The CEO and the Girl From the Coffee Shop (4 page)

****

Beth eyed
Gabriel as he assisted her into the car, trying to decide which
Gabriel she liked more; the casual one with the tight t-shirts
accenting his sexy chest and shoulders, with the low slung jeans or
this one wearing the finely tailored suit with the authoritative
demeanour. Both were so damned sexy it made her body yearn for
him.

For the
thousandth time since she decided to take the job, she wondered how
she was going to manage to keep from falling for him. She already
had a hardcore crush on him. She'd had one for some time now, hell
most of the women at the coffee shop were crushing on him. She
remembered all too clearly the look in those women's eyes when
she'd told them she was quitting the coffee shop to work for and
live at his home, it was a look of pure envy, mixed with a slight
hint of hatred.

Boy, if
they could see me now
, she thought with a smug feeling of
satisfaction as she watched him slide in the car behind the
steering wheel. He glanced over at her and her heart skipped a
beat. A warm smile graced his face as he started the car. The
engine roared to life and he shifted it into gear, speeding out of
the driveway.

"So do you buy
all of your employees beautiful, overpriced dresses and take them
to some surprise location whenever you hire them?" she teased.

He shot her
wry grin and shook his head, "Nah, I'm starting something new with
you."

"So I'm the
guinea pig," she lifted a brow at him.

"Something
like that. Besides, might I remind you that you are not only the
chef, but there are other duties that come with the
position..."

Beth laughed,
"I know. I know. The non-wife - wife duties, minus the sex."

Gabriel's face
blanched at the wisecrack, but he quickly regained his composure
and glanced over at her, his eyes roaming the length of her body,
before returning back to the road. "I never said sex was off of the
table."

Was he
serious?
Despite the colour rushing to her cheeks she glanced
over at him trying to read his expression, but it was blank.
Damn him, surely he was joking, but...
Her mouth opened to
speak, to say something - anything, but she snapped it shut. Sex
with Gabriel? She wouldn't lie; she had envisioned the scenario
more than once over the months' since she first met him. She had
envisioned in her mind's eye what his body would feel and look like
under those finely tailored designer suits. Amazing to both the
eyes and to the touch, she had no doubt about that. She'd even
masturbated to thoughts of him. Truth be told, Gabriel was normally
the star of all her fantasies.

Finally, after
what felt like close to an hour of awkward silence but amounted
closer to a fraction of a minute, he grinned at her. "I'm teasing
you Beth."

She released
the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding until that moment
with a loud huff. She wasn't sure what she was more of - relieved
or disappointed.
No, he's my boss now. I have to keep reminding
myself of that. Off-limits! Period!
Sadly, the reaction of her
body to his close proximity seemed to disagree with her reasoning
as she found herself squirming uncomfortably as wetness began to
form between her legs from her desire for him.

"Sorry I-"

"Hmmm," he
cocked a brow at her and grinned.

"How did you
know my dress size?" She decided it best to change the subject,
before she got herself more embarrassed than she already was.

It was his
turn to flush. "I-um. Well, I had this planned and-"

"And you went
snooping through my private things," she narrowed her eyes at him,
pretending to be aghast at his actions.

"No. No-it
wasn't snooping. You see I
knew
I was going to take you here
and to keep it a surprise-"

"You went
poking through my underwear drawer," she couldn't hold the stern
look any longer, as a grin broke through ruining her facade.

"Nah," he gave
her a wink, "I had Gerald do it."

Beth cringed.
Gerald the older, stern looking butler was rummaging through her
personal belongings? She prayed he didn't open the drawer with her
vibrator in it. He
did
seem to have a hard time looking her
in the eye all day today. Oh God! The whole idea was too mortifying
to even consider.

"He didn't
happen to mention anything else about what he found when going
through my clothes looking for sizes did he?"

Gabriel
frowned, "No. Why would he?"

