6 comments/ 33297 views/ 15 favorites A Chef For All Seasons By: magicalmouse I could feel the sweat trickling slowly down my back; snaking its way between my shoulder blades as we worked. It had gotten so hot that even the waiting staff had noticed, pulling at their tight collars as they waited by the hotplates. We were an hour into service and the only thing keeping me going was the knowledge that Alex was having an equally hard time, and, for the second time that evening I heard his muttered curses as he caught the side of his hand against one of the stoves' back burners. Our boss, resplendent in full highland dress was dividing his time between the resident's lounge and the kitchen, making sure that everything was running smoothly, and to all intents and purposes, it was, but only because we committed ourselves one hundred percent to our work. From my worktable at the back of the kitchen, I had a clear view of the raised area in the kitchen where the stoves and hotplates sat; but my attention was not on the many skillets and stockpots that filled the area. I had been harbouring a massive crush on our head chef for months, but since I had been given no reason to think that my feelings would be reciprocated in any way, I kept my silence. He barely spared me a glance as I took the starter orders I had completed over to where he was working, instead, focusing all his attention on the plates sitting under the lights that were waiting to be garnished before going out to the restaurant. As I walked back to my station, I could see pots overflowing from the massive double sinks where our kitchen porter was working hard to look inconspicuous. For the next two hours it seemed as though we were feeding the entire population of the west coast of Scotland; Donald, the porter had been dragged away from the sinks and promoted for the evening to help with garnishing starters and main-courses under Alex's watchful eyes. Pride filled his young face as Alex thanked him for his help when the orders slowed down and afterwards, he went back to washing his pots with a smile. When the last order for the evening came off the boards, I heaved a sigh of relief and went outside to sit on the steps that led up to the cabin that I shared with Alex. The cool late evening breeze washed over my heated face and I closed my eyes to it and let my head drop back slightly. The clatter of pots in the kitchen was almost soothing and I shivered as the coldness of the concrete step began to seep into me. "Would you care to join us in the kitchen, Kate?" Alex's voice whispered near my ear and I gave a start, I hadn't even heard him come out of the kitchen. "Here was me thinking that you two strapping guys could handle cleaning up a little kitchen between you." I teased, giving up any notions of rest now that I had been caught out. "Ah, maybe we could, but as you well know, that kitchen needs a woman's touch to make it really sparkle, the way Mr Adamson likes it." He stuck his tongue out as I opened my eyes and I tried my best to look grumpy but failed miserably and aimed my service towel at his head as he ducked back into the kitchen. While Alex busied himself in his small office with the menus for the next day, Donald and I set to work on the kitchen, while he cleared the sink area, I washed down the worktables and swept and mopped the walkways. It was nearly ten o'clock when I waved goodbye to Donald and Alex was still scribbling away when I left the kitchen. I hurried up to my bedroom to strip out of the whites that had acted like a magnet for every available kind of stain that evening, showering quickly before setting my hair in a French braid. Less than twenty minutes after leaving the kitchen I was pulling on my jeans and thrusting my feet into my hiking boots. My skin was still slightly damp as I tugged on a t-shirt but it was too late to worry; I had arranged to meet some of the dayshift staff in the local pub and I was already late. Alex had declined the invitation to join us earlier and disappointment had cut into me, but I had bitten my lip and said nothing, hoping in a corner of my mind that he would change his mind at some point. After getting dropped off outside the pub by one of the waiting staff, I joined my friends, who, by the looks of them had been enjoying the Landlord's hospitality for more than a couple of hours. Tourists crowded the main bar area, but from where we were sitting we had an excellent vantage point, and were able to watch the comings and goings with ease. I couldn't help but watch the main entrance, half hoping that Alex would pop his head round the door, but as the hands of the clock moved round I knew that it was an unlikely possibility. As I looked down, I realised that if he had turned up, then I was hardly dressed in any manner that would have had him drooling. I wore my faded Levi jeans and favourite Linkin Park t-shirt like a uniform when I wasn't working, hardly the epitome of femininity, it had to be said. An hour later, I had completely given up on watching the door and was trying to focus on my friends, who were caught up in a quiet debate about one of the hotel guests. To say that I was drunk was probably a slight understatement; I had reached the point of feeling sober again so I knew I was far from it. As the evening had progressed I had been sliding further and further down in my seat and was beginning to view the world from an odd angle, but with the beer goggles firmly in place, there was nothing on earth that could shift the inane smile from my face, even if, on the inside I was less than happy. I was away in my own melancholy little world, numbed by my friend's chatter, which had been drifting over my head for at least an hour or so. I hoped, that I was nodding and laughing falsely in the right places, and, if I wasn't, then they gave no indication that they had noticed, for good friends overlook that kind of thing. My lungs were slowly choking on the smoke that hung thickly in the air and the babble of excited chatter from the other patrons kept drifting in and out, almost like someone was tuning an invisible radio; but, most of the time I realised that I was stuck in between channels, none of them interesting enough to enjoy and I knew then that it was time to move. Despite my their protestations I made my unsteady way to the main door and lurched through it and into the cold night air. For a minute, I just stood there, breathing deeply, trying to rid my head of the heavy cotton wool feeling. At that moment I should have dug my mobile out of my jacket pocket and made