Sinful

by Marie Rochelle

  Jensen swallowed hard, attempting to control his anger. Nothing was going his way today and now he had to deal with this nonsense. He couldn’t wrap his head around the stupidity of it.

  “Do you know what the new owner turned the empty space into?” he demanded harshly.

  “No, I don’t but I bet you’re going to tell me,” Paul replied with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

  “A bakery,” Jensen snapped. “How in the hell does that make any sense? One of my members will work on losing calories and then can go right next door and regain them in a matter of minutes after eating a red velvet cupcake.”

  Paul’s deep voice laughed in his ear, making him pull it away. He glared at it, not finding one thing funny about this at all. Something had to be done, he just didn’t know what it was, but he would figure it out.

  “It isn’t funny,” he snapped, placing the phone back against his ear.

  “Sorry Jensen.” Paul coughed, clearing his voice. “But you have to admit there is some humor in the situation. You need to loosen up. Fitness 24 is not going to lose any of it members nor will they gain twenty pounds because of Ms. Monroe’s bakery. Let her know the feeling of success like you did when your gym first took off.

  “Listen, if you’re so determined to expand your business, have you thought about looking into that old Armory over on Griffith Avenue? It’s been abandoned for months. I can probably get the keys to it for a walk through.”

  The idea of opening a second work-out club in the area hadn’t crossed his mind, but he didn’t have the time to make a list of the pros and cons right now. There were more pressing matters needing his attention and until he had that taken care of, the second health club would have to be put on hold.

  “Let me think about it and I’ll get back to you,” Jensen answered.

  “Don’t wait too long. It’s the perfect space for what you want done and it will give you the extra space for the karate class you talked about starting,” Paul told him and then hung up.

  Jensen placed the phone back into its cradle. He leaned back into his leather chair and spun around so he could look out the window of his office.

  He wasn’t going to need to think about buying a second building because he wasn’t going to need it. He never lost a battle and a five feet three inch brown beauty wasn’t going to be his first defeat either.

  Chapter Three

  “I can’t believe the nerve of that man,” Maymi mumbled to herself, tossing the spatula into the soapy sink water.

  Jensen Lowe had walked into her place of business making demands like he owned the building instead of her. How in the hell could she have gotten sidetracked by his attractive face?

  Well, his shitty attitude made his good looks go downhill quite fast. He actually implied she wasn’t good enough to be an entrepreneur like him. What in the fuck was he thinking? She could do anything he could and probably ten times better.

  Walking over to the table, Maymi opened the drawer searching through it until she found her favorite plastic spatula. She liked using this one when she did her red velvet cupcakes since the icing seemed to go on smoother.

  Thankfully, the display case out front was almost completely full since she had come in three hours early today. All of her delicious treats were out there looking tempting and mouth watering.

  She could start working on getting all of her cookies and pies together for the extra display case she had placed on the other side of her bakery. A variety of items to choose from would bring in more money for her.

  She wasn’t going to allow Sinful to fail for any reason. For almost six years, she worked at a variety of diverse jobs that she hated to save up money for her dream bakery in the city. Sinful was her heart and soul. Nothing or no one was ever going to take this away from her.

  Heading back over to the tray of cupcakes, Maymi opened the white container of homemade cream cheese frosting before picking up a cool cupcake off the rack next to her. Slowly, she started icing the delectable treat, making sure not to get any crumbs into the frosting.

  These were her bestsellers anytime she made them back in her hometown. They usually sold out in an hour or less, so she didn’t doubt they would do well for her here as well.

  Maymi continued working while she thought about the triple chocolate fudge cupcakes she had been working on as well. Something was keeping them from getting moist like she wanted and for some odd reason she couldn’t figure out what it was. It was out of her reach, taunting her to keep fixing the recipe until she got it perfect enough to put out there to sell.

  If her grandmother was still alive, her nana would be able to just take a small bite and instantly know what was wrong with them. Her bakery couldn’t be successful if only one of her cupcakes sold like hot cakes. She needed everything to come together like a dessert lovers’ naughty fantasy.

  Finishing off the last cupcakes, Maymi laid the utensil down and picked up the tray carrying it back through the swinging door. She worked on filling up the second shelf on her case, hoping customers would come in and buy everything out.

  Since her grand opening six months ago, she had noticed a steady flow of customers coming through the door, but she wanted more than she was getting. She needed at least a twelve to fifteen percent increase or she wouldn’t survive on those kinds of sales; however, she was positive once word got out about how scrumptious her baked goods were, she wouldn’t be able to keep the cases filled.

  Placing the tray down near the cash register, Maymi walked around the front of the case to get a better look at everything. All of them looked very enticing, but the counter itself was unappealing.

  Tonight, when she was at home, she would sketch out a design for the front window and the counter as well. Sinful was missing a logo to set it above the rest of the businesses on this block. She needed something more than good smelling desserts to make an individual stop and come inside. She had to make something eye catching enough from the outside to draw them into her world of goodies.

