First Class Menu

by Aj Harmon

  “Wow! He must really love you,” David grinned.

  “I think so,” Janie smiled. “Now, let’s find you some knives.”

  *****

  Lou Borsten walked alongside her dad who was being pushed in a wheelchair down to the medical transport van. He was being transferred to a VA rehabilitation facility thanks to Paul Lathem.

  “I’ll see you there, okay?” Lou kissed her father’s cheek and the driver locked his wheelchair onto the lift and safely secured him inside the vehicle for the drive.

  “Thank you so much,” Lou said to Paul who had arrived to make sure everything went smoothly, even though it wasn’t his job at all.

  “Of course,” he smiled. “Let’s go. We’ll follow behind the van.”

  Paul opened the passenger door of his Lincoln for Lou to slide in. He shut the door and ran around to the other side. “We just have to make a stop on the way, if that’s okay?”

  Lou nodded, “Sure!”

  The van left in front of them and they followed for a few blocks and then Paul turned right and drove a couple of blocks and parked. “Be right back,” he said, as he jumped from the car and ran into the store.

  Lou looked at the building. It was a baby store. There was a crib in the window with a mobile of panda bears and a giant stuffed giraffe on the floor. Lou could see Paul as he took a huge bag from the sales clerk and he rushed back to the car. He shoved the package in the back and jumped back in the driver’s seat, clicked his seatbelt on and merged into traffic.

  “What is that?” Lou asked.

  “A present for my wife,” Paul grinned. “She’s pregnant.”

  “Congratulations!” exclaimed Lou.

  “Thanks,” Paul smiled. “We’re kind of excited.”

  “When is she due?”

  “Beginning of November.”

  They drove the short distance to the VA hospital and caught up with Lou’s father just as he was being wheeled inside. Paul dropped Lou off at the entrance and she ran to her dad while he found a place to park. As he turned off the car his cell phone rang.

  “Hey beautiful,” he grinned as he answered his phone. “How are you feeling?”

  “Hi,” came the reply. “You know, these kindergartners wore me out when I wasn’t pregnant, but they’ve all just left so I thought I’d call to hear your voice. Are you busy?”

  “Nope. Perfect timing. I’m just going in to the Rehab clinic to make sure Mr. Borsten is settled and comfortable.”

  “You’re a good man, Paul Lathem,” Nic smiled. “You have a big heart.”

  “All the more I can love you with.”

  Nic grinned as she spoke, “Well, I’ll let you go. Just wanted to hear you.”

  “I’d like to touch you,” Paul growled.

  “Then I’ll see you at home?”

  “No,” Paul shook his head. “I’ll be done here in a bit. I’ll pick you up on my way. Don’t do anything if you’re tired. Just put your feet up and wait for me.”

  “Aye, aye Captain. See you soon. Love you.”

  “Love you more.”

  Paul returned his phone to his pocket and headed for the entrance to find Lou and her father. As he walked past the rear of his car he saw the giant bag in the back and grinned. All the pregnancy books he had read in the past week or so had said that every pregnant woman needed a prenatal total body pillow. So he’d found one for her. He would make sure that his wife had everything she could possibly need to make sure that she and their baby would be as healthy and happy as could be. He had prided himself on being the best Navy Seal he could be and now he would make sure he was the best husband he could be. Nic would want for nothing!

  *****

  When Janie returned home from shopping with David, Matt was sitting at the bar staring off into space.

  “You okay?” she asked as she slid her arms around him and nuzzled his neck.

  “How do you do it?” he asked.

  “Do what?”

  “I’ve only had Christopher for a few hours today and I’m exhausted.”

  Janie chuckled, “I’ve been doing it longer than you. I’m conditioned. Is he asleep?”

  Matt nodded. “Just put him down a few minutes ago. I thought I’d grab a drink, but I’m too tired.”

  Janie grinned at her husband. He really was adorable. “What would you like?” she said as she opened the fridge under the bar.

  “Just water.”

