Wendy Pt. 05

"How did it go with the Chef?" Mary asked. "I was surprised when you didn't come back to the office."

"Really good," Wendy said, moving back a step as Mary slid into the pool, wrapping herself around her and kissing her.

"Mmm, I love the taste of me on your mouth," she said, smiling.

"And I love the taste of you on my mouth, too," Wendy laughed as they held each other, their legs entwined. "He's tall, very good looking in a sexy way, especially his smile. He has curly black hair, big black eyes, and has an incredibly gentle demeanor. It was very...comfortable to be around him."

"He sounds perfect," Mary said, sighing. "If he has a big cock, too..."

"We didn't get that far," Wendy laughed, "though he did get a good look at my pussy, twice," she said, then told Mary about the tour that they had taken.

"And he didn't make any comment about it, make a pass at you or anything?" Mary asked.

"He made an oblique compliment that could have been taken any number of ways," Wendy replied. "He didn't make me feel embarrassed or anything."

"Didn't you talk about the job?" Mary asked.

"No, just about life," Wendy replied. "He talked about inspiration and negative energy stifling creativity. I think his impression of the city will play a part in his decision to accept the position if we think he's the right person for it. It seemed important to him that he live in a positive space."

"He sounds interesting," Mary said.

"Yes, he certainly is," Wendy agreed. "Now we just need him to be the chef that we're looking for. He's the first person that didn't make some comment about my age when I told him who I was, what my position in the company is."

Wendy knocked on the door to Gianni's suite at 7:50. At the last moment, she had opted to wear the black cocktail dress that Vera had bought her, flushing when she had looked at herself in the mirror and seen her big pale nipples rock-hard and visible pressing against the sheer material.

"You are an angel," Gianni declared when he opened the door and saw her, staring in open admiration. "So much beauty and brains in one person. Is that allowed?" he asked as he stepped out.

"I don't make the rules," Wendy replied, blushing, but nonetheless pleased with the compliment and taking his arm when he offered it.

Wendy saw Jonathan and Vera by the entrance to the restaurant as they approached, Vera's smile and eyes widening when she saw them.

"Chef Gianni Antinori, Jonathan Hooks, our CEO, and his wife, Vera," Wendy introduced.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Chef Antinori," Jonathan said as they shook hands. "I appreciate you taking the time to meet with us."

"You seem to have a talent for having the most beautiful women as your closest confidants," Gianni said, raising Vera's hand to brush the back of it with his lips, smiling. "I am pleased to have this opportunity to speak with you about the position."

"Why don't we do that over dinner?" Jonathan suggested, kissing Wendy on the cheek. "You look delicious," he told her.

"A perfect description," Gianni said, smiling broadly.

"I just love that dress on you," Vera said, hugging her and exchanging kisses.

They were immediately shown to their table and Daryl and Chris were waiting, big smiles on their faces when they saw Wendy, holding out chairs for her and Vera to sit.

"Would you like to start with champagne?" Daryl asked.

"Oh, definitely," Vera replied, smiling.

"We are serving a 1995 Louis Roederer Cristal Vinotheque Edition Brut Millesime this evening," Daryl said, showing Chef Antinori the bottle before pouring a taste into the champagne flute in front of him.

"I'm sure the wines will all be perfect this evening if they are of this quality," he said, smiling. "There is no need to taste them. Please feel free to just pour."

"Why don't we start with you telling us a bit about yourself, Chef?" Jonathan suggested. "Not the things that we can find out about your professional history and accomplishments, but about you."

"I grew up a typical boy in a working family," he replied, smiling. "My father had a small vineyard where he grew the grapes for wine he made for us to drink and to give bottles away to his friends. I used to help him. When I was older, I worked summers in the Villa Antinori vineyards. There is no direct relationship, but my name worked in my favor to get the work."

"So you know wine?" Jonathan asked.

"It was my first passion before I discovered cooking," Gianni replied. "As a boy, I dreamed of growing up to become a vintner. I was aware of the position my family name has and had in the history of Italian wines. The village where I grew up, everyone grew their own spices, sharing them with their neighbors. It was more of a big family than a village, if you can follow what I mean."

Chris began serving the escargot while Daryl began preparing the Caesar salad, Gianni watching him with a smile on his face.

"I decided to try cooking school after I finished my compulsory school and found the creation of different dishes even more fulfilling than creating wine, which takes much time, whereas great food can be created in just minutes. It was then that I dedicated my life to creating great food. Because of the influence of my village, I always tried to source my ingredients locally, and only organically. I value the purity of the food and the sanctity of the body."

