Sweet, Sweet Revenge

by Nia Arthurs

  Had she given in too quickly?

  What if he was just another businessman interested in buying her out?

  She cleared her throat.

  Joon Gi whirled around and strode toward her, a welcoming smile on his face. His presence put her at ease for some reason. He was cunning, but Sky sensed he was also good-hearted.

  Maybe you shouldn’t be so quick to approve given your track record. Her past relationships proved she wasn’t a great judge of character.

  “We can draft up a contract later,” Joon Gi said. “But first I’d like to check the state of your book-keeping—”

  “Hold up.” She raised a hand.

  Joon Gi raised an eyebrow.

  “I’m not handing over anything yet.”

  “What?” His brows lowered. “But I thought we’d come to an agreement.”

  “The agreement was you get a second chance. I’ll decide when and if I’ll let you into the business part of Sweet Treats and I also decide if I’ll entertain any other offers.”

  Joon Gi stared at her with wide, brown eyes.

  Her smile slipped while she waited. Why was she so nervous to set her foot down? It was her business. She didn’t owe this man anything.

  Don’t let him get to you.

  “Fine.” His eyes dropped to her apron. “What do you want me to do first?”

  “We’ll start with the easy stuff.”

  “Okay.”

  She made a slow perusal of his torso. “What are you wearing under there?”

  “Excuse me?”

  She chuckled. “You might need to change shirts. Things are about to get messy.”

  “Why would they—?”

  Sky pumped her thumb to the right. “You can start by wiping the counters and chairs.”

  “Y-you want me to clean?”

  “We’ve only got two people on staff and I’m the one who usually has to clean around here. Since you were so concerned about proving yourself, you can start there.”

  His eyelashes fluttered. For a second, she wondered if he would reject her.

  Deep down, Sky was almost hoping for it.

  After dipping her toes into the ocean of Serendipitous-First-Meetings, she’d gotten a little wary of the water. People who popped up into her life offering something usually ducked out just as easily. It was best if Joon Gi made a smooth exit too.

  The silence stretched.

  Sky opened her mouth to dismiss him, but Joon Gi started unbuttoning his shirt. “You have a deal.

  “Oh.” She blinked in surprise. “Follow me.”

  He slipped his shirt off and set it on the chair. As they strolled, Sky tried not to ogle him, but her eyes gravitated to his broad shoulders and the tattoo riding along the inside of his arm.

  Joon Gi leaned past her when they got to the broom closet and his arm brushed against her side.

  Sky’s heart bucked like she’d been shot.

  What is wrong with me?

  Unperturbed, Joon Gi grabbed a rag hanging from a hook with the tip of his fingers and turned to face her in the cramped doorway. She felt his warmth and every vibration his deep voice made when he asked, “Will this work?”

  She nodded dumbly.

  “Just tidy up the front?”

  “Yeah. I’ll be in the kitchen if you have any problems.”

  “I got this.” He smiled, causing his eyes to collapse into slits.

  He’s so hot.

  She swallowed.

  Perturbed by the thought, Sky shuffled away and hid in the kitchen until her heartbeat returned to normal.

  She was sampling too much of her goods lately. It was doing weird things to her.

  Tomorrow, I’m going on a diet.

  4

  JOON GI SWIPED the last inch of the counter and set his hands on his hips in satisfaction. His father had taught him that no job in the company was ‘beneath’ them so the fact that Sky had him dusting the place didn’t faze him at all.

  He couldn’t believe how things had turned in the space of a stuffed jack and a tense conversation with Hanna.

  It hadn’t been his intention to work here. Like his ex pointed out, he didn’t know a jack thing about bakeries.

  But that didn’t matter.

  Joon Gi was looking for a job. And it had been difficult to get back on his feet after the scandal. The fact that Hanna wanted Sweet Treats and he had a prime opportunity to keep it from her was just a bonus.

  His footsteps thudded against the ground as he headed to the kitchen. Sky was stirring something on the stove. He knocked on the door to get her attention.

