Read Online BURN (The HEAT Series Book 1) by Deborah Bladon - Free Book Online
Authors: Deborah Bladon
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dish?"
"You better fucking believe they will." He laughs. "You're going to prepare it with me on the show."
My heart drops. I feel some of the eyes of the other staff darting to my face. I didn't sit down at this table in the middle of the dining room with any warning about what was taking place at this meeting. I thought it was another boring Tuesday morning staff gathering where Darrell talks about what he cooked his wife for dinner on the weekend and we all tell him how sweet he is.
"Isn't that Cadence's gig?" Drea pipes up. "She kills it on there. Is it a threesome now?"
There are muffled laughs in the dining room as Tyler turns to look at her. "It's my gig. I represent Nova. Maribel prepared this dish so it's Maribel who will be cooking it on television."
He doesn't even glance in my direction. I feel like I'm being punished for choosing halibut as a protein instead of salmon. I also feel like I'm being overlooked because I'm the one he's fucking.
No one in this restaurant can accuse Chef Monroe of giving special perks to his lover. I'll be the first to testify to that.
"I expect you all to get up to speed on the preparation of Maribel's dish." Tyler turns in a circle as he addresses everyone. His chef's jacket pressed to perfection, his dark slacks just as pristine. His hair is trimmed again, and the stubble that was present the last time he ate me to orgasm has been wiped away with the edge of a blade. "The dish debuts on the menu tomorrow."
Tomorrow? That means that I'll spend the rest of today cleaning whole salmons, before I filet them for the real chefs to cook for lunch.
***
I close the cooler for the last time, grateful that my shift has finished for the day. My hands are dry and swollen from working near water the entire day. I thought I'd be put on the fish station since Darrell has told me repeatedly how amazed he is with my knife skills.
That never happened. He gave the job of working with the salmon to Drea and another junior chef who had to show her step-by-step what to do. I picked up the slack left by them which meant peeling potatoes and carrots for hours straight.
Once I was done with that, I helped with dinner service doing garnishes. I'm exhausted and as soon as I'm home, I'm going to bed.
I'm about to leave the kitchen to head to the area where the lockers are. It's a small room, tucked in the corner of the kitchen. Each employee is given a narrow metal locker to store their belongings during their shift. Although each locker comes equipped with a padlock, I'm one of the few who actually make use of it. I lock my purse in it before I start every shift.
I take a step and then I see Tyler round the corner from the dining room. He's rushed, a scowl on his face, perspiration dotting his forehead. Chef Monroe entertained the mayor and his wife tonight at the chef's table.
Unfortunately, all didn't go as planned. There were small mistakes made by the head chef that resulted in the mayor's wife refusing to eat her lamb because it was undercooked.
I didn't take any enjoyment in that. If someone fucks up, it's a reflection of all of us. Tyler is the one who takes it the hardest though.
"Cadence," he calls my name from across the kitchen. "I want to talk to you."
I want to go home and make a tent out of my bedsheets so I can camp out there for the night, or maybe a few nights.
"Not tonight," I say curtly. "I'm going home. I'll be back before noon tomorrow. You can talk to me then."
"The attitude," he begins as he crosses the space separating us. "What's that about?"
How rich that he's questioning me on my attitude. I did the job I was required to do. I'm off the clock. I don't owe him a thing, but I will offer a simple explanation. "I don't have an attitude, Chef. I'm tired. I'd like to go home now."
He kisses my forehead as I stand there seething with unbridled resentment and exhaustion. "I'll take you home, Cadence. We can leave right now."
CHAPTER 18
"I meant I wanted
"You better fucking believe they will." He laughs. "You're going to prepare it with me on the show."
My heart drops. I feel some of the eyes of the other staff darting to my face. I didn't sit down at this table in the middle of the dining room with any warning about what was taking place at this meeting. I thought it was another boring Tuesday morning staff gathering where Darrell talks about what he cooked his wife for dinner on the weekend and we all tell him how sweet he is.
"Isn't that Cadence's gig?" Drea pipes up. "She kills it on there. Is it a threesome now?"
There are muffled laughs in the dining room as Tyler turns to look at her. "It's my gig. I represent Nova. Maribel prepared this dish so it's Maribel who will be cooking it on television."
He doesn't even glance in my direction. I feel like I'm being punished for choosing halibut as a protein instead of salmon. I also feel like I'm being overlooked because I'm the one he's fucking.
No one in this restaurant can accuse Chef Monroe of giving special perks to his lover. I'll be the first to testify to that.
"I expect you all to get up to speed on the preparation of Maribel's dish." Tyler turns in a circle as he addresses everyone. His chef's jacket pressed to perfection, his dark slacks just as pristine. His hair is trimmed again, and the stubble that was present the last time he ate me to orgasm has been wiped away with the edge of a blade. "The dish debuts on the menu tomorrow."
Tomorrow? That means that I'll spend the rest of today cleaning whole salmons, before I filet them for the real chefs to cook for lunch.
***
I close the cooler for the last time, grateful that my shift has finished for the day. My hands are dry and swollen from working near water the entire day. I thought I'd be put on the fish station since Darrell has told me repeatedly how amazed he is with my knife skills.
That never happened. He gave the job of working with the salmon to Drea and another junior chef who had to show her step-by-step what to do. I picked up the slack left by them which meant peeling potatoes and carrots for hours straight.
Once I was done with that, I helped with dinner service doing garnishes. I'm exhausted and as soon as I'm home, I'm going to bed.
I'm about to leave the kitchen to head to the area where the lockers are. It's a small room, tucked in the corner of the kitchen. Each employee is given a narrow metal locker to store their belongings during their shift. Although each locker comes equipped with a padlock, I'm one of the few who actually make use of it. I lock my purse in it before I start every shift.
I take a step and then I see Tyler round the corner from the dining room. He's rushed, a scowl on his face, perspiration dotting his forehead. Chef Monroe entertained the mayor and his wife tonight at the chef's table.
Unfortunately, all didn't go as planned. There were small mistakes made by the head chef that resulted in the mayor's wife refusing to eat her lamb because it was undercooked.
I didn't take any enjoyment in that. If someone fucks up, it's a reflection of all of us. Tyler is the one who takes it the hardest though.
"Cadence," he calls my name from across the kitchen. "I want to talk to you."
I want to go home and make a tent out of my bedsheets so I can camp out there for the night, or maybe a few nights.
"Not tonight," I say curtly. "I'm going home. I'll be back before noon tomorrow. You can talk to me then."
"The attitude," he begins as he crosses the space separating us. "What's that about?"
How rich that he's questioning me on my attitude. I did the job I was required to do. I'm off the clock. I don't owe him a thing, but I will offer a simple explanation. "I don't have an attitude, Chef. I'm tired. I'd like to go home now."
He kisses my forehead as I stand there seething with unbridled resentment and exhaustion. "I'll take you home, Cadence. We can leave right now."
CHAPTER 18
"I meant I wanted
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