He sat mesmerised as she poured the brownie mixture into the pan. An irresistible blush coloured her cheeks.
Gabe pulled his clipboard onto his lap.
‘Making brownies is a bit like foreplay,’ he heard her say, as she focused her attention on Jasper. ‘It feels good while you’re doing it, but you know the best is still to come.’
Gabe nearly laughed out loud as Jasper pulled at the bandana knotted at his throat. The seasoned chef, so experienced in the heat of the kitchen, clearly found Charlie a little too hot to handle.
As Charlie popped the brownies into the oven, Abigail directed the cameras to other points around the studio.
‘Damn,’ she said, ‘it’s going to be hard to cut any of that.’
‘Mmm.’ Gabe didn’t trust himself to speak.
‘This semi-final is going to be smoking hot,’ Abigail said. ‘I can’t wait to get this into edit. It’s going to be a show-down between Tim and Charlie.’
Editing was the last thing on his mind as he imagined stripping off Charlie’s apron and burying himself in her soft, luscious body.
He shut his eyes, trying to focus, but that was worse. Her semi-naked body flashed across his eyelids.
‘You all right, Gabe?’ Abigail asked.
His eyes flicked open. ‘Camera four, find something more interesting than an empty bench.’ His voice was harsher than he intended. He felt Abigail’s eyes on him, but she said nothing.
The rest of the taping ran smoothly.
‘And there you have it,’ Charlie concluded, facing the camera half an hour later. ‘Triple chocolate brownies with warm caramel sauce.’
She picked out a rose from the vase on her bench and used it as a dramatic garnish.
‘With a touch of love,’ she added.
Jasper and the other judges scooped up the light chocolaty bars. Silent reigned for just a moment.
‘A perfect ten,’ Jasper announced and the audience roared its approval. Gabe had to hold himself back from joining the standing ovation. The first ten of the competition.
The other two judges awarded a nine and a nine and a half. The brownies ranked as the top-scoring dish so far.
Any worries he’d had about Charlie failing to make the final vanished. With her performance and her dessert scores, the audience would vote to keep her.
Clearly overwhelmed, Charlie gave a shy bow. When she threw a glance his way, Gabe felt himself grow hard. He had to get her out of here and under him before he burst.
Directing the rest of the judging was torture. Tim gave an outstanding performance, but he couldn’t concentrate. Finally he called cut and tore off his headset.
‘Abigail, are you okay to wrap up the rest of the afternoon? I’ve got to—’ He pushed through the control room door and strode out onto the set.
‘Hey, I’d like to try some of that.’ Gabe joined the crowd milling round Charlie’s station.
‘Here, let me,’ Charlie said, picking up a piece of brownie and reaching over to pop it into his mouth. She gazed at him with smouldering eyes.
‘Hey, Charlie, can I have some too?’ A young cameraman sent one of the judges flying as he pushed his way to the front.
‘Sure,’ Charlie said. She handed him a fork, turned and walked towards the exit.
Every man in the room stared after her until she disappeared through the studio door.
‘Bloody hell,’ Jasper said. ‘Where did that come from? This morning I thought Charlie was out. Now every hot-blooded man in Britain will be watching this show, especially after our highlights hit YouTube. I reckon we’ll crack ten million viewers this time.’
‘Get that into edit ASAP,’ Gabe instructed. He walked quietly from the excitement.
When Gabe rounded the corridor, Charlie ached to run and kiss him until the end of time.
‘Let’s get out of here,’ he said.
‘My thoughts exactly,’ she murmured.
Gabe grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the car park. As he opened the exit door he groaned. ‘Damn.’
‘What?’ she said as she went past him through the door.
‘I’ve left the car keys in the control room.’
‘Oh.’
In one quick movement he followed her out then backed her up against the wall. His mouth covered hers. She reeled under the force of his passion, then dragged his shirt from his trousers.
He seized her hand and pulled away.
‘If I don’t go, we’re having sex here.’ He pointed to the hard floor. ‘Now . . .’he rasped placing his hands on either side of her head, ‘don’t move.’ His eyes exposed X-rated desire.
