And here's the next chapter!
Chapter 5
The afternoon's pamper-fest left the entire team in a great mood. Everyone felt refreshed and rejuvenated, a feeling that they had not experienced in, well, too long.
Lindsay held Danny's hand as they followed Rose into the lobby of the cottage. Looking outside, Lindsay could see the sun beginning to set, creating beautiful wisps of pink and orange amidst the clouds.
"I hope you all enjoyed your first full day here," Rose smiled as everyone nodded their confirmation. "Tonight, for dinner, we'll be taking you away from the main cottage to another part of the grounds. Outside, there are two golf carts waiting for you. You have fifteen minutes to go up to your rooms to change. Have a great night, and I'll see you tomorrow morning."
Twenty minutes later, they were making their way to the carts. When Danny and Lindsay had gotten back to their room, he had pinned her against the door, his lips immediately covering hers. The extreme bout of teasing that afternoon had given him quite an appetite, and not for food. He wanted her, only her, and wasted no time in expressing as much. And for the first few minutes, Lindsay was glad to indulge. They had managed to make their way to the bed, though once they hit the mattress, Lindsay tried to be the voice of reason, reminding him they didn't have much time. Just a few more seconds, Danny had said, but seconds turned into minutes, and the next time Lindsay had looked at the clock, thirteen minutes had already passed.
Once dressed, they made their way downstairs. Lindsay kept her eyes glued to the floor – it was obvious what everyone else was thinking, and Flack and Hawkes were having a great time suggesting alternate reasons as to why they were late. But unlike this morning at breakfast, when Danny was stiff, their jokes were not too far from the truth.
Outside the resort, two golf carts were waiting, just as Rose had said. Lindsay, Danny, and Flack climbed into the first, Flack up front; Mac, Stella, and Hawkes took the second.
Within a few moments, Lindsay completely lost her bearings. Her excursions thus far had been limited to the ground surrounding the cottage and the beach. She leaned against Danny, losing track of where they were, but enjoying it nonetheless. She savored the bouquet of scents around her: fresh flowers, crisp notes of pine, and the unmistakable smoky aroma of a fireplace.
In what felt like no time at all, the driver slowed the cart to a stop. "Here we are," he announced, pulling up in front of what looked like a simple house. The black-shingled roof contrasted with the brick on the house, and a small stream of smoke billowed from the chimney, undoubtedly the source of the smoky aroma Lindsay had picked up on. As the second cart pulled up beside them, a large, burly chef came out from the front door of the house.
"Bonjour, 'allo," he called to them in a thick French accent. "I am Jacques! Welcome to ze Kuson's Steak'ouse and Bar! Come!" Waving his arms wildly, he beckoned them into the house; the team had to rush in as to not lose him. "'Urry up, slowpokes!" he called, vanishing around another corner.
"We've been here three seconds and already I want to beat that man," Danny grumbled under his breath. Lindsay just gave him a smirk and grabbed his hand.
They gasped in awe as they entered the room. It was decorated as if it were an upscale New York Steakhouse. The table, set for six, stood in the middle of the room, draped in a white tablecloth and lit by two long-stemmed candles. Dishes decorated in deep red sat at each place setting, complimented by shining silverware and crystal wine glasses. Cloth napkins, the same colour color as the red on the dishes, lay folded exquisitely inside each of the glasses. The magnificent red-brick fireplace stood at the end of the room, a large fire crackling inside.
"Well, are you just going to stare at ze table?" asked Jacques, holding two bottles of wine. Mac took a step forward and chose the seat at the head of the table. Danny led Lindsay around to the far side of the table, taking the two seats side by side. They settled in, Lindsay casually resting her hand on Danny's leg. Flack sat at the foot, Stella and Hawkes filling the remaining two seats.
Jacques wasted no time in getting the evening under way. "First, I will pour ze wine – we 'ave both white and red, zough I would recommend ze red, since you will be 'aving steak. As I come around, pleeze tell me 'ow you would like your steaks cooked." He turned to Lindsay first. "For you, ma'am?"
Everyone chose red, save for Stella, who opted instead for the white. Jacques recited their dinner menu as he made his way around the table, writing down the steak orders at the same time. "You will be starting with a Ceezeaesar salad, followed by a top-of-theze-line tenderloin steak, cooked to your preference, accompanied by thyme-seasoned red baby potatoes and arugula salad with a ginger-lime vinaigrette. For dessert we 'ave your choice of Raspberry Sorbet or Strawberry Cheezecake." And again, Jacques left just as quickly as he came.
"Well he's quite the character," laughed Mac, holding up his glass. "What should we toast to?"
Hawkes took the cue. "To wonderfully relaxing massages."
