Mocha Me Crazy

by Kristen Flowers

  Remi blatantly ignored him and kept his eyes fixed on me instead. “Your lobster mac and cheese was some of the best things I’ve ever eaten.”

  I blushed in spite of myself. I cast my gaze down to the tiled kitchen floor and mumbled, “Thanks.” I hated the fluttering in my chest he made me feel. My attraction to someone like Remi Parker wasn’t anything to be proud of. In fact, it was just the opposite. I hated that I found him so good looking. He was just another rich, cocky young guy who thought he could ride on his good looks to play with women.

  “I’d like you to be my personal chef,” he said pointedly. I looked up at him, completely shocked.

  Mr. Little strolled over to the phone in the kitchen, “I’m calling the cops!”

  I didn’t care and neither did Remi. The silence in the kitchen grew dense. There wasn’t even a clang of a pan, a chopping of a knife, or a sizzle of cooking food to fill the air. It might as well have been a library. Everyone was watching the riveting scene like it was a movie playing out in front of them. I focused on Remi’s brilliant blue eyes and did my best to remind myself to keep breathing. But it was hard to keep calm while trying to digest what he had just said to me. What sounded like the distant rambling of Mr. Little on the phone was drowned out by the pulsing in my ears.

  I was speechless.

  “How much do you make?”

  I opened my mouth slightly and then took pause. I wasn’t sure about telling him, much less in front of everyone who worked with me. It was awkward and intrusive but still I spoke up in a meager voice, “Forty-five a year.”

  Remi’s smile slanted and I felt blood rushing to my head. Was he judging my salary? He took a small step toward me and lowered his voice. “How does ninety a year plus room and board sound?”

  I exhaled loudly and choked on the next breath filling my lungs. I quickly turned away from him and that was when I caught a glimpse of my boss on the phone. Looking at his sweaty and angry face yelling into the phone reminded me of all the reasons why I hated the man.

  “Mr. Little,” I whispered in disdain. I almost couldn’t believe he was actually on the phone with the cops.

  Quickly, I turned to look at Remi. There was concern and confusion on my face. He was practically staring me down. He was waiting for my answer and I got the feeling he wouldn’t take a rejection easily. It felt like a decision that needed to be made quickly, but it required a lot of thought.

  The extra money could really help me jump-start my own restaurant. It had always been a dream to run my own business and I had only taken this job for experience. I had gotten a good amount of experience now and definitely had more than enough of Mr. Little. Sure my father already offered to front me the money for it, but I wanted to do everything possible to carry my own weight. I gulped and turned around when the sound of Mr. Little cursing reached my ears.

  He slammed the phone against the receiver, his sausage fingers still curled around the handle. My skin crawled at the thought of working for ‘the gym guy’ but, then again, could it really be worse than working for Mr. Little?

  I turned back to Remi and shakily extended my hand to make the deal. Remi’s large hand closed over mine and he shook it with a look of satisfaction. I didn’t know how to feel about his little smirk, but the deal was done. The decision had been made and now it was time to run with it. All I could do was hope for the best. I needed to focus on the positive aspects of taking this job. Remi turned around and motioned for me to follow as he made his way out of the kitchen. I took the opportunity to do something I had fantasized about a million times before but never thought I would have the opportunity to do it.

  “I quit!” I yelled, tossing my apron on the counter.

  “You can’t up and quit, girl!”

  I stopped in my tracks and turned to look at him with disdain. There was no reason to bite my tongue anymore. I was done with him. He was no longer someone I ever had to answer to again.

  “Shove it up your fat ass,” I told him, deliberately stressing each word. My sneer grew, “By the way, your meatballs? They suck.” With that, I turned on my heel and stormed out of the kitchen. Remi was watching and holding the door open to wait for me. As we walked out onto the busy city sidewalk I turned to see Remi looking at me with a smile.

  “That spunky attitude of yours,” he said. My stomach dropped. Was he already going to start complaining about me? Had I left one asshole to work for an even bigger one? He stepped in front of me and I quickly stopped in my tracks. He looked me straight in the eyes with that smirk of his, “It’s hot.”

  I felt my cheeks grow hot. I was taken aback by his backhanded compliment. But what really shocked me was how much he managed to make my heart race. I tried to ignore my speeding pulse since Remi was my new boss now. I tried to remind myself what kind of reputation he had, but it was hard to keep my head on straight when he was standing so close to me and staring into my eyes.

  “I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Remi Parker.” He held his hand out to shake mine.

  “Evelyn Page.” I said, eyes quickly looking away from his.

  His smirk grew wider and he told me we’d be heading over to his condo now. “I want you to start work right away,” he said.

  It was presumptuous of him, but I let it slide. There was nowhere I needed to be now and my new employer was saying he needed me.

  Still, I was worried I had just made a big mistake.

