Taste of Melanin

Another

"Good morning!" Lyric Smalls smiled brightly as she made her way around the opening kitchen staff of Grove House.

Those not hustling about took a moment to acknowledge her before joining the others in getting the restaurant prepared to open. She admired the way their black and silver attire matched the spotless black and silver kitchen appliances around them.

Grove House was a modern restaurant that highlighted Latin American cuisine. It was started in 2003 by Refugio Vidal and quickly climbed the ladder in the Chicago area before earning its first Michelin star in 2009. The next two were earned by 2017 and had maintained them ever since.

Lyric navigated her way towards the back office before softly knocking on the black, wooden door. A 'come in' sounded from behind the frosted glass before she entered.

"Mornin' handsome." She cheered as she sat on one of the chairs in front of the large desk.

"Good morning, Ms. Smalls." Refugio smiled brightly at her. His greying appearance and wrinkled skin warned that the man was getting older.

"I went to the bank already, here are the certified receipts," she opened the folder in her lap to pass him the envelope, "and I have the originals for your 2020 taxes. Also, your extension for 2019 has been accepted so we can work on that later."

Lyric rattled off as she placed the information on his desk. She'd worked for Grove House for nearly six years now. She was the company's private accountant as well as helped Refugio with his personal ventures.

"Thank you. I let it slip my mind." He mumbled as he took the piles of receipts to place them back into the organizer she'd gotten him. "That's why I can always count on you."

"Night and day." Her smile was unconscious knowing the bond they'd cultivated over the years.

"Speaking of night, Arlo's flight landed last night so he should be coming in later today. We'll need to get him situated and back on the books as executive chef." Refugio coughed after the announcement, masking Lyric's hitched breathing.

"I thought he was going to be in Columbia for the rest of the year?" Sitting up higher on her seat, she nervously began picking at her nails.

"No, his abuelita sent him back. You know the climate, she doesn't want her grandson getting mixed up with the wrong crowd." He explained with a smile as he recalled the words of his mother.

"Oh," Lyric settled, "that's great. I'll get right on that."

Arlo Vidal was Refugio's oldest son at 29. With a passion for food, he attended culinary school before working his way up to executive chef. The man was one of the best cooks she'd ever met and managed to create new recipes like it was nothing.

She'd first met him nearly 4 years ago after finally agreeing to work in store with Refugio due to their conflicting schedules. The man was absolutely breathtaking to 24 year old Lyric and the two quickly became close.

What started as simple flirting over the rows of bustling staff quickly morphed into the two becoming intimate. Years of unsatisfactory sex for the young woman was squashed by the, then, 25 year old line cook.

She would never admit it, but he'd been the first man to give her an orgasm despite them never fully having sex. The lack of penetration was unfulfilling to Lyric in the beginning but the more the man orally pleased her, the more she realized she had a misunderstanding of what intimacy really was.

The on and off sexual relationship was all Arlo seemed to be seeking despite Lyric quickly developing feelings. In order to preserve her mind, she cut off the relationship two years in. Her avoidance of the man was relieved once she knew he'd be going to Columbia.