As she closes her mouth, excitement fills her. The sauce on the bottom of the fork he used to decorate the plate, is the first element she tastes. As she pulls the fork from her mouth and bites down on the cube, the different element’s flavours explode in her mouth.
Ally closes her eyes as she takes in every texture and flavour of the bite in her mouth. She is in awe. She savours every moment of it before swallowing. When she opens her eyes she finds herself looking straight into the master of this creation’s eyes. This man is an amazing chef.
He looks at her expectantly. Ally raises her eyebrows and slowly shakes her head. She is speechless.
She places the fork back on the plate and shakes her head slowly again while looking at the plate.
She finally brings her gaze back up to his.
“That was…. unbelievable.” She finally tells him.
“Thank you.” He says, smiling at her. “I must tell you, watching you eat it… was… very satisfactory to me.” He gives a small chuckle. “But don’t worry, I will not expect any favours or rewards from you for the experience.” Ally lets out a surprised laugh. She almost forgot about her horrible date.
“What a gentleman. Thank you so much.” She tells him jokingly.
“How many of these one-bite dishes do you have?” Ally asks him. Her interest piqued.
“Only a few. I want it to be a unique experience whenever one of them is tried. It is easy to place elements together that go together. The trick is to place elements together that should not go together but when they are together they work.” He busies himself with cleaning up his work station.
“That is really amazing. What are you working on now?” Ally points to the book with the recipe and the notes. He looks at the book and then turns it around so she can read the recipe. As Ally ponders over it, he continues to clean up. He pulls up his stool on the other side of the counter and takes a seat.
“What do you see?” He asks her. Testing her knowledge of cooking and recipe reading.
“Well, it seems that all these elements will go well together but it will not have that taste explosion that I just experienced.” Ally tells him quietly. It is awful if someone criticizes your work. She is very careful not be hurtful. She looks up at him and sees that he is pressing his lips together.
“That is exactly the problem.” He places his elbows on the counter and rests his chin on his fists. “Any suggestions?”
Ally looks up at him. Surprise showing in her delicate features.
“Yes, I am open to suggestions.” He tells her and rewards her with that beautiful smile of his. Ally feels her insides melt as it does every time, he smiles at her. She picks up his pencil and points to each element of the recipe. Muttering their main characteristics as she does. This one offer sweetness. This one adds acidity. This one adds texture.
“What if you remove this one and replace it with a strawberry reduction.” Ally says more in thought than directly to him.
“That’s it!” he exclaims and quickly gets all the ingredients together to make a strawberry reduction. He works so swiftly and effortlessly that Ally stares at him in admiration. As he works, he cleans as well. When he is finished with his last element of the dish, he places it in the flash freezer to cool. He comes to stand in front of Ally and places his hands on the counter.
“Now we wait.” He says tapping his hands on the counter. Ally looks at his hands for the first time. Taking note of the ring finger. She was so dazzled by his smile that she didn’t even check if the man was married. She sighs a little sigh of relief when she sees the bare finger.
Ally takes her phone from her bag. She completely forgot that Meg was supposed to pick her up.
“Is she here?” He asks her.
“No, not yet. She says she is fifteen minutes away.” Ally says as a sadness settles over her. She thoroughly enjoyed this evening spent with this Master of a Chef. Tasting his creations and watching him do his magic. It is sad to think that the night is almost over. She thinks about the man she left at the restaurant next door. It feels like that happened a month ago.
“Well then. Fifteen minutes for you to experience a piece of magic that you helped create!” His enthusiasm is contagious. Ally smiles brightly and watches as he prepares two of the little plates with the single fork placed in the middle of it. He expertly slices each element into the most perfect squares. He places the squares perfectly on top of each other, forming a perfect cube that he then places on the tip of the fork.
Ally cannot hold her excitement anymore and quickly claps her hands softly in front of her chest.
He appreciates her excitement and slides her plate in front of her.
“Ready?” He asks in a soft seductive voice. For a moment every nerve in Ally’s body tingles. She almost forgets that he is talking about the bite sized experience in front of her. She quickly pulls herself together and nods.
Taking their forks in hand they each take the bite as it was prepared. Watching each other for their reactions. Ally sees how he lowers his fork slowly to the plate and places it softly back in its place. He places his hand on the counter and lowers his gaze as he experiences the different elements in his mouth.
Ally then bites down on the cube in her mouth and closes her eyes as all the tastes come together to form another magical moment. When she opens her eyes again, she looks into the dazed eyes of the man in front of her.