a quick call to the local taxi office but I did not, deciding instead to walk the two miles back to the hotel. The road to the hotel was little more than a forestry track, large enough for the occasional delivery vans and the cars of the hotel guests. In early summertime the trees either side of the road would almost touch, creating a tunnel which the sun would pierce through in places, giving the ground a dappled appearance, but now that the summer had drawn to an end, the leaves had changed into their autumn colours, drifting down in a strange butterfly dance to blanket the ground. I enjoyed the walk in the daytime but at night when each small sound seemed to be magnified a hundredfold, then it was another matter entirely and something I wouldn't do unless I had company, but this evening I was made braver by several tequilas and one very fat and juicy tequila worm. I left the last house of the village behind me, turned left and started walking up the short incline and into the trees, feeling the road level off as I walked into the darkness where the streetlights couldn't penetrate. So that I wouldn't spend too much time thinking about what might be hiding in among the trees I thought about Alex. I had met him for the first time at the beginning of April, the start of our season. Even thinking about our first meeting was enough to have my stomach muscles clenching and my blood pumping a little faster than normal. I would loved to have said that his warm laughing brown eyes were the first thing that peaked my interest, but I would have been lying, or maybe the way his faded, ragged-looking jeans hugged his long powerful thighs but that too would have been a lie. It wasn't even the way his teeth bit down on his bottom lip as he looked uncertainly at me for the first time. It was simply that he was bald, not even a shadow of stubble darkened his smooth, slightly tanned head and my hands just itched to stroke him. As I stuttered my hellos and thrust my sweaty hand into his large one, his look of uncertainty only increased as he withdrew his hand quickly. I found out later as we both scrubbed down the kitchen, in readiness for the arrival of the first guests the next day, that he was twenty-eight, single, and much to his mother's chagrin and mine, intended to stay that way. He was a New Zealander by birth but had spent the last three years staying with Scottish relatives and working in the kitchen of a large hotel chain in the nations capital, Edinburgh. After working for a faceless boss with no sign of promotion from his post as second chef for three years, he had grown bored and decided to try out seasonal work. The vacancy at the King's Arms had come at an opportune time for him and he had been over the moon when instead of getting the second chef's job, the position of head chef had been offered. I loved the softness of his voice, his beautiful accent, and as he spoke, my eyes were irresistibly drawn to his mouth; it left me wondering what it might be like to be kissed by him, to have him whispering in my ear. I knew almost immediately that it would take a major effort on my part to keep my wayward thoughts in check if I was to get any work done. I also knew that I had fallen for him completely. Slowly as the weeks passed by we relaxed into an easy going friendship, but I only gave free reign to my thoughts when I was in my bed at night, where I used my fingers and my vibrator to tease my body as my mind conjured up images of both Alex and myself in most wicked of compromising positions. Often I wondered if my moans could be heard in the next bedroom but if they were then Alex gave no indication and I made no effort to stifle them. Just the idea that he might have been listening to me as I climaxed seemed to heighten the sensations that coursed through me but as I let myself go and his name fell from my lips, it emerged as no more than a whisper in between ragged breaths. This was my second season at the Hotel; I had spent the previous year as a kitchen porter, eager and naïve, learning all I could about cooking for service while keeping on top of the mountain of pots the demonic head chef kept piling up at the sinks. By the time October came and the season came to a close I was able to cover the second chef's nights off, much to the annoyance of the head chef who thought that women had no place in working kitchens. Luckily, Mr Adamson had taken a shine to me and the chef realised half way through the season that there was no easy way to get rid of me. That winter I had wandered round Ireland, staying briefly with a few people that I had known from college, only leaving when I was contacted by Mr Adamson who wanted me to come back for a second season. David was new to the kitchen this year, my replacement and a local from the village. His mother was our head housekeeper so he was always on his best behaviour, this was his first job and I was doing my level best to make sure that it was a better experience for him that it had been for me the previous year and so far, he was coping pretty well. The majority of the house and waiting staff were also local, working for the large part of the season on a part time basis, a couple of the oldest ones had adopted me and it was with them that I went to the pub with, once or twice a week. Between us, we catered for a maximum of one hundred covers each evening, but more often than not, the numbers only reached their limit midway through the season. No matter what they were, we always did our level best to make sure that their stays were as comfortable as possible and the meals we cooked each night were of the highest standard. So far, there had been no complaints and the visitor's book was full of glowing compliments and many promises of return visits for the following year, which pleased our boss no end. If I was being honest, the compliments for the meals were down to Alex and no one else, he had a flair for cooking outstanding meals and compiling menus that the previous chef couldn't quite match. My feet crunched over the gravel-strewn road and I increased the speed of my gait, sighing with relief as I saw the lights of the hotel twinkling in the distance. It was unlikely that Alex would still be up, most nights he only stayed around long enough to make sure that the kitchen was left in a clean state and that the menus for the next day were drawn up and sent through to reception to get printed up. This meant that each night we would both know what we would be preparing the following morning. Aside from that, we rotated the breakfast shifts