Marie folded her arms across her chest and glared at Jade, wondering if this big-sister act was hiding something more. “Why do you care? Last time I checked, Devon’s a grown man, and if he thought I was using him, I wouldn’t be here.”
Jade shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. We all know what to do to blind a man to the truth.”
“For someone who claims to know and love Devon like a brother, you have a low opinion of him,” Marie retorted.
“I just want you to prove me wrong,” Jade said. “And I don’t want to see Devon hurt.”
“I don’t intend to hurt him,” she said. “What about him hurting me? Can you have this same conversation with him, or are you simply judging me because of what you’ve read?”
“That’s all I know about you,” Jade said. “And you did a good job of crafting your image. Maybe Devon has met the real you, maybe you’re still the party girl, but trying to clean up your image by hooking up with Devon?”
Marie tilted her head as she watched Jade question her. On the one hand, she was pissed off. Who did this woman think she was? But on the other hand, she admired the friendship that she and Devon seemed to have. Still, Jade needed to mind her own business and get away from her table so that she could enjoy her meal with Devon.
“Are you done?” Marie asked.
“Excuse me?” Jade asked, taken aback by her bluntness.
“Devon invited me as his guest, and I know you’re his friend and you have his best interest at heart, but I don’t intend to be grilled by you all night.”
“Then why don’t we meet for coffee?” Jade suggested.
Marie reached into her purse and handed Jade a business card. “Please call me,” she said, then offered her a plastic smile while hoping she’d leave.
“I will,” Jade replied. “Enjoy your dinner.” As Jade left, a waiter walked over to the table with the first course of dinner.
“Thank you,” Marie said when he set the salad, filled with succulent strawberries, in front of her.
“Chef Harris said he will be over in a few moments to check on you,” the waiter said. Marie smiled her thanks and dug into the salad. When she was half done, Marie wondered, where was Devon?
When Devon’s cell phone rang, he figured that it was important or one of his producers calling about next week’s show. But when he saw the 404 area code, he knew he should’ve ignored the call. Yet, he answered anyway.
“Yeah?”
“Well, hello to you, too, Son,” Devon Sr. said. “I’ve been trying to reach you for a month.”
“What do you want? I’m a little busy,” he replied.
“It’s been a while since we’ve had a conversation.”
“And?”
“Junior, we really need to sit down and have a conversation. How long has it been? Ten years?”
“Not long enough,” Devon snapped. “I knew I shouldn’t have answered the phone. I’m busy.”
“I’m dying.”
“Why don’t you tell it to someone who cares.” Devon clicked his phone off and leaned against the wall to catch his breath. He didn’t have time to deal with his father and whatever drama he was dealing with. Still, if his father was really dying, could he simply ignore it?
“Chef, your guest is getting restless,” the waiter said.
“I’m going to take her main course out,” Devon said, pushing his father’s voice deep down into his subconscious. As he plated Marie’s dinner—New Orleans chicken with tomato and onion pilaf, with crisp steamed vegetables—and wiped the plate, Devon decided to focus on Marie and ignore his father as he had been doing for the last decade.
By the time he locked eyes with her as he approached the table, he’d forgotten about his short conversation with his father. “I heard you were waiting for this,” Devon said as he set the plate in front of her.
“Looks delicious,” she replied.
“Yes, you do.”
Marie blushed as Devon sat down. “Are you enjoying your dinner so far?” he asked. Marie nodded as she cut into the juicy chicken breast.
“Everything has been great, but now that you’re here, it can’t do anything but get better.”
“You mean Jade didn’t ruin the evening for me?”
Marie laughed as she popped a piece of chicken in her mouth. The flavor exploded in her mouth and she shivered in delight. “If she had, you’d certainly make up for it with this chicken.”
The waiter walked over to the table and set a plate in front of Devon. “Thank you,” he said to the waiter. Then Devon turned back to Marie, watching her enjoy her meal. As her lips closed around the fork, he wanted nothing more than to have those lips pressed against his. Tonight, he would have Marie or he would explode. “Make sure you save room for dessert,” he said. “I made something especially with you in mind.”
