“Maybe,” Nikita said. Her sister was right, she didn’t know what Chase and his family were up to, but she intended to find out. “Nat, I gotta go. Give David and the boys a kiss for me.” She hugged her sister just as the boys called to her asking for more cake. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
As soon as she got into the car her cell phone rang. It was Darcy. She pressed the button on her steering wheel and answered. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Everything’s good. I just wanted to finalize this private chef job before tomorrow. Did you decide what you want to do about Chase Buchanan? I need to give them an answer as soon as possible.”
“Um, yeah, I’m turning it down.”
“For real—you’re turning him down?” Darcy sounded surprised.
“Yes.”
“Did I mention I gave them our top-tier fee?”
“Yes, and the answer is the same. I’m still turning them down.”
“You know you’re killing me, right?”
“You’ll survive. I’ll talk to you later.” She ended the call and blasted her music all the way home.
Chapter 9
Chase ran along the beachfront path with the purpose and determination of an Olympic marathon contender a mile and a half behind the frontrunner. He was overdoing it, but he needed this. He was a man driven by both his desire and his need.
His desire was simple—it pulled him toward Nikita. But he needed to get his job done and the diversion with Nikita, once merely a means to an end, was suddenly more than he expected. Spending the night with Nikita was better than he ever imagined. She was remarkable—funny, smart, beautiful and just too damn sexy.
He’d played it close before by taking the more subtle route to his end result. To his credit, it had always worked. But that was before. Never had he allowed his feelings and emotions to go this deep. Nikita was doing this to him and he was letting her. She was getting him to open up. He needed to stop. He knew he needed to get close to her, without getting lost in her.
He still couldn’t believe he’d told her things about himself, things no one knew about him or his family. She asked, he answered. It was impulse and it was stupid. He was losing his edge and passion was pushing him over.
He slowed his pace then eventually stopped running and looked around. The lush tropical scenery was breathtaking. He could definitely see himself living here. It wasn’t that different from his home in France in the warmer months. He put his hands on his hips and took a few deep inhales to steady his breathing.
He started walking back toward the house knowing he had to continue what he started. Soon his walk became a jog and he was back to running again. He decided to take a shortcut back. A half mile from the house, he spotted a car coming toward him. The car suddenly slammed on its brakes and the driver window rolled down. “Chase. Chase.”
It was Oren Davis. Chase nodded and waved then kept running.
Oren made an awkward U-turn, drove a bit, then pulled up beside him and stopped abruptly, calling to him again. “Chase, hold up.”
Chase turned to see Oren waving as he got out of the car to catch up to him. He stopped running as Oren approached. “Hello, Oren,” he said, catching his breath.
“Chase, how are you? I just stopped by the house. I guess I just missed you. I see you’re out here exercising—fine day for a run. You know my daughter, Crystal, runs out here all the time. I’m surprised you haven’t seen her. You can’t miss her, she’s so beautiful but, of course, you already know that,” he said, then chuckled to himself.
“Listen, about that property you’re trying to secure. I think I might have a possible solution. Why don’t you stop by the house one evening this week for dinner and we’ll flush out a few ideas.”
“Actually, Oren, I’m going to be pretty busy the next few days. As I mentioned, Key West isn’t the only area we’re interested in pursuing.”
“Yes. Yes, of course. I just thought that if you were interested we could get together and discuss a few other prime locations. That way we could—”
“Oren, I have to get back to the house. I’m expecting a very important phone call in a few minutes,” he said, backing up.
“Oh, sure, of course, I was just going to mention that I can have Crystal stop by and—”
“Oren, I really have to go. I’ll catch up with you later,” Chase said, then crossed in front of Oren’s car and continued running.
A few minutes later he walked into the house, stood in the large foyer and looked around with a satisfied smile on his face. He’d have to do something about Oren eventually. He shook his head and half chuckled as he headed upstairs to the master bedroom. He pulled out a pair of dark charcoal slacks and a gray cotton knit shirt, and then headed into the bathroom.
After a long hot, then cold shower he dried off, shaved and changed. He headed downstairs to the home office, and then sat down at the desk and opened his laptop.
The first thing he saw was that he had several messages since he’d checked earlier. Two were from Daniel. Neither of which he intended to answer anytime soon. He typed a message to his assistant and just as he hit the send key his cell phone rang. He checked out the caller ID, and then answered. “Hey.”
“What’s up, bro? How’s it going down there in paradise?” Andre Buchanan said jokingly.
Hearing Andre’s voice made him smile. Andre was nothing like their father. Where Daniel was abrasive and quick to act, Andre was calm, laid-back and levelheaded. He was somewhere in the middle. “It’s all good. I’m making headway. Where are you?” Chase asked.
“Alaska. Home.”
“How’s Johanna?”
“She’s incredible.”
Chase smiled. He could hear the broad smile in Andre’s voice. “Dude, you know you really struck gold when she came into your life. I’ve never seen you happier. You’re right, she’s an incredible woman.”