"This is very well done," he said, picking up one of the delicate puff pastries from his escargot and flaking it between his fingers. "Very light. Now to taste," he said, spearing one of the snails with his sharp-tined cocktail fork and popping it into his mouth. "Mace!" he said, then laughed. "That is brilliant. I will have to borrow this idea. Ahh, the perfect match," he said, when Chris showed him the bottle of 2020 Pighin Pinot Grigio before pouring.

Wendy saw Jonathan and Vera exchange glances as Daryl served the Caesar salads.

"Very nice," Chef Antinori said after tasting his salad. "I enjoyed your preparation," he said to a clearly pleased Daryl. "Thank you."

"Chef, you have two Michelin-starred restaurants in Italy," Jonathan said. "Why would you want this position?"

"You have seven," Chef Antinori replied, smiling. "You must care a great deal about food. My restaurants are also hands-on training schools for people who wish to learn to work with and create great food. I never worry about being away. I know that my protégés are more than capable of managing things were I to be hit by a bus tomorrow. The restaurants will be fine. You offer a unique opportunity," he continued. "You want to elevate 34 existing restaurants to Michelin stars, a goal that most people would dismiss as impossible."

"But not you?" Jonathan asked, eyeing him.

"Not me," Chef Antinori replied, smiling easily. "I see only an opportunity to be remembered by history as the greatest chef of our times and with more Michelin stars to my credit than any chef has ever achieved."

"A modest goal, I see," Jonathan said, smiling.

"An egomaniacal goal, but I am willing to live with it," Chef Antinori said, laughing. "To have so many restaurants in which I can teach and grow more great chefs and expose great food to more people, I cannot begin to explain how exciting that would be for me. The hair on my arms is standing even now just talking about it."

"And what would requirements would you have to accept the position?" Jonathan asked.

"Absolute total control over every aspect of the restaurants," Chef Gianni replied. "Personnel, menus, food sources, décor, service, everything."

"Do you have any questions of me?" Jonathan asked.

"Only one," Chef Antinori replied, that same easy smile on his face. "Of course, I checked you and the Clandestine Group out to the degree that I am capable before agreeing to accept this meeting, as I'm certain that you did with me. I am aware that you are a very wealthy man and that you carry no debt against any of your properties and that you own them all outright and that Clandestine Group is not a public corporation, that it is privately held by you."

"Go on," Jonathan urged.

"How much are you willing to commit financially to accomplish this goal?" Chef Antinori asked. "You must realize that it will be a very expensive endeavor."

"I do," Jonathan replied. "I've set aside $250 million."

"So much!" Chef Antinori said, sitting back. "I am impressed. And if it should take more?"

"Then it will take more," Jonathan replied evenly. "This matters to me as much as it would matter to you. I am already known as one of the best luxury hoteliers in the world. I want to also be known as the luxury hotelier with the greatest food in the world. I think that on this issue, you and I have common ground."

"I agree," Chef Antinori said, smiling, sitting back as the escargot dishes were cleared. "Are you offering me the position?" he asked, Jonathan smiling broadly.

"One other point, Chef Antinori," Wendy interrupted. "And this should particularly of interest to you. We want to create our own label wines exclusively for our properties, but we want them to be talked about as serious wine, not a vanity stunt."

"Oh, that would not be difficult at all," Chef Antinori said, smiling. "It is only a matter of approaching the highest-quality vineyards and striking an agreement."

"We've been led to believe that the top vineyards wouldn't be interested in doing that, that they're perfectly happy selling all of their wines themselves," Wendy said.

"That is true for their top tier products," Chef Antinori agreed, nodding, "but every vineyard has a second or lesser tier of product, which are still excellent, but overshadowed by their top tier products. It is for these that you would make the arrangement."

"Is this something that you would feel comfortable doing?" Wendy asked.

"I would enjoy the chance," Chef Antinori replied, laughing. "If nothing else, my name and also my reputation as a chef will get me in the door for a discussion. One thing that you should consider is hiring the services of a professional wine consultant to help determine what wines you will be offering, as you will need to invest in extensive, high-quality wines from all of the wine-producing countries of the world to achieve your goals."

