Chapter 96: The other thing on the menu

Stella came out of her room in a pair of bumshorts and a crop top that hugged her breasts so closely the shape of them was unmistakable. She had not bothered with a bra. Her nipples stood openly against the fabric, visible with every slight movement as she walked down the hall and into the living room.

She was halfway into the adjoining kitchen before she stopped short when she saw what was laid out in her view...

Tom stood with his back to her. He was shirtless, the line of his spine leading down into a pair of black lace boxer briefs. The lace clung to him shamelessly, thin enough to show the cut of his hips and tight enough to cup his ass with almost no mercy. For a woman who had chased thrill most of her adult life, the sight still managed to land fresh. A wild big smile pulled at Stella’s mouth before she could stop it.

"This man is exactly what I need for this vacation..." She told herself inwardly.

Unseen by her, the System updated her interface at once.

```

[TARGET: STELLA MARCHETTI]

Curiosity: 90%

Attraction: 92% (+12%)

Love: 20% (+10%)

Obsession: 55% (+15%)

Status: Rapidly Destabilizing

```

Stella walked closer, her eyes bright with open interest. ℯℯ𝑙.

"Hey Chef," she called in a voice richly laced with amusement, "is there something else on the menu besides the creamy garlic pasta? I thought there was."

Tom had been mildly ashamed of the state he was in until he turned and caught the look on her face. There was no mockery there. No polite restraint. Only a naughty, delighted smile that made the System’s ridiculous demand suddenly easier to carry. The embarrassment thinned under that look and confidence pushed up in its place.

He shifted his stance without answering at once, setting one hand on the counter and leaning his weight into his hip so the lace pulled tighter across his ass and the long line of his thigh.

Then he turned more fully toward her, leaned back against the counter edge, and let his legs ease apart just enough to make the front of the underwear impossible to ignore.

Stella’s eyes dropped there and they stayed for a long moment.

"Wow..." her lips opened and refused to close for a second.

The front panel of the lace boxers was netted, transparent enough to show the thick shape of his cock resting behind it. No imagination required. Her mouth practically watered.

She bit the corner of her lower lip when her lips finally came together.

Tom held the pose for another second, then said, "There are two things on the menu. Me and the pasta."

Stella’s smile deepened. "I’ll take both." she said without any hesitation.

"Okay. I still have to finish the pasta first." he told her.

"Then I’ll feed my eyes while I wait." she nodded in understanding. She said it shamelessly, and she meant it.

Stella moved to the side of the kitchen island, rested her elbows against the surface, and watched him with open hunger while he returned to the pan.

"Go on, please. Do your thing." She muttered, her eyes twinkling with excitement.

Tom tried to cook properly, but the mission left him no clean way to stand like an ordinary man in a kitchen. Every time he reached for salt, he had to lean farther than necessary. Every time he stirred, he kept one hip cocked, spine slightly arched, the black lace working against his body like part of the display. At one point he braced both hands on the counter and bent just enough to check a lower cabinet, knowing full well what the position did to the line of his ass and thighs.

Behind him, Stella made a low sound of open appreciation.

’I worry for this food... Will it taste now at this rate?’ Tom thought to the system dramatically.

[The food does not need to be perfect,][Host only needs to complete the mission.] the System said cheerfully in his head.

Tom almost laughed under his breath. "Of course."

He kept going anyway, caught between the smell of garlic cream sauce and the heat of Stella’s stare on his nearly bare body. By the time he finally plated the pasta, his shoulders were loose with the strange confidence of a man who had already been thoroughly looked at and approved.

The System chimed.

```

[SIDE MISSION COMPLETED]

+500 System Points

+$25,000

```

Tom heaved a sharp breath of relief.

Then Stella’s recruitment panel opened again for him to see. The raised numbers sat in his vision, and satisfaction moved through him at the sight. The vacation had barely started, and she was already tipping harder toward him.

Tom set the plate down. "Taste it. I’ll go put on something decent."

Stella arched a brow. "Why? If you were going to change, why put that on in the first place?" she demanded.

"I put it on because I’m comfortable like this when I cook." Tom lied smoothly enough.

Her mouth curved with a naughty smile as she asked; "Does that add to the deliciousness of your meals?"

He chuckled. "Well, you’ll have to tell me now. I won’t brag."

"Ah ah, now it seems you’re bragging." She laughed then became serious when she noticed Tom was about to take a step.

"Don’t change," Stella said, her eyes dragging over him again. "I’m enjoying the show too much. Or do you want to deprive me of that enjoyment when you were the one who started it?"

"Fine, I won’t." he nodded.

Then he pushed the plate closer to her and watched as she twirled a forkful of pasta, slid it between her lips, and chewed once. Her face immediately tightened. She stopped chewing, blinked, and set the fork down with delicate restraint.

Tom frowned. "What?"

Stella didn’t answer immediately. He picked up the fork and tasted the food.

Salt hit his tongue far too hard. The sauce had gone wrong, no question about it. Inwardly, he blamed every unnecessary lean, stretch, and suggestive shift the System had forced into the cooking process.

Stella watched his expression and smiled slowly, unbothered in the most dangerous way.

"Well, you cooked better on the other menu." she said.

She pushed the plate aside with one finger. Then she stepped into his space, set her hands against his bare waist, and guided him backward until the edge of the table met his hips. Her eyes were dark now, bright with intent, the playful hunger from earlier sharpened into something much more direct.

She leaned in close enough for her breath to touch his mouth.

"I’ll skip this course," Stella murmured. "I want the next one on the menu."

Her fingers slid to the waistband of the black lace then she spoke up;

"Will you spread for me?"