by C. M. Steele
“How’s everything going?”
“We just received the first orders. How are you? I haven’t seen you this nervous even on opening night,” my sous chef said with her brows knitting and that concerned look she got on her face whenever she thought I was stressing out.
“I’m fine, just let’s make it great. We need to keep up the success.”
“I think you’ve managed to make this the hottest spot for a hundred miles.”
“We did,” I said, giving her a one arm hug.
“Hey, hey. Don’t be flirting with your staff,” Colton growled at me. “Especially when you’re in love with someone else.” He pulled Dina away from me and moved her over to her station. “You should stay away from him.” She scowled at him, before going back to work.
“Shouldn’t you be working right now?”
“No. Unlike you, I’m a 9-5er.”
“Then get out of my kitchen,” I roared. He had a thing for her, but it seemed as if she either didn’t notice or didn’t care. He smiled, stole a cherry tomato and walked out of the kitchen and into my back office. He was helping with the business end until I found a good manager to handle it. So he had a reason to be here, but I was annoyed that I hadn’t seen Hardy.
Six hours of cooking and serving was almost at an end. The last of the customers were filing out, but when I was just about to clean up the kitchen, Colton came in and said we had one last couple and asked if we could whip up something quick for them. A chicken salad would have to do. I started the food and Dina helped me so we could get the meal to them in a hurry and clean up the rest of the kitchen.
Gretchen
I wrung my hands together, unsure that I could manage this. We hadn’t seen each other in four years and I missed him with all my being. Every night I would picture his bright green eyes staring into mine as he protected me from the bear and the feel of his strong body holding me when we met Ben Hardy.
“I can’t do this,” I exclaimed over the line. I was sitting on the bed talking to Ben from my hotel room. Over the years, I managed to stop calling him Mr. Hardy and moved onto calling him Uncle Ben, but he didn’t like that because Uncle Ben dies in all the Spiderman stories and he made candy not rice.
“Yes, you can. Haven’t you been anxious to see him?” he asked, reminding me that I had been thinking about him when I’d been in hiding. Until I was eighteen, I stayed isolated on a small island that Ben and his family owned. If I had gone straight to Child Services, I would have been put in another home. Mr. Hardy already asked about my future and they said their hands were tied until the trial was over and all the legalities gone through. I ran, or so they believed. Ben helped me from the start and I finished high school equivalency. Once I turned eighteen, I went to a community college because I didn’t know what I wanted to be and felt like Ben had done enough for me.
“I have, but I’m not worthy of him. Seriously, he was a millionaire when we met. If he hadn’t been essentially kidnapped, I wouldn’t have met him. Our paths wouldn’t have crossed.”
“Quit it. You have to get ready. We’re three hours late as it is and I told him I was going.”
“Why did you want me to go?”
“It’s supposed to be your birthday dinner. Get ready in ten. I don’t care why you don’t feel worthy. Treat this as something you owe me. I’ve never asked for anything all these years, Gretchen. This is all I ask.”
“That’s bullshit. You asked me to take the condo, the car, the bodyguard.”
“I didn’t ask, I told you to take those things.” I stood and walked over to the bathroom mirror. I looked much better than when we met. My long blonde hair had perfect waves without a strand out of place. Ben’s sister and niece taught me how to look good. It was one of the few things to do on the island except study. They would take me to the mainland in Greece to attend parties and I had to look my best. After a while, I managed my own look. I hoped that when Henry saw me he didn’t remember the little orphan Annie from the woods.
“Well you’re not really asking here either,” I countered.
“That’s true, but I tried to give you a chance. I’ve let you sulk, worry, and teeter on whether to go or not. Now I don’t care.” He was right. I wanted to see Henry and had agreed to go with him.
“Fine, I’m dressed already. I’ll meet you in the lobby.” I stepped into the elevator, pressed the ‘L’ button and leaned against the back, anxious about it all and using the wall to support me. The floors seemed to flash by and I was at the bottom all too quickly.
