by Terry Towers
Gabriel decided to pretend not to notice her uneasiness. "And to answer your second question I prepared some seafood chowder. It's a little heavy for the time of day, but I had a hankering." Scooping out two portions of the chowder Gabriel made his way over to the table and set a steaming bowl of it in front of her and then sat down opposite of her with his serving.
"Smells. Amazing. My grandmother used to make the most delicious seafood chowder.'' Beth picked up her spoon and dipped it in. Bringing the steaming hot chowder to her mouth, she blew on it gently, aware that Gabriel's eyes were glued to her.
"I say shame on anyone living in New England who can't prepare a chowder."
Beth cringed as she lifted guilty eyes up at him.
"Present company excluded, of course." Gabriel chuckled, watching her for a reaction, but not touching his utensils. Apparently, he had no intention of eating until he had her opinion on the food.
Plopping the spoonful of chowder in her mouth, she felt like moaning from the amazing favours of the creamy soup and the perfectly cooked chunks of lobster and fish. "This is delicious." Gabriel's grin widened. "Almost as good as my Grams," she added with a wink. "So what's in it?" She scooped up another portion and popped it into her mouth.
Gabriel frowned. "Why don't you tell me. Let's test that little palate of yours."
Ahhh shit! she sighed. Okay, I can do this... "Lobster."
"That's an easy one. Go on."
"Clams."
He nodded.
Beth scooped up another helping and thrust it into her mouth savouring the creamy mixture. "Scallops."
"Two more then I want to know the seasonings in the broth."
Beth's eyes widened. Was he fucking serious? She felt like reminding him once more that she was not a chef and had never had skills in the kitchen. How was she supposed to know?
"It's very important to be able to distinguish tastes in food and be able to pick out the flavourings. It will greatly improve your skills when you are able to identify and break down a recipe simply by tasting a dish."
Beth nodded. Okay, she got that. Here was the problem. She spent most of her life living off of frozen quickie foods, most of which bore only a slight resemblance to what he'd consider real food. But they were cheap which was why she bought them. Just realizing this reminded her that he was way out of her league. But he likes you, the voice at the back of her mind responded to her self-doubt.
Deciding to at least give it a shot she scooped up another bite. "Haddock."
He nodded. "Very good."
As much as she'd have liked to give credit to her palate for that answer it was more of a logical guess than anything else.
"Alright, the final fish then we move onto the broth." He scooped up a spoonful and began to eat as he kept his eyes glued to her.
Damn, damn, damn. She had no clue, not even a guess. After a couple of minutes trying to decipher she shook her head, giving him a wry smile. "I don't know."
"Alright. What vegetables?"
"Potatoes."
"Alright, that was a given, but good."
He made her feel like she was in high school again, trying to ace an oral exam. She squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. "Onion." Another given answer.
He nodded.
She gave him an apologetic smile. "If there's any other vegetables in there I can't taste them."
He beamed at her with a reassuring nod. "Seasoning."
"Salt and pepper."
Gabriel rolled his eyes, as if to say she was stating the obvious, but nodded.
She had no idea from there. Didn't her Grams always put thyme in hers? She eyed Gabriel closely as though if she looked at him long enough the answer would appear on his forehead for her to see. She sighed, "Thyme?"
He laughed, "Your grandmother's recipe?”
She opened her mouth to protest, but instead she nodded guiltily. "Yeah."
"Well, finish up eating. Try some of the salad and biscuits," he ordered grabbing a biscuit himself, slicing it in half and buttering it up.
"Well, did I get it right?" She sincerely wanted to know. His enthusiasm for cooking and her sudden need to please him made it impossible for her not to want to know.
He clucked his tongue off of the roof of his mouth and then gave her a wink. "Can't tell ya. But I'll let you know when you're ready." He pointed to her near empty bowl. "Now finish up I have a big day planned for us."