between us, and as the season progressed whoever was acting as kitchen porter was trained to cover the breakfast shift if they felt able to cope. Even if there were any problems, the cabin where we stayed was within shouting distance of the kitchen. As I walked into the car park beside the resident's lounge, I could see the kilted figure of Mr Adamson picking up the marble slab we normally used to lay out the after-dinner petit fours from the bar, sneaking one of the treats into his mouth before leaving the room. Each night he saw to it that the leftover sweets were put into the waiter's fridge for the morning staff to finish off with their mid-morning cup of tea. Even if there had been none left, I always made sure there were some spare in the dessert fridge. I thought better of going into the hotel and instead, walked round the outside and on towards the back where the cabin sat, nestled among tall trees. The walk had certainly cleared my head, the cold air, making short work of the cobwebs. Although the curtains of Alex's room were drawn, I could see his lamplight filtering through the thin material, creating a warm glow. I had never been into his room, only ever managing to catch a glimpse of what it looked like through the window in the passing, and as far as I could make out, he was a very tidy person. The main door was open and I let myself in as quietly as possible but my boots sounded very loud on the bare wooden floor in the small porch. It was as I bent down to untie the laces that I realised that I wasn't completely sober and I suddenly felt the ground rushing up to meet my face and seconds later I found myself sprawled on the floor. For a moment I was too stunned to move and I couldn't figure out whether I was hurt enough to cry out or just to laugh at myself, but as I tried to move it was decided for me and I winced as my nose and cheek began to throb. The sharp bang of Alex's bedroom door being flung open had me bringing my head up sharply and I realised I wasn't alone, I prayed that the ground would open up underneath me, but my wish wasn't about to be granted. Heat flooded my cheeks and to compound my embarrassment I felt my nose start to run, quickly I swiped the back of my hand across my face and sniffed loudly. "Jesus honey, what did that floor ever do to you?" He said laughing softly as he crouched down beside me. "It's been giving me mean looks for days now, what can I say?" I tried laughing but it hurt too much. I could feel the trickle from my nose again and wiped again with my hand, gasping with shock as I saw a streak of red. Here I was collapsed at the feet of the man that I loved, with a bloody nose and probably a black eye. "I think we'd better get some ice on that quickly or you're going to be bruised to hell." He brought his arms around me and gently helped me up and into the small bathroom that we shared. "Christ alone knows what I look like now, I'm really sorry I got you out of bed, I was trying to take my boots off so I wouldn't disturb you." "Ah well, best laid plans and all that. Listen, hold this flannel against your nose and tilt your head back while I go down to the kitchen for some ice and please for gods sake don't pick any more fights while I'm gone." I accepted the cloth and sat down on the edge of the bath, trying to avoid looking in the mirror; that would only serve to depress me further. It didn't take long for him to find the ice and he sat down beside me, holding the ice pack against my cheek while we waited for my nose to stop bleeding. He put his free arm around my back and I realised with a little surprise that this was the closest that I had ever physically been to him; I let out a little sigh and nestled in a little closer, not caring what his reaction would be. "Maybe you shouldn't work tomorrow, you're going to have one helluva sore head, as well as a nasty hangover." He clicked his tongue loudly and lifted the flannel out of my hand. "Thanks for reminding Alex but I should be fine, I'll just take some painkillers and hope the bruising isn't too bad. I don't think my nose is broken though." I reached up and ran the tip of a finger down the bridge of my nose; not feeling any unusual bumps or breaks. "It might not be broken but it's going to be a very interesting colour in the morning." He had stood back up and threw the bloodied flannel into the wastepaper basket before retrieving a fresh one from the shelf above the sink. After rinsing it in warm water, he started to wipe my face gently and it was all that I could do to stop from sighing under his gentle ministrations. All too soon he was done and his hand wrapped around mine as he led me from the bathroom and through to my own bedroom. After seeing me into my room, I fully expected him to retreat to his own but he didn't, instead he followed me quietly into the darkness and felt around for the light switch, flooding the room with a bright light that my eyes did not appreciate. Quickly I went to the bedside lamp and motioned for him to switch off the main light, sighing as my eyes stopped hurting. "You don't have to watch over me you know Alex, I'm a big girl now." I gave him a smile and sank down thankfully onto the edge of the mattress. "Don't I know it, but I want to make sure you get yourself into bed before I go, Mr Adamson would have my hide if I didn't take care of you properly." I conceded the point with a faint inclination of my head and pushed my boots off wearily. If it had been any other time, then I would have taken more time to appreciate the picture he presented, barefoot and bare-chested, legs deliciously bare, and naked save for the pair of shorts that I had to assume he wore for sleeping. As my eyes roamed, they were drawn sharply back to his crotch and I noticed for the first time just how lovingly the jersey material hugged his hips and emphasized the outline of his manhood, I swallowed deeply and swung my legs up onto the bed. "You can't sleep in your clothes Kate, get them off now!" "I'm not taking my clothes off in front of you and besides I can't be bothered." I felt a wave of sleep wash over me and all I wanted to do at that moment was to shut my eyes and let nature take its course. "If you don't then I will, don't think that I won't." He warned. "You just want to see my panties, don't you?" I couldn't believe what I had just said, but at least I could blame it on being drunk if he mentioned it again. "Sure Kate, whatever you think." He sighed loudly and crossed the short distance to the bed, kneeling on the edge, his fingers swiftly unbuttoning the fly