BOUND BY THE DEMON PRINCE

“I am fucking broke” Literally cursed as I threw myself into work again with the knowledge that I had to hire new staff.

I had pushed myself the whole week in the hustle and bustle of the kitchen. Preparing dish after dish ensured that the rest of the kitchen was running smoothly regardless of my predicament. I worked hard, focusing on the feel of the kitchen knife in my hand, the slight but bearable ache from being on my feet all day, and the strong smell of all different types of food cooked in the same place.

Inevitably, close to midnight, the restaurant closed, and the other junior chefs cleaned their stations and left, leaving me alone in the restaurant. Walking into my office, I sat down to review the list of candidates for tomorrow's interview. An hour later my stomach growled alerting my body that I had not eaten a damn thing the whole day.

I made my way to the kitchen and settled on frying the chicken. Half an hour later, slicing through the freshly grilled chicken with ease, Luna waited patiently, perching on the top of my foot with his gray-tailed snaking around his ankle. The Sly cheesy feral knew that late-night cooking typically led to something for him. I chopped it into small cubes, tossed them onto a plate, and placed it on the Kitchen floor.

Purrs erupted from below, the cat's body vibrating against my shin. With the cat happy and distracted, he turned the flame on the stove to heat the sauce. Owning the restaurant was meant to be a turnaround into success. I switched off the stove and served the meal. Finally complete, I tossed the remaining chicken in the fridge. Luna had disappeared and I knew the fur was waiting for him on the bed.

Looking at the bedside clock, I realized it was already three am. Luna had settled at the end of the bed, hence I flipped off the lights and curled up under my blanket pile. Fatigue took over and I fell into a deep sleep.

Early the next day, the interviews had already begun. By the fifth candidate, my body and mind were already tired. I cringed at their answers and wondered how they ever worked at the Michelin restaurants they mentioned in their profiles. It was a waste of my time.

“Boss, one more interview, boss, crossing fingers, “Chef Felicity Kafele chanted. I knew he was as irritated as I was. What we needed was a professional to turn things around. We needed a miracle.

Lost in thoughts, I heard Chef Felicity clearing her throat and I turned to look at her in question.

“The next candidate is here” she whispered.

I turned around and the person standing in the office was a male god or better yet a male model. His furrowed brow, which held a little bit of anticipation and anxiety and a little bit of confusion, was thick. His nose was just shy of being wide. His full lips were pulled down at the corners but didn't hide the fact that his mouth was wide. His eyes pulled all the rest together to create the perfect face. They were the color of the setting sun's rays, the dark brown that I had ever seen. His ebony hair fell past his shoulders in shiny, silken waves. He looked powerful and authoritative in a way only distinguished men could look. His shoulder blades were wide, and his arms looked strong. Was he in the wrong place?

I turned to look at Felicity and realized she was awe-struck as he was. The man walked toward him and said “I’m Leonardo Besian.” His accent rolled the R's in his name and was exotic as the man who stood in the room.

Finally finding my voice I managed to croak out “Chef Levi Xander.” And this is my assistant Ms. Felicity Kafele.

“Have a seat.” She smiled as he moved across the desk, extending his hand to her. The man had dimples. It was surreal. Once seated he stared at me the whole time I felt hypnotized by his gaze.

It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bean.” Chef Felicity drawled as she sized him up and down, stamping the authority of how handsome the man in front of him was.

“I read the requirements of the new hire for the Michel Chef. The only experience I have is working in the Royal family guardian kitchen. I don't have much experience working in a restaurant. I hope you can agree to a food-tasting interview to show my skills. f,” he said, breaking eye contact and looking at the files sitting at the desk. The man had come prepared.

There was pin-drop silence in the room. How arrogant was he? “I believe it to be fair-” The sentence remained half finished as Chef Felicity hurriedly stood up and said, “I will show you the kitchen right now, Mr. Bean.”

