Disclaimer: I do not own VA and thank Richelle Mead for writing such an awesome series.
No one made any suggestions for best entrée so I had to figure some out on my own…hope you agree with my choices…
Week 2 of the competition is wrapping up…time to wow the judges.
Week 3 = Best main…so…
LITTLE HELP
What do you think would be considered as a 'best main' for the following cuisine types?
Turkish
Russian
Italian
Chinese
Thai
Spanish
Indian
German
French
Japanese
Answer via review or PM me… :P
Grazie (Italian – thank you)
One of them will be leaving at the end of week 2 – who do you think it will be?…read the story to find out…
PS. I dedicate the start of this chapter to QTSuzie3…I took your suggestion and had some fun…hope you like it!
_
Two rival restaurants and chefs – what happens when love joins the menu?
Restaurant Wars
CHAPTER 11
Dimitri POV
The light was blinking red, indicating the camera was recording.
I looked at the list of questions/prompts, wondering how I was supposed to answer them and act like my thoughts were spontaneous and not scripted.
This whole set-up was absurd! I was here to cook and win, not sit around sharing my 'feelings' about me and my competitors.
Good thing they edited our recordings before they included them in the show, because it was taking me longer than normal to get my head into gear. There was a reason behind my frazzled emotions and her name was Rose Mazur.
I hadn't finished thinking about Rose and how just her presence affected me when suddenly she walked into the room. Startled at her sudden entry (when the sign outside clearly indicated a recording was in session), I was about to yell at her when my mouth fell open.
What the fuck was she wearing to filming today?
The tight, short black dress looked more like a sexy nightgown than a dress. Her beautiful hair fell in natural waves over her shoulders and her smoky eyes stared at me deeply, as if they could see right into my soul. Meanwhile, her luscious lips challenged me with a sly smirk, as if they knew just how much I hungered to devour them. My eyes roamed over the remainder of her body, drinking in every single aspect, from her dangerous curves to her killer legs. I could feel the bulge forming in my pants, twitching impatiently. I wanted her right here, right now!
"What are you doing in here Rose? I'm supposed to be filming my 'thoughts' right now…"
It was a struggle getting those words out coherently, when the rest of my body wanted to ravish her. She didn't reply and instead sauntered over to where I was sitting, facing the mounted camera. No one else was in the room apart from us, so even though we had privacy, it was an illusion, as everything in the room was being filmed.
Frozen in my seat, unsure of what to do or say, I almost had a heart attack when Rose straddled my legs and undid my hair tie.
"You know, I prefer seeing your hair out. You look so much sexier…and have I told you that you smell…hmm…delicious?"
My response got stuck in my throat as her nose nuzzled where my neck connected with my collarbone, before I felt her tongue lick me from my neck to my jawline. Her hands clutched my hair as her lips found mine and I was lost to the world. I forgot we were sitting in a green-room with a camera recording our every move. No, right now, it was just me and Roza.
While her hands where in my hair, my own had finally come to life and were making their way up her soft thighs. And just like the first night, I discovered she was going commando!
Damn, this woman would be the death of me!
We deepened the kiss, as our hips grinding against each other. I couldn't help but groan in need – it had been too long since I last fucked anyone. Something kept nagging me in the back of my mind, something about how this wasn't right, that if this was Rose's first time she deserved something slow, meaningful and romantic – not a hard, fast fuck on top of a chair with a camera filming the whole experience!
She suddenly pulled away and her gaze locked with my own, as she said something to me. I looked at her confused – I could see her lips move, but couldn't hear her words. She still held her mischievous smile and kept talking, frustrating me further since I still couldn't understand what she was saying. It was like watching something with no audio. Finally I heard a sound – a loud beeping noise that seemed to get louder and louder by the second.
Oh Fuck!
My eyes flew wide open and I sat up in bed, my alarm blaring beside me.
Fuck, I had dreamt the whole thing!
God, I wished it had been real…
No! I scolded myself, it's not going to happen. She is a Mazur (the enemy) and it was just too complicated. Sighing in frustration – both at my thoughts and my throbbing cock (a taunting reminder of the bittersweet dream), I pushed myself out of bed and into a much needed cold shower. Once dressed, I made my way to the restaurant, remembering I was meant to catch up with Vika for brunch today.
I had just walked through the door, when I saw Vika placing the last of the plates on the table, as she beckoned me over. Giving her a quick kiss and hug, I sat down, grateful I had made it in time for our monthly catch-up.
"You were running late, weren't you?"
My sister asked, with a sly look on her face. She probably thought I was out late last night, spending the night with some chick. The thing is, I wish that was the case. Since that night with Rose, I have been off my game. I kept thinking it was stress, bought on from participating in the competition (there was a lot of pressure from father to win) and running the restaurant. Not happy with my 'dry' spell, I had gone out with Ivan last night and because I refused to let current circumstances prevent me to live my life… but it just wasn't the same. I kept comparing every girl I saw to Rose. I don't know when it happened, but it seemed she was now the standard by which I measured girls and about 2 hours into the night I realised no one was going to be good enough to replace Rose. Resigned to my sad fate, I left empty handed for the first time in I don't know how many years.
