Hollywood Merman PG-13 Version Page 13

  ***

  For the final episode of Hell’s Kitchen there were two chefs competing against each other - Emma Lewis and Bernardo Rossi. Emma’s dream was to open up her own bakery someday and Bernardo wanted to open his very own Italian restaurant, following in his father’s footsteps.

  Emma and Bernardo had a brigade of chefs made up of their former competitors on the show. These chefs were in charge of different stations: fish, meat, garnish, and appetizer.

  Emma and Bernardo were competing for the chance to be Chef Ramsay’s next Head Chef at his new restaurant in Las Vegas! However, when Emma and Bernardo entered Hell’s Kitchen it was to discover that the restaurant had been split into not just two, but three different restaurants.

  What the hell? Both Emma and Bernardo thought at the same time.

  “What’s going on?” Emma asked Chef Ramsay.

  “Today’s Season Finale has a special twist and one final challenge for you both to overcome. We have a special guest today and a very special competitor - the owner of Poseidon’s Trident, seafood chef, Levi Devlin! Also known as The Brawler Chef!”

  “Levi Devlin?” Emma’s eyes turned into two pink hearts. “He’s here?” She looked around Hell’s Kitchen excitedly, and began to smooth back her hair that had been pulled back into a tight bun. “He’s going to be here? Really? I thought he was busy filming The Little Merman?” I wonder if I’ll be able to get his autograph.

  “He was but there’s that scandal about him, you know?” Bernardo piped up. “About how he’s an ex-convict. Maybe the filming has been stopped because of it.” He laughed cruelly.

  Chef Ramsay nodded grimly. “Sadly, you’re right, Bernardo. Filming has been temporarily postponed because of the scandal. That’s why Levi is competing against you both today in order to win the chance to tell his side of the story. But he’ll only get to do this if he beats the two of you by having the highest percentage of customers wanting to eat his food again. As you know this will be calculated from the customer comment cards.”

  “Wait, what about the position of Head Chef?” Bernardo asked worriedly and with a slight tinge of anger in his voice. He’d already made it this far and was ready to beat Emma. The last thing he needed was another hurdle to overcome.

  “Either you or Emma will be winning that. Levi is just fighting for the chance to speak out and to show his skills as a chef. Before you guys get too worried, Levi has another handicap. He has to come up with a menu on the spot using the leftover ingredients from the two of you after you’ve sent out each dish.” Chef Ramsay explained.

  Emma frowned at the unfair handicap. “He’s going to use our leftover ingredients.” She shook her head. “That’s crazy.”

  “He doesn’t stand a chance.” Bernardo chuckled and looked pleased. “I almost feel sorry for the ex-convict. Almost.” The Italian-American cracked his knuckles. “But I’m the one who’s going to be winning this thing!”

  “No, I am!” Emma objected with a fierce look in her blue eyes. Emma may have been a simple country girl from Nashville, Tennessee, but she was ready to give it her all in the competition today. Back in her hometown, she’d always won the pie baking contests and had a passion for cooking.

  “I’m glad you’re both so enthusiastic about this. Let’s bring out your brigades, shall we?” Chef Ramsay said with an amused smirk on his face. Emma and Bernardo’s brigades entered the two kitchens, and took their places at their assigned stations.

  “Now, let’s introduce Levi Devlin and his line chef brigade - Derek Dearg, Malakye Sterling and Garth Mackenzie!” Chef Ramsay announced in a loud voice.

  Directly across from the two kitchens on the other side of Hell’s Kitchen - a makeshift kitchen had been set up as well as a small restaurant. From a side door, Levi, Derek, Malakye, and Garth emerged into the open kitchen. Levi took his place at the fish station, and Derek took his place behind the meat station. Malakye would be covering garnish and appetizers while Garth would be handling dessert. Apparently, Levi would not only be supervising his line chefs, but cooking with them.

  Emma’s eyes sparkled as she caught sight of the handsome chefs. “It’s hottie overload over there.” She began to fan herself with her hand.

  Bernardo rolled his eyes at Emma. “Oh brother…they look like musicians in a rock band - not chefs.” Those flashy punks don’t stand a chance. I’ll make sure to leave them barely anything to work with.