  If she accomplished that one huge thing then her business was finally going to make her father respect her decision to drop out of medical school and pursue her own dreams not his personal visions for her.

  After her mother’s sudden suicide when she was a little girl, she worked hard to constantly prove herself to her father since he expected so much from his youngest child. He might own a successful medical practice, but she could be equally successful if he only had more belief in her skills as a baker.

  However, nothing she did ever seemed good enough for Doctor Raymond Monroe. She could have earned two medical degrees and he would have still found something to criticize her about over and over again.

  More than anything she wanted to gain her father’s love and respect. Yet, all of his titles hanging up on his office wall meant more to him than her or anything she had accomplished over the past several years.

  He would rather do something with her older brothers because they shared the same interests and circle of friends. They could never do anything wrong in his eyes. Her brothers always treated her with love and respect; they even came to help her pack up her things to move out here. Yet, they didn’t seem to understand how their father loved them more than her and sadly they probably never world.

  None of the cooking awards she won over the past two years would hold a candle to hearing those words. Yet, her father cared more about prestige and status to ever come to any of the cooking shows she participated in.

  Blinking back sudden tears, Maymi took one last look at the cupcake case before going back around the counter and picking up the tray she had left there.

  Damn Jensen Lowe for coming into her business and making her think about her failed relationship with her father. She hadn’t heard from him since she packed up and left Savannah, Georgia to move out here.

  Of course, he wouldn’t call to check on her because she had broken his heart by not wanting to take over his medical business. Her older brother, Broderick, finally ag
reed to step up and do it. Once he did, Dr. Monroe disowned her with a snap of his fingers and never looked back at his only daughter.

  Going back into the other room, Maymi walked over to the sink and added the dirty trays to the dishes already soaking there and started washing them to ease her mind. All of the manual labor would have to be done by her but she didn’t care. Whatever she had to do to help accomplish her ultimate goal would be done because she relished in creating something that was all hers.

  Her father thought she hadn’t inherited anything from him, but he was wrong. She got a very important quality—discipline. She made a plan a long time ago to own her own bakery and had stuck to it no matter what obstacles had been tossed in her way.

  Why he couldn’t understand this, she would never know.

  However, Jensen wasn’t something she had been expecting but she wasn’t going to let him get her off track proving a point to her father. She was good enough...no great enough...to make Sinful one of the top bakeries in the city.

  After she finished with the dishes, Maymi placed the last utensil in the sink to dry. Since the cupcakes were done, it was time for her to start working on the crust for her pecan, apple and cherry pies. All three had won first place at different baking shows and contests. Therefore why wouldn’t she have them at her own shop?

  Who didn’t want a sweet treat when something happened like a bad breakup or loss?

  She wanted to lure all of those customers through her door with a cupcake or a hot slice of pie. Both of them always took the blues away for her during those times. Which is probably why she had the curves she did instead of being slimmer like Tatum was, but she didn’t let that bother her much anymore.

  Regardless of what her cranky neighbor thought of her being so ‘close’ to his personal space, she wasn’t going anywhere and she would love to see him try to make her.

  Chapter Four

  “Jensen, what’s wrong with you? You haven’t spoken three words to me since you picked me up for our date.”

  Looking across the table at his favorite Chinese restaurant, he stared at his on and off girlfriend Chloe glaring at him. He hadn’t wanted to stay at home tonight because he didn’t want to think about Maymi ruining his business, so he called her up without thinking it through.

  Her whiny personality was one of the top reasons he stopped dating her before. She had a very bad habit of always making things so much bigger than they were. Furthermore, if all of the attention wasn’t directed at her, she felt like something was wrong and complained like a little girl. His life was filled with too much conflict to be stroking her shallow ego.

  “Chloe, I have a lot on my mind,” he finally answered, cursing his spilt second decision to call her.

  “Please don’t tell me it’s about that gym of yours. I think you worry about that place way too much. You’re doing well with it. My friends are always bragging about how amazing your instructors are there. What else do you want?” she complained. “Aren’t you satisfied with what you have?”

  “Fitness 24 is more than a business to me, Chloe. It’s my blood, sweat and tears. I’ve been working for years to get it where it is today. Besides my brother Casper, you’re the next person who should know how much it means to me. Why do you still have such a problem with it?” he demanded.

  Sighing, Chloe flipped her curly brown hair over her shoulder before reaching across the table and grabbing his hand, brushing her thumb over the top.

  “I’m sorry, baby. Can I do something to make it up to you?” She leaned forward showing off the huge amount of cleavage displayed by the deep opening in the front of her shirt.

  In the past, his cock would have already been rock hard just from her touch, but he figured out Chloe’s game a while ago. She flirted with men when she figured out she was on the losing end of the argument. She loved getting her way and she used anything, including sex, to get it.

  Jensen eased his hand away from her. Shit, he would make sure not to make this error in his thinking again. Being lonely was a way lot better than fighting off Chloe’s high sexual needs. He was surprised she wasn’t dating someone with the way she loved sex.

