Chapter 10
I was so excited in the taxi I could barely keep up the conversation Tom and I were having about Shakespeare. When we pulled up to the restaurant Tom covered my eyes.
"Oh come on Tom. I want to know where we are." I said putting my hands on his.
"You will know momentarily." He said as he lead me out of the car. He quickly paid our cabbie and turned me around. "Are you ready?" he whispered in my ear.
"What do you think?" I laughed.
Tom laughed and pulled his hands away.
"Oh my god. No way!" I gasped as I laid my eyes on the restaurant I had always wanted to go to: Gordon Ramsey at Claridge's.
"Well?" Tom asked putting his hands in his pockets and rocking back and forth.
"Oh my god Tom..." I was speechless. I had raved about how much I loved Gordon Ramsey and his food. I couldn't believe I was actually here. I pulled myself out of my shock and gave Tom a tight hug and covered his face in kisses. "I can't believe this. You're the best."
"Well you deserve nothing but darling." Tom chuckled.
We went inside and Tom told the hostess his name. She seemed to respond differently to us than the other costumers. She started leading us to the back of the restaurant. Tom took my hand and smiled.
"Ready for the next surprise?" He asked me almost in a whisper.
"There's more? Tom I don't know if I can take anymore surprises." I was still floored.
We kept heading towards the back of the restaurant, I started to put the pieces together.
"Tom you didn't..." I gasped. We were now being seated at the chef's table. Tom wore a big smile and couldn't stop laughing at my reactions. Once the waitress left I walked over to his side of the table and hugged his neck and showered him with kisses. "Tom, this is one of the nicest things someone has ever done for me." I caressed his cheek and looked into those beautiful eyes of his. "Thank you." I gave him a long sweet kiss and sat back down.
One of the perks of getting the chef's table is that you get to take a tour of the kitchen, meet the chefs, and you get to help cook and plate a dish. I was accustomed to the busyness of a kitchen, but Tom was blown away.
"Is this what's it's like for you when you're on a job?" He asked.
"Yes, most of the time." I replied.
"How do you manage it?" He was dumbfounded.
"Well, it helps if you love doing it." I chuckled.
Tom and I decided that he would cook our appetizer and I would plate it. We were at a station to the side of the kitchen where we were out of the way. The sous chef accompanied us. She was very patient and friendly. Her and I chit chatted about how it was like to work in a beautiful restaurant like this. We kept a watchful eye on Tom as he sauteed our scollops. I was worried at first, but he was doing a good job. He looked at me with insecurity in his face.
"Am I doing this right?" He asked.
"Yeah actually, you're doing great." I said rubbing his back.
He smiled as his confidence was once again restored.
One of the other chefs came up to me. "Alright Miss Grace, if you come with me I'll show you how you'll be plating this." I watched her closely as she placed the scallops, bread, and garnishes on the plate and decorated it with a simple sauce. I couldn't wait to try it on my own. "Need me to show you again?" She asked while wiping the fingerprints off the plate.
"No I think I got it. Thank you." I smiled at her and waited for Tom to be done. Once the scallops were done, I was ready to go.
"Here you go dear." Tom said handing me the scallops.
I went into my chef mode as I took them from him. I was focused and moved with purpose and precision. I had the appetizer perfectly plated and fingerprint free in under 10 seconds.
"Bloody hell. I should hire you."
The voice made my eyes go wide as I slowly turned around. I wasn't expecting what happened next. I looked up at Tom to see him smiling, but just as surprised as me. As I finished my 180 turn, my mouth dropped open. There he was, my idol.
"Oh my god." I didn't know what else to say.
"Hi nice to meet you." Gordon reached out and shook mine and Tom's hands.
"Pleasure to meet you." Tom said turning on his charm.
"What a surprise. I didn't expect to see the god of mischief in my restaurant tonight." Gordon chuckled.
Tom threw his head back and laughed his "ehehehe"
I managed to smile and laugh in attempt to hide my shock.
"Well I know who you are..." Gordon turned his attention to me "...but I don't know you."
"Oh, I'm sorry." I said finally remembering my manners. "I'm E, well Eleanor Grace."
"Wonderful to meet you." He smiled and then looked at my plating job. "You did a damn fine job at that by the way."
I giggled "Oh, well thank you so much. Coming from you that's a huge compliment."
"Have you ever done that before?" He asked touching his chin and looking at me inquisitively.
"Actually yes. Many times." I replied.
"Oh really? What do you do for a living?" He asked leaning forward. He seemed to be putting something together in his head.
"I'm in catering actually. Have been for the last 10 years of my life."
"Wait a minute, this is a crazy question, but are you Eleanor Grace from Grace Catering?" He asked.
My mouth dropped open again. How the hell did he know my company?