He was waiting in one of the cushy red seats. He smiled and stood as I approached. “He is going to fall in love with you on sight,” he professed. I rolled my eyes. “I bet you he will.”
“He didn’t even like me back then.”
“Didn’t like you? The boy risked his life for you. He didn’t know I’d come and shoot the bear. His body language made me think you were two high school lovers who took a long walk to lose whoever you were with.”
“He had plenty of time to find you and ask about me and he didn’t,” I explained my reluctance in seeing Henry.
“He has asked me how to find you, but I told him I didn’t have anything. You had gone into hiding it would seem. It was for the best at the time and then I hadn’t heard from him in years.”
“I’m telling you, he’s not going to even care,” I continued. My feelings for Henry stretched well beyond the imagination. I was in love with him from the first moment he stepped into the headmistress’s office. I didn’t know what it was at the time, but by the first month after our goodbyes I knew it to be true. I felt like this black hole had been sucking me in and only the thought of Henry staring down at me with his hand stretched out for me to take had been my salvation.
“We’ll see,” he reiterated.
“What’s the name of his place anyway?” I asked, hoping to steer the conversation into a different direction.
“You’ll see when we get there.” I hadn’t bothered to look him up in three years. The first and only time I did, he’d been everywhere, women fawning all over to get his attention. How could he ever remember a poor plain Jane?
***
We pulled into the lot next to the restaurant, but there were only a few cars. We raced to the front door, hoping it wasn’t too late. I didn’t want dinner. It wasn’t like I could manage to eat anyway.
Ben opened the door just as a man in a white dress shirt and green tie came toward us. “We’re about closed.”
“I’m sorry, we were a bit delayed getting here. We understand if we are too late to eat,” Ben told the man who had to be in his late twenties.
“No, not at all,” he smiled at Ben, then at me. The one he gave me was a more of a smirk. I nervously played with my fingers.
“Please take a seat right here. I’m afraid the only thing on the menu is a chicken salad since the grill is already off.”
“That’s understandable and will be fine. Waters would be good as well.”
“Sure thing. I’ll ask the kitchen to bring it out in a minute. Oh, I almost forgot, what type of dressing would you care for?” he asked with an embarrassed look on his face.
“Ranch for both of us,” he answered. It was my favorite and after all the meals we shared over the years he knew what I liked. I saw the bar area when I looked past the server. Hansel and Gretel. He named it after our little adventure? I couldn’t believe it. I continued to stare at the sign, then looked around the rest of the room. On the wall was a piece of tree bark. I stood to see it closer. When I saw the inscription, I gasped aloud.
“Is something amiss?” the waiter asked me. My heart pounded out of control. There couldn’t be anything wrong. Whatever happened since we’ve been apart he hadn’t forgotten me or that day.
“No, everything is just fine.” I sat back down, a bit lost in thought. If Ben said a word to me, I didn’t hear him. My eyes were focused on the kitchen door. Wondering if he would bring the food himself, or if he was already gone
for the night.
Chapter 3
Henry
“What’s up, Colton?” I asked him. He had a smirk on his face as he entered the kitchen area. That was the look he had when the fucker was up to no good.
“Nothing much but a good-looking woman and her dad. I’ll take the food out. You two stay in and clean up.” He grabbed a tray to take the salads. For a guy I thought was interested in Dina, he was going about it all wrong. I haven’t given a woman any attention since the day I met Gretchen.
Dina gave him a look I hadn’t seen in a while. She was jealous. I wonder if the woman out there was pretty or he was just trying to get to Dina. After all, Colton didn’t work as a server, but after the staff cleaned up the dining room I had sent them home.
“What’s up with you, Dina?” Colton asked, smirking even more.
“I’ll take the damn waters to your little thing out there. You get the salads,” she barked at Colton.
“Ah, sweetheart. You shouldn’t go out there like that. They may never come back,” Colton teased her.
“I’m not the one who’ll be unprofessional,” she countered.