“Please, call me Leonardo,” he said. His smile was so not professional or pleasant that I internally swore I saw a sparkle of mischief in his eyes. “May I proceed?”

We all stood up and I ended up nodding, “Of course. Show us your talent. "My voice was a little out of breath. God, what the fuck was wrong with me?

“Indeed,” Mr. Besian stood up, and the air changed with one word.

We stood looking at each other and sizing each other up. Sparks flew as I stared at his shoulders which were so muscular making my body shiver. The way he tilted his head, the slight curve of his lips, and the look in his eye had the words conquered written all over.

We were interrupted when Chef Felicity cleared her throat and stated "Well if you'll excuse me, I'm going to prepare the kitchen for Mr. Besian. This way, please," she said and gestured to him in action to follow her to the kitchen.

“Aren't you joining us?” Leonardo Besian asked

“Why?” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.

“I want you to see the extent of my talents from the beginning to the end. How else will I be able to pass this interview? I also plan to assist Chef Felicity in the preparation,” he said with a small laugh.

Was he born this arrogant? Every single word he stated, pushed me to a frenzy, “Well, we can’t have that. I should observe everything to the last detail, right?”

Leonardo Besian laughed, a full belly laugh that threw his head back and shook his shoulders. “Definitely,” he finally said when he’d stopped laughing enough to speak.“Follow me.” I tried to sound cold and distant. How could I be affected by a man, and in a matter of minutes since he walked into the office?

In the Kitchen space, Chef Felicity fixed her Chef's jacket and headed inside a walk-in freezer where they store some fresh ingredients, followed by Mr. Besian. The rest of the kitchen staff stood aside and watched.

He gave the elements a last-minute inspection to make sure it was what was required. He got to work and spooned bright green tomatillo sauce onto a plate. He half listened to the other Chefs in the kitchen comment about how the food smelt like heaven. He then carefully plucked a packet wrapped in corn husks from the steamer and transferred the contents to the waiting plate, finishing with a simple garnish of sliced raw onions. He then took another dish, flanked steak with a Chile sauce and a side of tangy cactus paddle salad. To his satisfaction, he arranged the food and wiped a stray sauce drop from the plate's edge. By this time, all the chefs in the kitchen had approached and settled themselves near him. He rolled out three little balls of dough into thin disks for dessert. He placed a generous dollop of spiced apple filling inside. He sealed them before dipping them in a hot oil bath and added vanilla and hibiscus sauces to finish, and he set the plate down.

All this time, as I observed his skill, I was more aware of his body. The man was a damn work of art, a statue of some Greek god. I stood up and crossed the counter with butterflies in my stomach. I silently tasted the food one by one. When he reached the desert, I moaned, oblivious to the team surrounding me.

The man had passed the interview with flying colors. Taking a step back, I addressed him, " Congratulations. You are the new Michelin Chef. Chef Felicity will prepare your contract. "

The whole kitchen team cheered on. Chef Felicity beamed and they rushed in to taste the meal. I turned back and escaped back to the office. I had never tasted such fine cuisine in my life.

The truth was that I didn't want to be attracted to Leonardo, but it seemed like he didn’t have a choice as the warmth from his food raced through my body like lightning. This man was my type no matter how much I knew that it was a bad idea and wanted to deny it, but he made me burn right down to his unabashed honesty.

Leonardo Besian’s gaze was so intense that it brought my body back to life. My steamy thoughts were interrupted when I heard, “Here is my business card. For your records, of course,”

The corner of Leonardo’s mouth was laced with a smirk. When our eyes clashed, I could have sworn he read all the thoughts in my mind. His smile widened when I took the card and pretended to read much on the last line of his statement.

“See you tomorrow at eight am. Start the training and rounds with Chef Felicity. Once done, I will take you through the management training.” I was clearly dismissing him. Being around him threw me off.

He looked startled for a moment, but then nodded and left. Alone in the office, I released a breath, I never knew I was holding.

“Levi Xander? What did you just get yourself into?”