On The Rocks (closed)

[wideeyedone]

Avec de Glacons had been a neighborhood staple for forty years. Some of Natalie Tate’s earliest memories took place in her grandfather’s restaurant. Her mother had been the front of the house manager since before Natalie was born. The old world style restaurant, with its beautiful burnished wood paneling and massive bar, had been opened by Natalie’s grandfather, Henri LaFortune. Natalie had gained her love of cooking and the kitchen from Henri. He still owned the place, but he spent less and less time in the kitchen. He had always run the kitchen like a stern orchestra conductor, using facial expressions, hissed directions and wild gestures to keep everything perfect. Now he could often be found perched on a bar stool talking to an old friend, or holed up in the office with Natalie’s mother, Alice as they argued about payroll and the staff schedule.

Natalie’s path had always lead to the family business. In her time at culinary school, she fell in love with the science and precision of baking. She could fill in anywhere in the kitchen, but her passion was in the crackling crust of excellent bread, and the sugar work of fine desserts. After graduation from culinary school she had gone to Paris to work in a Two Star Michelin kitchen. Then she spent six months working for a high end kitchen in New York. And now she was home.

Her chef jacket was pressed and spotless. Her long dark hair was pinned up in a loose bun. She dusted on just a hint of makeup and checked herself in the mirror. She wanted to be seen as a chef and as a force in the kitchen. However, she knew it would be a challenge since many on the staff had known her since she was in pigtails, making grilled cheese sandwiches on the same stove that her grandfather was searing porterhouses.

She used her key to let herself into kitchen door. Henri was overseeing a produce delivery. Natalie preheated the ovens and then began making bread. She mixed the dough in an industrial sized mixing bowl and then dumped the dough onto the floured counter. Her small hands worked the dough until it was ready to prove. She placed the dough beside the warm ovens so it could double in size before she cut and shaped the loaves.

She washed her hands and dusted off her jacket before heading into the dining room. The tables were getting their dressing of white linen tablecloths from one staff member, as another staff member wiped down each chair. Natalie greeted each staff member by name. Then she saw Andrew restocking the bar.

She and Andrew had grown up on the same block, just walking distance from the Avec des Glacons. He was just a year ahead of her in school. Their parents were best friends, and still vacationed together each year. Natalie and Andrew’s shared history went back so far that they were photos of them both as preschoolers dressed as Mickey and Minnie Mouse for Halloween.

She smiled when she saw him and she was struck by how much they both had grown up in the almost two years that she had been away.

 

[Gr8chtr]

Like most people Andrew Branson was many things: the second and last child of Edward and Martha (nee Churchill) Branson; a failed would-be actor; a head-turning, handsome, unattached 25-year-old; and the recently appointed assistant manager (aka bartender-in-chief) of the Avec de Glacons. He was also the nearly life-long, best friend of Natalie Tate, whom he had not seen in nearly two years since she left the city and was now returning home.

The Branson family was what sociologists would call “upper middle class” and most regular people would call “well-off”, if not “rich”. Andrew’s father, Edward, was a prominent surgeon, his mother, Martha, a licensed, clinical social worker who hailed from a parental family of some means. His older sister, Emily, had just finished her MBA in finance from UPenn’s Wharton School of Business and was now living in mid-town Manhattan working for an investment house on Wall Street. Andrew, by comparison, was less ambitious. His parents tried, with only partial success, to not show their disappointment.

Andrew had taken a different path, enrolling as an English literature major at a local liberal arts college, then switching to being a drama major in his junior year. A year in Hollywood made him realize that he had no career in movies but resulted in him having the mother-of-all-fallback-jobs, being a server in a local restaurant. He was ambitious enough to work his way up the food chain by completing a short course in bartending. With his tail between his legs he returned home, having saved up at least enough money to get an apartment of his own.

He got his job at the Avec de Glacons in the time-honored way: personal connections. Further, his “advancement” was also favoritism, causing one of the young bartenders to quit in disgust. Alice and Henri didn’t care; Andrew as much “family” as were their own children. The “assistant manager” title – he even had a printed business card – was a bit of a misnomer. Primarily, he served as a bartender at the restaurant’s massive bar, scheduled the shifts of the other bartenders and looked lightly over their shoulders when he, himself, was working a shift. He only “managed” the dining operation on those rare occasions when Alice (whom he still called “Mrs. Tate”, despite her numerous entreaties to use her first name) or Henri were not present. To wit: he was not Natalie’s boss.

Andrew did not see Natalie when she first entered the dining room, which occupied a the same cavernous space with the bar, nor did he see her immediately when she first saw him. But, he did notice the way she carried herself and how much more they were no longer “kids”, now fully adult. Then, she turned, he returned her smile and nearly fell over himself rushing across the room to wrap his arms around his first and forever best friend.

 

[wideeyedone]

It felt so good to be in Andrew's arms. He was a head taller than she was, and he almost lifted her off of her feet.

"You look great, Andrew. Bartending looks good on you. Henri and Mom say you are doing a great job. After service tonight will you mix me a whiskey sour?" She asked softly. She had heard through the family grapevine that his attempt to make it in Hollywood hadn't worked out, but she was proud of him for trying.

After he broke their embrace, Natalie perched on one of the bar stools.

"You have to tell me everything. How are your folks?" She leaned over the bar and grabbed one of the cherries from his set up and popped it in her mouth. She had a little while until she needed to get back to her dough.

"Does your mom still love creme brulee? I will have to make her some. I have been tinkering with a salted caramel version."

Natalie traced the whirls and rings on the cherry wood bar with her fingertips as he made his way back behind the bar.

