“Sylas, I have never. It hurts, please take it out. I understand and I’m sorry. It will never happen again,” Veronica shivered in pain. She decided rather than struggling she would try to. The sensation started to turn from pain to sight pleasure.
Sylas noticed her pussy glistened with her wetness. She appeared to be enjoying his punishments. He withdrew his finger pulling her skirt back down. He also knew now that he needed to find Tito. He needed to let him know that he was not welcomed in his kitchen. Not the best way to start a night. He would work one down tonight, yet another challenge for his new brigade.
“Sylas, I’m sorry,” Veronica turned clinging to him with a look of sadness on her face. She pressed her lips to his kissing him deeply. Her tear stained cheeks turned red with embarrassment.
“I forgive you, Veronica. You need to realize, once I punish you the issue is resolved. I will never bring it up again, we will move past it.” Sylas kissed her deeply holding her close. In all his life he never loved someone like he loved her at this moment. Veronica clung to him while Sylas held her tight, feeling her heart beat next to his. After a few minutes, he broke their embrace with a kiss. He turned, heading out to the kitchen to fire Tito.
Chapter 10
Veronica stood silent in the office, her ass stinging, but feeling aroused. She never entertained the idea of anal sex, but the feeling of Sylas’s finger deep inside made her rethink that. Yes, it hurt, but she realized when she relaxed, it felt really good. She straightened her clothing and applied some make-up to cover her tear marked cheeks. When she composed herself, she headed out to the dining room. She knew she needed to explain to the staff why Tito was being fired.
“Carla, I need to speak to you, please?” Veronica approached as she set up one of the tables.
“What’s up? Everything alright you look, um, a bit out of sorts,” Carla hurried around straightening everything up.
“I’m fine, well, to be honest, not really. You were at the bar last night you saw what Tito did. Well, Sylas told him he wouldn’t work here again. I let Tito come back today and Sylas got mad. He’s going back to fire him right now.” She spoke quietly not wanting everyone to overhear.
“Really, this guy doesn’t give second chances? That’s not fair, Veronica; you need to stand up to him. He hasn’t been here long enough to be like this,” a look of disgust crossed Carla’s face.
“Carla, you don’t understand. Sylas is in control, it’s his kitchen his rules. We all need to be okay with that. I am, and Carla, I’m so happy to give him control. He has this ability to make me feel comfort. I like the feeling of being cared for and, Carla, I think I’m falling in love with him. Is that crazy? Am I crazy? I just feel this strong connection like we’re soul mates,” Carla saw Veronica smile for the first time in a long time.
“I’m concerned, Veronica, you are always in control, you never take a back seat to anyone. Why him? Why now?” Carla raised an eyebrow.
“He makes me feel like a woman. He’s not intimidated by me. I can be me, driven hardworking and still be soft and delicate. I’ve never had this before Carla, never.”
“Well, I’m still worried. I’m your best friend and I’ll stand behind you, but if he hurts you he’s a dead man,” Carla’s face snarled while she waved her fist at Veronica playfully.
The two continued to work on setting up for the upcoming dinner. They filled the restaurant again. The phone wouldn’t stop ringing, booking them for the next week as well. Word hit the streets that the new chef of La Joie possessed an amazing gift. The service staff buzzed around with a sense of anticipation. They knew full reservations equaled money in their pockets.
Mr.Chatur walked through the front door smiling. He saw the staff hustling around getting ready. He spotted his daughter in the middle of it directing the staff. She made sure everything looked perfect. He never saw this side of Veronica. She hustled around happily, but she didn’t seem as stressed as usual. He always dreamed that she would take over the restaurant. Now, with the right chef in place maybe that would happen.
“We’re booked again, Dad, but we have an issue.” Veronica knew the news about Tito would not be pleasant for her father to hear.
“What’s wrong, dear? What happened?” He stood crossing his arms.
“Well, we had an issue last night with Tito. Long story short, he was disrespectful to me and Sylas took exception to it. He’s firing him right now.” Veronica felt sad giving her father this news. She knew her father almost gave Tito control of this kitchen.