“She is,” Andre agreed. “I don’t know if you heard the news. I’m gonna be a father.”
Chase chuckled. “For real? Excellent, that’s fantastic news, Andre. Congratulations, I wish you and Johanna all the best. You’ll be great parents.”
“Man, I never thought I could be so happy.”
“You know we have to celebrate when you get here,” Chase said.
“For sure, sounds good. So, I hear Daniel’s on your case. He wants the setup ASAP.”
“Yeah, and that’s an understatement. But what he wants and what’s gonna actually happen are two different things. He can’t just come in and bulldoze the place. I told him that an aggressive takeover isn’t what’s needed in this case.”
“You’re preaching to the choir. I echoed that assessment six weeks ago. After the Gulf spill and the Blackwell deal debacle, there’s no way the local community is just going to open their arms and welcome us. We have to tread lightly. I don’t envy your position right now.”
“I’m handling it okay. Getting me into Mikhail’s house was a smart move. It puts me right in the center of everything. How well do you know the Coles family?”
“I know Mikhail. We go back a few years. I’ve met his brother, Dominik, who’s a doctor at the local hospital, and I’ve worked with their sister, Tatiana. She’s a journalist. She did a story on Titan a year and a half ago. She’s very professional, fair and very good at her job. She just married Spencer Cage, the media mogul.”
“Yeah. And her sister, Natalia, is married to David Montgomery.”
“Yep, that’s right.”
“Interesting. What do you know about the other sister, Nikita?”
“I’ve never met her. She owns a bakery and café in town. I’ve had the food. She’s good, very good. Have you talked to her yet?”
“Yes,” Chase said without elaborating further.
“Is she willing to se
ll?”
“We haven’t actually discussed it yet, but the local Realtor says no. I intend to find out why, eliminate the obstruction and then hopefully get her cooperation.”
“Psychology?”
“Whatever works,” Chase said, “but she doesn’t open up much.”
“If anyone can get her to open up and sell, you can. So listen, I’m on my way to New York tomorrow then I’ll swing down there at the end of the week. You gonna be around?”
“Yeah, I should be here.”
“When’s your meeting with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission?”
“It’s early next Monday. I don’t foresee any problems.”
“I agree. I have a few documents I want you to look over before you go. I think you’ll find them helpful.”
“Okay,” Chase said.
“All right, I’ll see you in a few days.”
“Have a safe trip. See you later,” Chase said, then disconnected the call. As soon as he did he saw that he had another email from Daniel and also one from Darcy Richardson at Nikita’s Café. He opened and read the latter.
Five minutes later he was in his car and headed back into town.
* * *
After the short visit with her sister and a quick stop at home, Nikita drove into town. She parked, ran a few errands, then walked into the café. Business was bustling as usual. She spoke to a few regular customers, waved to the Sunday-afternoon counter staff, then continued to the kitchen. The sweet aroma of sugar and cinnamon dusted the air as Leroy placed a tray of elephant ear pastries on the baking rack to cool. The caramelized brown crisps, tinted top and bottom, smelled divine and looked just perfect.
“Hey,” Darcy said, “what are you doing here? I finally get you two days off in a row and this is what you do, come in here? Hello, Nikita, it’s your day off. Go home, relax.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. I am. I just need to grab a few recipes from the office,” she said as she headed in that direction.
Darcy followed. “Listen, I know you said you wanted to turn the Chase job down, but are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m very sure,” Nikita said, sitting at her desk and opening her laptop. She began scanning her recipe files.
Darcy, standing in the doorway, leaned to the side and cocked her head, wondering. “Did something happen last night?”
Nikita look up at her quickly, anxiously. “What do you mean?”
“I mean yesterday you didn’t seem this positive and now you’re damn near adamant about not taking the job. I just thought maybe something happened to prompt this total certainty.”
“Nothing happened. I thought about it and it’s best if I pass.”
Darcy shook her head. “I don’t get it. This is the perfect job. One person, occasional guests, no drama—in and out, no big deal, just cook and leave. He seems easy enough to please.”
Nikita smirked, knowing that was exactly the problem. She shook her head more from the heated memories of the night before then from anything Darcy had just said. “I have too much on my plate right now.”
“You’re forgetting I’m the one who makes your plate. If you really wanted this job, you could do it. We both know that. Or is there something else I need to know?”
“No, there’s nothing else you need to know. Just thank him and drop it, okay?”
“Okay, sure, if you say so. I’ll send the email right now.”
“Good. Thanks. I’ll be here for a little while.”
“Okay,” Darcy said, sounding suspicious, “I’ll be up front.”
Two hours later there was a knock on her office door. Nikita looked up, seeing Chase standing in the doorway smiling. “Good afternoon, Nikita,” he said.
“Chase, hi, what are you doing here?” she asked, surprised.
“You refused me,” he said, “so I came to find out why.”
“I don’t understand. Why what?” she asked, still too stunned seeing him standing in her office doorway.
