Recipe for Desire

by Hodges, Cheris

  “Is that so?”

  “Don’t tell anyone I told you that. I broke all kinds of man code revealing that bit of information.”

  Marie stretched her leg out and smiled. “What’s in it for me to keep this a secret? Do you know how many women would love to have that information? So, what happens when you see a beautiful woman driving a fast car?”

  “That,” he said as he turned onto Trade Street, “I’m not telling you.”

  “No fair,” she quipped. “You tell me a secret, I’ll share one.”

  “Maybe another time,” Devon replied as he pulled into the emergency room driveway of Presbyterian Hospital. He hopped out of the car, crossed over to the passenger side, and lifted Marie from the car. She started to protest, to tell him that she could walk the short distance to the emergency room entrance, but she just relished feeling his arms holding her.

  They entered the emergency room and a nurse rushed over to them with a wheelchair. “What happened?” she asked, looking from Marie to Devon. “Aren’t you Devon Harris?”

  “Yes,” he said. “Miss Charles twisted her ankle and it’s swelling.”

  The nurse nodded and wheeled Marie to triage. “Let’s get some paperwork filled out and then a doctor will see you,” she said to Marie while smiling at Devon. “So, how did you twist your ankle?”

  Marie twisted her head to the side. “Are you talking to me or him?” she snapped.

  The nurse looked down at Marie. “Sorry,” she said. “Anyway, how did this happen?”

  “I slipped in the kitchen,” she said.

  Devon pointed to her feet. “Wearing those shoes,” he said.

  The nurse looked at Marie’s Jimmy Choos. “Nice. But definitely not shoes you should wear in the kitchen.”

  “I know that now,” Marie mumbled, and Devon stroked her shoulder.

  The nurse handed Marie an admission form and a pen, then turned her attention to Devon. “I watch your show every day. You look a lot better in person. I love Hometown Delights,” she said.

  Marie cleared her throat and held the clipboard out to the nurse, who was starstruck beyond belief. “Excuse me,” Marie exclaimed. “I’m done.”

  The nurse tore her eyes away from Devon and gave Marie a perfunctory smile. “All right,” she said. “A doctor will be with you shortly.” Devon gripped the back of Marie’s wheelchair and pushed her out into the waiting area.

  “Does that happen a lot?” Marie asked once they were out of the nurse’s earshot.

  “What?”

  “Women fawning all over you? You know why you’re every woman’s dream?” she asked. “The way you guys feel about women and fast cars, that’s how we women feel about men who cook and do dishes.”

  Devon laughed, thinking how many times he’d heard that. “I hope you don’t think that counts as your secret.”

  “Why doesn’t it?”

  “You think I haven’t heard that before?”

  Marie shrugged. “Maybe not,” she said. “But it is a secret, so it should count.”

  “Nope.”

  She pouted for a second and then smiled at him. “You know, we could be in here for hours. You don’t have to stay here. I’m sure you have something better to do.”

  “If I did, I’d be doing it,” he said. “I can’t let you get hurt on the first day. We’re going to need you at the shelter.”

  Marie nodded, secretly wishing that Devon was there with her because he was simply concerned about her injury. But why would she expect him to have genuine feelings about her, especially after the rocky start they had?

  Devon watched Marie as she sat in silence. He wondered if he had been wrong about her being a wannabe diva. Then again, she was in pain, and injury changed everyone’s attitude. Still, he was able to drink in every detail about the ebony beauty now. Her skin reminded him of his favorite brand of chocolate, Domori Puertofino. Her kisses were rich and sweet like the chocolate he used in his famous gâteau d’amoureux, or lovers’ cake. He created the decadent cake while in Paris studying with famed Parisian chocolatier Michel Chaudun, who had taught him how to use all kinds of chocolate, especially dark chocolate. Paris had been on his mind a lot lately. Ever since his agent told him that there may be a chance for him to return to the city he loved because the Food Network in France was looking to expand their original programming. Until there was a concrete offer, he wasn’t going to say anything to the ladies at Hometown Delights.

