Chapter 7
It was 4 o’clock, Sylas and the kitchen staff just finished prep for the dinner shift tonight. He pulled all his cooks on to the line giving them last minute instructions. Sylas talked to his brigade, still very concerned with the reservation load. They booked the restaurant for the night, which made him happy, but this staff hadn’t seen that in a long time.
“This is my first meal in this restaurant and I will expect it to go flawlessly. You represent me and together all of us will be successful. Just work hard and listen, that’s all I ask for.” Sylas pumped up his brigade, getting them ready for the challenges he knew they were facing.
The cooks all responded with a cheer, taking their positions on the line. Their stations were set up and ready to go. Sylas took the lead at the pass getting ready to call out the orders. He would plate the food, inspecting everything so it met his standards. Nothing left this kitchen without his final approval. As he wiped down and got ready, he spotted Veronica coming out of the office.
“Alright, Chef, are you ready to open?” Veronica seemed upbeat. She looked ready to take on the night. She spoke in a confident tone that made Sylas happy. In this short time, she trusted him to make this night a success.
“Yes, Veronica, go open the doors. I will tell you this one time and one time only. I expect a flawless shift and if you don’t deliver that there will be repercussions. Remember what we discussed at lunch today. If things don’t go the way I have planned I will give you a warning. If you don’t improve whatever the issue is, I will take you over my knee and spank your bare ass. Once the punishment is over we will carry on and the topic will not be discussed any further. These are my expectations for our relationship from now on. If you don’t agree let me know now. We can go back to having a strictly professional relationship. Do I make myself clear?” Sylas was all business.
“Yes, sir. I understand. I agree with everything you just said. The way I feel, Sylas, I don’t think we could ever just be strictly professional.” Veronica paused slightly.
“Veronica, this will be the first test in our relationship tonight. Don’t let me down. Now, go get ready for dinner,” Sylas turned, going back to work.
Veronica turned, heading out to the dining room. A shiver went through her body. The idea of him taking her over his knee, bare assed, his strong hands on her turned her on. At that moment, she realized this was what she was missing in her life, a strong man to take control. She wanted to be soft, taken care of. Veronica’s heart fluttered, this man just came in, took over. For the first time she didn’t feel like she had to do it all alone.
The restaurant filled up quickly. Sylas began to feel the pressure. The tickets were flowing in fast and furious. His chefs were hustling around moving quickly. The food flew out of the kitchen. Sylas was impressed by how well the staff responded to his orders. It didn’t take long for him to realize this brigade possessed some serious talent. He stood at the pass, sending plates out. The food looked great hot and fresh. The smell in the kitchen was intoxicating. This was his favorite time of the night. The shift just began, the kitchen was ahead of pace and the food looked amazing. Sylas excelled under pressure. The stress of the kitchen fed him like a drug. His adrenaline kicked in. Sylas stood at the pass with a commanding presence. Everything moved right along when Veronica came back into the kitchen.
“Sylas, we have an issue with our bookings. We have an eight top coming in on top of a ten top,” She knew this would put the kitchen under. Fearing Sylas’s reaction she playfully batted her eyes at him.
“I told you we need to space these reservations better, didn’t I?” The look of disapproval went right through Veronica. She hunched her shoulders, feeling sorry for herself.
“I’m sorry, Sylas. We double booked, I can’t turn it away. Can you get the kitchen to handle it?” Veronica knew she screwed up. She wished she could fix it.
“We will do our best, and you and I will discuss the importance of proper reservation taking later. Now, go smooth things out in the dining room,” Sylas turned to address his brigade.
Veronica joined her father in the dining room, upset with herself for letting something like this happen. She spotted him talking to the first party.
“Excuse me, Dad. Sylas said we need to try and slow these two parties down the best we can.” Veronica looked to her father with tears in her eyes. She knew she needed help to fix this mistake.