  Janie pulled out two bottles and handed him one.

  “How was shopping and lunch?” he asked as she slid onto the stool beside him.

  “David is taking a cooking class and decided he needed to buy knives.”

  Matt’s mouth dropped open.

  “Really!” Janie continued. “So I helped him pick out some knives and some mixing bowls and a nice set of pots and pans. Then Katy and I went to this little Thai restaurant she and Mark discovered a few weeks ago. It was really good! Did you eat?”

  “Yeah,” Matt nodded. “I had some animal crackers and a string cheese and some pears from a can.”

  “That was Christopher’s lunch.”

  “Yeah I know. He didn’t want it,” Matt grinned.

  “Would you like me to make you something?”

  “Yeah,” Matt growled. “Make love to me.” He grabbed her around the waist and hoisted her onto his lap.

  Janie ran her fingers through his hair and kissed him. She licked his lips and nipped at them with her teeth. Matt pulled up her shirt and ran his hands over the soft skin on her back. Then, with just a flick of his wrist, her bra popped open and his hands moved to her front and cupped her breasts as he sighed into her mouth.

  “I’ve waited all day for you,” he moaned as he squeezed her flesh.

  Janie undid the buttons of her blouse and removed it along with her bra. Matt gazed at his wife with a desire that had only deepened over time. He hoisted her up and stood and walked the few feet to the leather couch and gently laid her on it. He quickly removed his clothing as Janie wriggled out of her khaki pants.

  Matt stood over her, his eyes taking in the sight of his beautiful wife. He knelt down on the floor and leaned over. He kissed her passionately, his tongue dancing with hers, the fire building. His lips moved down her chin and her neck to her nipples, waiting to be devoured to which he obliged willingly. And he then moved down over her belly to her hips. He nibbled and sucked and Janie moaned with pleasure as his tongue found her sweet spot and licked.

  “This. Will. Never. Get. Old,” he whispered into her flesh. “I love to taste you. I dream of tasting you. You are the nectar which fills my soul.”

  Janie’s hips arched as he brought her closer and closer to the edge. Janie lifted herself onto her elbows and watched his head dip again and his tongue elicited another moan. Matt lifted his head and their eyes locked. Without breaking their gaze, Janie pulled up her legs and Matt sat on the sofa. She climbed on top of him, straddling his hips and slowly slid down, impaling herself on his shaft.

  “This. Will. Never. Get. Old,” she sighed as she lifted herself up and then slid back down again, the friction of their union causing an urgency in them both.

  Matt grabbed her hips and jerked himself upwards as she slid down, a smacking sound ringing in their ears as their love making became more lustful.

  “Fuck! You feel so damn good,” Matt growled through gritted teeth.

  Janie moaned and threw her head back as she ground herself into him and flung herself over to a toe-curling orgasm that had her panting for air. Matt watched his wife experience sexual perfection and felt her muscles squeeze tightly around his penis, appreciating her daily kegel exercises. He plunged once more inside her and let go, matching her dynamic orgasm with one of his own.

  “Wow!” she panted as she collapsed into Matt’s chest.

  “I’ll second that,” he grinned as he pulled her tightly into his body, skin to skin, heart to heart. “You are amazing.”

  Janie smiled into his shoulder and kissed him.
“I love you.”

  “I love you.”

  They sat for a few minutes in silence, bodies still joined, their breathing slowly returning to normal. Moments like this were cherished. They adored their children and would not trade them for the world, but they missed the spontaneous love making and tried to make the most of any unplanned opportunity.

  The sound of the door had Janie’s head whipping up and heart stopping.

  “Matt!” Janie mouthed, terrified of what was about to happen.

  “And in we go,” Maureen sang to Ella as the door flung open.

  Matt didn’t move an inch. “Mom! Please take Ella straight through to her room and shut the door,” he said, gripping Janie tighter.