  “Is everything all right over there?” she asked. “You’re mighty quiet.”

  “Was thinking about something,” he said, looking directly into her dark eyes.

  “Are you sharing?”

  “Well,” he began, “you seem like a really nice girl. So, how is it that you end up in so much trouble?”

  Marie bristled momentarily, wondering if he was trying to pass judgment on her. No, she wasn’t a sugary-sweet woman who needed saving. Better yet, she didn’t want to believe that’s who she was. Marie’s antics were over the top and—according to her father—ridiculous. But she was simply trying to break out of Richard’s shadow, something he didn’t understand. Maybe that was why she dated jerks like William, jumped in the fountain in the nude, and partied like a rock star. There was no maybe about it. That’s exactly why she did what she did. As she focused her thoughtful gaze on Devon, she simply shrugged. “I just go about doing things differently,” she said. “Not everyone agrees with what I do.”

  “Parents?” he asked, fully understanding where she was coming from.

  “Father,” she said. “My dad doesn’t think what I do is a real job, and he definitely doesn’t like how I grab attention and headlines.” Marie laughed hollowly. “But if you don’t make a big splash, you just get ignored.”

  “That’s not true. And you don’t need that kind of attention.”

  Marie cocked her head to the side. “I’m not trying to be rude, but why do you think Hometown Delights is full every night? Two reasons: you and the bad press.”

  “I’d like to think that the food and the service have more to do with our success than the unfortunate incidents that took place at the restaurant,” Devon said as he folded his arms across his chest.

  “Well, Alicia invited me for dinner, so I’ll have to give you my assessment after I find out if I can walk without pain,” she said.

  “Wait a minute, Charlotte’s it girl has never been to Hometown Delights? Now that doesn’t seem right,” he quipped. “Let me know when you plan to come, and I’ll roll out the chef’s table for you.”

  “Wow, that’s nice of you,” she said. “I think I owe you an apology.”

  “You think?”

  Marie shrugged and nodded. “I have to admit, I wasn’t very open to working with you and My Sister’s Keeper when we met yesterday. And I thought you were doing this because you had some secret motive behind it, but watching you today, I see I was wrong.”

  Devon smirked and shook his head. “There is a reason those ladies are important to me,” he said.

  “Really?”

  He nodded and sighed. Before he could say anything else, the nurse called Marie’s name and Devon wheeled her over to the examination room. “Maybe I’ll tell you about it over dinner one day,” he whispered.

  She turned around and smiled, secretly hoping that day came sooner rather than later.

  Two hours later, Marie found out that she had a high ankle sprain, nothing super serious, but she would have to put a brake on wearing heels. That meant she had to go shoe shopping, because Marie didn’t own a shoe with a heel under three inches high. The nurse practitioner wrapped her ankle in a tight Ace bandage and handed her a pair of crutches.

  “You’re lucky it’s not broken,” the nurse had said as she wrapped Marie’s wounded ankle. “Why in the world would you think that you could work in a kitchen with these ridiculously high shoes on?”

  “Well, I didn’t have any real intentions of working,” Marie had replied. When she’d been wheeled back into
the waiting room, her shoes stuffed into her Coach satchel and crutches resting on her shoulder, Devon rose to his feet and crossed over to her.

  “You didn’t break it, did you?” he asked as he took her crutches from her shoulder and helped her out of the chair.

  “No, thank goodness,” she said. “But I did learn one thing.”

  “What’s that?” Devon asked.

  “I’m going to have to do some serious shoe shopping,” she said. “Especially if someone is going to be working me so hard in the kitchen.”

  “Yes,” the nurse said. “Because these shoes are not for working; please remind her of that when she gets dressed tomorrow.”

  “I would if ... OK,” Devon said, rather than explaining his complex situation with Marie. “We’ll make sure that she does the right thing tomorrow.”

