A Half Dozen Fools by Susana Falcon Read Free Book Online Page B

goddamn it?" he was screaming. "Why can't you friggin' waiters get the orders right? This is good food we're wasting! Not to mention my time."
    Without waiting for an answer, he lifted the full plate returned by a server and hurled it across the kitchen. Chunks of china and untouched entree exploded in a blaze of color against the gray cement-block wall. Staff members, including the general manager, gawked at the mess. Undeterred by the silent shock his tantrum had induced, the chef went on to plate the next meal.
    The GM finally snapped to her senses.
    "Guillermo! Grab a towel and dust pan and let's clean that up, please. Pronto! " She clapped her hands together to mobilize servers frozen in fear. "And, people," she called, "let's be more careful about getting the orders right. Listen, people, listen to what they tell you! Repeat it back, to be sure."
    As servers got cracking again, the kitchen resumed a fairly normal rhythm and pace. The general manager fixed a smile on her fleshy face and shuffled over to the chef, now stirring a sauce.
    "Hey, Chef Rick? Need a little smoke break, maybe? If you want, José can hold down the fort while you go up and get some air. Only if you want, of course."
    The sous-chef continued working quietly and the GM waited on eggshells while the executive chef decided whether to scream again or take a break. Staring into a sauté pan, he decided the whole place was starting to work his last nerve. Nicotine would definitely help.
    "You know, Barbara," he said, "that sounds like a good idea." He turned to José. "Man the helm, amigo. Back in five."
    The sous-chef nodded and the general manager exhaled. Chef Rick tossed his towel onto the nearest countertop and bounded up the long set of stairs into the dining room.
    A stunning, slender blonde happened to catch his eye on her way from the bar to the ladies' room.
    "Mm," he mumbled to himself, "got to be a dancer."
    He watched her slink out of sight before he went inside the lounge. The moment Lucian saw him, he placed a large Evian water up on the bar.
    "There you go, chef."
    "Thanks, Lucian." He swigged a third of the bottle in one gulp.
    Lucian smiled. "How'd it go down there, tonight? We got a little crazy up here for a while."
    "It was a little, shall we say, challenging at times. Nothing too off the charts."
    Not entirely convinced, the affable Jamaican nodded and got back to multi-tasking to keep the bar under control.
    Before Chef Rick took another swig off his bottle of Evian, he spotted a beautiful brunette seated at the bar. Calling Lucian back over, he asked if she was alone or on a date. Once Lucian assured him that she was with a girlfriend, the chef told him to buy her a drink.
    "Make sure you tell her it's from Chef Rick Giordano."
    Lucian followed his orders like a pro, and the brunette glanced up at the chef. When he nodded, she raised her glass to him.
    The chef groaned quietly. Man, is she luscious, with the biggest goddamn blue eyes I've ever seen. An urge to touch her made him twitch with desire.
    Lucian came back and informed the chef, "The lady's name is Elyse. And she says, 'Thank you, Chef Giordano.'"
    "Maybe the lady will be around when I get off work, in an hour or so."
    "Want me to ask?"
    "Sure, why not?"
    By the time Lucian reached Elyse, the stunning blonde had taken a seat next to her.
    "God," she said, "there's, like, no heat in that bathroom! I was freezing my tits off in there. And they're small enough, as it is."
    The chef watched Lucian relay his offer to Elyse. Both she and the blonde checked him out before putting their heads together to confer. Without waiting for an answer, the chef sauntered around the bar to where they sat.
    "You must be a dancer," he said to the blonde.
    "However did you guess?" she said in mock surprise.
    He pointed to the side of his head and made a funny face. "When you got it, you got it!"
    She snuffed out a little laugh. "I see."
    "I'm Chef Rick Giordano." He looked straight at the