 

[Gr8chtr]

Andrew felt warm from top to bottom as he and his old friend, Natalie, hugged. It wasn't simply the warmth of the physical contact, although there was that, it was the glow of being near someone to whom he felt so close.

As Natalie took her seat on one of the bar stools, he replied to her questions and added some commentary of his own. "Thanks for the compliment", Andrew said honestly, "you look pretty darn good yourself." He winked, "Doesn't look like you spent too much time at that culinary school sampling the wares, you look just as trim and well-proportioned as ever." He meant it, too. Notwithstanding the completely platonic, almost sibling-like relationship that they had, it had not escaped Andrew's attention, over the years or now, that Natalie was quite the looker who turned more than a few guys' heads as she passed by.

Having agreed eagerly to make a whiskey sour for Natalie at the end of their shifts - he even dedicated himself to doing a little research on whiskey sours to up his game in that department - Andrew filled his friend in on his life since they last saw each other, including his breakup with his former girlfriend, Sophie, and answered her questions about his folks. He also eagerly accepted her offer of a creme brulee for his mom, adding that he wouldn't mind having one for himself now that he was living on his own.

As he made his way back behind the bar to continue his work and he saw that Natalie was about to return to the kitchen, a big grin crossed his face. As they grew up, especially while they were both in college, the two of them teased each other unmercifully about their romances and sex lives, or no sex lives in many instances. If one could have heard them, one would almost have thought that this was banter between two brothers or two sisters.

Trying not to lose control and laugh out loud, Andrew added as she turned to return to the kitchen and there was no other staff or customers around, "Hey, Natalie. So...one more update question...are you keeping those long legs of your crossed these days or are you entertaining some tall, handsome stranger in your free time?"

 

[wideeyedone]

Natalie couldn't help but smile. She looked back at him over her shoulder.

"You will meet him when he comes to town. I met a guy in New York. It isn't anything serious, yet. But I like him, I think you will like him. What about you? Is there a gorgeous girl making you forget, Sophie?"

She stood in the kitchen door for a moment but Henri began hollering about how the bread from the bakery was just fine, and did they really need to send Natalie to New York and Paris to learn to bake bread. Natalie shook her head and headed into the kitchen.

She ignored Henri and began shaping the loaves. Then she put them in the oven with a pan of water to ensure a crisp crust. Then she went to work on baking ladyfingers to soak in espresso for tiramisu and whipping up the creme brulee so that it would have plenty of time to set before she needed to caramelize the top.

The kitchen came alive as more and more staff came in. She loved the energy of the kitchen. Henri's kitchen definitely had a masculine feel, but she found she enjoyed the banter, in this kitchen in particular it was a patois of English, French, Spanish, innuendo and culinary smack talk.

Natalie could hold her own in each of those categories, but as the work picked up the kitchen became less verbal and the noise was the clank of dishes and the sizzle of the saute pan, it became all about the food and the customer.

After the kitchen closed and the last customer left, Natalie met Andrew at the bar. She had a silver cloche covered dessert plate with her. Underneath was a creme brulee with a hint of caramel swirled through it, topped with a grilled peach half.

"I want you to try this dessert with the whiskey sour. I have an idea about a cocktail and dessert pairing menu. And I need to know if you think it works." She bit her lip a little nervously and took up her perch on the bar stool.

 

[Gr8chtr]

Andrew smiled back as Natalie described her new “not anything serious” boyfriend. His smile faded some as she asked if he had anyone who was distracting him from his memories of Sophie. He tossed a quick reply back to her as Natalie lingered in the kitchen doorway. “Very good, my friend. I will look forward to meeting your new squeeze when he comes to town. As to my love life, well, we can talk about that not very exciting story later.”

Of course, Andrew had work to do and he concentrated on it, readying the bar for his shift, checking the schedule to see who the other bartenders would be with him, and awaiting the first customers. Although he was generally busy when he was working as bartender, as the head bartender he had a little freedom when things were less busy to hang back, inventory stock, etc. Things today were not overly busy; Andrew used some of his “free” time to do a little research to upgrade his whiskey sour skills. If Natalie wanted to invent a pairing that they could sell, especially at a nice profit, the whiskey sour needed to be top notch too. Besides, he realized as he was working, he was really looking forward to spending time with Natalie after the restaurant closed. Their personal tasting might as well be a bit of a celebration of the renewal of their friendship.

Timing was not difficult. The late-night crowd was sparse, so Andrew sent the other bartenders home early, using his “assistant manager” power to promise them that their pay would not be reduced by their earlier-than-expected dismissal. He anticipated correctly that Natalie would appear in about 10 minutes. Based on a recommendation he found online, Andrew chose Elijah Craig Small Batch bourbon for the whiskey sour, delegating a full 2 oz. for each of their drinks, 4 oz total. At 132 proof (66% abv) their drinks would put he and Natalie in a pretty good mood, apart from the taste. The liquor was truly “top shelf”; even with the Avec de Glacons’ ability to buy wholesale, the cost was still $77 per bottle. But, if he and Natalie were going to create something special, one couldn’t skimp. Following the time-honored recipe for whiskey sours, Andrew combined the bourbon with 1 ½ oz. of freshly squeezed lemon juice, the same amount of simple syrup, a few drops of angostura bitters , and two egg whites, shook the mixture with ice, then strained and poured the beautiful mixture over ice into each of their glasses, adding the luxardo cherry, and topping off with a hint of garnish from the egg white foam.

Having finished pouring the drinks and just as he saw the kitchen door start to swing open ahead of Natalie’s entrance, Andrew caught a brief glance of the last server who was leaving. She was new; he had never seen her before tonight. Damn, he couldn’t even remember her name. “Mmm…nice ass” was the thought that went through his mind, interrupted immediately by Natalie’s arrival at the bar stool.

