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junglekarmapippa · 2 months ago

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Another RJ/OC story that ended right before the Good Part(c) If you know what I mean...

(These are samples from a 13992 words long document)

(...)

He didn't own a computer, so he went to the library to write the email. He explained the case briefly, making sure he mentioned he didn't think his business could survive another month. He signed with his full name, Robert James, and after checking it for typos, he sent it. And he thought he'd forget about it because he had a lot to keep him busy, between working at the restaurant, acting like everything was alright and still training with Dom, who was now trying to reach the level of master too; but he didn't have enough time to forget.

A mere two days later, a young woman, about RJ's age, walked into the restaurant, in a nicely cut pair of business pants and a light pink silk blouse that had an elegant bow tied around her long neck, with what seemed to be a very expensive handbag hanging from her elbow and a last generation smartphone in her hand. She didn't look at all like the people who usually visited Jungle Karma Pizza and, because of that, Dom approached her as soon as he saw her.

"Can I help you?" He asked, flashing a smile.

"Good afternoon, I'm looking for..." She glanced at the phone. "Robert."

"Please, take a seat," Dom invited the woman, pulling a chair from a nearby table for her. He wondered who she was, because he had never heard anyone call RJ 'Robert', not even his dad. "Who should I say is looking for him?"

"Beatrice Lancaster," she answered, smiling too.

Dom disappeared behind the kitchen door and was back after a minute. "He'll be right out," he told her and she smiled politely again. She sat very straight, with her shoulders thrown backwards and her neck elongated gracefully, but she made the whole position look effortless, like she had sat like that her whole life. "Can I offer you something to drink, while he comes out?"

"A soda would be nice," she answered in a sweet but slightly hoarse voice. "Black, full sugar, with ice." She put her handbag on her lap as Dom walked away to get her drink.

In the kitchen, RJ washed his hands and straightened his jacket, brushing off as much flour as he could. He hadn't been expecting the CEO herself to show up at his restaurant when he wrote the email. He took a deep breath and pushed the door, only to stop dead on his way out.

Beatrice Lancaster was gorgeous, that was the only thought that filled his mind when he saw her.

She sat calmly at her table, poised and elegant. She was wearing a bare minimum of makeup because she didn't need it. Her lips closed into an adorable pout and her eyes were round and bright, and a hazel color RJ had never seen before. She was a strawberry blonde, and her hair was neatly held behind her head in a braid. RJ stared at her, suddenly aware of how scruffy he was, covered in flour and with a two-day stubble, with his wild hair barely held back by his zebra-print hat. He wondered why he felt so insecure, it was very unlike him.

On his way back to Beatrice's table, Dom bumped against him and that pulled him out of that bizarre state of mind. He took a deep, cleansing breath and walked over to the table, where Beatrice was elegantly drinking her soda with a straw.

"Miss Lancaster?"

She looked up and seemed stunned at the sight of him, which made him blush slightly. She smiled, blushing in return, and nodded. "You must be Robert."

"Please, call me RJ," he sat down across from her. "I wasn't expecting such a quick response."

"I prioritize the cases by urgency," she said after another sip of her drink. "It's little use if I show up too little too late."

She was looking at his face like she was trying to commit it to memory, which made RJ feel uneasy. "I don't really have an office but we can talk upstairs."

"No problem," she said, leaving the half drunk glass of soda on the table, as she raised her left hand, letting her handbag slide elegantly to her elbow.

"You can bring your drink, if you want to finish it," RJ told her. Then he closed his eyes and shook his head, mentally telling himself off for being rude, and moved to take the glass from the table and carry it for her.

"Thank you."

"Please, follow me," he indicated, opening the door to the kitchen and letting her go through. She stood at the base of the staircase and looked at the kitchen, where Casey and Lily were finishing some pizzas and talking. RJ noticed Beatrice's eyes scanning the space and he let the door close behind him. "This way," he indicated, walking up the stairs, he could hear the soft clicking of her heels against the steps as she walked behind him.

When they got to the loft, RJ waited for her at the top of the stairs and she looked around the space, smiling. "What a lovely loft," she commented. "It is very eclectic, but it works."

RJ smiled at her comment but dismissed it as her trying to be polite. Rich people made him nervous and now more than ever he was sure the services of Beatrice Lancaster were out of his budget.

"Please, take a seat," he offered, pointing at the couch by the railing of the upper level. "I'll be right back," he said, rushing into his bedroom to change out of his chef jacket and get the paperwork he had. He caught his reflection on the mirror before he left the room after changing and brushed his hair quickly.

Rich people made him nervous.

And he was nervous because of that, not because she was gorgeous.

(...)

. "Miss Lancaster," he began, trying to find that courage of the wolf he claimed to have and look at her. "First, we need to talk about your pay. I'm not sure if I can afford an appraisal."

"Appraisal?" She asked. That made him look at her, worried. "Sorry, it's just your email made it seem like you wanted to keep your restaurant, not that you were interested in selling it."

"I don't want to sell it, this restaurant is my life, it's everything I've ever wanted to do, it's my dream. I don't want to see it fail, I don't want to lose it." He said all of this very rapidly and before he could stop himself.

To his surprise, she put her slim hand on his. "Then what you want is an assessment."

"Right, well, I'm not sure I can afford that either."

"You can because assessments are free," she told him, her hand moving for the stack of papers again.

"Really?"

"Yes, the point is to help the business succeed, not to give it a final blow." She started scanning the papers RJ had let go of without even noticing and he studied her face, trying to get a sense of how bad things looked for her. She started to set some papers aside and got through the whole pile very quickly. She handed the papers she didn't need back to RJ, keeping the ones she had set aside. While she looked at those more carefully, she asked: "So, what exactly is the problem? Are you stuck at drawing even every month? Or are you actually losing money? I see you haven't missed any payment to the bank or your staff," she shuffled the papers quickly and then looked at him. "Are you stuck not making profit?"

He shook his head. "I'm losing money," he said. "I've been paying the bank with my salary."

"You assigned yourself a salary?"

She sounded impressed and RJ felt strangely pleased. "I read that was a wise thing to do."

"It is, well done," she commented, giving him a smile. "But giving up your salary to pay debts is indeed loss. How are you with the providers?"

