The first thing Shoshana noticed when she entered the home were the stick figures made of twigs, the strange paintings on the wall, and an array of clay tablets neatly displayed.
Otherwise, it looked like a typical Los Angeles home on the upscale side of town. The walls were mostly white. The decor was very modern.
Having been in the catering business for just over a year, Shoshana thought nothing of the strange figures and decorations she found in the home. She assumed they were all part of some sort of exotic art collection. It was a common way for the wealthy of this area to spend money on weird and wonderful nicknacks.
She made her way to the open plan living room and kitchen. The space was bathed in sunlight that was streaming through a massive window. The view of the Hollywood hills was spectacular. She placed her heavy cooler bag on the kitchen counter before carefully taking out the desserts she prepared, and placed them in the generous fridge.
Afterwards she made her way to the living room for a chat with her client, Claire Thompson, whose party she was catering for that weekend.
"You seem a bit uncomfortable here," Claire teased as they sat on what Shoshana guessed was a thousand dollar couch. "Please, I want you to relax."
Shoshana joked back,, "You aren't exactly my typical clientele."
There was more Shoshana wanted to say, like how she almost felt embarrassed parking her Prius on the street, alongside the luxury vehicles in the driveway. Or that her JC Penny outfit seemed rather dowdy in comparison to Claire's designer loungewear.
"Well, you have a great reputation," Claire said kindly. "That's why I wanted to meet with you in person."
Shoshana beamed. "I'm sure there's something I can do for you. I'm mostly known for Jewish and Middle Eastern cuisine. I'm also classically trained at a French academy, where I specialized in desserts. So, my menus are mostly Jewish appetizers and spiced meats with breads for entrees, along with classic French desserts. In my opinion, that's a highly underrated combination."
Claire smiled and nodded, and Shoshana was just happy to nab a high-end client for once.
"I do like what I'm hearing."
"Do you live with
only
your husband?" Shoshana asked delicately. "A family, perhaps?"
"Just my husband and I. And we
do
have a taste for variety. Last time we had a young Japanese caterer. Before that, a beautiful Latina. Before that, a young Russian lady. You could say, tastes from all over the globe."
Shoshana was pleased to hear this, but at the same time, she was somewhat curious about why Claire would emphasize that their previous caterers were young women. She brushed it off, deciding not to make too much of it. This was Los Angeles, after all. Here, what you had and what you looked like meant a lot.
"I'm also an explorer of international cuisine," Shoshana said. "So I absolutely share your enthusiasm for exploring new tastes."
Claire nodded and treated Shoshana to another smile. "Perfect. Anyway, have you hosted dinner parties before?"
"For my family, yes. For clients, not really. I mean, I've prepared platters for parties. Are you interested in something like that?"
"We were hoping for a more personalized service," Claire said.
"I can do that. I could deliver platters of prepared food, some raw and some freshly cooked, and I'll put the final touches to them in your kitchen. Everything will be super fresh. How does that sound?"
"Sounds delicious."
Shoshana noticed Claire's eyes traveling over her body, looking her up and down. It made Shoshana blush that she was blatantly being admired like this. She didn't mind though.
"How many guests are you inviting?" Shoshana asked.
"Just four. My husband and I, and our neighbors, who are also a loving couple. We've known them for over 10 years. You could say that we're very, very close."
"Nice and intimate. It'll be an amazing time, I'm sure."
"You know what else is amazing?" Claire said softly. "Sliced strawberries with some decadent mango mousse."
Shoshana winked. "Coming right up."
It was time to work and Shoshana got up and went to the kitchen. She grabbed a cup of the mango mousse she had brought, along with a plate of sliced strawberries. She grabbed a spoon from one of the cutlery drawers and returned to the living room.
She organized everything neatly on the living room table.
"Looks divine," Claire said, eyes on the meticulously whipped mango mousse.
"Wait until you have a taste."
"Let's see," Claire murmured reaching out to pick up a strawberry to dip into the mousse.
Shoshana was surprised that Claire decided to forgo the spoon. This was not what she'd expected from a sophisticated housewife.
Claire waved her finger over the mousse like a magic wand.
"What are you thinking?" Shoshana asked with a laugh.
Claire kept waving her finger over the mousse. "You know, there's an art to fine dining. My husband taught me that. Most people don't know how to appreciate this quality of food."
"I completely agree."
"Food is all about balance," Claire explained. " To create the perfect bite you need the right proportions. Not too much, or too little, just enough of everything in every single bite."
"I think that's a fair assessment."
Claire smiled, "Would you mind feeding me?"
Shoshana didn't know quite what to make of this request. But she also really wanted the opportunity to expand her client base. So, why not?
"Sure."
