by Katy Kaylee
“First things first, what the fuck happened that you ran out of my home the other morning like I had cooties?”
She pursed her lips. “I told you, my mother — ”
“Bullshit.” I grabbed a chair and sat in front of her. “Tell me the truth, Morgan. Did I do something? Did you do something?”
“Me?” She sounded incredulous but then her face morphed into guilt. She did do something. “How was your date with Jolie?”
I sat back. So that was it. I took my phone out of my pocket, opened the text messages I had with Jolie starting with the one that came in about showing me her lingerie. I held it up for Morgan to read.
“I don’t need to know about your other women.”
“Read it,” I growled.
She sighed in a way that said, “fine.” I saw in her eyes when she got to the part where I told Jolie I couldn’t see her anymore because I thought I’d met someone.
Her gaze lifted to me.
“All you had to fucking do was ask, Morgan.”
She swallowed hard. “I’m sorry.”
“Was that the only reason you left?”
She nodded.
“What about the baby?”
Her eyes rounded. “Who — ”
“Look, I don’t give a fuck that you were with someone else since me — well, that’s not true, I do give a fuck. It makes me crazy, imagining someone else touching you. But I want you, Morgan. I can’t stop wanting you. And I want your baby. If it’s John’s and he’s still touching you … then he and I are going to have a problem.” I shook my head, because that sounded bad. What if she liked him? “Unless you want him. Tell me, Morgan. Is John the man you want?”
“No,” she said and I look at her closely wanting to see the truth of it in here eyes.
I reached for her, and she willingly came to me, letting me pull her on my lap until she was straddling me.
“Tell me you’re done with him.”
“He’s just flirting.”
I shook my head because that wasn’t what I wanted to hear. “Tell me he’s nothing to you.” Of course, if he was the father of her baby, that would be fucked up, but I didn’t care. I need him to be out of her mind, even if I couldn’t get him out of her life.
“He’s nothing. But this restaurant is, Kade.”
“What about me?” I hated asking that, and so I didn’t let her answer. Instead, I captured her lips with mine, feeling like I had to kiss her or I’d fade away. That’s what it was about her. She was like an elixir, filling me with joy. Grounding me to something solid. I felt like everything I was or would ever be was wrapped up in this moment. I had to convince her that I could be the man she wanted. I could be the father to her child. That together, we could take the New York restaurant scene by storm.
But because I wasn’t as good with words, I used my lips and tongue in a different way, coaxing a moan from her as I squeezed her ass and pulled her until her pussy rubbed against my cock.
“I want to fuck you right here, right now, Morgan.”
She moaned as she undid my belt buckle. At least we could get this right, I thought. When we were naked, and just our bodies were talking, we spoke in perfect harmony. Why couldn’t we get it this right for all the other moments we were together?
24
Morgan — Friday
I’d known Kade was in the kitchen watching me tonight, but I ignored him. First, I was still hurt by finding Jolie’s text, but also, the restaurant was slammed, and I was barely holding on expediting the orders. At one point, before Kade got there, the chef snapped at me, and I nearly snapped back. John had been there to intervene. He gave me a break so I could get some water and take a breath. But then I was pissed at myself for crumbling. This was my restaurant, and for my mother and my baby, I had to make this work. Me, not John. Not Kade. Me.
But I couldn’t deny that I felt extra pressure with Kade watching me. I wondered what John was telling him. Probably that I was cracking under the stress. He was a suck up to me, but I had no doubt he’d toss me under the bus to get to Kade if he thought it would help his position.
When Kade left the kitchen, I breathed a sigh of relief and refocused on getting the last orders from the rush out. That wasn’t to say that we didn’t have more orders, but the amount of them was now down to a manageable number.
I stopped to take a breath and wipe my brow when John arrived, giving me his usual “you can do this” pep talk that I wasn’t sure he believed. He pressed his palm to my cheek, but I was too tired to brush him off. It was Kade’s menacing glare at John that finally had him letting me go.
When Kade started telling us what to do, I wanted to balk, but again, I was too tired to argue. I figured I’d hear him out, give him a piece of my mind, and then we’d be done with it once and for all. Well, except for the matter of our baby.
I hadn’t wanted to tip my hand that I’d known about Jolie, but in my fatigue and anger, it slipped out. He glared at me like I was an idiot. When I read the texts he showed me, I discovered I was.
Jolie: Back tonight! Picked up new lingerie when I was in Paris. And a few tricks. Can’t wait to get naked and show you.
Kade: Hope you had a safe trip. Can’t get together. I’ve met someone.
Jolie: Really? She must be special to get you off the market. Is it serious?
Kade: Not sure, but I want to find out.
A mixture of guilt and happiness tangled in my stomach. He was right, I should have asked him. He’d been interested in me. Me! The way he demanded that I tell him John was nothing to me told me that he was jealous, which could only mean that he still wanted me.
When he brought up the baby, I about fell out of my chair. The only thing I could think of was Beth had betrayed me. She’d told Ash, who probably told Kade. I supposed I couldn’t blame her for telling her husband; I was sure he trumped me when it came to loyalty. I could also see why Ash would tell Kade. Surely, they’d be concerned about my ability to continue the restaurant. I was determined to make this work, and whatever I had to do to prove that, I’d do.
