“Looks like you picked up a lot in those cooking lessons,” I say, impressed by his skill.
His lips quirk at one corner. “I learned this from a school friend. His mother’s family owns a chain of Korean restaurants, so he’d spent some time in the kitchen, learning from the ground up.” He keeps his attention on the food as he sets the pan back on the fire and adds a red sauce. “His grandmother could have given my grandfather a run for his money.”
I remember wondering about his time away from Nueces. Mostly he’d spent it at private schools in another part of the state or another part of the country. It wasn’t until his senior year, we all got to meet the de Marcos’ son. “You keep in touch with your school friends?”
“With him and a couple others,” he says, sounding detached. “His father owns the drilling company we have onsite.”
“Oh.” I take a drink from the hard apple cider. “Is that why you finally decided to lease?” People in town have always talked about the fact the de Marcos obviously had enough money if they didn’t need to pull oil and gas from the property. Though a few whispered it was because it would interrupt whatever illicit business they conducted at the ranch.
I never thought much of it because most of the landowners along the Rio Grande have similar stories from random points in the past. The de Marcos were just an easy target, since they kept to themselves.
“Partly,” Addler continues. “Kelly Oil was willing to do a short-term lease with the option to renegotiate. Leasing out, with the size of the herds we have, isn’t ideal. We’ve already had a third-party vendor’s truck hit a cow. With so many people running around, we’re bound to have more. So, if it doesn’t work out, I won’t renew the lease.”
He sets the pan on the counter and picks up the knife. With quick, sure movements, he slices the steak into even pieces, fanning it out to show the warm, pink center. My mouth waters as he dips a spoon into the wok and drizzles the sauce over the meat. Picking up a fork, he spears a piece and brings it to my mouth.
I want to pull the piece off the tines. He’s watching me so intently, I can’t do it. It’s the way he’s focused on my mouth. Feeling somewhat awkward, I diligently part my lips and let him feed me.
As soon as the bit hits my taste buds, my lids drift closed. Heaven. It’s perfectly cooked, juicy, infused with the mesquite he’s burned for the fire and the rich sauce I’ve never tasted before. It’s so good, I take forever to swallow it. I open my eyes to find him watching me. “Wow, Addler, you’re hella impressive.”
He sets a plate of steak topped with sauce and a side of what Mom calls cowboy potatoes in front of me. “Eat up.” He picks up his beer bottle, letting it dangle from his fingers. “We’ll call it a night early and see what else I can come up with to impress you.”
He takes a drink then digs into his plate while my stomach flip-flops at the implication.
* * *
Addler
“Let me get another drink,” Elena mumbles then all but sprints into the house.
I grin to myself. What did she expect? That bit with her savoring the bite of steak was a mind fuck. With her eyes closed and her making those sounds of enjoyment, it was bound to set me off. I could just as easily have been feeding her cock instead of a random piece of meat for all the joy she got out of it.
My phone buzzes in my back pocket. I set down the serving spoon and pull the cell phone. Ezequiel. Elena will probably take her time, so I have a few minutes to talk in private.
“What’s up?” I ask him, glancing toward the doors, just in case she gathers her bravery and surprises me.
“We hit all the locations on the list. Some shit’s in the wrong place, but we found everything we were supposed to.”
“Okay. That’s one less thing to worry about.” Not that Derrick expected for the loss to come from missing equipment. But it was still worth a look.
“Security’s going to turn in the list on Monday so they can get all the equipment listed in the right place. That way everything’s accounted for you when you’re all official like, Mr. de Marco.”
“She give you any trouble?” I grin, waiting to see what she could have come up with.
“What do you mean?” he asks, hesitantly.
“I don’t know that anyone would appreciate being called in to work on a holiday.” I ignore my conscience reminding me I brought Elena in on a holiday also. And I’ll be keeping her here through the next few days.
“She was on her way to Laredo and turned around. Think she wasn’t too happy to be called in when she wasn’t in uniform, but that’s it.” He pauses. “Other ’an that, she was pretty…accommodating.”
Accommodating. That’s a new one for him. “You heading in?”
“Yeah. Gotta grab a bite then go to bed. It was a long day.”
Working on the ranch means being up and about before the sun’s up. Even though Ezequiel was driving around in an air-conditioned truck, it still sounds like his day sucked. He probably had to deal with shit from the woman. Being how he is, he isn’t going to complain about taking care of business.
While I’d prefer to keep Elena all to myself, I put them out for what equates to a full workday. The least I can do is offer them dinner. “You two want to swing by for dinner and a couple of beers?” I ask grudgingly.
“Nah. She just went out the gate, and I’m not good company,” he admits. “Just need a shower and a bed. I have a lot to catch up on tomorrow.”
“Okay, man. Thanks for dropping everything last minute.” Elena’s at the doorway, ready to come out. “I’ll let you go. Get some rest.”
“Yeah, you, too,” he replies, ending the call.
As I watch Elena returning with drinks, I start planning how to mess with her. I grin to myself, knowing she has to be stressing.