"Dip the strawberry in the mouse and serve it to me."
Shoshana never expected to have to do this. This was not taught in culinary school!
But, Claire was a lovely and beautiful woman. And a job was a job.
"I can do that," Shoshana said, picking up the spoon.
"With your fingers," Claire instructed softly. "Like I said, I like the right balance of things. And I like to get to know the people I hire."
There was a glimmer in Claire's eyes and a slight grin on her lips. This was certainly an erotic moment, Shoshana thought.
Shoshana dipped a sliced strawberry into the decadent and creamy amber-colored dessert -- not too much, not too little -- and brought it towards Claire's mouth. She did it slowly, to give Claire a chance to say that this was a joke (it had to be, hadn't it?!), but the housewife simply parted her lips and opened her mouth.
It was meant to be a simple, if quite unorthodox, process. But as soon as Shoshana's fingers had reached Claire's mouth, Claire took the liberty to wrap her lips around Shoshana's fingers, surprising the young catering girl. At that point, their relationship changed forever. Certainly she'd get the job after this.
Shoshana extracted her saliva-covered fingers from Claire's mouth, allowing Claire to enjoy the textures of the fresh fruit and the thick and creamy mousse.
"Delicious," Claire said, smacking her lips during the taste test. "You're very talented."
Shoshana smiled at the innuendo. "Thank you. I'm surprised you wanted to taste the dessert first. Normally people start with the savory options."
"I have a sweet tooth, which I'm sure you'll learn more about later."
"That can be accommodated. Would you like me to warm up the meat dishes I've brought for sampling?"
"That won't be necessary. You may leave the platters here," Claire said. "I'd like to taste the rest of your cooking tonight with my husband so I can see his reaction, if you don't mind."
"That's a great idea. I'll leave it all in the fridge."
"You know what I find refreshing about you?" Claire said. "You have a real passion for food. I can tell it's a love of yours."
Shoshana flashed a genuine smile. "It's a tradition in my household. It was part of my upbringing. I love sharing with others. It makes people happy."
"Are you interested in making me happy?" Claire asked more seriously.
"Of course. That's my job."
"Then come back tomorrow. Next time, I want you to bring dishes that require sauces. Items that can be eaten by hand. We're having a party this weekend and the theme is finger foods."
Claire smiled a little mysteriously.
"Will do," Shoshana replied like a trooper. "I already have a couple of ideas."
"You're a gem. I'm glad I've found you. Tomorrow, I'll explain things in more detail. Once we come to an agreement on all the terms, we can finalize the deal."
Claire, the prim housewife, was revealing a different side to herself. This was Claire the businesswoman. She was definitely more than a mere trophy-wife.
Shoshana liked it.
***
The next morning. Expecting a more formal meeting, Shoshana opted to wear slacks and a blazer, which was in the back of her closet due to lack of use. She was determined to make an impression on Claire the business woman. She tied her curly hair in a loose bun. Classy, stylish, with a nod to her usual, casual self.
Much to her surprise, she found a much different Claire. Today, the housewife saw fit to wear only a silk robe. It was blatantly obvious that she wore nothing underneath.
They said their hellos and good-mornings as Shoshana entered the home with her storage bag full of tasty samplers.
The kitchen was open spaced and it faced the window view. Today, there were three clay tablets arranged in the kitchen area. Each were evenly spaced and were small, with unusual markings painted onto them.
"You look snappy today," Claire said as they entered the kitchen, her bare feet slapping the hardwood floor.
Shoshana was proud of her appearance. "Yeah, it seemed appropriate."
"Does that make my outfit
inappropriate
?" Claire joked and gestured to the silk robe she had on.
They both laughed a little awkwardly.
"Not at all. It's your home. You can wear whatever you want."
"Now that's a rule I can get behind."
"Should we get started?" Shoshana asked, unpacking her items on the kitchen counter.
"It smells delicious, and it's still warm too. Sure, let's start now. And by the way, my husband loves your food. So do I. You're perfect for what we've got planned."
Shoshana beamed. "Just wait until you try today's selection."
"Yummy. I can smell the spices."
As Shoshana was opening each container, Claire leaned forward against the kitchen counter, which resulted in the top of her robe falling open by accident (or not!) and exposing a bit a cleavage. Shoshana tried not to look, but how could she not sneak a peek?
"What are these clay tablets, anyway?" Shoshana asked, while opening her containers. "I think I've seen something similar in antique shops."
Claire grinned and stepped closer. "These aren't from any antique shop. They're something we bought on our travels in South Asia."
"Nice. Do they have any meaning, or are they just for decoration? They're strangely pretty."
"Here, feel my skin," Claire said out of the blue.
