I hadn’t known who the second chef was and I hadn’t bothered to ask because that wasn’t relevant to my decision-making process. Call it what you want, but I had a goal, and the staff surrounding me wasn’t going to prevent me from earning that spot. For a decade I’d been working towards the title of executive chef, so once it was offered from a reputable restaurant, I hadn’t been concerned about details.
Isla rolled her eyes.
Now I wished I had asked.
I would have been better prepared for that icy stare. And my cock’s reaction to it.
There were only two available seats at the table and one was the head spot. I knew better than to sit there. It was a douche move and I wasn’t going to make it.
The other spot was next to Isla. I walked over to it and eased the chair out. She watched me, her nostrils flaring.
“Good to see you again,” I murmured.
“I can’t say the same,” she replied.
“I think we got off on the wrong foot,” I said. “Maybe we can start over.” That sounded good. Polite. Appropriate. Unlike what I really wanted to say, which was that I wanted to take her out back and finish what we started while she screamed my name.
“And maybe you can choke on an ox tail.”
I laughed, not in the least surprised. I also didn’t doubt that she was just as hot for me as I was for her, even if she didn’t like me. Or that I was her new boss. “At least I know where I stand.”
“Do you two know each other?” Nico said, sitting across from us.
I didn’t think he’d heard our exchange. I nodded. “We have met briefly. Mutual acquaintances.”
“It was just for a few minutes,” Isla said. “I didn’t even know Sean was a chef.”
“Likewise. We were on an elevator together going to the same party.” Then my tongue had been inside her mouth and her body pressed against mine. “That was the extent of our meeting.”
During which I had come to the conclusion she was both infuriating and arousing.
“The elevator stopped running. We were stuck for a couple of minutes,” Isla said. “It was no big deal.”
She sounded remarkably calm for a woman who was clutching a fork like she wanted to jam it into my jugular.
“I would totally freak if I got stuck on an elevator,” one of the female servers said.
She had a nose ring and hair that looked like she’d forgotten to brush it in a few days. Ten years ago, she would have been my type. The party girl.
That gave me pause. I wasn’t sure what the hell was my type now other than women who made no demands on me beyond sex.
“No one has ever died from being trapped in an elevator,” Isla responded, sipping her water. She gave me an amused look.
It had been no small secret I didn’t exactly enjoy being trapped. Her amusement gave her the upper hand and I hated that. “Do you have actual statistics on it?” I replied, bumping my knee into hers. “I can guarantee it’s happened at least once.”
Her hand shook as she set the water back down, revealing either nerves or anger. Maybe both.
“Yes. The answer is zero.”
She was lying, of course. Arguing with me just to argue. “Someone has to be the first. It could have been me.”
“Too bad it wasn’t you.”
She said that with enough bite that the ten staff members around the table all seemed to pick up on it. I had clearly made a hell of an impression on her in the elevator.
“Oh, damn,” the male server with dark hair said.
I was going to have to go on a crash course to learn everyone’s names. I wished Nico had introduced everyone, but since he hadn’t, I was going to have to take the initiative.
Martin gave a grunt that actually sounded like he was in agreement with Isla.
Fabulous.
Not the way I wanted to start off a new position.
“What the hell is this all about?” Sid asked.
He was the owner, but very hands-off from what Nico had led me to believe. He was a nineties rap star who had always wanted to own a restaurant. He’d lost a bunch of cash early in his career to a flashy lifestyle and a lousy manager, but now he seemed to be a good guy who kept an eye on his investment, while not pretending to know how to be a house manager.
When no one responded, he added, “Is there a problem? Isla?”
I could hear her breathing through her nostrils. She sounded like a bull ready to charge. But when I watched her, I saw she was controlling herself, getting her emotions in check. Her expression was neutral.
“No, there’s no problem. None whatsoever.”
“Good. Because if you have a problem, come directly to me. Let’s not hash something out in front of the whole staff.”
Ouch. She wasn’t going to like that chastisement.
Isla just nodded. “Understood. My apologies.” She turned to me. “Welcome to Bone, Chef. I’m sure you’ll be an excellent addition to our family.”
It must have nearly killed her to say that.
She didn’t seem like the corporate-speak type in the first place and then, well, she hated me.
Did she have any clue that when I watched her eyes sparking with anger, I just wanted to lean down and finally take another kiss? Take her?
If we weren’t at the table in front of my new staff, I would right now.
Instead I settled for making her monstrously uncomfortable. “Thank you, Chef. I’m looking forward to working very closely with you.”
She visibly swallowed, but didn’t respond. She just turned back to the table at large. “Why don’t we go around the table and introduce yourselves to Sean?”
“Excellent idea.”
They all seemed like good people. I didn’t anticipate any issues with any of the front-of-house staff or the management. Just the kitchen. Martin looked like he’d swallowed a lemon and Isla was studiously refusing to look at me. The three of us were going to need to have a private meeting. I had assumed Nico and Sid would tell Martin and Isla about my hiring, but it was clear that they hadn’t, which set up a poor dynamic between the three of us from jump.
Of course, maybe it wouldn’t have mattered if they had known in advance. Martin was pissed and offended he hadn’t been given the position and Isla already disliked me. But at least they would have had time to process the information.
The entrée was brought out and everyone chatted. There was a nervous energy in the air and I didn’t like it. The servers kept looking to Isla but she was quiet. I got the feeling that was never the case. I knew Nico and Sid had wanted this to have a celebratory vibe but it definitely did not.
“So, any questions you have, direct them to Chef Sean,” Sid said.
Isla made a sound in the back of her throat.
Yep. We definitely were going to have to have a private meeting and hash all of this out.
Because I wasn’t going to let Isla ruin this opportunity for me.
Nor was I going to suggest she hate fuck me, even though I really wanted her to.
Two
“I don’t know what to do,” I said to my best friends as we sat in Savannah’s apartment. I leaned against her couch cushions and rubbed my temples. My head was pounding. “I’m going to have to quit my job. I cannot work for Sean. I’m not even sure I could work with him as peers. I sure in the hell can’t work for him.”