I want you to try this dessert with the whiskey sour. I have an idea about a cocktail and dessert pairing menu. And I need to know if you think it works.

Andrew smiled broadly. The crème brulee with the grilled peach half looked delicious. He knew, already, that he would like it. It was now his turn to be a little anxious. “Wow, Natalie, looks and smells great,” he said truthfully, “I hope that the whiskey sours that I have made for us can stand up to your creation.”

 

[wideeyedone]

Natalie smiled at Andrew as he placed the whiskey sours beside the dessert. She took a sip and let a satisfied mmmmmmm escape her lips.

“That is a good bourbon, nice and warm.” She offered Andrew one of the spoons from the dessert plate. She ran her spoon around the edge of the creme brulee, cracking the carmelized top. She used her spoon to take a sliver of the grilled peach and added a half spoonful of the custardy filling. She closed her eyes and placed the bite in her mouth. A satisfied smile spread across her lips. “The peach is a good match for the bourbon. I think when we make them for Henri and my mother, I should integrate the peach into the creme brulee, maybe bake it with the peach inside.”

She looked up at Andrew. “Your turn.”

As he took a swallow of the whiskey sour and then he tasted the dessert, Natalie decided it was time to let Andrew in on her plan. In a hushed whisper, she explained that Henri was considering retirement and that Avec des Glacons was having trouble staying in the black. New, hipper restaurants were popping up around the neighborhood and Henri did not seem to be willing to keep up with the culinary trends. If Natalie mentioned keto diets and gluten free options he would roll his eyes and mutter about people not knowing that food was all about salt, fat, acid, and heat.

Natalie looked at Andrew with her big brown eyes.

“The bar here is gorgeous and I thought, maybe, we could get some buzz going for high end cocktails and shareable desserts. It would make for a great date… not dinner, but good cocktails and a sexy dessert. And it isn’t meddling in Henri’s part of the menu. I thought it might be a good place to start.”

 

[Gr8chtr]

"Damn, that creme brulee is really good", Andrew said as he both took a swallow of his whiskey sour creation and a small spoonful of Natalie's creation. "I'm also pleased to see that you apparently enjoyed the cocktail that I made. It is pretty good, if I do say so myself." It felt great to Andrew that he and Natalie were having this small, private celebration. He expected that they would either launch into some nostalgia or catch up on their present lives. He did not expect what came next from Natalie's beautiful mouth.

Andrew listened intensely as she laid out her concerns and her ideas to save the Avec des Glacons. It wasn't exaclty a palace coup, Andrew decided, but it was a proposal that would allow Natalie to step out beyond the role of the dutiful daughter and grand daughter to take a leadership in the family business still heavily under shadow of old Henri. But, much more impactful to Andrew was that she was proposing doing this as, effectively, partners with him. True, he was "almost family" but that was not the same thing as being family. Notwithstanding these reservations, Andrew liked the idea but he wasn't quite ready to jump in with both feet. He needed to think about this a little more. He needed to move the conversation in a little different direction.

"Well, Natalie, your proposal sounds really interesting and very creative", Andrew said sincerely, "I like it!" He took another sip of the whiskey sour and another spoon of the creme brulee then continued, "Let's think this over and talk about this some more real soon. But...it's been so long since we've seen each other, let's catch up a little. Let's start out by you telling me something about this new guy that I might meet some day soon."

 

[wideeyedone]

Natalie took another bite of the peach and a sip of the whiskey sour.

"I think the peach is a good match for the bourbon, maybe an elevated peach cobbler. More cinnamon and brown sugar and less creamy goodness." She was hoping that he was more enthusiastic about the menu idea, but she reminded herself that she had been pondering it for a while and he had just heard about it. She rested her elbows on the bar and decided to dish about her fellow.

"So, his name is Todd. He is divorced and he works for some investment firm. He came in for dinner with some clients. One of the clients asked to give his complements to the pastry chef. They had just had my flourless chocolate cake and raspberry gelato. I came out and chatted with them for a little bit, and before I went back to the kitchen, he asked for my number."

She had to admit that she was very flattered that Todd had made such a public move. She was a cute girl, but she had never been a femme fatale.

"He and I went out a few times. He pretended to be a foodie, and then I discovered that he really prefers burgers and pizza, and me."

She took her hair down as she talked. She ran her fingers through her dark hair, knowing it was bound to have flour and sugar in it.

"My folks are going to hate him. He is almost forty and he is divorced. But we have a lot of fun." She bit her lip, and felt her cheeks flush deeply. "He has mad skills."

 

[Gr8chtr]

Andrew watched as Natalie continued to nibble at their joint creation. He had detected, he thought, a small shadow cross her face when he had responded to her proposal for their joint venture with less than full-throated enthusiasm. That worried Andrew; he had not wanted to be dismissive of either her idea or the possibility of them working as partners. In fact, the idea of Natalie as his professional partner was surprisingly attractive. Andrew resolved to correct any misperception that he may have created. But, Natalie's description of Todd wiped just about anything else from his mind.

Andrew listened intently to Natalie's tale of how she and Todd met, and saw how she blushed in the telling of it. In their younger days the two of them had swapped fairly intimate details of their love lives, but he had never imagined her to be swept up in what sounded like a mostly physical relationship, and her seeming to enjoy it as well. Even more surprising Natalie's reference to Todd's "mad skills" while taking down her hair and running her fingers through it caused Andrew to feel some arousal himself.

