“I have to say,” she admits, sitting down. “This is the very first time I’ve eaten naked with a guest.”
“Being a Dom has its perks.”
“Like getting to stare at an amazing pair of breasts while you eat an equally delicious meal?”
“Absolutely,” I say, taking my first bite of brisket.
And then I groan.
“This is the best fucking brisket I’ve ever had,” I tell her. “Seriously. I think this is better than my mom’s. Don’t,” I point my fork at her. “Ever tell her that.”
“Don’t tell your mom I’m a better cook. Got it.”
“I can’t believe you went to all this trouble for me,” I tell her. I’m used to being the one who serves others. I’m used to playing the good Dom. It’s unusual that someone goes to any lengths for me, and I kind of like this feeling.
“It was no trouble. I love cooking.”
“Tell me more about your business. I know we’ve talked a little bit over text, but it’s not the same. Your eyes seem to light up when you’re talking about it, and I love that.”
“It’s my passion. I knew when I was a kid that I wanted to cook. I thought about being a chef, but catering, to me, is a little more fun. I get to cook a ton of food and I get to go to all sorts of fun events. The menus are always so different that I get to try my hand at a lot of different things.”
“It sounds great.” I take a bite of the mashed potatoes, which are just as good as the brisket. “Magical, even.”
“A lot of people don’t understand it,” she says. “You know, having passion about your job.”
“I’m not going to lie. I’m a little jealous.”
“You never felt passionate about your job?”
“At first,” I admit. “But I think reality set in really quickly for me.”
“When do you think you stopped enjoying your work? Like, is there a specific moment that you can pinpoint when it stopped being fun?”
Leave it to Macie to ask the hard questions. Then again, that’s one of the things I’m quickly starting to like about her. She’s not the type of woman who just wants to know what my favorite movie is or whether or not I’m a country music fan. No, she’s asking me deep, personal questions.
She wants our relationship to be meaningful, and thanks to her persistence, it’s going to be.
“After Zack’s divorce, I realized just how cutthroat my field of work was going to be. I didn’t mind at first. To be honest, I liked the challenge.”
Macie takes a bite of her food and nods.
“I get it. I mean, I’m a caterer, so it’s not like I’m dealing with things that make or break someone’s future, but there’s still a lot of pressure. Whether I’m doing a business event or a wedding or something, people want everything to be perfect. It’s tough. A lot of times, they don’t even know exactly what they want, so it’s up to me to figure it out. It can be a lot of fun, but it can also be pretty hard.”
“Exactly. I like to feel challenged at work. I like working hard and feeling like I’m putting my best foot forward. That whole ‘personal growth’ thing? I love it.”
“Yeah,” she smiles. “It’s a good thing to love. Changing who you are to become someone better? It’s an incredible feeling. Hard,” she points out. “But incredible.”
“Speaking of incredible, this is t
he most fantastic dinner I’ve ever had.”
“Really?” She blushes.
“Really and truly. That was very thoughtful of you, Macie. I was going to take you to my favorite Italian restaurant. This was about a thousand times better. Seriously. You could easily put them out of business.”
She laughs, and the sound of her happiness fills the room.
“I don’t think I’m that good, but I appreciate the compliment.”