“I got an email from your assistant. You refused my offer.”
“Oh, right, that private chef thing. I can’t. Sorry, I’m just too busy at the moment to take anything else on.”
“No, you’re not,” he said, smirking knowingly as he began walking around her office looking at the many cookbooks, awards and certificates. “At least be honest with yourself.”
“Excuse me,” she said, leaning back and crossing her arms in front. Her defenses shot up instantly.
He turned back to her, still smiling. “You heard me. Yeah, you’re busy, but at least admit the real truth. We both know.”
“Which is?” she asked, then saw Leroy walk by the open door, Russ followed a few seconds later. Both men glanced in. Nikita walked over and closed the door then came back to her desk. She stood, leaning back casually.
“You’re scared to do it,” he said simply.
Her eyes narrowed. These were fighting words as far as she was concerned. He was challenging her and she didn’t like it. “Scared of a Buchanan?” she said, chuckling. “I don’t think so.”
“Of me,” he more than firmly clarified.
“Women don’t say no to you often, do they?”
“No, not often,” he admitted freely.
“Perhaps you should get used to it once in a while. Call this a one-off, and accept it. The answer is still no.”
The seductive smile that appeared on his face told her exactly what he was thinking. His eyes drifted down the long length of her body, then back up to her face. He shook his head. “I’ll triple the fee from your last job.”
She immediately knew something was up. No one paid the money he was offering just to have her cook a few meals. He wanted something else from her and she knew exactly what it was. “Don’t get confused because we slept together last night. It was physical pleasure, that’s all. Remember, one time only.”
“Actually, it was four times, but who’s counting?”
“I’m not looking for anything from you. And if you’re looking for some kind of Pretty Woman scenario to play out while you’re here, you’ve got the wrong woman. That’s not my job description.”
“To clarify my intentions—I’m looking for someone to prepare my meals. I will be entertaining business associates over the next few weeks. I don’t want to worry about menus, preparations, schedules or whether or not everything is top quality. I want the best. I want you.” His tone was all business, showing the true professional he was. “And as to your other point—our time together was great. No—correction—it was fantastic. But I can separate my personal life from my professional goal. The question is, can you?”
She nodded, metaphorically stepping up to the offer with equal professionalism. “Fine, I’ll do it. Two weeks, right?” she asked.
“Three,” he corrected, challenging her again.
“Fine, three weeks. Starting…?”
“Tomorrow night,” he said instantly.
“Just you, right?”
“Tomorrow, yes, but there will be an occasional guest or two. You’ll know in advance.”
She nodded. “Darcy will handle the contract stipulations and your dietary details.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She grabbed her backpack and computer pad, opened her office door and left. When she got outside she stopped, realizing she’d just stormed out of her own office leaving him there. Good Lord, what was she thinking? But it was too late. Going back in would make her look like a nutcase. She got into her car and headed home. At the first traffic light she glanced in the rearview mirror. Chase was standing in front of her café smiling. She shook her head. This was crazy. She was crazy. He’d challenged and goaded her and she’d buckled under almost instantly. Crap.
Chapter 10
Nikita opened her eyes and rolled over. Sleep was impossible again tonight. The words repeated over and over in her mind like a jumbled children’s nursery rhyme. Private chef for Chase Buchanan, dinners only, the countdown was on, just sixteen more. It had started at twenty, but so far she managed to get in and be out, fulfilling her contractual duties without seeing or interacting with him. He had business associates dine in with him the past four nights. But she had a feeling that was more his doing than hers. She also knew that was going to end soon.
Her main contact was Kelvin, Chase’s assistant. She left suggested menus each night and he emailed any corrections and instructions as to number of dinner guests and meal variations. It was working perfectly so far. So far… .
She reached out, grabbed her cell phone off the side table and checked the time. She’d only been in bed an hour, but it seemed like longer. She kept thinking about Chase and their one night together. “Damn,” she muttered softly to herself in the still darkness. One night, that’s all it took for her to fall for him. And admittedly, she had. Never one to hide her feelings or pretend to anyone including herself, she knew exactly how she felt and she didn’t like it.
He was only here for a short time, so any relationship, physical or otherwise, was at best short-term. Serious was out of the question. But then she didn’t want serious anyway, right? “Right,” she answered herself aloud.
Every rational bone in her body warned her off him, but emotionally she couldn’t help herself. She wanted him, but she refused to give in. She was stronger than that.
She closed her eyes and smiled as the memories came to life. On the steps with a towel and a sundress… She replayed in her mind their last time together. Her stomach quivered even now.
It had been five days. It was time to let it go—let him go. She was always the first to tell her sister that sex was just a dopamine release. Caffeine and chocolate could do the same thing. It was simply human nature and a simple act for procreation and pleasure. She’d had her pleasure; now it was time to move on. She rolled back over, closed her eyes, took a couple of deep breaths, and then eventually dozed off to sleep.
Just One Taste (Kimani Romance) Page 9
