Page 29 of Mistaken Impression

“What will it be, then?” The blonde narrows her eyes.

“It’ll be pink, just as it should be. Blake can give instructions for those who want it well-done, but I’m not serving lamb like that… and if you don’t agree, then someone a little further up the managerial ladder is welcome to fire me.”

“Okay… okay.” Ruby holds up her hands, like she’s trying to get control of the situation, and then she turns to the blonde. “Ella’s the expert, Vivian, so I think we’ll let her decide how she wants to cook the lamb, don’t you?”

Vivian…? I remember Ruby saying she was her assistant, but judging from her expression, I don’t think she appreciated being told off in front of everyone. She sits back, clearly angry, but rather than gloating or enjoying her moment of glory, Ella just slumps into her seat like she’s exhausted. I can’t help feeling sorry for her – again – although there’s no denying my attraction to her now. My cock won’t let me. In my defence, Ella looked really sexy just now, with her eyes on fire. Between that, her tousled hair, and her incredible backside, I’m going to need to learn a little more self-control around her…

She looks up at me again, and all thoughts of self-control are immediately forgotten. How can I even consider such a thing when gazing into those perfect amber eyes? I smile, but rather than returning the gesture, she simply takes a breath, letting it out slowly. Then she sits forward again, looking at thenotes in front of her, making it very clear she neither needs nor welcomes my sympathies.

Chapter Five

Ella

I’ve never felt so tired in my life.

Somehow I’ve made it home, and I kick off my shoes, my feet killing me. I drop my purse to the floor, rolling my shoulders to relieve the tension. As for my head… it feels like it’s full of cotton candy, and although I’m tempted to open a bottle of wine, I don’t think it’ll help.

I pad through to the living room, falling onto the couch and while I’m very far from comfortable, I can’t move a muscle. My limbs won’t work.

Was that really only one day?

I know it was… just like I know tomorrow is going to be so much worse. How that’s possible, I’m not sure, but before I left the studios, while Blake was talking to Gavin about the script, Ruby took me to one side and explained the schedule.

“I know you’re doing your best, but we’re behind where we need to be,” she said, frowning at me, even though none of the hold-ups had been of my making. “You and Blake haven’t been able to practice any of the dishes yet, and even though Gavin will work up the script as quickly as he can, I doubt you’ll get it before late tomorrow afternoon, so I need you to go through things with Blake as thoroughly as you can tomorrow morning, so we can catch up and get started with full rehearsals on Wednesday.”

“Okay. But you need to remember, I’ll be teaching him to cook, on top of everything else.”

“He doesn’t need to cook,” she said. “He just needs to add the finishing touches.”

“Plate-up, you mean?” I was too tired to make sense of what she was saying.

“No. But, for example, with the roasted vegetables, you can prepare nine tenths of them, and just have him add a few at the end, while he’s talking to camera.”

“I appreciate that, but if he doesn’t know how to cut up a potato properly, I’ll have to show him what to do, or he’ll end up looking like an amateur.”

“Hmm… I suppose, but you can’t let the niceties of cooking impede the schedule.”

“I’m not responsible for the schedule… or for the fact that it’s running behind. I’m responsible for the food, and it’ll be prepared properly, or not at all.” To be honest, I’d had enough by then. Between Kennedy’s attitude, and Vivian’s criticisms, I didn’t need anyone else blaming me for something I hadn’t done.

“Fine. Just keep me informed about where you’re at.”

Personally, I thought it would have made more sense for me to get on with doing my job, rather than reporting to her all the time, but I nodded my head and gathered my things together, desperate to get out of there.

I’m relieved to be home, but lying here is getting seriously uncomfortable, and I need to shower and eat something before I fall asleep.

It’s a struggle, but I get to my feet again, feeling a little light-headed, although that’s not an enormous surprise. I haven’t eaten all day.

“Note to self,” I murmur as I head for my bedroom. “Eat breakfast.”

I strip out of my dress and underwear, leaving them on the floor, and walk straight into the bathroom. The shower feels fantastic, but I don’t take all day over it. Not only am I hungry and tired, but I’m thirsty, too. I barely drank anything today, either, and I make another mental note… to take a bottle of water with me tomorrow.

Once I’ve washed and shampooed my hair, I step out, wrapping myself in a fluffy bathrobe, and going back into my bedroom. Having such short hair has tremendous advantages at times like this, and I only pause to pick up my clothes and throw them into the laundry hamper before heading straight for the kitchen.

I could order in, and to be honest, I would… if it wasn’t for the fact that cooking is the best therapy I know, and I need to let off steam.

I grab a few ingredients from the refrigerator, along with a chopping board and knife, and set about preparing a stir-fry while contemplating some of the more worrying aspects of my day. Looking back, I suppose Kennedy set the tone, and everything seemed to go steadily downhill from there. Still, she’s the boss, and I guess if she wants to adopt that kind of attitude, she can. I never expected ‘star’ treatment… I’m not the ‘star’, after all. But the total disdain I received from Vivian was something else. What started as a criticism of my idea became a fault-finding exercise over everything I said and did. I swear, if I’d told her the sky was blue, she’d have argued with me that it was green. It took me a while to even find out who she was, but I eventually learned her name, along with the fact that she’s Ruby’s assistant. I don’t know what that means, or what her job entails, but she seemed to think it entitled her to criticize me. Personally, I just hope we won’t be working together too closely, because I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone so openly hostile… and I’ve got enough to cope with as it is.

The vegetables are all prepared now and I heat some oil in a wok, waiting until it’s hot before adding them. I turn them over and over, until they’re almost tender and then add some pre-cooked noodles and quickly whisk up some soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, sesame oil, chicken broth and cornstarch in a small bowl, before adding that to the vegetables, too. It sizzles and I stir it again, giving it a few minutes to coat the veggies and thicken before turning it out into a bowl and garnishing it with some sesame seeds.

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