"I am in debt with some of them, so we've been getting the most expensive ingredients from the supermarket, in an as-needed basis," he told her.

"Well, the problem can't be lack of customers, you have good sales," she said, looking at another paper. "Unless you, let's say, flourished these numbers a little?"

"They are one-hundred-percent honest," he said with a grandiose gesture that ended with his hands on his heart.

"Well, you had a relatively good amount of clients downstairs, for the time of the day," she looked at him. "Have you done any publicity?"

"Does the sign on the sidewalk count?"

"How have you amassed such a clientele without publicity?" She asked, stunned.

"Word of mouth, mostly. The pizza is good and I guess the prices are reasonable, word got around."

"Word of mouth," she repeated softly, like she couldn't believe it. "The pizza must be better than just good, it must be unlike anything anyone has ever tried." He blushed under his stubble, because she was staring at his face again, very intensely.

"Well, I'm an actual chef, you know, I don't just wear the jacket," he said with a smile. "And we have what we call the 'After-school rush'. It's not really a rush, but we set up a pizza bar so kids can buy the cheapest pizzas by the slice, instead of the whole pie, and we have a selection of drinks for them, you know? They come for the arcade games and to hang out and they can afford a slice of pizza and a drink with their pocket money. The kids then bring their parents to eat here, the parents bring co-workers..."

She looked very impressed. "That is actually a very brilliant idea," she looked down at the papers again. "I see a lot of losses written under 'incident', what kind of incidents are we talking about?"

"You know, the occasional burnt pizza and the like," he dismissed.

"Have these incidents involved clients or are they mostly in the kitchen?"

"Some of them have involved clients," he admitted with a worried grimace.

She looked at the figures on the paper. "These are really high figures, RJ, how bad were these incidents? How many clients were involved?"

"Well, there was a case of the cheese shakers being filled with salt during the lunch rush, that costed us an entire restaurant worth of pizza that went to the garbage..."

"That's terrible!"

"And a similar one involving hot chili pepper..."

"Oh, dear..."

"And there was the one time the employee in charge of restocking the kitchen left the refrigerator open all night," he had been pointing at the amounts on the paper as he recalled the incidents. "The rest aren't quite as bad, the occasional spilled bag of flour or knocked over bowl of sauce." He smiled, trying to show her he gave very little importance to these incidents, but she was alarmed.

"Why didn't you deduct these loses from the salaries of the employees responsible?" She asked.

"I didn't have the heart to do it," he said, avoiding eye contact. "They didn't do it on purpose and it's not like their pay is that high to begin with."

"Still, if they don't see consequence to their inattention, they won't start paying attention." He looked at the floor and swallowed hard, giving the general impression of a puppy who was being told off. "RJ, the business is not theirs. I'm not saying they don't care but they may not see the magnitude of their mistake if they don't see the consequence."

"It's really not their fault--"

"This isn't about punishing them, RJ. It's about showing them how badly they can affect the business in the long run," her voice was soft when she said this and he dared to glance in her direction, only to find she wasn't angry. She put her finger on another figure. "Why are your utility bills so high? Do you pay the loft's utilities along with the restaurant's?"

"No, they are separate bills."

"Then why are they so high?"

He shrugged. She glanced at him and saw he was honest when he expressed his ignorance on the matter.

She kept checking the papers she had set aside and asking him questions and he kept answering to the best of his knowledge. Finally, she gave him the papers back and turned slightly, so she was facing him more directly.

She clasped her hands together and put them on her knees. "One last question, is there anything you are not willing to do to save Jungle Karma Pizza?"

He almost said he'd do anything but remembered the conversation about the incidents. "Fire my staff."

"They are probably the number one cause of your loses, RJ," she said bluntly.

"They are kids," he defended. "And they do the best they can, they are barely enough sometimes. They try very hard, they have been getting better..."

"And they are your friends," it sounded like an accusation to RJ, but her voice was as soft as before.

"Let's say I feel responsible for them. Four of them live here with me."

She looked at his face for a couple of seconds and he tried to keep it as neutral as he could. Finally, she seemed to decide he wasn't going to give in on the matter. "Fine, I guess it's nothing Gloria can't fix," she said.

"Who's Gloria?"

"A friend of mine. She trains restaurant staff." She stared at his face again and RJ stared back, noticing how long her lashes were and that she had freckles. Before he could stop himself, he was wondering if she had freckles in other parts of her body... like her shoulders or her back. He saw her eyes move down his body from his face and felt very exposed, as if he was naked. "That's an oddly placed tattoo," she commented out of nowhere. He followed her eyes and saw that she was looking at his master stripes, clearly visible, because he was wearing a t-shirt.

"I put it there so I could see it all the time," he lied.

She touched it with the tips of her long fingers and he held his breath as she softly ran them along the outline. "This is very sensitive skin, this must have hurt so much," she looked at his face and saw he was blushing. She removed her hand quickly. "Sorry, that was very inappropriate."

"It's alright."

She stood up, looking flustered for a moment. "Can you give me a tour of the restaurant? Introduce me to the employees?"

(...)

"What do you think?" He asked.

"Nothing that can't be fixed," she said.

"Really?"

She looked at him fixedly for a moment and opened and shut her mouth a couple of times, before asking: "Can we go somewhere private to talk?"

He could sense there was something wrong and nodded. "Can you guys give me and Beatrice some time upstairs?" The others all mumbled their agreement while they kept doing their last chores of the day, and the two went upstairs.

Beatrice sat on a stool by the kitchenette counter and RJ stood across from her, leaning into the counter. She looked like she didn't know how to tell him what she had to say.

"Just tell me," he said sadly, his gaze on the table. "Whatever it is, just tell me."

"We can save it," she started. "I think it deserves saving. The ambiance is really fun, the menu is interesting and the food is great. The service is nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be. It's a quirky little place and it is very charming. The prices are reasonable and the quality is top notch."

"And the bad news is...?"

"It's not a matter of operations, RJ. Jungle Karma Pizza is not going down because you are doing something wrong, or because it has no clients. It's going down because it has too many expenses. And it needs some optimization." He looked up at her, almost in tears. He knew he couldn't possibly afford whatever it was. "The lighting needs some work, it's not optimal for a restaurant, the kitchen needs a full overhaul, those old ovens are very inefficient and are probably what's making your utility bills so high, you could use the yard more often if it had a roof, you could use some changes on the flatware, the glasses don't match anything else in the restaurant and have to be replaced, a wi-fi service would be very welcomed by customers and the menu needs updating."

