After a year of burning both ends of the candle, Blaine began tiring of his playboy ways. Although the women were beautiful, they had no substance. Their entire conversations centered on advancing their modeling careers. Blaine finally broke off of his involvements with the models. The women seemed to take the news well, all except for Tanya, a fiery, six-foot redhead.
What do you mean it’s over! Tanya had hissed one evening when they were having dinner at Nobu.
He had purposely taken her to the upscale restaurant so that she wouldn’t make a scene, but his plan wasn’t working.
Tanya, you know as well as I do that this was bound to end.
What do you mean by ‘this?’
It’s not like we have a relationship. We’re just...
Just what? she’d snipped.
We’re just, you know...friends with benefits, Blaine had said sheepishly.
Benefits? Seems to me you’re the only one benefiting. I thought you were going to help me land a few commercials, but since we’ve been dating, you haven’t hooked me up once.
Tanya, I never promised to help advance your career.
I just assumed since you were screwing my brains out night after night, you would at least book me for a few gigs.
Our involvement has nothing to do with the agency.
Why? You’re the owner aren’t you? she’d asked, pinning him with a serious look.
Yes, I own the agency. However, hiring of the models is left up to the booking department.
That’s not the impression you gave me when you appeared in the audition room the first day we met. You browsed through my portfolio and even commented on how beautiful my pictures were, she’d said, recalling her first audition with his agency.
Blaine had done precisely what she said. Only he wasn’t present during the actual audition to make a decision on hiring her. He was there to check out her swimsuit shots and decide whether or not he was going to ask her out on a date that evening, which he did. Now, looking back, he regretted using the agency to meet women. He had acted totally unprofessional.
Tanya, I’m so sorry if you got the wrong impression. I truly am.
She’d leaned across the table and said between clenched teeth. You’re not sorry yet, but you will be when I contact an attorney and sue you for sexual harassment in the workplace.
What? He was stunned.
Tanya then stood up, grabbed her purse off the table and strutted out of the restaurant before finishing her meal.
Three days later, Blaine was served legal papers. After looking into the matter, his attorney advised him to settle. Tanya was smart and had copies of phone records and text messages where Blaine had alluded to helping her with her career. She even had a copy of her date book, noting every time they had sex. Although their involvement was consensual and he hadn’t promised her any ad placements, Blaine’s behavior didn’t look professional. His attorney put together a settlement package, which included a non-disclosure agreement. So the word wouldn’t spread in the industry that Blaine used models for his personal pleasure. Tanya signed the agreement, took his money and moved to Los Angles to start an acting career.
Blaine was thankful that that incident hadn’t marked his career, and from then on, he never looked twice at a model that crossed the agency’s threshold. That settlement was over five years ago, and he hadn’t played the field since. He was a reformed man and now the only woman in his life was his mother.
Blaine’s parents had retired to Florida three years ago, enjoying their time in the sun, until his dad passed away one night in his sleep from a massive heart attack. Now that his mother was widowed, Blaine doted on her, sending her weekly confections from the renowned Delicious Chocolate Bar, which was located around the corner from his agency.
He loved visting the chic candy store, which was decorated in cobalt blue with silver-foil wallpaper. Even the packaging was made of a rich azure satiny paper, adorned with a huge silver ribbon and bow. Blaine frequented the shop, not only for the delicious chocolates, but to get a glimpse of the woman in the chef’s smock that sometimes appeared from the back. He didn’t know her name, but admired her beauty.
She was petite with mocha-colored skin, almond shaped eyes and full, kissable lips. She wore her hair in a neat bun, underneath a chef’s hat. Blaine tried to catch her eye a few times, but she always disappeared behind the double doors before he could say anything to her.
Today was Blaine’s weekly visit to Delicious. Although he could have easily ordered his mother’s chocolates online, he preferred the face-to-face interaction.
“Hey, there, how are you?” the man asked, standing behind the sapphire-blue quartz and plate-glass counter.
“I’m good, and you?”
“Couldn’t be better. I’ve waited on you a few times before, but we never exchanged names. I’m Fritz, the co-owner. What’s your name?” he asked.
“Blaine Chess. I own an ad agency around the corner and walk over on my lunch breaks.”
“Oh, I see.”
Blaine attempted to avoid eye contact with Fritz who was looking him up and down. Blaine stood well over six feet with caramel-colored skin and jet-black hair, so he was used to the stares from either sexes. Especially when his face was cleanly shaven. Today he was neatly dressed in a cashmere sweater, a pair of jeans and a navy peacoat that showed off his slim build.