  “Oh, my!” Maureen blushed as she looked in the direction of the voice. “Come on Ella. Let’s go put your new tiger with your other animals in your room, shall we?” She hurried down the hall trying to block her parents from Ella’s view.

  Janie watched them disappear and then exhaled. Matt laughed.

  “This isn’t funny,” she grinned. She tried to move but Matt had her tightly in his grip.

  “Don’t move,” he growled.

  “But your mom!”

  “She’s not coming out until we go get her. We have all the time in the world.”

  “Matt!” Janie was horrified.

  And then they heard a muffled cry through the baby monitor. And then another little whine.

  “Saved by the baby,” Matt chuckled. He kissed her soundly and released his hold on her. “This was fun,” he winked. “But now I’m really hungry!”

  4.

  David stood in the Atherton Gallery looking at the blank walls in front of him. So far Lou had twelve pieces that were ready to show and she was still working on a few more. They had three weeks ‘til the opening. They would not only be showing off the newly renovated space, but three unknown artists David had discovered. Audrey was thrilled and trusted David completely.

  However, in David’s mind, there was some uneasiness. Lou was excited at the opportunity to show her work and Reggie, another street artist David had discovered while wandering the streets of New York City, was also itching to land a gallery exhibit. They both had signed contracts with the Atherton Gallery and were in constant communication with him about what else needed to be done to be ready for their big break.

  The third artist, Griffin, was a flake. He possessed some genius to be sure, but he was unreliable and quite often unreachable and that had David nervous. Griffin had agreed to show fifteen pieces at the opening, but he hadn’t brought any of them to David. He had devoted one-third of the new space to Griffin’s work and not one piece of art to show yet. He’d left a few more messages pleading for him to call the gallery. He’d give him three more days to deliver the pieces or else David would have to find someone else.

  *****

  That night, David entered the kitchen on the college campus for his third class. He’d learned about knives and about cutting food the first night, and last week, Gavin had taught them about the different cooking techniques; roasting, baking, sautéing, frying, and boiling. Each station had been assigned one technique and at the end of the class they had eaten what each couple had cooked. David and Gwen had been assigned toasting. They had made garlic bread, in the oven, and had only burnt a few of the pieces. They were thrilled with their accomplishment and had gone for coffee afterwards to celebrate.

  David thought Gwen was a nice girl, but he certainly wasn’t interested in anything more than being partners in their class. She had seemed a little disappointed when David declined her offer of a movie over the weekend, but nothing too devastating. He wasn’t interested in her at all, so when he walked into the kitchen he was caught off guard as Gwen ran to him and kissed his cheek.

  “Hi,” she smiled. “Glad you made it.”

  David frowned. “Why wouldn’t I make it?” He stepped away from her and headed to their station. He was anxious for the class to begin as tonight, now that they had completed the two introductory classes, they would get the menu they would be cooking for the remaining ten weeks.

  There was a dull roar of voices through the room as conversations continued well after starting time for the class. Finally, ten minutes later, the door swung open and a body rushed in and headed to the front. David was stunned to recognize the woman who stood before them.

  “I’m so sorry I’m late,” she began, “and obviously, an explanation is necessary.”

  The room silenced quickly as everyone turned their attention to the woman who was apparently their instructor for the evening.

  “Gavin will not be available for the rest of the course so I will be filling in for him.”

  There were instant whispers through the room as speculation as to what happened to Gavin flooded everyone’s minds.

  She held up her hands and quieted her students. “Gavin was in a motorcycle accident and will be fine. But he has a broken leg and a broken collar bone. Not ideal for a chef.”

  Gasps were heard and several women winced at the image.

  “So, here I am,” she smiled. “I’m Lindsey and I’ll be your instructor for the remainder of the course. However, I only found out about this gig about an hour ago, so you’ll need to help me get up to speed, k?”

  A woman at the front offered a quick rundown of the first two classes and Lindsey nodded her head.

  “So we’ve got the basics covered and now you’re ready to cook?”

  The students all smiled and clapped and Lindsey chuckled. “Alright then. I understand you need your menu for the remainder of the class, so let’s get on that shall we?”