Veronica and her father spoke to the parties, doing their best to slow the pace down. However, the double booked tickets came in, burying the kitchen. Sylas feared this exact situation. He wanted a smooth shift to impress the guests. He also needed his brigade to gain confidence with his new menu and cooking techniques. Sylas would not let his staff fail tonight, so he jumped in moving station to station. He helped anywhere he could, ensuring the food met his approval. Sylas’s held his frustration in check. He would have to let Veronica know later that this would never happen again.
“This is the last plate for the night; now get it out to the dining room. Fire down guys!” Sylas wiped his brow pleased with the performance of his brigade tonight but he needed to see Veronica immediately.
Veronica made her way around the dining room talking to guests. She was beaming, so happy tonight seemed to be a success. The feedback she received was a welcomed change. She knew it would only be a matter of time before La Joie would be on top again.
The staff continued to clean up, resetting the dining room. The kitchen staff just finished cleaning up so everyone headed to the bar for a drink. Sylas and Veronica checked out the last of the staff. Sylas looked forward to the bar but he and Veronica needed to attend to some unfinished business. Carla was the last one to leave. She and Veronica walked to the door.
“Are you going to come to the bar?” Carla’s smile lit up the room. She was walking out the door with a bunch of money.
“Yes, that is the plan. Sylas and I have some numbers to go over, and then I think we are both going to be over. We have a lot to celebrate,” Veronica was absolutely giddy.
Mr.Chatur spotted Sylas heading out to the dining room with a stern look on his face. He watched as Sylas walked towards Veronica. “Sylas, you and your team did one hell of a job tonight. I am proud to have you as my chef. Keep this up, young man, and you will be the top chef in town,” Mr. Chatur put on his coat making his way towards the door. “Good night, Carla. Good night, Veronica. I am so proud of what we saw here tonight. Now, be safe tonight. We are booked again tomorrow night.” Mr. Chatur turned and left.
Carla followed behind him and Veronica locked the door. When she turned around Sylas stood, with his arms crossed behind her. Veronica stood still when she saw the look in his eyes. His stare could burn a hole in cement. Her body tensed getting ready for whatever Sylas was about to do.
“Sylas, I’m sorry. I messed up and double booked. You guys did great, though. I never had a more successful night here,” Veronica hoped her kind words would get her off the hook.
“I told you, Veronica, if things were not up to my expectations, there would be repercussions.” Sylas’s tone as well as his facial expression were all business.
Sylas walked over to Veronica and took her hand. The second his soft hand touched her arm, she experienced a shot of electricity. Veronica was so enticed by this man. He led her to a dark corner in the dining room; paused for a second and then turned to face her. His eyes were piercing. In this light his complexion seemed darker than normal.
“We did have a good shift, Veronica, but I need you to understand in this relationship of ours you will follow instructions, or you will be punished. I don’t take anything I do lightly. It is no secret to either of us we are attracted to each other. This is how I am, Veronica, are you willing to listen to me and do as I ask?” His eyes never left hers.
“Yes, Sylas, yes. I want you to take the lead. I want you to guide me. I’ve wanted that for a long time. It’s what my life has been missing. I have always been the tough one, the
boss. I don’t want that anymore, Sylas.” Veronica’s eyes welled with tears as a wall she built just collapsed at her feet.
Sylas unbuttoned his chef’s jacket placing it on the table. His arms were strong, the cotton fabric of his under shirt clung to his body. Veronica wanted to be held; she wanted him to wrap her in his arms again. Sylas pulled out a chair and sat down.
“Now, Veronica, I’d like you to lift your skirt and lay across my lap,” He patted his legs.
“Are you serious? Over your lap, you’re going to actually spank me?” Veronica appeared shocked. She didn’t think he was serious. Yet, she felt a twinge, a tingle. She wondered what his hands would feel like on her ass.
“Do not make me ask again, Veronica,” his face bore no expression. His words were firm.
Veronica stood still for a second. She moved around to Sylas’s side, lifting her black skirt exposing her soft milky white ass cheeks. She saw a slight smile escape his lips as she stood in front of him bare bottomed. Veronica bent over and slid across Sylas’s lap.
