Delicious Deception (MisterKing x Garnet)

[Garnet]

'Juniper Kane, Head Chef' was embroidered delicately over the leftside of the chef's heavy soft bust on a pristine white chef's jacket. The owner on the other hand looked less...pristine dabbing his face and combing back his hair before leaving to say a final goodbye to the last customers and critics for the day. Juniper's long blonde hair was tied into a ponytail but a few stray curls had escaped to frame her cheeks pink from the heat of the kitchen. Her sleeves were scrunched up her arms and an apron that cinched in her waist and made her large bubble butt and wide hips look even bigger was stained with a messy rainbow of food indistinguishable from what dishes they had come from. As usual the kitchen was filled with sound from knives slicing through ingredients, pots bubbling and pans hissing and spitting out fat like angry little dragons. The only noise coming from the chefs however were their quick footsteps and sudden calls concerning timings. Earlier that evening there was a lot more of that and much more cursing done on Anna's part but as far as grand openings went, the final day of their opening week had gone amazingly. The next few days wouldn't be a cakewalk either but the weight of the intense tension and stress had been lifted by a slew of good reviews. Currently the staff were replenishing stock and doing prep work for the next evening. Oh and cleaning, lots of cleaning although that was no job for the head chef. Neither was doing this amount of prep work but it was still their first week open and she wanted to make sure everything stayed to her high standards. The blonde had a lot to prove to get her staff on her side but she definitely seemed to have gained their loyalty. Thank every power in existence for that.

"Okay! Well done team! It looks like we survived!" she laughed tugging off her apron and wiping her glistening brow with a cloth to the sound of cheers and laughter that can only come from pure relief after exhaustion. "Remember we still have a way to go but you've all done amazingly well. Go home get some rest and come back tomorrow. Remember our dear owner will be treating us to food and drink at the main restaurant tomorrow so be prepared to be waited on by our old colleagues. Those bastards have slept normally this week after all." she added noticing said owner striding in bringing a louder cheer out of her staff.

"Once again I'd like to personally thank all of you for moving from my flagship restaurant to this new one. All of you performed excellently and tomorrow I expect you to drink our 'dear' head chef under the table." laughed the owner Richie, a man a little shorter than average and a little thin for a restaurant owner, looking almost as exhausted as the rest of the team. They made short work of the clean up with even Richie pitching in to scrub plates much to the staff's amusement before they started filing out. "Juni aren't you coming?" he asked seeing her resting that plump rear on a stool undoing her jacket to show her black strappy top stretched over her fluffy breasts.

"I want to sharpen my knifes and do one more check first. Don't worry I'll lock up." said Juniper giving him a little half grin. She was the head chef's sous chef at the flagship restaurant and it had taken him quite a bit of convincing by Richie to spare her for the new place. The blonde didn't think she would be head chef for a couple more years at least so she was extra careful not to mess anything up.

"Are you sure? I know you don't live far but there's rumours saying there's a turf war. Maybe it would be best I walked you home..." he said with a frown as Juniper started methodically sharpening a filleting knife knife till its blade started to gleam giving him a teasing grin.

"I'll be fine. I can handle myself plus if its between gangs then it'll stay between them. They've been operating in this area for years and don't tend to rope in random people. Plus my apartment is less than five minutes away. If something gets serious I can just run." she assured him taking out a clipboard from her station and starting to go through the fridges checking off her list. Richie still seemed apprehensive but sighed and tossed her the keys anyway. "Thanks boss~!" she chuckled getting back to work.

"Get some sleep!"

It took her a little less than an hour before the blue eyed woman was done with her check and her knives but then just as she had undone her ponytail and shrugged on her coat, she heard a commotion outside. At first she thought it was two cats but then she heard cursing as she stood by the door. Juniper nearly screamed when someone was flung against the heavy metal door but held it back and soon heard them move away from the door to the dumpsters. She carefully opened the door just a crack to look out, blue eyes narrowing in anger when she saw one man putting up the fight of his life while two other men wailed on him. He wasn't a pushover clearly but those men were ganging up on him and...oh no...one had a knife.