“He was disrespectful to you? Well, then the bastard should be fired. I like this Sylas more and more every day. You know you guys make a good team. Pretty soon you won’t need me around here, Veronica paused shocked by her father’s tone.
“We’ll always need you, Dad. I do feel a connection with Sylas. He’s good for me, I mean us.” Veronica smiled, hoping her father knew just what she meant. She was in love, and she wanted him to be happy for her.
****
Sylas left the office, not happy about what he needed to do. Firing someone always bothered Sylas, but it came with the title Executive Chef. He could not have someone working in his kitchen that displayed such a disrespectful attitude. As he walked past through the service line onto the cooks’ line he spotted Tito in the prep area, setting up for the dinner service. He was diligent in prep. Tito possessed great skill making him a very good cook. Sylas knew he would be losing a popular person in the kitchen but he needed to set an example.
“Tito, I need to speak to you outside, please,” Sylas’ eyes locked on Tito.
“Yes, sir, Chef Sylas. I would like to talk to you as well,” Tito addressed Sylas in a very professional manner, being as respectful as possible.
The two walked towards the backdoor of the kitchen. Sylas hoped this would not be difficult conversation. He didn’t want a confrontation, but he feared that might happen here. Tito stepped outside while lighting a cigarette he turned to face Sylas. Tito stood no bigger than Sylas, but he possessed a temper that Sylas knew all too well.
“Tito, I’m going to make this short and sweet and I expect you to listen and follow my instructions. Do you understand?” Sylas stared right into Tito’s eyes looking for any signs of aggression in his response.
“Sylas, I need a chance to explain. I was way out of line last night. I have feelings for Veronica and the fact that she wants to be with you upset me.” Tito puffed his smoke rambling, pleading for understanding.
“Tito, I will not tolerate disrespect of any kind whether it is in my house, or in my kitchen. You crossed the line last night and were very disrespectful. You no longer have a job here. Pack your knives and leave immediately.” Sylas opened the door to escort Tito to gather his belongings.
“Sylas, this isn’t fair. I was drunk and my emotions got the best of me. Please, give me another chance. Veronica said I could have a second chance,” by the redness in Tito’s cheeks Sylas could tell his anger level was rising. Tito clenched his fists as he took one last drag on his cigarette.
“I’m the boss, Tito. I decide who works for me and who doesn’t. Now, stop arguing with me and let’s get your things. I’d like you out of my kitchen before dinner starts,” Sylas directed Tito through the door.
“I want to talk to Veronica, Sylas. This is bullshit,” Tito walked back into the kitchen, grabbed his things heading straight to the dining room.
Sylas followed behind him, making sure he didn’t take anything that wasn’t his. Sylas just wanted him to leave quietly but he could tell Tito wanted to cause a scene. Tito hurried into the dining room looking for Veronica and Mr. Chatur.
“Veronica! This asshole just fired me. You accepted my apology and said I could keep my job and since when is this guy calling the shots?” Tito brushed past Mr. Chatur going straight for Veronica.
“Tito, now that is enough. You will not talk to my daughter in that --” Mr. Chatur clutched his chest while he suddenly dropped to the floor.
�
��Dad!” Veronica ran to her father on the floor.
“Tito, get out now! Carla, call 9-1-1 now!” Sylas yelled, running to Veronica’s side.
“Veronica, I’m sorry.” Tito turned heading out the door.
Sylas joined Veronica as she knelt at her father’s side, waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Mr. Chatur clutched his chest feeling an obviously high level of discomfort. Veronica sat by helpless as Sylas tried to comfort both of them.
“Veronica, I’m okay. It’s just a mild one,” Mr. Chatur said, trying to comfort his daughter.
“Dad, how many of these have you had?” Veronica looked down at her father, shocked at what she just heard.
“Veronica, you need to relax and stay calm until the paramedics arrive. Ask your questions later,” Sylas gave her a stern look. Veronica instantly relaxed, not wanting to go against him.
Within a few minutes, the paramedics arrived. Carla came running in followed by the paramedics. Veronica and Sylas stood by watching the paramedics work on her father. Mr. Chatur seemed fine after a few minutes, feeling good enough to crack jokes with the paramedics. He stopped goofing around when he saw the irritation on Veronica’s face.