"Well, I could update the menu for the last month of operations and go out with a bang," he whispered.

She put her hand on his. "There's still hope."

"Beatrice, I really appreciate everything you have done for me, just coming here and assessing the place," his voice broke slightly so he swallowed hard and took a breath. "But I can't afford any of those things. I can't save it."

"I know you can't afford those things, RJ, that's why you wrote to me. What you need is an injection of capital."

"I can't request another loan, I wouldn't get it, and even if I did, I wouldn't be able to pay for it."

"There is another option," she stopped talking and looked at his face, gauging his feelings from that. He looked like he didn't want to get his hopes too high. "How open would you be to the idea of a partner?"

"A partner?"

"Yes, a business partner. Someone who invests some money on the restaurant and gets some participation," he made a face that showed he didn't like that idea and she quickly added: "Business participation, RJ, not actual, operational participation. This person would only get some of the revenue, once it starts coming, and you would still have the final say in the decisions."

He gave the idea some thought. Then he shook his head. "It's not that I don't want to, Beatrice, I wouldn't mind. But, as much as I love it and care about it, Jungle Karma Pizza is a hole in the wall that almost nobody has heard of and you said it yourself, it's unlike anything else, it's weird and tacky--"

"I think it's interesting and charming. And I love that it is unlike anything else out there because just the novelty could bring in people in droves, with a little publicity. I already told you all the pros I find to the place."

"Well, if you could repeat those to any potential investors and keep them from actually coming--"

"RJ, I said we could save it."

"With an investor. Where am I going to get an investor?" He looked desperate now. "I have absolutely no reputation of value, no backing, nobody to vouch for me. The place is a hard sell on its own."

"Well, I like you," she told him point blank. "I have seen how passionate you are about your restaurant and that is another reason to rescue it."

"Would you vouch for me to this mystical investor?"

"I don't need to vouch for you, or for Jungle Karma Pizza, to anyone. RJ, you're not listening to me," she took one of his hands in hers, in a very intimate move that made RJ forget he had only seen her twice in his life. "This 'mystical investor' is not someone else, it's me."

"You?"

"Yes," she looked down at their hands and immediately let go of his hand, blushing. "I have some money set aside for investments and I'd like to invest in Jungle Karma Pizza," she tried to sound nonchalant and business-like, despite being obviously flustered about taking his hand. "It's better to lead by example and it would be great for my business if I could show my investing side that I trust my model so much I am willing to put my own money where my mouth is."

"You want to save my restaurant?" He asked, just to make sure.

"Yes. I think it's totally worth it."

RJ's face lit up like a Christmas tree and he smiled widely at her, moving around the counter to hug her tightly. The hug lasted a bit too long and when they let go, they were both blushing slightly.

"Sorry, I got wrapped up in my excitement," he mumbled.

"It's alright, it's not the first enthusiastic hug I've gotten since I started this business."

He hoped his face showed how elated he was that his restaurant was being rescued by this beautiful creature in front of him, and he thought she looked even more beautiful now, and she smiled happily at his excitement.

(...)

The following days went by with Beatrice showing up almost every day with someone new.

She introduced the staff to her friend Gloria, who would train them so they could be more efficient both in the kitchen and waiting tables.

She brought Kevin, who designed high-efficiency restaurant kitchens, the next day, to take a look and give her an estimate of what needed to be done.

Then she brought Arthur, the interior designer, who almost fainted when he saw the interior of the restaurant and Beatrice had to repeat constantly that she only needed him to improve the illumination.

She brought samples of plates and glasses for them to see and pick from; and RJ got used to seeing her around the restaurant, in her elegant business clothes, with her almost orange hair always picked up elegantly, always wearing heels.

After a few days of that, she showed up right after closing time, in a sheer pink jumpsuit that wrapped over her black ballet maillot and wearing flats and when RJ saw her, he let out a sigh of wonder, like he had never seen anyone that beautiful.

"Sorry for the hour but I just got out of ballet rehearsals," she told him as she stepped into the restaurant holding a thick folder. He looked at the floor as she walked by, but he looked up when she stopped moving completely. "Is everything alright?"

'I think I'm in love with you', RJ thought but nodded.

She handed him the folder. "We have the numbers."

The others were already upstairs, RJ had stayed behind in the kitchen, thinking of ways to update the menu when she had called to say she was coming over, so instead of inviting her upstairs, he pointed at one of the booths. She walked to it and sat down, but it seemed to RJ she had glided to it like the mystical creature she was in his eyes; he sat across from her and opened the folder on the table.

The first piece of paper was a sort of summary, and RJ's eyes moved down from line to line, each amount he read making him go paler. Then he got to the total and swallowed hard. It was a very high figure.

"That's..." He stammered. "that's a lot of money." He glanced up, worried she might be about to tell him she couldn't afford it but instead she laughed, which caught him off guard.

"It's not that much," she dismissed. "I think I spent more on a shopping spree once." He widened his eyes and furrowed his brow at the same time, which made her laugh again. "I wish I could say I was joking."

"That's a lot of clothes..."

"It was very few, very expensive clothes, actually."

"Right," RJ stuttered, trying to wrap his head around the concept of having enough money to spend that much of it on expensive clothes.

"I calculated how much of your raw annual income it adds up to and you weren't that far off, it's a little over forty percent." He was clearly paying attention so she continued. "I should get around that much participation but that would come with a lot of decision making power over this place." He nodded slowly, accepting his options were letting her have a say in how the restaurant was run or losing the restaurant completely. "And quite frankly, I don't want that. I don't have any interest in telling you how to run your restaurant, you know how it works much better than I do and I am a very busy woman as it is. So I'll take ten."

"Ten what?" He was confused by the sharp turn her speech had taken.

"Ten percent of the restaurant, for my investment."

"That... doesn't sound very fair to you," he objected.

She smiled. "Like I said, with more shares come more responsibilities and I don't want them. I'm fine with ten, I trust you and I don't need the money."