"To wonderfully relaxing massages," they all repeated, clinking their glasses together. Danny blushed slightly as his eyes met Lindsay's. "Or not-so-relaxing," he whispered, loudly enough for only her to hear. She suppressed a giggle, his hand lightly squeezing her leg.
Jacques returned to the room with a flourish, precariously balancing six salads on his arms. Again, he came to Lindsay first. "For you, mademoiselle," he purred. He danced around the table, placing salads in front of each CSI. "Bon appetite!" he sang before floating out.
"Somewhere there's someone with a large syringe filled with sedative looking for that man," Hawkes joked, dodging a swinging arm from Stella.
Once finished, Danny leaned back in his chair, stretching his right arm behind Lindsay. She loved when he did that – she wasn't a fan of public displays of affection, but small displays of affection such as this, she did enjoy. She felt his thumb lightly rub her shoulder as she rested against the back of her chair. She suggestively ran her foot against Danny's leg in return, keeping her eyes straight ahead. She smiled at a chef they had not yet met, as he silently swept around the table picking up the now-empty salad bowls.
"Anyone know what's on the schedule for tomorrow?" asked Flack, swirling his wine in its goblet.
"Nope," replied Mac, shaking his head. "I think that's the point though – we don't know what's on the agenda until the day before, and even then, those agendas they gave us last night were pretty vague… it's more just a list of where to be and when, as opposed to what we're actually doing."
"I like that though," Lindsay spoke up, "It's surprising, not knowing what's coming up next. They seem to have this whole thing planned out right down to every detail though – and I've got to say that I'm already feeling a million times more relaxed than I was thirty-six hours ago."
"Right, we only arrived here yesterday afternoon – I had already forgotten that! We've done so much it feels like it's already been a week," Stella mused, "and to think we still have two more full days here!"
"Well I'm glad you guys are having a great time," chimed in Mac, "I know you've all been under a lot of stress in the past few weeks, and it was probably only a matter of time before you burned out."
Lindsay knew how hard everyone worked to impress Mac – she had done so herself. She was worried that Mac would think he made a mistake in hiring her, but she was still here, nearly a year later, and in that time had established herself as a solid part of the team, earned Mac's respect, and found Danny. She dropped a hand under the table, letting it rest on his leg. She grinned lightly when she felt him instinctively tense at her touch. She squeezed his thigh in return, avoiding the playful glare he was shooting her.
The bubbly Frenchman returned shortly, this time choosing to only balance three plates instead of six. The chef who had cleared the dishes before followed closely behind, balancing the remaining three.
"Okay, here we go, ze scrumptious steaks!" Jacques sang, handing them out. Lindsay's eyes widened at the perfect-looking steak in front of her. Once everyone had their plates, Danny dug right into his steak, only to have his fork nearly knocked out of his hand by Jacques.
"Non, non, non!" he exclaimed, looking as if he were about to cry. "Monsieur, you have to savour your steak! Eat it sloooowly, let ze juices flow down your throat, enjoy ze flavour!" He ran his hand down his throat and around his face as he said this; Lindsay took a sip of her wine, trying very hard not to laugh. "What iz your name, Monsieur?" Jacques asked.
"Danny."
"Denny," he repeated.
"No D-AH-nny, not D-EH-nny," Danny corrected.
"Denny, D-EH-nny," Jacques tried again.
"DAH-NEE," Danny said slowly, using his hands for emphasis. "With an A, not an E."
"Denny, De-e-nny."
Everyone burst out laughing, watching the exchange instead of eating their dinners. "Oh shut up," said Danny, turning away from Jacques, stabbing into his steak in exactly the same manner as before. Jacques shook his head and mumbled something about ruining his 'maz-ter-peece.'
"This-steak-is-fan-tas-tic," said Flack through a mouthful.
"Attractive," commented Stella, smiling. "Do you impress all your dates like that?"
"Shuf-uhp," replied Flack as juice dribbled down his chin.
"Well now I know why he's single," Stella commented to the rest of the group, jerking her head in Flack's direction.
The rest of the dinner passed by seamlessly, and the dessert was just as delightful. Eating his last forkful of cheesecake, Mac leaned back in his chair.
"I can't possibly eat another bite," he said, his hand on his stomach.
"Agreed," echoed Hawkes, assuming a similar position.
Stella sipped on the tea she had ordered alongside her cake. "If the rest of the week is like this, I won't be able to go back to work – won't fit through the doors."
"I second that," said Danny, his eyes closed and arm back on Lindsay's chair.
"Deed you enjoy your meal?" asked Jacques as he started to pick up the last of the dishes.
"Yes, very much," replied Lindsay on the team's behalf. "It was great."
"Very good, Mademoiselle, I am glad to hear it. I will be back in just a moment to bring you to the second part of your evening, un moment sil-vous-plait!" He disappeared around the corner, returning literally a moment later, free of dishes. "Good, now if you will pleeze follow me…"