Damn that woman for ruining my expectations!
Realising I still hadn't replied to her question, I merely shrugged in response, not wanting to lie but not in the mood to go into a long explanation.
We quietly ate breakfast, but I could feel Vika sparing my quick glances. Sighing in annoyance, I decided to finally ask what was bothering her.
"Why do you keep glancing at me, do I have something on my face?"
It was her turn to sigh, before she placed her utensils down.
"I'm staring at you Mitya because I can tell something is bothering you. Also Ivan told me you left early last night from the club, without anyone attached to your side. Though I'm happy you didn't whore yourself out last night, I can't help but wonder what could be troubling you to the point that it has altered your behaviour so drastically".
I love all my sisters, but ever since she was born, I have had a close relationship with Vika. Her vibrant personality and 'no nonsense' attitude have always endeared her to me. However, today, I found her brash, honest assessment of my altered behaviour annoying and hurtful. Narrowing my eyes at her insinuation of being a 'whore', I contemplated how much I could tell her. If there was anyone I could confide in, regarding my conflicted emotions about Rose, it would be Vika. Taking in a deep breath, I told her about the night of the after party.
She listened quietly (a first for her, as she is normally the first to interrupt a narration in the form of random retorts or questions), and when I finished with my last encounter (where I offered my 'services' to Rose but couldn't help part with a gentle kiss that contradicted my arrogant behaviour), Vika still remained silent. I started to worry, wondering if she would admonish me and threaten to reveal my secret to our parents, maybe even the whole family.
"Do you think you are falling for her?" she whispered, something I would have almost missed, if I hadn't been sitting so close to her. My heart skipped a beat – not because she asked me such a personal question, but because this was exactly what I had been asking myself ever since Rose had spent the night with me. Was I falling for Rose Mazur? No other woman has affected me like she had and now she featured permanently in my mind, in one form or another.
I was scared to answer the question (more for my sake than hers), but I had to say something.
"In all honesty Vika, I don't know. What I do know is that ever since I met her, she has become ingrained in my thoughts. Things remind me of her, like this hot chocolate we are drinking, reminds me of that night because this is what we drank at the apartment. And what's worse is I can't even look at another woman now without running a comparison against Rose and as you can guess, no one is even close to matching her in charm, allure and intelligence. As far as I'm concerned, I don't think I can find another woman who is as perfect, beautiful or passionate as her".
I felt my chest tighten from the raw emotion that coerced through me – never had I felt as vulnerable as I felt now, revealing how much the woman had touched and changed my life. With every bit of my confession, Vika's eyes had kept getting wider and wider in surprise, which I couldn't blame her – like I said, no one had ever affected me as much as Rose had.
"Wow – Dimitri you have it bad. I don't think I have ever heard you saying something like this about anyone. You know what you have to do right?"
I had been staring off in the distance, trying to collect my scattered thoughts and emotions, but re-focused on Vika to address her question.
"What do you think I should do Vika?"
I wasn't being ironic – I genuinely wanted to know what she thought I should do, because I was lost.
"You owe it to yourself to pursue this further, find out if she is the 'one'. I know you have never been the type to believe in true love and all that 'romantic garbage', as you would normally call it. But Dimitri, this sounds like the real deal and if you don't give it a go, you will look back at this and regret it big time".
My mouth fell open – a part of me agreed with her (a very big part), but my father's face suddenly flashed in my mind. I didn't even want to think what would happen if this got back to him. I had finally gained enough respect to be given the position of sous-chef and the chance to work beside him on the competition. I knew he was grooming me to potentially take over the restaurant, so finding out that I, his only son, possibly had feelings for someone who belonged to the family we have had a feud with since forever – well, I think it's safe to say it won't be good for me. I would very likely be disowned and kicked out of the restaurant, right after he ripped me a new one on whilst preaching the finer points of being an utter disappointment, letting down the family and disgracing our legacy.
I shook my head, saddened by the choice I'd have to make.
"No Vika, I can't. She is a Mazur and our families wouldn't let us, not to mention that now she knows who I am, I doubt she would even agree to a date, let alone consider anything serious with me. Its best for everyone if we forget about this. Look, thanks for lending me your ear but its best if we forget we ever had this conversation – I'm sure I will get over this, whatever it is".
I quickly got up, placing a light kiss on her head, before heading back outside to my bike. I wasn't due to return today until the dinner shift, and I needed to clear my head after the heavy conversation we just had.
With about 8 weeks left of the competition, I was desperate for things to go back to normal – otherwise my foreseeable future was going to be an endless circuit of haunted dreams and cold showers.
WEEK 2 CHALLENGE – END OF WEEK FILMING
We sat in the same spot from last week – I think this was going to be our workstation for the reminder of the competition. This was a good thing, because I could try to forget she was sitting two rows behind me and put what little focus I had on cooking.
As always, my father had insisted we arrive early, so we could set-up and get into 'competition mode' (as he puts it).
Once everyone had arrived and set-up, the filming began and just like last week, Galina introduced the show, the judges and this week's challenge – best entrée.