of my jeans. Sober, I might have raised a few half-hearted objections, but mellowed and tired, I couldn't find the energy and lay limply as he yanked my jeans over my hips. A Chef For All Seasons With my eyes half-opened I watched the expressions flit across his face, exasperation, surprise and triumph as he managed to free me of my jeans. I couldn't remember the last time someone had taken care of me the way he was, but it felt good. As he pulled my t-shirt over my head, I wrinkled my nose as the smell of stale smoke filled my nose, but soon it was gone and I was lying in front of him in the only matching underwear that I possessed. "I don't know what to make of you at all Kate, all feminine curves from the neck down and topped by a face that looks as though it's gone a round with Mike Tyson." He laughed softly and moved to sit on the edge of the bed, using his fingertips to smooth away the strands of hair that lay across the bruised side of my face. "Well thank you for the compliment, Chef, it's been duly noted." I mumbled sleepily and made no effort to cover my yawns as his fingers continued to stroke lightly over my cheek. Finally I closed my eyes as he brought his head close to mine, fully expecting him to try and kiss me, unfortunately he didn't and I felt his lips brush against my forehead in an almost brotherly fashion. "Sleep angel." He whispered as I tried to open my eyes, but it was useless and I gave in to a wave of sleep that carried me away. It felt as though I had just closed my eyes, but the rude jangling of my alarm clock told me that it was seven o'clock in the morning and I had been asleep for six hours, it just didn't seem possible. I stretched my arm out and swept it off the bedside table, smiling with a degree of satisfaction as it clattered to the floor and went silent, just a few more minutes then I would seriously contemplate getting up, after all it wasn't my turn to cook breakfasts that morning... was it? I decided that it couldn't possibly be and stretched out slowly beneath the heavy comforter. I quickly realised that the last thing I remembered from the previous night was that I had fallen asleep above the quilt and I had been wearing all my clothes, but, right at that moment, judging by the way the soft cotton material was sliding over my body, I was completely and utterly naked. I gulped hard, slid down under the quilt and tried to ignore the red tide of heat that was flooding my aching face. There was a chance that Alex wouldn't refer to what had happened the previous night, but it was only a slim one. Minutes later I gave up on hiding and slunk into the bathroom to survey the damage I had sustained in my fall, judging by the colourful bruising there was no way I would get away without a grilling from the rest of the staff. There were no sounds coming from Alex's room so I assumed he had either slept in or he was already in the kitchen, helping Donald. After showering quickly, I covered the bruise on my cheekbone and the side of my nose with a liberal layer of concealer and went back through to my bedroom to change into my chef whites. This morning I would wear a slightly more flamboyant pair of chef's trousers than the normal checks that Alex favoured wearing; hopefully the broadly striped black and white trousers would divert some of the attention away from my face. As much as I would have liked to wear my long hair down to hide at least part of the bruise I could not and had to tie it back firmly. I slid my feet into my kitchen clogs and aimed a kick at my traitorous boots on the way out the door, steeling myself mentally for any comments that might be cast in my direction. Even though it was still early, the clatter of pots and the shouts for orders reached my ears before I went inside, and by the sounds of it, Alex was in a less than jovial mood, which was completely unlike him. The waiting staff barely spared me a glance as I made my way to the back of the kitchen, all their eyes were on Donald, more orders for breakfast clutched in their hands as he struggled to cope under Alex's watchful eyes. I drew in a sharp breath as Donald fluffed an order, watching with surprised eyes as Alex pushed him unceremoniously out of the way and took his place behind the hotplates. In all the weeks we had worked together I had never seen him come even close to losing his temper and it was apparent that the rest of the staff were just as surprised as I was, to say nothing of Donald who made his sorry way over to where I was emptying the dessert fridge. "What's bothering him this morning Donald, did he say anything when he came in?" I asked, concern filling me as I saw the young lad struggling to hold back tears. "He's said nowt Kate, don't think he got much sleep last night by the looks of it; he's been like a bear with a sore head since he came in, Mr Adamson is keeping well clear in reception." He shook his head and together we worked in silence until Alex had finished the breakfast service and had sent through the leftovers to the staff-room for the house-maids and waiting staff, I shooed Donald away, telling him to go eat while I had a quiet word with Alex. Much as I didn't want to, there was no way we could carry on working in such a tense atmosphere. He hadn't even looked me in the eye since I had entered the kitchen but there was no way he could ignore me if there was no one else around. "Alex?" He had his back to me and was looking out the largest window in the kitchen that overlooked the small herb garden we used and on towards the cabin where we both stayed. "What's up with you this morning? You nearly had the lad in tears and you've been biting everyone's heads off from what I've heard, so what gives?" I went to stand by his side and put my hand on his arm, waiting for an explanation. "Where would you like me to start Kate? Perhaps it would please you to know that I didn't get any sleep at all last night, or maybe you want to hear how horny I got just by helping you out of your clothes. Or that when you were lying there in just your skimpy little bra and panties that I found it impossible to leave your room after you fell asleep." He shook his head slowly and I saw the whites of his knuckles as he gripped the edge of the worktable. I felt myself go red but at the same time, I could feel the stirrings of triumph as I realised that he was not totally oblivious to me. "I did wonder this morning why I was completely naked and I can't say I relished the prospect of working with you after everything... well you know." I stumbled. "I couldn't stop myself, I