Chapter 7: Luncheon

As soon as we got into the car with Sergio, I was directed to eat my snack, and I eagerly complied. I was careful not to get crumbs all over myself, which was difficult because the pastry was ridiculously flaky. I made a mental note to familiarize myself with the contents of the kitchenette to avoid mishaps in the future.

While I was eating, Yujin spoke calmly while looking through their phone. “We’re meeting a man called Elliot,” they explained. “And you need to make a very good impression, because I would like for you to work with him.”

“Work with him doing what?” I asked innocently, worried about what they might have me do.

“He manages the family’s accounting firm. He hasn't been in the States very long, but has quickly made a name for himself as being exceptionally skilled. He’s also known for being quite the charmer,” they said, shooting me a sideways glance.

I looked over at him with a mouth full of pastry, chewing carefully. Now it made sense why the necklace was so important to them today especially. After swallowing, I squinted in their direction. “Wait, how did you know I was an accountant?”

They stared down at their phone, tacking away at something. “Your social media. Your phone records. They keycard in your wallet that grants you access to your office. Take your pick.” It was almost flattering, knowing they spent so much time learning about me. “I don’t give a sh*t about your accounting skills, but it gives us an excuse to get closer to Elliot.”

I nodded, choking down the last of the pastry and wishing I had something to drink. “Closer how?”

“Don’t worry about that yet. Today, just focus on making a good impression.” They glanced in my direction, then reached over to gently wipe a few crumbs from my mouth with their thumb. My cheeks flushed, and my posture shrunk a little. They licked their thumb, then casually went back to flicking through their phone.

We were soon deposited at the entrance of a high end cafe. They stepped out and offered me a hand out of the car, leading me to the door as though we’d been together for years. I played along, doing my best to appear casual and comfortable, as though fancy lunches with beautiful people were something that happened to me regularly.

They led me straight past the hostess podium like they owned the place, making a confident stride to a table in the back. The man sitting at the table stood and raised a hand in a greeting, while rambling in warm Italian. He had wavy blonde hair and soft features, certainly handsome. His skin was more tanned than Yujin, and he looked more muscular. He wore a button up under a loose fitting vest over slacks, all in earthy tones.

The two of them spoke briefly, kissing cheeks and shaking hands. After a moment, the unfamiliar man peeked around Yujin in my direction. He spoke with a thick accent in a deep voice, “I apologize for my rudeness, I have not seen this one in so long.” He extended a hand in my direction. “I am Elliot, it is an absolute pleasure.”

When I reached forward to give him my hand. Yujin stepped between our casual embrace, guiding me to my seat instead. I followed their lead and quietly sat in the chair while they spoke for me. “Her name is Imelda, she’s still quite new to the family.”

The pair took their seats as well, and Elliot spoke in my direction. “Imelda, such a beautiful name. I wanted to greet you after the mass last night, but this one stole you away so quickly, no?”

Yujin flashed me a sweet smile and reached for my hand, loosely holding it atop the white tablecloth. “You know how it goes when things are new. I wasn’t quite ready to share her just yet.” They gave my hand a squeeze, and I felt my cheeks flush. I averted my eyes downward, worried I would embarrass them.

Elliot let out a hearty laugh and waved a hand at a passing server who nodded and scurried to the kitchen. “You are very lucky to have found someone that captivates your attention so fully. I have already put in our order, I hope you don’t mind.”

Lunch was intimidating, but delicious nonetheless. The courses were small and frequent. The wine seemed never ending, and the conversation was mostly in Italian. There were points in their talk where I could tell they were speaking about me, but I pretended it didn’t bother me. I wondered to myself if I would need to learn Italian at some point.

After all the plates were cleared, the blonde man leaned casually back in his chair while looking in my direction. “We could certainly use the help. I’m sure you heard about the situation we’re dealing with abroad.”

Yujin nodded and again reached over the table to hold my hand. It was obvious to me that they were putting on a show for Elliot, but it still felt nice. They spoke sweetly, “Anything to help, so long as it doesn’t cut into our nights together.” They raised my hand and gently placed a kiss on my knuckles.

I squeezed their hand, trying to play along to the best of my ability. Elliot continued, “Of course, I wouldn’t dream of overstepping. You two look so happy. Saluti.” He raised his glass, and Yujin did the same. Though it took me a second to catch on, I raised mine as well in what appeared to be a toast.

After we finished our wine, Yujin pushed up from the table slowly. “Thank you so much for lunch, it has been too long.”

Elliot followed suit, coming around to embrace Yujin with another round of handshakes and cheek kisses. They exchanged briefly in Italian, then Elliot casually leaned over to kiss my cheeks. Yujin flashed me a look, but I didn’t want to offend the man by pulling away so I froze in place to let it happen. “I will see you tomorrow, bella.”

Yujin smiled warmly at the man, but placed a firm grip on my wrist to pull me in their direction. “Take care, Elliot.” Though I kept up with their pace, it felt like they were dragging me through the cafe and out the door. Their grip was tight, and as soon as Elliot was no longer in eyeshot their facial expression turned to ice.

They led me down the sidewalk in silence toward the car where Sergio was waiting. They released their grip and spoke under their breath in an angry tone. “Get in the f*cking car,” they muttered, opening the door for me.

I piled in, bracing myself for how displeased they seemed. I thought it went really well, Elliot seemed pleased. Once they were in the car, Sergio took off slowly down the road. I turned to face them, about to speak when an angry hand shot forward to make a firm grip on my throat. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I froze, staring helplessly in their direction.

“I can’t believe you let him kiss you,” Yujin snarled down at me.