  ***

  Action heroine, Vivien Tempest wasn’t sure why Dylan and her sister Audrey had just shown up out of the blue at her hotel suite at the Fairmount Hotel. They’d claimed that they wanted to have dinner with her and that Dylan was going to cook her something special - but she wasn’t buying it.

  Vivien had raised an eyebrow at Dylan’s announcement. “You know how to cook?” She was pretty sure the man had his own personal chef.

  Dylan’s smile was smooth. “There isn’t anything I can’t do.”

  “Uh huh.” Vivien gave Dylan a skeptical look. He’s looking down on cooking. It’s not as easy and some might think. It will be hard for him to top Levi’s cooking. Stop thinking about Levi, Vivien.

  Thirty minutes later…

  Vivien sniffed the air. “Uh…Dylan…it smells like something’s burning.”

  “Oh crap!” The actor swore and ran for the kitchen. The sound of the oven being opened and closed was heard. Then more swearing.

  Vivien giggled. Dylan had screwed up cooking her dinner but she didn’t mind. In fact, the whole occurrence made Dylan seem more human, more approachable, and less like the unreachable celebrity she still tended to view him as.

  Audrey gave her a disapproving look. “Don’t be so ungrateful. Dylan Black is cooking dinner for the likes of you.”

  Vivien gave her sister a sly look. “I know…so why are you here too? You do realize you’re like a total third wheel on our romantic dinner, right?”

  Audrey flushed. “I…I…”

  However, before Audrey could form an appropriate response, Vivien’s cell phone rang. Vivien pulled out her smart phone and saw that Teresa was calling her. She swiped the screen and answered the call. “Hey, Teresa, what’s up?”

  “Hey girl, Director Maverick forgot to tell you about a change he made to the script. I have the altered script right here for you. But I’m kind of in a hurry, think you could meet me in the lobby?”

  “A script change? I’ll be right there.” Vivien ended the call. “Sis, Teresa needs me to go down and pick up an altered script. She’s in a hurry so she’s in the lobby. I’ll be right back.” Vivien stood up.

  Audrey reached out and quickly grabbed Vivien’s wrist. “No, wait!”

  Vivien gave her sister a curious look. “What is it?”

  “Uh…never mind.” Audrey forced herself to let go of Vivien. “Be quick about it.” She huffed. “You don’t want to keep Dylan waiting, do you?”

  “Right.” Vivien gave her sister a strange look before heading down to the lobby. She spotted Teresa and waved. “Hey Teresa.”

  “Vivien!” Teresa called out and that’s when Vivien noted that Urban was standing next to her.

  “What’s going on, guys?” Vivien asked them suspiciously.

  “It’s Levi. He’s going to be on the final episode of Hell’s Kitchen tonight as a guest star.” Teresa revealed hurriedly.

  “What? This is the first I’m hearing about this.” Vivien frowned. Is this what Audrey and Dylan were trying to keep from me?

  “That’s probably because your sister and Dylan didn’t want you to know.” Teresa said echoing Vivien’s inner thoughts. “Levi is working hard to fix his image so he can continue to play the role of the merprince alongside you, Vivien.”

  “Levi.” Vivien had assumed that everything was over between them. She’d been blackmailing Levi after all to be in the movie and with the scandal about him being an ex-convict if Director Maverick decided to fire him he’d be free…so why? Why was Levi tryin
g to stay a part of the movie? It couldn’t be because of her…right? This doesn’t make any sense. This can’t be because of me, right?

  Vivien’s mind was whirling with questions. Levi hadn’t really meant what he’d said…about being in love with her, right? Besides, that was impossible. No one fell in love that fast.

  “If he wins the best customer response with the most customers saying they’d return to his restaurant then he’ll be given the chance to tell his side of the story.” The bodyguard explained while keeping an eye out for signs of Audrey or Dylan. If they appeared abruptly, he was prepared to pick up Vivien and more or less kidnap her. Right now, she needed to be at Hell’s Kitchen.

  “I know you’re dating Dylan and all, but…Levi is still your friend, right? Shouldn’t you be there for him tonight? I think he needs your support, girl.” Teresa advised while giving Vivien an urgent look.

  Vivien chewed on her lower lip, hesitating. Levi and her having sex…had been a huge mistake. She barely remembered it because she’d been so drunk. Levi wasn’t the guy for her. Dylan was. Dylan was the perfect guy. He had money, social status, good looks and the approval of her parents.