just wanted to touch you; and when I should have walked away, it was impossible. Seeing you just lying there, did me in hun and when you started moaning I just had to see what was underneath those little scraps of underwear you were wearing." He gave a harsh laugh and turned to face me, placing both of his hands on my shoulders. "I don't know what to say Alex..." "You don't have to say anything Kate, it's my problem to deal with, not yours. I just wish to God you weren't a ... Oh, never mind, we can't undo what's already been done, but it would have been interesting to find out if we fit together as perfectly in bed as we do in the kitchen." I was stunned. "What was that? You wish to God I wasn't a what?" I pulled out of his reach and held his eye. "Shit, it's nothing, forget I said anything." He turned towards his worktable and began to sharpen his boning knife quickly, but his attempts at distraction failed. "Tell me what you were going to say or I'm going to go through to reception and tell Mr Adamson exactly how well you looked after me last night!" I planted my hands on my hips and waited. "Okay, okay, I was going to say, that I wish to God you weren't a lesbian. Satisfied now Kate?" He stared out the window and shook his head slowly. I felt my jaw drop and for a moment I was too shocked to say anything, but seconds later I let out a screech of fury which had him jumping back with fright. "A what? I'm not a bloody lesbian, not that I have anything against a persons right to live their life the way they want to, but I'm not one of them." I ignored the sound of footsteps coming through to the kitchen from the staff-room and walked slowly towards Alex who was looking around, possibly for a means of escape. "Whatever you say sweetheart." He said, but I could see that he clearly didn't believe me. "Who told you I was? You better tell me right now before I really lose my temper!" I was already angry. "Umm... it was Mr Adamson actually, he told me at my interview. He said you were so butch that it would be like working with another man, you can imagine how surprised I was when we first met and I found out just how utterly feminine you were." He had his hands up in a defensive gesture, much to the merriment of the staff that had gathered round the doorway. I would have to have this out with the boss himself and he had a lot of explaining to do. Ignoring Alex and the rest of the staff, I marched out of the kitchen, into the restaurant and through to the reception area where the last of the residents that were due to leave were making their way out to the car park. I stood quietly for a moment, watching as my boss busied himself with the weekly staff rotas, when he was done I gave a small cough and he spun round on his chair, a guilty look on his face. "A butch lesbian Mr Adamson? Does that ring any bells at all?" As angry as I was, I decided that shouting at him was going to achieve nothing whatsoever. "Well, I ... Kate, I only had your best interests at heart, after the hard time you had last year I thought the last thing you needed was another chef falling for your obvious charms." "What the hell are you talking about?" I was confused. "David, our last head chef was in love with you, I'm surprised you never guessed and even more surprised he said nothing but then I'm sure his wife wouldn't have appreciated the sentiment. That's why he wasn't invited back this year, I didn't want to warn him off you, telling Alex you were a lesbian was my feeble way of protecting you." "Do you have any idea how long I've loved him and now I know why he showed no interest in me and when the end of the season comes in a month it's unlikely I'll ever see him again." "Hell Kate, I had no idea you had any feelings towards him, other than friendship, I can only apologise, if you want I'll have a word with him." Give the man his due, he did look suitably sorry. My heart sank in my chest, there was so little time left for us; that was if Alex believed Mr Adamson, there was always a chance he wouldn't. "It's okay Mr Adamson you don't have to say anything, I heard it all, I think Kate and I have some talking to do later, for the moment though, these starters and desserts won't prepare themselves I want your ass back in the kitchen right now." I felt my ass being lightly slapped as I walked past him and in the same instant my anger lessened considerably. At the mention of preparing food my stomach, which up until that point had been behaving itself, turned over and my hangover kicked in. I shot them both a shaky smile and made my way slowly back to the kitchen which was quiet save for the sound of the fans and Donald's lilting voice humming along with a song on the radio. It had to be said that after finding out that I wasn't a lesbian, he was much more relaxed and offered Donald an apology for giving him such a hard time that morning. The rest of the day was spent preparing the food for evening service, and with the help of painkillers, I was able to ignore my hangover, but I could not ignore the fluttering in my stomach or my shaking hands. As we worked in a companionable silence I caught him looking at me more than once but instead of turning away, his eyes held mine until I was forced to turn away from the look of naked want I saw there. The rest of the house staff, after judging it safe to come back into the kitchen, cornered me, curious to know how I had managed to acquire such wonderful bruises and to find out just what was going on between Alex and me. I told them I had tripped over the step and omitted the part where Alex stripped me naked while I slept and pleaded ignorance on the latter subject. Eventually the housemaids left for the day and Donald headed back to the village for a few hours until he was needed for evening service. However, if I thought that Alex would use the quietness as an opportunity to make a pass at me then I was to be sadly disappointed, but I could feel a small ball of excitement start to grow inside me as I thought of what might happen after we were finished for the night. Neither of us took a break that afternoon, the day would pass quicker if we kept ourselves busy, it was like an unspoken agreement, and it was working; I barely noticed the time and was surprised as I heard Donald coming back into the kitchen. The waiting staff were back and busying themselves with setting the tables, it was as though nothing notable had happened, well I guess it hadn't, not for them at any rate. It was nearly eight o'clock in the evening and service was in full swing, the noise in the