Love and Food (14 page)

              He has been very angry with her.  When he’s been in the same room with her, he can barely stand to look at her.  The fact that she didn’t consult him at all on the new menu hurt more than he’s let on.  She never asked him a single question about it and he’s the chef.  Every time he cooks something from the menu, Haillee’s betrayal stings a little more.

              Haillee knew how much the menu meant to him.  She knew the many hours he spent slaving in the kitchen, putting it together.  She knew that he put his blood, sweat, and tears into it, but she never even gave that a second thought.  She threw his menu into the trash without a single thought or concern for his feelings.  When she did that, he knew that he meant absolutely nothing to her.  He knew that their friendship was a farce.  All the times she had confessed that he was her good friend - it was lies.  All the times she smiled in his face and told him that he was the best chef, that too, was all lies.

              As he sits in the driver’s seat of his car, he makes his decision.  He decides that he is going to get back at Haillee for what she’s done and how she’s made him feel.  He is going to get back at her and make her feel the pain that she has caused him.  He is going to make her recognize the true gravity of what she’s done.  She is going to realize that there are consequences for her actions and that she can’t treat people any way that she sees fit.

              In his life, it’s always been friends before money.  He thought it was a cardinal rule of friendship.  That’s the way he sees it and he thought it was the way everyone felt - until now.  Haillee is about money, not friends.  She made that very clear when she made her decision.  All she cares about is her restaurant making money and she doesn’t care who she runs over to get it.  She doesn’t know it, but she has broken his heart and bruised his ego.  There is no coming back from that.

Chapter 10

Haillee wakes up, turns over and looks at Ethan.  She watches him as he sleeps.  He looks so peaceful while he sleeps.  She’s not sure if she made the right decision to sleep with him so soon after her breakup with Kyle, but as she searches herself, she doesn’t feel any regrets.  It was a beautiful night.  The way that Ethan made love to her was like fire.  It was hot and it was passionate.  She smiles as she thinks about how he pleased her and how the orgasms ripped through her body with ease.  Ethan is an amazing lover.  It’s just another thing to add to the laundry list of things that are amazing about the man. 

              Above all, Ethan is a good man.  Can she see herself being with him long term? Absolutely.  There is no reason that she can find in her mind why she would turn a man like Ethan down.  He’s the whole package.  He’s sexy, although looks aren’t everything to her, but it’s a definite bonus.  He’s successful.  He doesn’t have any baggage.  He enjoys helping people.  He’s humble.  If she were actively searching for a man, he would meet all of her requirements. 

              She lies very still next to him and listens to him breath.  She watches the rise and fall of his chest and she wonders what’s going to happen when he opens his eyes.  Will he think he made a mistake or will he still want her as much as he claimed to before they slept together?  Now that there is no alcohol flowing through his system and his mind is more clear, will he regret coming to her apartment and being with her?  Suddenly fear creeps in her consciousness.

Her mind drifts to thoughts of the day that she found Kyle lying in the very place she is lying with Ethan with Stella.  She remembers how she felt watching the security videos.  She thinks about all the disparaging things Kyle said about her.  She runs her hands over the skin on her belly and she starts to feel self-conscious. 

She squeezes the skin over her hip and runs her hands over her collarbone.  She knows she’s not the most beautiful or the skinniest woman in the world, but does she look that bad?  Is she everything that Kyle said about her?  Is she as unattractive as he said she was?

While she was making love to Ethan, she hadn’t thought for a minute about the way that she looked, but now, as she lies next to him and remember how Kyle called her a cow, she is very aware of her appearance.  She starts to wonder how Ethan sees her.  Does he think that she’s a fat cow?  Suddenly, she feels the strong urge to cover herself up.  She doesn’t want Ethan to see the way that she looks in the light of day.

She tries to get out of bed as quickly as she can without disturbing Ethan.  She wants to find her robe and cover herself up.  She looks on the floor and under the bed, but it’s not there.  She opens the closet door to see if it’s hanging on a hook in the closet when Ethan’s voice startles her.

“Don’t,” he says, sitting up in bed and watching her.  “You’re so beautiful.  Don’t cover up.  Please stand there so I can look at you.”

She doesn’t move.  She watches his eyes scan her body from her head to her toes.  She searches his face and his eyes for any traces of disgust.  She doesn’t find any there.  She watches as Ethan pulls the sheet back.  He’s hard and erect.  If she couldn’t gauge how he was feeling about what he was seeing from his face, his erection says everything that needs to be said.

“Come here,” he says.

She doesn’t disobey.  Ethan has made her feel more beautiful with just a few words than anyone every could have with many words.  His body doesn’t lie.  The sight of her has made him aroused.  He doesn’t need to tell her how beautiful or sexy she is.  His erection says it all.  She climbs into the bed and Ethan takes her into his arms. 

  She straddles him and she feels him slip easily inside.  She is going to ride this man with wild abandon.  With every pleasurable movement, the horrible words that Kyle said about her slip from her mind.  All that matters at the moment is the man lying beneath her and how he’s made her feel without saying any words.

* * * * *

              Haillee walks into the kitchen.  She wants to check the stock for the grand reopening.  It’s in a few short days and she needs to make sure that everything is in order to calm her worrying mind.  She needs to make sure that everything that she’s ordered has arrived and is in its place. 