Andrew knew that a tease was in order, in no small part because he didn't want to take away any of Natalie's joy by describing his own, long dry spell. "Well, my friend," he said with a deliberate big wink, "sounds to me like you've got a lot of heat that isn't coming from that baking stove of yours. Keep it up, girl, and be sure to share whatever juicy details you think that I can handle.

 

[wideeyedone]

Natalie took another bite of the peach and then bit her lip.

"He is an excellent kisser and the first time he took me to his hotel... well, I can't believe I am talking about this out loud." Her cheeks were really pink now. "I didn't even make it all the way to his hotel room before I had an orgasm. We were kissing in the elevator and he slid his hand up my skirt and he had me orgasming in the elevator. It was so intense, I could barely walk to his room."

She smiled at Andrew and leaned her chin on her hand.

"Don't get me wrong. He is fun and sweet, too. I really like him. He got us tickets to see Hamilton and he took me to some really great restaurants because he knows I love great food."

Natalie took one last sip of her whiskey sour.

"I am looking for my own place. I am going to lose my mind if I stay with my folks for too long."

 

[Gr8chtr]

When Natalie revealed that she had cum in the elevator on her first date with Todd, Andrew nearly choked on the last bit of Natalie's creme brulee. He started to laugh so hard that his sides hurt. He calmed himself down while she added that she really liked Todd and that they had had some non-physical fun and that she was looking for her own place. Finally, he spoke. He couldn't resist yet another tease with his old friend.

"Well, well, well," Andrew chuckled, "Todd certainly seems pretty hot. But, you're seeming like a rather wild woman yourself. Cumming in the elevator. Shit! I thought that only happened in X-rated movies! You're definitely one up on me; I haven't even come close that that experience."

As Andrew listened to Natalie's wild story and teased her about it, he realized that he was becoming more than just a little aroused. "No wonder," he mused to himself, "her description is almost like watching a porn flick." Clearly, he thought, after all of these years he wasn't attracted to Natalie physically. Or, was he? Also, strangely, he found himself not liking Todd very much; indeed, he was feeling a bit angry toward this man that he had never met.

Whether to distract his own mind from Natalie's escapades or to divert any focus from his own, current pitiful, nonexistent love life, or, as he believed, acting with altruistic motives, Andrew returned the conversation to Natalie's dessert/cocktail proposal.

"Natalie," he said while still grinning, "before you go I want to make sure that I didn't give the wrong impression about my reaction to your idea about specialty combos. I think it's a great idea. And, I agree with you, this place needs to modernize some. The Avec de Glacons won't continue its tradition of being a fine dining restaurant where customers don't shy away from entrees in the $35+ range and drinks at $12 a pop featuring yesterday's cuisine and drink menu. You and I could help out with some modernizing, I think."

Andrew saw that they had both finished their desserts and whiskey sours. They both had to work tomorrow; it was time to go. Putting the dishes and the drink glasses into the mini-dishwasher that was part of the bar area, Andrew smiled and said:

"Well, the next time you and Todd get together, do have a fucking good time. Or...should I say...have a good time fucking!"

 

[wideeyedone]

Natalie was blushing when she made her way back into the kitchen. She gave Andrew a playful wave. The kitchens were being wiped down from top to bottom. Henri was buttoning up his overcoat.

"It was a good first night, mon lapinou." She couldn't help but smile at her grandfather calling her his bunny. "I want to taste this bread tomorrow that the people were raving about. Now, go get some sleep, bunny." He kissed her head. She slipped on her coat and went out into the cold. Her mother tried to convince her that she could just ride with her to the restaurant, but it was bad enough that she was living with her folks she didn't want to give up all of her autonomy.

She needed to have some of her own space. She dug her phone out of her purse and saw a quick hello from Todd. She knew he might send a more salacious text. She smoothed her hair and sent him a quick selfie.

She drove the few blocks home, stowed her car in the garage and then let herself in the back door. Her mom was dozing in the recliner and her father was asleep on the couch with his book on his chest. She kissed his forehead and took of his readers and put them on the coffee table.

She padded upstairs and stripped off her kitchen clothes. She turned on her shower and then let the hot water wash away the smells of the kitchen. She washed her hair and lathered her skin. Her hand slipped down her smooth tummy and over her thighs.

She found her thoughts drifting to the story she had told Andrew and she started touching herself. She turned her hand and used her knuckles against her clit, thinking of Todd's big hand in the elevator rubbing against her. She had to clamp her mouth closed to keep quiet.

After her shower she sank into bed all warm and relaxed from her orgasm and did her best to turn off the scroll of recipes and spreadsheets in her brain so that she could sleep.

 

[Gr8chtr]

Even as Natalie was heading back to the kitchen Andrew began working feverishly to clean and close up the bar. It had been a long day, though a pleasant one. His small, one-bedroom apartment was only a 10-minute drive from the Avec de Glacons; he was there in no time, eager to relax and tuck himself into bed - once again, alone.

Unlike the cooks and Natalie, the pastry chef, Andrew did not need to arrive more than a half hour before the restaurant opened at 10:00 AM, even when he worked the early shift. So, a shower could wait until morning. He stripped down to his usual sleeping attire, a loose T-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts, and snuggled under the covers for a good 7+ hour sleep.

Moonlight flooded Andrew's bedroom, causing him to drift into some reverie about the day's events. It had been a very good day. Since starting work at the Avec de Glacons a month ago he had looked forward to the return of his life-long friend Natalie. He wasn't disappointed but he was surprised. He anticipated that they would spend a lot of time reminiscing and catching up on each other's lives, and they had done some of that. That that might have included learning of a new boyfriend of Natalie's was hardly surprising, but hearing of her wild sex with Todd was something that Andrew had never imagined.