“This is a punishment, Veronica. Do not try to fight against me, or it will continue. You need to give yourself to me,” Sylas’s tone reassured her.
With that Sylas raised his hand. Veronica just stared at the floor seeing his shadow dance in front of her. He landed the first blow. Sylas felt Veronica tense on his lap. The first one stung like a hundred bees just attacked her in the right cheek.
“Ouch! Sylas, that was hard. It hurts, I get the point,” tears welled in her eyes, yet she was strangely turned on. She had never given herself to someone like this. She gave up control for the first time in her life and she liked it.
“Veronica, I explained earlier we need to be more careful when taking our reservations. It is as much your responsibility as mine to make sure we are set up for success and we deliver an amazing experience to our guests. You fell short of this tonight and I need you to understand it will never happen again. You need to trust I will never do anything to harm you or this restaurant.” With the last word Sylas landed a hard smack on her right ass cheek that made her jump.
“I understand, Sylas, it will never happen again. I will be more careful in the future. I will trust your judgments from now on,” Veronica’s body tensed on his lap again as his hand landed another smack on her already red ass.
Sylas continued one after another, each strike a little bit harder than the previous. In between he would rub the reddened area a bit Sylas loved the feeling of her hot skin on the palm of his hand. Veronica’s firm, round ass bore a nice shade of red by the time he finished. He just sat there for a moment holding her over his lap.
“Now, if you continue to fail at following my instructions you will be punished more. This was the first time, so I took it easy. They will get worse. Do you understand, Veronica?” Sylas lightly rubbed her reddened cheeks.
“Yes, Sylas, I understand.” Veronica lay on his lap stunned by the events of what just happened. She could feel how wet he made her. She wanted him right there.
Veronica turned to face Sylas while lying on his lap. Sylas bent down pulling her face to his. Their lips met for the first time. Sylas’s lips slowly parted Veronica’s and their tongues intertwined. She went limp on his lap. Sylas stood while holding Veronica in his arms. The two stood face to face not letting their lips part. Their tongues danced around each other’s mouths. Sylas pulled away breaking their kiss.
“We are expected at the bar to celebrate, Veronica. We can continue this back at my place, later. Let’s get our stuff and make an appearance. We’ll have a drink and leave.”
“I want you now, Sylas. I don’t want to go to the bar. Let’s just go back to your place,” Veronica hesitated wondering how she could feel so comfortable with this man in such a short time.
“My rules, Veronica. I’m not telling you again. Now let’s go.” Sylas grabbed his chef’s coat, took Veronica’s hand and headed for the door.
Chapter 8
Veronica followed Sylas out the door, thinking to herself that she is crazy. What just happened? She just met this man and she allowed him to spank her. Her ass still stung with every step. The way her skirt clung to her ass made the spanking all that more painful. She participated in playful spanking before, but this was different. As Veronica walked she looked at Sylas, feeling a connection. Like she knew him already, how else could she explain letting down her biggest wall. She gave control over to him. For the first time ever she let herself relax. She wanted more from this man she just met. She wanted to feel him inside her. She wanted to feel the weight of his body on top of her. She longed for the touch of his flesh against hers, the contemplation of it sent a shiver through her.
She shook a bit as he put his arm around her. The two walked with a bit of a hop down the sidewalk. He held her tight against his body. Not wanting to let her go. He finally found the missing piece to his life. His mind exploded with excitement. This move proved to be a very smart decision so far. The new city along with his job at La Joie gave him hope his life would finally turn around. He found a beautiful woman that he felt connected to quicker than he ever had before. Sylas wanted to make love to Veronica right there in the restaurant, but he wanted the first time the two shared that intimacy to be right. He heard the whispers in the kitchen. The rumors that Veronica liked to fool around with the cooks. He wanted to be sure this was more than that.