kitchen was at a deafening level as pots and pans were thrown in a steady stream to the huge double sink where David stood cowering to one side. I almost felt sorry for him, almost, only because I could not spare the time for sympathy. Alex was holding court behind the hotplates while keeping his eye on numerous main courses that had to be cooked to perfection and garnished to within an inch of their lives. I was tucked away in the furthest corner of the kitchen, trying my best to avoid eye contact with anyone other than the waiting staff who seemed to be coming in a never-ending stream in my direction demanding desserts. "Kate, get your ass over here and help me out with these bloody main courses, the waiting staff have fucked up again!" Alex's roar silenced the staff who were standing patiently waiting for plates to take out to the restaurant. "Not a chance, I've got at least twenty sweet orders to do, sort out your own mess." There was no way I was going to go over there willingly. "The waiters can help David put them together, make him earn his wages, we aren't a charity." His voice was scathing to say the least. "If we aren't a charity Alex why the hell did Mr Adamson employ you?" I replied cheekily. "Because I'm the only one that would put up with you Kate, now move that butt!" His eyes caught mine and I laughed. After showing David how to present the sweets that I had prepped earlier, I left him in the very capable hands of the waiting staff and washed my hands before joining Alex by the stoves. "Okay Katie, I need to do six mussel with hot coconut sauce starters and four wild mushroom stews, the filo baskets are on the tray over above the hot-lamps, then you can get started on some main courses." The sweat was beginning to trickle down the side of his cheek and it took a lot of willpower to stop myself from going over and wiping it away with my tongue. "Would you like me to slide a broom up my ass and brush the floor at the same time?" I raised an arm, defending myself from the rolled up tea towel that was sure to be sailing in my direction. Sure enough, the balled up towel hit me softly before falling to the floor where I kicked it under the stainless steel workbench where I was setting out the starters. My joking had helped put everyone in the kitchen at ease once more and together we worked, clearing the backlog of orders until I judged it was safe to return to my own corner. The rest of service passed in a blur and it wasn't long before we were wiping down for the night and the excitement that I had managed to keep a lid on since the morning was threatening to spill over. Alex shooed me out of the kitchen so that I could grab the shower first while he took care of the menus for the following day and I was more nervous at that point than I had been at any point in my life before. I hadn't stopped to think about how far things might progress between us, or even what he would expect from me. I was still trying to make sense of my thoughts as I stepped beneath the hot spray of the shower and no closer to any answers; hopefully they would come when Alex was finished for the night. It was a relief to loosen my hair from its tight confines and I shivered as the silky red strands tickled their way down my back. Quickly I worked a glob of shampoo into my scalp and sighed with pleasure as my fingers massaged away the last vestiges of my headache. There was no telling how long Alex would be so I rinsed my hair and finished showering, wanting at least a few minutes on my own to figure out what I was going to wear. Wrapping a towel around myself, I padded through to my room and drew the curtains on the night outside before turning to my wardrobe, which was sadly lacking in 'fuck me' clothes. In fact, thinking about it, I had never made a big deal of buying those sorts of clothes, there had never been anyone in my life that I had ever wanted to dress up for; up until this point. It would have been nice to wear some sexy lingerie, but after foraging around in my underwear drawer, I could find nothing but sports bras, the one and only skimpy one I owned was now languishing at the bottom of the dirty washing basket. In the end, I decided not to wear any sort of underwear, with any luck it would save some time later. I was still trying to decide what to wear when I heard the bang of the kitchen door and Alex's cheerful whistling as he made his way along the path to the cabin. Quickly I dropped the towel and pulled a pair of sleep shorts out of the wardrobe along with a tit hugging t-shirt. I was dressed in lightning quick time and was towelling dry my hair as I heard the shower being turned on in the bathroom. There was no point in putting on any make-up; he had seen me at my worst already. I began to take slower breaths as I heard the shower being turned off and I could feel my nipples begin to harden and poke against the soft material of my t-shirt, a sure sign of how turned on I was. I had made myself comfortable on my bed when he knocked on the door and it was while I was rubbing my slightly sweaty palms on my quilt that I shouted for him to come in. He was dressed similarly to myself, and didn't look nervous at all. "Well, we got through today without jumping on each-other, only just on my part I might add, and now there's nothing to stop us. Do you want to spend precious time talking or will we save that for later?" His fingers were caught on the bottom hem of his t-shirt, waiting for my answer. "There will be plenty of time to talk later, I think I've waited long enough Alex, don't make me wait any longer." I was already off the bed and stood in front of him, eager to see him completely naked, my nervousness starting to disappear. "I was never much of a conversationalist anyway." He grinned briefly before pulling his t-shirt up and over his head. My hands went automatically to his chest, my fingertips tracing the outlines of his muscles, circling around his flat nipples until I felt them start to bead under my attention. As my fingers moved lower he flung his t-shirt to a corner of the room and pushed my hair back off my face, keeping his fingers speared through the strands, tilting my head back a little way, moving in close to me, his breath merely a whisper against my mouth. For a long moment there was nothing but this, and ever so gently he captured my mouth with his, gently exploring, coaxing my mouth to open under his. I sighed as his tongue slid against mine and submitted. As we kissed his thumb brushed back and forth over the bruise on my cheek, his movements taking my mind off