“And what would that be?”
“You will see, and I hope you love it,” Devon said before digging into his food. The New Orleans chicken, which wasn’t on the menu every night, was one of his favorite dishes. It reminded him of the kind of women he always fell for: spicy, exciting, and savory.
“This is the best chicken I’ve ever tasted,” Marie gushed as she polished off the last of her chicken.
“Are you ready for dessert?” Devon asked as he finished half of his chicken. If he could’ve gotten away with it—at that moment—he would’ve simply scooped Marie up and taken her home. He would slowly and carefully peel those skintight pants off her and have her sweet womanhood for his dessert. The way she tasted, he wouldn’t need the chocolate dessert he’d created.
Devon waved for the waiter and told him to bring the dessert out. “Here’s the extra special dish I made with you in mind.”
“I’m going to have to hit the gym so hard after this dinner and dessert,” she said as she reached across the table and stroked his hand. “Is it chocolate?”
He winked at her and lifted her hand to his lips. “Would dessert be dessert if it wasn’t? You know, when I made this, I thought about you.”
Before she could say, “Really?” the waiter walked out with the chocolate goddess—a creamy chocolate mousse nestled in a sweet torte crust drizzled with caramel and surrounded by dark chocolate curls. Marie couldn’t wait to taste it as the waiter set it in the middle of the table. Devon reached into the pocket of his chef’s jacket and pulled out a silver fork. “When a goddess eats the chocolate goddess, she has to be fed,” Devon said as he dipped the fork into the dessert. Marie leaned forward and allowed Devon to feed her. The flavor of the dessert just exploded in her mouth, and she moaned as if she’d just reached her sexual peak. Devon smiled at her. Marie had her eyes closed and her head tossed back in delight.
“Oh my goodness. This is the best torte ever.” Devon offered her another forkful.
“You know, this would taste even better inside my loft,” he whispered, deciding that dinner service would be just fine without him.
“I totally agree,” she replied.
Devon waved for the waiter and instructed him to wrap up the dessert, and then he rose from his seat, crossed over to Marie, and pulled her chair out, then linked arms with her. “Let’s go, madame.”
Marie smiled and followed his lead. The waiter met them at the door and handed Devon the dessert. As they exited the restaurant, a camera flash went off in their faces. Marie was used to being stalked by the local paparazzo, but Devon certainly was not. He threw his hand up and turned to the photographer. “Get the hell out of here,” he exclaimed.
“So, are you two a couple? Aren’t you Devon Harris, the Food Network star?”
He glared at the cocoa-skinned man with a dyed blond Afro and big sticker on the side of his camera that said Queen City After Dark.
“Ignore him,” Marie said as she tugged on his arm. “This is my personal stalker, Giancarlo Alverez.”
Devon shook his head. Despite this interruption, he was going to take her back to his place and they were going to enjoy their dessert. Once they were in the c
ar, he turned to Marie and smiled. “You get that a lot, huh?”
“Queen City After Dark is a blog that tries to be a local TMZ, and I’m a favorite target.”
“So, that means we’re going to have to spend a lot of nights in, huh?”
Marie smiled brightly. She liked that Devon was talking about a future with her. She definitely wanted a future with him. “That works for me,” she said.
“Good, because I’m about to show you how much fun it can be to spend a night in,” he said.
Chapter 15
When they reached Devon’s loft, Marie was happy for the quiet and the darkness. The moment he opened the door, Marie pulled his keys from his hand and tossed them across the room. Then she pressed her body against his. “Can I tell you that I’ve wanted to do this since you fed me that delicious dessert?” she said, then brushed her lips against his.
“That’s why I fed it to you,” he said, then ran his tongue across her lips. Marie moaned as Devon slipped his hand between her thighs and stroked her through her leggings. “These have to come off. I want to feel your heat.”