Now was the time to tell him about the baby, especially since it sounded like he wanted to be involved. But then his lips were on mine, and all I could do was feel the sweet endorphins flood my system. This was what I wanted. For him to touch me like I was the only one in the world for him.
In truth, I was a coward, still putting off what I needed to tell him. Clearly, I hadn’t learned anything from Beth’s ordeal with Ash, or this most recent one involving Jolie’s text. Talking was crucial to success in a relationship, but I was too much of a coward to risk this moment.
I undid his belt and freed his dick. I scrambled off of him, wanting his hot, hard flesh in my mouth.
He hissed, and his fingers gripped my head as I sucked him deep in my mouth. “Yes, suck me, Morgan.”
I bobbed my head up and down over his shaft, feeling feminine, sexy, powerful. His pleasure was in my hands. My body.
“Fuck, stop,” He reached for me. “Ride me, baby. Let me come in your sweet pussy.”
In a tangle of arms and legs, we undressed enough that I could straddle him in the chair again and take him deep inside me. Just like my fantasy.
He leaned forward, sucking on my nipples as his hands kneaded my ass, forcing me to rock over him.
“Oh, Kade.” I gripped his head, holding him to my chest as my hips began to rise and fall, rock and swivel.
“Come on baby. Come on me.” His fingers slid over my belly and for a minute I was distracted by the life I had growing there. A life we’d created doing this very thing, in this very restaurant. But then his thumb pressed and rubbed on my clit and I felt my orgasm reach the pinnacle.
“Kiss me,” he growled. I fused my lips to him, which was likely a good thing as when I finally flew over, his mouth helped muffle my cry.
He growled and bucked up, releasing his hot liquid inside me. We panted as our breaths returned to normal. He dropped his head between my breasts.<
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“You fucking undo me, Morgan.”
I wanted to read all sorts of things in that line, but even after all we’d just talked about and done, I still wasn’t sure what he wanted. Sure, he wasn’t seeing Jolie, and didn’t want me seeing John. He didn’t seem to care I was pregnant. But I couldn’t let myself believe that he saw a future with me. A man like Kade eventually got tired of a woman. Maybe I’d last longer than some, but as soon as the evidence of the baby appeared, he’d be on his way. Even after I told him the truth, I couldn’t imagine he’d stick around for me. He’d said it himself that he didn’t see himself ever settling down.
A knock on the door had me scrambling off him and putting my clothes together.
“What?” Kade barked.
“Kitchen just served last meal,” said Manny, the waiter Kade had put in charge of the front of the house, through the door.
“I’ll be right out,” I called. God, I hoped no one had heard us in here. I finished straightening my clothes. “I need to help close up.”
Kade buckled his pants. “I’ll leave you to it. You don’t need me here.”
I stared at him, wondering what he meant.
“You’ve got this.”
It was the same thing John had said, and like John, I couldn’t be sure Kade believed what he was saying.
I received a text from Kade on Saturday morning saying he had to run out to the Hamptons to check on the new restaurant they’d taken over from Beth’s family. Apparently, Ben was doing a piss poor job keeping the businesses going. I felt sorry for him in some respects. The downfall of his family business wasn’t all his fault. But his inability to get his drinking under control was.
Kade said he wished I could come with him, and hinted at a few things we could do away for a weekend. My heart wanted to sing, but the slight nausea in my stomach reminded me I had to be careful about falling for him. This was just sex for him. Sure, he seemed to like me, but for all his jealousy and possessiveness, he’d never told me he loved me.
On Sunday, John was doing some work in the office while I was working with the chef on some menu ideas during a lull after the brunch crowd.
“Did you see the review by Lyle Kalmetter?” Chef asked.
“No.” My heart thudded in my chest. “Was it okay?”
“Overall. He said he it felt like the restaurant wanted to be fusion, but fell short.”
I closed my eyes, wondering why I hadn’t taken a firmer stand on the menu.
“You said you wanted fusion when you hired me, but I agree, what we’re serving isn’t quite that. I think your benefactor thinks the rich and snooty won’t like it.”
I laughed at his assessment of Kade. “I think you’re right.”
“Rich folk like good food. They especially like to ‘discover’ new cuisine,” he said, making air quotes around the word discover, and I knew why. It wasn’t like fusion didn’t already exist.
“Would you be willing to make a few changes? I know it’s a lot. Maybe one appetizer.”
“Yeah. I can pick something and change it up. Do you trust me? Because I don’t think John does,” Chef said.
“I trust you. And I’m your boss.”
He grinned. “Aye aye.”
I left the kitchen and went to the office.
“I apologize for any misunderstanding the other night, Mr. Raven,” John said on the phone. I stopped outside the door, wondering why he was calling Kade.
“I feel very passionately about the restaurant and know I can make it a success. But we need a more experienced leader.”
Was he talking about me?
“I mean, you saw Morgan. When the kitchen gets backed up, she chokes. Everyone in the kitchen chokes because of her.”
Why, that little weasel.
