Evan made a brief appearance at the office the following Wednesday, but other than a quick wave from reception, he kept his distance. He was doing exactly as he promised, and just as she thought he wasn’t interested anymore, which was what she kept telling herself she wanted, she was awash with disappointment. Then an email would come, chatty, familiar, and all together rather funnily flirtatious, and she’d be intrigued all over again.
The work was great, varied, and busy, yet she never felt out of her depth. Gina had recovered from her early hatred of her, and now that she was dating some third division footballer, Evan had been placed on her back burner. So over coffee or lunch, Maddie would sit and listen patiently to all that her friend had to update her on, then back to the office, where Eric would take every opportunity to flirt with her in an obvious and rather repulsive way.
“You could report him to Evan,” Gina offered after he’d managed to follow Maddie into the stationary cupboard. She’d come out furious, he’d sauntered along a little later oblivious to how she felt.
She’d be a liar if she said she hadn’t thought about complaining about him, but she also knew that that would draw attention to her, both in the company, and from Evan himself. She’d rather weather the storm a little longer first.
And it was going well until a week later when he collared her one afternoon. She’d been photocopying some documents at the machine in the corridor that linked their two offices, when she felt him approach. Her Eric radar had become finely tuned in the three weeks she’d worked at the office.
"Would you like to sample the new menu at our flagship restaurant?"
She looked up to see him almost comically lounging against the wall opposite her. If he wasn’t so persistent, so inappropriate in his manner she’d find him hysterical, a David Brent in the making. But he was all of the above, and his behaviour more than bordered on sexual harassment, it was almost assault, and she’d been tolerant for long enough.
"Umm..."she struggled to formulate a non confrontational response, and he took her hesitation as insecurity, "it’s important that you at least try the food here, and there’s a new menu which I haven’t even tried. Come along tonight, and we can eat and discuss the menu?"
Her skin crawled at the thought, and as she was thinking of an excuse a voice like a Guardian Angel intervened, "Now come on Eric, what would Mrs Vonden say if you’re out wining and dining a young lady who isn’t her?”
Evan.
Madeline couldn’t hide her smile as she turned to look back at him, he smiled, "and anyway who knows the intricacies of the menu better than the creator? What do you say Maddie? It’s Friday, no work tomorrow, we can have a laugh!"
Glancing up she almost laughed at the strangulated look in Eric’s face. They both knew she was pinned in a corner, and when she looked back to Evan she could see that confidence in his smile. She couldn’t refuse, if she did then Eric could read more into it, the only other option was to accept, go out with him, and prepare herself to take the consequences.
"Thank you Evan, that sounds a great idea, and takes the obligation from Eric, I’m such a burden, and he’s so generous to offer," she said sweetly, avoiding Evan’s eyes as she knew if she saw the hidden humour there, she’d burst out laughing!
"Great!" Evan announced a few seconds too late. "I’ll go change, then I’ll pick you up at five, we can have a few drinks first, get to know my employee a bit better." He clapped Eric on the back, "your generosity has saved me a quiet night in alone! Remind me when it’s contract negotiation time what an asset you are!"
Maddie could barely look at Eric, his face contorted in a taut grimace, angry at the opportunity lost; accidentally she caught the eyes of Evan and almost burst out laughing all over again. Sitting back at her desk she tried to engross herself in her computer as the two men left the small office but it was useless. Evan was incorrigible, and he’d won, without forcing himself on her, he’d got the date he’d wanted. She shook her head, she had to hand it to the man, he was a smooth operator!
Evan was glad to escape into the fresh air. He wasn’t feeling himself and he wasn’t liking it. Saying that he hadn’t been himself for weeks. He knew the moment he’d set eyes on Madeleine that he really liked her. There was something about the paradox of her strength yet vulnerability that appealed to him more than he thought possible. And that fateful Saturday night, he’d spotted her long before his brother Mark had introduced her to him as a friend. Instantly he’d noticed her grey eyes that were luminous as she laughed with two girls, they lit up her face, and her thick chestnut brown hair hanging loosely around her shoulders, casually, the same way that she was dressed, understated, she wasn’t obsessed with her appearance. It was refreshing, he’d had more than his fair share of glamorous women, and was fed up with the self obsession they all seemed to have.
Once they were actually introduced he had relentlessly pushed her, literally backing her into a corner, until she succumbed and kissed him, and it was everything he’d thought it would be. Magical. They’d drifted away from the group, chatting and drinking, until slow dancing in the early hours they’d started kissing again. The drunken passion had led them back to his flat, but he’d had neither the energy nor the inclination to take advantage of her - though he had a feeling that she didn’t realise that, then they’d both fallen asleep half dressed. He’d been devastated when he’d woken to find her gone the next morning before he’d had chance to get her number. The disappointment only worsened his hangover, and he was grouchy and unbearable the rest of the day.
The following day Eric had been in touch reminding him that their new member of staff was starting the next day; it wasn’t until he mentioned the name Madeline that the penny had dropped. It had left him feeling smug, knowing he’d see her again. But that hadn’t gone so well! Fortunately she’d fitted in well to the office and he’d been able to give her some space and time to settle in, from day one he realised that he had to keep his distance to keep his sanity, for as long as she was pushing him away that is.
