After shaking his hand a second time, Tina nodded. “Yes. Please, enjoy your lunch. Let me know if there’s anything else you need. I’ll just be in the kitchen cleaning up.”
“You know,” Tristan couldn’t help add. “It’s my men who are going to be tough on you, not me. They’re the real people you need to please to keep your job. If you can see fit to give them something appetizing and I don’t have to hear them moaning and groaning about inedible food then that’s all we need to get along.”
Tina blinked quickly. “Right,” she said softly before spinning on her heel and retreating back to the kitchen.
Tristan shook his head. What the hell was wrong with him? He usually wasn’t so hard on people, especially on their first day. There was something about Tina that already got under his skin.
The fact that she was beautiful might have had something to do with it. His father always told him never to trust a beautiful woman and Tristan had learned that lesson the hard way. Women had never been anything but trouble. He had no problem seducing them or spending a wild night of pleasure with a gorgeous woman but as for his heart… there was no way in hell he was ever giving that away.
He’d thought for a long time that he was the kind of man who would never have a family. If he never wanted a wife he never would be able to have kids. Which didn’t matter until he finally realized that he did indeed want to be a father.
Other options cropped up. He’d looked into adoption. He couldn’t believe it had taken him so long to start the process. Two long years and it was almost at an end.
Tristan’s stomach rumbled, reminding him that he should do more eating and less thinking. He was expected back outside in no time. He didn’t want to keep his hands waiting while he lazed the afternoon away. He had to make progress with Storm. Tomorrow he was going into the city to sign papers and then he had a meeting with his marketing exec.
Lifting the lid on the casserole dish, Tristan inhaled the flavorful scent of what appeared to be some sort of taco bake. It was a strange choice but perhaps something simple instead of an over the top dish made the best first impression.
He dug in with the serving spoon, placing a huge helping on his plate. It was strange how Tina had made the meat alternative smell so appetizing. He marveled at the new products constantly coming on the market.
Tristan took a bite. It wasn’t bad. The taco chips on the top were crunchy, the lettuce and tomatoes fresh. The sour cream and hot sauce added the perfect bite.
He was halfway through his first serving when he paused. He picked out a clump of meat and inspected it. He poked it with his finger. Finally he popped it alone into his mouth.
It was well seasoned but no amount of spices could hide the fact that this was no meat alternative skillfully cooked. This was the real deal, pure ground beef.
Tristan pushed back his chair as his stomach rolled at the realization. He ran for the bathroom, stuck his finger down his throat and ejected the offending lunch. Afterwards he straightened and looked at himself in the mirror.
God, he was a mess. Sweat poured off his forehead and rolled down the sides of his face. His eyes were watering from the force of his retching. His stomach still rolled and he thought he was going to have another round of heaving, this time completely voluntary but he took a deep breath and a long drink of water out of the bathroom tap and his stomach settled.
He splashed cold water on his face, wondering what the hell he cared what he looked like for, before he stormed his way to the kitchen.
Chapter 3
“Are you trying to poison me?” Tristan shouted as he burst angrily into the kitchen.
Startled, Lucinda spun around. She had been in the process of trying to put together a chicken pot pie for that evening’s dinner. The raw chicken breasts still sat on the counter top.
“What are you talking about?” She faced Tristan, who looked like a bull in a china shop. His face was red and oddly sweaty and his chest heaved with the effort of breathing through his anger. His dark eyes flashed with anger and his short cropped dark hair only served to make him look more menacing.
“Was that or was that not ground beef you put in that casserole?”
“Of course it was beef. What else would I have used?”
Tristan placed a hand on the counter to steady himself. He swallowed hard. Lucinda didn’t like the way his face paled. He was white as a sheet. Shit! Had she not cooked the meat enough? She had tasted everything and to her amateur taste buds it had been fine. She silently cursed the internet. She had spent the better part of the last couple days researching recipes and cooking tips to make her cover story believable.
“Not fucking beef that’s for sure!”
“I’m sorry,” Lucinda stammered. “I’m not sure what you mean?”
“I’m a fucking vegetarian!” Tristan growled. “Did nobody tell you?”
“But you were a fighter…” Lucinda stammered stupidly. She shut up when Tristan’s head snapped up. His eyes burned bright with anger.
“So you were briefed on that but not the fact that I’m a vegetarian? Unbelievable. What does fighting have to do with eating meat anyway?”
“Nothing. I guess I just pictured you slamming back chicken breasts every night and eating raw eggs for breakfast.”
Tristan took a long, shuddering sigh. “Okay, let’s get things straight then. From now on, my hands, as far as I know, are not vegetarians. You can serve them whatever the hell they want to eat. As for myself, don’t attempt to serve a dead animal to me again.”
What the heck? Dead animal indeed! Lucinda’s hands shot to her hips before she thought better of challenging Tristan. If she lost her job right this minute she would never get to know him and that’s what had to happen in order for her to get the story she needed. She couldn’t fail. She knew Parker wouldn’t hesitate to fire her if she came back empty handed and with student loans to pay and rent she needed a job.