  “I’m done,” he said.

  She turned her head and batted her thick eyelashes. Brown eyes, shaded with a hint of amber, skittered to the ceiling and then back to Joon Gi. A cloud of regret momentarily shimmered in her gaze before Sky blinked it away.

  It was obvious she felt sorry for working him, but not to the extent that she’d trust him immediately.

  Her caution took him by surprise.

  Joon Gi couldn’t deny that he’d played Sky’s sympathy like a violin. She’d visibly responded to his personal story and he was willing to milk his misfortunes if it furthered his goal.

  The way Sky had been frowning and wincing when he told her about going bankrupt and getting blackballed, he was sure he had this café in the bag. But then she’d set her boundaries and tested him instead of giving in.

  He’d let his guard down, believing Sky would be easy to handle. Those brown eyes of hers were innocent, guileless. He’d been fooled by his own assumptions.

  “What are you making there?” He sniffed the fragrant air. “Smells great.”

  “Brownies. This is the sauce I’ll dribble on top.”

  He cocked his head and waited for her to meet his gaze. When she did, Joon Gi nodded to the stove. “Need some help?”

  “Do you know anything about chocolate sauces?”

  “Apart from the fact that they’re delicious? Not really.”

  Sky narrowed her eyes as if considering the depth of his competence and then jerked her chin toward the pot. “Take over here. All you have to do is move the spoon around every so often. It should be easy enough.”

  “I think I can handle that.”

  She smirked.

  He smoothly exchanged places with her and intermittently stirred the pot while Sky poured brownie batter into pans and slid the trays into one of her two industrial style ovens. The kitchen was surprisingly up-to-date with stainless steel and heavy-duty appliances.

  He got the impression she’d renovated recently.

  Which explains why Hanna is circling like a vulture over a carcass. She’s probably backed up with loans because of all this.

  “How many batches of brownies do you make daily?” he asked.

  “About twelve. I’m generous with the slices though so each batch only makes about eight servings. Sometimes they sell well. Sometimes they don’t. I prefer being sold out than having tons of leftovers.”

  He nodded. Selling out by the end of the day was the goal. “Your friend Joana only helps you in the mornings?”

  “She works at her grandmother’s grocery store, but she takes an hour out of every morning to run the front.” Sky bent over to check the temperature of the oven, giving him an eyeful of her curvy rear. He shot his gaze upward until she straightened. “Most of my customers are school children and adults who work during the day so it only gets busy after three and five in the evenings. That’s plenty of time to make everything I need.”

  “So who watches the counter while you’re back here?”

  “I normally hear the bell and head outside to check.”

  “I see.”

  Sky quirked her generous brown lips. “Doesn’t sound like you approve.”

  “Whether that’s a safe strategy or not is a conversation for another day. You’ve got a trickle of customers between nine in the morning and three in the afternoon. There’s got to be a better way to lure more people in here
for lunch.”

  “That would require more hands than I have, I’m afraid.” Sky shot out her arms. “After the breakfast rush, there’s no way I can clean up and regroup for eleven o’clock unless I clone myself.”

  “I’ll think of something.”

  Sky propped her hip against the counter that was sprinkled with powder and studied him. “Yeah, I bet you will.”

  If her blatant perusal was an intimidation tactic, it wasn’t working.

  Growing up in Belize gave him thick skin. As an Asian amidst a population largely dominated by black and Spanish people, Joon Gi was always on the receiving end of probing what-the-hell-is-this-Asian-guy-doing-here looks.

  Instead of wallowing in the box the world had given him, he took pride in his culture and in shirking the status quo.

  Yeah, he played damn good basketball and aced his math tests.

  Yeah, he dated tons of girls—of all colors.

  He loved hip-hop, soca, dancehall and R&B music.

  Joon had never been a ‘typical Asian’—whatever that was—and he had no plans to be.

  But even if he wasn’t intimidated, Sky’s probing gaze left him feeling a little exposed. What were the stereotypes she’d heard and what did she expect based on those ideals?