“Then let’s go. The sooner they get their food the sooner they can leave.” They stepped out to deal with the customers and I continued to clean. I hated that all I could think about was Hardy not coming to see me as promised. All night I kept feeling as if he was intentionally hiding her from me. I was going to call his office tomorrow and tear him a new one.
Dina came rushing back into the kitchen, full of excitement. “Oh my God. Mr. Hardy of the Hardy Candy Corp is out there. Holy shit.”
“Clean up after they leave and lock up. I have somewhere to be.”
I was out the door before I finished my sentence. I lifted my chef jacket over my head and tossed it on the kitchen floor. Right now, nothing else mattered. I had my keys, wallet, and phone in my pocket and that was all I needed.
Her head whipped to the kitchen door and she gasped, dropping her fork. Fuck me, she was ten times more beautiful than I remembered. I didn’t think that was humanly possible.
“About damn time,” I said through gritted teeth. I stormed over to them, pulled her up from the chair and slammed my mouth down on hers, kissing her without giving it another thought. Her lips were soft, just like I had always imagined them. Her moan set my body on fire.
“About time is right. Goodnight, Hansel and Gretel. Take care of her. Not that you wouldn’t dare.” I pull my lips away from hers just enough to scowl at Hardy. “We’ll talk about this later.” I lifted her up into my arms, cradling her as I carried her out of the restaurant and to my truck. We had a lot to discuss, but first I was going to make sure no one could ever take her away from me again.
I set her down on her feet, crowding her against the passenger door. “You’re mine, my sweet Gretel. I’ve missed you so much and I’m not giving you a chance to get away.”
“You’ve missed me?” She seemed so surprised.
“Can’t you tell?” I asked, brushing my hand down her temple to her cheek. The feel of her skin was softer than I remembered. Visions of her kept away the lonely nights. Every time my cock ached, I satisfied my longing with thoughts of finding her and taking her for my own.
“I’ve missed you so much, Henry.” She pressed her body to mind, hugging me with a sweetness that I wanted and much more. My cock throbbed in my pants against her heated mound that was barely covered in this dress.
I lowered my hands down her thighs and just under the hem, my fingers slipping under the dress. “I need to get you home, because we have a lot of lost time and I’m not wasting a day more.” I reached around and opened the passenger door. Once I settled her in, I kissed her lips and quickly pulled away to get in the driver’s side.
I hopped in and started the engine. Turning to face my future, I saw her staring out the window. “What’s the matter?”
“You named your restaurant after our adventure that day,” she muttered, rubbing her fingers together. I stole her hand and wrapped it in mine. She looked at me with a longing I’d been waiting all these years to see.
I took my other hand and brushed her hair back behind her ear. Looking in her eyes, I admitted, “I wanted to call it Gretchen’s, but that would have raised too many questions.”
“Wow. Henry, I don’t know what to say.” She bit her bottom lip, staring at me nervously.
“Say you’re mine and that’s all I need.”
“That’s easy. I’ve been yours long before you could even stand me.”
“Could stand you? I’ve wanted you from the moment you turned around in the seat. I was lost in your eyes. That trip in the woods made me angry. How dare someone try to send you out in the wild.”
“Damn, are you always this perfect?” she asked.
“For you, I’ll always try to be.” I leaned in and kissed her once more before strapping my seatbelt on and driving off. “We need to get back to the house because I want to fuck my baby into you and I can’t do that in the truck.”
“We could, but since I’m a virgin, I’d like it to be special.”
“That makes two of us, my sweet Gretchen. You’re the only woman I’ve ever wanted.”
“Really? You’re like Mr. Hotshot all online.”
“I made sure to make my plans known just in case you were watching or reading. I swear, you’re all I’ve thought about and nothing you say will change that.”
“I don’t want it to,” she admitted.
“Good, because I wasn’t going to let you.” I kissed her hand, then made our way to the home I built for us. It was crazy and I knew it, but I wanted no one else and I never would.
