A Baby for the Billionaire

70

JULIET

"Why is it so creamy?"

"The thicker, the richer."

"Oh, I want to feel that meat already. And that juice, what a delight!"

"I'll give you my meat and you'll be asking me for more."

"We'll see about that," I assure him while I get served that specialty that I had only heard of in books or seen in a few movies.

As soon as I press the meat, the thick juice drips all around and my mouth waters for wanting to put it all in.

But of course I can't be so greedy as to want to gobble it all up, so I go little by little, starting with the tip.

As soon as Franco sees me enjoying his meat and juice, he seems to be very pleased too, with a look of triumph on his face.

"For heaven's sake," I declare, still with my mouth full, but with the obvious need to express my emotions to him at this moment, "I've never had anything so rich and delicious before."

"I knew you had to try it."

His smile is seductive and complacent. He also takes the fork, pierces some sliced ​​meat and squeezes it in the juice of tuna loins, broth and mustard. I saw him make it when the restaurant closed and it didn't take that long because the meat was already cooked, but from what I understand, this is a specialty that is eaten here in Milan, the Vitello Tonnato. A tender meat accompanied by a sauce that has never been expected to combine so well with beef because it is tuna. I would have thought of them as two separate dishes, but never like this.

Franco is a very attractive and modern boy, he has his own restaurant on the outskirts of the city where people with good palates come to try his delicacies. Since I met him, I haven't gone to other places than this one, firstly because it's simple, small and cheap and secondly because both he and Donatto are extremely cordial to me, good vibes, they give me optimal vibes and fills me up of enthusiasm to know each other's dreams and expectations. The reason that brought us together is that they have both been living in Milan for a few months, but they lived in the United States for a few years and that made us hit it off from the start. Originally Donatto is from Florence and Franco is from Verona.

Donatto is in charge of serving the few tables and the bar that are available while Franco does the cooking.

They take care to always have everything clean when opening and also when closing.

"I heard some really dirty comments, or did I?" Donatto asks, coming up to us in the kitchen as we eat.

"Juliet tried my piece of meat" Franco argues and I let out a laugh.

"With the most exquisite fish-flavored sauce!"

"Hey, I'm not that dirty. But yes, you're right," says Franco.

Donatto pulls out a fork, throws his dishcloth elsewhere, and finds a seat around us, also piercing pieces of meat. He brings homemade bread that is also a specialty of the house and I accompany him to finish the exquisite sauce.

"So, do you start early tomorrow?" I ask, alluding to the cafeteria service they provide in the morning.

"Yes, darling. But no cafeteria at seven, only from nine to twelve," Donatto warns me.

"It's past midnight already. Do you sleep at all?"

"Seven or eight hours a day, although I don't usually quantify my organic needs," warns Franco.

"If I drink, I might get up at ten, but sometimes the night is intense and we end up flipping the closed sign in the middle of the night."

"And there they put notice that there is no cafeteria tomorrow."