“Guess I get to go on vacation guys. Veronica and Sylas, you two are in charge, have fun,” he smiled at them like nothing happened.
“Really, Dad, now is not the time for your jokes. Carla, call the reservations and cancel them. We need to close tonight,” Carla nodded at Veronica heading off to make the phone calls.
“Carla, stop, we are not closing tonight. We will be open for dinner as planned. It will be business as usual.” Carla put down the phone quickly. She just looked at Veronica, as Sylas’s command stopped her in mid dial.
“Sylas, I am going with my father. I don’t really trust him to give me the truth. I want to talk to the doctors. How are you going to do everything? You are down one in the kitchen,” Veronica crossed her arms in a defiant stand.
“Carla, are you ready to step up and run this dining room tonight? Before you say you are not ready, you are. You can do it,” Sylas was more telling her than asking.
“Veronica, you need to open, we’re on a roll,” Mr. Chatur added.
“Well, if you think I can do it I will, Sylas.” Carla said in an upbeat tone.
“It’s settled then, Veronica, you go with your father and Carla and I will take care of dinner tonight,” Sylas’s strong confidence calmed Veronica.
“Alright, Sylas, my dad is right we need to open.” Veronica eased her position going along with Sylas’s wishes as they loaded her father into the ambulance.
“I love you, Sylas. Thank you.” Veronica hugged Sylas then climbed in the ambulance.
“I love you too, Veronica. Everything will be fine here, don’t worry,” Sylas’s smiled bigger than ever before.
The ambulance doors closed and pulled away. Sylas stood watching it drive down the street, lights flashing. He turned to Carla, to get her focused on her job for the night. He saw a look of fear in her eyes that Sylas recognized all too well. It was a look he saw every time he hired a new chef.
“You can do this, Carla. I have faith in you. Everything will run great. Now get in there and get set up we open in less than an hour,” his tone reassured Carla.
“Yes, sir, Sylas.” Carla turned as the two walked inside.
Chapter 11
Sylas walked out of the kitchen to check the progress in the dining room. He also wanted to double check that Carla was handling everything alright. He scanned the room looking for Carla. He saw her surrounded by the front of house staff. He overheard her calming the staff. Sylas knew she would be the right one to handle things with Veronica out for the day.
“Alright, everyone, listen up, we are all concerned about Mr. Chatur, but you saw, like I did, he was in good spirits when the ambulance pulled away. He would want us to focus on the job at hand and I know we are in good hands with Chef Sylas,” the faces of the staff began to relax as frowns became smiles. Sylas stood quietly watching Carla take the lead. Seeing her take control like she did, he knew at that moment she would be fine tonight.
Sylas went back into the kitchen to check on the progress in the back. He knew they were far behind with prep. They would be playing catch up into dinner. When he walked back there he heard a voice shouting orders. Someone decided to take the lead directing the cooks. Sylas turned the corner where he saw Rocco, one of his cooks, leading the team. Sylas smiled, pleasantly surprised to see the cooks almost finished prep. Rocco had the cooks moving around quickly, so they would be ready before dinner.
“Rocco, come over here please,” Sylas smiled proudly at Rocco.
“Right away, Chef. Toby, you finish that garnish prep and I’ll be right back.” Rocco set down his knife and headed over to Sylas.
“Was this your doing, Rocco? Did you get all this completed?” Sylas got excited to see someone step up while he was busy.
“Yes, Chef! I knew you were busy out front and this kitchen prep wasn’t going to get done on its own so I figured I would get things moving. We’re down tonight and we need to be ready. Did I make a mistake Chef?” Rocco looked at Sylas searching for approval.
“Rocco, I’m impressed and you really stepped up. Thank you, because of you, we will make it tonight. I need a sous chef in this kitchen, a second in charge. After seeing you in action right now I’d like to offer that position to you. That’s if you’re interested in doing this on a regular basis,” Sylas knew Rocco would jump at the offer. The young chef reminded Sylas a lot of himself at that age. Rocco possessed a passion for cooking. He also drove himself to be the best.