She groaned inwardly, itching to toss one of the biscuits at him, but they looked to scrumptious to waste in a food fight. As she finished eating she couldn't help but wonder what he had in store for them.
****
"What I would like to know, is in what world, this constitutes work?" Beth raised a cynical brow at Gabriel as he took aim and once again missed capturing the neck of the glass bottle with the red ring.
Gabriel straightened up and smiled over a Beth, who was reclining against the counter of the ring toss booth, at the annual Portland fair watching him in amusement. "Well, considering you've been forced to stay here twenty minutes and counting while I fail repeatedly to do this, I would constitute that as work." Pulling out his wallet he dug out another bill and handed it to the middle-aged, toothless male carnie manning the game and was rewarded with another pail of rings.
Beth pointed to the bear hanging from the game station ceiling. "You realize you could have easily paid for one for well less than it has cost you so far to attempt to win."
Gabriel huffed. "Yeah, I know," he grumbled, tossing a ring and growling as with a faint ting sound it went flying off of the bottle top and onto the floor with the rest of his failures. But it was now a matter of principal more than anything. The large pink teddy bear hanging from the ceiling of the booth taunted him. He'd be damned if he was going to walk away without Beth having that bear. He ignored the fact that she seemed more interested in teasing him than the prize.
He tossed several more rings, each one making an annoying ting before adding to his pile of failures. This was getting ridiculous and he knew it.
Beth pushed off of the counter and wrapped her arms around him from behind, kissing the back of his neck. "I think we found the one and only thing that Mr Reynolds can't do," she whispered in his ear.
The feel of her lips on his neck, made him want to forget the fair, take her home and introduce her to more intense activities, but he pushed down the urge. He wanted to spend more time with her, in a carefree and fun environment, because admittedly he was having some confusion over what he wanted from her.
Beth was sweet, sexy and as he was finding out today an extremely fun woman to be around. She was the type of woman that he could seriously see himself being with, for the long run. The sex had been phenomenal the previous night and hopefully she would be open to a little more diversified play tonight.
But for the moment he needed only one thing... To win that damned bear...
Noticing her amused grin he stepped back from the counter and motioned towards the bucket which had a few rings remaining. "By all means, let's see what you have."
She looked at the bucket, up at him and then back to the bucket. Taking her bottom lip between her teeth she took a moment before nodding. "You promise this won't bruise your male ego if I land this?" she asked pulling a ring from the bucket.
Crossing his arms over his chest he shook his head. "Not in the least baby. Show me how it's done," He teased not really expecting to see her pull it off.
He watched in amusement as she lined up her toss, taking careful aim and with a flick of the wrist the ring went flying through the air and effortlessly landed around the neck of one of the bottles towards the middle.
Gabriel's mouth dropped open, but quickly turned into a grin as the carnie announced that they had a winner and pulled the large pink bear from the hook and handed it to Beth. She hugged it tight to her as she turned her back to the booth to smile up at Gabriel.
She looked so sweet and delighted with herself that he couldn't have felt envious if
he wanted to. But that didn't mean he couldn't tease her a little bit. "Okay, so spill. How did you manage to win that?"
Her grin widened telling she wasn't entirely innocent. She shrugged. "Lucky I guess."
Slipping an arm around her waist he pulled her close to him and they began walking from the booth. "You're lying. You know something I don't know." The guilty giggle solidified the theory for him, now he had to know. "Spill it and I'll buy you a corn dog."
Laughing freely, she slipped her free arm around him, and gave him a partial hug. "Boy, do you ever know a way to a girls' heart Gabe."
Gabe? He normally cringed at the nickname that his pal Pete used, but the way she said it, it didn't sound so bad and having her arms wrapped around him as they walked didn't feel too bad either. Perhaps there was something to be said about having a normal relationship. He had yet to figure out what in the fuck this was; he pushed that problem to the back of his mind. Why was he forced to define something straight away anyhow?