  He’d never been this curious about someone’s opinion before, so the instinct caught him by surprise.

  “What?” he asked when he was tired of her silent gaze.

  “That tattoo.” She gestured to the line of block letters in Hanguel down the inside of his forearm.

  He quickly pinned the arm to his side. Joon Gi had ripped off his shirt earlier and worked in his vest.

  Where did I put that shirt?

  Sky had taken it somewhere. He glanced around and spotted the turquoise material hanging over a chair near the stove. Joon Gi pulled it over his head and fluidly matched up the rest of the buttons. “It’s nothing. Just a name.”

  “Someone close? A lover maybe?” An eyebrow hopped as if she were intentionally goading him.

  He cleared his throat. “Am I stirring this right? It looks like it’s almost done.”

  Her hand launched out to push her body away from the counter. Hips swaying gently as she walked, Sky promised, “You’ll tell me eventually.”

  “Yeah, right,” he mumbled under his breath.

  Either she didn’t hear or pretended not to.

  After checking on his work, Sky nodded. “That’s good. You’re a natural.”

  Joon Gi mopped his forehead with the back of his hand. “Thanks.”

  Just then her phone rang and Sky glided out of the kitchen to answer. Joon Gi watched her exit and then fanned his face with a nearby towel. Belize was a tropical country, but the ovens in the kitchen made him feel like he was standing in front of the sun.

  “Hello?” a voice rang from the store.

  Joon straightened and peered through the kitchen door. Had Sky heard?

  “Anyone here?”

  Joon moved to the front to investigate. A tall man with light brown skin, short, wavy hair and a perfectly groomed beard stood in front of the counter. He wore a grey button-down tucked into a pair of heavy trousers and work boots.

  The men locked eyes.

  The customer grunted. “Who are you?”

  “Can I help you?”

  “You work here?”

  He got the feeling they’d exchange questions into eternity if he didn’t put a stop to it, so Joon Gi clamped his mouth shut.

  This guy could think what he wanted.

  “Rich. Sky got herself a little Chini employee.” The customer grinned as if Joon’s ethnicity was some kind of trophy.

  I’m Korean. Moron.

  “Name’s Vince.” He eyed the length of the store. “I’m a VIP customer. Where’s Sky?”

  “Joon Gi, did someone…?” Sky appeared around the bend and went pale when she saw who stood on the other side of the counter. “Vince?”

  Joon swung around and tried to pinpoint what that little rasp in her voice meant. Was she happy to see this guy? Sad? Angry? A mixture of all three? He squinted and struggled to read her expression, but her glimmering eyes had suddenly gone cold.

  “Sky, how you doing, shawty?” Vince licked his lips. “Still looking fine I see.”

  “What do you want, Vince?”

  “The usual.” He gestured to the baked goods. “I’ll take whatever didn’t sell. Put it in a nice little bag for me. I’ll take a juice too. All on the house right?” He winked.

  Sky shot Joon Gi an uncertain glance before shuffling forward and opening the display case. When she went for the iron prong, he snapped her wrist and held on. Joon Gi felt her pulse skittering against his fingertips.

  Sky looked up, shock parading across her face. “What are you doing?”

  “Why are you listening to him?”

  Her mouth opened and shut but no sound escaped.

  Vince chuckled, his eyes on their joined hands. “What’s going on here? Is there a problem?”

  Joon Gi ignored him and cocked a brow, waiting for an answer from Sky.

  She stood stock-still.

  What the hell does that mean?

  Turning to Vince, he folded his arms over his chest and took control since Sky didn’t seem in the right mind to. “We’re all out of samples, but you’re free to purchase whatever you like.”

  Vince’s eyes narrowed. “Sky, you gonna let this Chini bwai answer for you?”

  “It’s okay.” Sky slipped her hand out of his. “Vince and I have an agreement.”

  “What agreement?” Joon demanded.

  Sky shook her head and hissed, “Stay out of it, okay?”

  But he couldn’t.