              She opens the door to the fridge and is surprised by its emptiness.  She turns to Mack.  “Where’s all the meat?  There should be double what’s here!” she says, trying not to let the panic she feels inside be evident in her voice.

              “That’s all that came,” Mack says, coming and standing beside her. 

They both stand together and stare into the half-empty fridge.  Mack suppresses a smile.  If Haillee could read his mind, she would know exactly where the meat was.  She would know that she could find it outside in the dumpster where he put it.

“I can’t believe this!” she says and slams the door to the fridge, causing it to shake.  “I’m going to have to call them and find out what the hell is going on.  The reopening is in a few days!  I can’t believe they’ve screwed me like this!  They’ve always been so reliable.  A mistake like this has never happened before.  I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m going to find out.”

“You better go and do that.  I’m sure it was just a simple error.  I’m sure they’ll fix the problem right away,” Mack says, turning away from her so she doesn’t see the smile he can’t contain any longer.

She rushes to her office.  She dials her meat distributor.  When she gets a representative on the line, she is not happy with the response.  The representative doesn’t have a clue what happened.  The representative reviewed the order and it states that everything she ordered had been delivered and signed for.  The representative isn’t sure what happened and is very apologetic, but there is nothing they can do for her on such short notice to remedy the situation.  The earliest they can send more meat is after the grand reopening is over and done with.

She slams the phone down and full-blown panic sets in.  She has no idea where to turn for help.  She is about to call another meat distributor when Kyle knocks on her office door.

She groans.  “What the hell are you doing here?”

“We need to talk.”

“You can’t take a hint, can you, Kyle?  I haven’t returned any of your calls or answered any of your never-ending messages.  You couldn’t get the picture that I don’t want to talk to you and I certainly don’t want you standing in my office.  Not only don’t I want to see you, but now is really not the greatest time.  I’ve got important things I need to deal with right now.”

“Haillee, I can’t live without you.  I need you in my life,” he begs.

She stands up from her chair.  “Kyle, you need to leave.  Now is not the time, nor the place.  I’ve have too many things to do right now,” she says, moving towards him.  She is prepared to forcibly remove him if he won’t leave.

He backs her into the corner of her office.  “Please forgive me, Haillee.  Please take me back.”

“I can’t do it, Kyle.  I’m not going to go through all of this again.  I gave you another chance and you screwed up.  I’ve said all I need to say to you.  It’s over.  Please leave.  Don’t make me call the police.”

“Please, Haillee,” he says, grabbing her by the shoulders and kissing her.  He holds her so tight that she can’t get away from him.  She is stuck in his grip and she can’t break away from his unwanted kiss.  Their interaction is interrupted by someone clearing their voice.  She is happy for the interruption until she sees who has caused the intrusion.

“Ethan!” she says, horrified to see him standing in the doorway of her office, holding a large bouquet of flowers.  “This is not what it looks like.”

Ethan doesn’t respond.  He places the bouquet of flowers on her desk and glares at her and Kyle for a moment, before turning and leaving without saying a single word.  She shakes away from Kyle and chases after him.  He is halfway through the dining room before she catches up with him. 

“Ethan!  Ethan, stop!” she says, grabbing his arm.  He stops walking and looks at her.  “Ethan, that wasn’t what you think it was.  Kyle kissed me.  I didn’t kiss him.”

Ethan takes a deep breath, before speaking.  “I have no idea if what you’re telling me is the truth.  All I can believe is what I just saw in and there.  I’m leaving now.  When you’ve decided what you really want - call me.”

“Ethan!” she says, calling after him.  He doesn’t turn around.  He keeps walking and leaves the restaurant.  She doesn’t bother chasing after him any further.  It’s clear that anything she says right now, he won’t believe it.  She lets out a groan of frustration.  Can this day get any worse?

She walks back to her office.  Kyle has made himself comfortable in her desk chair.  “Get out!” she says, before she’s even fully inside her office. 

“I knew something was going on with you and that guy.  I guess there’s been a slight change in plans,” Kyle says, putting his feet up on her desk and crushing the bouquet of flowers covering her desk.

“What I do now is none of your business or any of your concern.  Kyle, I never ever want to see you again.  Don’t come to the restaurant.  Don’t come to my apartment.  It’s over and we are never going to be again.  If you come anywhere near me again, I’m calling the police and getting a restraining order.  Do I make myself clear?”

“Haillee, you can talk all tough, but I know you still love me.”

“I’m going to count to three and if you’re not gone…”

“Okay.  Okay.  I’m leaving, but I’m not giving up that easily, Haillee.  When I kissed you, you felt something.  I could tell.  You’re mine, Haillee.  And you will always be,” he says, brushing hard against her as he leaves her office.

* * * * *

“Am I ever happy to see you,” Haillee says, hugging Monica when she’s inside her apartment.

“I’m happy to see you, too.  What’s going on?  I could tell in your voice on the phone that something was up.  Let me guess, it has something to do with Kyle,” Monica says, plopping down in the chair next to her sofa.

“This is going to be a long one.  Let’s have some wine.  I need a drink,” she says, making her way into the kitchen.

“I’ll never turn down a glass of wine.  You know that,” Monica says, stretching out her legs.  “So, go ahead, tell Monica what’s going on.”