"So what do you say? Fill me in." He steered her through the mainway to the concessions stands. The day was slowly giving way to the night, turning the fairgrounds into an array of colourful lights and blaring music.
"Well, since you're offering a corndog. My older brother worked as a carnie for a couple of years. He told me all the tricks to the games and whenever the fair was in town he'd take me after hours to play the games, showing me how to beat them."
"Okay, so how do you win the ring toss?"
"It's all in the wrist baby."
Gabriel frowned. "Be more specific."
She crinkled her nose up at him. "Nah. Once you tell me the secret behind the chowder then maybe I'll tell you the secret behind the ring toss."
Chapter 8
"Gabriel Reynolds eating a corndog, now that's a sight," Beth teased taking a bite into hers. It was delicious.
Gabriel laughed. "Well sometimes we just have to break down and rough it." He dipped the tip of his in a tiny bowl of ketchup. "I was once told that if you have to cover your food in condiments then it's not really food."
"Hey, I never said it was quality. Just that it was fucking good." Beth gave a little chuckle shifting her gaze back to her corndog.
"Okay, you win." He took another bite from the dog. "It is a pretty tasty change,” he finally admitted with a little smirk on his face. He pointed to her half eaten dog as he pulled the remaining piece of his corn dog from the stick and popped it into his mouth. "Eat up. We have the double ferris wheel to ride in a moment."
Beth looked over at the two rotating wheels of the double ferris wheel and a shimmer of excitement rushed through her. She loved the rides. They'd been on everything at the park and were saving that for last. She was really surprised at how much fun Gabriel really was. And the looks of appreciation that he received from many of the women at the fair didn't go unnoticed by her as well. It made her blood boil to see other women looking at him.
He wasn't hers and he never claimed to be. By his own admission the kiss had been "no big deal." Did yesterday change anything? If it did he didn't let on. Again, she reminded herself not to get emotionally attached. He was her employer. An amazing fuck. And now a good friend. Until she knew otherwise, she needed to keep those things in mind.
Taking the last bite of her dog, she tossed the stick and ketchup in the overflowing garbage can and they made their way hand-in-hand across the fairgrounds towards the wheel.
"So how did you learn how to cook?"
"Well, I've always loved cooking and had no interest in business, though my parents insisted I get involved with the running of the company at an early age. However, instead of going to one of the Ivy League schools and taking business like my parents - my father especially - wanted, I went to culinary school."
Well, that would explain his ease around the kitchen. "So why are you running a company instead of your own restaurant?"
They got in line for the ferris wheel and patiently waited as people were slowly loaded into each car. When it came their turn Gabriel passed something other than tickets to the attendant who pocketed it. He then leaned in to whisper something to the teenage ride operator.
Beth seated her four foot tall teddy in the seat next to her as Gabriel slid in beside her. Once they were secured, the ride jerked upward with a squeal. If Beth hadn't grown up around old crankily rides she may have been concerned about the maintenance of this particular one.
As they began to move for the next set of people to hop on he answered her. "Well, I had almost completed the program when my parents died. Their private plane crashed, killing them and the pilot. So I didn't feel I had a choice. I couldn't bear the thought of some stranger running the company that my grandfather founded and my father loved. So I stepped in and had to settle for owning restaurants rather then being in them cooking."
"Well, do you even like running the company?"
He gave her a wry grin. "I'm good at it."
"That didn't really answer my question... Just because you're good at something doesn't mean you have to like it. I was pretty good at my job at the coffee shop and I hated every second of it."
"Good point. But I had an obligation to fulfill."
Beth nodded. She understood his reasoning, but it still felt so unfair for him to be doing something he hated.
"And don't get me wrong it's not all bad, I certainly can't complain from the financial perspective and I am the boss so that certainly has its benefits. It's just not what I'd hoped for myself." he shrugged. "Money isn't everything."
"But it helps," Beth countered.