  Even if he wasn’t a good person, Joon Gi couldn’t stand by and watch a woman with a struggling business get steamrolled by someone else.

  He lowered his voice so his point came across crystal clear. “I don’t care who you are. Either buy something or get out.”

  “Joon Gi…”

  “Is that how you want to play it, Sky?” Vince chuckled darkly. “You’ll regret this.”

  “Wait!” Sky yelled.

  Vince stormed out of the store.

  The door banged shut behind him.

  Sky vaulted around the counter and wailed, “No! Come back!”

  Joon Gi saw her moving and reacted on instinct, hauling her back by the waist and snapping her to his chest. She squirmed, but he clamped his arms more firmly, keeping her in place. “What are you doing? Do you want to waste time on that scum?”

  “Let go!” She elbowed him in the side.

  Joon Gi burrowed over, a pained breath escaping through his parted lips. Through teary eyes, he saw Sky scramble through the door after Vince and struggled to make sense of what just happened.

  No wonder she’s losing business if she’s giving everything away.

  A few minutes later, the bell above the door jangled and Sky stomped back in. She was breathing heavily, as if she’d chased Vince a couple blocks. Her brown eyes were two blazing flames in her head. “What the hell was that?”

  “That was me protecting you from a thief.” He straightened painfully, an arm still slung over his stomach. “You’re welcome.”

  “Vince is angry. Now what am I supposed to do?”

  “Call the cops? I don’t know.” Air inflated his chest indignantly as he breathed hard to get a handle on his temper.

  “You had no right.” Her nostrils flared as she advanced, eyes simmering with rage. Sky poked his chest with her finger, punctuating each word with a thrust. “No right!”

  His spine shivered with anger. Sky was crazy. Off her meds. Insane. She was going all inferno on him while that Vince guy would have swaggered off with a bunch of free goods and not so much as a purr from her.

  Whatever.

  Sky was right about one thing.

  It was none of his business. He’d keep his nose out of her affairs as long as they didn’t mess with his plan for revenge.
<
br />   5

  “COME ON, Vince. Pick up. Pick up.” Sky chewed her thumbnail and bounced her foot against the vinyl floor.

  “The number you are dialing is not answering…”

  Sky hurled the phone away. The soft and feminine recording that whispered in her ear a minute ago floated into silence. She whirled around, breathing hard through her nose and exchanged her thumb for her bottom lip.

  Her thoughts raced too fast for her to grab a hold of one and keep steady. She had to get to Vince, had to calm him down before he did something stupid.

  Hauling her phone close again, Sky typed out a message.

  SKY: Don’t be offended. You’re welcome at the store anytime.

  She stared at the text and hit the DELETE button until the tiny characters disappeared and bled into white.

  That sounded far too desperate. Things were bad enough in the past when Vince terrorized her and she grudgingly gave in to it. Sending that text would give him even more power and his demands would double. Sky was already at a disadvantage. She couldn’t dig the hole deeper.

  Groaning into her hands, she flew into a nearby chair and buried her head on the counter. The front of the store was silent. The first slap of the door had signaled Vince’s exit. The second was probably Joon Gi’s.

  Sky couldn’t believe he’d stepped in like that. What exactly was his game plan here?

  It only took a couple brain cells to figure out that Joon Gi, as pleasant as he looked on the outside, was up to something. Did he think she’d fall into his arms if he waltzed into her bakery and acted like an Asian Prince Charming?

  This wasn’t some romance novel. In real life, people had bad intentions, selfish priorities, and double lives all held together by thinly veiled smiles and a few good deeds smattered in to hide their rotting stench.

  Yeah, she had a problem saying no. Which frequently exposed her to the truth of human nature.

  Humans were all instinctively evil.

  She’d only known Joon Gi a couple hours, but the principle still applied. They weren’t lovers, friends, or even acquaintances by any stretch of the word. He had no right to care, no right to intervene.

  “Okay, enough fuming,” she murmured to herself and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Get yourself together and get back to work, Sky.”