“I think you have just helped create perfection.” He tells her in a husky voice. Just when Ally thought this man cannot be any more attractive, the husky voice ensures her that she was wrong. He quickly takes his pencil in his hand. “What is your name?” he asks her, a lot more composed now and back to business.
“Ally.” She says slowly.
She watches as he writes above the recipe where all the notes are made to create this masterpiece.
ALLY’S LIPS
Ally blushes slightly.
“Are you calling this dish, “Ally’s lips”?” Ally asks him surprised.
“That I am. The strawberry reduction is as bright red as the lipstick you are wearing and if you did not come in here tonight it would have taken me a lot longer to get to this result.” He walks around the counter and holds his hand out for Ally to take his hand. Ally places her hand in his and he bends down to kiss the back of her hand.
“I am eternally grateful for your bad date, Miss Ally.” He tells her while looking at her with his playful eyes. Ally is at a loss for words but she can feel herself blushing deeply.
“Why, sir. I am only glad I could be of assistance.” Ally jokes in return.
He lets go of her hand and chuckles slightly. Ally receives a message of her phone and tells him that Meg is here. He walks with her to the back door of the kitchen and opens it with his thumb print. He holds the door open for her and she walks out in front of him.
Ally thought he would stay by the door and let her go to Meg by herself but he is right behind her as she takes the few steps down.
“It has been such a pleasure meeting you tonight, Ally.” He tells her as he opens the passenger door to Meg’s car. He bends down and looks inside to greet Meg. Meg, of course, is instantly dazzled by this incredibly beautiful man and can barely get a word out. She nods in reply.
He straightens up and looks at Ally again.
“If ever you need to get away from another bad date, the back door to my kitchen will always open for you.” He smiles teasingly at Ally as she turns to get into the car.
“I really enjoyed your company as well. And thank you for sharing your work with me. I am in awe.” Ally tells him truthfully.
“Only my pleasure.” He tells her with the most genuine smile on his face.
“Go home safely.” He tells her before closing the door for her.
Ally quickly opens the window before Meg starts driving off.
“I never got your name?” She asks him as Meg pulls away.
He smiles at her. Clearly, he noticed that he knew her name and she never asked for his.
“Eric” he tells her and then watches as they drive off and the tail lights disappear around the corner.
Ally walks into the kitchen of the restaurant where she is head Chef. She looks at her surroundings and cannot help but think about the kitchen she was in last night. Meg comes into the kitchen just behind her, putting on her apron as she walks. This kitchen is nice. That kitchen is extravagant. She would love to work in that kitchen, but then Eric would probably be her boss and she would not be able to concentrate on her work at all.“That was one damn fine man you were with last night.” Meg tells Ally as they reach their normal work stations. Ally’s work station is almost set apart like Eric’s is. It is just does not have special lighting and it isn’t as big is his. Meg falls into her routine and busies herself with preparations for the night service.“That is almost an understatement. I cannot remember ever meeting a man that can wreak havoc on all my senses in seconds.” Ally tells Meg.The whole day, while Ally works, she cannot keep her mind off Eric. Everything about him attract
The evening service is busier than usual that night. Ally runs most of the night. She is dead on her feat at the end of it. When everyone tosses their aprons in the wash bin and leave the kitchen, Ally follows without even rechecking everything. She will come in earlier today to recheck. It is already two in the morning. She needs sleep.She goes home and makes haste to get into bed. She falls asleep instantly.Ally wakes a few hours later. Even though she got much needed sleep, she still feels tired. It has been a busier than usual week. There are a lot of conferences in the city and most of them are near the restaurant where she works. She sits up in her bed and drags her phone closer. There must be a million messages that needs answering.Ally scans through the messages, deleting anything that seems mundane and quickly giving attention to anything to do with business.She is somewhat disappointed that she did not receive anything from Eric. She gets up to get ready for work. She wa
It took Ally a while to get over her bewilderment after Eric left. She couldn’t wrap her mind around his demeanour or the way he looked. His hair was a mess and his tie hung loose. His eyes were red with emotion. Ally still feels unsettled thinking about it.She came to work earlier and she spent most of the morning making sure everything is ready for the day. Today will not be as busy as other days. There is a sport gathering nearby. The streets will be too busy and most people who come into the restaurant will only come for something to drink. The dress code of the restaurant will not let anyone enter either. If supporters come to the door with their supporter wear, they will be shown away. It is the same thing every year.Ally remembers the woman who showed her the finer art of cooking, fondly. A smile tugs around her lips when she thinks of her. She snuck into her kitchen for years, while growing up. By the time Ally finished school she was already very good in the kitchen. Eunice
