“First things first… let’s get you up and running at Dulip. You start tonight.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Aspen. Your food is incredible, and I want to see how you do under pressure in the kitchen. No time like the present. Even the smallest task in a bustling kitchen carries stress when we’re at capacity.” I’m not lying, but it will also give me time to figure out what needs to be included in an NDA, and whatinformation will be given to employees who’ll work at Venom’s rooftop restaurant.
How do I say, ‘Come work for me at a sex club. You’ll probably see some fucked-up shit that will blow your vanilla mind, but the food will be great?’ At some point, a member of my staff will ask questions about how and why I acquired these new premises.
Aspen launches herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck and squeezing me to within an inch of my life before pulling back and planting a kiss on my cheek. The atmosphere in the room changes, and my pulse starts racing.
The scent of her perfume is intoxicating, like a soft summer breeze with a hint of something darker. Delicious. Dirty.
I pull back just enough to meet her gaze as the rapid rise and fall of her chest betray her cool exterior. But there’s no hiding the tension between us. It’s electric, and all I want to do is kiss her. I couldn’t even tell you the last time I would’ve been happy with nothing more than a kiss, but Aspen brings something out in me. We barely know each other, and yet when I tasted her food today, it feltintimate.
We hover, our lips half an inch from one another until Aspen snaps out of it, putting some distance between us.
“Thank you for this chance, Chef Stevens.”
“You’re welcome, Aspen.” My breaths are shallow, adrenaline coursing through my veins at her proximity and our almost kiss only moments ago. “I have some paperwork to do, but I’ll see you back here at four.”
“I’ll be here. Thank you again.”
I head for my office, needing to put some much-needed distance between us. I’m in murky waters right now, and there could be any number of things hiding beneath the surface, waiting to drag me under.
After I guide Aspen to the exit and make sure she gets a cab, I head back inside and pull up a number on my phone—someone who will know exactly how to approach this.
“Hey, Ryder. What can I do for you?”
“Hey, Nad. I need some legal advice and help putting together a contract for employees who might be working in the rooftop restaurant at Venom.”
“I heard about that. So exciting. I can’t wait. You know Dalton and I are regulars at Dulip, but having that caliber of food at Venom will add so much to the club.”
“Thanks. I appreciate the support.”
“Do you want to meet later this week? That will give me time to flesh out a possible contract and any problems we could run into. Are we talking hypothetically, or is there staff you already have in mind?”
“Hypothetical for the most part. I have a possible sous chef to work alongside me, but I’m not sure she has the disposition to work at Venom.” That’s an understatement. Even just having her work as my second poses a massive problem right now, because I’ve already imagined taking her right there in the kitchen and making her scream forSir.
“Disposition? You mean you don’t exclusively hire Dominants and submissives?” She giggles. I’m glad all of my friends find my life choices amusing.
“I wish. This would be so much easier. How do I go about asking a prospective hire if they mind being around wall-to-wall kink?”
“Would they, though? I’d assume the restaurant would be similar to the bar on level one. No nudity or sexual acts on the floor.”
“That’s what Flex suggested, but considering food is a kink, I would like to cater to those that enjoy it.
“Okay, so you have to decide what is and isn’t acceptable. Not for the members but for your staff.”
“Right. I’ll have to think about it.”
“We can work on it together. Maybe we can meet with Dalton and Flex to discuss it in more detail.”
“Thanks, Nad. I feel like such a novice right now.”
“Would this have anything to do with the sous chef?”
“No.” It comes out curter than I intend. “Sorry. There’s a weird dynamic going on. She’s not part of our world, but her food is incredible. I want to give her a shot. She’s young and passionate, and I’d like to pay it forward.”
“I get it. Like I said, leave it with me for a few days. I’ll write up a basic framework, and we can set up a meeting at Venom this weekend. Does that work?” I can see why Dalton fell head over heels for Nadia. She’s amazingly smart.