  Whereas Levi was…just the owner of a restaurant, had awful social status because of the whole ex-convict thing and to top it all off Levi wasn’t even human. He was a merman. A different species.

  All Vivien wanted was to have a ‘normal life’ with a husband her parents accepted and a couple of kids she’d name after celebrities. Could she and Levi even reproduce? Probably not. And if she did have Levi’s child - he’d be a freak. He’d probably have gills or webbed feet or something. It would be like having an alien’s baby. She shuddered as she remembered a scene from some horror film.

  But…

  Despite all that…

  When Vivien pictured Levi in her mind her heart beat a little faster. Levi was just so incredibly handsome and otherworldly with his sky-blue hair that had to be natural since the curtains matched the drapes. His deep blue eyes reminded her of the deep sea. The merman’s skin was pale but with golden hues just beneath the surface. His body was amazing, and incredibly muscular, but not too bulky.

  Beautiful. Powerful. Animalistic. Male.

  I don’t love him…I’m just…worried about him. Vivien said firmly to herself. And we’re friends. Coworkers. She looked up at Teresa and Urban who were patiently waiting for her response. Vivien knew she must have looked like an idiot thinking to herself and making funny faces. But there was a steely look in her eyes now. “Let’s go…to Hell’s Kitchen.”

  Urban and Teresa grinned from ear-to-ear, and high-fived. “Hell yeah, now we’re talking girl.” Teresa said happily. It was pretty easy to guess what ‘team’ they were on, but for the time being Vivien was a part of that team too.

  ***

  Chef Ramsay spoke to the Maitre d’ Enzo. “Alright, you can start admitting customers to Hell’s Kitchen!”

  “Yes, Sir.” Maitre d’ Enzo replied with an elegant bow.

  Customers began to enter Hell’s Kitchen, and a third of them were seated at Emma’s restaurant, which she’d named Fairy Dust. This was also the name Emma wished to use when she one day managed to open up her very own bakery and café. Her restaurant’s logo that was on the menu cover was of a fairy touching the words Fairy Dust with a sparkling wand that was releasing a trail of glittering fairy dust.

  A third of the customers were also seated at Bernardo’s restaurant that was named La Bella Luna (The Beautiful Moon) and his restaurant’s logo that was on the front of his menu was a white crescent moon on a blue background. This was the name Bernardo wanted to use for when he one day opened up his very own Italian restaurant. His father owned a successful restaurant back in Italy, and it was because Bernardo’s father had been a chef that he’d gotten into cooking to begin with.

  Lastly, the remaining third of the customers were seated at Poseidon’s Trident. Levi stood behind his station watching the customers filling his restaurant. A wave of discouragement swept over him as he wondered why he was even doing this. What was the point of fixing his image when Vivien wouldn’t even talk to him or look at him? Did she even want him to be a part of the movie anymore? He couldn’t help but wonder.

  However, at that exact moment a stunning blonde entered the restaurant. She was tall and with those black stilettos on her feet, she was taller than six feet. Her body was fit and she was wearing a blue and green sequined dress with a dramatic fishtail. Her golden hair was loose and framed her face in layers. The blonde had a blue and silver clutch in her hand. She was also wearing a pair of large, round sunglasses and when she removed them this revealed her aquamarine eyes.

  Their gazes met. “Vivien.” Levi breathed. He couldn’t believe it. Vivien…was there!

  Time stopped and the world seemed to slow down around them until it was just the two of them standing and staring at each other from across the restaurant. Urban and Teresa were standing right behind Vivien and gave Levi a conspiratorial thumbs-up.

  Sparks seemed to pass between their locked gazes and then the rest of the world came into focus abruptly as dozens of camera flashes went off all at once. People were taking pictures of Levi and Vivien staring at each other. Levi still couldn’t believe that she was there, and pinched his arm. “Ow.” He wondered how she’d managed to ditch her watchful sister and boyfriend Dylan. At that moment, Vivien smiled at him and offered Levi a thumbs-up of her own.

  The customers went wild. “Oh my God, look it’s Vivien Tempest!” “Vivien…where?” “She looks so beautiful.” “She came to support Levi.” “What about her boyfriend Dylan?” “Who cares!” “Levi and Vivien for the win!”