Move? She could hardly stand.
Gabe slipped back through the door. It banged shut, the noise echoing through the vast car park.
Leaning back against the wall, she dragged her fingers across her lips. She could taste him.
Slowly her eyes adjusted to the dim neon glow. She heard a noise off to her left. Had someone seen them? Did she even care?
She walked towards Gabe’s car and hugged herself, smiling like an idiot. Her breathing came short and sharp as she imagined Gabe tearing the clothes from her body. Would they even make it home? She smiled as she visualised them going for it in an M25 lay by like a couple of teenagers.
Something moved behind her.
She turned. Fingers of fear touched her heart. She crept back towards the door, hyper-alert. Her soft steps the only sound in the creepy car park. A vast concrete pillar loomed ahead. She edged around it, feeling silly. Feeling . . . scared.
A quiet footfall sounded behind her. She turned. Four short, hard footsteps. A hand grasped her shoulder, wrenching her towards a van parked in a dark corner.
Every muscle leaped into flight mode as terror seized her. She struggled, wrenching herself back, clawing, kicking. Screaming. Screaming words she didn’t know she knew.
‘Don’t fight me, Charlie.’ The man spoke in an eerie whisper.
For a split second, Charlie froze. He knew her name.
‘Paul said he wanted you undamaged.’ He kept dragging her. ‘We don’t want to ruin your wedding photos, now, do we?’ he said, his tone low and mocking. She broke into a terror-laced sweat and struggled ferociously
She knew Paul had a reputation for ruthlessness, but abduction? Would he go to such extremes?
Aiming her elbow, she slammed the guy in the ribs. He swore but didn’t flinch, only tightened his grip. He held her fast against his body and dragged her relentlessly on.
No way would she get in that van. She flew through her limited options.
Screaming – the car park was empty.
Struggling – ineffective, energy-sapping.
Reason with the creep.
‘This won’t make any difference,’ she said, ceasing her thrashing. ‘I won’t marry him.’
His grip didn’t yield but turned her to face him. ‘Yeah, he thought you’d say that.’
She knew him. She’d seen him standing in the background at some of the public events she’d attended with Paul.
‘You’ll do what you’re told.’ The smell of stale smoke and garlic sickened her. They’d reached the van. He held her flat against the cool metal with one hand as he opened the door with the other. The guy was huge – a giant.
‘You don’t come with me now, I get to smash up your cake business.’ An ugly smile spread across his hard face. ‘Hope none of your workers are there when I do it. They might get in my way.’ He leaned in close. ‘Know what I mean.’
Fire leaped through her veins. Thinking of Lisa and Bec in her little commercial kitchen gave her pause. If he so much as touched . . . Gritting her teeth, she smashed her foot down on his toes. It hurt her like hell, but from his cry of pain, it hurt him more. His hands dropped.
She didn’t waste a second.
By the time she heard him pounding unevenly behind her she was halfway to the door.
‘You bitch,’ he bawled, his fury adding fire to her pace. She knew Paul
’s specific instructions would now be meaningless.
The door. She wouldn’t make it. Even as she turned, she realised her mistake.
The concrete floor rushed up. Pain exploded behind her eyes.
As everything went dark, she heard Gabe shouting her name.
Gabe slammed into the hulking thug at top speed. The man groaned, limped a few steps away then dropped into a boxing stance. Gabe heard shouts behind him. The man turned and sprinted to a van and roared from the car park.
Gabe fell to his knees next to Charlie’s prone body.
‘Charlie. Charlie.’ He was too scared to touch her. Blood oozed from her forehead and she didn’t move.
‘Ambulance,’ he screamed at the figures that blurred around him. ‘Call an ambulance.’
In that moment, he knew he couldn’t live without her.
Chapter Thirteen
Gabe’s head snapped up as a nurse bustled into the room.
‘What would you like me to do with these?’ She held up a handful of envelopes and a bouquet of flowers.