There wasn't time to think Juniper moved grabbing a heavy cast iron pan that had fractured the foot of one poor busboy and edged out the door. None of the men had noticed her yet so she got closer and closer. Just as it seemed the man with the knife had found his opening, she brought the pan down with a sickening crack and a comic bong sound. It wasn't till the man crumpled in front of her that the other two noticed the tall glaring woman holding the pan and it seemed both were a little confused. Juniper gave the man who had been attacked a look that said 'Well what are you waiting for?' while the his remaining attacked still seemed frozen and confused by her appearance. She just hoped he took his chance!

 

[MisterKing]

It's said that everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth, so Kenneth Taggart came with three. After a few more solid shots to the jaw, though, he was all out of plans. Lovely. The bright side, though, is that at least they didn't send the chumps after him this time.

Ken didn't recognize these two, so he nicknamed them "Red" and "Scar" in his head. They knew their shit though, he'd do well not to forget their faces. Scar, the slightly bigger one was constantly getting in Ken's face and rushing him as Red slipped behind to jab Ken in the kidneys or snap at his legs. Keeping track of Red when Scar was in his face was a struggle for Ken, but whenever he was on his game he could grab the runt, once by the throat (that was more badass than Ken expected), and hurl him back into his vision. All the movement wasn't in his favor though, as the duo gained on his ground, grinding him further back into the alleyway and narrowing down his already slim options to escape.

His assailants were growing more confident by the swing, leading to more aggressive and dangerous strikes. Red, in particular, went for a tackle way too early into Scar's rush, giving Ken plenty of time to take a step back, intercepting the punk mid-stride and throwing him into a steel door by the scruff of the neck. Scar's boot followed fast in the wake of the toss, catching Ken's rib and sending the mafioso stumbling back into his ass, half-rolling into a dumpster with an umceremonious clang. Red was up by then, wiping a tender cut on his forehead, not even trying to hide the fact he was pissed. He withdrew a folding knife from his back pocket, opening it with two hands and one sadistic thwack.

It's not that Ken wasn't used to seeing curvy blondes smack people around, it's just that that person was usually him after he used an unfortunately lewd pick-up line. At least they had never used a pan like that though, Jesus. Red crumpled like a sack of bitch right as Scar whirled around at the especially savage sound byte. Getting to his feet was a struggle, but once he made it here immediately held on to Scar's shoulder for support as he swung his right leg back. He arced his beautifully tanned monk strap right between the man's thighs, a silent gasp for mercy leaving Scar's lips as he collapsed face first onto the pavement.

Shambling over to the woman with breasts far too immodest to be angelic (otherwise she fit the bill), he borrowed her weapon of choice with a curt "Thank you, dear". Rolling over Scar and dragging Red closer to him, Ken knelt down by the two attackers and hefted the pan over his head.

Two sickening crunches and plenty of bloodcurdling screaming later, Ken let the two now-cripples behind so he could return what he borrowed. He was surprised by the weight when he hefted it, so he absentmindedly pinched the woman's bicep out of curiosity as he handed the cooking tool back with a nondescript "huh". "Thanks for the hand miss," he held out a tired, friendly hand, "call me Ke-"

Blood loss and fatigue got the better of Ken as he crashed to the ground like a puppet with it's strings cut.

 

[Garnet]

Juni's baby blues were narrowed and fixed on the large man turning to face her raising her pan and giving him a vicious glare. She had just got off what felt like the longest shift of her life in the final week of their Grand opening. Right now she felt like one of the deadliest woman alive. If that scary faced bastard thought he was going to lay a hand on her after she had been through that, then he was dead wrong.

Then the man who she had hoped to help had got to his feet and a leg had been swung at a very vital spot. Even the indomitable chef had to flinch back at that. The man even now taking his revenge by throwing his attacker to the ground looked like quite the gentleman surprisingly. So much so that Juniper didn't bring down her pan on his skull when he came closer. That was as much of a compliment as she could offer in such a situation. "You're very welcome. Try not to dent it." She replied watching him with more curiosity as he brought down only flinching at the sheer volume of the screams. Still a little shiver ran down her spine at those sickening cracks.