  Derek was smiling devilishly, “You two are going to be all over Twitter, YouTube and Facebook again.”

  Malakye had his smart phone out and was already checking Twitter and other social networking sites. “Yep…pictures of them staring romantically at each other and with longing are already all over the Internet.”

  Romantically? With longing? Levi flushed at Malakye’s words. “Shut up, Mal.”

  Garth thumped Levi happily on the back. “Show her what you can do, Levi. Impress her…impress all of them.”

  Levi nodded, a fierce look in his blue eyes. “Yeah, let’s do this guys. Let’s show them what we’ve got!” He cracked his neck from side-to-side. Garth crackled his knuckles. Derek just smiled. Malakye looked nervous and was wringing his hands together. He’d be up first since it was his responsibility to take care of the appetizers. No pressure.

  Levi’s chest swelled with warmth. Vivien had escaped her family and boyfriend to be there and support him. All right! The merman suddenly felt pumped. He could do this! He would do this! He would show them all what an amazing chef he’d become…all thanks to his teacher Chef Burns. He’d prove to them that everyone deserved a second chance. Humans…and even demons!

  Lots of chefs only used the best cuts of meat and discarded the rest. But that didn’t necessarily mean their dishes would be the best. What it all boiled down to were things like seasoning, preparation, creativity, sauce and garnish. Also a dish had to have balance and harmony. The high quality of the meat could overwhelm the rice and vegetables that accompanied it if not prepared properly.

  Vivien took a seat at one of the tables, put her napkin in her lap, and waited with baited breath. Urban and Teresa took a seat at a table right next to hers. That way if Levi decided to come over and sit with Vivien for a moment or something nothing would be holding him back. Team Levi was that good.

  Emma and Bernardo immediately got started on directing their brigades to get their first dish out. Both were competing with a different Italian Five Course Meal. The first dish to be sent out would be the antipasto, which meant ‘before the meal’. Emma had decided to make bruschetta - Italian bread, toasted, and served with olive oil, tomatoes and herbs. Bernardo had decided to serve an antipasto salad with rolled cold cuts, olives, mozzarella, and tomatoes.


  As soon as the first dish had been served to all of the customers in Fairy Dust and La Bella Luna, Chef Ramsay gathered all of the leftover ingredients on an enormous stainless steel tray, and took it over to Poseidon’s Trident. Malakye was in charge of the appetizers so Chef Ramsay set the tray of ingredients down at his station.

  Levi walked over to Malakye’s station, and took one look at the leftover ingredients before he went to fetch a few jars of mini plastic tridents. He made his way back over to Malakye and set the tridents down on the counter. Levi knew that Malakye would know what to do without having to say anything.

  Malakye nodded and immediately got to work making tons of mini trident shish kebabs by skewering tomato pieces, mozzarella, folded pieces of cold cuts, olives, and arugula. Malakye made ten mini shish kebabs per plate, and the dishes were quickly carried out to their waiting customers.

  Levi nodded in approval at the final dish. As the customers watched Malakye making the mini shish kebabs at top speed his swift and graceful movements impressed them. But what had them groaning in bliss was the special dressing Malakye had made and which accompanied the mini shish kebabs in a small porcelain bowl for easy dipping.

  For the primo, or ‘second dish’, Emma had decided to make fried polenta cakes. In Italy pasta was usually a first course, or primo, and served as an appetizer. Not as a main event. Soup, rice and polenta were other options for the primo. Bernardo decided to go all out and make lasagna for his primo.

  After the primo dishes were completed for Fairy Dust and La Bella Luna, Chef Ramsay carried the leftover ingredients to Poseidon’s Trident. Levi took one look at the leftovers and decided to make polenta lasagna. Levi spread layers of polenta, pesto and sauce in a baking dish and baked it for 25 minutes. The merman topped the finished product with freshly grated cheese, and cut the lasagna into squares, which he quickly served on the plates that were waiting for him on the long counter. As soon as Levi was finished the waitresses, who were standing by, immediately took out the dishes to the customers.

  When the freshly made pesto hit Levi’s customers’ taste buds they moaned in delight. The women were rubbing their thighs together and arching their backs at the sheer pleasure his food was giving them. “Mmm, so good!” “Heavenly!” “More…I need more!”