“Take them off me,” she moaned, her heart beating in overdrive as she stepped out of her shoes. Devon slowly eased the leggings down her hips, kissing each inch of exposed skin while squeezing her ample bottom. Once the leggings were off, Devon lifted Marie into his arms and carried her upstairs to his bedroom. He laid her on the bed and drank in her sensual image against his black bedding. With her hair fanned out on the pillow, she reminded him of something both erotic and angelic. Devon’s desire grew against his zipper. His plan had been to feed her the goddess in bed, but it was time for him to have his chocolate desire. He snatched his chef’s jacket off, tossed it aside, and eased onto the bed, spreading Marie’s legs apart. He could feel the heat radiating from her body as he pushed the flimsy lace crotch of her thong to the side. “Umm,” she moaned as he slipped his finger between her wet folds of flesh. Devon pulled his finger out and brought it to his lips.
“Tastes good,” he said as he licked her essence from his finger. “I want more.” He dove between her legs, lapping her sweetness and kissing her deeply. His tongue danced around her clitoris, making her desire rain down like a thunderstorm in the middle of a Carolina summer. Marie’s moans and screams boomed like a trumpet and urged Devon on. He sucked harder, kissed deeper, and grew harder. By Marie’s second climax, he knew he had to lose his pants and melt with her. Pulling back, he stripped out of his pants and boxers in one quick motion. Marie rolled over and crawled to the edge of the bed where Devon stood.
“Can I get a taste of chocolate, too?” she asked as she reached out and stroked his penis. He didn’t think that it was possible for him to get harder, but the moment her lips touched the tip of his throbbing erection, it happened. Marie gripped the base of him as she licked him like the rich dessert he’d fed her earlier. Devon quivered as he felt the explosion inside him building, but Marie would not take her lips off him. Then he looked down and saw her hand between her legs, touching and pleasing herself. It was all he could do to stay upright. Finally, she pulled back, just moments before he was about to climax. Devon reached over to his nightstand and grabbed a condom. Marie took it from his hands and rolled it down his erection, then he joined her on the bed.
Devon pulled Marie against his chest and lifted her shirt above her head and tossed it aside. He wrapped her legs around his waist as he brought her lips to his and kissed her slowly, his tongue tangoing against hers as their bodies melted together. They rocked in the center of the bed, finding each other’s rhythm. Marie liked it when Devon thrust forward and touched her most sensitive spot. Devon loved how she squeezed tightly against him as if she were milking the desire from him.
She reveled in the way his palms felt against her breasts, stroking and kneading them like she imagined he did with the dough he baked. But more than anything else, she loved the lick of his tongue against her nipples as they ground against each other. Devon took Marie’s pleasure seriously, something she’d never experienced with another man. While he made her body feel sensations she’d only read about in steamy novels, she went hoarse from calling out his name and screaming her pleasure.
Devon tried to hold back the burning desire to spill himself inside her, simply because he wanted to prolong her bliss. But the deeper she drew him into her wetness and the more she called his name, then licked and sucked his neck, the more powerless he became to his own climax. He tumbled backward on the bed and Marie collapsed against his chest. Their bodies were still connected and sweat covered them like a damp satin sheet. “Umm,” Marie moaned, kissing the center of his chest. “Wow.”
He brought his finger to her lips and smiled. “And just think, you haven’t even finished your dessert yet.” Neither of them felt as if they could move, but when Marie shifted against Devon, he felt one part of his body move and so did she.
Straddling his hips, she returned his smile with a sultry grin and rode him slow. “Dessert can wait.”
He gripped her ample hips and groaned passionately. “Oh, yes, baby. The whole world can wait.”
Finally spent from their lovemaking, Devon and Marie lay in the bed, polishing off the chocolate goddess. “Well,” she asked as she took the last bite of the dessert. “I hate to say it, but you’re going to have a lot of questions to answer in the morning.”
“I know how to say ‘no comment.’ And I hope you will do the same,” he replied.
“I never kiss and tell,” she retorted. “And I never expected to wind up lying here with you.”