  The two of us walked down the street in silence. About two blocks later I started to wonder if she was ever going to ask me how far we were going. I turned to look at her as smoothly as possible so she didn’t notice. It looked like she was too lost in her own thoughts to ask anything. My condo was less than a couple of blocks down, but she didn’t seem all that concerned. I couldn’t help sneaking glances at her as we walked.

  Her dirty blonde hair was a mess in a ponytail. Random strays of hair framed her face. Her nose was narrow and slightly upturned in the cutest way possible. Her steely-blue eyes perfectly captured her fierce and spunky attitude. I didn’t know why I was noticing so many little details about her. She was hot no doubt, but there was something about the way she told off her boss to shove it that made her even more appealing to me.

  She wasn’t afraid to stand her ground. I liked how she had gradually turned up the heat, starting from professional to giving the man the earful he deserved. She was attractive in a non-generic kind of way. Her spunky attitude and disheveled look drew me even more to her. I hadn’t known her for very long, but it was clear that I had never met a woman like her before.

  “This is it,” I said, coming to a stop in front of the lobby doors. I saw Evelyn look up at the building and nod, but there wasn’t as much awe in her eyes as the dates I usually brought home. Maybe she was used to being in fancy places or maybe she just didn’t care. “Let’s head inside,” I said. She nodded again and walked beside me as the doorman greeted us.

  “So your specialty dish,” I said as we made our way onto the elevator.

  “Yeah?”

  “Do you have any others?”

  “A few others.”

  “Oh.” I was trying to make small talk with her, but she wasn’t very responsive. I couldn’t quite figure out if she was shy, nervous, or uninterested. “How long have you been cooking?”

  “Since I could wrap my hand around a spatula,” she smiled.

  I wondered what else she wraps that skilled hand of hers around. My dirty thoughts were quickly followed by a small frown. For some reason it bothered me to have that sort of thought about her. It was unlike me, but I was actually trying to get to know her.

  “Oh yeah? Well let’s see if you come up with a new specialty,” I told her.

  “Yeah, we’ll see,” she said blandly. Her eyes were fixed on the elevator numbers lighting up at the top of the doors.

  “We’re going up to the fourteenth floor.”

  She hummed in acknowledgement, but didn’t bother saying anything. I was a l
ittle taken aback by her behavior, even though I couldn’t put a finger on what it was. Maybe she was still shaken up from what had happened at the restaurant. What I did know was this—she wasn’t falling all over me like most women did. While it intrigued me, I couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed. I wasn’t used to this kind of act from a woman, especially one that I was bringing up to my place. So I decided I was done with the lame, polite small talk.

  I was going to be my usual self.

  “I’m one of only two people who have access to this elevator, you know,” I told her. That was when she finally turned to look at me, but I quickly looked away. “You’ve got to have the key,” I winked as I patted the key card in my blazer pocket. I took a step sideways to be closer to her and looked down. From my height I could see down her shirt a bit. Her breasts were a nice handful and they looked pleasantly perky. She shifted her weight a little away from me and crossed her arms.

  I leaned closer to her and she cleared her throat. Her eyes locked onto the floor numbers above the door, almost as if she were willing the elevator to move faster. We stood in silence as she casually rearranged her hair. I liked looking at her slender fingers work. I imagined those fingers working between her legs as she pleasured herself. Maybe I’d be watching while she moaned and whimpered. I wasn’t normally into just watching, it took up more time than I was willing to spend with a woman, but with Evelyn it would be fun.

  “I won’t make you wear a uniform,” I informed her. I stressed the word ‘uniform’ and made it a point to say it so suggestively there was no way she’d miss it.

  She tried her best to ignore it and curtly responded, “Okay.”

  I could see her cheeks flushing red so I went on, “That can change though. Depends how well you dress for the job on your own. I want you to look good.”

  “I’m a professional,” she assured me tersely.

  “Oh,” I chuckled, “I’m sure you are.”

  She turned to look at me with a scowl. I could see the disapproval in her eyes. It bordered on scorn. I looked away with the smuggest look on my face I could muster. I smirked up at the lights just as the number 13 lit up. One way or another I was going to get her into bed and still have her cook me delicious food.

  It was going to be a win-win.

  The number 13 lit up and I focused my eyes on the doors, counting down the seconds for them to open. I had a feeling Remi had been looking at me our entire walk and now with his little comments on the elevator ride, I was pretty sure he was coming on to me.

  Even though I found him instantly attractive, his constant advances were starting to get irritating. He was my employer now and if he thought he was going to get away with this kind of behavior he had another thing coming. He must be crazy if he thought I’d fall for his little games. Not only was he being highly inappropriate, I was far too aware of his reputation to let myself go down that road. If we were headed up to his condo it was for work and work only.

  The elevator doors opened to the foyer of a luxury condo. Based off the building and his semi-private elevator I expected something lavish, but actually stepping inside was different. It had beautiful views with a crisp modern design. It was a lot cleaner than I expected, but then I just assumed he probably had a cleaning staff. I felt Remi gently place his hand on the small of my back to guide me toward the kitchen. There was something about it that made me both cringe and melt into his touch.

