Disclaimer: I do not own VA and thank Richelle Mead for writing such an awesome series.

Week 1 of the competition is wrapping up…time to wow the judges. Thanks again to everyone for their suggestions.

Week 2 = Best entrée…so…

LITTLE HELP

What do you think should be considered as a 'best entrée' for the following cuisine types?

Turkish
Russian
Italian
Chinese
Thai
Spanish
Indian
German
French
Japanese

Answer via review or PM me… :P

Spasibo (Russian – thank you)
_

Two rival restaurants and chefs – what happens when love joins the menu?

Restaurant Wars

CHAPTER 10

Rose POV

I hate Dimitri 'arrogant-ass' Belikov!

I can't believe I had almost given him my virginity – thought he was the 'one'. Shows what kind of fool I can be if I gave in to my emotions (and people wonder why I'm single!)

He probably only saw me as a piece of ass – just another woman he could sleep with. But he was sweet and didn't pressure you…my inner voice reminded me. OK…so he is an arrogant-ass, man-whore who is enough of a gentleman to not pressure/assault his conquests? Even as I was thinking this, my inner voice was 'tsking' me, telling me I was being too harsh on the guy (pre-existing prejudice much?) and trying to find reasons to hate him, when really I was hating the emotions that engulfed me every time I thought of him.

Damn him for being so hot and lovable!

Ok wow…snap out of it Rose!

Shaking my head in anger (hoping to dislodge such blasphemous thoughts) I tried to focus on the task at hand. I was helping Eddie out with a large order of baklava (we sometimes get asked to cater events), and was busy drizzling honey over the pastry when I noticed Eddie's constant side glances. He was trying to be subtle and failing. Normally, I would make fun of his 'lack of stealth' skills but with my current mood, his behaviour was rubbing me the wrong way.

"What is it?! Why do you keep looking at me like that!?"

The hurt that flickered over his face instantly made me feel guilty – I rarely snap at Eddie. In fact, of all my brothers, he and I barely argued (which is probably why he is my favourite). Taking a deep breath, I moved closer to him, and gave him a side hug, all the while making sure not to get honey on him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. I've just been…hmm… stressed. You know with the restaurant and the competition. Is everything ok? Did you want to speak to me about something?"

My apology seemed to have done its trick, and I was rewarded with one of Eddie's sweet smiles.

"It's ok Rosie, I forgive you. But I'm worried about you. It's not like you to get so stressed. I know the competition is important and baba has placed a lot of pressure on you, but you normally thrive on such things – in fact, you do your best work under pressure. It's something else isn't it? Does it have something to do with what happened at the club?"

Crap! I forgot how perceptive Eddie can be when he wants to. Silently waring whether or not to tell him about Dimitri, I took another deep breath and divulged my little secret.

"So…hmm, I never told you…properly…what happened that night…"

I began my woeful tale. As I told him about my encounter with 'Xander' (aka Dimitri 'la douche'), I debated on how much I was would reveal. Should I really tell my brother I had contemplated to go 'all the way' that night, with someone who was essentially a complete stranger? Realising that it was one of the reasons why I was feeling so conflicted, I knew I had to tell him everything, so that way when he gave me his advice, he knew what was at stake.

Naturally, the part about me 'almost' losing my virginity caused him distress and some awkwardness to enter the conversation, but again, the bond we shared allowed him to look past that little 'emotional scaring'.

He was silent through my narration and I recognised his 'deep thought' face, so once I finished, I let him be, knowing that he would resume our conversation once he had something to say. After stewing on it for almost 10 minutes, he finally spoke and what he said made me almost drop the whole pan of baklava I was carrying.

"So, why don't you go out on a proper date with him?"

I must have heard him wrong – surely my own brother was not suggesting that I go out with Dimitri Belikov! Nonetheless, I stood there with my mouth open and when my mind and mouth finally connected, I burst out laughing.

"You've got to be kidding me! Have you lost your mind Eddie?! This is a Belikov we are talking about! Anyone else, and it wouldn't be an issue, but him… no, I can't…it would kill baba and anne".