Beth shook her
head, attempting a reassuring smile. "No reason at all. Just
wondering."

"Hmmm, sweet
little Beth from the coffee shop, are you keeping secrets from me?"
he flicked on the blinker and pulled the car into the parking lot
of one of the hottest and most exclusive restaurants in town -
The View
. The dress made perfect sense now considering the
ultra formal dress code the restaurant required. She'd always
wondered what it was like there and if the food was truly worth the
pricetag she'd heard was on it. She supposed she would find out
soon enough.

Gabriel pulled
the car up to the front door and turned it over to the valet while
a second valet assisted Beth from the passenger's side. He
immediately handed her off to Gabriel as he approached. Gabriel
offered his arm to her, which she accepted, feeling like royalty,
or some sort of superstar as they strolled - quite literally - down
a red carpet into the very elegantly styled, modern restaurant.
Oh, I could totally get used to this!

"You know,
Gabriel, this feels an awful lot like a date," Beth commented as he
pushed her chair in for her. They were seated in a private room
where one wall was actually a window overlooking Portland. Millions
of lights sparkled in the darkness below them and if you looked far
out you could see the water. It was nothing short of
spectacular.

"Does it now?"
he asked unbuttoning his suit jacket, shrugging it off and laying
it across the back of his chair as he sat down across from her.
"For the sake of argument. You don't start working for me until
tomorrow morning, so technically, even if this were a date it
wouldn't be a conflict to our working relationship."

A light knock
came at the door.

"Come in,"
Gabriel called out.

Beth turned in
her seat, expecting to see the waiter, but instead the head chef
walked in closing the door behind him. "Gabriel, good to see you
again."

"Pete."
Gabriel stood and walked over to the other man. They shook hands
and then did what Beth called a "man hug," one arm, with no lower
body contact. The chef appeared to be about the same age as
Gabriel; early thirties perhaps.

He waved his
hand in the direction of Beth. "This is Beth; she's going to be
your student for the next few weeks or so."

Student?
Beth looked up at the handsome blonde-haired man,
who was assumed to be a close friend to Gabriel.

"Ahhh Beth,
it's going to be a pleasure teaching you everything I know," he
gave her a wink that had her heart racing and colour rising to her
cheeks as he extended his hand to her.

Beth took his
hand, as she glanced over at Gabriel with a questioning frown.

"Peter is a
world renowned chef and he is going to be teaching you the art of
cooking. You know, something beyond... mac and cheese."

Beth's eye
narrowed as she glared over at Gabriel.
Oh God, could that have
been more embarrassing.

Peter chuckled
good-naturedly. "No need to be embarrassed Beth, a good many people
should stay far away from the kitchen, but no worries, I will turn
you into a master chef in no time."

Gabriel caught
her gaze and grinned, unaffected by her penetrating stare. "So now,
you won't be able to say you're not qualified for the job." Gabriel
nodded towards Peter. "Pete here will ensure that you are."

While becoming
a chef certainly wasn't her lifelong dream, to be tutored by the
head chef of
The View,
was an opportunity that she couldn't
refuse. Maybe he
could
whip her into becoming a great chef.
Maybe this was the opportunity she needed? Anything was possible
and she was determined to keep an open mind.

"I really
appreciate you taking the time to teach me what you know
Peter."

Peter smiled
down at her and nodded. "My pleasure." Turning back to Gabriel, "I
have your pre-order; a selection of your favourite dishes to
sample."

"That would be
great. Thanks."

"I'll be
seeing you tomorrow Beth. And have a good evening, let me know if
there are any problems. Your usual wine Gabe?"

Gabe?
She hid her grin. Yes, they must be close if he's calling
comfortable enough to call Gabriel, Gabe.

"That would be
splendid Pete. Thanks."

With a final
nod, Peter turned his head and left closing the door firmly behind
him. Without the conversation, Beth's attention was shifted to the
soft, sultry music that had been playing in the background.