Any further conversation was put on hold as the ride finally filled and it began to move at a steady, quick pace. The car they sat in, rocked back and forth, allowing for a birds eyes view of the entire park, thousands of coloured lights twinkled below them. "Isn't it beautiful?" Beth asked with a warm smile on her face.
"It is," Gabriel confirmed.
Beth glanced over at Gabriel, her eyes catching his and realized that it wasn't the park below that he was referring to. She ran a shaky hand through her hair. She was beginning to become familiar with the look he was giving her. His look was dark, heated and sexy, making her stomach do flip flops and her pussy ache.
"Gabriel..." The ferris wheel came to a full stop just as their car topped the ride. Their car rocked with the sudden stopping and Beth immediately focused her attention on their surroundings and the people in the other cars muttering their displeasure from the stop. They could see everything. The fairgrounds and well into the city of Portland. It was a breathtaking view. She glanced over at Gabriel who was grinning. "You paid him to stop the wheel didn't you?"
"Guilty."
She sat back in her seat and snuggled closer to Gabriel, "How long do we have?"
"Five minutes was as long as he would stall it."
"Hmmm. Well, I guess that rules out sex on a ferris wheel," she teased, turning partway in her seat so she could look up at him. His whole demeanour was relaxed and carefree. She liked it. At that moment she was able to forget that he was her boss and she was his employee, and that he was severely out of her league - a thought that kept creeping into her mind.
"Well, Miss Wilmington that is a very appealing idea. Perhaps I should have offered him more money." He cupped her chin in his hand and lowered his mouth to hers.
Beth smiled as his lips touched hers. As usual, the simple touch of his lips set her body aflame. With a sigh, she parted her lips to him needing to feel more as she slid her hand around his neck, urging him to take more. He obliged, his tongue sweeping past her parted lips to caress hers. She ached to reposition herself over him, straddling his lap, but the bar kept her seated and their contact restricted.
"My God, what you do to me Beth," he murmured, pulling his lips from hers slightly as he touched her cheek.
What she did to him? Then he must have had no idea her body's reaction to him. Beth couldn't speak. She could only stare up at him. She felt the same way. Why of all men did
she have to find herself falling for Gabriel.
When she was growing up she had a tendency to bring home, as her mother would call them, the riff-raf of the community. Men who were destined to be incarcerated for some crime or who had a promising career as a grocery store clerk. Her mother would tell her that it was just as easy to love a rich man as it was a poor one. She never believed it, but here she was with the most amazing man she'd ever met and she was falling.
Before she had a chance to respond his lips claimed hers once more, harder and with more urgency than before. She fisted the front of his black t-shirt, as the throbbing between her legs increased. "I want you Gabe," she whispered against his lips.
He growled low and deep, slipping a hand to the back of her head and fisting her hair. She yelped, more in surprise than from the slight pain as he gave her hair a jerk, exposing her neck to him. His lips touched her neck, his tongue flicking at the sensitive flesh. She closed her eyes and moaned softly as pleasure rushed through her.
Oh-my-God, is this real? It felt like a dream. Like one beautiful, romantic dream, sitting atop a gigantic ferris wheel while such a beautiful, amazing man touched and kissed her so expertly. Gabriel's mouth made its way down her neck until he reached her collarbone and as if on cue when he reached that point the wheel squealed and jolted forward. Their time was up.
****
"I just have to take a moment and make a few phone calls. I won't be long." Gabriel released her hand and strode off towards the wing of the house that contained his office, leaving Beth sitting on the sofa in the living room the big screen 3D television in front of her and the big pink teddy bear sitting in the armchair to her left.
Beth began to flip through channels almost mechanically, but nothing was catching her attention. Her thoughts were completely of Gabriel and their day together. Maybe she'd been too hard on Gabriel. Maybe she did mean a little more to him than a convenient fuck. Sure, he was hardy in love with her, but he liked her - smitten even.