Reviewing Natalie's story about her hot, erotic relationship with this guy, including something close to elevator sex, once again aroused Andrew. He was on a long dry spell after all. As his erection grew, so did his need to relieve the tension. As he did about weekly Andrew began to stroke his now-erect cock. Reaching into his bedside drawer to retrieve a piece of cloth to catch his forthcoming ejaculation, he began to stroke rhythmically as his mind searched for a fantasy to accompany his masturbation. He needed that; the mental imagery for him was almost as important as the physical massages of his manhood.

Andrew's mind grabbed on to the the image of the new server at the restaurant. Shit, he still didn't know her name. He had caught a glimpse of her gorgeous ass as she went into the kitchen. Twice during the evening she had come to his spot on the bar to order drinks for her customers. The view of her front wasn't bad either, although he had worked hard to keep his gaze at her eye level so as to not betray his interest in her body.

The image and the stroking quickly had the desired effect. His arousal was moving quickly to an orgasm. Funny, he often thought, it took him less time to cum when masturbating than when having sex with a partner, even though the intensity was never as great. Consistent with his image of what's-her-name writhing beneath him in the missionary position, his stroking abruptly quickened until, with a loud grunt, he came with a hefty orgasm that drained the immediate tension from his body. That followed his usual pattern of masturbation. But, another complete surprise occurred. At just about the moment that he exploded what's-her-name's face morphed into Natalie's, leaving Andrew to fall off to sleep in exhaustion wondering, "What the fuck?!"

 

[wideeyedone]

The alarm jarred her awake from the cocoon of her quilt. She groggily sat up in her bed and kicked off the covers. Her childhood bedroom felt small. She groaned. She had to find her own place. She had to. She brushed her teeth and brushed out her hair. She pinned her hair up and got dressed.

Her parents were already up and puttering around. Her mother rarely cooked in their home since most of their meals were eaten in the restaurant. Her father was fixing wheat toast and scrambling eggs. He kissed Natalie’s head and placed a plate in front of her as she brewed her tea.

“How was your first day, Princess?” He asked as he sipped his coffee. She told him about her creme brulee experiment and catching up with Andrew. “Maybe someday, I will get your mother out of that place and she will enjoy some of my retirement with me.”Natalie nodded but she was doubtful. Her mother and grandfather seemed to have a death grip on the place.

Her mother came down the stairs with her coffee cup in hand.

“Natalie, there is a package for you.I put it on the dining room table.” Her mother offered as she grabbed some toast. Natalie bounced up and found the box from Amazon. She was surprised, since she hadn’t ordered anything. She tore into the package, but made a beeline upstairs when she saw the black lace and satin. This was not the sort of package she wanted to open in front of her parents. It was a negligee from Todd. Once she was behind closed doors she pulled out the sexy little nightie. She hoped it was a sign he might be coming to town. She folded it carefully, tucked it in one of her drawers and then rushed downstairs to finish her breakfast.

She decided to ride to work with her mom with the absent thought that perhaps she could grab a ride home with Andrew. She went straight to the kitchen. Henri was arguing with the produce delivery fellow about the state of the heirloom tomatoes. She just shook her head and got to work on the bread dough that she had left to prove overnight. It was ready to go into the oven. She shaped the loaves and scored them and then heated the ovens.

“Handmade bread for lunch specials and for people to use to sop us sauces.” Henri groaned softly and rolled his eyes. “Natalie, I need you to fill in on veg for David at lunch.” Natalie nodded. She began lunch prep, washing and chopping vegetables. Just before lunch, she took lemons, limes, oranges, and fresh cherries out to the bar. She hoped that Andrew would be clocked in.

 

[Gr8chtr]

By the time Andrew woke up the sun was already streaming through his apartment. He blessed the few extra dollars it cost him to get room-darkening shades. He awoke in a great mood, not just "good", but "great". His solo flight to orgasm while going to sleep had drained much of the built-up sexual tension that he had been feeling. He had slept like a log. More importantly, he had spent a lot of time yesterday renewing his friendship with Natalie. He was only slightly bothered that just at the point of orgasm last night the image of what's-her-name-with-the-cute-ass had been briefly replaced by the image of Natalie's face. He wrote it off as a one-off, weirdo experience.

Not needing to be at the restaurant until 10:00, an hour before the lunch opening, Andrew had plenty of time to shower and shave before driving to work, including his really bad-for-your-health nearly daily breakfast at a local Greek diner. God that was high fat food, but tempting nonetheless.

Arriving at the Avec de Glacons Andrew busied himself with setting up the bar and checking the schedule for what other bar tenders would be there for the busy lunch and dinner hours. As always his lunch break didn't occur until 2:00 pm after the peak of the lunch hour had passed. That was, of course, also a relatively slow period for Natalie. Andrew slipped into the kitchen a few times, watching to see when Natalie might not be in the middle of baking something. When he saw that she was free, he walked over, put his arm gently around her shoulders and said, "Lunch time, my friend, there's a little table in the storage room for the bar where we could sit reasonably quietly. Let's just both grab something from the steam table here for lunch. I'll ask the cook to put it on my tab." Their lunch, though lasting no more than 20 minutes and being interrupted briefly twice by one of the other bartenders, offered a pleasant, low-key way for them to catch up on personal news items that they had not gotten to yesterday. Being with Natalie caused his already ebullient mood to climb even higher.