  “No, that’s alright.” He sighed. “How about we just finish up our meal and then I can take you back home? I need to get up early to teach a class for Casper.”

  Snatching her hand back from him, Chloe fell back against her chair and crossed her toned, tanned arms over her surgically enhanced breasts. She narrowed her hazel eyes at him, but he didn’t flinch under her cold stare.

  “If you weren’t interested in going back to my place after dinner why did you invite me here? We never stayed together because we had long, meaningful conversations.”

  He wanted to deny with Chloe was telling him but he couldn’t. The only reason he asked her out was because of her killer body when he saw her working out at Fitness 24 for a body building competition. His first thought only consisted of how good she was going to look on his arm because she wasn’t overly muscular but she was perfectly in shape like one of the female diva wrestlers from WWE.

  “You’re right,” he admitted. “We both loved the hot sex and being the best looking couple in the room. However, I thought maybe you might have matured a little since we last were a couple. I know I’ve grown up a lot.”

  Rolling her eyes, she unfolded her arms and picked up her purse from the side of the table. “Well, good for you, Jensen,” she snapped. “I’m going to the bathroom so I can freshen up and instead of dropping me off at home you can take me to Raven’s. I heard the live band there tonight is incredible.”

  Are you sure about that?” he asked. “Raven’s is a tougher part of town.”

  Chloe shot him a disgusted look before getting up from her seat. “I will be fine, Dad. I know a couple of bouncers there. So, I’ll be okay. Just be ready to leave when I get back.”

  Storming away from the table, Chloe made her way through the semi-crowded restaurant without looking back at him. Jensen quickly prayed for the guy that would get hooked by her tonight. She was in one of her moods and she wouldn’t stop until she got what she wanted from the poor soul.

  The only good thing that came out of tonight was Chloe’s selfish personality got his mind temporarily off her. Maymi wasn’t going to get underneath his skin anymore. If he could control his temper with his unmotivated brother Casper then there was no way Ms. Monroe shouldn’t be a lot easier for him to handle.

  All he had to do was find a way to make her understand that her bakery business Sinful might be a lot more profitable away from his gym.

  If Sinful stayed located next door to Fitness 24, it wouldn’t be good marriage between the two of them. Maymi might act like there was something unfair about his demands, but he had enough sense to know there wasn’t a damn thing wrong with them.

  She would feel the same way he did if a doughnut franchise suddenly moved in next door to her and slowly stole her customers away. She might not be strong enough to confront her competition, but he was he would keep doing it until she got the hint.

  Taking a deep breath, Jensen blew it out through his nose, trying to get himself back under control. Usually, he wasn’t bothered by small stuff, however after dealing with Maymi and then his mistake of adding Chloe into the mix he was about at the end of his rope. Nothing else could happen to make his night any worse, because all he wanted to do was get home and forget the events of today even happened.

  The sounds of female laughter coming from his left drew Jensen’s attention. After his horrible day, he wondered who in the hell could be having such a good time and if they would be able to share their secret with him.

  Because he would give almost anything to have a good careful laugh right now to block out all of the craziness going in his world. It was almost enough to make him regret opening up Fitness 24 in the first place.

  Spinning around in his chair, Jensen’s gaze searched the room until he stopped at a table of three African American women sitting off towards t
he corner. One of the women was a little bit on the curvier side and her dark black hair tumbled carelessly to her shoulders in a mass of natural curls showing off her dark mahogany skin.

  The second was just as attractive with her lighter caramel complexion, but her straighter hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail that stopped right above her shoulder blades.

  But the last female seated at the table held his attention the most. She made his earlier anger resurface with record speed. However, before he could glance away Maymi’s big brown eyes looked up from her plate and found him watching her.

  Her eyebrows shot up in surprise before they slanted down into a frown as she glared at him. She looked just as stunned to see him here as he was to see her.

  Wonderful, he thought.

  Jensen didn’t think anything else could happen to piss him off before leaving the restaurant, but he was wrong. Little Miss Bakery had to show up at his favorite restaurant and completely ruin what little he had left of his already horrible day. Hell! He was beginning to wonder if he could go anywhere without her showing up.

  Chapter Five

  “I swear I hate that asshole,” Maymi mumbled underneath her breath, tossing her fork back down on her half-eaten plate of food.

  She came out with her two best friends to finally celebrate the opening of her bakery. Tatum had been out of town on business so she and Jazmaine decided to wait until tonight so they could all have a good time together.

  “Who are you talking about?” Jazmaine Ramey said, turning around to look over her shoulder.

  “Don’t look,” she whispered, grabbing her friend’s arm. “I don’t want him to think we’re talking about him. He already has a big enough ego as it is.”

  Spinning back around, Jazmaine eased her arm away from her. “God, what has crawled up your ass and died? I thought this dinner tonight was supposed to be fun and relaxing, but you’ve been on edge ever since we picked you up at your house.”