"Why don't you take twenty-five percent and no say in the matters of the restaurant?" he offered with a smirk.

"Because that would be exploiting you."

"You are putting all this money into this."

"And you are doing all the work," she reminded him. "You are a terrible negotiator, you are supposed to push for me to have less participation, not more."

"I want you to have what is fair."

"I am asking for what is fair," she leaned forward and casually stroked back a strand of his hair. "You will be doing all the work."

"How about fifteen?" He insisted.

She sat back and looked at him like she had never seen anyone like him before. And he realized what he must look like to her, with his wrinkled chef jacket, his zebra-print pants, his mane of wild hair and his stubble. He probably looked like the least reliable business partner ever.

She, on the other hand, looked like a princess in her sheer jumpsuit and her hair neatly up in a bun, sitting graciously straight like that was the only way to sit and her face completely bare of makeup for the first time since he had met her. He noticed she had a lot more freckles than he had originally thought and he wondered again if she had freckles anywhere else. His eyes followed the line from her eyes down her face, her neck and her chest... he stopped before he reached her breasts and darted his eyes back to her face.

"I have an idea," she started after a minute of looking at him in silence. "How about I get my ten percent and a monthly dinner for six months?"

He was stunned by the offer. "Sorry, a monthly dinner for six months?"

"Yes. Ten percent of the profit and we have dinner together once a month for sixth months, so you can update me on how the restaurant is doing."

He looked at her with an amused expression. "Here I was thinking you couldn't wait to get rid of me."

"Why would I want to get rid of you?"

"I suppose I'm not the most attractive business partner."

"That doesn't mean you're not attractive." This time, he really was stunned and had nothing to answer. She looked at him with a smirk and then shrugged. "Just saying. I'm sure I'm not the first person to notice."

'You are the first person to notice in a while', RJ thought.

"I'm flattered," he whispered, his eyes fixed on the table. It was probably nothing more than just another polite compliment, so he chose to not make much of it and let her get away with it.

"Besides, I think you would make a great partner for a lot of things."

This time he was almost sure she was baiting him. He looked up at her face and took the bait: "Really? Like what?"

"Like dinning, dancing, getting business done with," she enumerated, her hazel eyes on his blue ones.

"That doesn't sound like a lot of things," he refuted.

"I guess that depends on what kind of business you are thinking about."

RJ smiled and ran his tongue briefly over his lips. "Well, I can dance."

"I'm sure you'd make a great partner for a Saturday evening," she commented. "I mean, you can cook something and we can drink some wine, talk about things..."

"What kind of things?"

"The things we like, the things we don't like, you know, everything we need to know to make this partnership more..." She pretended to look for the right word and used the tip of her index finger to caress his hand briefly. "Pleasurable."

The talk was getting a little too intense for RJ, since he was very out of practice with flirting, and she was his new business partner, so he decided to pull back.

"Let's get back to business," he suggested, pointing at the folder.

"When did we deviate from business?" She asked.

"I seriously hope this is not how you normally conduct business," he whispered.

"Only with the handsome pizza chefs," she whispered back. He tried to say something but choked on his words when he looked at her face and saw the fire in her eyes. "My offer is still on the table."

"I will insist on giving you fifteen," he said.

"But I want ten and my six dinners."

"Just so we are clear, these would be business dinners, right?"

"Of course," she said. He nodded and took a relieved breath, and then she added: "For a while."

"Sorry, for a while?"

"Well, it's not going to take us an entire dinner to catch up on the business."

"And what would we do with the extra time?"

"I am getting a little disappointed, RJ," She told him. "You didn't strike me as the kind who had to have everything planned ahead."

"I'm not," he looked insulted. "I like to go with the flow."

"Except when it comes to have dinner with me, apparently."

"It's not that."

"Then what is it?"

"I just..." He stopped because he didn't want to admit he was intimidated by her flirting. "I'm not entirely sure of what is going on in this conversation," He blurted out, feeling himself backed against a mental wall.

She laughed happily and he couldn't help but laugh with her, relaxing. "Fine. Business dinners it is, I am willing to give you that. Ten percent and six business dinners. Deal?" She said, offering her hand.

He shook it, feeling electricity running through his body when he touched her. "Deal."

(...)

Now RJ knew what part of him had been dormant for a long time had awoken when he had seen Beatrice. He had been a master and a boss for so long, he had been so busy saving the world and looking after his students that he hadn't as much as thought about romance or sex in the last two, or maybe three, years. She was the first person in a long time who saw him as a handsome man, not as a master or as the funny chef from the pizza parlor, she saw him as an attractive man and RJ had forgotten what that felt like: being flirted with, being stared at, being seen as a potential sexual partner.

And the fact Beatrice was a beautiful woman really helped. And she really was gorgeous, her body, from what he had been able to see, was very fit, her legs - of which he had seen a lot of because she had made sure to wear increasingly shorter dresses each time she went to the restaurant- were toned and long and her arms were slim but not too thin. Her bottom was really beautifully shaped -the dresses had gotten increasingly tighter too- and she had a small frame, with a pretty waist and nice hips. Her face was like a dream, her big hazel eyes had long lashes and she had a small button nose that fit very well with her mouth, which had a natural pout.

Up until that moment, RJ hadn't noticed how much attention he had been paying to Beatrice's looks. He had been too wrapped up on her personality: she was strong-willed and direct, but she had a sweetness to her that made her really likeable and she obviously had a mischievous streak. She had been complimenting his cooking, his loft, his restaurant, his voice and his smile in increasingly risqué comments. She made him blush every time and it was obvious to RJ she took some sort of pleasure from it. He didn't mind, though, because he loved seeing her mischievous smirk and her eyes sparkle with repressed laughter each time he blushed.

He went to bed that night with a smile and he was glad there was nobody around to see his face at that moment. He knew he looked like a love-struck fool.

(...)

At the yard door, Mr. Rogers bid the other two a good day and left in his own car. Beatrice hung back, RJ assumed because she wanted to talk to him without the lawyer present. They stood side by side right outside the door, both looking towards the car waiting for her.

"You, hmm, clean up nicely," she told him, throwing a sideways glance at him.

"Thanks."

"You didn't shave, though."

"I like my beard."

"I like your beard too. Very much. I think it gives you character."

