Hell's Smitten (Gordon Ramsay x Reader)

Chapter 69- Portions Challenge Part 1/2

Saturday, July 13th, 2013

As I head through the kitchens, Christina follows behind. When I reach the top of the stairs, she clears her throat.

"Come on Chefs, Ramsay needs you guys downstairs in the next ten minutes!" she calls out before descending the stairs.

Red, now clad in her chef's apparel, rushes over to me as soon as Christina reaches the bottom of the steps.

"Did everything go alright?"

I nod. "I let Chef Ramsay know what today means for me. Hopefully he understands."

Red smiles brightly. "You'll do fine today! Be strong like you always are!"

Her confidence in me is endearing. I find myself smiling back at her, even through my anxiety.

The chefs and I file down the steps and line up outside of the kitchens.

Gordon opens his office door and takes the steps two at a time until he arrives in front of us. He grins as he scans the lineup with his arms crossed. His muscles flex as he bounces on the balls of his feet, clearly excited about what he has planned.

"Good morning, Chefs!"

"Morning, Chef!"

"Today's challenge should lift the spirits of quite a few people who are down on their luck. Hell's Kitchen will be sponsoring its first-ever soup kitchen! Now, don't let the name fool you. You'll be making anything you think will win over the people at the soup kitchen, not just soup." He chuckles.

A warm feeling starts in my chest. Maybe doing something good for others will help me to stay positive today.

"We'll be headed to one of Los Angeles soup kitchens. There you will have one hour to prepare fifty small portions of whatever you'd like. The chef with the highest score wins for their team and will get a special reward to share with one other chef. The team who loses will have to clean the entire soup kitchen. With there being seven of you, the men and women at the kitchen should be in for a real buffet, right?"

"Right, Chef!" we shout back.

"Then let's get a move on, the SUVs are waiting for us!" He claps, and we follow him out to the SUVs. My heart skips a beat as Gordon joins the blue team in our SUV and sits down right beside me. To my other side, Abel sits giving me ample room, his hand resting on the space between us. Gordon presses his thigh against mine. I enjoy his warmth.

"What's it like being a dad, Chef?" Dave asks out of the blue midway through our ride.

Gordon considers his question for a moment.

"It's like there's a little drunk person wandering around your house, sticking their pudgy fingers in every little nook and cranny and looking for any opportunity to fall headfirst down your staircase. I can recommend baby gates as your number one purchase." He grins before continuing, "But it's incredibly rewarding. You'll love them more than you can possibly imagine. But it's also important to not neglect your partner for your child. A child depends on you, but your partner does too. Never forget that."

"Thanks, Chef, I won't. Bella already has a little girl but this is my first go at having a kid and I want to be sure I do it right. You know, for her and the kids," Dave says earnestly.

"Well, if you ever make her upset, the next day be sure to cook her up a delicious breakfast and serve it to her in bed. I've found that nothing helps to start the mending process after an argument like early morning breakfast," Gordon suggests.

My stomach sinks. How many breakfasts in bed has he made Tana? Meanwhile, I've only been able to eat one meal that he'd made himself for me. I try not to be jealous since I know he always tries his best, but I can't help how I feel. My stomach drops even further as I consider the special bond formed between them by having children together. What if that never happens for us?