As the two approached the bar, they saw many of the staff inside in various stages of drink. Sylas opened the door and Veronica walked in holding his hand. Carla sat at the bar talking to Michael. She spotted the pair first.
“Hey, over here, guys, what took so long?” Carla smiled at the pair waving them over.
Sylas led Veronica through the crowd, heading to the far end of the bar. Sylas strutted like a local hero, wait staff and cooks were stopping in mid conversations to say thanks for a great night. He swaggered through the crowd feeling on top of the world. He pinched himself, making sure he wasn’t dreaming. He never possessed this kind of luck in his life. Could this be possible? Things like this only happened in the movies, he wondered to himself, is this real life?
“Wow, big shot, I’ve never served a celebrity like you, Sylas.” Michael slid his bourbon down the bar to Sylas.
“Thanks. Really, it was a team effort. Everyone did a great job.” Sylas blushed slightly at all the attention.
Sylas, in gentlemanly fashion, pulled out a bar stool for Veronica. She sat down slowly. Sylas noticed a grimace on her face. She wouldn’t forget that punishment anytime soon. Veronica looked up at Sylas with a discomfort in her eyes. He knew she would remember his rules from now on.
The bar filled with La Joie staff members. Many of the cooks were sitting at a table in the corner. They were loud; making it obvious they were drinking for a while. Veronica spotted Tito sitting with that group; she hoped he did not see her come in. Ever since the day in the storage room, he would not leave her alone. She wanted this night to be perfect. She didn’t want to have to turn down his advances tonight. She glanced over in his direction again. She noticed Tito looking at her. She knew it was only a matter of time before he made his move.
“Can I buy you a drink, Veronica?” The smell of beer was heavy on Tito’s breath.
“No, thanks, Tito, I have a drink,” Veronica turned, stunned. He wasted no time making his move. She hoped it ended with that. Something told her he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“No, really, let me buy you drink, or are you too good for me now? You come in with Mr. big shot here and now I’m not good enough.” The persistence in his voice made Veronica very uncomfortable, so she slid closer to Sylas.
“I think the lady was polite in her rejection, Tito. I suggest you go back to your table and relax.” Sylas stepped in between the two just as Tito stepped closer to Veronica.
“You think you’re better than me, Sylas? You are the fresh meat, that’s all you are. You won’t be in that for long,” Tito stood inches from Sylas flaunting his
alcohol induced bravery.
“You will sit now on your own, or I will put you in your seat! Do you understand, Tito?” Sylas stiffened getting in his face.
“You’re really not worth my time, Sylas, and Veronica you’re pushy and demanding. You two deserve each other,” With that Tito headed out the door.
“Well, that should make for an interesting night at work tomorrow,” Veronica faced Sylas smiling. She felt so safe with him, nothing would hurt her.
“Veronica, you realize he will never work in my kitchen again. I do not tolerate that behavior at all. Alcohol cannot be an excuse,” the look in Sylas’s eyes scared her a bit.
“Sylas, let’s not let Tito ruin our night, we have some unfinished business I would like to take care of.” Veronica stood, kissing Sylas softly.
Sylas agreed, so they finished their drinks. The two made their way through the crowd stopping every so often to thank them for a good night. As Veronica and Sylas walked out of the bar, they knew they were going to be the talk of the rest of the evening, but they really didn’t care.
It was a crisp fall evening as they walked down the street. The cold mountain air refreshed them after sitting in a crowded bar. The two walked in a content silence, just staring at the night time sky. In no time they approached Sylas’s apartment.
“I haven’t unpacked fully yet, so don’t judge me by the mess,” Sylas seemed shocked that those words actually came out of his mouth. In his past, when he brought women back to his place, he really didn’t care what their opinions were. He realized with Veronica things were different. She wasn’t just another girl, the two bonded already.
“I don’t mind, Sylas, besides, I’m not planning on having my eyes open much,” Veronica batted her eyes as she walked to the door.
Sylas opened the door, ushering her inside. There were a few boxes lying around, but for the most part the apartment appeared fairly organized.
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