Meetings passed as slowly as they could for Zelda the next day. Every time she managed a glance at her platinum watch she felt like it was going slower than normal just to mess with her. Paperwork that day was dull, her salad brought to her at lunch tasted bland even as she smeared each leaf with an ungodly amount of ranch dressing, and finally at five o'clock she got to leave. Zelda didn't hesitate to move to the elevator, giving anyone who seemed like they might stop her a warning glare that sent them turning around. She smirked to herself as the elevator doors dinged open. Sometimes it was good to be the queen of her own miniature kingdom.

The drive back to her home took thirty minutes, a pleasant surprise considering it usually took at least twice that. The second she was back in her mansion she looked everything over, happy to see her home was spotless as always. She tried not to think about how she was trying to impress the chef coming over, even as she stared at the bounty of clothing held within her massive walk-in closet. What to wear? Zelda knew she was putting far too much thought into it to be considered healthy, but for some reason she really wanted to impress the chef while not appearing too braggy about her wealth. With a sigh she pulled out a pair of yoga pants and a baggy shirt, lamenting for once that she didn't have anything in between that and work attire.

Knowing there was nothing left for her to do but wait, Zelda moved back down the stairs to her kitchen, a certain bottle of wine on her mind. She made it into her spotless kitchen, heading to her cabinet housing her glasses when she heard the knock on her door. She paused at the sound, listening to the heavy knock of hand against imported wood for a moment before kick starting her brain and heading that way instead.

XxX

Nothing could have prepared Zelda for the sight of Ike standing outside her door. Gone was the white button down and black slacks, replaced by a tight fitting black t shirt and dark jeans. Zelda did not fail to commit the way his muscled arms strained the fabric as he slipped his hands into his back pockets, his head tilted to the side slightly. "You're early," she said and cringed, immediately realizing how bitchy that sounded.

"Is that a problem?" he asked evenly, an eyebrow arching up slightly.

"No," she shook her head and gave him a nervous smile, "you just caught me off guard... Come in," she stepped back slightly and he paused to pick up the ice chest at his feet, Zelda once more at a loss for words as his muscles flexed under his short sleeves.

She led him into the kitchen, silently wishing he would say something so she knew what he thought of her home. "Here's the kitchen," she said and internally groaned at how foolish that was to say to a chef.

"I've never been in one of these before," he said sarcastically. Zelda whirled on him, surprised to find him smirking at her. A blush rushed to her cheeks faster than any had before in her life, her mouth opening soundlessly as he moved past her to set the cooler down on the marble floor. "If I get the job what are you expecting me to make you in a day? Breakfast? Just dinner?" He turned to her, bracing his hands on the marble topped island with an inquisitive look in his eyes.

"Can you do breakfast?" she asked and he leveled her a look that screamed that was a dumb question.

"I can do breakfast," he said instead of what his expression said and she nodded.

"Maybe breakfast too... We'll see how you do tonight," she said and he nodded slowly. "I usually get lunch at the office."

"Do you host a lot of parties?" he asked, Zelda watching him bend over and open the cooler. She watched in hypnotized fascination as he pulled out ingredients for her meal. He paused and looked up at her, Zelda blushing once more.

"No," she belatedly answered his question and he nodded. "If I want to though, would that be a problem?"

"Not at all, just make sure you tell me so I have enough ingredients," he said with a shrug before he started setting out all the items needed to make her dinner on the island.

"What are you going to make?" she asked and he stepped back, eyes running over the cabinets.

"The best comfort food in the world," he said absently as he opened up a few doors. Zelda glanced over the diced potatoes in the container, the cheese sliced thinly in another bag, and various other things she wasn't quite sure about. "Any allergies?"

"None that I've found so far," she said and he drew himself up to his full height, reaching to the pans hanging by the wire rack above the stove built into the island.

"Is that a challenge?" he asked with a smirk as he brought down a large pot. His eyes locked with hers and Zelda felt a smile crawl up her lips slowly, one that made a silence stretch between them. "I'm making a dish that wouldn't have been approved at La Luma," he said after a while, his eyes cast down to the island between them.

"Part of the creative differences?" she chanced the question and Ike nodded.

"Partly... I might've insulted my sous chef who happened to be sleeping with the owner."

"Really?" Zelda couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of her throat at that and he looked up at her.

"When a guy barely capable of washing dishes gets promoted to my right hand with zero input from me, yeah he was," he said and Zelda couldn't help but make a face.