‘Um, just leave the cards on the pile over there, thanks.’ Gabe’s voice sounded strange and strangled even to his own ears. ‘And you can give the flowers to the ward. We can’t fit any more.’ The private hospital room already looked like a florist shop, except for Charlie lying prone and pale in a steel-railed hospital bed. The doctors said she’d be fine, they just wanted to keep her in for observation for a few days.
The nurse did as instructed, then took up Charlie’s wrist to take her pulse. After updating Charlie’s chart, she patted Gabe’s shoulder.
‘She’s fine. Really. The doctor will be here shortly.’
The nurse left and Gabe renewed his vigil at Charlie’s bedside. The room had begun to feel claustrophobic with all the flowers, get-well-soon balloons and every variety of gift basket. Less than twenty-four hours had passed since Charlie had been attacked. The whole country seemed to be shouting get-well-soon from the sidelines. Every tabloid ran the story on its front page. The First-Class Chef website had crashed under the volume of traffic. Floral tributes and gifts kept pouring into the hospital. A call from the studio told him the same thing was happening there.
Charlie had captured the hearts of the British nation.
Gabe took her hand in his own. It still felt a little too cool to his touch. He leaned over and stroked her face. The vision of that animal crouched over her crumpled body seared through his mind once more. He shuddered.
His mobile buzzed like an irritating insect. He flicked it open.
‘Gabe Grenville.’
‘Mr Grenville, Chief Inspector Majors, Scotland Yard.’
Gabe leapt to his feet. ‘Yes?’
‘No leads, I’m afraid. Looks like a random attack.’
‘What about the surveillance footage?’
‘The attack happened in a blind spot, unfortunately, and the attacker wore a hat and glasses. The van had no registration but we’re following up on the make and model.’
Gabe swore under his breath.
‘I’ll ring when I have more to report,’ the inspector said.
‘Thank you,’ Gabe replied. He hung up and ran his hand across Charlie’s forehead.
He should have realised Charlie’s celebrity status might attract nutters. He should have protected her. What if that guy had dragged her into the van?
He forced himself to stop imagining the worst. Charlie was safe in hospital, receiving the best medical care available. He’d made sure of that. She looked pale but peaceful.
‘Did we finish the show?’ Her voice came as barely a whisper. She tried to sit up.
Gabe jumped to his feet. ‘Lie back, sweetheart,’ he said, easing her onto the pillow.
The doctor entered the room. Gabe stepped back to give him space. The doctor hovered over Charlie, peering into each eye with a small torch and checking her pulse. He asked her a couple of basic questions.
‘All looks good,’ the doctor announced. ‘The CT scan was fine.’ He picked up the chart at the end of the bed and scribbled some notes. ‘We’ll just keep you in again overnight, but I think you’ll be as right as rain for the next show.’ He smiled brightly.
‘There won’t be one,’ Gabe said. Silence fell over the room. Even the machines’ constant beeping seemed to hush. Charlie and the doctor stared at him. ‘I’m cancelling it.’
‘Why?’ Charlie said softly.
‘I’m not risking your safety again.’
‘Gabe, I’m fine. You heard the doctor. Please. You can’t stop just because I got a bump on the head.’
‘Charlie, I don’t care about the show, I care about you. If one nutter tried to abduct you, there’ll be more.’
The doctor discreetly left the room.
Charlie eased herself up on her pillows even though he protested. ‘Come here,’ she insisted, patting the bed next to her. He sat down gently, careful not to shake the bed.
‘You love this show,’ she said, stroking his hand. ‘Cancelling it’ll just make me sad and I’d feel responsible.’ She gave him a teasing smile. ‘You’ll hinder my recovery.’
‘Sorry, Charlie, but I’ve made my decision.’
The smile slipped from her face and her eyes welled up. ‘Please, Gabe, you and First-Class Chef are the best things that have ever happened to me.’
For almost the first time in his adult life, Gabe was unsure of his next move. But he knew one thing – he’d do anything to put a smile back on Charlie’s beautiful face.
‘I know,’ Gabe said into his mobile.