He grinned to himself. She ticked every box in his mind, and now he’d managed to trick her into a night out. He felt a bit guilty, but when he’d walked in on Eric asking her out, he’d seen red. Eric was a brilliant marketing man, but his womanising was both legendary and dangerous. He’d always kept his relationships and flirting to outside of the office, but now he seemed to have the same target as Evan himself, and even if the other man wasn’t married, he’d have been angry at the way he’d pursued Madeline. He’d take note of that, store it for the future, the last thing Evan wanted was a sexual harassment case in his office.
Come five o’clock, Maddie had tidied up her appearance in the bathroom mirror, glad she’d had her hair coloured earlier in the week. She now had rich deep brown hair, with red lights streaked through it, falling down around her shoulders, it had more life than it had in ages, obviously working just day time hours was having a positive effect on her. She’d nipped out to a local shop at lunchtime and managed to buy a new satin strappy top that jazzed up the black skinny jeans she’d already had on with her heeled boots. She just had a few things to do before Evan collected her.
Evan stepped into the office and froze; Maddie was stood reaching for the top of the shelving unit, as she half turned the sun shining through the window highlighted her hair. She really was stunning, she took his breath away.
"Let me get that!" he announced immediately cursing the Neanderthal man that the comment made him sound. Madeline stepped back and allowed him to reach up and place the box files on to the shelf, then he turned to her, "Ready?"
As I’ll ever be! She told herself, before nodding to Evan, "I am!" Taking a deep breath she followed him out of the office.
Evan chose a wine bar a few minutes’ walk away, it was in a buy part of town, but was quiet when they arrived, Maddie settled into a booth in the corner, Evan insisted on buying the drinks, however by the time he came back from the bar with their drinks, it was significantly busier.
"So how have your first two weeks been?" he asked sliding into the seat opposite her.
She shrugged, "all good I think, other than my Lothario boss!"
He laughed out loud, "I’ll take it you mean Eric and not me!"
She winked, "wouldn’t you like to know!"
And that was it, the ice was broken.
Evan was a wine fancier, he’d spent so much time in French restaurant kitchens as a junior sous chef that he could hardly be anything less, he spent a fortune on wine every month, so it was no surprise that he selected a pinot noir from one of his favourite vineyards, it was over forty pound a bottle, but was worth every penny, and Maddie didn’t need to know he’d spent that much!
Pouring her a glass he savoured the aroma, and was quite absorbed in the wine when she spoke. "So how did you become a chef?"
Looking up at her he smiled, “Was the only option really, I loved cooking as a kid, got loads of jobs in restaurants...then got accepted to a college in London." He slugged his drink. "When I was there I happened to get a part time job in a decent restaurant. Then got my own position as a junior sous chef in a rather posh establishment in Paris. When I came back to Britain an old friend of mine became a TV chef. He’s always helped me out, so his endorsements have helped make my business so successful. Then I got the job for the newspaper..."
She nodded, "so this is living the dream?"
He sat back, "I’m not sure that I’m a pen pusher, I don’t miss the unsociable hours but I miss the hectic furore of the kitchen, it’s not a place for the faint hearted!"
Maddie savoured a mouthful of the delightful wine, then laughed, "I know I’ve seen enough series of Masterchef and Hell’s Kitchen to know that!"
Evan chuckled, "if only it was that easy! But seriously, I spend more time in meetings, I have consultations with my head chefs about menu ideas, but other than that, the only time I cook is for myself." He looked wistful, "I’m almost tempted to buy a new small place, for me to cook just for fun, but then I’d never have the time with the business."
She looked at him and instantly wished she had that much passion in her own life, she had never felt so much emotion about anything, not since her teenage years. "You should do it! What’s the point of being successful if you can’t do what your heart desires? Though I do love the restaurants you know..."
He smiled, "thank you! I was sick of seeing places that are either too individual or too expensive for the normal man. But yet all the chains and franchises are so over manufactured, heavy on the plastic, fake facades, low on food quality."
"So you tried to make some middle ground?"
He nodded.
And he had succeeded, the seven restaurants had the same name, but each was different. The menus and theme’s varied, but the quality was second to none. It was unusual, yet it worked. Recently a new loyalty scheme, introduced by Eric had seen the amount of patrons go through the roof.
"So come on, let me show you my first venture, and now the most prestigious version of my dream.....you must visit all seven to get a real feel of the company, y’know!" Once they’d finished the wine, he took her hand and led her out into the street.
Even the facade of the building was impressive, ink black boards with simple font white writing announcing that this was ‘The Tate Club’. And the interior was equally special, simple yet homely. As they waited to be shown to their table, he squeezed her hand, and until then she hadn’t realised that their fingers were still entwined.
The maitre’d looked petrified when he realised Evan was dining with them that evening.
"Mr Tate, what a pleasure!" Though his eyes portrayed anything but pleasure.
Evan smiled and clapped the younger man on the back, "Hey Chris, I’m just a punter, chill out. Have you got a table for us? Gina did reserve one."
He nodded, scanning the diary, "she booked it in her name though, the sneak! Follow me."
Nervously the man led them across the room to a secluded table for two.