  Levi smirked at the women’s erotic reactions and flushed faces. “It wasn’t much.” And you ain’t seen nothing yet, ladies.

  It was soon time for the il secondo, or ‘second course’. This was the main course and usually consisted of chicken, meat or fish. The portions were usually small. The contorno was a platter of vegetables that would be accompanying the main course. Bernardo decided to make grilled tuna steaks with grilled zucchini on the side. He smiled evilly, thinking that by taking the best parts of the tuna Levi would hardly be left with anything to work with. Emma had decided to make grilled sirloin steak for her il secondo with garlic-mashed potatoes on the side.

  After the il secondo and contorno were carried out to all of the customers of Fairy Dust and La Bella Luna, Chef Ramsay gathered up the leftover ingredients and carried them over to Levi’s station. Levi looked down at the remains of a giant tuna fish, and pieces of sirloin steak. Emma’s line chef had cut the potatoes in half and scooped out the centers, which had left the potato skins. “Derek, come get the meat and potatoes. I expect you to come up with something good.”

  Derek approached Levi’s station and picked up the tray that had the meal and potatoes on it. “You got it, Boss.” He carried the tray over to his station so that Levi could get to work on his dish.

  Levi picked up his favorite chopping knife, pulled the tuna in front of him on the cutting board, and began to chop the tuna up with rapid speed. The tuna, its head, and its bones all became one fine mixture in a matter of seconds. Levi then pulverized this mixture with the guts in a bowl using a hand grinder. After that he chopped up some sliced green onion, celery, and dill weed.

  The customers of Poseidon’s Trident began to ‘Ooh’ and ‘Ahh’ as they watched Levi cook. “Did you just see what he did to that tuna?” Normally to do what Levi had done to the tuna it would have taken a blender. But Levi had been able to do it using just his knife. “Amazing…he chopped up those vegetables in seconds!” Another customer chimed in.

  In a medium bowl, Levi mixed the fish, one egg, celery, green onion, dill, and garlic powder together into a paste. He then formed the mixture into golf ball sized balls and rolled them in wheat germ to coat. Levi heated oil in a large skillet over medium heat and flattened the balls slightly before frying them for ten minutes until they were golden brown.

  A tempting scent began to waft through the air from Levi’s kitchen from the frying croquettes, and the waiting customers began to salivate in anticipation. “Mmm, I can’t wait to taste that!” “It smells so good.”

  Derek decided to make spicy Italian chili using the leftover steak, and potato skins with melted cheddar cheese and bacon bits on top. The skin of the potato is more nutritious than the inside and actually more flavorful. Derek diced up the leftover steak using this favorite cleaver, and added it to a stewpot with garlic and chopped onions until it heated up. He added oregano, chili powder, cumin and salt. After that he added a splash of beer and let it simmer for five minutes. He added some diced tomatoes and salt, and let it simmer for five more minutes. Lastly, Derek added some pinto beans and stirred while letting the chili simmer for ten minutes.

  Levi wasn’t through yet. The croquettes would be completed with a Romesco sauce he’d made that would bring all of the flavors of the dish together. Plates with fish croquettes, potato skins, and small bowls of chili were carried out to Levi’s expectant customers. They dipped their fish croquettes into the sauce, popped them into their mouths, and moaned in rapture. The fish and sauce combined together made a flavor explosion in their mouths. The female customers were flushed and moaning softly. The men were sweating bullets from the spicy chili but they couldn’t stop eating it. “This chili is so spicy but…it’s so freakin good I can’t stop!” Not a single crumb of food was left behind.

  The customers at Poseidon’s Trident could hardly believe that the spectacular dishes they were getting to sample and that were coming out of Levi’s kitchen had supposedly been made from ingredients that had been leftover from Chef Emma and Chef Bernardo’s kitchens.

  “So good!” “Heavenly!” “Yes…yes, yes!” The women and men moaned loudly as they ate Levi’s cooking, and for the first time ever the interior of Hell’s Kitchen began to sound like a porno was being filmed. Levi, Derek, Malakye and Garth’s cooking was simply orgasmic.