"My knowledge of wines is not little, but I achieved my Michelin stars only using Italian wines, for which I am very proud, but for what you want to do, with properties all around the world, you should have a single standard wine list with the ability to make room for local products for individual properties that you might not carry elsewhere, like your Tokyo property. You would want to have a selection of Japanese wines that wouldn't necessarily be in demand at your other properties. Make bulk purchases, warehouse it in one location, and allocate it to the various properties as needed."

"You seem to have done your homework, Chef," Jonathan said, smiling.

"I have seen the metaphorical pot of gold at the end of the rainbow in what you would like to accomplish," Chef Antinori said, smiling, his eyes shining with excitement. "I wanted to have some idea of what I was getting into, to know that it would be possible and also worth changing my life for."

"And you think that it is?" Jonathan asked.

"I wouldn't be sitting here if I didn't," Chef Antinori replied as the entrées were served. He smiled when Daryl showed him the bottle of 2001 Altesino, Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli before pouring. "When was it opened?" he asked, picking up his glass and swirling it, holding it up to the light, its deep purple color glinting.

"Two and a half hours ago," Daryl replied.

"Such an exquisite wine," Chef Antinori sighed after tasting it. "I have it in both of my restaurants and I never tire of drinking it. Thank you."

"A pleasure, sir," Daryl said.

"Well, Wendy?" Jonathan asked.

"Chef Antinori," Wendy said, "we would like to offer you the position as our executive chef. Would you be interested?"

"Yes," he replied simply, smiling. "Thank you. I accept."

"Don't you want to know about your compensation package?" Wendy asked, stunned.

"I'm sure that it will be adequate," he said. "I'm more interested in what we are going to build together."

Jonathan laughed at the look on Wendy's face.

"I'd say that you've found the perfect person for the job, Wendy," he said.

"It bothers you that I am unconcerned about the details of getting paid?" Chef Antinori asked Wendy, smiling.

"Surprised would be a better word," Wendy replied.

"That would describe how I feel about the fact that it is you making this decision and not him," Chef Antinori said.

"That's her job," Jonathan said. "I trust her implicitly. If she wants you, then that's what we're going to do. I happen to agree with her."

"The salary is $150,000 a year," Wendy said. "The suite that you are in goes with the position. You will also receive a bonus of $100,000 for every Michelin star that we acquire."

"More than adequate, very generous," Chef Antinori said, smiling. "Thank you. Now we can enjoy the rest of the meal without these issues interfering with a truly delicious meal."

"You're not married, Chef?" Vera asked.

"No," he replied, shaking his head. "It would not be fair to any woman to be married to me."

"Why would you say that?" Vera asked.

"Because my passion is primarily for creating great food," he replied. "There would be jealousy between them. I would not be able to give the passion to a wife that she deserves because it will have gone into my food."

When Chef Antinori tasted the 5-chocolate pie after a La Spinetta Moscato D'Asti Bricco Quaglia had been poured for dessert, the thick, viscous amber liquid glinting in the glass, he sat back, both hands on the table.

"I would very much like to meet this chef," he said. "Never have I tasted a finer chocolate pie in my life. And the sauce, pistachio, raspberry, and mint, what genius!"

"Daryl, please ask Chef Jean to come to the table," Wendy said.

"Monsieur Hooks, madame, mademoiselle," Chef Jean greeted them with a smile when he approached the table.

"Chef Jean, I'd like to introduce you to Chef Gianni Antinori," Wendy said. "He has just agreed to become the executive chef of the Clandestine Group."

"A pleasure to meet you, Chef," Chef Antinori said, getting to his feet and shaking hands. "I look forward to working with you."

"And I, you," Chef Jean replied. "I was very impressed when you got Michelin stars with only Italian wines. I hope that you enjoyed the selections that I chose for this evening's meal."

"Everything has been marvelous," Chef Antinori replied, resuming his seat. "I think this is the finest chocolate pie I have ever tasted."

"Thank you!" Chef Jean said, beaming happiness.

"Why are you not becoming the executive chef?" Chef Antinori asked. "You clearly have the talent with food for it."

"I was honored to be considered, but that is not what I want to do," Chef Jean replied. "My place is in the kitchen with my staff. It is there that I am the happiest."

"This chocolate pie is going to be on the menu of every single restaurant in this Clandestine Group," Chef Antinori said.

"Thank you, thank you very much," Chef Jean said, clearly elated. "Please, enjoy your desserts. I must return to the kitchen."

"I see now how I will proceed," Chef Antinori said, smiling. "I will travel to each property and meet the chefs and see for myself what they are doing, what they are capable of doing."

