Page 75 of Enchanting the CEO

"It's perfect," I exclaimed.

"It's a great wine," Gabe said.

We both held our glasses as she poured more. I took one more sip.

"All right, I’ll walk you through the menu first." She clicked on her iPad and turned it for us to see.

Gabe whispered, "Why aren’t you drinking?"

I whispered back, "Because I don't want to get tipsy."

“I'll take care of you," he said in a sensual tone I hadn't expected at all. It sent a burst of heat through me.

Hell no! We're surrounded by people. Down, girl. Besides, I was sure he hadn't even meant it in a sexy way.

As we pulled back, he winked.

Okay, maybe he did mean it that way.

I focused on the host and zeroed in on the menu. It sounded delicious, but it seemed to be very difficult to prepare.

"Wait, we're supposed to cook that?" Gabe sounded affronted, and I bit back laughter.

"Yes. I promised a Michelin-star experience, and it doesn't get more Michelin than this," the host replied.

"Right," Gabe said.

"It's an advanced course," she went on, sounding a bit panicked.

"We're looking forward to it," I said quickly, barely stifling my laughter.

She first told us a few things about herself, and then everyone introduced themselves as couples. Most seemed to have been together for a long time. The group turned out to be genuine and fun, and they were all completely proficient. Gabe looked stunned as we performed each step. I had a hunch that he wasn't used to being the beginner in the room. He was a perfectionist, so this was probably weird for him.

While we were preparing the appetizer, the man next to us said, "Damn, we should have eaten something first. I'm starving."

"I have some spring rolls I made with the morning group. Do you want some?" the host offered.

There was a murmur of agreement around the kitchen island, so she immediately took a bowl out of the fridge and put it in one of the ovens. "It'll be warm in a few minutes."

Gabe and I exchanged a conspiratorial glance, having just filled our stomachs.

The afternoon slid by easily. Gabe was a surprisingly fast learner. He was good at following instructions, I realized; he could probably cook a lot of things if he followed a recipe step by step.

The host had a clever strategy, having us eat every course right after we made it versus doing everything and then eating at the end. After cooking one course, we set the table and ate it immediately, making small talk with the other couples. I took advantage of the fact that Gabe liked to talk more than me and stole some of his food from time to time. Everything was delicious, and I didn't feel guilty that I'd snatched away one of his shellfish—he'd had four left, and he didn't seem to be eating them all.

He finished talking about the distillery and looked down at his plate before focusing on me. "So, what happened to my fourth shellfish?"

I felt my eyes widen. "You counted them?"

"Babe, I've been counting everything since we sat down with the appetizer."

I covered my mouth. The whole table laughed, and Gabe kissed the side of my head.

"And you all noticed?" I asked, lowering my hand.

"Yeah, it was pretty obvious. But he was putting on a solid show," one of the guys said, nodding at Gabe.

"I'm just not very hungry," he said. "And I like to choose my battles."

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