  Vivien was in awe of Levi’s cooking skills and those of his fellow chefs too. Levi’s knife moved so fast it was a blur as he pureed ingredients. She couldn’t believe he didn’t need to use a blender. He tossed ingredients in his pan and caught them effortlessly. Levi was a god in the kitchen. She was so proud of him. But at the same time, Vivien was also really worried for him.

  When Director Maverick had spoken to Vivien alone about what they should do about Levi after the scandal, Vivien had instantly defended the chef and said to just give Levi time to fix his image. Her sister didn’t know this but…Vivien had threatened to leave the movie if Levi were fired. If Levi couldn’t be the merprince…she would no longer be the princess.

  Of course Dylan and her sister had tried to keep Levi being on Hell’s Kitchen a secret from her…and it would have remained so if it hadn’t been for Urban and Teresa. I really owe those guys. Vivien glanced over at Teresa and Urban, and giggled when she saw that Urban was hand feeding Teresa croquettes. Those two were so into each other, it was crazy.

  Her sister Audrey would kill her when she found out Vivien had come to Hell’s Kitchen tonight…but Vivien didn’t care. There was this invisible force that kept propelling her to Levi’s side. She didn’t understand it but there it was.

  While I was filming those romance scenes with Dylan…I was thinking about Le
vi in order to get that amorous look on my face. I know I should love Dylan but…I haven’t fallen in love with him yet. And as for Levi…I don’t know if I love him but I know I care deeply for him. It’s just…I’ve never been in love before. How do I know if this feeling I have for Levi is love? Maybe it’s just lust. Or maybe I’m just worried about him? But when I think I’ll never see him again I…feel like I can’t breathe.

  Levi had truly stolen the show in Hell’s Kitchen when he’d used the leftover tuna to make fish croquettes. But Derek got his fair share of compliments as well. A cocky smirk formed on Levi’s face. “Glad you liked it. Please come again.” He turned to Garth. “Garth, you’re up next. Get ready.”

  “Yes, Chef.” Garth nodded. “I’ve got your back.”

  It was time for the final course, the dolce or ‘sweet’. Emma had decided to make Tiramisu and Bernardo had decided to make cannolis. After everyone had been served in Fairy Dust and La Bella Luna, Chef Ramsay carried the ingredients available to Garth’s station. Garth looked at the empty cannoli shells and leftover tiramisu mix, and decided to make tiramisu cannolis with a special surprise.

  Minutes later, plates with the tiramisu cannolis were carried out to Poseidon’s Trident’s customers, and as they bit into their cannolis expecting it to just taste like tiramisu they were surprised when they bit into fresh, juicy raspberries. “Mmm! Raspberry!” “So sweet!” The customers exclaimed in surprise.

  Garth smiled lopsidedly in response, pleased by their customers’ reactions. Levi clapped Garth on the shoulder. “Well done, Garth.”

  As a special service Levi was the one who carried out the dessert plate to Vivien’s table and the customers immediately began to take pictures of the couple again. Levi set the plate down before Vivien with a flourish. “I hope you enjoyed your meal, Vivien.”

  Vivien smiled warmly at the merman chef. “I did, Levi. Thank you. Your cooking is always the best.”

  “Thank you for coming.” Levi said, his eyes shining with emotion.

  “Thank you for having me.” Vivien said softly.

  There was so much the two needed to say to each other, but both knew now was not the time. There were too many eyes upon them, but they also both felt that they needed to speak about what had happened between them that fateful night.

  The tension was so thick between them that Levi felt like he could cut through it with his knife. He coughed into his hand to dispel the awkward air between them. “Well, enjoy your dessert, princess.”

  “Oh, I will.” Vivien picked up a tiramisu cannoli and took a bite. She groaned in pleasure. “Mmm! So good!” Vivien knew how she’d rate Levi’s food on her customer comment and review card. She looked around the restaurant and crossed her fingers hoping that everyone had enjoyed the creative, eco-friendly meal as much as she had.

  After dessert, the cooking competition was finally over. Chef Ramsay gathered up all of the customer comment cards and prepared to make his decision. Levi, Emma, and Bernardo were taken to a room with comfy furniture where they awaited Chef Ramsay’s phone call. Ten minutes later, the phone rang and Bernardo answered it. “Yes?”