the dull ache with more effectiveness than the painkillers that I had taken earlier I felt slightly dizzy as we broke off the kiss, and realised that I had probably forgotten to breath; it was the only explanation I could think of, but I needed to explore, taste and touch all of him. For months I had only been able to look, now there were no barriers. I stepped back a little way and bent down, flicking my tongue lazily back and forth over his nipples while my hands pushed his shorts down and over his manhood. As he stepped out of his shorts I brought myself in close to him, feeling the thick length of his erection pressing against my belly. A Chef For All Seasons "It won't bite sweetheart." He laughed softly and removed his hands from my hair and let them slide down my arms till they covered mine, pushing them lower, his breath releasing in a hiss as I touched his cock tentatively for the first time. I dropped down to my knees in front of him and just let my lips brush against the swollen purple head, back and forth, until his fingers rested on my shoulders, biting into me gently. I could smell his musk and it excited me; capturing the head in my mouth, I began to explore with my tongue, running the tip of it slowly around every ridge as I took more, letting his hands guide me, sucking gently as his moans reached me. My fingernails raked him from hip to knee and back again and it delighted me to see his muscles jump. Slowly I let my fingers stroke along the inside of his thighs, slowly moving upwards, stroking his balls, cupping them gently in the palm of my hand as my other hand grasped around the base of his cock, stroking along in time with my mouth. Willing myself to relax more I managed to take a little more of him and sucked hard, laying my tongue flat along the underside of his cock. His hips began bucking gently against my face, but as I released my hold on his balls and slid a finger towards his ass, he pulled back and away suddenly. "Hell Kate, I don't think I'm quite ready for that, up you get!" His hands helped me up and I glanced regretfully at the prize I had just lost. "Spoilsport!" I laughed and turned away, walking over to the bed. Just as I reached the edge, I felt his hands on my hips, yanking my shorts down quickly before pushing me down onto my stomach. I tried to get up but was gently pushed back down, so I rested the bruise-free side of my face against the quilt as his hands pushed my thighs apart, holding me open. He didn't explore the slick folds of my pussy, he didn't slide his fingers into me and I wanted that intimate touch so much that I wiggled my ass impatiently but was rewarded by a light smack across my ass and a thick laugh from him. With almost painful slowness his palms rubbed in circles from the top of my spine to my tailbone, then he repeated the journey, using just his fingertips, all the while keeping my thighs spread with his knees. For such a large man he had the lightest of touches, teasing me relentlessly, until it was impossible to keep quiet. As his fingers trailed over the globes of my ass I couldn't resist pushing higher, hoping he would take the hint and make a more intimate exploration, but his hands went still on me and although nothing was said, his breathing seemed louder than ever. I gasped with shock as I felt his hands tight on my ass, parting the cheeks almost roughly and as I felt the first strokes of his tongue along the length of my dripping slit, I realised that it wouldn't take much for me to cum. Trying to pull my thighs together was futile, he held me firm with his hands and continued to delve and probe with his tongue, using his nose to nudge against my tiny ass hole. I could feel my juices trickling down as he kept working me and my hands clutched at the quilt as the first wave of my orgasm blindsided me and my cries rang out. Still he stayed there, tasting every inch of me, moving back to lave his tongue around my puckered little hole, pushing forwards with increasing pressure until I was begging him to fuck me, but he did not rush, even when I pushed myself up onto my elbows. Just when I was at the point where I thought I could take no more he moved back and flipped me over and I could see his chin, shiny with my juices and lower to where his cock stood, stiff and bobbing slightly as he sat back. "After we have sex, there's no going back to the way things used to be, you know that, don't you Kate?" He whispered. "I was miserable for long enough Alex, I don't want us to carry on the way we were, but I'm not expecting more of you than you're willing to give. It's not like we can get seriously attached to each-other, we go our separate ways at the end of the month." It was a sad fact and one I didn't want to contemplate too deeply, not for the time being anyway. "Good enough Kate." A ghost of a smile touched his lips as he slid his hands under my knees and pushed them back towards my chest, spreading my pussy wide. Bringing himself in close to me, he laid the length of his cock along my slit, a searing heat against my already throbbing clit. Slowly he pulled back, coating the shaft in my juices and I was transfixed, as he was, both of us watching as the head of his cock came to rest against my slick hole. Using his knees he pushed my ass a little higher and pushed forward, sighing as the head of his cock disappeared inside me, my hands came up and I held my legs back, freeing his hands which he rested on either side of my head. There was no rush, although I desperately wanted to feel myself being stretched around him, just having the head inside me was enough to have my muscles clutching around him, trying to draw him in. "Put your legs on my shoulders sweetheart." He commanded softly, and I did as I was told and as he surged forwards I cried out, realising quickly that he was much bigger than any man I had ever been with before. His balls rested against my ass as he settled deep inside me, making no moves until he was sure that I felt comfortable, kissing away my cries as he withdrew and pushed forwards once more. I could feel every ridge and vein as he began to fuck me slowly, long slow thrusts until my body screamed out for more and I started to meet his thrusts, urging him on. Every time it looked as though I was coming close to climaxing he would slow down completely, kiss the side of my mouth, then, carry on, teasing me, denying me. Without any warning, he pulled completely out of me and pulled me up so that he could lie down, his hands holding my hips tightly, raising me up so that I was poised on the head of