Kitchen Affairs (29 page)

I handed my assistant the folder back and snuck back into the conference room. A staff me
mber was now going over a PowerPoint presentation on basic dos and don’ts. Orientation was a bore, but it at least gave me one hell of an excuse to watch her. She playfully twirled her hair around her finger and sipped on her drink. I noticed a guy walking up to her and my face flattened as I saw him sit next to her. She began playing with her ear as she nervously looked down trying to avoid the man’s eye contact. I could tell he was making her nervous and uncomfortable. I flinched as I told myself to not get involved. Not here.

As the orientation came to a close, I noticed she was getting ready to leave.
Hopefully by herself.
She waved to her friend as she walked out the door. And just like that, my heart sank. I felt drawn to her, like we already had a connection somehow. It was a feeling I’ve never felt before and I wasn’t sure how to handle it. 
Come on Drake shake it off.

Deep down I knew I was crazy for feeling like this. It could never turn into anything, at least while she was interning at the Riverside. That would break so many rules of staff dating, especially the owner’s son dating an intern. But I also knew deep down that I really didn’t care.
Nope, don’t care.
I would risk it for her.
If she wanted me too.

The following week dragged on as I went to meetings and worked in my office. I knew the next Monday would be her first day here and I couldn’t wait to see her again. She was on my mind the entire time wondering what she was doing, where she had been, and whom she was with. My mind had
consumed of only her and I had yet to speak a single word to her. To say she was beautiful would be a vast understatement. When I first noticed her it was like the entire room stood still as I watched her stir her drink, twirl her hair, and bite the inside of her cheek. She made looking bored sexy.
Sexy as hell.

Monday finally arrived and I planned on somehow introducing myself to her, but I was scared as hell. Would I scare her off or make her uncomfortable? I wanted to ask about that ring, but I had to act like I didn’t know she wasn’t married. She flooded my mind all morning, until I finally found an excuse to go into the kitchen.

Seeing that it was the first day for my interns, I decided I’d go down and speak with Mr. Cooper and see how his students were doing.
Yeah, that was a valid excuse.
I walked through the doors confident as I could be and searched for her. She was at the back counter station looking much different than the first time I saw her. She wore a white button-up chef’s coat with perfectly smoothed-out black cuffs and collar. She had a white apron wrapped around her waist tied in a knot in the front. Her hair was pinned up this time underneath her chef’s hat. Her face had less makeup than before, but just as beautiful. She was chewing her lip as she focused on what she was doing.

I fidgeted with my change in my right pocket before getting the nerve to walk up to her. She had just turned around to grab something high up, so I grabbed my opportunity and approached her. After asking her if she was married, she quickly spun around clearly shocked by my straight-forwardness.

Way to freak her out…

I couldn’t stop
gazing into her beautiful brown eyes. When she wasn’t looking, I eyed her lips. They looked soft and plump. I imagined kissing those lips for the past week and I didn’t know how much longer I could hold off.

I chuckled as she told me her ring was to keep danger away. I knew exactly what she meant, but I was still determined to find out more about her. I could tell I was making her uncomfortable with my questions about her ring and why she wears it, so I knew I would have to resort to plan B.

As I walked away, I heard the pot she was grabbing drop to the floor. I smiled as I hoped I had rattled her.
In a good way, of course.
I had plotted my next move and I wasn’t going to wait long to see her again.

After a few hours
, I was anxious to see her. I wanted to ask her to dinner so we could spend some alone time together. I just needed some time with her and she would feel what I felt. It was inevitable that we belonged together.

I came up with another excuse to walk through the kitchen, when I searched for her
again, but she was nowhere to be found. I walked to the back and noticed the freezer door open. I peaked my head in seeing her from behind putting something away. I walked in and slammed the door behind me.
Shit, a little too loud though.

I startled her as she jumped at the sound of the door slamming. She turned around and her eyes grew big as she noticed me standing there. I wanted to come off charming by asking her to dinner but I could tell she was alarmed at my forwardness.
Denied.
As she passed me and exited the freezer, I inhaled her scent.
Cucumber Melon.

Fucked it up again.
Moving to plan C.

Molly remained on my mind for the rest of the day. I had two attempts all ready and have been shot down. This was unusual for me. I never had
chase a girl before. Molly was different. She made me want to be different. I was simply infatuated with her. Even her turning me down was sexy.

I went through her file again and found her address. Perhaps she would be comfortable in her own home and I could ask her out that way.
Yeah, that would work.
I convinced myself to go to her house that night.

The moment she opened the door stunned to see me, I felt like running away.
Shit, this will for sure scare her off.
I tried to act nonchalantly as she greeted me and gestured me in. Her place was beautiful and I secretly wondered how she could afford something in downtown Chicago. Most interns were broke and living with their parents. I didn’t let it cloud my mind too long before she handed me a glass of wine. I suspected she was curious as to my unannounced visit.

Seeing her in her natural form was more beautiful than I could describe. She wore yoga shorts and a sweet
V-neck tee clearly without a bra. It was a little sexy seeing that she was trying to cover her hard nipples up. After all, it wasn’t cold in the room.

I didn’t have much of a reason as to why I was there except for the fact that I just wanted to see her again. I wanted to know her, learn about her, and mostly just look at her. After clearly directing her away once again seeing that she wasn’t interested, I convinced her we could be friends.
For now at least.

The moment I saw her little girl, everything about her made sense. She was not only a mother, but she was a single mother. Knowing that she wasn’t married a
nd not knowing about the father left many unanswered questions. I could now understand why her guard was up and why she was so reluctant to get to know me.

Leaving her for the third time had damaged my heart. No other woman has ever made me feel like this. I attempted three times in one s
ingle day to get her attention and each time she denied me. I wasn’t mad; I just needed to get more creative next time.

I had been sitting outside in my limo when I spotted Molly and a few others exit the Riverside. She's laughing a
nd chatting with them, so I told my driver to follow closely behind to watch where they go. Just a couple blocks down, they entered inside an old tavern that I’ve never been to before. I waited a few minutes before going in.

I noticed Molly right away and I know she spotted me. Her eyes grew big as I winked and smiled at her. I sat at the bar and ordered a beer casually pretending that it’s
my ritual. Within a few minutes, Molly exited the bar and I’m left wondering if she left on my expense. Not giving her much time to get too far, I quickly left the bar behind her.

I stayed my distance so she didn’t feel me walking be
hind her. I noticed the cab she flagged down and waved to my driver to leave. He nodded and put his turn signal on to pull out into traffic. I caught up to Molly just in time for her to trip as she reached for the handle. I smiled to myself as I realized she was quite the klutz.

My heart raced as she thanked me not realizing who I w
as yet. She turned around and was slapped in the face by her scent again. I closed my eyes for a split second as I stabled her taking it all in. I took the opportunity and slid into the cab with her, taking her by surprise. She didn’t realize it but she accidentally kicked her purse over allowing her wallet to fall out on the floor. I didn’t mention it to her as I ceased the potential opportunity to see her again.

The moment she walked out of the cab, I spotted her wallet again and thought of a way to give it back to her. It needed to be different this time; a way she couldn’t say no. If she would just give herself the opportunity to let me in, I was positive she wouldn’t regret it.

Brooke is a Midwestern gal, from the cheese state of Wisconsin! She’s at stay-at-home mom of three beautiful children (one daughter & two stepsons)
and in her rare spare time loves to read and write.
She studied psychology in college, and counseling and education in graduate school where she fell in love with writing and learning about human behavior. Most days you can find her reading/writing, and just hanging out with her family! She also loves movies, cooking, and shopping!

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A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your mother.  ~Author Unknown