“Really?”
Marie propped up on her elbows, and as much as Devon tried to be a gentleman and look into her eyes, all he could focus on were those cocoa brown breasts. His mouth watered and his loins began to rise again. Obviously, she realized he wasn’t paying attention because she pinched his shoulder. “Hello,” Marie joked. “Eyes up here. It’s not as if you haven’t seen them before.”
“I just like looking at them. But you were saying, beautiful?”
Marie smiled, hiding her inner gushiness at the fact that Devon was just as sweet now as he was before they made love. “When we met, you gave me all kinds of hell.”
“You don’t think you deserved it?” Devon asked. “I believe you accused me of using a charity for ratings. That was a little hard to take, especially from someone I didn’t know.”
“OK, maybe I deserved a little bit of your attitude, but it wasn’t as if I knew anything about you either,” she said, then stroked his cheek. “You know I had to Google you to see what you looked like.”
“Yeah, but you weren’t very impressed, huh?” he ribbed.
“I was, until you opened your mouth. You were so mean to me.”
Devon rolled closer to her and brushed his lips across her shoulder. “How many ways can I make it up to you?” he asked.
“Umm, you can start with breakfast in bed, served by you completely naked,” she said.
“That’s easy,” he said. “I guess you’re not the high-maintenance woman that we’ve all read about in the papers, huh?”
“Only seventy percent of my press has been true. The rest was for fun and attention. But I’m starting to see the error in that.”
Devon stroked her smooth hip. “How so?”
“It’s obvious your girl Jade believes what she reads,” Marie said quietly, recalling the contentious conversation she and Jade Goings shared. “What’s the deal with you guys?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you simply just friends and coworkers or is there a history there? I know some exes remain ...”
“Whoa, whoa, Jade is like the annoying little sister I never wanted. Ex, no. That’s Kandace.”
“Right. She married the mogul. What did you do to her?”
Devon ran his fingers through Marie’s silky tresses. “What do most men do to ruin relationships? I cheated.”
Marie turned her head and looked directly into his eyes. “You? I would�
�ve never thought that.”
Devon laughed sardonically. “I’m no saint.”
“I can’t tell.”
“You should’ve known me ten years ago,” he said. “But, that was then and this is now.”
Marie nestled against his broad chest and looked up at him. “Imperfect souls, the two of us,” she said, then kissed his collarbone. “Maybe that’s why we clashed and connected.”
“I like that.”
“And I like you,” she said. “I like you a lot more than I thought I would.”
“Well, it goes without saying that I like you. The bare Marie Charles is amazing,” Devon said, then kissed her cheek. “But if you want naked breakfast in bed, then we’d better get some sleep.”
She reached between his legs and stroked his flaccid penis. Immediately, Devon’s body reacted to Marie’s expert touch. “Sleep is so overrated,” she said as she reached for a condom and straddled his body.
The next morning, Devon woke up to the chiming of his BlackBerry. The fact that he had Marie’s warm body wrapped up in his arms made him want to ignore the ringing. Because, seriously, someone was calling him at five forty in the morning? Voice mail could handle whomever was on the other end of that call, he decided as he held Marie a little tighter. Before he could drift off to sleep, the phone rang again. Marie stirred in his arms and opened her eyes. “That must be you,” she said, her voice thick with sleep. “Everyone who knows me, knows better than to call me this time of morning.”
“Yeah,” he grumbled as he released her and scrambled for his phone on the floor. Picking up the device and looking at the number, he groaned. It was his father—again. There were three missed calls from the Atlanta number.
“What?” Devon snapped when he answered the phone.
“We need to talk, Son,” Devon Sr. said, then began coughing uncontrollably. “I’d like to see you and mend fences.”
“It’s a little late for that,” he said. “And do you know what time it is?”
“Well, the last time we talked, you hung up on me. Devon, Son, I know I wasn’t the best father. I wasn’t there for you and your mother, but I want ...”
Recipe for Desire Page 14