Chapter 5 The Apprentice

Anna Marie

Damn that pompous ass! -Awww, thinking of Mr. Hottie.-

Yes, she was. Not because she was attracted to him. -Are you sure, girlie?-

Why the hell does her conscience mock her? She should be on her side.

And why the hell did she dressed extra sexy today? Pft. Her outfit was perfectly fine, not that provocative at all. Her white skinny jeans and white tube top were perfect on a Saturday. It's the end of summer, so it was humid. Season's heat giving way to the breeze of Autumn.

"You going out like that, Rie?" Michael asked with raised brows. They were at the breakfast nook, enjoying the feast she prepared for them.

As promised, after cozying with the puppy pile on her bed, she got up early and cooked for everyone. Even fed her energetic nephews and niece.

"Leave the girl alone, baby." Alexie enticed him with a smile and he easily got distracted. Xander's another matter.

"Add more warriors on her security detail, beta." He said it so casually, the expectation of being followed without question in the tone of his voice. Rie's eyes pleaded with her sister, Anna. Thank God Xavier and Oliver were not here.

These men in their family were overprotective freaks. She couldn't even date without their approvals. Not that she wanted to.

"Darling," The lycan queen confidently sat on his lap. That did the trick. He embraced her tenderly and nuzzled her mark. She whispered something in his ear -- her eyes on Rie, signaling her to escape.

Bussing Mish on her smooth forehead and she hightailed it out of the mansion.

Whew! That was a close call. She wanted to enjoy the last days of summer so she decided to drive today with the top down.

White teeth gnawed her lips whilst she looked around the garage. She will take the red BMW i8 Roadster convertible. It was the least expensive of the lot and she wouldn't feel guilty if she scratched it a bit.

"You gonna drive today, Rie?" Zach asked. Ready to follow her around in his black attire. The way he was looking at her -- Not interested, dude. She doesn't think she would let anyone touch her without freaking out.

Smiling vaguely and she nodded. "Yeah. See you around." How she wished they won't follow her today. She hated being smothered.

"Rie, wait." Jesus! Will he never take the hint?

"Yeah?" Her voice showing her impatience didn't deter him.

"Go out with me?" Goddess. Cocky and dense to boot. His arrogant smile was as always, irritating.

"I can't and you know why." She will have to request Michael to remove the man from her security detail. The only problem was Zachary will be in trouble because Michael would want to know why and she couldn't lie to save her life.

This has become tedious. And creepy.

"Because of the king and beta? We can keep it a secret. We will have a great time, Rie. You will enjoy it." Wow, he wanted a fuck buddy and he had chosen her. Fucking flattered. Sarcasm overload. And he had no respect for his Lycan king and royal beta. It has been declared she was off-limits since day one.

"I don't want to go out with you and I don't want sex with benefits. Please stay out of my way. It would be better if you look for your mate." Without looking at him, she got in the car and drove out of the garage. From the rearview mirror, his eyes were glued to her form. Fear crept in. Memories came unbidden -- how her uncle used to look at her.

With evil lust.

Rie should confide in her sister soon. Anna May would know how to protect her.

Zachary will no longer be a part of her security detail soon. She will make sure of that.

***

The restaurant was fairly quiet when she got inside. Only a handful of her employees were waiting.

Every Saturday was a delivery day from their suppliers and she checked the goods, hence the reason she came early.

They don't have time on Sundays. She has declared it a family day for her and her staff.

Making a mental note to drag Mish on a shopping spree, she smiled. Hey, a girl needs to enjoy her hard-earned money from time to time. And it's probably a great motivation too.

Three hours later. A painful groan left her lips when she stretched her back muscles. Shit! Hurt like the devil.

After inspecting the deliveries, she decided to clean the storage, did some inventories while she was at it.

Good thing she did. They were out of expensive wines.

Hearing her stomach grumble, a reminder she missed lunch, Rie grimaced. Great! A chef that doesn't feed herself.

When she entered the kitchen, she remembered she had an appointment for this afternoon. What was the girl's name?

"Chef, a Ms. Indali is for looking for you." Oh, right.

"Show her to the kitchen, Cee." Might as well cook and eat with her while she interviewed her for the apprenticeship. Her staff was busy in the main room, which left her alone in the kitchen.

"Good afternoon, little chef," Fuck! It's him again. The hottie. -Finally! You admit it.- And why was she panicking?

Why was he here? She met his warm gaze steadily. Almost challengingly. Shivers of a different kind made themselves known.

What the...she averted her gaze -- confused -- she nodded to Indali who was waving at her with a shy smile on her face.

How could Rie say no to that? The girl was nice.