The rest of the day, though busy, passed pleasantly for Andrew. By the time that his shift was over at 7:00 pm, though, he was tired enough to welcome the idea of returning home. Tonight, he did not have to close up. Spotting Natalie and perceiving that, she, too, did not have to stay to the bitter end, Andrew cornered her and said "Hey, I'm free to leave. Looks like you are too. Would you like a ride back to your house? We could be bold and have a bite to eat along the way in someone else's restaurant."

 

[wideeyedone]

Natalie's day was pleasant enough and had gone by quickly. A highlight had been lunch with Andrew. She was so glad that she had his friendship to help her settle in to her new position.

When he proposed a ride home and dinner, it sounded like the perfect end to the day. She poked her head into the office to let her mother know that she had a ride home with Andrew. Her mother smiled and waved her off.

"You children have fun and don't get into too much trouble." Alice offered with a laugh.

Natalie shook her head. Her mother thought she was so funny. She left her chef's jacket in the office and smoothed out her emerald green top and shook out her dark hair, hoping that for once she didn't have flour in hair. Not that she was trying to impress Andrew but she wanted to look nice.

She met Andrew at his car. "How about Chinese or Thai?" Natalie asked softly.

 

[Gr8chtr]

At first Andrew wondered why Natalie seemed to be so pleased to be getting a ride back to her house. It wasn't that far; they must have walked it a hundred times as kids. Then it struck him. Natalie was stuck living with her parents, and working in the family business, and riding to and fro daily with her mom. Yeah...he could kind of understand.

Apart from that speculation, though, he was pleased to be going out to dinner. Since moving back to his home city, mostly he worked, slept, showered and worked some more. A social event was most welcome.

How about Chinese or Thai?

Andrew didn't have to think twice. "Thai! There's a Thai restaurant between here and my apartment that opened up since we both left town. I haven't had a chance to eat there yet, even though I drive by it every day." He laughed, "it's called the 'Beau Thai', OK, bad pun, but the food is supposed to be good."

Early in their meal Andrew and Natalie made a pact to not talk about the Avec de Glacons. Enough "shop talk". It was tempting, but they could do that at work in between customers and their work tasks. Andrew tried to steer the conversation away from too much talk about Sophie - their breakup was still pretty painful to him - but he did reveal to Natalie that Sophie had been more than just a passing fun date and that she had walked out on him. Of course, Natalie was not dumb; this was not news to her. He teased her more about Todd and their sexual escapades. They reminisced some more.

Andrew's mind drifted back to his speculation about Natalie wanting to be less enmeshed with her parents. As she confirmed his guess, a new thought formed in his mind.

"Hey, Natalie," he said suddenly and with some excitement. "You know when I came back from L.A. I knew that I didn't want to live with my parents. They put me up for about a month, which was fine, but I needed to get out. I didn't have much money saved up, though, and I was just starting out at the restaurant, so I found this one-bedroom a couple of miles east of the restaurant that I could afford. It's relatively cheap and...well...not that great. Because it was past the typical autumn high turn-over season, the landlord gave me a monthly contract rather than an annual lease. "

Andrew paused, trying to gauge Natalie's reaction and sense of where he was going. He couldn't tell, but what the fuck, he and she were good friends. So, he just came out with it. "So, Natalie, would you be at all interested in sharing a two-bedroom close to work? I think we could get along OK, we know each other so well. And..we could get a bit nicer place than either of us could probably afford on our own."

 

[wideeyedone]

Natalie almost jumped out of her chair with delight when he suggested that they share a two bedroom flat. She did get up and kiss him on the cheek.

"You are a lifesaver. It is the perfect solution. The places I can afford aren't livable or they are so far, that I will spend all day commuting. And I can't survive at my parents' much longer. Todd sent me a present the other day, and I opened it downstairs without thinking and it.... well, it wasn't parent safe. I love them. I do... but I need some space."

She had a bite of her pad Thai. "I will be nice to your hotties over breakfast. I won't tell them that you used to be my Mickey Mouse and that my cousins and I used to make a wedding dress out of my sheets and pretend that Andrew Branson was going to marry me when I was seven." Natalie blushed a little and then tucked her hair behind her ear.

"The only thing is that I don't want to cramp your style. The word in the kitchen is that the new waitress Krista has a major crush on you. They say she is always trying to get orders to take to the bar." Natalie offered with a cheeky arched eyebrow.

 

[Gr8chtr]

Joy can be contagious. It was for Andrew. Natalie's enthusiastic response to his suggestion that they become apartment-mates just made his day. He could hardly wait.

"Ok, great!", Andrew beamed. "Given where I am in the monthly rental cycle, I only have to stay in my apartment for one week this month and all of next. And, I've saved up just a little bit. So, if you can come up with your half of a security deposit and the first month's rent, paid in advance, we could actually move in to a new place any time in the next 5 weeks. That should give us plenty of time to look at places and get a lease. I have all of the furniture for my bedroom, a couch and a chair for a sitting area, and a small dinette table. OK...all of it's pretty crappy, but it would do until we get established. Shit, I'll start looking online tonight; you should do so too."

Andrew nearly fell out of his chair laughing at Natlie's reference to their childhood play. Mickey Mouse and wedding-dress sheets indeed! He was glad, though, that she had referenced his "hotties" - although he didn't currently have any - they should discuss the "stay over" rules.

"So," Andrew continued, "I don't yet have any 'hotties', but thanks for the generous offer. It goes both ways, of course. I don't think we have to discuss this right now, necessarily, but we should probably have an agreement about quote-unquote stay-overs."

Although he was very happy and was trying to focus on the whole apartment-mate idea, Andrew started to blush when Natalie alluded to Krista having a major crush on him. Having a name for "the-new-server-with-a-cute-ass" started to arouse him. He decided to try to cover up his excitement with a little tease in return.

