[Chapter 23]
The manager and the waitresses exchanged glances.
They had thought their boss would drive the couple away.
But to their utter dismay, he was asking them to apologize.
The boss wiped the sweat on his forehead and looked at his staff.
"What have I told you? Guests are like God.People come to our restaurant for its exceptional taste and service.What are you doing here?"
The manager and the waitresses were frightened.
They immediately pressed their palms together and bowed before Sebastian and Natalie.
"Sorry, we didn't mean to insult you. Please accept our apologies. We're really sorry."
Sebastian turned a deaf ear to them.He calmly poured a glass of water without batting an eyelid at them.
Natalie seemed just confused.
"Is this how a restaurant owned by the Larson Group treats its guests?" Sebastian asked, his jaw tightening with menace.
The boss understood the meaning behind his words and looked at the three people standing aside.
"That's enough! All three of you are fired!"
Then he turned to Sebastian again.
"I apologize on behalf of our staff. You can stay here as long as you want — no one will disturb you. Your dinner is on us. You can order whatever you want."
Natalie finally snapped out of her astonishment when the owner of the restaurant left with his staff. She quietly stared at Sebastian.
'How could he be so calm?' she wondered.
"Sebastian, what just happened? Why was the owner of this restaurant nice to you? Besides, he didn't probe the issue to find out what really happened.How was he so sure that the waitresses were rude to us?"
Natalie fired one question after the other.
"He didn't have to question them.High-end restaurants always handle problems like these with care because they can't afford to lose their reputation.The manager and waitresses were thoughtless, but the owner knew what to do.After all, losing even one customer would impact their business because reputation is their biggest asset," Sebastian explained.
Biting her lip, Natalie nodded in understanding.
Sebastian's words made sense.
"Speaking of which…"
She grinned and playfully nudged his arm.
"You were domineering like you were his boss."
"Gangsters like us have to put on an act at all times.It's a dangerous world.Otherwise, I'd be dead by now."
Sebastian filled Natalie's bowl with soup and looked at her.
Natalie felt he was right, so she didn't probe further.
Since Natalie didn't have to pay for their dinner, she enjoyed the meal and ordered all her favorite food.
The owner gave them a bottle of Lafite as a token of his apology.
Natalie had never tried expensive wine before, so she downed a few glasses and soon got drunk.
Therefore, Sebastian picked her up in his arms and walked out of the restaurant.
Sean had been waiting at the door of the restaurant for a long time.
He opened the car door for Sebastian and grinned at him.
"Boss, you and your wife are in a good mood today."
"She is drunk."
Sebastian gently put her inside the car.
"Ask Garrett to inspect all the restaurants that belong to the Larson Group once again."
Although Natalie didn't drink much, she was a wimpy drinker.
She complained about feeling hot and wanting to take off her coat when she was only wearing a thin coat and a camisole today.
Sebastian held her safely in his arms and glanced at the rearview mirror.
"Behave yourself.We are not alone in the car," he whispered in her ear.
Sean immediately looked away.
He had been working for Sebastian for many years but had never seen him this happy and intimate with anyone else.He felt emotional.
'Has he become gentle?' Sean wondered.
However, he quickly shook his head.
'Gentle' didn't seem like the right adjective to describe Sebastian.He had witnessed the fierce and dangerous side of his boss more times than he could remember.
"But I'm really hot.Very hot, Sebastian,"
Natalie whined, leaning against his chest.She looked up, and her blurry gaze met his.
Sebastian's eyes darkened.He took out a piece of tissue to wipe the sweat off Natalie's forehead.
"Hold on.We'll be home soon,"he said, stroking her cheek.
Sebastian's hormones were on overdrive.
In a daze, Natalie rested her head on his shoulder, her nose rubbing against his skin.
Her hot breath blew against his neck as her fingers pressed his Adam's apple.
She somehow found it amusing and giggled.
"Didn't I ask you to behave yourself?" Sebastian warned.
Before Natalie knew it, he pinned her against the car window.
His burning body pressed against hers as he stared at her with lustful eyes.
Natalie had broken his self-control.
He inched forward and kissed her gently.
Sebastian thought Natalie had taken the initiative to tempt him, so he didn't bother restraining himself.
He cupped her neck and nipped her bottom lip, asking for entrance.
Natalie trembled under his weight and grasped his chest.She tilted her head up and opened her mouth to breathe.
But Sebastian slid his tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss.
Sebastian pressed every inch of his body against Natalie's.The woman was soon out of breath.She tried pushing him away with all her might.
"E… Sebastian… Don't bite me… God, you're too heavy.You're crushing me."
She turned around, trying to dodge his move, but he cupped her cheeks, trapping her in place.
Natalie couldn't move as he continued to kiss her deeper.
Sebastian hoisted Natalie on his lap and cupped her bum.
Just as their kissing deepened, the car skidded to a halt as Sean slammed the brakes.
The force propelled Natalie and Sebastian forward, and the back of her head almost hit the front seat.
Sean was still in a state of shock.
"That was close.I almost ran into that dog…"
He turned around and said, "Boss, here we are… Eh?"
Sean was startled.
He didn't realize what Sebastian and Natalie were doing until now.
His face flushed with embarrassment, and he quickly turned away.
Sebastian took a deep breath and looked at Sean as he tried controlling his raging hormones.
"You're an excellent driver, Sean."
Then, he got out of the car and picked Natalie up in his arms.
Before leaving, he turned around and glared at his assistant.
"I'm going to deduct fifty percent of your salary this month to help stray dogs, in case you by any chance run your car on one of them in the future."
Sean angrily stomped his foot.
'How could Boss deduct my salary over such a trivial thing?' Sebastian put Natalie on the bed and tucked her messy hair behind her ears.
"Be good.I'll run a hot bath for you."
With that, Sebastian went to the bathroom.
Natalie felt stuffy, so she took off her coat and fell asleep.
When Sebastian entered the room again, Natalie was fast asleep.He looked at her and shook his head.
"You never listen to me, do you?"
His face softened when he saw her serene face.He pinched her cheek and finally gave up the idea of giving her a bath.
Sebastian reached out to tuck her in.
However, Natalie rolled on the bed and dragged him down.
Caught off guard, Sebastian lost his balance and fell on the bed.
Natalie immediately wrapped her legs around his, hugged his waist, and rested her head on his chest.
She clung to him like a baby koala and drifted off to a peaceful sleep, oblivious to the consequences of her actions.