Chef's Kiss: A Billionaire and His Bartender

Chapter 3: A Little Party Never Killed Nobody

"Hey, Sel!" One of the waitresses, Charlie, if Selene remembered correctly, was grinning at her in the changing room.

"Yes?"

Because of work and all the books she had to memorize, the young bartender hardly talked to anyone. Not to mention that it seemed like the staff members were already sorted into small groups, no matter how cliche it might have been. Come to think of it, it made sense. It maintained the power balance and minimized the chances of someone throwing a tantrum.

"Did Thomas tell you about the party we have almost every Friday?"

"A party? No, he failed to mention that. What kind of a party?" Selene couldn't even imagine Thomas attending any kind of party. He always talked about his wife and his children. It was clear from the first sight that he dedicated all his free time to anything they wanted. All the tips were meant for toys, fun activities, a trip to Disneyland, or a quick vacation.

Selene quickly realized that Thomas was one of the rare people who could control the flow of the conversation and comfort almost anyone. That's why he was also popular among the clients, and she couldn't help but be slightly jealous of the attention he was getting. She obviously understood that the attention came with years of experience.

Selene could only wish sometimes to have the same level of popularity.

Authority? Professionalism? Practically anything that would get her tips and finally be recognized for not just being a pretty face with doe eyes, but a hard-working woman who spent a week trying to recognize all the expensive bottles of wine in the restaurant's cellar. And that wasn't easy… even if Thomas could pick them blindfolded.

"We usually hang out at the bar when the restaurant closes. Owen doesn't allow us to drink from the bar every week, but sometimes he's in a good mood. And the chef loves throwing his money around."

"Wait, like an open bar? Here, at the restaurant?"

"Of course, dummy. Many restaurants do this type of thing. It is their way of thanking us for hard work or some bullshit like that. You in?" The waitress was quite persistent, and normally Selene would ask more questions. But since it was her first positive interaction with another staff member, she couldn't help but agree.

Once everyone was changed into evening-appropriate clothes, or, in the case of the bartender, just something that she wore for work since everyone failed to mention a party, they made their way into the bar.

Thomas was already rolling his eyes, yet pouring an abundant amount of red wine into the glass of one of the waiters. He kept on gesturing to get more wine, and, considering the smirk on his face, he clearly wanted to get a reaction. Whether it was a normal occurrence or not was hard to tell.

The woman quickly shuffled around the bar and joined Thomas.

"I didn't know we were having a party. Do I need to be a bartender?"

"Normally, yes," replied Thomas. "It would be your job. However, I can only trust you with proper drinks after your probation. You can still be on ice duty."

Selene relaxed, slightly leaning against the bar. At least she didn't have to struggle to make drinks for everyone. Sure, Selene knew the ingredients and some of the basic things, but Thomas hasn't told her anything yet. The only person who could drink her still poorly made martini was the older bartender himself.

"Hey, newbie!"

The young woman turned slightly towards the waiter, who, instead of sipping his wine, was clearly devouring it as quickly as possible.

"Welcome to the party! Are you coming with us to the club too?" The waiter was still smirking from his previous encounter with Thomas, but this time his smile was slightly more suggestive.

"I didn't know we even had this party. What club?"

"He means a small rusty bar a block from here."Another waitress joined. Rose - quite fitting, considering her bright red hair that she only dyed after getting explicit permission from Mr. Peters. "We usually drink here before Owen kicks us out, and then we go to that small bar in the basement. You in?"

Selene really wanted to say no. She was extremely tired after a hard week and her less-than-successful encounter with the chef. Besides, the general manager was really keeping a close eye on her, criticizing even the way she breathed. Apparently, even breathing must be graceful in this place.

Selene was about to open her mouth and get the response out when Thomas carefully slid a glass full of amber liquid. He winked at her and said: "You got to have fun, kid. We don't need another burnout here."

Selene took a shot of what she recognized as a traditional Jack Daniels and nodded quickly.

Rose clapped with excitement while the smirking waiter stood up. He finished the glass of wine before that, obviously. Not a drop went to waste.

The young bartender made her way around the bar and joined Rose, who hooked her hand around Selene's and practically dragged her away from work.

***

As it was promised, the bar was indeed only a five-minute walk away from the restaurant. Apparently, it was popular, especially among waiters and other staff members who were finishing their shifts at nearby Manhattan restaurants. That's why the drinks were extremely cheap, and everyone wanted to get wasted.

The bar looked like you would imagine a place where a shot was only three bucks, and the bartenders couldn't give a damn about labels or expensive drinks.

It was crammed with lots of people already inside, barely standing and definitely swaying because of alcohol and music.

They found a place in the corner, ordered a couple rounds of shots, and started a hardly meaningful conversation mostly revolving around the chef, his sudden return, and Mr. Peters' tyranny.

"He just needs to get laid," said a blonde waitress who normally worked on another shift.

"I can say the same about the chef," quickly supplied Luke, who looked a little too sober for someone who had just finished a full glass of wine and polished three tequila shots. His name Selene had only just learned after one of the local bartenders noticed them at the entrance and started yelling his name.

"They have sticks up their asses, that's all. Getting laid won't fix that."

The young bartender couldn't help but agree with Rose. It was perhaps one of the best descriptions to use for someone who didn't personally meet Owen or Carter. At least it was 100% true about Owen. Carter, on the other hand, was still a mystery.

"So what's his deal? The chef?" Selene was insanely curious.