  “I’ve made my decision.” Came Chef Ramsay’s voice over the phone. “Come on down.”

  “Yes, Sir.” Bernardo hung up the phone. “He’s ready for us. Let’s go.”

  The three chefs were led into a room where Chef Ramsay was waiting for them and standing in front of three doors. “Okay, so you guys know the drill, but it’s a little different this time because of Levi. There’s a door in front of you…and on the count of three I want you guys to open your respective doors. If Emma or Bernardo open a door that means he or she is my new Head Chef. If Levi’s door opens too then that means that even though my new Head Chef has been decided that they were still beaten by Levi in the customer response. Okay, open your door on three. One. Two. Three!”

  Levi, Emma and Bernardo put their hands on the handle before them and pushed down. Emma’s door opened and so did Levi’s! Emma and Levi passed through the doors to be greeted with enthusiastic applause as they entered a large auditorium. “Yeah! Whoo Emma! We’re so proud of you!” “Congratulations, Emma!” “Congratulations, Levi!” “You were a beast, Levi! So cool!”

  Behind them, Bernardo sunk to his knees in defeat and hit the floor out of frustration. “Nooo this sucks! I can’t believe this. How could he beat me…by using leftover ingredients! And that hick’s cooking was better than mine? What the hell?”

  Chef Ramsay placed a hand on Bernardo’s shoulder and squeezed it. “The thing that your cooking lacked Bernardo was…heart. Emma and Levi’s cooking…was able to touch people’s hearts.” The chef passed through the door to join the winning chefs.

  “Well, there you have it, ladies and gentlemen - Emma is my Head Chef for my new Las Vegas restaurant. And Levi, you should feel very proud of yourself even though you and your brigade chefs had to create a menu using Emma and Bernardo’s leftover ingredients 99% of your customers said they would like to return.” Chef Ramsay clapped Levi hard on the back. He then motioned his hand towards Emma. “94% said they’d like to go back to Fairy Dust. And 80% said they’d return to La Bella Luna. As promised Levi Devlin has this opportunity to tell us a little bit about himself and about how he became a chef.”

  Levi stepped forward in front of a microphone stand that had been prepared for him on stage while Derek, Malakye and Garth stood at his sides. “Hello, my name is Levi Devlin. Almost three years ago, I was arrested for indecent exposure and resisting arrest. All I can say about what happened is - it was a hot day and taking a dip in a fountain seemed like a good idea at the time. Maybe I was suffering from heatstroke or something, but I took my shorts off too, and I want to apologize for my crude behavior. I was an idiot. I’ll admit that and I’m sorry. Hopefully, I haven’t caused too many men nightmares with having to see my junk!”

  The crowd laughed in response.

  “Anyways, I ended up in the state prison which is where I met my fellow chefs and best friends - Derek Dearg, Malakye Sterling, and Garth Mackenzie. We looked out for each other in prison, watched each other’s backs, and became friends. We decided to change our lives by taking the cooking and baking classes that were offered by Chef Burns. In this manner, we became certified chefs in two years time. Together, Derek, Mal, Garth and I opened Poseidon’s Trident. Opening the restaurant was our second chance at getting to live life in American in an honest way. A lot of men like us lose hope and get used to the idea that they’ll just be in and out of prison because they don’t have any real skills to fit in with society.

  “But Chef Burns changed all that. He didn’t discriminate against us because of our past and gave us the opportunity to learn a set of skills that would open doors for us. Where all others had already given up on us Chef Burns had not. I believe that everyone deserves a second chance. And I know that America does too! Isn’t that right America?” Levi asked loudly and pointed the microphone towards the crowd.

  “Yeah!” “Whoo!” “Yes!” The gathered crowd cheered in agreement. Levi had everyone eating out of the palm of his hand. Foodgasms could do that to a person.

  “This is the land of the free, the land of opportunity, and the land of dreams. And it was Chef Burns who showed me that. He also taught me that if you work hard you will be rewarded. He taught me that you should never give up because you don’t know if you’ll succeed in something until you’ve tried. He taught us that people like Derek, Mal, Garth and myself need to be given that chance for a fresh start. Just like Chef Burns didn’t give up on us…I’m asking you America not to give up on us yet! I promise you, I will continue to work hard as a chef, and now as an actor, but I can’t do that without all of you. I need your support. Do I have it?”