“Yes, Chef! I would be honored to be your second. I thank you for the chance and I won’t let you down,” Rocco’s smile made Sylas happy.
“Good, now, get the brigade ready. We need to push hard tonight, our first table walks in, in about twenty five minutes,” The two shook hands sealing the deal. Rocco went back to work driving the kitchen.
Sylas decided he would oversee the operation tonight. Rocco hurried around the kitchen ensuring everything was set up. Sylas smiled, seeing him take control of the situation. Carla hustled around setting up the dining room. She doubled checked the reservations to make sure the kitchen would be alright tonight. Even with all the distractions going on around him he couldn’t help but wonder how about Mr. Chatur and Veronica. He hoped that both were holding up alright. Sylas stood deep in reflection when the first order walked into the kitchen.
Rocco grabbed the first ticket calling the order out to the brigade. The more important part to Sylas, the cooks responded. They jumped into action. Sylas realized at that point this team possessed a high level of talent. Rocco’s level of leadership impressed Sylas. He loved watching this young chef come in to his own. Rocco’s bright future in this business gave Sylas even more contemplations of expansion.
“Rocco, make sure you taste everything. Nothing moves out of this kitchen until it meets your approval. You are the final word on the food tonight,” Sylas stood looking over Rocco’s shoulder.
“Yes, Chef!” Rocco’s smile would light up the dining room.
Sylas moved out to the dining room to see if Carla needed anything. The feel of the room impressed Sylas. All the servers were very upbeat, hustling around. Carla talked to the guests while directing the staff like she was born to do it. Sylas took a moment to pull Carla aside to congratulate her on a job well done so far.
“Chef Sylas, why aren’t you in the kitchen? Did I do something wrong? Is there an issue?’ Sylas heard a slight tremble in her voice.
“Carla, everything is running great. I knew you could do it. Rocco is in the kitchen running the pass. You two make quite the team. I’m so proud of you both. I know Mr. Chatur and Veronica will be very pleased to hear about all this.” Sylas reassured her by patting her on the back.
“Thank you, chef, that means a lot to me, I like being in charge. I didn’t think I would, but I do.”
“Carla, you are a nat
ural leader. You just need to trust yourself.”
The dinner service continued with no issues. Carla and Rocco ran the restaurant like old pros. Sylas grew impressed with their composure. He knew deep down this night could have been a disaster, but they held it together. The two of them made the night a success. Sylas decided that night that, expansion needed to be in the future for La Joie. With Carla and Rocco stepping up like they did, he and Veronica could branch out to another location. His wheels were spinning.
****
The staff cleaned up the restaurant. They were getting ready to head out for the night. Sylas walked over to Carla and Rocco who were chatting. As he walked over, the phone rang. Carla answered it, immediately; she looked at Sylas with a look of concern.
“Sylas, it’s Veronica, she wants to talk to you,” Carla’s eyes looked panicked.
“Thank you, Carla,” Sylas took the phone. He spoke briefly to Veronica. The staff milled around staying close to the phone wanting an update as soon as possible.
“Alright, I’ll let them know.” Sylas hung up the phone and turned to talk to the staff.
“The news is good, Mr. Chatur is doing great. He had a mild heart attack and is recovering. Veronica is leaving now and wants to thank all of you personally for your hard work tonight. So, let’s head over to the bar, she’ll meet all of us there,” Sylas sensed a relief in the room as looks of concern once again turned into looks of joy.
“That is great news, Sylas. What a great ending to a wonderful night.” Carla’s smile caught Rocco’s eye. He smiled back at her.
The whole group walked over to Michaels bar to celebrate another successful night. Carla couldn’t wait to tell Michael all about the night. She walked with a quick pace when Rocco walked up behind her. Carla jumped a bit as Rocco put his arm around her.
“Hey, babe, you did a great job tonight. You made my job easy, thank you,” Rocco towered over her petite frame.
“Thanks, Rocco, you did great, also. You’re a natural.” Rocco moved his arm to Carla’s lower back. She looked up at him smiling. Carla loved the feeling of being in strong arms.
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