"Well… he's kind of like a young prodigy. His parents died, he was adopted, then moved to France, finished a culinary class or a school, or whatever, and opened a couple of his restaurants." Luke was talking extremely casually as if it was a normal occurrence for someone this young to open their own restaurant, not to mention several of them. "But, honestly, no one really knows. It's not like he really talks to us."

"He seems kinda…" Selene couldn't find the right word to describe the chef. And it's not like she could say that he was alluring in front of everyone.

"Scary?" Luke raised his eyebrows, slightly wiggling his fingers, exaggerating the chef's 'spookiness.'

"I was going to say closed off, but, yes, that works too."

"He's not that bad. I would argue that Owen is much worse. I swear if he was allowed to beat us, he definitely would," Luke sounded extremely sure of this fact.

"Yeah… oh, remember that time when Carter publicly screamed at Owen? I think it was because of Rose who tried to get a holiday. Rose?" Luke quickly snapped his finger at her face, trying to get her attention.

"Hey, Luke, get off. What?"

"Tell the new girl about Carter and your holiday."

"Geez, there's really nothing to tell. I wanted to see my family but Owen pushed for some kind of a party or event. So I went to Carter instead."

"I remember that!" Charlie's expression quickly brightened. "He basically lectured Owen about boundaries or some s**t. Don't care, but the chef calling him "obtuse" will forever be imprinted in my mind."

They all laughed more at Charlie's excitement than anything and returned to other gossip. After several minutes the bartender felt a gentle hand on her thigh. She looked up and noticed Luke, who was staring at her intently. He just motioned with his finger to move closer, and with some level of hesitation, Selene leaned towards him.

"Get a drink with me?"

She nodded, standing up to walk after him, but not before hearing excited "oh!" and "get it!" from their company.

"They can be a lot. Trust me, I know."

The bartender only smiled, quietly accepting her drink and assessing the waiter in front of her. He looked like someone who would gossip but blame others for doing it — his words practically screamed double standards.

He was certainly pretty. Not in the manner that the chef was.

Luke was softer, with less defined muscles and darker eyes. He was also sporting much shorter blonde hair and a blue button-up shirt with several opened buttons.

She would describe him more as boyish than ruggedly handsome. Cute; just enough to get attention but not enough to turn everybody's heads.

"So, how are you settling in?" Luke leaned even closer into her personal space, putting one of his hands on the bar, holding his drink, and another on the chair that Selene currently occupied.

"I'm not sure, to be honest," she shrugged, trailing her eyes away from the bar and trying to focus more on the man in front of her. "It's been a lot. New city, new job…"

Luke smiled gently and shook his head slightly. "I moved from Orlando. So I get it, new girl." He took a sip of his drink but didn't seem inclined to do anything else.

Selene briefly wondered where the chef was from. He didn't have the traditional New York accent. But then again, it's not like he had experience with accents. He still sounded highly intelligent and authoritative, as if you had to earn every single word that fell from those plump lips…

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden shift in the atmosphere around her. She noticed that Luke leaned even closer, practically closing those centimeters, inches, of space that were left between them. Selene also briefly caught a smell of ordinary male deodorant and a strong alcoholic scent.

She now could clearly distinguish small green specs in his eyes and slightly faded by the sun eyelashes. There was also a tiny smile, just barely pulling one of the corners of his lips upwards.

The bartender trailed her eyes from his mirthful eyes to the ridge of his slightly crooked nose, to a small birthmark right on his cupid's bow, and finally, his thin lips. They looked very different from the ones she had thought about before. Paler, thinner, slightly chapped, and hardly contrasted with Luke's skin.

He licked them seemingly nervously, and the distance between them came almost to zero…

"Hey, love birds."

Selene quickly startled and recoiled from the possible kiss.

Luke coughed slightly, looking slightly annoyed, before addressing the person who interrupted them.

"What now, Rose?"

"Jeez, don't need to get your panties in the twist," she punched him lightly in the shoulder before swinging her arm over Selene's frame. "We are leaving. Selene, you live in Queens too?"

Selene gladly accepted what seemed like an invitation and stood up, pressing closer to Rose.

"Yes. You're headed that way?"

Rose smiled widely and started pulling her towards the exit but not before shooting Luke a quick wink. "Don't sulk, Lukie. Let the girls have fun."

Selene tried to shoot him an apologetic glance but could only muster a weak smile before easily following Rose out of the club.

"You looked a bit far away, sis," Rose looked her up and down. "Luke flirts with everyone and anyone. Just say a firm 'no,', and he will move on."

"I was just thinking. Didn't expect him to start anything, and then he was already a bit too close."

"Yeah, he's cute," Rose shrugged a bit, catching Selene's hand with hers and swinging them lightly, probably because she was more intoxicated than she looked. "He slept with almost all the newbies."

"Oh…"

"You can test his skills, of course. But, it's a 'been there, done that' sorta thing."

"So you and him…" Selene stopped halfway, slightly tugging Rose's arm closer to her, trying to prevent the former from falling over when she tripped.

"Like two years ago. A week after I started working," Rose rolled her eyes at herself before continuing. "As I said, he sleeps with everyone. Lost cute boy vibe works for him."

"It kinda does." But Selene only replayed the image of the chef in her mind, wondering how he would flirt with women. Was he even interested in women? Was he single?

She waited for Rose to answer her questions only to realize that the former had already started a new story about one of her regulars who once paid her to wear red lipstick.

Better keep her fantasies to herself.

That night she dreamt of blue eyes and cold hands, gasping at the mysterious touch, even if the former was just a misty memory in the morning.