  Marie nodded and gripped the crutches, but once again, Devon scooped her up in his arms and carried her out to the car. “There’s no way you can walk on crutches and that sky-high shoe,” he said when she cast a questioning look at him.

  “But I’m going to have to learn how to use the crutches, and I have to get into my condo,” she said.

  “Tomorrow,” he said. “Tonight, you have me.”

  Marie shivered, wishing that she could have him—naked, deep inside her, and making her scream with pleasure. But how did she know that it would be good? She looked down at the sizable hands holding her and thought about how he kneaded the bread on the one show she’d watched. Would he handle her body that way? Touch her softly and firmly at the same time?

  “Thank you,” she said when she found her voice. “But I’m sure you have something else you could be doing this evening.”

  “I thought we’d been over this already,” he said as he walked over to his car.

  “I don’t want to hold you up from anything or anyone.”

  “Smooth,” he said. “If you have something to ask me, then just ask.”

  “All right,” she replied. “What’s up with you and Alicia?”

  “What? Me and Alicia are old friends,” he said. “There is absolutely nothing going on with us. Why would you think so?”

  She shrugged, happy but cautious about what was going on with the two of them. They seemed very close, and she wasn’t sure that there wasn’t more to the story that he wasn’t telling. “You two seemed as if you were very close and I was just wondering.”

  “I used to date her best friend,” he said. “And you know how you women are about things like that.”

  “So, you do want to date her?” Marie asked, or rather, stated. “I could tell by the way you two were joking around that there was history there or maybe something more.”

  “Whatever,” he said with a laugh. “Alicia is like that annoying little sister from What’s Happening!!”

  “I wish I had siblings,” she said. “Maybe my father wouldn’t need me to do the right thing all the time.”

  “So, you want siblings so that you could be the official black sheep of the family? What would your mother think about that?”

  Marie sucked her bottom lip in. She hadn’t thought about her mother in years, hadn’t thought about what her mother would think about some of the things that she’d done. She knew for sure that she would not approve of many—none—of them. Marie simply looked at him and remained silent.

  They rode in an uncomfortable silence to Marie’s uptown home. She glanced at him as he pulled into the parking garage. “Thank you for bringing me home, but I think I got it from here.”

  “And I told you already, I’m taking care of you this evening. Or at least getting you in the door.”

  “You really don’t have to do that. All I have to do is elevate my leg, ice it, and wear sensible shoes. That shouldn’t be too hard for me to take care of alone,” she said. “Besides, I’ve taken enough of your time this evening.

  Devon placed his car in park and hopped out. He crossed over to the passenger side of the car and opened the door. He took Marie into his arms. Their eyes locked momentarily, and a rush of heated desire rippled through them both. And they knew it as another beat passed and they were still standing there locked in a stare that said more than words could at that moment. “You should put me down,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “At some point, I’m going to have to learn how to use my crutches, unless you’re going to carry me around until I don’t need them.”

  “No, I’m not going to do that, but your shoes and your crutches aren’t going to work, and when you traverse this parking lot with one shoe on and the other inside your purse, you’re going to say, ‘Devon Harris could’ve helped me inside, damn it.’”

  Marie laughed as Devon leaned into her and their lips touched briefly, gently, sending a jolt of electric yearning coursing through her system. When Devon devoured her lips, holding her tightly against his chest, Marie wanted to scream out, YES. His kiss had been everything she’d dreamed of and more.

  Her lips were like honey, sweet and warm. The longer he kissed her, the more he wanted to rip her clothes off and take her right there. But this was wrong. It wasn’t as if he and Marie had met at a club or a social gathering where they could embark on something special and romantic. He was supervising her community service. He was in a position of power over her. One more minute, then he’d pull back. Just another sixty seconds of the hottest and wettest kiss he’d had in months, and he would stop. It took every ounce of self-control in every cell of his body for Devon to break the kiss.