"Hmmm," he grinned, "so, her name is "Krista", huh? Well...thanks for the tip. She is cute; tell your kitchen buddies to encourage her to drop by the bar. And...speaking of "hotties", just when is your man Todd due back for, well...what shall we call it?...uh...a conjugal visit?"

 

[wideeyedone]

Natalie curled up in her chair and daintily ate her pad thai. She inventoried the bit of furniture she had and she giggled teasing him about Krista.

"I am not sure when Todd is coming to town, but I think it will be soon. I think the package of lingerie was a hint that he is coming to town. He knows that I like to wear pretty things when I see him."

Natalie found herself toying with her hair as she spoke. "It is nice to get out of my chef's jacket and ponytail, and be feminine and lovely. I enjoy being one of the guys in the kitchen but it is a treat to be treated like a woman from time to time." She bit her lip, images of her last encounter with Todd flashing in her memory.

 

[Gr8chtr]

Todd Messina: An Introduction

Todd Messina had good looks and money, both of which he got from his family. To say that he was "tall, dark and handsome" wouldn't even come close to capturing his good looks. His great-grandparents' ancestry included Sicilian, African, Castilian, Filipino and, amazingly, even Mayan. As one of his college buddies once teasingly said, "You're what we will all look like when race no longer matters". On top of his gorgeous appearance Todd exuded sexuality, not showy flamboyance but an intense sexuality that made most women with whom he interacted say to themselves, "this guy wants me". And, they were usually right.

The money he also inherited, but not so much cash (though the value of the family trust that eventually became his was in the low seven figures) as an inherited family success in business. As a young man his grandfather Messina started a company that marketed specialized building materials. By the time Todd was born and his father was taking over leadership of the company, the business was No. 3 in that sector; Todd's father made it No. 1. Todd owned a 12% share in the Messina family enterprise.

Todd was hardly a spoiled, lazy, rich kid. He completed his B.A. in economics from Yale with honors, Phi Beta Kappa. When he gained access to his trust at age 25 after working for four years in the family business, Todd used his new-found wealth to pay his way through the MBA program at UPenn's Wharton School of Business, focusing on finance and organizational development. Not wanting to be the perpetually underling son in the family business, Todd started his own business consulting firm, which was now prospering even above his own high expectations. His business required frequent national and international travel, all of it in luxury.

Given that Todd was a wildly handsome, rich and divorced man at almost 40 with a libido the size of an elephant, it would be easy to assume that he was a Don Juan with a woman in every city that he visited frequently. But, this was not the case. Rather, his sex drive coupled with his sex appeal got in the way of him pursuing deep, intimate relationships. He had come to almost expect to have sex on a first date and certainly by the second. The problem was that his relationships with women thus became to be defined by sex and seldom got any further. Or, at least this is how he viewed his estate; his ex-wife said that his lack of intimacy was rooted much deeper.

Enter Natalie Tate. When Todd came to the Avec de Glacons for dinner with some of his clients and one of them asked to see the pastry chef, Natalie presented herself to their table, Todd boldly asked her for her number. Such boldness usually worked for him; it did with Natalie. After a few dates with her as he returned to the city on business, they were having sex in the elevator even before they got to his hotel room. Their subsequent dates were just as hot.

To keep the fire burning Todd sent Natalie a sexy nighty as a hint that he would be back in town soon. Waiting for just a day after UPS announced that his package had been delivered, Todd emailed her with the simple message, "In town for three days starting on Monday. Hope you can be free for a burger or pizza and...well, you know...something to satisfy the hunger the we both seem to share."

 

[wideeyedone]

The restaurant was slow. Natalie was doing the math and she wasn’t sure that this lunch service would cover payroll. She was glad that the bar seemed just as busy as always. The bar was going to be the key. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket.

She couldn’t help but grin when she saw the message from Todd.

“I will be looking forward to seeing you. And being in your arms. It has been so long since…” She paused for a moment and bit her lip deciding if she should finish her thought. But she did. “It has been so long since I have had an orgasm with someone else. But I was thinking of you when I had one in my shower this morning.”

She could feel the heat in her cheeks. She slipped her phone back in her pocket. And then she saw Andrew’s parents come in for lunch. Andrew’s mom, Martha, saw her and excitedly waved her over. She hugged Natalie tightly.

“I know your parents are so happy to have you home. And so proud. Look at you in your chef’s jacket. Just like when you were little and you would serve us grilled cheese and tomato soup you had made from scratch with Henri.” Now, Natalie’s cheeks were flame red. She could picture herself with pigtails and missing front teeth, serving grilled cheese and tomato soup to anyone who would have mercy on her and order it. Henri had been so very proud of her first entree. And not long after that, she was cooking right next to him.

“Well, there isn’t grilled cheese on the menu today. But I did bake all of the bread. And one of the desserts today is a brandy infused creme brulee.” She kissed, Mr. Branson on the cheek. “And I haven’t forgotten you. There is also a flourless chocolate cake or a tiramisu.” Natalie’s mother Alice came out of the office with her readers perched on top of her hair and a pen tucked behind her ear.

“Edward and Martha, so good to see you.” Alice sat down at their table and asked the waiter for a coffee. Natalie excused herself to the kitchen. She checked the desserts that were in the fridge for the day, setting. The bread dough was proving. The line was running smoothly. So, she fixed herself a bite to eat. She threw together a salad, and seared a small piece of salmon to go on top. She perched on her stool and ate her salad and took notes in her notebook.