  “YEAH!” Everyone cheered out in earsplitting decibels.

  Levi grinned and showed off his dimples. “Thank you all so much for believing in us, and for giving us this chance. A chef would be nothing wi
thout his customers, and an actor is nothing without his fans.” The chef put his hand to his lips and then reached his hand out to the crowd.

  “And I for one…will always be your customer at Poseidon’s Trident!” Called out an achingly familiar female voice.

  All eyes turned to see Vivien Tempest walking towards the platform. She didn’t need any help as she simply leapt up on stage and walked over to Levi. A few people gasped since the stage was at least four feet off the floor. Levi swallowed thickly as she approached him. Vivien stuck out her hand, “Congratulations, Levi. You deserve this win and recognition of your skills as a chef.”

  Levi took Vivien’s hand and tingles shot up his arm. “Thanks, princess.”

  “And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen - Levi’s side of the story.” Chef Ramsay nodded. “And who doesn’t have something they regret doing at some point in their lives? I too believe everyone deserves a second chance.”

  “And…cut!” The director of Hell’s Kitchen shouted out. The film crew stopped filming, but the celebrating continued.

  Urban showed up with a bottle of champagne and soon Levi, Derek, Mal, Garth, Vivien, Teresa and Urban were sipping sparkling champagne from long-stemmed glasses. Everyone was celebrating Emma’s victory as well. Emma shyly approached Levi to congratulate him. “Congratulations, Levi.”

  “Congratulations to you as well.” Levi said and leaned over to whisper in her ear. “I know what you did, Emma. You left me some good leftover ingredients on purpose…like those raspberries. Thank you.”

  Emma flushed. “Ah, no, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Levi chuckled. “Potatoes that have been hallowed out. Unused raspberries. Green peppers with just their tops cut off. Those wouldn’t really be considered leftovers.”

  “It was just a few things. I doubt it helped much.” Emma pouted.

  “Every little bit helped so…thank you. I was allowed the chance to tell my side of the story and to ask America for another chance.” Levi’s dark blue eyes shone with emotion.

  Emma smiled happily. “Well, I think you’ve got it. And I can’t wait to see your performance in The Little Merman. I’m like totally psyched.”

  Levi smirked. “Look forward to it. It will be great.”

  Vivien was feeling a little jealous at all of the attention Levi was giving Emma but tried to act casual. At that moment, Ambrose Rune, Tristan Savant, Issy Sweet and Maia appeared to congratulate Levi.

  “Hey, Levi! Over here!” Ambrose called out loudly.

  Levi turned at the sound of Ambrose’s voice and his eyes widened when he caught sight of his friends. He couldn’t believe they were there. He quickly jumped down from the stage and went over to greet them. “You guys…what are you doing here?”

  “We’re here to support you, of course.” Ambrose said with a twinkle in his golden eyes.

  “Congratulations, Levi.” Maia said in her monotone voice.

  “Thanks, Maia.” Levi’s expression was warm and he reached out to pat her head. The merman noticed out of the corner of his eye that Ambrose was trying to get Maia’s attention while the girl was pointedly ignoring him. Ambrose Rune…how much did Levi even know about the guy? Could he be trusted around Maia? He was supposedly a demon, but Levi didn’t know what kind. Only time would tell.

  “Congrats, Levi.” Issy Sweet beamed at him. Levi almost didn’t recognize Issy since she was dressed up like a Living Doll wearing a blonde wig, black and white Gothic lolita dress, striped stockings and patent leather shoes.

  “Thanks, Issy.” Levi nodded.

  “Congrats, Levi.” Tristan slapped Levi on the shoulder, and then leaned in conspiratorially. “I saw Vivien up there congratulating you…it looks like she’s on your side despite everything that’s been going on.”

  “On my side?” Levi frowned as he glanced over at Vivien. Their eyes met and locked. Levi wanted to tell Tristan about what had happened between him and Vivien, but now was not the time. That moment was for celebration and not to recall ‘mistakes’ as Vivien had put it.

  Tristan frowned when he noticed that Levi didn’t say more. “That’s a good sign right?”

  Levi shrugged. “Maybe.”

  To be continued in…Fish 9: Vengeful Archer