"I have an information binder of all 41 properties with copies of their menus for you," Wendy said.

"That will be very helpful," Chef Antinori said.

"Anything you need, any questions, just talk to Wendy," Jonathan said. "If you feel that you need to speak to me, I am always at your disposal. We can meet Monday morning and deal with the contracts and things of that sort. We have some vacant offices in our building. You're welcome to pick one and we'll make sure that it's equipped to your satisfaction."

"No, thank you," Chef Antinori said when he was offered Louis XIII cognac after the coffee had been served. "It is too much. It would unbalance the pleasure of the meal. I think some fresh air would be nice, though."

"We'll leave you in Wendy's capable hands, then," Jonathan said, getting to his feet and holding Vera's chair for her. "Welcome to the family, Chef," he said, reaching across the table to shake hands, Chef Antinori rising to his feet.

"I will not disappoint you," he said, smiling. "We're going to make history together. You will be the man with the vision, I will be the one to make it manifest."

"From your lips to god's ears," Vera said, smiling. "Good-night, Wendy," she said, hugging her and exchanging kisses. "I'm sure that we'll talk soon. Chef, it has been a pleasure to meet you," she said, smiling when he held her hand, but bent down to kiss her on the cheek. "I'm sure that we'll be seeing each other."

"I look forward to that," he said. "Will you join me for some fresh air?" he asked Wendy when they had gone.

"Yes, and I know the very place to go," Wendy said, smiling. "Come with me."

"What is this place?" he asked when they stepped off the elevator into the foyer.

"A place to find fresh air," Wendy replied, laughing. "Come," she said, taking him by the hand and leading him into the living room, the automatic sensors causing the lights to go on.

"What is this place?" he asked, stopping when he saw the paintings on the wall.

"You said that you wanted some fresh air," Wendy replied, enjoying herself.

"Mondrian, Miro, Kandinsky, what is this place?" he asked.

"My living room," Wendy replied. "I live here."

"These are originals," he said, a statement, not a question. "How do you come to have them? This is a beautiful collection. Very valuable, too."

"A friend of Jonathan's, and mine now, too, has a big art collection," Wendy explained. "He keeps most of it in storage, the pieces that he hasn't loaned out to museums. He asked me to store some of it for him."

"And you live here?" he asked, smiling. "Very nice."

"I'm still getting used to it, but yes, it really is very nice," Wendy said.

"I think that I really need that fresh air now," he said, laughing. "This is making my head spin."

Wendy led him out to the pool area, where he stopped, his mouth dropping open.

"Giacometti," he gasped when he saw the sculpture at the head of the pool. "And a water nymph," he added when he saw a naked Mary turn around. She had been leaning against the side of the pool, looking out over the city.

"How can you tell that I'm a nymphomaniac just by looking at me?" she asked, her thick ruby nipples jutting out.

"A water nymph, also known as a naiad," Chef Antinori replied, laughing. "She's a nature diety, usually appearing as a beautiful maiden, as do you, and is considered to be the personification of nature. Are you a nymphomaniac?"

"Pretty much," Mary replied, laughing. "I'm Mary, Wendy's roommate. You must be Chef Antinori."

"Gianni, yes," he replied, smiling.

"Mary's also my PA, personal assistant," Wendy explained, smiling.

"How was dinner?" Mary asked.

"Great," Wendy replied.

"Chef Jean knows his stuff," Mary said, smiling. "You guys coming in or are you just going to stand there staring at me?" she asked. "I don't mind, but it would be a lot more fun if you were in here with me, don't you think?"

"I can see why she is your PA," Gianni laughed. "Her logic is impeccable."

"Shall we join her?" Wendy asked, shrugging the spaghetti straps of her dress off her shoulders, letting it shimmy to the ground, leaving her naked.

"It seems like a reasonable thing to do, since we are here," Gianni replied as Wendy reached for his zipper, sliding it down while smiling at him, then releasing his trousers, hooking her thumbs in the waistbands on each side and pushing them down, kneeling as they went, sticking out her tongue to run around the head of this big, thick cock when it appeared, no underwear in the way, closing her lips on the shaft of his cock just behind the head as she pushed his trousers all the way down to the ground, moaning as she leaned forward to take even more of his cock into her mouth as she pulled his trousers all the way off before letting his now rock-hard cock slip from her mouth, her tongue teasing the slit before standing up and putting her arms around his neck, his shirt already gone, and kissing him while Mary watched open-mouthed from the pool, her hands on her hips.