The blonde chuckled when he gave her bicep a squeeze raising her eyebrow and giving her arm a flex. There was definitely a strong toned muscle under that coat. The chef could butcher carcasses that weighed as much as a man and worked in a kitchen full of heavy utensils that she would never considered replacing with lighter versions. She knew her tools well enough by now to have grown used to the weight.

"Thanks. Not bad condition." Smiled the blonde inspecting the pan with a nervousness she was trying to shove down when he extended his hand. Juniper had barely touched his palm when he suddenly crumpled to the grounds. "...shit..."

All of her options entered her mind at once making her freeze like a rabbit in front of a truck. She should call an ambulance but then she and 'Ke-' would be arrested for assault. The dark haired man had certainly passed the self defense threshold and if Juniper was taken in to custody the kitchen would suffer. So... no police or ambulance. She didn't know what other weapons the brutalised men had so she couldn't confirm that helping them wouldn't leave to a knife in her throat.

"Damn it!" She hissed bending down and shakily managing to pull the gangster up with his arm over her shoulders. A five minute brisk walk to her apartment turned into 20 minutes of lifting and dragging a muscular injured man down the street side street too her apartment.

_________

When Kenneth came to, he would find himself laying on a plush couch with house cuts bandages and heat gel on his bruises. A coffee table was in front of the couch with a tall glass of water and two large tablets, probably painkillers, resting on it. Juniper's large open plan apartment was filled with a rich smell as the chef herself stood over a pot of chicken and bone broth soup taking a sip an enjoying the slight spicy taste. Blue eyes glanced over at him widening before ladling out a bowl and grabbing a roll of crusty bread and walking over to him.

"Eat this, it's good for blood loss. There dessert too for when you finish. Some sugar should stop you paying out again. Oh... I'm Juniper by the way. We never really finished out introduction did we? How do you feel?" She asked helping him sit up and sitting down next to him.

 

[MisterKing]

"Well damn, if you're treating me this well I should go get my ass kicked more often." Once the remark left his lips Kenneth was pretty certain he was concussed. It'd been a while since he'd been roughed up that badly; his boss generally kept him on intimidation so the worst he'd normally get is a stray fist to the rib, not a damn crew to his everything. At least he was laying low on a comfy couch. Next to a cute girl. With fantastic tits. It could be worse.

"Ahah, anyway thanks Juniper." Man, that remark fell even flatter than whatever he was expecting. He gently sipped the soup in an attempt to break the awkwardness. "What were you doing so-" he paused, after the full flavor profile of the soup hit him. He blinked twice, took a couple more sips, then turned to look at the full-figured chef before him. "You really know what you're doing with this post-beating meal of yours." He shifted again, trying to get a little comfier, and wound up scooting closer to Juniper. "How often do you invite strange, battered men into your apartment for a meal? If I had to guess it seems like you have a lot of practice in that department." Another thoughtful sip of the soup.

After another pause, he suddenly remembered his name. "Oh right, and my name is Kenneth. How'd you find me, again?"

 

[Garnet]

"Ha I'd feel guilty if I was the reason such a handsome face got messed up you know." She teased right back with a little grin. Out of the kitchen, she rendered not to bother holding back her emotion. Juniper found it much easier not to hide her thoughts or feelings in her private life and suppress herself just enough to be professional in the kitchen. It did tend to make her a more open and honest person outside. Sometimes she could be a bit too... Open.

"Well it's not like I could leave you with those goons. They really ganged up on you. I'm glad you seem alright but I can take you to the hospital if you want?" She offered worried about all the hits he had taken before she had knocked out his attacker. Oh... Now that was the expression she strived to bring it in her cooking. Surprise then pleasure. It was her favorite thing about being a chef but she rarely got to see people's initial reaction to get hard work nowadays. A soft giggle slipped her pretty pink lips as he took a moment to get his thoughts on order feeling a flush of pride wash over her cheeks.