Again, he had an infuriatingly calm disposition about him as he dropped another bombshell.

"Don't tell them".

This time I had to sit down.

I stared at my brother (the baklava pan already forgotten), while I internally fought with my conflicting thoughts.

No, this is a bad idea… it would hurt the family

But would one, little date be wrong…maybe something small, like coffee…

Are you kidding me!? If someone in the family finds out, they will murder me!

But seeing him again… in a neutral setting… maybe I can finally figure out if the feelings I felt that night were a fluke or something real…

Don't waste your time…the guy is a class-A jerk!

But what if he is the 'one'? I've never felt this way about anyone…and the instant connection we shared…it was magical…

He lied to you from the start…told you his name was Xander…

I'm sure he had a reason…

And do you really want to find out if this is the 'real' deal? You know it's only going to end in heartbreak…for you…do you really want to risk that? Do you think you can survive that?

I flinched at the last thought.

I may seem like I have a handle on my emotions (most of the time) and that nothing can really phase me, but the thought of a true heartbreak, well, I don't know if I have the stomach for it. I was barely invested in the situation and already I had spent too much time and emotion on the matter, and the tears forming in my eyes where only further proof that I needed to let this go.

"No Eddie, I can't. There are too many obstacles… the biggest being the feud between our families. On top of that, I doubt he would agree to a date now that he knows I'm a Mazur. Look, forget I said anything. I was just having a rare, silly 'girly moment' – was way overdue for one right? Let's finish the baklava and get back to work".

Giving him a kiss, I quickly walked away before he could see the first tear fall out of my eye, thinking for the hundredth time that day – I hate Dimitri Belikov!

WEEK 1 CHALLENGE – END OF WEEK FILMING

"Welcome back to Restaurant Wars and today our 10 restaurants will be cooking for our judges what they consider to be quintessentially signature dishes for their respective cuisines. Now remember, this week, there are no eliminations, but that doesn't mean you guys should slack off. What you make today will set the 'bar of expectation' and the judges will keep it in mind as we progress further in the competition. So let's get cooking!"

The overtly, enthusiastic host, Galina, delivered her introduction spiel perfectly before the director called 'cut' to take a break in filming. Make-up was re-applied and cameras shuffled around, but something else held my focus.

Today, the Belikovs were set-up near the front, giving me the perfect view to gawk at Dimitri without him knowing. I felt like I was in high school, secretly pining over a stupid crush.

After my heart to heart with Eddie earlier in the week, I forced myself to push all thoughts about Dimitri out of my mind. It was hard at first – certain things would remind me of him (like when one day I grabbed hot chocolate from a café near our home because we were out of coffee), but as the week progressed, running the restaurant and strategizing about the competition kept my mind pre-occupied. That was until I saw him yesterday.

Baba needed to post a few things and drop some stuff off at the bank. Normally, Mason or my cousin Ambrose would do this, but they were both busy, so I volunteered since it was quiet at the restaurant. I had just stepped out when I saw him pulling up in front of his restaurant. He was riding his Harley and damn, did he look delicious!

The black jeans he was wearing sculpted around his ass perfectly and the leather jacket highlighted his toned, muscled body. I found myself practically drooling at the sight of him taking off his helmet and running a hand through his hair. My fingers tingled, recalling how soft and silky his hair had felt in my hands when I had grabbed on it during our make-out sessions. Thinking about our make-out made me think about his lips… his body…his face.

I hadn't realised I was frozen in my spot, lost in a trance, until he turned around and our eyes met. Some unknown emotion flickered across his face, but then his signature arrogant smirk returned and whatever spell I was under (thankfully) was broken. The jerk had the audacity to wink at me before turning away to enter his restaurant. A part of me wanted to march over there and slap him hard in front of everyone…but another part of me wanted to grab him and slam him against a wall and kiss him like it was our last day on Earth. Angered at my loss of composure, I re-focused back to my surroundings and resumed my walk to the post office.

Sitting here now, waiting to cook, I couldn't help but drop glances his way. I had to be subtle about it, what with baba sitting right next to me, but I couldn't help it. I felt like an addict, needing my next 'Dimitri' fix. Something was seriously wrong with me – how could one night with him make him so ingrained in my mind that I crave for him like the very air I breathe?

