by Kaylee, Katy
“So… what’s your plan, exactly?” Sidling up next to me, Ryan wrapped his arm around my waist, and I gazed out at the frantic activity. Secretly, I hoped this kitchen was well-stocked, but if not- oh well. Those that were too slow to react couldn’t work for me. Simple. After all, there’s nothing wrong with making this up as I go.
“It’s a road test. I’m going to observe, but we’ll ice all the cakes a different color, and we’ll have a couple instructors or something eat them and score them. One score for the icing, and another for the cake itself. Whoever gets the higher score wins.”
“Are you sure you want to work for a dictator?” Directing the question at Kayla, Ryan smirked broadly, and I twisted to watch her shrug. Maybe, she just didn’t really care about status so much, and that’s how she kept her cool.
“I’m a trust fund baby- I don’t want to work at all. I figured that if I was going to work, it should be something I enjoy doing. I couldn’t be a Bohemian artist, so cake decorating was the next best thing. I like it- it’s a lot like therapy for me.” Reaching my fist out in solidarity, I found myself warming more and more to her candid honesty. “Anyway- there’s nothing to do for the next 45 minutes, so I’m gunna go find some teachers. I’ll be back.”
Striding off towards the door, Kayla didn’t even make sure it was closed before whooping and hollering, and I rested my head on Ryan’s shoulder to smile.
“She’s cool- I like her.” Ryan grunted at my declaration, and I inhaled sharply before putting my game face on. “Part of this is also to determine who I can use as assistants. If all goes well, those two have worked together for years- they can handle everything with a good set of assistants.”
“You’re evil. I’m glad I’m your boyfriend, not your employee.” Dropping a kiss on my head, Ryan grinned into my hair, and he rubbed my side as my own smile widened. “And to think- you were expecting to have the worst day imaginable, and now, you’re in a cake decorating contest to determine the fame and fortune of two people.”
“I mean, having the bakery is different than the restaurant, Ryan. The menu won’t be comprised mostly of what I want that the chefs can recreate easily. It’ll be a few items of mine that I won’t let be left out, but it’ll mostly be sweets that cater to the strengths of the people baking them. That’s something I learned was super important with my last place- with baking, you can’t just tell them to read from a card. You can tell from the taste whether or not the person baking it was passionate- I know how that sounds, but it’s the truth.”
“I believe you, baby. It’s just amazing to me that you can do this on the fly like this. When you look back on coming in here, dreading these interviews, and now… it’s like- damn. It went from 0 to 100 real quick.” Scanning the dozen people scurrying furiously and working even harder, I exhaled slowly. A couple of people managed to keep their composure, which was nice, and I memorized their faces. “You’re really impressive, you know that?”
“I do- you make it hard to forget.” Giggling as Ryan bumped my hip with his, I rubbed my bump absently. “I have a good feeling about this.”
Ryan
“That one didn’t put in enough sugar.” Grumbling in agreement, I really wasn’t sure how much more cake I could stuff down my throat. For the first time in my life, I sympathized with cooking show judges in how little they ate off a plate. There were murmurs of agreement by two other instructors, and I glanced over the two competitors left.
Gwen had been utterly delighted when Kayla kicked her ass at cake decorating. The younger woman was faster, had a steadier hand, and ‘unique style’… whatever that meant. It all looked exactly the same to me, but that was why Gwen wanted me around. I was a simple person, with simple attention, and I wasn’t trained to spot the most minute mistakes.
“I think this one was the only one that didn’t taste off in some way.” Pointing under the scrutiny of a dozen hopeful applicants, Gwen smirked a little as I gazed at the beautiful, perfect cake. The cake itself was chocolate, with strawberry icing, and she nodded to herself even though I knew she’d made the decision before even leaving the interview room.
“So, you’re going to hire Kayla and Brandon- what about the assistants?” My question drew a thoughtful expression on Gwen’s face, and she cocked her head. She was so damn beautiful when she was doing what she did best, and I rubbed the small of her back gingerly.
“I think these four should be fine.” Pulling the iced cakes, all different colors and shades, in front of the others, Gwen nodded to herself before addressing the crowd. “Congratulations to you four- you’ve got a job.”
