LITMIR.BIZ

      CHAPTER ONE

      Sam Benedict was a professional voyeur. All good waiters were, he thought, as he watched the mini-drama at table 12. A waiter had to gauge the mood of a table, to be unobtrusive and efficient, so he didn’t get somebody pissing all over him for interrupting a conversation or pissing all over him for not showing up in time to take orders. Most customers expected waiters to read minds. Most good waiters did.

      At least, that was Sam’s opinion. And probably the reason he never minded grabbing a shift if a waiter flaked. As the owner of Benedict, the hottest restaurant in Seattle, getting out front gave him a chance to interact with the foodies and have-to-be-trendies who kept him in business in the notoriously tough restaurant trade.

      But the woman at table 12 would have caught his attention anywhere. She was gorgeous, in a blue slip of a dress that showed off her curves, but not in a hey, I’m hot, do me sort of way. More like a hint of sexiness that kept men wondering. Her hair was neither blond nor brown. It was an intriguing mix of the two. Her eyes were a clear gray with hints of blue and green that reminded him of the Pacific Northwest skies.

      What was she doing with that dick? That girl and her date went together like ice cream and cod liver oil.

      He figured these two for a first date. Probably met online. Ever since Benedict got voted Best Place for a Romantic Date in Seattle Magazine there had been more of them than ever. He’d seen plenty of dot-com first dates be wildly successful. He’d seen plenty more die on the vine. This one was dead before it started. Every time he approached their table the conversation was more stilted than the last time. The dude was completely self-involved