He chuckled and she smiled. "Nobody has ever given my facial hair such deep thought."

"Oh, I have given your facial hair plenty of thought," she said mysteriously.

"Is that so?"

"Yes," she glanced at him. "I have given you plenty of thought."

"I must admit, I have given you plenty of thought too," he told her, leaning sideways towards her.

"Have you, now?" She said turning her face to him.

"Yes," he had adopted his most nonchalant attitude and she seemed to be loving it. "I have been thinking you should change dry-cleaners, for example."

She smiled and he saw her run her tongue briefly over her lower lip. She took the bait anyway, probably as willingly as he had taken hers before. "And why should I change dry-cleaners?"

"I think they are shrinking your dresses," he said with a voice full of fake concern. "They keep getting shorter and tighter."

"I didn't take you for the kind of man who would pay such attention to dresses."

"I pay attention to everything."

She stared into his eyes intensely and RJ wished he could just lean in and steal a kiss but he knew he shouldn't. He held himself back and she let out a sigh, looking disappointed. "Well, then, I'll see you tomorrow for the final signing. You don't have to dress up if you don't want to, although it is a really nice change."

"I'll put on my other shirt tomorrow."

"I'll start calling in the crews, so they can finish the work as quickly as possible. We don't want to keep the place shut down for too long. I think about ten days should be enough."

"There is no contractor in the world who will finish anything in less than three weeks. Even if it's just painting a wall."

"You obviously haven't seen me dealing with contractors."

"Wait a second," he held up his hands in front of him for emphasis. "See you dealing with contractors? Why would you deal with the contractors?"

"Because you will obviously let them take more than three weeks and go overbudget," she replied and started to walk towards the car that was waiting for her. "I'll see you tomorrow, RJ."

The car drove off and RJ watched it turn at the corner, thinking he should have taken that kiss when he had the chance, because there had been something different in her demeanor when she said goodbye.

(...)

"Alright, guys, I have something to tell you," he started as his employees took off caps and aprons and sat around the dining area of the restaurant. "It's about Beatrice."

"If you're going to tell us you have a crush on her, don't bother, we already know," Dom said making everybody laugh.

RJ held up his hand to shut them up. "She is a very beautiful woman and, whether you believe it or not, I actually am a man who is not immune to beautiful women. Besides, she did something really nice for me."

"Yes, compliment your eyes, your beard, your hair..." Fran mocked, which caused more laughter.

"You've been spending too much time with Dom," RJ told Fran. "And I am not immune to compliments, either."

"She obviously likes you too, that's all we're saying," Lily said with a shrug.

"That is very nice to know but it's not why we are here." He looked at each of them in turn and they stopped laughing to listen. "Beatrice came here because I emailed her. I emailed her because I needed her help." He inhaled deeply and looked at the floor, although he could feel the stare of his staff on him as he said: "Jungle Karma Pizza was going down, fast. We wouldn't have lasted another month without Beatrice's help." Being well-versed in the Swoop technique, he heard all five of his employees inhale at the same time to berate him and raised both of his hands to keep them quiet and looked up at them. "There was nothing you could have done and we are fine now, thanks to Beatrice's timely assistance."

"How are we fine now? We haven't done anything differently!" Casey all but yelled.

"Beatrice invested in the restaurant, she will pay our debts and some changes that need to be done," RJ explained calmly.

"She invested in the restaurant?" Dom asked.

"Changes?" Fran asked, her face looking fearful. "RJ, you didn't sell her the restaurant, did you?"

RJ looked at Fran like she was a raving lunatic. "Of course I didn't sell her the restaurant," he told her. "Well, not all of the restaurant--"

"Just enough of it for her to have a say in changes that need to be done?" Dom asked, remembering the flatware and glasses samples.

"Guys, Beatrice is not the enemy here," RJ reassured them. "She helps companies that are going down by pointing out what's wrong and suggesting the necessary adjustments so they can pull through. JKP needed an injection of capital and she decided to make the investment herself. She literally saved this restaurant for me, she is a very nice person who did something very nice for me and she also happens to be very beautiful, so if you want to mock me for liking her, go ahead, I won't stop you."

He finished his speech but there was no laughter or mocking. Everybody seemed to be processing the information about the restaurant.

"RJ," Casey started, looking around at the others before focusing on his former master. "Was the restaurant going down because of us?"

RJ swallowed hard and licked his lips nervously.

"That woman said we have to 'train' with her friend, didn't she?" Fran asked the others and they nodded.

"She has a name," RJ whispered.

"Well?" Casey demanded. "Was it?"

RJ couldn't say it out loud, so he just nodded.

"Says who?" Fran asked, crossing her arms. "That woman?"

RJ finally found his voice: "No, Fran, says every single monthly report since I hired you all," he spat. He realized way too late what he had said and closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "There were a lot of things, guys, a lot of problems, the battle against Dai Shi and its Rin Shi, the bills were too high... the restaurant was going down because I was... because I am a terrible boss and a terrible owner."

Lily approached him and put her hand on his shoulder. "You're not a terrible boss, RJ, there was a lot happening that was not in your hands."

"And I guess we have been pretty bad employees too," Theo admitted. RJ shook his head, looking sad.

"Did she want to fire us?" Fran asked him. He didn't answer her but when he looked away from her, she knew what she had to know. "She did, didn't she?"

"Fran, Beatrice is not the evil step-mother, coming in to send you all away to a boarding school," RJ told her. "She is trying to help and she asked if there was anything I wasn't willing to do to save the restaurant. I said I wasn't willing to fire you. She didn't insist on the matter and offered the solution of you training with her friend."

Fran didn't look very convinced but then Dom came to RJ's rescue: "Fran, are you upset because she is making changes to the restaurant or because RJ has a crush on her?"

Fran looked at him, livid in anger. "That woman is coming here to change everything and you think I am jealous?! I only want what's best for RJ!"

"And she's not it?" Dom asked.

"Damn right she's not!!" Fran refuted, crossing her arms.

"Says who?"

"Says me!" Fran declared, pointing at herself in the chest. "I know RJ well and I know she is no good for him!"

"Fran!" RJ called her. "I really thank you for your concern but this isn't about me having a crush on anyone. This is about doing what's best for the restaurant and doing business with Beatrice was my only option. The changes won't be too dramatic and they won't take a long time."