“I know she’s one of your pet projects, but we need more experience in here if this project is going to survive. Give me a call when you get this message. I look forward to discussing some ideas I have. I know you’ll appreciate them.”
I heard the phone click. I grappled with whether or not to fire him right there. But I decided to let it ride until I knew what Kade was going to do. He liked to be with me, but that didn’t mean he didn’t agree with John. This was my restaurant, but it was Raven money backing it. If he thought John was right, they could find a way to force me out.
I walked back out to the restaurant, getting a bottle of water from behind the bar. A few minutes later, John emerged.
“Everything all right?” I asked.
“Yep, everything is running like a Swiss watch.” He sat at the bar and grinned at me. Now I saw his attention for what it was. He was knifing me in the back, but didn’t want me to know it until it was too late.
“Chef is going to come up with a new fusion dish,” I said.
“What?” He frowned. “The menu is perfect. You can’t just change it.”
“Really? Why not? Especially when a reviewer says we’re falling short on achieving fusion.”
He shook his head in that way that suggested I was a dunce. “We’re not fusion though. Not really.”
“Well, I want a fusion, and we’re going to start with one dish.” I stared at him, daring him to contradict me. I really wanted to fire him.
“Morgan, look, I know this is an exciting time for you in this business, but you can’t just all of a sudden change the menu.”
“Chef said he could.”
“The chef is going to say that because you’re his boss. He wants to make you happy.”
I inhaled a breath and leaned against the bar. “What about you, John? Do you want to make me happy? I’m your boss too.” I didn’t wait for an answer. “I’m going to run out to check on my mother. I’ll be back before the dinner rush.” Feeling more powerful than I’d had in a while, I walked out the door ready to take on the world.
25
Kade — Monday
Just when I thought I was getting things on track with Morgan, I had to leave town to deal with our new restaurant out in the Hamptons. Fucking Ben. The least he could do was keep his own properties running.
I was too late to see her last night when I arrived back, and this morning I had a meeting with Chase, Hunter, and Ash to let them know what was up with the McAdams properties out on Long Island.
With that finally all behind me, I went to my office, thinking I’d check in with Morgan. First, I wanted to check my messages in case she’d called me. The only voicemail was from John, left last night.
“I apologize for any misunderstanding the other night, Mr. Raven. I feel very passionately about the restaurant, and know I can make it a success. But we need a more experienced leader. I mean, you saw Morgan. When the kitchen gets backed up, she chokes. Everyone in the kitchen chokes because of her.
I know she’s one of your pet projects, but we need more experience in here if this project is going to survive. Give me a call when you get this message. I look forward to discussing some ideas I have. I know you’ll appreciate them.”
I frowned as I hit the button to repeat the message. What the hell? I tossed my phone on my desk and paced in my office. What was John doing? One minute he had his hands on Morgan, and the next he was calling me to tell me she’s incompetent. Did she know? Was that why she was done with him? Why not fire him?
Then I realized that if she’d slept with him, and if it was his baby she was carrying, firing him could get messy legally.
“You’re going to wear a permanent trail into your expensive carpet. Perhaps you should change course,” Alex said entering my office.
Wanting a second opinion, I said, “Listen to this message.” I picked up the phone and replayed the voice recording, while Alex came to stand in front of my desk.
“He works for her?” Alex asked when the recording was done.
“Yes.”
“He seems to think you run the show, though.”
I knew she was caught up on the details of Beth and Ash’s new small business project, but I reminded he
r of the players. “I’m the mentor of sorts. But it’s her place.”
She shrugged. “If you ask me, he’s trying to undermine her to get to you.”
Like a puzzle piece, it clicked into place. “You’re right.” John was probably using his charm to manipulate her, while at the same time stabbing her in the back. Morgan was smart and gutsy, but she’d been naïve around men, so she would have been easy pray for his brand of seduction. “I’m going to rip his lungs out,” I growled.
Alex’s eyes widened. “Perhaps she could just fire him.”
I nodded, but I knew that was a tricky situation if she had slept with him. No doubt he’d use it against her. Maybe even against Raven Industries.
“Thank you, Alex.” Then realizing she probably came to see me about something else, I asked, “Was there something you needed from me?”
“I wanted to let you know I emailed some specs your dad wanted me to forward you on the Bucharest restaurant.”
“I’ll look them over. Thank you.”
She nodded, and left my office. Dad’s Bucharest specs would have to wait, though. I called John and asked him to meet me at my office.
While I waited for him to show up, I reviewed the specs and made a list of things I needed to check out. At some point, I’d need to fly over and see the place in person. I wondered if I could convince Morgan to go with me. Could pregnant women fly?
John showed up ten minutes early to our meeting, proving the theory that he was an eager beaver jockeying for position in a Raven Industries restaurant. Why he just didn’t apply to one? I didn’t know. Unless he was looking for a management position. We nearly always hired management from within. I preferred to hire people who had experience in my restaurants.
“Thank you for coming down on short notice,” I said, motioning for him to sit in one of the chairs in front of my desk. I remained standing, leaning against my desk so I could glower down on him.
“Thank you for seeing me. I was worried about how you might take my call. But honestly, I see so much potential in the restaurant and want to see it be a success.”