Something caught her attention and she turned to the object. Her jaw dropped when a perfect huge bouquet of ruby red roses was brought inside the kitchen by one of his men.

The king took the flowers to present them to her with a bow.

"Eh, I didn't order that," she whispered while she touched the delicate petals. The girl giggled. Rie bit her cheek to hide her smile.

"I brought them for you." Hottie moved closer. His minty and fresh ocean scent made her dizzy. She wanted to bathe in it. No! "I want to apologize for what happened last night. It was uncalled for."

Her startled gaze flew to his unreadable chiseled face -- his eyes though-- she took a deep breath trying to calm her thudding heart.

Goddess. This day was full of surprises. Bad and Good.

"I...ah... it's ok." Why was she breathless again? Her neck craned up to look at him. She sucked in a sharp breath. His hazel eyes glowed once more. Why does he have to be so attractive?

"We can go to your office to discuss my sister's apprenticeship." He murmured, his hazel eyes searched her flushed face. Narrowing. His attention on her. She licked her dry lips. Something flashed in his sharp gaze.

Coughing to hide how flustered he made her feel -- clearing her suddenly clogged throat-- she gestured. "We could do it here. Have you two eaten? I'm about to have lunch and we could eat together. What do you want?" She didn't wait for their replies and gathered ingredients based on instincts.

Distance. She needed distance from his tempting form.

"Let me help you, chef," Indali offered.

"Sure, if you know your way around the kitchen. And...I'm sorry, I didn't get your name, sir." Her eyes found him comfortably seated on her chair. Goddess. He looked sexy in his gray shirt and casual jeans. -I knew you would say that.-

"Call me Lucas, γλυκιά μου, " he murmured. (My sweet)

She doesn't know what language he was sprouting -- it sounded intimate coming from his lips. She tried to suppress another shiver.

Piercing him with her cold stare, she warned. "No foreign language in my presence, please? And call me Rie."

In the mood for carbonara, she rolled her pasta dough while her new assistant began to slice some vegetables, ham, and bacon.

"Tell me where did you learn to cook, Indali?" Her brother got out of the chair and strolled around her kitchen. Amber eyes followed him. What? He might damage her stuff.

"At the convent. I went to an all-girls boarding school in France." She started to sautee chopped onions and garlic on a heated pan while Rie rested the dough.

"Smells good, Indie," she stiffened. The dragon king leaned over her shoulder to check their progress. Her breath was a bit shaky when she exhaled.

"I hope you like carbonara." She murmured while they both watch his sister cook. Oblivious to the tension.

"I'll eat anything you cook, little chef."

"Don't call me that. I'm not little." Why does she get riled easily by his words? He smirked.

Moving out of his range, she cut her dough into pasta shapes and dropped them in the boiling salted water.

She risked a glance at him. His hazels were amused and soft. It must be a trick of the light.

The sauce was ready and the homemade pasta in minutes. Rie carefully prepared three plates and served their meal with fresh bread and sparkling grape juice.

They started to eat in silence. She appreciated it since she was really hungry.

"Are you going to consider my application, chef?" Her plate was almost cleared when Indali asked the question. Sipping her juice thoughtfully before answering, she laid her glass down.

"Have you started with some units in culinary?" Her brother sat across from them listening to their conversation. Though his attention seemed to focus on her all the time.

"Yes! I got accepted at ICE a few weeks ago. I've learned a lot since then. Chef Nicola sends her regards." Her excitement about becoming a chef was contagious. From what she observed, most teenagers these days, party hard and hang out with friends all the time.

Rie liked this girl. She's focused. "Chef Nicola is a slave driver -- you will learn a lot from her. And from me. I accept your application," she screamed in excitement, making her laugh.

"Wait Indali, I'm not done." She waited patiently until she settled back to her seat. "You have to be sure, though. This is hard work and I don't want you to fail your classes, so you have to let me see your report card from time to time, ok?" She nodded, smiling from ear to ear.

"Anything else?" Indali's eyes were glowing and her smiles threatened to split her face.

"Yes. Your bank account. You will be receiving a salary from me," she raised her hand at her protests. "As I said, this is hard work. You deserve as much."

"Ok. If you say so, boss." This time Anna Marie giggled at her answer. This was a risk she was willing to take. Her family gave her the chance to fulfill her dream. It's her turn to return that gift to someone passionate about the culinary world.

"Indie, I'd like to talk to Ms. Greyson, could you give us a few minutes?" All this time he had been silent.

He had been observing them. She knew it was a bad idea to be alone with him. She frowned. Before she could protest, his sister left them.

-Oh no.-

______________