his cock. "Did you ever imagine this when you were lying here on your own at night Kate?" His hands dropped me down, impaling me completely on his meaty pole. "This and many other things Alex." I laughed softly and started to rock back and forth, sighing as his hands came up to cup my tits, teasing my already hardened nipples. As his hands played, so did mine, my fingers sliding through the swollen wet folds of my pussy to stroke my clit, rubbing it more frantically as I felt the head of his cock nudge against the neck of my cervix. He couldn't have been any deeper but it felt as though he was in all of me and I couldn't get enough and began to move faster on him as my fingers slipped and slid against my clit, moving lower to stroke against the base of his shaft. That was his undoing; he grabbed hold of my hips and thrust himself high into me, bruising me, fucking me and I loved every second of it; screaming out as my muscles tensed up and I started to cum. Still I rode his cock, watching as he closed his eyes to me and arched up into me one last time, flooding my pussy with his cum. His hands pulled me down, holding me close as our breathing slowed down, our over heated bodies growing cold as they cooled off, not saying a word, not having to. Carefully he rolled us to our sides, his cock still sheathed within me, my leg flung over his thigh, his hair roughened skin tickling me. We shared the most gentle of kisses then; a gentle exploration and I tasted myself on his tongue for the first time. That night we fell asleep wrapped in each-other's arms, unable to delay work the following morning in favour of a lazy morning fuck, but the day passed quicker because we knew we had the night to share. It wasn't until the last week of the season that I began to give serious thought to what we would both do when we had to go our separate ways; it wasn't something we had ever discussed, for my part anyway, it was something I purposefully avoided talking about. It was Monday morning, Donald had taken care of the breakfast orders and I was well into the preparations for the evening when Alex came into the kitchen, dressed in his regular clothes with a rucksack over one shoulder. "And where do you think you're escaping to Alex, none of us have a day off this week?" I was puzzled. "I've got to go into town for a few hours, don't worry though, I'll be back in plenty of time for service tonight." He gave a wave and was gone, not offering any more explanation for his absence. I had grown so used to being in his company that by the time the middle of the afternoon came around, I was beginning to miss him and it gnawed at me as I paced around the kitchen after Donald left for the afternoon. There were only a few people booked in for dinner that evening, it was always the same in the last week of the season, so even if he didn't make it back in time, I would be able to cope on my own with no problems. The first dinner order was in before he sauntered back into the kitchen, still with no explanations for me, but I held back on asking him, it was enough to see him behind the hotplates. By nine o'clock Mr Adamson had closed the restaurant and Alex sent Donald home. Cleaning the kitchen took very little time and together we worked in silence, save for the radio. I was lost in my own thoughts and jumped when he spoke directly behind me. "What are you're plans for the end of the week Kate?" "Not sure yet hun, I thought I might head back to Ireland or visit some family, I know it's kinda last minute but I haven't really decided yet." I had put off thinking about it for days, the end of the season meant the end of us and to be honest, I was ready for neither. "How would you feel about coming to New Zealand with me for the winter?" For once, his confident voice wavered with uncertainty. I didn't have to think twice about it, I would have gone to the ends of the world for him and with him. "Are you sure about this Alex? How will your family react if you bring a stranger into their home, especially for that long." It was all well and good taking off with him, but I was unsure about spending so long with strangers, it was a long way to go to stay somewhere you weren't welcome. "You're kidding aren't you, when I called my mum earlier after I had been to the travel agents she was muttering something about looking out some baby shawl patterns to show you, so be warned, the whole family will probably meet our flight and have a minister present." He laughed and I laughed with him, but he had planted images in my mind that could not be erased that simply. "Oh my, I didn't think she was quite that desperate to see you settled hun." I laughed. "Well, I might have given her cause to think that our relationship might become more of a permanent arrangement." For the first time since I had met him, I saw him blush, his hand reaching into the pocket of his chef's trousers, withdrawing with his fingers curled around a small jewellers box; my stomach somersaulted. "Well I guess you weren't out buying last minute souvenirs were you." I was trying to make light of the situation but my heart was thundering in my chest. "Kate, I know this might not be the most romantic place in the world to propose to you, but it's been a special place for me, I love you Kate and I just can't imagine us not being together, all you have to do is tell me that you feel the same way." His hand cupped the side of my face, his thumb catching a tear that had started to slide down my cheek. "You know that I do Alex, and my answer to your proposal..." I hesitated for a moment, enjoying the look of sudden confusion on his face. "Wench!" "How could it be anything but a yes?" I grinned as he swept me up in his arms, the ring, forgotten for the moment, in favour of a kiss that had my toes curling under. At the end of the week, we said our goodbyes to the King's Arms hotel, the staff and to the west coast of Scotland, heading south to Edinburgh where we were welcomed into the fold of his family without a raised eyebrow or question. For a week we stayed there, taking the time to enjoy the castle and taking guided walks as most tourists do in the evenings there, hearing about the ghostly goings on in the ancient back streets and alleyways. On the day we left Scotland, I knew beyond doubt that the man sitting beside me was the one that I would spend the rest of my life with, willingly and happily. His hand covered mine, his fingers tracing along the ring that shone with a fire of its own on the third finger of my left hand, a lasting token of our promise to each other.