It felt like forever to get to the house. I wanted her in my arms. I got out of the car and around to her in a flash. As soon as I opened the door, I flipped her over my shoulder and carried her into the house. She gasped, clutching me hard. “Don’t worry, baby. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”
Gretchen
I was upside down over his shoulder and loving it as he called me baby. The man turned into a total beast and I wanted to be ravished. Fuck, my core clenched and I hoped he couldn’t tell. “Stop squirming. My dick is so hard I can barely climb the stairs.”
“Whose fault is that, Caveman?” I muttered against his back. Damn, he smelled so good. I wanted to bite his ass, but I was too far from it, so I gave it a pinch. He growled, making me giggle—my beast.
“Caveman? Oh, you’ve got no idea. I’ve waited so long for you that I’m going to go full beast mode on you.” He unlocked the door. “Tour will be later. For the next two days, I’m keeping you in bed until we’re both satisfied and sore.”
He wasted no time marching me straight to his bedroom, tossing off my heels on the way up. I shivered, wondering what it was going to be like when he took me. The way his strong arms banded around my thighs told me it would be intense. His hands crept up my backside, giving it a squeeze before wrapping around my waist and flipping me onto the bed and climbing on top of me.
“It’s been so long since we’ve been in this position, and the outcome is going to be very different.” He slammed his mouth down on me, taking my kiss. I moaned, my body shaking with urgency. I’ve saved all my teenage hormones for this man. All these years, my orgasms were for him. I tugged at his grey shirt, feeling the skin under it. Henry grabbed the hem and pulled it over his head, revealing his broad chest. I couldn’t stop myself from caressing the hard pecs. My pale skin stood out against his slightly tanned flesh. I lifted my head and placed a kiss above his heart. A moan and shiver shuddered through his strong body as he held himself up with his hands on the mattress.
“You’ve spent a lot of time in the sun with your shirt off, haven’t you?” I playfully accused him.
“Chopping wood in the back can get hot, especially as I pictured you watching me from the balcony.” Revelations of his fantasies that all starred me only amplified the need to be claimed, owned, and loved by this man.
; “I’d love to see you chop wood for me,” I confessed, biting my lower lip at the vision in my head. “Kiss me, please.” He lowered his upper body and rested on his forearms.
“I could kiss you forever,” he whispered inches from my lips before closing the distance and giving me what I asked for and taking my mouth.
Chapter 4
Henry
I could kiss her all day and night, but I needed to take what was mine and claim the innocence that she saved for me. My body burned with heated lust for only her and my control had been put to the breaking point. I thought about all the porn I watched over the years and hoped to fucking hell I didn’t ruin this moment. There was no way I was going to be a porn star and fuck her until she came, but I knew if I could at least make her come with my tongue, I wouldn’t be a total pathetic ass.
I stood from the bed, hating to even be an inch from her body, but these clothes were in the way. I kicked off my shoes, then used my feet to get rid of my socks while I worked off my belt. How I managed not to fall over was a miracle. My pants and boxers were down and gone to the side within seconds and I stood proudly in front of my sweet Gretchen with my cock throbbing and aching to fill her up.
She was so perfect in her black lace bra and matching black lace panties. Knowing she wore them with the intention of running into me, did a number on my dick. It was harder than I ever thought possible. My pre-cum started dripping onto the floor. I had to get into her, but tasting her was a must. I climbed onto the bed, resting my lower half between her thighs while I took her mouth. The swell of her breasts and her hard nipples caressed my chest, and I rocked slowly, adding to the friction. I pulled the straps down, revealing her strawberry nipples making me hungry. I sucked the hard, sweet peak between my lips, nearly coming on her belly. Needing a slight breather, I rolled to the side with one leg on hers, spreading her thighs wider. I slid my fingers under her panties, learning what satisfied her. Her pussy was soaked, but I could still only get one finger in. Fuck, this was going to hurt her. I didn’t want to do it, but no backing out now. She’s mine for life and then some. I’ve loved her far too long to be a big fucking chump.