Charlie sat on Gabe’s sofa and watched him pace the living room. Gabe had insisted she stay with him for a couple of days after she’d been released from hospital. Sophie still hadn’t reappeared to make good on her threats. The woman had probably decided attacking her while she was laid up wouldn’t look good. But Charlie didn’t kid herself that the situation with Sophie was over.
‘It’s more than the top-rating episodes of Coronation Street and EastEnders,’ Gabe said.
She smiled. Gabe’s animated conversation with Abigail told her everything. The semi-final had been a ratings hit.
The production’s merchandise had already sold out. The YouTube clips were being downloaded every few seconds and the show was trending number one on Twitter. It now sounded as if it was breaking television records.
‘Yes, I’ll be in later today. Just need to make sure the patient is comfortable,’ he said, smiling at her. ‘Sure. Okay. Bye.’
Gabe snapped his phone shut and threw himself down on the sofa next to her.
‘Abigail sends her love. Everyone’s looking forward to seeing you back on set for the final.’
‘I can’t wait to be there.’
‘Thirty-five million.’
‘Sorry?’
‘It’s official. Your sexy episode pulled a record-breaking viewership of thirty-five million viewers.’
‘That’s incredible.’
‘Damn right, it is.’ Gabe jumped from the couch. He clearly couldn’t sit still. ‘And it’s all down to you.’
‘Let’s not get too carried away,’ she said, rolling her eyes.
‘No, it’s you. Facebook and Twitter are going wild. I told you – the country loves you.’ He sat down and gave her a light kiss on the lips. ‘And what’s not to love?’ he said, his eyes gazing deeply into hers.
He kissed her gently. She leaned into the kiss wanting more.
‘Uh, uh, uh. None of that,’ he said, hopping up from the couch.
‘Gabe, for goodness’ sake, I’m fine. The doctor said so,’ she said.
‘No, you had a headache last night.’ He wagged his finger at her.
‘The doctor said that was normal.’ Gabe had been treating her like a china doll since she’d been discharged.
‘Look, I don’t want to put any more pressure on you. You’re filming live at the end of the week. You need to rest and have no distractions.’
‘Hmm, I seem to remember it was yo
ur artful distraction that won me a spot in the final.’
‘When you’re better, I plan to make distracting you a full-time profession.’
‘Good,’ she said, grabbing his thigh and trying to pull him down again onto the couch.
‘I have to go. I’ll be back about six.’
He picked up his work satchel. She followed him.
‘Now, I want you to relax all day and that’s an order.’
She slid her hand up his chest. ‘I like it when you order me about.’ She peppered his neck with light kisses.
‘Charlie – cut that out.’
‘Make me,’ she said, as she slid her hands down the length of his torso and across his groin.
He took in a quick, sharp breath. She certainly had his attention. He gripped her hand. ‘You’re still recovering,’ he said, his voice a little hoarse. ‘I have to go.’
She began stroking him through his jeans. ‘I’m fine,’ she soothed. ‘Your team will be on top of things.’
‘I had no idea I’d picked up such a sex kitten in Italy.’
‘I was a prude, remember?’ she said, feeling his erection grow. ‘It’s all your fault. You made me like this.’
He grabbed her hand and pulled it from his groin. ‘Rest. Relax. I’ll see you at the set later.’
He quickly pulled open the door and took the steps to the pavement two at a time.
‘You’re going to be the death of me,’ he called back. ‘Now, lock that door.’
He threw himself behind the wheel, waved and drove away.
She closed the door, smiling. The idea of being distracted by one Mr Gabe Grenville sent a delicious shudder through her body. She walked into the kitchen, planning to review her menu for the final. She pulled open the fridge and scanned its contents.
The buzzing of the doorbell interrupted her plans.
She walked quickly to the door. ‘Who is it?’
‘Special delivery.’
She yanked open the door to find Gabe leaning seductively on the door frame.
‘I couldn’t wait.’
A shot of heat pooled between her legs.
‘Get in here then,’ she said, grabbing him by the shirt and hauling him through the door.
Sweet Seduction Page 29
