Crave - Part One: Aria's Song (Crave Series Book 1)

by Rhea Wilde

  “Are you going to stand there and watch me eat?” he asked.

  “Yes. Why not? Is that a problem?”

  “I’m sure Camille could use your help cleaning up.”

  “Right. Of course.”

  “Speak to me when you’re done. There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

  I nodded to him then returned to the kitchen to help Camille. Every now and then I would glance over at Stephen, trying to gauge his reaction from every bite he took. But his expressionless face left me with nothing. I only had the fact that he was eating it to let me know that it wasn’t completely terrible.

  Stephen finished his meal and pushed the half-empty plate across the table.

  “I need to talk to him,” I said to Camille.

  She excused me and I took a seat across the table from him. I sighed as I leaned back in my chair then took a piece of bacon from Stephen’s plate. He stared at me for a moment while I chewed upon it.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said. “This isn’t just better. This is good.”

  “Good is a subjective term. But I didn’t hire you to make good food. I want something greater than that.”

  “Give me a little more time. I think I’ll get there.”

  “You have two weeks.”

  “What? That’s not enough—”

  “I’ll be hosting a dinner party. Some important people will be attending.”

  “Important people, huh? Like those rich folks I saw at the charity dinner when I met you.”

  “Among others. This is an important meal. These are influential people. Investors. If I can make them see the value of my intentions with a new restaurant, they’ll open their pockets.”

  “Why do you need their money? Why do you need investors? Aren’t you rich? You can just foot the bill yourself.”

  “My finances are none of your concern. Regardless, I want you to treat this dinner as your highest priority. Think of it as an exam.”

  “I don’t know if I like all of these college analogies,” I said as I took another piece of bacon off of his plate. “I dropped out for a reason.”

  “Why am I not surprised?”

  “Ouch,” I said with a smile. “I love your sense of humor—”

  “Just remember. Two weeks. Camille will advise you but it will be your ideas that will be used.”

  “Right. I’ll remember it. I’ll write it down in my notebook…”

  Stephen stood up from his seat and straightened out his suit. He looked down at me as I tried my best to empty the rest of his breakfast plate.

  “Try to eat something more than bacon this morning,” he said. “I expect you in the training room in 90 minutes.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  I smiled then playfully saluted him. Stephen looked at me skeptically before excusing himself from the kitchen. I took his plate over to the sink to rinse it off.

  “Two weeks,” I said to Camille. “Do you think I’ll be ready by then?”

  “I don’t know,” she responded. “That’s all up to you.”

  “Yeah… It is up to me, isn’t it?”

  It was only my third day working for Stephen but I’d already grown more comfortable than I was when I started. With an actual date and assignment set in front of me, I had an opportunity to see if I was capable of doing what Stephen expected of me. I knew quitting wasn’t an option because I had nowhere else to turn to. But more and more, it was beginning to seem like this opportunity was greater than I ever thought it could be.

  Chapter 16

  Camille didn’t let up. Neither did Stephen. If anything, every day was harder than the next. While Camille schooled me on the fundamentals of taste, meeting with Stephen right after resulted in me being pushed to further exhaustion. They taxed both my mind and body. It may have started like college but it was much worse. Maybe I really was getting old before my age. The mid-life crisis I half-joked about to my friend Leigh was becoming a reality.

  If it weren’t for the weekends that Stephen gave me off, I might have gone crazy. How I managed to get through the two weeks leading up to Stephen’s dinner party were all a blur to me. Somewhere between all the sleeping and eating and training, enough time went by and I was thrust into my first real challenge. Even though Camille and Stephen didn’t take it easy on me, there was never any real pressure to perform. Tonight, things were different.

  “Are you ready?”

  “If I say no, do I get a chance to back out of this?”

  “No.”

  “Then why are you asking me?”

  “Because I’m trying to make you relax.”

  “I am relaxed.”

  “I can’t tell. I’m surprised you’re actually taking this seriously.”

  I’d spent so much time with Camille that my sense of humor seemed to have rubbed off on her. Despite her best efforts to keep me calm, the anticipation of the night finally culminated with my nerves beginning to get the best of me. The dinner party that Stephen reminded me of every night was finally here. I had to make sure that everything was perfect.

  “I’m fine,” I said as I organized one of the dishes. “I’m just fine. How many people are there going to be?”

  “Two dozen. That means there will be a focus on the quality of the dish since you’re not making it in bulk.”

  “I don’t know… Making one dish for Stephen is enough bulky work for me.”

  “Just do what I tell you to do and everything will be fine. I’m sure they’ll appreciate all of the creative ideas you have. You’ve learned as much as anybody could in two weeks.”

  “I guess…”

  I sighed as I finished preparing the first course. I could already feel how long of a night it was going to be.

  I wore a black dress for the occasion. It was an outfit I didn’t have a chance to wear out on the town in a long time. I did my hair and makeup even though I knew I would spend most of my time in the kitchen. Most of it was covered with sweat and steam coming from every direction. A white apron protected my dress from any stains but the smell of the food would definitely need to be rinsed out.

