A Chef's Sacrifice
“You alright there, Sam?” Franky, the waiter asked with a wry smile when he returned to the kitchen. “If you’re that red in the face just from talking to her, imagine what you would look like after-”
“Shoosh you,” Sam cut him off. “Keep your wisecracks for later and go get me some octopus from the freezer and a pack of nori. And help Jake with the sous chef work – I’m making the new one for our celebrity.”
Sam set about mixing a marinade of soy sauce, sesame oil, and mirin for the octopus. He tried hard to focus on what he was doing but found it hard to resist the urge to look up and through into the restaurant. Each time he did, and saw her serenely sipping on her wine and taking in the surroundings, he felt his heart skip a beat. Is she coming on to me? He thought to himself as he worked. Even a fool could see that she is, but why?
As he kneaded the dough, he imagined what her smooth flesh would feel like under his palms instead; soft and responsive. The thought sent him on a spiral of imagination, and he had to go to the bathroom and splash his face with cold water to quell the warmth that was spreading inside him, not to mention the nervousness.
Regaining composure, he plated the pizza on the hardwood board and, grabbing a bottle of Pinot Noir on the way, strode out into the restaurant to join her.
“Here you go – marinated octopus, nori, and sakura cheese. You will be the first person outside of this restaurant to taste it,” he pronounced, and expertly opened the bottle of wine, pouring them each a glass.
“Well, well, well, let’s see what we have here,” she exclaimed.
She picked up a slice and looked him straight in the eye as she took a bite. Her face immediately melted into an expression of sheer ecstasy, and he watched as she chewed slowly with her eyes closed, savoring the exotic mix of flavors in her mouth.
She finished another two slices without looking up at him again until finally, she sat back and lifted her glass in his direction.
“My good chef,” she said, resuming that delightful formal tone. “I do believe you have blown me away with this most unlikely of fusions between east and west. Well done to you!”
They chinked glasses together and sipped on the wine, all the while holding each other’s gaze. He wouldn’t have believed that she could get even more seductive, but the wine had clearly helped her along, and he felt her foot on his leg under the table.
“Sam, I didn’t just come here to sample the pizza you know. As your waiters may have told you, I do restaurant reviews on my social accounts that hold a bit of sway,” she said, stroking her foot up and down his leg. “But I knew from the moment you came up all dashing and gentlemanly that I wanted to sample more than just the food at this particular restaurant. What do you say we leave your staff to close up and take this party somewhere else?”
Sam leaned back, his lips curling up into a wry smile, while simultaneously thanking the universe. Compared to other things he had done to keep his business alive in the face of adversity, this would be an absolute pleasure.