Book Title: Indulge Me (Kitchen Gods #4)
Author: Beth Bolden
Publisher: Beth Bolden Books
Cover Artist: AngstyG LLC
Genre/s: Contemporary MM Romance
Length: approx 80 000 words
It is a standalone story.
Blurb
Throughout the restaurant industry, Chef Bastian Aquino is a notorious control freak. For two very long years, Kian Reynolds has worked for Bastian as his special assistant, doing whatever he and his restaurant needs. The toughest part isn’t even all the impossible tasks he expects Kian to complete flawlessly—it’s the hopeless, endless love he feels for his older boss.
Falling for someone so far above him might be agonizing, but at least his feelings aren’t unrequited. Bastian fell in love right alongside him, but at the very beginning, they made the choice to abstain for logical, smart, professional reasons.
But love isn’t logical, it isn’t smart, and it definitely isn’t professional. It defies containment, even by Bastian. While he watches Bastian struggle with their attraction, Kian finally comes to the conclusion that he’s done.
He’s done standing off the side, done not getting any of the credit, done letting Bastian define the boundaries of their relationship. Most of all, he’s done waiting.
Buy Links – Available on Kindle Unlimited
To set the scene, when the Interviewer walked into the conference room, instead of just Kian Reynolds by himself, there are three other chefs besides, and they are all gathered around a platter of breakfast pastries.
It’s very clear from the first moment that the pastries, typically catered and usually offered to any interviewees we host, are not up to par with this group’s expectations.
A man with dark, curly hair and a frown on his face approaches the Interviewer, holding out what looks to be a rather sad looking bear claw.
Miles: Do you really expect your guests to eat this junk? I think I could get something better down at Starbucks and they freeze their pastries before thawing and selling them.
Interviewer: (flustered) I was expecting a single chef today? I was supposed to be interviewing Kian Reynolds, for our Up and Coming issue?
Kian: I’m so sorry, I told them this was a bad idea, but we don’t get much time to be together anymore. And. (he pauses, sighing with resignation) They can be pretty stubborn about stuff they want.
Another chef, with longer blond hair that looks like it’s either in the midst of an awkward grow-out or the man in question has simply forgotten to get a haircut anytime recently, turns away from the plate of pastries.
Wyatt: I thought we were invited! Xander, you told me we were invited! You told me this was a Terroir retrospective.
The final chef glances up. He’s got an intense stare and an innocent look that doesn’t quite sit right on his face.
Xander: How else was I supposed to get you guys into the same room?
Kian: So you decided it was a good idea to crash my interview?
Miles: Guys, we can wait outside. Let Kian have his interview in peace.
The Interviewer has rapidly been glancing from chef to chef, and quickly realizes that not only is Kian Reynolds, Bastian Aquino’s protégé, proclaimed successor, and the new head chef at his spinoff restaurant, Cluster, in his conference room, but he also has the following: Miles Costa, the award-winning pastry chef and host of Pastry by Miles; Wyatt Baker, owner of the extremely popular LA-based food truck, What a Catch; and Xander Bridges, head chef of the hottest new restaurant in Napa.
There were rumors swirling that they were all friends, as many in the close-knit culinary community are, but the chance to have them all in the same room? Priceless, and unmissable.
Interviewer: Actually, if you guys wanted to sit in, that would be great.
Xander: (smiles triumphantly) Great, see, no big deal. In fact, we’re welcome.
Wyatt rolls his eyes.
Miles: What about the pastries? Do you have anything actually edible hiding someplace?
Interviewer: I’m sorry, that’s what we usually serve.
Miles: You should think about changing catering companies. That stuff is utter crap. I wouldn’t feed it to my dog.
Kian: (mystified) You don’t have a dog.
Xander: You should ask Miles to help you out, he’s got loads of extra time to cater to mid-range culinary magazines. He could bring you a couple dozen of pastries a week, right, Miles?
Miles: (glares) You know I don’t have the time to do that. I’m up to my eyeballs in work, I have to practically drag Evan away from the office at night. And now he wants to put a couch in it, which as far as I can see, is an excuse to never actually leave.
Interviewer: So Pastry by Miles is doing well, then?
Miles: It’s doing very . . .
(Xander interrupts) Xander: He doesn’t want to brag, but it just got picked up by the Cooking Channel. He’s going to be a big star. They’re probably even going to put him on Best Thing I Ever Ate, that’s really making it as a celebrity chef, right? Everyone wants to know what you eat, all the time.
Wyatt: But he’s not as big as Kian here. I’m assuming you know that Chef’s Table is doing an episode on him and his boyfriend.
(Kian blushes)
Interviewer: You mean, Chef Bastian Aquino? Yes, I did see they were doing a special. About the legacy of Terroir and the passing of the torch, so to speak.
Xander: Don’t forget all the juicy, salacious stuff they put in about their relationship.