“I’m sorry,” Lucinda said. She moved her hands down her hips and slid them into the pockets of her apron. “Truly, I am. I never would have made you that if someone had told me. I hope you’ll give me another chance.”
Tristan shook his head. He seemed confused by her abrupt turn around. “Alright,” he growled. “One more chance.”
“What did you do anyway?” Lucinda asked carefully. “I mean, after you ate it and figured out what it was?”
“Made myself puke. What else could I do?” Tristan strode angrily from the kitchen.
Lucinda listened to his retreating steps and winced when the front door slammed shut a few minutes later. Bah! Puked indeed! Who the hell puts a finger down their throat and made themselves vomit if they accidently ate meat? Who was a vegetarian and lived in Texas anyway? It seemed very much like a New York, hipster thing to be. Certainly it didn’t suit a man who towered over six feet and looked like he was made of pure steel. God, his chest was four times the size of her body. His arms were easily thicker than her legs. Even retired, Tristan Ashford was a sight to behold. A damn fine sight.
Blushing, Lucinda hurried off to the dining room to retrieve the offending casserole. She couldn’t help but smile wickedly when she saw how much of it Tristan had eaten before figuring it out that it wasn’t fake meat or whatever the hell he expected to be served.
His fork was still sitting by his half eaten plate of food. Lucinda grabbed it. She was starving and didn’t hesitate to ram a huge forkful of the casserole into her mouth. At least someone appreciated her cooking. The men sure as hell hadn’t complained about the same dish she’d served them. She had to admit she’d done a good job. It was delicious. She never would have thought she could cook up something half as good with her limited skills.
Good lord. Lucinda nearly dropped the casserole dish when she realized that she was going to have to be much more creative to come up with vegetarian dishes.
She sighed. Back to the drawing board, aka the internet for ideas.
Chapter 4
Tristan made the hour and a half drive into Austin the next morning. His first stop was the most important of the day. He’d left the ranch early, not wanting to be late.
He was presented with papers that he signed. His insides clenched hard with anticipation. In only a couple more weeks he would have a family. It was almost crazy to think of. The process so far had lasted almost two years. He was so near the end it almost didn’t feel real.
In the afternoon he met with his marketing team. Their new line of shirts was about to launch and he wanted to make sure that all the details were discussed and any potential issues taken care of.
Tristan started for home much later than he meant to. It bothered him that he actually thought not once, but twice, of calling the house to say that he was going to be late. He’d never bothered to call his old cook. If he was late for dinner, Betty put his meal in the fridge.
Thoughts of Tina swam through Tristan’s brain. It made him edgy that he couldn’t get her face out of his mind. What was wrong with him? She certainly wasn’t the kind of woman he normally went for. No, his type of girl was blonde and shapely and talented in bed. He wasn’t sure why but he got the impression that Tina knew as little about sex as she did about cooking.
He didn’t like that he couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t a cook at all. Last night, after the debacle of lunch, Tina had served him a salad.
A freaking salad.
He had been about to complain and then he’d tasted it. If it wasn’t the best salad he’d ever had, Tristan didn’t know what type it was. He couldn’t even remember the last time he ate just a salad. He felt that a good cook, one who had as many glowing recommendation as Tina did, would be a little more creative.
Maybe he just needed to give her time to settle in. He hadn’t been easy on her at lunch and he had been the one in the wrong for not informing her of his preferences. He just assumed that she’d already been briefed by one of his staff or his men.
Wrong. He knew what they said about assumptions.
A set of emerald green eyes flashed through his mind and Tristan blinked hard. He didn’t know why he was so reluctant to fire Tina. Any other cook would have been out of a job if they tried to feed him meat, whether they knew he was a vegetarian or not.
By the time Tristan pulled his truck onto the long, dusty driveway, he was starving. He hoped that a little more than a salad would be on offer tonight.
He stomped into the house, not bothering to take off his boots as they were quite clean after a day in the city. He’d dressed for the occasion, which meant for him, a clean pair of dark Wrangler jeans and a plaid button down shirt. He liked to be as inconspicuous as possible and that meant not plastering himself with his own brand. He’d never wanted to be a walking billboard. He remembered fighting with his sponsors over and over about layering his clothes with their branding when he was still doing fights.
Tristan pulled out a chair and sat down at the dining room table. He waited. Nothing. He knew he was two hours late and debated about getting up and checking the fridge. He was about to scrape back his chair when the door opened and Tina came in carrying a huge pizza pan with a steaming hot pizza.
His mouth actually watered. He stared at the perfectly browned pie. How she managed to make something simple look so appealing was beyond him. Maybe she did deserve those recommends after all.
“This looks… great,” he forced himself to compliment her.
Tina actually blushed. She lowered her eyes to where her hands were folded in front of her. “It’s just the crust, sauce, banana peppers, onions, green peppers, mushrooms and a vegan cheese and meat substitute for ground beef, which I know well enough not to serve you.”
He raised a brow. “Vegan cheese?”
“I thought you might want to step up your game a little. You know, because if you don’t want to hurt animals then you probably should be a vegan, not just a vegetarian.” Tina glanced up and her eyes sparkled with humor. He realized she was mocking him.