"That's unethical," she remarked and he shrugged.

"One way to get a promotion though," he said as he turned around, going to the sink with the pot in his hands.

"Did she try to sleep with you too?" Zelda asked and he shrugged.

"Once or twice, but I wasn't about to make that mistake," he said as he turned on the tap, the sound of water hitting the bottom of the pot the only noise for a long moment. "It's a quick way to ruin your work environment," he said as he turned back around and set the pot on the stove top, flicking on the gas. Zelda tried not to scowl at the notion of him being completely against sleeping with his employer. Instead she tried to think of a different topic, but found her mind obnoxiously blank of suggestions. "You're the CEO of Hylian Enterprises right?" he asked and she nodded, grateful he supplied a topic.

"I took over when my father retired," she explained. "I have my right hand Link, he's a smart guy I went to school with... Sort of the brother I never had."

"Blonde hair blue eyes? Earrings in his ears?" Ike asked and she tilted her head in confusion. "He came into La Luma a lot, I knew he had to be someone important because we were always booked a month in advance... I gave his fiancé my friend's number, he's a pastry chef and she was talking about catering and cakes." Zelda smiled as he started to open the container of potatoes, remembering Link gushing about how big a help a chef had been several months ago.

"He's a good kid, we've been friends forever and when it came time for me to take over I couldn't think of a better person at my side. Upset some of the veterans there though." Ike raised an eyebrow at that and Zelda sighed as she leaned on the island, the marble cool against her skin. "My third in command so to speak is a real asshole," she commented and watched Ike's shoulders shake with a silent chuckle.

"Why don't you fire him?" he asked as the chuckle subsided and she shrugged.

"He's damn good at his job," she admitted and he shrugged as he dropped the potatoes in the boiling water. "What are you making?"

"You'll see," he said with a wink and Zelda tried not to read too much into it.

XxX

"Ohmygoddesses," Zelda moaned around her first bite of Ike's comfort food, a casual plate with cheesy mashed potatoes and a lightly breaded chicken breast seasoned to perfection. They sat at her dinner table, him sitting on the chair to her right at the head of the table, a smirk on his lips as he raised his bottled beer to his lips. "This is amazing," she commented as she scooped another bite onto her fork, the cheesy tendrils following the trek from the plate to her lips.

"You approve?" he asked and she nodded, her mouth too full to say a word. "Good, to me that's comfort food done right." He leaned back in his chair, Zelda feeling his eyes on her as he picked up his beer again and took another long drag from the bottle.

"Aren't you having some?" she asked self consciously, feeling awkward under his watchful eye.

"I don't eat with you, that's how this goes," he said with a shrug and Zelda scowled.

"Eat with me," she practically commanded and he looked at her for a second before rising to his feet and moving to the doors leading to the kitchen. The second the door shut behind him Zelda took a gigantic bite of the potatoes, her eyes shutting in the sheer ecstasy of the moment. There was no way she was going to let this chef go. If this was his idea of comfort food she was in heaven.

Ike came back into the dining room, a plate in his hands. He sat back down and Zelda watched him take a bite of the potatoes, smirking to herself as a string of cheese dangled from his lips. He ran his tongue over his lips and Zelda watched the movement intently, her smirk fading as she realized he was looking at her. "What?" she asked, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"I like seeing the reactions to my cooking, I missed that stuck in the kitchen at La Luma."

"Well," Zelda bit her lips together momentarily, trying to think of how to word her offer, "I have an idea."

"What's that?" he raised an eyebrow and she fought the urge to whine at the sight.

"Every night we eat together, and if your breakfast is half as good as this you can make me breakfast every day. How's that sound?"

"So dinner for two every night, breakfast in the morning... what about lunch?" he asked and Zelda looked down at her food, wanting more than anything to beg him to make every bite that made it to her lips.

"Well I'm always stuck at the office-"

"I can bring you lunch," he offered and she beamed at him excitedly.

"I would love that," she said with a happy smile. A lazy grin spread it's way across his lips and he raised his beer bottle in cheers. Zelda tapped her wine glass to the bottle and made the mistake of looking Ike in the eye. It hit her hard in that moment that she was already on her way to being hopelessly in love with him, the fact that he would be around her so much would only intensify that attraction.

XXX

Thanks for reading! And a special shout out to Purple Mercenary, Monkey999Boy, LizzieDaniels, and Qoh22 for reviewing last chapter! The reviews make my day. Let me know what you think. Much love, Leigh