(Kian blushes even harder)
Kian: it wasn’t salacious, Xander, god. It was just . . .how we deal with being in a relationship together and living and also working together, and running two separate restaurants. I guess it’s a big deal to some people, making it all work.
Interviewer (is impressed): I think it’s a pretty big deal. How do you do it?
Kian: I’ll be honest, it hasn’t always been easy. We worked together for two years before we started dating, and that transition was tough. It’s hard to date someone when they’re technically your boss, and could fire you at any moment, so we had to figure out the power balance between us—both at the restaurant, and at home.
Xander: What Kian is really saying is that he might bottom at Terroir, he totally owns the Bastard’s ass at home.
Kian: Xander! That is not what I’m saying at all!
Wyatt: (nods) Seems legit to me.
(Miles clearly agrees as well)
Xander: Maybe you shouldn’t put that part in the article, Bastian might kill me, and I know he’s been going to anger management. Don’t want to derail his good work.
Kian: You think? Geez. Sorry, don’t mind Xander. He has sort of a . . .unusual sense of humor.
Wyatt: That’s one way to put it. You were always the diplomatic one, Kian.
Xander: No, that’s always been you. That’s why after you followed Miles to LA, and got into that baseball player’s tight pants, everything went downhill.
Kian: Downhill? You have your own restaurant now, and Bastian and I finally started dating. How is that going downhill?
Xander: (shrugs) Things got crazy for awhile there. You punched some guy in the face.
Interviewer: Now that’s a story I’d love to hear.
Kian: Sorry, that’s sort of a private story.
Wyatt: Unless you want to read his story in Indulge Me.
Miles: Out April 8 on Amazon and available on Kindle Unlimited!
Interviewer looks confused.
Kian: Good job on the promo, guys. I appreciate the help.
Xander: Yeah, it probably would’ve been super boring without us.
Kian appears to think about this for a moment, then smiles, and it’s unexpectedly dirty.
Wyatt: Or not. God knows what Bastian and him get up to.
Kian: Guess you’re going to have to read the book!
“I’m sorry,” Bastian said quietly. “I’m sorry I gave Xander the sous job, not when you deserved it.”
Kian had been dying for this apology for six months, but even the tender, apologetic look Bastian swiftly shot him wasn’t enough.
He wanted more. He wanted Xander’s old job. He wanted more than just the fleeting touch of Bastian’s fingers on his cheek. He wanted another kiss. He wanted even more than that.
It didn’t matter that it was dangerous or that Bastian had said it was impossible. It didn’t even matter that a part of Kian believed he was right, because there was another part of him that was actively rebelling. That part wanted more, and was not going to be placated with less.
“And you’re still going to try to convince him to come back?” Kian said incredulously. He didn’t need Xander back; they both knew it. Bastian could promote Kian and the kitchen would probably run better, not worse.
But Bastian couldn’t have looked more surprised than if Kian had been the one to walk out in the middle of prep.
“I don’t think you understand,” Bastian began, and Kian knew him well enough, knew his mental gymnastics well enough by this point that he knew exactly what he was going to say. I don’t apologize to anyone, and I’m apologizing to you. You’re special, you’re important, and you need to stay exactly where I’ve put you.
Kian had liked that place, but even at the beginning, it hadn’t quite felt like enough, and by now, two years in, Kian was tired of it and bored.
“I understand,” Kian cut him off. “More than you realize.”
Bastian’s hand dropped to his side and he flexed it, like he was trying to forget the way Kian’s skin had felt under his fingertips. Even if he never forgot, it wouldn’t be enough. Kian wanted to weasel his way under his skin, until there was nothing else between them. Until Kian didn’t know where he stopped and Bastian began. He loved him. Why had he ever thought this sort of half-relationship would ever be enough?
“I guess you do,” Bastian said slowly.
“I need to check on the soup,” Kian said and walked away.
He wanted to be shocked and incredulous that in one breath, Bastian would tell him that Kian should have had the job that was Xander’s and in the next, tell him he was getting Xander back. But the truth was, Kian wasn’t, at all.
He’d known the person Bastian was for a long time now, and he’d loved him anyway. Believing that his mother’s advice was solid, he’d loved the good and the bad parts of him, and that wasn’t going to change, at least not anytime soon. But he was done tolerating Bastian’s shit and he was done giving in.
Most of all, Kian was done being jealous of Luc for having things he never would.
A lifelong Oregonian, Beth Bolden has just recently moved to North Carolina with her supportive husband. She still believes in Keeping Portland Weird, and intends to start a chapter of Keeping Durham Weird.
Beth has been writing practically since she learned the alphabet. Unfortunately, her first foray into novel writing, titled Big Bear with Sparkly Earrings, wasn’t a bestseller, but hope springs eternal. She’s published eleven novels and four short stories, with Indulge Me, the last book of the Kitchen Gods series, releasing in spring 2019.
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