  “This. Is. Wrong,” he said, yet he didn’t put her down. “I have to get you inside and leave.”

  “What?” she asked breathlessly. “Devon ...”

  He placed his finger to her lips. When Marie flicked her tongue across the pad of his fingertip, he realized just what a mistake that was. “Don’t do that,” he groaned, snatching his finger away. “We can’t do this.”

  “Why not? That kiss was not one-sided,” she said.

  “But in the morning, I will still be the person in charge of your community service. This isn’t right.”

  “Put me down,” she demanded. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing or if you just get off on women throwing themselves at you, but ...”

  “Listen, I accept responsibility for that kiss, but I told you I was going to get you home safely and that’s what I intend to do.”

  “Put me down,” she said as she pounded her hand against his chest. When she saw that he wasn’t going to comply with her demands, she stopped pounding and pouted. Devon couldn’t help but laugh because she was so sexy when she poked her full lips out like that. Lips he could never taste again, or at least not until her community service was complete.

  As they stepped on the elevator, Devon looked down at her and asked, “What floor?”

  “Seven,” she said.

  Devon pressed the button and smiled at her as the car rose. “I hope things aren’t going to be awkward between us tomorrow.”

  “I’m not the one with the problem,” she said. “How could you kiss me like that and just drop that load of bull about this being wrong?”

  “You kissed me, I simply responded. Lost control, and I should’ve kept my head about me.”

  The doors to the elevator opened and Devon stepped off. “You know what,” she said as she reached into her purse and pulled out her keys. “I think you should lose your head again.”

  Devon took the keys from her hand and unlocked the door, then walked into her place. He crossed over to the sofa and sat her down. “All right,” he said. “Is there anything else I can do for you before I leave?”

  Marie propped her ankle on the coffee table and folded her arms across her chest. Did he really ask her could he do anything else for her? He could rip her clothes off and make love to her right there on the sofa. He could run his hands all over her body until she felt as if she would explode from the inside out. Sighing, she said, “No. Just leave the crutches where I can get to them.”

  “All right,
” he said as he leaned them against the sofa. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”

  “Bright and early, right?” she said sarcastically.

  “Have a good night, Marie,” Devon said, then turned and headed out the door.

  Chapter 9

  Marie sat on her sofa for about an hour after Devon left, reliving the kiss and the rejection that followed. With her eyes closed, Marie tilted her head back, imagining that Devon had changed his mind and was kissing her again, hotter and wetter than in the parking garage. She could feel his hot hands roaming her body, slowly and tenderly. Before she knew it, she was slipping her hand inside her pants, wishing it was Devon’s hand spreading her thighs.

  “Oh, no,” she snapped, opening her eyes and returning to reality. She was alone in her uptown condo. Leaning over, she reached for her crutches and struggled to stand. She needed to get in the kitchen and fix herself a glass of the coldest water she could find. As she slipped her crutches underneath her arms, Marie’s cell phone rang. “Damn it,” she muttered as she turned and hobbled back to the sofa as quickly as her crutches would allow. When she reached for her purse, the phone had stopped ringing. Easing onto the edge of the sofa, she checked the missed call and was surprised to see that it was her father.

  Immediately, she called him back. “Hi, Daddy,” she said when he answered.

  “Good evening, Marie. How was your first day at the shelter?”

  “How did you ... never mind, I’m sure your connections in the legal world are how you found out about my start date.”

  “Well?” he asked. “Did you show up on time?”

  “I did,” she said. “And I think I knocked eight hours off my sentence today.”

  “I hope you’re taking this seriously,” Richard said. “If you don’t do what you’re supposed to do, then you could find yourself behind bars.”

  “I understand, Dad,” she said. “Look, I have to go. I had an accident at the shelter.”

  “What happened?” Richard asked, his voice filled with fatherly concern.

  “Oh, I twisted my ankle.”