  Again the students smiled and nodded in approval. Lindsey walked to the chalkboard and picked up a piece of chalk and turned so her back was to most of the students. David was off to the side and caught her profile as she bit her lip and frowned. She obviously had no idea what she was going to write on the board.

  “Chateaubriand!” he yelled.

  Lindsey slowly turned and scanned the faces until her eyes came to rest on David. A slight grin formed as recognition dawned.

  “Well!” she exclaimed. “Mr. David Lathem! So glad you took my suggestion.” She twisted back to the chalkboard and began writing.

  1. Hors d’oeuvres – starter - Chicken Liver Mousse

  2. Potage – soup – French Onion

  3. Salades - salad –Tuna Nicoise

  4. Entrée – main course – Chateaubriand, Gratin dauphinois – scalloped potatoes, roasted asparagus, glazed carrots

  5. Dessert – Crème Brulee

  Lindsey swung back to her class. “And there is your menu!”

  ‘Oohs’ and ‘aahs’ came from almost every mouth. They were duly impressed with the list, even if a lot of them didn’t know what each item was. It certainly looked and sounded impressive.

  “A first class menu,” David sighed. “I have no hope of being able to make that!”

  “Don’t be silly,” encouraged Gwen. “We’ll do it together.”

  David gave her a sideways glance and was a little unnerved at her perkiness. She had a huge smile and was leaning in a bit too close for David’s comfort. He took a step backwards and tried to ignore her. Lindsey was talking about ingredients and recipes and David wondered if he was supposed to be memorizing everything that she said. He tried to listen but Gwen had closed the gap between and had rested her hand on his arm.

  “I’ve got a brilliant idea,” she grinned. “After this course is over, let’s partner up for the next one.”

  David closed his eyes and tried to think of a kind way to tell her ‘hell no’. He was thirty-seven years old and had endured the leers and flirting of women all his adult life. Gwen was no different than most of the other women he’d met over the years.

  All the Lathem men looked very similar. All had thick dark hair and dark blue eyes. Paul was the tallest at six feet three inches and David the shortest at five feet and eleven inches. They were all blessed with a good me
tabolism and the desire to work out regularly, which David did at the gym just two blocks from his apartment in Chelsea. They were attractive men and Matt had made the Lathem name relatively well-known in New York City. For years Matt had made the most eligible bachelors list and was often photographed by paparazzi, although not so much anymore since he had settled into marital bliss with Janie. So David’s appearance and the last name often made him a target of the kind of women he wasn’t interested in. Plus he didn’t have money like his older brothers so once some women found that out, they moved on to their next victim. David knew that not all women were like that, but he’d learned his lesson early on and his social life had suffered.

  Here stood Gwen, all eager and willing to saddle up beside him. He didn’t know if she had any idea who his brothers were, but that really didn’t matter. He wasn’t interested, even though it had been a long time since he’d had a relationship that was more than three dates in a row.

  “I don’t think I’ll be taking any more classes, but I hope you have fun,” he said kindly but without any emotion.

  “It’d be a lot of fun,” she insisted.

  David shook his head. “I’m sure you’ll find someone else to partner with.”

  Gwen frowned, finally getting the hint and backed off.

  Lindsey was saying something about a homework assignment. He’d missed what it was. Everyone was gathering up their jackets and purses and leaving, so David quickly said goodbye to Gwen and marched to the front of the room.

  “I apologize,” he frowned. “I didn’t hear what our assignment was.”

  Lindsey looked up and smirked. “You were too busy chatting with your friend.”

  “No,” he shook his head. “She was the one doing the chatting. And she’s not my friend.”

  Lindsey chuckled. “I want you to go to the grocery store and look at the items you’ll think you’ll need for our menu.”

  David whipped out his phone and quickly took a photo of the menu written on the chalkboard. He would have to enlist help.

  “You wouldn’t want to go with me, would you?” he grinned.