"Why thank you. I pride myself on spoiling half concussed strangers I find in the alley of my kitchen." Laughed the chef with an easy going grin that made her cheeks dimple ever so slightly. Blue eyes caught him moving closer but only gained a slight twinkle saying nothing and allowing him as close as he dared to move. It's not like she was going to complain about s gorgeous, strong man with an impossibly sharp jaw moving into her space.

"Ha... I'll admit it did used to be a pastime. My brother was quite scrappy growing up but his friends were worse. I spent a lot of time feeding beat up idiots in my teens. To be perfectly honest though..." She chuckled as her face grew a little sheepish, "I can't just leave someone hurt. I mean if nothing else it would have been bad for business but I've always been a bit of a feeder."

"Nice to meet you Kenneth. Ahah well I believe you through that little guy against my kitchen door and nearly have me a heart attack in the process. I was just about to leave too but a good thing about working in a kitchen is the exclusive access to just a ludicrous amount of heavy blunt weapons, knives, fire and irritating spices so I was kind of spoilt for choice when I ran out there." Explained Juniper with a little laugh taking long sip of soup dunking her bread into the liquid while curling her legs up brushing her knee against his thigh. "Oh you can call me Juni if you like, most people do."

 

[MisterKing]

In lieu of a response, Kenneth leaned over to her and lightly kissed her flushed cheek. "You know, I always wondered what it'd be like to have a guardian angel. I never imagined she'd be quite like you." He pulled them a little closer, wrapping an arm behind and around her waist as she curled next to him. "I figured I had to choose between cute, caring, or talented, not that she'd end up with all three." He let the words linger, finally feeling the weight of the beating he took begin to drag him into proper sleep. Not yet, though, he had to savor every minute with this angel he could. He gently put a hand on her thigh to keep him in the conversation.

"Tell me, did you only help the ones that were good boys? I can't imagine all of your brother's friends were well-behaved." This was the time to hedge his bets, to keep the sensitive bits of his story to himself so he didn't blow something with so much potential. "How did you handle the unsavory types?"

 

[Garnet]

Juniper stiffened when he was suddenly very close to her face before his lips hit her cheek. The pinkness in them before quickly turned crimson to her ears after that soft kiss. "Aha...I guess I should hit more people with pans if I get thanked like this." She giggled softly feeling his hard body against her hip. When his arm coiled around her waist, the chef smiled and even shifted closer herself pretending like she hadn't noticed her breasts rubbing sideways against his broad chest. His compliments kept her face hot much to her embarrassment but she still didn't want to break away from him...quite the opposite in fact even though such praise normally came from playboys'.

"Well I don't think any of them were good boys. They were all kind of stupid really but...they weren't awful people." mused Juniper with a half smile. "They would all fight and steal but they did grow up for the most part. I would end up fixing up one guy one night and then the next I would be doing the same for the guy who knocked him out." laughed the curvy woman brushing her hair out of her eyes to look up at him from under her dark lashes. She was getting tired herself. "A couple of them got involved with the local mob though. I would end up treating more serious wounds but as far as I know, they're still alive." continued the chef with a yawn resting her head against his chest and snuggling up to him a little. It was only a passing expression, but there was a bitterness in her eyes when she mentioned the mob. Luckily it faded quickly as she realised how rude she was being to her guest.

"Ah my apologies. I had a long day so I'm a bit drowsy. You don't mind do you?" asked the blonde with her cheek flush against his chest. Her soft locks tickled his throat while a small but strong hand rested against his chest. "Sorry you're just so warm. Mn its nice. Are you still hungry? I can get you some more food. You should try to eat as much as you can, without making yourself sick of course." apologised Juniper with her soft hip against him.

With the restaurant opening she was forced to admit it; she was pretty starved for male attention, affection...sleep.Maybe that was why he was so much fun to flirt with even if they both were slipping gradually into a sleepy haze. Mm Kenneth even smelt amazing and so strong against her body. He was tempting, far too tempting but also injured and needing a good rest.