"Just promise me she won't turn JKP into some fancy Italian restaurant," Fran begged.

"She actually likes it very much, just the way it is," he told her. "Besides, I wouldn't want to save JKP by turning it into something it's not. However, the kitchen does need an overhaul and something will be done with the lighting and she suggested I gave you all vacation time while the work is finished. I will be here to make sure nothing too drastic is done." He looked at Casey, Theo and Lily. "I thought perhaps you three would like to take this time to start the next level of your Pai Zhua training."

"Next level?" Theo laughed off. "We're already masters!"

"And that brings a whole new world of things to learn, Theo," RJ said with his typical grandiose hand gesture. "Dom can take this time to train with Master Swoop, he can help you with your focus and your wandering mind." Dom nodded in agreement.

"What about me?" Fran asked. "What am I supposed to do?"

RJ looked at her and smiled tenderly. Poor Fran, always very close, but never really in. "You can rest your hard working feet, prop them up and catch up with your reading."

"Wow, you really want us out of the way, don't you?" She said resentfully.

"Fran, come on, you know it's nothing like that. It could be dangerous to be around this place with the crew redoing the kitchen and all that," RJ refuted. He thought it was really sweet of her to be this territorial about him and his restaurant and that was the kind of thing that made him love her so much. "I promise you I won't marry Beatrice before you come back from boarding school," he said, putting his hand on his chest. This made everybody else laugh and he was glad the mood was lightened. Fran crossed her arms and she still looked mad, so he moved to her and held her tightly. "You have nothing to worry about, I promise."

"Fine," Fran said at last. "How long do we have to stay away?"

"She estimates ten days," RJ said, rolling his eyes. "I know it won't be less than three weeks, but since these are people she knows better than I do, let's go with her estimate and if more time is needed, I'll let you know."

"Will you be fine here all by yourself?" Lily asked.

RJ smiled. "I lived alone in the loft for a year before you guys moved in. I think I can manage ten days."

(...)

Beatrice set them up and made her way to the door in a hurry. RJ followed her and caught her right before she left the yard. "Hey, Beatrice, is everything alright?"

"Yes, why?"

"Well, you seem..." he struggled to find the word. "Upset. Have I done anything to offend you?"

She shook her head and smiled politely. "Of course not."

"It's just the other night," he took a deep breath to calm down. "The other night something was happening and then, after you brought Mr. Rogers the first time, you sort of... changed your attitude."

She looked at the floor. "I was being very inappropriate, RJ," she told him. "I got too wrapped up on your looks and I forgot you are a business partner. I overstepped my boundaries, I'm sorry."

'You can trample all over your boundaries with me, I don't mind,' he thought.

"It's alright, Beatrice. I just wanted to make sure we were fine."

"We are, don't worry," she said with a smile that RJ thought looked rather sad. "I have a very busy day ahead of me, I have to go. I'll come back around six, to see what was done today. Arthur will come by later to speak with Pete about the lights, don't let him talk you into making any other changes because if you do he will turn your restaurant inside out," she warned.

He nodded. "Understood. I'll see you around six then," he told her. She smiled sadly again and before he could stop himself he said: "I wasn't really bothered by your behavior, by the way. I thought it was fun." She didn't say anything but her eyes sparkled when he smiled at her.

RJ thought the morning had been long but when Arthur arrived at three in the afternoon and tried to suggest they redid the upholstery of the booths, he knew he was in for a long afternoon too. He made himself sure to follow Beatrice's advice and block every attempt Arthur made to suggest other changes for the restaurant and by the time he was done talking to Pete about the lights and left, RJ was under the impression Arthur had an entire vision of what Jungle Karma Pizza should look like.

He was bent down picking up a napkin from the floor when he heard Beatrice say behind him: "Isn't this a sight for sore eyes?"

He tried hard not to smile and remained bent down one second longer than necessary. "How was your day?" He asked her, standing up and turning to face her.

"Busy and boring, like most of them," she said. She had her mischievous smile and said: "That kung fu thing is really working out for you."

"Well, it's not ballet but it gets the job done," he played back.

"How did it go with the crew?" She asked, putting her handbag on a table.

"Pete is great, he had some of his men over during the day. Kevin was great too, he showed me the ovens he wants to install and he and Pete said they think the change can be done without changing the whole look of the kitchen, which is something I appreciate," he told her, his hands moving in front of him wildly.

"Did Arthur stop by?"

He grimaced. "Yes. He seems to have an entire vision of what the restaurant should look like."

"Like every other restaurant out there, I assume," she told him, rolling her eyes. "He's actually a great designer, and he's amazing with lighting, which is why I brought him in. I'm sorry he's been pushy about making more changes, I'll talk to him."

"It's alright, I think he got the point after I shot down every single one of his ideas, even the good ones."

"Don't give him a gap to slide in through," she warned him.

"I won't."

"Is your staff upstairs?" She asked trying to sound casual.

"No, they decided to take their days off and make a trip out of it," he lied.

An awkward silence fell between them when they realized they were completely alone in the building; and they just stood there, looking at each other for a few seconds. RJ's mind produced a lovely image of taking her upstairs and 'do business' with her. He caught himself going down that line of thought and breathed deeply to bring himself back to reality.

"Do you have ballet rehearsals today?" He asked, just to break the silence.

"Later, yes," she answered, pressing her lips against each other. "Anyway, I just wanted to check in on you, I mean, on the restaurant. The real work should start tomorrow." She grabbed her bag from the table and turned to the door. He caught up to her, to hold the door open. "Will you be alright here by yourself?"

"I'll be fine," he dismissed. "I know kung fu."

"Right," she looked at him and the sparkle he had seen in her eyes after she had complimented his butt was gone.

(...)

It was almost eight that night and he was on his chair, with the TV on but not really watching it, thinking about Beatrice's strange behavior, and he was so deep in thought he was startled when he heard her say: "You need a cellphone."

He jumped startled and dropped the remote in the glass of water. "Beatrice! You scared me!"