  The moment we walked into the kitchen my jaw dropped. My heart started to race almost as much as it did when I first saw him. The kitchen was huge and open. It was sleek and clean. It had fine steel grey cabinets and luxurious marble countertops. The cooking space was large and flat with two stacked ovens. It had every appliance I would ever need and more than enough space. It was by far the nicest personal kitchen I had ever seen. I already couldn’t wait to start cooking there.

  What got to me the most about the kitchen was almost entirely sentimental. It had a large, oversized island with a sink in one corner. It looked just like the island counter in my father’s house. It was always my favorite part of that house. That was the kitchen I learned to cook in. I had spent more time than I could keep track of experimenting with my cooking there and fantasizing about the day I’d have one like it in my own place. I walked forward slowly and placed the palm of my hand flat on the kitchen island’s counter top, running it over the smooth surface.

  It was perfect.

  “You can order any tools or kitchen gadgets you need,” Remi told me. His voice was close and I felt him standing nearby, giving my heart a start. He had snapped me out of the little trance I had fallen in to.

  “Okay,” I muttered, eyes still soaking in the magnificent place. It really was the opportunity of a lifetime to practice all of my dishes and not be limited to a menu.

  “Your room is just down the hall,” he said.

  I turned to face him and gave a little jump; he was standing even closer than I had anticipated. “My- my room?”

  “Yes, room and board was part of the deal or did that skip your mind already?”

  I narrowed my eyes. I didn’t like the condescending tone in his voice. It was like he was talking to some ditsy woman. “I didn’t forget. I just didn’t know it meant moving in here with you.”

  Remi’s little smirk made my blood boil. “Oh, yes. It means you’ll be living here.” He motioned to our surroundings, “This is your room and board. Sometimes you’ll be cooking late nights and early mornings, so it’s much easier this way.”

  I wasn’t sure why I was taking that part of the offer. I had my own place to live. Then I thought about my new income and how much more I could save if I didn’t have to pay Chicago priced rent. Besides, I was pretty sure Remi would be demanding and inconsiderate. If I was already around and didn’t have to deal with a commute it might make my life a little easier. My stomach twisted, but I nodded anyway. I turned my attention back to the kitchen, eager to explore. I walked through it to check out all the drawers. I took out each and every knife to appraise it. I checked out his pantry and refrigerator.

  “Like what you see?”

  I curled my fingers around the cupboard door and turned to look at him over my shoulder. I could already sense where he was going with this.

  “Oh yeah, I like big things,” I quipped. I saw his mouth open and his eyebrow arch in pleasant surprise. I turned back to look into the cupboard feeling my face hot and wondering if my little sexual innuendo had been a mistake.

  “You’ll find plenty of big things here,” Remi assured me cockily. He took a few steps forward, “I can, uh, help you find some of them. Think of it as an orientation.”

  “I’ve always been more of an independent learner,” I shot back. I hoped that would shoot him down or at least buy some silence for a few minutes. I was wrong of course.

  “Oh so you like going it alone then,” he muttered. I stopped myself from cringing. “Nothing wrong with that, but it’s also good to work with someone.”

  “Mhm,” was all I said before walking over and pulling out a drawer. It held the utensils, all neatly arranged in a fancy and expensive-looking tray.

  I did my best to ignore my racing heart and focused on the cutlery. I had to admit the guy was drop-dead gorgeous, but I wouldn’t have any of it. I was there in a professional capacity and that’s what I would stick to. I pulled out a fork and held it up to examine the intricate pattern on the handle. I held the fork up to the light of the window and something caught my eye; hanging off the back of a chair at the kitchen table was a bra. I scoffed with a bit of a smile.

  “Unbelievable,” I mumbled under my breath. I walked over and picked the bra up with the fork, holding it up as if it were a flag. “Cross-dressing on your time off?” I asked with an accusatory grin. I knew damn well that wasn’t why there was a bra lying around, but it was a lot of fun to see the shocked look on his face.

  Remi walked over quickly with a slight hop in his step and snatched the bra off the fork. He threw
it in the trashcan before turning to face me. “Do you think I’d look as good in a dress as you?”

  “Nah. You don’t have my figure,” I smirked.

  “That’s for sure,” his eyes raked over me from head to toe.

  I could tell he liked what he saw, but I tried my best not to show what I was feeling. There was a lot of confusion and attraction flowing through my veins. I knew he was bad news so it didn’t matter if he wanted me; I would just end up being another victory notch on his bedpost.

  “You really know how to work it,” Remi broke the silence.

  “Excuse me?”

  He nodded toward the stove and smiled teasingly, “The stove. And other things.” There was a long pause as he leaned forward, “Like the oven and what have you.”

  I knew he was doing it on purpose especially by the way he kept checking me out. He was brazen and I couldn’t quite figure out if I liked it or hated it. What I did know was that being quick on my feet wasn’t an option here; it was a must.