"Um, actually yes." I said. Oh god, what if he tried my food and hated it. Oh my god.
"Oh wow! I've been actually wanting to meet you." He took my hand again shaking it widely.
I smiled and glanced at Tom. He was chuckling at me. I could tell he was impressed and proud.
"Oh really? Hopefully not to tell me my food is ghastly." I said hopefully.
"Oh far from it. Your cupcakes are to die for." He almost seemed like a fanboy.
"My goodness. Thank you! Which one's did you try?" I was ecstatic.
"I tried your Pumpkin Pie cupcakes with the toasted marshmallow frosting." He was beaming.
"Oh that explains it. Those are my most popular, especially around Thanksgiving." He laughed as he started leading us back to our table. He sat down with us.
"When did you try my food?" I asked.
"About a year ago I visited a friend of mine in New York who was having a small party." He turned to include Tom in the conversation. "I wanted to go back and pay my compliments, but my friend was so afraid that I would yell at the kitchen staff he forbade me from going." We all laughed. I couldn't blame his friend for his reasoning. I would've done the same thing in his position. Gordon stayed for a few more minutes asking a few more questions about my company. When he found out that I had moved to California to open another branch, he insisted that he would call to schedule a visit. I welcomed it naturally. Having Gordon coming out just for my company would give me great exposure.
"Alright, well it was lovely to meet you both. Thank you so much for coming here to my restaurant this evening. Have a wonderful time, and enjoy your food." Gordon said warmly before excusing himself.
I looked at Tom who was just as giddy as I was.
"Well that was...unbelievably cool." He said as we started in on our food.
"You can say that again. Tom this night is just perfect. I don't know how it could get any better."
The rest of our time out was filled with delicious food, great wine, and perfect conversation. Tom and I were finally able to discuss Shakespeare since I read most of A Midsummer Night's Dream on the way here. I could tell he was intensely giddy when I spoke about it. I loved how intelligence turned him on. Once we were done with our meal we said goodbye to the marvelous kitchen staff and Gordon before we left. Tom and I both had several glasses of wine and were feeling quite relaxed. It was a cool clear night, so we decided to walk a little bit before grabbing a cab. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close. We strolled down the street in quiet contentment, occasionally stealing sweet kisses from each other. After a while we ran into a heard of paparazzi who were yelling questions at us. Tom and I figured it was time to got a cab and go home. Luckily, we were able to ditch them.-
We walked inside and I took off my coat and placed my purse down on the side table. I heard Tom fiddling with something behind me.
"What are you doing hun?" I asked not turning around. The song And I love her by the Beatles started playing. I smiled and instantly started singing along. Tom came up behind me and placed his hands on my waist and his head on my shoulder. He planted a few gentle kisses on my neck.
"Dance with me darling." He murmured in my ear.
I turned around to face him and let him take my hand in his. We swayed from side to side. He pulled me closer to him with every movement. I closed my eyes and rested my head on his chest. He started softly singing along, it was almost a whisper. I felt safe in his arms, listening to his heart beat. He rested his head on mine and sighed. He moved his hand and lifted my chin to face him. He gave me one deep loving kiss, and that's all it took. We stared into each others eyes with intense longing. My shaking hands unfastened the buttons on his shirt. I caressed his neck and slowly traced down to his collarbone then lower and lower until I was at the line of his pants. I bit my lip and looked up at him once more. His eyes were glazed over with want. I wanted him to take me, but I could tell he was holding back.
"Tom please..." I whimpered.
"Are you sure?" He was panting.
"Yes. I want it. I want you."
He scooped me up in his arms and carried me to the bedroom. He laid me down gently on the bed and positioned himself over me. He kissed me hard and fast. His tongue licked my lips asking permission. I parted my lips allowing him entrance. I felt like I was 17 again, making out with a boy for the first time. I felt that if I stopped kissing him even for a moment I would die. I ran my fingers through his hair and brought him even closer. He snaked one arm underneath me as he held himself up with the other. I felt him pawing at the zipper on my dress, desperate to get it off of me. I hooked my legs around his and turned over so I was on top of him, causing him to let out a growl. My dress zipper was easier to access now, but I decided I wanted to tease him a little.
I signaled him to stay on the bed as I stood up slowly. I unzipped my dress and turned my back to him. I slipped one strap off my shoulder, then the other. My back was becoming more exposed. I turned to him and smiled seductively. He was sitting on the edge of the bed biting his lip as he watched me. I slid my dress the rest of the way off with one flick of my hand. I stepped out of my dress and then my shoes. I walked over to him and gently took off his shirt. He grabbed my hips and pulled me on top of him so I was straddling him on the edge of the bed. I gave him a soft kiss and ran my fingers through his hair.