"I wouldn't have if you had a cellphone and I had been able to call you to tell you I was coming. And you should lock the doors," she chided as she made her way to his chair. She was in her sheer pink overall, over her ballet gear. Without the table on the way, RJ could see the silhouette of her whole body and he was unable to keep his eyes from looking at it. "I see they started to take down the oven wall. Kevin told me he was going to make the purchase of the new ovens tomorrow," she said but he was hypnotized, looking at her body. "Are you listening to me?"

He blinked and looked at her face. "Sorry, no."

"Kevin will buy the new ovens tomorrow. And I saw they started to take down the oven wall."

"Yeah, about that," he started, his right index pointing at the ceiling as he got up. "Wouldn't that go faster if they just tear it down? They're pretty much taking it apart brick by brick."

"I asked Pete to save as many of the original bricks as he could," she said trying to sound nonchalant.

"Curious," he started, walking towards her. "I think I heard him say you didn't mind paying to save the old bricks. Why are we paying more money to save a wall?"

"The budget was calculated with new bricks," she defended. He stared at her, crossing his arms calmly. "I am trying to keep as much of the old feel of the restaurant, trying to change as little as possible."

"That wall is facing the kitchen, the customers can't see it," he told her, taking another step in her direction.

"RJ, the kitchen is your domain," she started, looking into his eyes. "I want you to feel comfortable in it and I guessed you like the old feel the building gives. A wall of new bricks would stand out like a sore thumb, I thought you'd be uncomfortable with it."

"Seems like an unnecessary step to ensure my happiness," he said, taking another step towards her. He was now standing right outside her personal space.

"You are the chef, keeping you happy is a top priority, it affects the flavor of the food."

He stood there, looking at her with a small smile on his face. She held his stare, not moving forward, but not stepping back either. He wanted to pull her to him and kiss her deeply but he didn't dare. She was obviously into him, but also into keeping things professional.

"If the budget was calculated with the price for new bricks, who's paying the extra charge for keeping the old ones?" He asked.

"I am," she said. She swallowed hard, her hands twisting each other nervously. "You can think of it as a gift."

He sighed and blinked slowly. "Beatrice, you don't have to do this," he told her, taking the step left until he was right in front of her. "Put the real amount in the budget. You don't have to give me any gifts. I should be the one showering you with gifts and favors, you're the one doing the rescuing here."

"RJ, I have money," she looked at him and tried to smile. "It's all I have."

"You don't have to spend your money on me." He put his hand on her shoulder and she put her hand on it.

"Please, let me," she sounded to him like she was begging. "I don't mind spending a little extra money to make sure someone I care about is happy."

"Someone you care about?" He asked, moving his hand from her shoulder and taking half a step back. He wasn't sure what to make of that description.

"I like you," she admitted with a shrug. "You're a nice man, you're funny and you're interesting," he looked down, he had never been good at taking compliments. "I really don't mind paying for a brick wall if it will make your life a little more comfortable."

"It's just a wall, Beatrice," he laughed off. "I have no attachments to it."

She looked saddened by his comment. "I still think preserving as much of the original feel is important."

"Thank you for taking the extra step," he told her. "I appreciate it." He moved in and hugged her to express his gratefulness. She felt perfect in his arms, like she belonged there, but she was tense, so he let go.

"Right," she whispered. "Well, I have to go, I have rehearsals."

"It's almost eight at night!"

"Yes, I had a busy day, but I have to rehearse my solo and I can do that on my own schedule."

"You can rehearse here anytime," he offered enthusiastically, his hands showing her the training area. "Whenever you want."

"I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow."

(...)

On Saturday, RJ was sweeping some of the debris from the dining area when he saw her come into the yard, in a summer dress with a purple flower print. Her orange hair was in a braid to the side of her head and she looked in much better spirits than she had the last few days.

He smiled at her when she opened the door and stepped in.

"Hey there," he greeted. "You look in very high spirits today!"

"I am in high spirits," she told him with a smile. "Today is a special day." She put her hand in her bag, pulling out a small box, wrapped in purple paper. "Happy birthday!" She said, handing him the present.

"How did you know? You shouldn't have," he said, taking the box. "You wrapped it in purple."

"It's your favorite color," she said happily. "There was a photocopy of your driver's license in the stack of papers you gave me when we met, that's how I know today is your birthday."

He was in shock at the fact she knew his favorite color, he couldn't remember ever telling her, and that she had made a mental note of his birth date on the day they met.

"Thanks," he told her, feeling his cheeks blush. With a child-like laugh, he tore the paper off to find the present was a cellphone, the latest model of the top line, just like hers. He thought about giving it back but remembered how hurt she looked when he told her about the wall. He smiled widely at her. "Thank you! I guess I really needed one of these," he told her.

"Glad you liked it!"

"Are you busy today?" He asked. "My friends are out of town. I don't want to spend my birthday alone," he smiled at her and thought he could take it a bit further this time. "I'd rather spend it with you."

She blushed and smiled. "I happen to be free today."

"Great! We could have lunch together," he offered, pointing at her and then at himself. "I can make us a pizza."

"The kitchen is still under construction," she pointed out.

"The ingredients are still there, and I have an oven upstairs."

"Are you sure you want to cook? It's your birthday."

"And what better way to spend it than doing what I love in the company of someone I..." He stopped himself right before he said 'love'. "Care about?" He finished and she blushed again, biting her lower lip.

"Fair enough."

(..)

Upstairs, he set the ingredients on the counter and opened the fridge to get the rest. She put the pepperoni next to the other stuff and took a seat in one of the stools.

He turned the oven on, to preheat it, and took his time cleaning the counter properly and washing his hands. She was on her phone, sending texts while he did all of this.

"I thought you said you were free," he commented while he dried his hands.

"I am," she told him, setting her phone aside. "Is there anything I can help you with? I'm not a great cook but I think I could manage something simple."

"You can help me with the cheese," he said with a smile, taking out a large bowl and setting it on the corner. "You can grate it while I make the dough."

"Are you sure this isn't too much trouble? We could order something in."

He dismissed her with swipe of his hand in the air between them. "Nonsense, I love cooking. Besides, you've done a lot for me and the least I can do is cook for you."

"RJ, you don't have to feel obliged to repay me," she told him. "Saving your business is my business."

