"I've never been a cook. Well, that's not exactly one hundred percent true. I worked at my uncle's restaurant in high school as everything from a dishwasher to a server and even did some time on the grill. I don't know if I can honestly say I was good at that, but I'm especially good with anything that comes close to a dessert. Other things not so much."
"Okay," I answered, still confused why a bowl of French toast mixture and a soggy piece of bread sat on the counter.
"I really need this job, Eric. I moved from my hometown to the city and this is the first time since I left home that I've had a job I wanted. I just figured if I could show you that I had some purpose, you'd keep me on staff for at least a little while so I could save up some money. I know you don't need a cook. What on earth would a man who rarely eats at home need a cook for? But I thought that maybe you like sweet things, which I'm pretty damn good at making, if I do say so myself."
When she finished speaking, she opened her eyes wide with an innocent look that only a bastard could see and still want to fire her. I didn't want her to leave, but just like I didn't need a personal cook, I didn't need a dessert chef either.
But the way she looked at me with that hope in her eyes made me want to see her happy.
"Well, you can make whatever you want. How's that sound?"
She smiled broadly and nodded. "It sounds great. You're going to love what I make. I mean, you'll have to eat your meals somewhere else, but there will always be a sweet treat here when you come home."
I wasn't sure if she had an inkling about what kind of sweet thing I'd prefer from her, but for the time being, this would work. I wanted her to stay at the house for my own wicked and selfish reasons, and making her happy made me happy.
Later that night, I planned on showing her just how I planned to change that job description of hers, but now I had to go to work. "Enjoy your day. I'll be back by nine o'clock tonight. I'm going to want to see you when I get here, Maddie. Do you understand?"
For a moment, she looked at me like she'd missed my intention, but then she simply smiled. "I understand."
And with that, I left for work without even getting the cup of coffee I'd originally went into the kitchen for. Maddie had that kind of effect on me. If I didn't know better, I would have thought she'd somehow put me under some kind of spell.
I knew better though. There was nothing supernatural about what we wanted from each other. That was purely physical.
* * *
After a long,frustrating day of dealing with people who seemed to want to complain about every fucking thing that ended up on their plates and managers who couldn't figure out how to make them happy, all I wanted to do was get lost in Maddie and forget that life existed outside the walls of my home. I opened the front door and instantly the scent of sugar hit my nose. Never much for sweets, I had to admit whatever she had made smelled delicious.
I pushed open the door to the kitchen and found her in the same place as when I left that morning in front of the center island. She looked different now, though. Wearing a tiny black dress and three inch fuck-me heels, Maddie seemed more like something from one of my teenage fantasies than a mere cook in my home.
"Did you have a good day?" she asked with a smile as she held up a plate of cookies for me to see.
"No, but it looks like things are definitely improving," I answered, licking my lips at the thought of trying one of those cookies and then getting her out of that dress.
The shoes could stay, though. I liked the idea of her wrapping her legs around me as I fucked her in them.
Maddie held the plate out for me to take a sample of what she'd made, and I picked what looked like a sugar cookie dusted with pink sugar crystals. One bite and I knew she hadn't lied about being able to make sweet things. It may have been the most incredible cookie I'd ever tasted.
"This is great. What is it?"
"Just a sugar cookie with some special ingredients," she said with a big smile.
"Special ingredients?" I asked before taking another bite. "Like what?"
Shaking her head, she placed the dish on the counter. "I can't tell. Old family secret. I'm glad you like them."
"I do. You look nice. Why are you dressed like that?" I asked, not really caring before but suddenly wondering if she was planning to leave tonight. For some reason, the thought truly bothered me.
Maddie looked down at her dress and then back up at me. "Just something I felt like putting on tonight."
"So you aren't going anywhere?"
She shook her head. "I didn't think I was allowed to."
"You're not a prisoner here, Maddie. You work for me. You aren't a slave."
She took a step toward me and looked up. "I thought I was supposed to be here whenever you're here in case you need anything."
"I never thought of it that way."