The restaurant needed to support Henri and Alice, without making them slaves to it. They had to turn more tables and they had to simplify. A seasonal fine dining menu for dinner, no more lunch service, except on weekends, Sunday lunch at Avec was a neighborhood tradition.. Shareable small plates and desserts marketed heavily in the bar. High end, hand crafted cocktails.

“Natalie!” Henri hollered from across the kitchen. She almost jumped out of her skin she had been so deep in thought. “Stop muttering to yourself and help us finish plating.” She washed her hands and joined the line, wiping the plates and making sure that each element was just as it should be.
There were a few orders for dessert. She sliced the chocolate cake and added chantilly creme and some sliced raspberries to the plate. The creme brulee she coated with sugar and torched with a little blow torch. And the lemon sorbet, she popped into a martini glass with some elegant French macarons. She placed them on the tray, added a dusting of powdered sugar to the cake, and then slipped a few raspberries into the lemon sorbet for color.

“Fresh cutlery with dessert, please.” She reminded the server. She watched to ensure the server picked up fresh cutlery on her way out the swinging door.

She could feel Henri’s eyes on her. “Go out and visit with the Branson’s. They want to see you and so does your mother. She says she never sees you.” He chided. Then, Henri began barking instructions at the line.

“That saucepan is going to scorch.” She exited the kitchen. She was quite pleased to see her mother had brought Andrew over to the table as well.

 

[Gr8chtr]

Andrew and Todd

Andrew

Returning from the dinner with Natalie with his head still filled with both the excitement of their decision to become apartment-mates and the revelation that Krista, the new waitress, was really into him, Andrew made a small error in judgment. Although he and Natalie had shared drinks at dinner, he opened his sole, remaining bottle of wine and had a glass - and then another. Within a few minutes of drinking the second glass Andrew was so drowsy that he barely was able to brush his teeth and wash his face before throwing himself into his bed. He was sound asleep moments after his head hit the pillow.

Arising early Andrew took his daily shower, appreciating every moment that the hot water ran over his well-toned body. The hot water on his head began to reduce the headache from last night's too-much wine. As he soaped himself up Natalie's message that cute-ass Krista had a major crush on him sparked erotic images of Krista and him in carnal embrace. The tension from his sexual arousal was too great to ignore. His soapy hand quickly found its target and with not much effort Andrew's body was racked with orgasmic spams. "Wow," he thought, "I need to be connecting with this woman. Jerking off can be pretty damn good, but not quite the real thing."

Andrew quickly ate his typical bagel, fruit and coffee breakfast while perusing the front-page stories from the New York Times on his iphone. One of his assistants was tending the bar for the lunch crowd, so Andrew did not need to arrive at the Avec prior to lunch. He spent the morning searching the apartment ads posted to various websites, selecting a few that he wanted to draw to Natalie's attention.

Arriving at the Avec during the lunch hour, Andrew's first thought was how small the lunch crowd was. If he and Natalie were going to try to convince old Henri to modernize the place, he and she needed to discuss their impressions of the lunch operation.

Andrew's focus on business didn't last long. His survey of the dining room immediately spotted his parents sitting at their table and Natalie's mother joining them. He was elated. He saw his parents at least weekly and saw Natalie's mom every day when he was working, but he hadn't seen the parental members from both families together since he returned to town. What joy! He almost imagined that he and Natalie were still teenagers hanging around one of their family homes. He dashed over and kissed all three of the older adults on their foreheads before also giving Natalie a little peck on the cheek.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Todd

Todd Messina was standing in the first-class line at LAX ready to board his flight when the ping on his cell phone alerted him to the arrival of a new message.

It has been so long since I have had an orgasm with someone else. But I was thinking of you when I had one in my shower this morning.

He was glad that he was looking down as his phone where no one else would have seen his face. The grin that spread from ear-to-ear, accompanied by what felt like heat flashing through his head would have been hard for others to miss. As the line started to move, he realized awkwardly that the increasing tightness in his pants was making walking a bit difficult.

Settling into his seat in the first-class cabin with, luckily, no one in the adjacent seat, Todd texted back to Natalie quickly. "I'm arriving at 11:00 am this afternoon for a meeting that's scheduled from 1:30 - 5:00. I'll be in town for two more days after that. Name any place and any time after 5:00 that you want to get together. The weather's getting warmer. Don't wear many layers; you won't be wearing them long."

 

[wideeyedone]

Natalie was enjoying the familial banter and the comfort of old friends at the table when she felt her phone. She slipped her phone out, and she couldn't hide her smile when she read Todd's text.

"I will meet you at your hotel. Just send me the room number. Tonight, I am your beck and call girl." She found herself biting her lower lip. She wasn't sure why she was feeling so bold, but she needed the opportunity to blow off a little steam.

The mothers at the table were catching up on neighborhood gossip so Natalie thought it might be a good time to toss out her need to leave early. If her mother was otherwise engaged, perhaps she wouldn't be as interested.

"I am leaving early tonight. I have a date. But all of the desserts are prepped and the kitchen is fully staffed. So, Henri should be fine." Natalie mentioned casually. If she thought that Martha and Allison were going to let this pass without asking questions, she was sorely mistaken.

"Is this the fellow from New York?" Her mother asked pointedly. "When are we going to meet him?" Martha joined in wanting to know his biographicals. Natalie didn't want to offer much.

"His name is Todd, he works in his family business. He travels a great deal for work." She looked over at Andrew, imploring him with her eyes to change the subject and rescue her.

"Is he coming by the house to pick you up?" Allison asked peering over the frames of her glasses.

"Mother, this isn't prom. I am meeting him for a drink at his hotel." Natalie nudged Andrew with her foot under the table. She could feel her cheeks getting redder and redder.