"Maybe," he conceded, pouring cups of flour in the bowl. "But you didn't have to save it with your own money, or go the extra step to keep the kitchen intact," he added salt to the flour and filled a measuring cup with water. "Buying me a birthday present or noticing my favorite color are not your business." He added, his blue eyes staring into her hazel ones. "You did that because you're a great human being."

"That's not it," she whispered, averting her gaze from his to grab the grater and the cheese. She nodded to herself and took a deep breath.

RJ watched her take the chunk of cheese and it was too big for her delicate hand. He grabbed her wrist with one hand and the cheese with the other. She took in a sharp breath when he grabbed her wrist and stared at the point where his hand was making contact with her skin. He took the cheese from her hand, cut it into three smaller pieces and handed her one. She took it and pressed it against the grater.

(...) (this is where it goes a bit off the rails and why I stopped writing it)

"I can't..." She whispered. She breathed in deeply and then slid the cheese up and down a few times, before letting go of both cheese and grater and getting up. "I can't do this, I have to go." She said quickly, grabbing her bag and her phone.

"Beatrice, wait!" He called, running around the counter to catch her before she reached the stairs. He put a hand on her shoulder, his face full of concern. "What's wrong?"

"I can't stay, I'm sorry," she said quickly, sounding like she was on the verge of tears.

"Please, talk to me," He felt very happy with the idea of spending his birthday with her, he wanted to talk to her more, get to know her better. He didn't want her to leave him alone. "Stay with me."

"You are a very complex man," she whispered. "Most of the times I can't tell if..."

"If what?"

"If you like me or if you like me," she said, looking down the stairs.

"I do like you," He wanted to take her hand and tell her he had thought of nothing else but her since he had met her but it felt inappropriate.

She rolled her eyes. "Look," she started, her hand on his wrist, softly pushing his hand off her shoulder. "You're not interested, I get it. And it's fine, I'm not going to shoot your business down because of that, I'm not that kind of person. You don't have to do this."

Now he was genuinely confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Please," she begged. "I get it, you're not interested in..." She pressed her lips together, looking for the words. "My offer," her eyes moved to his. "And that's fine. Your restaurant is safe, you don't have to worry."

"I don't follow--"

"You drive me crazy, okay?" she told him bluntly. "But you don't have to do this, we can be business partners, we'll have our six dinners because they're in the contract and then you won't have to see me again."

"But I don't want to stop seeing you," he whispered. He looked at her face and she was on the verge of tears. Her words sank in. "When you say I drive you crazy, you don't mean I get on your nerves, do you?"

"No," she sniffed and he moved a hand to caress her hair but she stopped him. "You don't have to do this. It's fine, really."

"You think I'm not interested in you," he concluded.

"It's obvious you're not," she said after a deep breath. "Like I said, that's fine."

"No, Beatrice--"

"I'll get over it."

"You drive me crazy," he admitted. She looked at him stunned. "I've been trying to navigate the line between being a gentleman and showing my interest. I guess it came off as me not being interested but trying to keep you hooked to save my business."

"You are interested?"

"I want nothing more," he told her, moving closer to her. "You set on fire a part of me I thought was dead. I had given up on feeling like this ever again but you..." He took a deep breath. He didn't want to sound like a lustful teenager. "You're smart and though but still sweet," he realized from the look on her face that he was confusing her again. "You're gorgeous. You've been putting yourself out there and I have noticed."

"RJ, you're gorgeous too," she whispered. "That's the first thing I noticed about you. But you're also a great man and I..." she closed her mouth, as if she was holding back what she wanted to say.

He wrapped an arm around her waist. "Please, stay with me," he whispered in her ear. She closed her eyes and he felt her weight increase on his arm, as if her knees had gone weak suddenly.

"I can't," she whispered back and she sounded really hurt. "This isn't..."

"This isn't what?" He pulled her closer.

"This isn't what you want," she told him, pushing his arm away. "This isn't what you signed up for."

"No, it isn't," he admitted. "And it isn't what you signed up for either, but here it is." He took her hand. "Please, stay. I want you here, I want to cook for you, I want to talk to you--"

"I want you," she interrupted. "I want to kiss you, I want to make love to you, I want to cuddle with you," she bit her lip again. "I want you."

"I want you too," he said honestly.

"RJ," she said, pulling her hand away from his. "I swear your business is fine, I won't shoot you down, you don't have to do this. Just let me go, I'll lick my wounds and get over it," she stepped towards the stairs and RJ despaired. "It'll be fine."

He stepped forward and wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her towards him from behind. He buried his face on her neck and kissed it lightly. Her knees went weak and held her up, close to his body. "It will not be fine," he whispered in her ears. "If I let you go, we will live the rest of our lives wondering what would have happened if you had stayed. I don't want to live like that," he kissed her neck again and she took in a sharp breath. "I want you, I am not pretending, I have never felt obliged to do anything in my life and I'm not about to start now." She turned her head to the side, pushing him away from her neck. "I want you and maybe I wasn't clear about that, but I swear that if I didn't want you, you would know for sure." He pressed his forehead against her temple. "Please, stay with me. Let's ride this wave, let's see where it takes us."

She turned in his embrace, her breathing shallow. "Don't take my offer if you don't want it for real. I don't deserve that."

"I wouldn't take it if I didn't want it for real," he told her.

He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, in the kiss he had been wanting for so long. Her knees didn't go weak this time. Quite the opposite, in fact. She put her hand on the back of his head and deepened the kiss, making it more passionate and offering him something he couldn't say no to anymore, something he didn't want to turn down this time. He pulled her closer and pressed his body against hers, his hands moving down her back from her waist until they were resting on her buttocks. He pulled her to him and she let out a soft moan in his mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tightly, as if he might get away from her if she didn't hold on tight enough.

She broke the kiss and buried her face on his neck. "You drive me crazy," she whispered. "Your eyes, your stubble, your smile, your arms, your butt... I want you so much. I want to discover you, to know what turns you on, what drives you wild..."

He had lost his train of thought; her words and her breath and lips on his neck driving all thought from his mind. She pulled back from his neck, her hand caressing his face tenderly. He opened his eyes to look at her. "Please, stay with me," he begged. "We can have lunch, we can talk, we can make love, but only if you stay."

#power rangers #power rangers jungle fury #fanfic #fanficion #RJ+OC #Unfinished #Excerpt

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