Thankfully, the filming resumed and Galina went around asking the various contenders what it was they were cooking.

"Gosh, our judges are soooo lucky! They are in for a treat today with such yummy offerings on the menu. Well, let's get started shall we…you have an hour to complete your dishes and have them plated for the judges. Good luck everyone! And for our viewers here's a reminder of what is being cooked today…"

A large screen, hanging above the judge's podium, lit up with the list of dishes that were being prepared today.

Turkish – Iskender

Italian – Lasagne

Japanese – Katsu don

French – Coq a van

Chinese – Peking duck

Russian – Beef pierogi

Indian – Lamb biryani

Thai – Chicken pad Thai

Spanish – Paella

German – Veal schnitzel

Baba and I got to work and thankfully I got lost in my task. Even though they said we had an 'hour', it was probably more than that, what with the constant starting and stopping of filming as Galina went from one workstation to the next, chatting to the chefs about their creations.

When she came over to our workstation, I let baba converse with Galina, while I focused on the cooking. Even though I had some his charm, I was more like my anne, preferring to stay under the radar and let me actions speak for me.

Once we were done and had our 6 plates of food ready (apparently Galina got to taste our creations as well!), each restaurant took turns to showcase their creations and have a little chat with the judges before being herded to one of the two green-rooms for 'inner reflection' time, where you were given a list of questions/moments in today's show you had to give your thoughts on.

I internally rolled my eyes at the concept – who knew reality TV was so scripted!

Finally, after the judges had tasted and critiqued everyone's dish, it was time to wrap up the show for the week.

"Those were some yummy dishes! You guys have definitely set the bar high for yourself. Even though you weren't being judged this week, we did pick our top 5 favourites... In no particular order, the 5 dishes we loved the most this week were – Iskender, beef pierogi, lamb biryani, lasagne and the chicken pad Thai Great job you guys – you really impressed us with your innovative take on those classics. Now on to our next week's challenge – best entrée! Remember you have a week to plan and like this week, at the end of the next week you will get your chance to dazzle our judges. And don't forget, at the end of next week one of you will be going home – so the stakes are high! Have a great week everyone and see you all next week on another exciting episode of Restaurant Wars!"

Thank God! I thought, as the production manager yelled "And that's a wrap!"

We had already cleaned and packed away our equipment, which baba was busily loading into our van. Unfortunately this meant I now had time to resume my 'gawking' of Dimitri, but when I looked up to where he had been sitting all day, he was no longer there. Looking all around the studio, I wondered if he and his father had already left – surely I would have noticed that?

Maybe they were filming their 'monologues' in the green-rooms…

I was startled out of my train of thought when I felt a warm hand brush my lower back and a body, I was certain I would recognise anywhere, leaned in to me.

"Where you looking for me…Roza?"

My breath got caught in my throat. He wasn't touching me but God did I want him to touch me. Every single cell in my body sparked to life and urged me to throw myself at him. At this moment in time, I really hated myself.

His lips got dangerously close to my ear as he whispered.

"You know, you weren't really subtle with your constant glances my way. I know our families are supposed to be sworn enemies or something, but if you ever want to have a good time, you know where to find me…"

The sexual implication was not lost on me and a million retorts flew through my mind, but none were uttered because suddenly those soft lips of his laid a gentle, almost reverent kiss in that perfect spot behind my ear that made my heart thump a million times per second. His kiss was the exact opposite of his words – sweet and full of some deeper meaning. But just like he had appeared, he was gone before I could say anything.

Eddie was wrong – I didn't need to go on a date with Dimitri to figure out my feelings. This was only our second meeting and I was yet again rendered speechless and had almost become a pile of goo.

No…I, Rose Mazur, had feelings for Dimitri Belikov.

And boy was I screwed!

And there you have it folks…first week done and now things are going to heat up – in every sense of the word!

Don't forget to review/PM me what you think should be considered as the 'best entrée' for our 10 restaurants.