She glanced
over at Gabriel as he pushed back his chair and stood, extending
his hand to her. "Dance with me until dinner arrives." It was more
of an order than a request, his eyes saying he did not expect to be
denied.

"Here?
Now?"

He smiled
softly and nodded, but his tone was firm, "now."

Taking his
hand, she rose from her chair and he led her to the small vacant
area in front of the window. He pulled her tight into him, wrapping
his arms around her waist. She found herself melting against him.
As she slipped her hands up his hard chest and secured them around
his neck, a voice in the back of her mind warned her she was going
to get hurt. It warned her that he was way out of her league and
that she was just a distraction until he started dating some new
super model or actress. She pressed that voice to the deep recesses
of her mind, as she gazed deep into his intense, dark eyes.

After all of
the nights she spent dreaming of him, why couldn't she allow
herself to pretend this could be real? Just for the night while
dressed in the most exquisite gown she'd ever owned, being held in
the arms of the most charming and gorgeous man she'd ever laid eyes
on. She wanted to pretend she was the princess and this life was
really hers.

He held her
tight, the soft sway of his hips against hers lighting the fire
within her. She leaned in closer to him, and the smell of his
cologne came to her, a sweet, yet spicy musk that begged her to
come closer, pressing her hips against his.

Damn, damn,
damn,
she chastised herself. It was so hard keeping her
distance when all she wanted to do was get closer. How could she
possibly work and sleep just down the hall from him? She shuddered
at the thought of seeing him bring another woman home, and God
forbid hearing him fucking that woman.

"Hey, what's
the matter?" She was jolted for her thoughts by his soft voice and
his index finger hooked under her chin lifting her eyes back up to
meet his.

Time seemed to
freeze as they stood together, locked in each others embrace. She
could see the hunger evident in his eyes that it sent a pleasurable
chill through her. As she pressed up against the length of his
body, she felt his erection against her stomach. He wanted her, and
she'd never wanted anyone so badly than at that very moment. She
opened her mouth to speak, but no words escaped her. He lowered his
mouth to hers. His lips were about second from touching hers when
the moment was suddenly shattered by a knock at the door.

"Fuck," he
muttered softly, as he straightened back up, saying exactly that
she was feeling. "We'll talk in a bit okay?" He loosened his grip
on her and she immediately missed his warm, hard body against
hers.

Beth nodded
and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Come in,"
Gabriel called out, stepping away from her completely and leading
her back to the table with his hand planted firming at the small of
her back.

The door
opened to reveal a number of servers holding platters of delicious
looking and smelling foods.

Oh-my-God!
I'm going to have to cook dishes like that!
She was going to
need more than Peter to cook like that; she was going to need a
miracle.

****

"The food was
amazing Gabriel. I have no idea how I could even compare to the
food they serve there. Even with tutoring from Peter." Beth looked
up hesitantly at him as he opened the front door of his home -
correction,
their
home - and ushered her in before him.

Gabriel sighed
in exasperation. "I've already told you Beth, if I wanted a gourmet
chef I would have hired one. As we have discussed in the contract,
you're duties include-"

"Wife without
being the wife, maybe minus the sex. I got that," she teased.

Gabriel shook
his head, but a smile touched his lips.

"But those
dishes were intimidating."

Closing the
door and locking it behind them, Gabriel turned to face her. He'd
wanted to kiss her all evening. If the waiter hadn't had such
fucking bad timing he would have. But would that have been the best
of ideas? He raked his fingers through his short dark hair,
feelings of indecision rushing through him as he considered it.

After a minute
he shook his head. "You'll do fine. You were amazing at coffee
shop." With a hand at the small of her back, he urged her towards
the winding staircase.

Her sapphire
blue eyes peered up at him and she flipped her golden hair over her
shoulder as they ascended the stairs. "I served you coffee at the
coffee shop. Hardly a testament to my cooking abilities."