“Damn it, if I wanted your opinion I would have asked for it,” he growled.
She blinked, taken aback. “Sorry. Don’t worry, you won’t hear anything from me again. I was only kidding about the cheese. It’s regular. That’s all we had in the house and I wasn’t going to drive to Austin to please you.”
Tina turned on her heel and made a quick exit before Tristan could formulate another word. He scowled down at the pizza, silently cursing her for making him feel like an asshole. He shouldn’t have snapped at her but why did she have to bait him? She was his cook damn it and if he didn’t want to eat carcass then he shouldn’t have to. He damn well knew he should take the next step and become a vegan but that would eliminate half the menu.
He’d tried once and it had been Betty who put her foot down and told him that was going to be impossible. He’d liked Betty and her cooking was good so he hadn’t said anything further about it.
Maybe he should give it another try, just to drive Tina mad.
Tristan ground his teeth together in frustration. Damn it! He was thinking about her again! He purposely pushed her face out of his mind as he cut a piece of pizza. He chewed slowly, savoring the flavor. Either he was really hungry or this was the best damn pizza known to mankind.
After devouring the entire thing, Tristan had to stop himself from licking the crumbs off the pan. He leaned back, his stomach aching with the amount of food he’d just consumed.
He thought about Tina in the kitchen. She was likely cleaning up by now. Maybe she was in her room at the back of the house next to the housekeeper’s rooms. Damn it to hell! Why was he thinking about where she was?
His body tensed and his cock hardened painfully when he thought about her in her room, naked under her sheets.
With a frustrated sigh, Tristan pushed back his chair. He stalked to the front door meaning to go out and see to the horses. He’d missed working with Storm today. He had his hand on the doorknob when he stopped.
Darn it. He was going to go to the kitchen and have a talk with Tina. He was going to apologize for being an ass and she would no doubt apologize for egging him on. He couldn’t stop the pull that led him away from the front door.
Tristan entered the kitchen, half hoping that Tina wouldn’t be there and he could go out to the barns where he belonged. He didn’t want to be in her domain but he was powerless to prevent himself from entering it.
She had her back to him, scrubbing pots in a sudsy sink. The kitchen was industrial style with stainless steel countertops, a massive gas grill and huge stainless sinks. It even has a walk in cooler. His father once had twice as many ranch hands and employees working at the ranch as Tristan did now. His father had been the one to teach him all he knew about horses and everything else. When Tristan got beat up in school in the fourth grade, his father enrolled him in martial arts, thinking it would give Tristan the confidence he needed to take care of himself.
Little did his pa know that a lifetime love of fighting, technique, self-discipline and training would be born. It wasn’t until high school that Tristan tried out for the wrestling team. He loved all of it. He was a natural born athlete and to him, fighting was a means of escape. It was a way to lose himself in a perfectly honed craft. It wasn’t about beating another guy to a pulp or getting his own ass beat. It was a glorious kind of art form for him.
“Hey,” Tristan cleared his throat and Tina spun around. Her hands dripped soap all over the kitchen floor.
“Is there something I can do for you?” She asked sweetly but somehow even those words were laced with an underlying annoyance.
“Nope. I just wanted to tell you that the pizza was delicious. Good job.”
Tina hesitated. “Thanks,” she finally said. She turned, obviously considering their conversation finished.
Tristan was far from thinking of leaving. He pulled out one of the wooden chairs that hung around the kitchen and perched in it backwards, so he
was facing the back of the chair. He watched the way Tina’s body moved as she scrubbed pots.
She was wearing a different apron. It was older and worn out and must be her cleaning apron. She had a blue cotton blouse on with the sleeves rolled up. Her jeans were dark wash and cupped her tight little ass just right.
Tristan shook himself. God, he was ridiculous. He was about to force himself out of the chair and out the back door when Tina spun around. She seemed surprised to see that he was still there.
“For a man who is a vegetarian, you’re sure eying me up like I’m on the meat market.”
Tristan blinked. What the hell was he supposed to say to that? He shook his head and Tina sighed. She clearly decided to chance tactic.
“Why’d you go into town today?” She asked after a minute.
He was taken aback at her direct question. It had been a bloody long time since anyone around the ranch thought to question his motives. Tristan let out a long exhale that turned into a laugh. Once he started laughing he laughed so hard his shoulders shook and his stomach ached.
Tina looked at him like he was crazy but after a minute she join in as well. Their laughter rang through the silent house.
Tristan wiped tears away with the back of his hand. “Oh my god. I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. I don’t know where you get off saying things like that.”
“Asking you mean?”
“I mean saying. About the meat market. Sorry, I was staring. That was rude of me. As to your other question, I had some papers to sign and a meeting with my marketing team. I’m launching a new t-shirt design. The meeting ran late. Sorry I should have called to say I wouldn’t be here for dinner.”
“Don’t worry. I did what you said and got myself debriefed as soon as you left. Your housekeeper, May, said that there was a good chance you wouldn’t be coming home until late. I made the pizza dough ahead of time. The rest didn’t take long to cook. The one advantage of fake meat I guess.”
Pathological Therapy Billionaire Bad Boy Box Set Page 21