Cheers and groaned of failure mingled in the air, and I heaved a sigh of relief. I never thought I’d get sick of cake, but it’d happened; I couldn’t help but feel like I could sleep for a week. There was no way I could skip out on the gym this week, either. Biting back a groan, I rocked back on my heels as I pulled out my cell phone.
Thomas hadn’t called or texted me since his blowout with Gwen, and I hoped that he wasn’t hiding in a vat of alcohol all this time. My worry for him only went so far, though, because he brought this on himself. He didn’t listen to me when I tried gently, so Gwen did it forcefully.
Which was hot as fuck, but still- it must have taken a lot out of her to backhand her own brother.
Glancing over at her, I pursed my lips thinly as she talked schedule with Kayla and Brandon. Working was Gwen’s special type of therapy, I knew, and I reached to rub the back of my neck absently. Once she got the employees squared away, she’d prep for opening, and I frowned as I remember the exhaustion just watching her prepare the restaurant.
If Gwen trained these people for a week, she’d be entering her sixth month of pregnancy. My gaze slid down to her bump, and my palms tingled as my abdomen tightened with anxiety. She wanted to open as soon as possible so that she could slow down, and I was glad she was so conscious of the dangers of working too hard.
“-kay, so I’ll see you all tomorrow morning.” Snapping to reality, I sagged in relief when Gwen grabbed my hand, and she shot me a sympathetic smile. “Thank you, Ryan. I appreciate you doing this with me.”
“I’m with you on this, baby. I want to get it done before the baby gets here. My mom says nothing sucks more than having kids and leaving them to go work…” Squeezing her palm, I pushed open the door to the exit hallway, and she slipped out under my arm first. Only when we were alone did I speak up again, and the ghostly anxiety borne of my own thoughts disappeared at her strutting around. “Speaking of work, I’m heading to my agency, if you want to come? If not, I’ll drop you off at home.”
“Um… I’m going to go home. I’m exhausted, and it’s only 2pm. I just need to sleep.” Nodding despite her guilty tone, I opened the next door that led outside, and the warm sun instantly beat against my face. “Is it a meeting about the movie?”
“Yeah. They’ve got the script and the main actors, but they don’t have extras and secondaries and sets and stuff. All I know is that it takes place in New York City, so, at least it’s not across the entire country. They’re still ironing out the details about pay and stuff, too, which kind of limits activity. At the audition, they put a prospective start date for late October.”
“Oh- that’s only less a six-hour drive from here.” Fishing my keys out of my pocket on the way to the parking structure, I huffed a laugh at the pleased surprise in Gwen’s tone. “That’s not so bad.”
“It’s about the same amount of time it takes to fly from L.A. to here, so… No, not too bad. And, that’s if you go the speed limit. I could probably make it in four.” The visitors got to park on the ground floor of the garage- score!- and my lights flashed as I unlocked my car. “My meeting is for 2:45pm, so I can only drop you off.”
“But… I want to show you how much I appreciate you, Ryan.” Arching a brow at the sultry quality in Gwen’s tone, I hummed suggestive as she stuck out her bottom lip. “Please? I feel bad for making you eat all that cake…”
&nb
sp; “… You just want to suck my cock since you thought we’d go home and fuck, don’t you?” Her cheeks turned bright pink, and I chuckled as I reached to pop open the back seat. “Fine- but we have to make this fast.”
“Okay.” Nodding eagerly, Gwen slid into the back seat, and I glanced around before following her. Shutting us in, I grabbed her head to smash my lips on hers, and her palms instantly attacked my jeans. Leaning back against the seat, desire drummed through my veins, and I snuck my tongue past her teeth to taste her.
Groaning when she pulled out my cock, I clenched my jaw when Gwen didn’t hesitate to tear her mouth from mine. Thrusting into her palm, my thighs tingled as I flopped my head back, and her luscious, hungry sound floated up to curve my lips. My gasp when she licked the head of my cock sent a jerk through my shoulders, and I pushed her head down gingerly.