  Crosby appeared in the kitchen and examined all of the dishes that Camille and I orchestrated together. He held his hands behind his back and politely stood there, a slight smile on his face.

  “The guests have arrived,” he said. “When can they expect the first course to be served?”

  “When it’s finished.”

  “Of course, Miss Aria. I’ll inform Master Stephen of the delay.”

  “There’s no delay,” I said as I shook my head at him. “I just… I just need to make sure that everything is right. Serve them some wine while they’re waiting.”

  “And which wine shall I serve them?”

  I looked toward the wine cabinet. All of the bottles looked the same to me. I turned to Camille but she didn’t offer me any of the advice I was looking for. Stephen wanted me to make the decisions. But everything I learned in two short weeks didn’t include the wine cabinet staring back at me.

  “Just pick a bottle,” I said with a shrug. “Any bottle. They can’t tell the difference.”

  “Very good, Miss Aria.”

  Crosby took a bottle from the cabinet and disappeared from the kitchen into the main dining hall. I could feel Camille’s eyes upon me. I worked frantically, trying to remain focused while my instructor stared at me.

  “If you’re going to say something, say it,” I said.

  She didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to. I could already feel what she was thinking. It was a mistake to let Crosby decide what wine to serve but I wouldn’t have made a better decision on my own. I just had to cross my fingers.

  I managed to finish and prep most of the courses. Most of it was due to Camille’s assistance. While we were working, some servants arrived and took the first course of the meal out into the dining hall where the dinner was being served.

  “Do they know that I have no idea about pairing foods tog
ether?” I asked Camille. “I mean, I trust in your cooking but why am I the one making the decisions?”

  “I never question Master Stephen’s way of doing things,” she said as she continued to work. “I only know that I enjoy what I do.”

  “And how long have you been doing this?”

  “I’ve worked in a kitchen all my life. Ever since I was a child. I’ve worked for Master Stephen for three years now—”

  “Do you have to call him Master Stephen? What’s the deal with that?”

  “I don’t have to call him that. It’s merely a show of respect.”

  “Right…”

  I didn’t have any time to wonder why Stephen was putting so much pressure on me. Maybe he was playing a practical joke on them by having a complete novice create a menu for them. Even though Camille worked frantically around the kitchen while the servers came and went, I still managed to take some time to myself and peek into the dining hall next door.

  I slowly creaked the door open and saw the audience that Stephen was entertaining. They were a crowd no different from the people I had to deal with at the charity dinner I served at. They all wore their finest outfits while they chatted and mingled at their tables with a gleeful carelessness. I watched the servers place the food I had helped prepare in front of them and quickly closed the door.

  “This is crazy… I have no idea what I’m doing…”

  I slowly paced over to the kitchen counter where Camille was working. I stared at the counter, trying to comprehend everything that was going on. I knew it was happening. I was preparing for it all this time. But I still couldn’t believe it.

  I arranged the courses based on Camille’s recommendations. She talked to me about flavors and palates and taste buds. All of it went in one ear and out the other way. Almost none of it stuck. Despite how much time and effort I put into everything, I was lost. Getting caught in the moment overwhelmed me to the point that I couldn’t move.

  “Aria…”

  What am I doing here? Why the hell did he hire me?

  I raised my hands up against my face, rubbing my forehead in frustration.

  “Aria!”

  I lowered my hands down and saw Camille staring at me.

  “What’s wrong?” she said.

  “…N-nothing. I’m fine. I just… had a little headache, that’s all.”

  “Stay focused. There are still four more courses to go.”

  “Right.”

  I sighed as I begun working on the next set of dishes.

  It wasn’t much different for the rest of the night. While Camille and I worked, servants would come in and take the plates to be critiqued and criticized by the aristocrats in the next room.

  I noticed something whenever the servants would return. The plates were nearly full each time. It was as if they hadn’t touched the food. I tried not to let the fact that they weren’t eating anything get the best of me. Instead, I focused on the task at hand.

  By the end of the night, Camille and I finally finished everything. There was nothing left to do except clean-up the mess we’d made in the kitchen. Some servants returned and assisted in scrubbing the plates, pots and pans while others took care of the oven. I exhaled a deep sigh of relief because it was all finally over.

  I decided to take a moment to myself. I removed my apron from around my dress and peeked into the dining hall again. I saw Stephen sitting at the head of the table. I couldn’t hear him clearly but I could make out some of their conversation.

  “What do you think?” Stephen asked to some of the guests sitting next to him.

  “Unspectacular,” an older woman sitting next to him said. “It’s rather uninspired. I believe I could have had something better at a two-star restaurant.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far,” a man interrupted her. “But these dishes seemed to have no cohesion at all. There was no consistent flavor profile. No inspiration.”

  Everybody at the table seemed to nod in agreement. Stephen sat there silently and listened as more of their criticisms rolled in.

  “Is this your plan?” one of the men at the table said to Stephen. “A young man like yourself wants to get into the restaurant business. You do realize that most of these businesses fail, don’t you? There are safer ventures. There are much wiser things to invest your money in.”

