Hell's Smitten (Gordon Ramsay x Reader)

Chapter 76- The Truth

Sunday, July 14th, 2013

When I open the door, Abel is leaned back in the interview chair. His hands are laced together in his lap as he gazes at the ceiling, deep in thought. His eyes snap to mine and he sits up straighter in his chair.

I walk in, looking around the room nervously.

"You have nothing to worry about. I already checked for cameras and audio devices," he says, reading my mind.

"Thank you." I steady myself as I pull out a chair and sit across from him.

"What did you need to talk to me about?"

His light blue eyes search my face as he waits for my answer. I feel hot under his scrutinizing gaze.

"I, uhm..." I gulp. Here goes nothing.

"I have to tell you something that is going to sound insane. I'm telling you because I trust you, Abel. I really hope I'm not wrong in doing so." I push my hair back from my face and meet his eyeline.

He waits in silence.

Guess it's time to rip off the band-aid.

"Gordon and I are together. Romantically."

Abel's eyes widen, but he stays silent.

"His wife is in a relationship with her boyfriend she knew before she met Gordon. He takes care of her while Gordon is away. Because she has a second partner, she allowed him to seek out a second as well. So he's not cheating on her. But it's not like we can tell everyone what's going on."

He nods slightly. "I guessed as much."

Now it's my turn for my eyes to widen.

"What do you mean you guessed?"

"I've spent most of my life quietly observing. I notice things most people don't. You look at him with more adoration than any of the other chefs. He spends more time around you than with anyone else," he pauses. "And he makes you blush. A lot."

Of course, I blush. Silently cursing my bodily functions, I will my cheeks to cool off.

"I'm glad you aren't going behind his wife's back. But why did you tell me this?" He leans back in his chair and regards me with calculating eyes.

I rub my palms across my thighs nervously.

"Because I need your help. The interview team is onto us and I had to get them off our trail. So... I told them I was interested in you." I bow my head sheepishly.

"So you need to appear to be in a relationship with me to keep prying eyes away from your relationship with the Chef?"

I nod, raising my eyes to see what he thinks of the idea.

"You've been honest with me, so I'll be honest with you." His eyes are piercing and I feel my breath shorten as he leans towards me.

"I've been interested in you for some time now. I'll go with your plan and help you keep your relationship a secret, but I can't promise my assistance is selfless."

My heart skips a beat.

"I don't want to seem like I'm trying to take you away from him, because I'm not. I can see why Ramsay would need someone like you. I'm just letting you know that I will take our relationship seriously, even if you don't feel the same way and it ends after the competition."

His proximity to me makes me wonder if he can feel the heat radiating off my body. He's leaned in enough that I can see the gold flecks surrounding his dilated pupils and each strand of his expertly styled light blond hair is highlighted by the soft light directly above us. His perfect lips are slightly parted while his elbows rest on his legs; his hands together in front of him.