“Fuck- yes, baby… suck this cock so good…” She slid down, slathering her tongue along the thick vein on the underside of my cock, and I groaned loudly. Closing my eyes to savor the sensation, my breath hitched when my shaft bent to the curve of her throat. Even with my girth, she didn’t choke, and I ground my teeth hard as I thrust up. “Fu-ck-k-k…”
Harsh pants tore from my throat as Gwen’s flexed, and I jerked slightly as pleasure gripped my spine in a vice. Bopping up and down with gusto, her cheeks hallowed, and her saliva dribbled down my sac to tickle the sensitive skin.
“Sit on my cock, Gwen-“ Tugging insistently on her hair, I thanked God himself that she was wearing loose maternity pants. All Gwen had to do was slide them down to her ankles, and I kissed her lips hard as she shuffled into my lap. Poising my cock, she trembled with desire that leaked out of her, and I gasped at how wet she was.
“Are you this horny when you’re not pregnant?” Thrusting up as she slid down, I rasped the question as Gwen moaned beautifully. She hooked her claws in my shirt, and I braced my legs as my own palms grappled for her ass cheeks. Holding her up to surge into her tight, hot cunt, our gasps mingled as she tightened around my cock. Her lips trembled against mine, and I thrust faster as euphoria thickened my blood.
“Yeah- yeah- yeah- yeah! Oh, my God yes-s-s!” Soft walls clamped down on my cock, and I shuddered as they rippled wildly up and down my shaft. Squeezing her ass, I ground my hips against hers, and Gwen buried her head under my chin to muffle her cries of ecstasy. My cock throbbed, and I poured all my focus on her quivering, sexy body- on her moans- on her thick spunk dribbling down my balls.
“I fucking love this pussy, baby-“ Growling hoarsely as my balls drew up, I gasped and sputtered as cum spurted from my head. My tip ached, and hot, shallow breaths rolled under my shirt to curl my chest hairs. “Fuck- fuck-“
Never could a woman get me to cum so fast- not that it was a mystical sign or anything that we were good together. Gwen wanted to fuck, but I had shit to do.
She always won that pitiful excuse for a compromise.
“… maybe you just fuck me too good.” My eyelids popped open, and I tilted my head as Gwen smiled against my neck. Inside her, my cock went flaccid, and we spent another second catching our breath before she clamored off me. “Pull my pants up.”
“Why aren’t you wearing underwear?” Pleasantness replaced the desire flooding my body, and I did as I was told like a good boyfriend. Sprawling across the seat, Gwen gave a weird half-shrug and hum, and she lifted her ass as I dragged her maternity jeans up.
Climbing into the passenger seat, I pulled my phone out of my pocket to check the time. 2:06pm… I won’t be late. Gwen got some lovin’. Win-win.
Gwen
“I definitely wasn’t expecting so many people…” Kayla’s nerves showed in her voice, and I smiled as I patted her on the back. After a measly week of training, and a single day trial, it was time to open my bakery. Letting the curtain fall back in place, she shot me a tentative smile before putting on her confident face, and she threw back her shoulders to nod. “We got this. We can totally do this.”
“Good luck, Kayla. If you make it through today, the rest is a breeze- trust me.” Glancing behind me at my nine, palpably nervous employees, I turned to smile encouragingly. “Good luck to you all. You’ve done so well these past few days. I’m fully confident that you can handle this.”
I had two cashiers, four assistants, two bakers, and a manager, and I nodded before my phone gave a faint trill. Sliding out from behind the curtain as they all rushed to their spots behind the overfull counters, I heaved a huge breath at the massive crowd in my restaurant. News people had shown up, and their cameras trained on me as I held myself proudly.
“Thank you all for coming out to the opening of One Stop Shop Bakery! I only ask that you’re considerate to each other and to my staff on this incredibly busy and stressful day. And- without further hesitation- welcome!” Cheers thundered around the room, and the curtain started to roll up to reveal the bakery half of my place. Little kids zoomed past me in their excitement, and I couldn’t help but laugh as they stuck their faces to the glass display cases.