"Hold on to me..." I whispered in his ear. He grabbed my hips firmly and waited for my next move. I slowly un did my bra and let it slip off exposing my full perky breasts to him. Tom licked his lips and moved forward. I leaned back so far I was doing a back bend, giving Tom a full look at my body. With a quick circular motion of my hips, I lifted myself up and rubbed against his bulge.
"Oh fuck darling." He moaned throwing his head back. I kissed him hard once more and bit his lower lip. He growled and flipped me onto the bed so I was on my back.
"My turn..." He gave me a playful grin. He showered me with warm gentle kisses down my neck and to my chest. He licked my nipple as he cupped the other in his hand. He took it into his mouth lightly sucking and swirling his tongue around my hard peek. He bit me gently before moving to my other breast and giving it the same treatment. I moaned and shifted underneath him, aching for more contact. He kissed his way down my stomach and stopped at my inner hip. I gasped at the sensation he gave me on that hot spot of mine. He lingered there, biting and sucking me, leaving a mark and making me even more wet. He removed my underwear painfully slow. He spread my legs and started kissing my legs. He kissed from my calf to the inside of my thigh. He touched every part of me except my hot center. Every time he passed by I felt his hot heaving breath on me, by the third time I couldn't take it anymore.
"Oh god, Tom please!" I whimpered.
"Yes darling." He chuckled before burying his tongue in my pussy.
"Oh fuck-" I could barely finish the words. This feeling was sensational.
His tongue moved up and down, drawing little patterns on my clit. He would slip his tongue inside me each time he reached the bottom of my folds. He held my bucking hips down with one hand, and moved his other to slip a finger inside me. After finding a good rhythm he added another finger and sucked on my nub. My eyes glazed over as I moaned loudly. He knew I was close, he smiled and hummed against me.
"Oh my god!" I yelled as I came. I was lightheaded for a minute, but soon regained my senses. I smiled and looked up at Tom. He was licking his lips as he got up and took off his pants. He freed himself from the cloth restraints. Oh god the sight of him stroking his rock hard cock was enough to get me hot and ready again. My chest heaved as I took in the sight of him. He looked beautiful in the dim and warm light of the bedroom. He smiled sweetly and leaned over me and kissed me deeply.
"You're so beautiful E. I want to make love to you." He whispered as he gazed into my eyes and stroked my hair.
My heart skipped a beat as I smiled and nodded my head. "Please Tom, I want nothing but that right now."
He smiled before kissing me deeply. He broke away long enough to grab a condom. He quickly slipped it on and positioned himself at my entrance.
"Are you ready love?" He asked sweetly.
"Yes..." I said pecking at his neck before looking into those breathtaking blue eyes of his. He slowly entered me, neither of us breaking eye contact. I gasped and moaned at the feeling of him filling me completely. Tom groaned as his mouth gaped open. He was still for a moment, allowing me to get used to his size. God he felt wonderful, he wasn't too big or too small, he filled me perfectly. I smiled and nodded giving him approval to move. He started slow, pulling out almost completely before sliding back in. He soon picked up the pace. I moved my hips to match his thrusts, allowing him to get deeper inside me. We both moaned loudly.
"Oh god, E, you're so tight-" he huffed as his thrusting sped up. He rested his forehead on mine, gazing into my eyes and pulling me closer to him. He managed to stroke the side of my face and smile as he said "I'm so lucky to have you." A single happy tear fell from my eye. I had never felt so beautiful and so loved in my life. I kissed him hard, pouring every ounce of love I had for him into the kiss. I felt his heart beat faster. Our kiss broke as both of us gasped for air. His thrusted into me fast and hard. My moans turned into yells as my pleasure intensified. Tom started to moan and pant. "I'm so close E, please come with me." He reached down between us and started playing with my clit again.
"Tom..." I moaned breathlessly. I gripped his shoulder and the nape of his neck. "...I think I'm going to."
He thrusted into me slightly slower but hard, filling me to his hilt.
"Oh, Tom! Oh god! Tom!" I screamed as my orgasm came in intense waves of pleasure and my walls tightened around him.
"Yes E, just like that. Oh god, yes E!" He yelled as his filled me with his warm fluid. He collapsed on top of me, both of us panting and chuckling with giddiness. Even after a few minutes I still felt the aftershock of my orgasm. Tom got up and went to the bathroom to dispose of the condom. He came back and pulled me close to him as we got under the cool sheets.
"That was amazing. You were amazing." Tom said planting kisses on my cheek.
"So were you Tom. You are the best I've ever had." I smiled up at him.
"I'm honored darling." Tom said holding me tight. I closed my eyes allowing sleep to overcome me. I floated off with a smile on my face. I was the happiest girl in the world.