Again given an 'hour' to prepare the dish, no time was wasted, as every contender burst into action. This week the stakes were high – eliminations started this week and you could see the people already feeling the pressure. I didn't want to think how much stress I would be under as the competition progressed – the longer you stayed, the more invested you would become to win.
Lost in my cooking zone, I worked diligently, taking care of my designated jobs, while my father did his bits. It didn't take us long to serve up the 6 plates. Once the hour was finished, Galina reminded us (and the viewers) what everyone made today.
Turkish – Mezze platter
Italian – Arancini
Japanese – Gyoza
French – Gougeres
Chinese – Pork buns
Russian – Pelmeni
Indian – Tandoori chicken
Thai – Curry puffs
Spanish – Garlic prawns
German – Beef Rouladen
Once again, every restaurant took turns to present and discuss their dish with the judges. This time, because of the elimination, an additional part was added to the filming process, where the judges were taken to a 'private room' to deliberate over the choices.
We took the opportunity to take care of other items of 'business' while we waited – some started tidying up their areas, while others went into the green-rooms to film their 'individual reflections'. Seeing my father pack away the last of the equipment we had bought with us, I decided to get my 'reflection' piece done and had just walked through Green-room 2 (thinking it was empty) when I stopped dead in my tracks.
The room was still occupied and the occupant was none other than Rose Mazur.
My mind went straight to the dream I had earlier in the week – it wasn't the first, nor was it the last 'wet dream' I had of Rose Mazur, but being in the situation that was very similar to the dream (even if it was reversed), caused such vivid images to run through my mind, that I was rendered me speechless.
We stared at each other for an unfathomable amount of time, until Rose's phone buzzed in her pocket. Breaking whatever spell that had befallen us, she was the first one to look away to answer her phone. Speaking in, what I assumed to be rapid Turkish, she seemed eager to end her call and leave the room. Not surprising with all the sexual tension that was smothering the place.
As she made her way towards the door, my mind screamed at me, yelling at me to move so her departure could happen sooner, but my heart cried out, begged me to grab her and hold her close – touch her beautiful face, stroke her soft hair, caress her warm body, kiss her forbidden lips.
Because of my inner conflict, I failed to move and instead stood like an idiot in the doorway – neither here nor there. For a brief second she stopped right next to me in the door frame. Her eyes were intense, an unknown emotion flickered across her features, as she studied every single facet of my face and body, almost like she was memorising every inch of my being. Catching me noting her observations, her posture suddenly changed – the longing (which I guessed was the emotion that had prompted her perusal) was replaced by coldness. Like a light switch, my Roza had flicked back into Rose Mazur. She still refused to say a word, and with a short snort at my uncharacteristic silence, she turned around and marched out of the room.
I no longer felt like I could face that damn camera and share my thoughts. The arrogant asshole in me wanted to retaliate in some manner – no one snorted at Dimitri Belikov! But the romantic fool that was stupidly falling for this stubborn, confusing woman, wanted to curl up somewhere, lick his wounds and come up with a new strategy to win his Roza's heart.
My hands formed into tight fists, bursting with the need to punch something, angered by my pathetic, weak emotions – this was not how I handled problems! I didn't run away from them and I certainly didn't let them bitch me around! Before I could psychoanalyse myself further (in a desperate attempt to cure my insanity), the production manager called our attention, stating the final part – 'the reveal' – was about to be filmed.
Just like the very first episode, we all made our way to the large 'gathering area' for Galina to do her wrap-up spiel, before handing over the attention to the judges, who alternated amongst one another to critique the dishes they had eaten. The good, the bad and the downright boring – no one was spared and even the best of the best were given pointers on how to improve. After every restaurant had received 'reviews' on their dish, the customary 'suspenseful silence' was ordered and held for a good whole minute (silly but necessary for the drama).
Instead of revealing straight away who was eliminated (because that would be too easy and put the poor restaurant out of its misery), they systematically went through all the restaurants that were still in the competition – until only the French and the Germans remained. After giving both another bout of 'helpful criticism' and some more 'suspenseful silence', Alberta finally revealed the French restaurant were continuing with the competition. The Germans were naturally disappointed in being the first to be 'sent home', but they graciously thanked the judges and wished the rest of us 'good luck' before leaving the studio.
Galina quickly took back the focus, to wrap up the show.
"It's sad that we had to say auf wiedersehen to our wonderful contenders from the German restaurant - Die Festung. But unfortunately that is the nature of the show – there can only be one winner! Now on to our next week's challenge – best main! Remember you have a week to plan and the judging at the end of the week, after which we will be farewelling another restaurant. Have a great week everyone and don't forget to sharpen and bring your knives for another exciting episode of Restaurant Wars!"
Just as the production manager yelled the end of filming for the day, I caught a streak of dark brown hair sprint for the exit. Rose had left the building and I couldn't help but wonder if the cause behind her speedy escape was…me.
So now you know how Dimitri feels about Rose – what do you think?
And please do make suggestions on the mains – it will help me narrow down my choices!