Ally’s heart starts thumping in her chest. Meg cannot take that dish to a world-renowned chef’s house! Ally was sworn to secrecy.Ally turns to Ralph with a worried look on her face.“When was Meg here?” Ally asks urgently.“She left minutes before you arrived.” Ralph answers in a confused tone.Ally turns her back on Ralph. She takes her phone out of her pocket and dials Meg’s number. The phone rings twice before Meg answers.“Hey! Thank you so much for this beautiful dish. You outdid yourself, once again.” Meg rambles without pause.“Meg, …” Ally tries to tell her that she took the wrong dish, but Meg interrupts her.“I have just arrived here. Thank you, again. I will let you know how it went.” Meg tells Ally before hanging up.Ally stares out in front of her, not really seeing anything. This is really bad. What if the Chef asks for the recipe? Ally feels sick to her stomach. She dials Meg’s number again but the call is ended after a few rings.Ralph clears his throat behind Ally. A
Ally is shocked when she wakes up the next morning to find that Meg is gone. She didn’t take all of her things either. She just left with the most important things. She left things like old clothes and her work wear. Ally takes out her phone to message Meg.MEGPLEASE LET ME KNOW WHERE YOU ARE. I WOULD LIKE TO COME VISIT YOU SOMETIME.ALLYAlly stares at her phone for a moment. Usually, Meg would reply within seconds. Ally’s heart sinks when she realises that Meg is not going to reply at all. She puts her phone away and gets ready for work. She will need to replace Meg soon.The day is busy. It helps to keep Ally’s mind off everything that happened in the last few weeks. She keeps her focus on the restaurant and makes sure she is exhausted when she leaves for home. At home she takes a quick shower and falls asleep almost immediately.She does this every night and it seems to work well for the first week.Late one night when she opened her door, she found an envelope on the floor. She
“Sure,” Ally answers nervously, “What can I do for you?”“I cannot be on the phone for too long.” Meg sounds stressed and afraid. “Something about the dish you prepared triggered some secret in this family. I cannot figure out what exactly is going on but they want answers that I cannot give them. Tell me what is so special about this dish.”There is a sense of urgency in Meg’s voice that makes Ally uncomfortable. Maybe it is the mention of the dish that makes her uncomfortable. She knew it was not good when the dish left the kitchen.“Meg. I told you that dish was not meant for you. It is a top-secret recipe. I promised never to write it down or to share it with anyone. It takes days to prepare and it took me almost six years to perfect it. It is a very intricate dish. Please tell me what is going on?” Ally tells Meg quickly.“I do not know what is going on. I have gathered that this dish is somehow connected to Eunice and it is the main reason why she picked me to be Eric’s bride. F
Ally covers her mouth with both hands. This cannot be. She just spoke to Meg yesterday. Meg was worried about Eunice making her prepare the dish she did not know how to prepare.She suddenly remembers how Ralph looked when she left work. She quickly dialled Ralph’s number.“Hey Ally.” Ralph answers. He seems in a better mood but his usual sunshine personality is not coming through.“Hey Ralph, remember you told me about the Symons family misfortunes. What was the last one you heard of?” Ally decides to get right into it.“Mrs Eunice Symons died after falling down a flight of stairs.” Ralph answers sadly.“Do you know when this happened?” Ally prods“This morning. Or maybe last night. They found her this morning at the bottom of the stairs. Some say it was an accident and other think that she was pushed.” Ralph says softly, as if he does not want any bystanders to hear.“Ralph, where did you get this information?” Ally asks in an equal soft tone, although she has no bystanders that wou
Ally rush towards the Bridal room. There are two guards outside the room. Both of them are shamelessly armed. Ally slows her pace as she nears the door. Both of the guards watch her intently. She comes to stand still in front of the bridal room door.“I am here to help the bride get dressed.” Ally tells the one guard. His eyes are cold and he gives her a piercing stare. The one corner of his mouth lifts slightly into somewhat of a sneer. He turns slightly and opens the door for Ally to go in.Ally enters the room, not taking her eyes off the security guard. When she is inside, he smirks fully and pulls the door closed. The whole encounter leaves Ally restless. She turns around to find Meg sitting in a chair. She has a night slip on.“Hey, Meg.” Ally greats softly. She walks to Meg and sits next to her. “How do we get you out of here?”“I think…” Meg starts but then pauses to look at the door. “I think I could ask them if I can go get something and then we can take off.” Meg seems nerv