract keeps you safe, this you already know.”

“Right.” I was going to stab him if he didn’t answer me with real words rather than evasions.

“Think of it this way…” His voice was just barely above a whisper. “If I have something legally signed, then the only way to get out of it is how?”

“Um… death or the contract is somehow voided?”

“So you’re under contract to protect you as well as myself. I need your absolute loyalty and submission. The contract makes it so that those who wish to harm you—can’t.”

“And I’ve somehow made a lot of enemies in my short life?”

“Not you,” he said cryptically.

“So it’s about my father.”

“Isn’t everything?” His voice was tinged with a bit of sadness, maybe even regret. “The sins of the father…”

“Yeah, well, apparently being born was enough to offend him, which in turn threw me into this lovely romance novel.” I lifted my wine into the air. “Cheers.”

“Internet.” Nikolai cleared his throat. “A flat screen and a brand new computer are already waiting for you at your apartment.”

My mouth dropped open in shock. “You’re lying.”

“I don’t lie.”

“I love you.”

His breath hitched, and then his smile turned sour. “Wow, and all it took was a bit of technology to win that love… seems it was too easy.”

“You forgot the bread.”

His eyes met mine. “Maya, I do hope you one day see… everything I do. I do for you… for your safety. To keep my secrets and to protect you from them. The number one reason you have a contract isn’t to protect you from your father. But to protect you from your greatest threat.” His eyes grew sad, closing before opening and looking away. “Me.”

You needn’t be afraid of a barking dog, but you should be afraid of a silent dog—Russian Proverb

NOW I’D GONE AND TERRIFIED HER. The flush that I had previously been enjoying spread across her skin now turned pale. She was probably entertaining thoughts that I was just like her father, ruthless, heartless, you name it.

Though I’d given up hope long ago that I possessed a heart—I was human, meaning I still wanted to believe I had one, or wanted her to believe I was capable of having one.

Every year on my Valentine’s Day Andi would send me a heart card. She thought it was funny—I’d kept every single one.

“Sir.” Carly approached our table, hands clasped in front of her. “Your entrees will be out momentarily, would you like to dine on the patio with the heaters and open fire pit?”