Compared to the restaurant, which was chic, the bakery had a classic feel. The brickwork flooring gave way to pale pink tiles, and the wirework tables and chairs spread out behind me.
Everything was perfect- exactly the way I wanted it, and I stepped out of the way as adults raced to grab their children before they lost them. Unlike in San Francisco, there were securities in place to prevent people from being mobbed; the long ropes that snaked around for the line was wide enough to fit three people across comfortably. This time, that line started in front of the display cases, and the orders were taken from above them.
All the kids were first in line, and an indescribable feeling took me over as I watched from by the wall.
“Ms. Martins- a word, please?” Tearing my eyes off the sight, my smile widened automatically as a newswoman strode up to me with her camera man less than half a step behind. “I’m with Channel 8 News. I’ve actually been to your restaurant-slash-bakery in San Francisco as well. What changes have you made to this one that you’d consider improvements over the place you left behind?”
“Well, this time, I was a lot more prepared and had much more realistic expectations. All of my employees at the bakery are students from Charlottesburg Culinary Institutes’ confectionary program- something I didn’t do at my last restaurant. Even my cooks are from Charlottesburg. If I had to say what my biggest improvement is, it’s that I know not to try to do it all by myself. I was lucky to find such competent people.”
“So, do you have any words for other prospective business owners that have gone through similar trials as you, if you don’t mind my asking? How did you juggle being pregnant and opening not one but two eateries?” She held the mic out for me and gestured that the camera wasn’t presenting a live feed, and I took a moment to think about it.
“I think… the one thing I would say is… divorce isn’t easy, whether you hate someone or love them and have to let them go. What I did was just focus on something that was harder to do, practically. Building this was a distraction, but it also helped me realize that my divorce doesn’t define me. If you have something you love, that you’re good at, the only thing stopping you from achieving it… is yourself.”
“I demand some credit for this, Gwen!” Jumping at the shout over the hustle and bustle, I twisted to watch Ryan grin broadly at me. “All that stress eating threatened to ruin my hot bod, you know.”
“Okay- Ryan helped a little.” Giggling in jubilation, I turned back to the newswoman as she glanced between the two of us, and Ryan wrapped his arm around my waist to squeeze gently. “I actually couldn’t have done it so well without him, so he deserves some credit.”
“I’m actually a huge fan of yours, Mr. Shaw. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” They shook hands, but my attention was stolen by a loud squeal. Whirling around, I tensed before I even knew what to expect, and Ryan tightened his grip on me as his free hand pressed firmly against my bump.
A stream of incr
edibly famous people entered my bakery through the door on that side, and my brows rose high. Glancing over at Ryan’s sheepish, reddening face, I exhaled a massive breath; the relief that there wasn’t a stampede or something was short lived, though.
“Did you plan this?” His guilty look was all the answer I needed, and I reached to rub my face with both my palms. “Why didn’t you warn me?”
“Surprise?” I frowned at the lackluster tone, and Ryan slumped back to groan. “If I told you, you’d stress out more. It’ll be fine. Things are going great!”
“… Yeah- okay.” Rolling my lips between my teeth, I glanced around at every single thing I had made possible. The familiar faces of a few critics, three or four of Ryan’s actor friends, and at least a hundred people milled around, buzzing with excitement. Behind me, the restaurant was cranking out orders for patrons, and the news cameras were rolling to capture it all.
Ducking to kiss my cheek, Ryan smiled infectiously, and I covered his hand over my bump with a happy sigh.
“You deserve this, and don’t let anyone think you don’t, Gwen. Now that things have started, it’ll take off smooth, and you’ll never have to worry about anything again.” The intimate mumble tugged at my heart, and my eyes stung dully as I nodded mutely. “I’m just glad you can slow down a little. My mom actually called and asked if we’d be alright if they moved back so they can be ‘proper grandparents’.”
“That’s sweet of them.” Answering absently as I gazed at my bakery crew scurrying around in total panic mode, I couldn’t help but smile. Kayla and two assistants were taking orders, since the cashier girls couldn’t leave their posts, and Brandon was in the middle of rolling a ball of dough. The other two assistants were whipping together batters like rockstars, and no one had dropped anything, yet.