Chapter 13: Part 4 - Will You be my assistant Sarah?

 "So yeah, the entire time was hell, I don't want to have her on board the team, but I can't deny her talent, she has improved so much, I think she may even be better than me, and I hate it" Jun said begrudgingly.

It had been an hour of pure Chris-hatred spewing non-stop from Jun. Apparently, Chris had strolled into the kitchen while Jun conducted her daily briefing, almost taking over the entire process. When confronted, not only did Chris manage to keep up with all the challenges Jun threw her way, but she even made Jun pause in awe at how much better Chris' resulting dishes turned out. Jun was a perfectionist, and in Chris' wake, Jun was left feeling defeated, resulting in Jun having fled from the kitchen to come here to brood about it.

I leaned back against the wall and smiled. That sounded like Chris. Self-assured, brilliant Chris, always willing to step in and take the lead whenever she felt necessary.

"Why not put her through the same training you give to the top chefs that come through these doors at the wee hours of the morning? Chris mentioned how she wanted to get more involved. In that space, she would be amongst her peers.

Right now it sounds like she is in "work mode" as this is exactly how she behaves at her current job at the hotel. If you place her somewhere she is completely out of her comfort zone, you might find it easier to accommodate her, and she would stop encroaching on your area of work. On top of that, Chris loves to be challenged, so give her something challenging!" I suggested beaming.

 I mean Chris had mentioned she wanted to anyway, so it couldn't hurt to suggest it to Jun to make the application process easier right?

Jun sat up, her eyes sparkling as if the life that had been drained from her interaction with Chris was finally returning to her body.

"Sarah that is genius! And we really could use the help as Chef Madison's six weeks are almost up. It would be a shame to lose her talent, however with Chris filling in that spot, we would be gaining rather than losing" Jun replied excitedly.

Jun stood up and grabbed my hand, kissing it gently " Thank you Sarah, you are so easy to talk to, and you have brilliant ideas, I should have Heather promote you to being my assistant"

I laughed " Oh no, I don't think I could keep up, you're like a whirlwind of energy. You need someone with the same level of drive to be by your side"

Jun suddenly slipped back, and as she tripped over the exercise ball she had been sitting on, she said a soft " Whoops", and before I knew what was happening, I found myself pulled along with her, and fell forward into her arms, as she sat firmly onto the parquet floor.

"Jun!" I gasped, the clipboard falling from my hand as I grabbed onto her shoulders for balance.

Jun's hand was still holding onto one of mine, while her arm encircled my waist.

"I don't need you to keep up, I just want you to keep you close, my beautiful and intelligent one," She said and smiled, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she looked up at me.

My heart was beating so fast. In the large empty room, with no other sound, I felt like all I could hear was the thumping in my chest.

"Jun I…we can't" I said and sat back on my heels to put some space between us.

Jun sat up, and in this position, with me kneeling between her long elegant limbs, her arm still holding me by the waist, I felt overwhelmed.

"Just give me a chance, I promise you, you will not regret it, I'll make you feel so good" Jun said, her face barely an inch away from mine.

The hand on my waist travelled up my back and as she moved it up, she leaned closer and closer, her lips coming to meet mine.

I felt myself frozen in place. A part of me wanted to run away, however a part of me…kind of wanted to...stay? I wanted to know, what it felt like.

She said it would be good.

She got my heart racing, and she was really good-looking.

If Chris wasn't keen on teaching me…maybe Jun could?