  “I agree,” another man said. “This is too great a risk. Some people have the palate for it. Some people don’t. I thought you had better help than this in your kitchen. I’d advise against it.”

  I looked at Stephen and saw something I’d never seen before. He looked defeated. I swore that I could see him holding back the frustration on his face. But he didn’t say anything. He simply sat there and nodded his head while he listened to them continue to critique everything I had planned.

  Suddenly, he glanced over at me. I quickly moved away from the door and closed it.

  “Aria.”

  I turned and saw Camille motioning for me.

  “We’re not finished yet,” she said. “We still need your help.”

  I nodded to her then returned to help the rest of the servants take care of the kitchen. The task of putting the dinner together was over but after hearing what they said, my mind was now focused on something else. Unfortunately for me, I had the rest of the night to contemplate everything I heard.

  Chapter 17

  “The dinner guests have departed. Master Stephen has informed me that your service is no longer needed.”

  “Thanks.”

  The kitchen was spotless thanks to the efforts of all of Stephen’s servants. Camille and the others had already left, leaving me alone with Crosby. The old man remained to tell me that I was off for the rest of the night.

  I sighed in knowing that it was all over. I had the opportunity to leave but instead sat at the kitchen counter to take a moment to myself.

  “Will you be staying?” Crosby asked.

  “For a little bit.”

  “The amenities of the kitchen are free for you to use. Should the need arise, I will have a guest room made for you.”

  “No. No, that’s all right. I don’t think I’m going to be sleeping here.”

  “Then I will say good night, Miss Aria. I am afraid old age no longer allows me the opportunity to cheat myself from the sleep I need.”

  “Thanks.”

  I smiled at him and he bowed his head in response. He turned around and left me alone in the kitchen. The silence was deafening. I could practically hear the thoughts in my head like they were playing on a speaker.

  You have no clue why you’re here… You don’t know what you’re doing. Why are you still here, Aria?

  I sighed as I tried to find an answer to the question I couldn’t find an answer to. Opportunity was the only thing that continued to ring inside of my head but I could feel it slowly beginning to slip away.

  Racking my brain was beginning to give me a headache. I stepped away from the kitchen counter and searched the refrigerator for something to eat.

  “Maybe I can find something to get my mind off of this… Ah. Here we go…”

  I pulled a small carton of chocolate ice cream that was tucked away in the corner of the freezer. It was completely full like it hadn’t been touched since it was purchased. It was enough to feed more than one person but I felt like having more than one serving tonight.

  The first spoonful melted against my tongue. I swallowed it down and exhaled a contented sigh.

  “You shouldn’t be having sugar so late in the evening.”

  I turned my head, startled at the voice behind me. I was surprised to see Stephen standing there behind me since I didn’t even hear him come in. I turned my attention back to the ice cream and took another spoonful into my mouth.

  “I shouldn’t do a lot of things,” I said. “But I still do them.”

  “I’m beginning to realize that.”

  Stephen approached me and leaned up against the kitchen counter next to me. Being so close to him remind
ed me of just how imposing he was. I glanced at him and saw a bit of fatigue on his face. A blond beard was beginning to grow in and his eyes had a slight pink hue to them. His tie hung off of his neck and the top buttons of his shirt were undone and revealed his undershirt beneath it.

  “Yeah,” I sighed. “So, are you going to tell me why you did it?”

  “Did what?”

  “Hired me. You have a perfectly capable chef in Camille. Now you’re telling me you want to open a restaurant and you want me to be in the kitchen. I don’t know anything about flavor profiles or seasoning or the difference between a sauce pan and a saute pan. You give me two weeks to plan a meal for two dozen people who are used to eating at five-star restaurants. I… I’m lost.”

  “It appears you are.”

  “I heard the comments. I heard what they said. They complained. They said it was one of the worst meals they ever had. They said I had no idea how to plan a meal.”

  “Are they wrong?”

  “What?” I said as I looked at him. “N-no but—”

  “Are you upset?”

  Stephen stared at me and waited for my response. I shook my head in frustration and took another spoonful of ice cream into my mouth.

  “Just tell me why,” I asked. “Why me? You picked me at random. I’m the least-qualified person in the world for this. There are better people.”

  “Probably—”

  “Is it because you just want to sleep with me? Is that all it is? Because if that’s what it is, just say so. I won’t be offended. I… don’t mind being looked at that way. You don’t have to go through this charade because you want to fuck me.”

  “I have my reasons.”

  “Is that the reason? Is it the sex?”

  I stared at him. It had only been a little more than two weeks since I met him but I didn’t want to try to figure him out for any longer. I wanted an answer. But Stephen looked back at me and remained silent. My frustration boiled over and I sighed from his lack of a response.

  “I think I should go,” I said. “I think you should find someone else to do this.”

  Stephen moved away from the counter and picked up a spoon from one of the drawers. He put it into the chocolate ice cream then ate it along with me.