“So how can I help you?”
Blaine visually searched the display case, with its shelves of luscious treats. “I’ll have the couture collection of lavender-flavored truffles, also I’d like to have them express-mailed to Florida.”
“Good choice and those come with the chef’s recipe for her signature chocolate martini. Are they for your girlfriend?” Fritz asked.
“No.”
“Uh...” Fritz paused. “Are they for your wife, then?”
“No, I’m not married.”
“Well, if you’re free on Valentine’s evening, my partner Mika Madison and I are having an intimate singles’ soiree. You should stop by.”
Blaine looked toward the back of the store at the double doors, hoping to see the woman in the white jacket, but she was nowhere in sight. He assumed that she was the master chef. He started to ask if she was going to be at the party, but didn’t. For all he knew, she was in a relationship or married.
“That sounds like a plan. I’ll try to make it.”
“Great!”
Blaine gave Fritz his credit card and mailing instructions. On his way back to the agency, he couldn’t help but think about the petite beauty in the chef’s smock. She seemed the exact opposite of the models he’d once dated, and he was intrigued by her mystique. Blaine was no longer the playboy. He had mentally matured over the years and now wanted to be in a committed relationship. He hadn’t met anyone who piqued his interest until now. As he walked along Michigan Avenue back to his office, he thought, I wouldn’t mind getting to know Ms. Chocolatier.
Chapter Four
The day of the event had arrived, but to Mika it was just another work day. Aside from making her signature martinis, she wasn’t putting any special emphasis on the soiree, since she didn’t have that special someone in her life. Mika was in the kitchen preoccupied, working on her cookbook.
“Please tell me you’re not wearing your chef’s jacket and those jeans to the party,” Fritz said, coming into the kitchen where Mika sat at the counter inputting recipes into her computer. She had on her usual uniform—jeans, T-shirt and white chef’s smock, stained with chocolate.
“Well, hello to you to,” she replied, flippantly.
“Hello, Mika, now please tell me you brought a change of clothes for tonight. I’m so excited. I’ve planned a special evening with a few interesting adult games.”
“Oh, fun,” she said, sarcastically.
“What’s with you, Mika, why are you acting like a wet blanket?”
“What’s the big deal? It’s not like I have a date,” she said, looking at her computer screen as she spoke.
“Actually...you just might have a rendezvous tonight.”
She stopped typing and looked up at him. “What are you talking about, Fritz?”
He put his pinky finger in his mouth and nibbled on his fingernail. “Well...uh...I...”
“Come on, stop stalling. What have you done now? I certainly hope you didn’t fix me up with yet another loser.”
“I didn’t officially arrange a date for you, but I did invite Blaine to the event.”
“When did you talk to him?” Mika had usually caught a glimpse of Blaine whenever he came into the store, and was surprised that she hadn’t seen him come in.
“The other day when he came in and ordered a box of truffles. I also asked if he was married, and he’s not, nor does he have a girlfriend,” Fritz said, sounding pleased with himself.
“My, my, aren’t you the little detective?”
“Don’t act like you’re not glad I found out his status. I’ve seen how you stare at the man through the windows of the kitchen doors. Obviously you’re interested in him. Am I right or wrong?”
She sighed, remembering her erotic dream. “Well, I wouldn’t toss him out of bed.” Fritz was right. Mika had secretly lusted after the handsome stranger from the first time she’d laid eyes on him.
“Speaking of bed, when was the last time you were tossed around in one?”
“I swear, Fritz, you are the nosiest person I know.”
“Yes, I am nosy, and you’ve known that about me since we were in high school. So don’t act surprised now.”
“Let’s just put it like this. I’m long overdue for some tussling and tossing.”
“Well, Stella, if you want to get your groove back, you need to ditch the stained smock, put on a sexy dress and literally let your hair down,” Fritz said, dissecting Mika with his eyes.
“It’s not that serious. If he’s interested, it won’t matter what I’m wearing.”
“Yes, that might be true, but it is Valentine’s Day after all, one of the sexiest holiday’s of the year. That’s why I’m wearing my scarlet crushed-velvet dinner jacket, white silk ascot and crimson gabardine slacks tonight.”
“Aren’t you going to be a vision in red?” She chuckled, making fun of him.
“You’re laughing, but guess who will be having red-hot sex tonight?” He pointed his index finger at his chest. “Yes...that would be me because I care about my appearance, and put effort into seducing my man,” he said in an attempt to set her straight.
Mika stopped smiling. Fritz did have a point. He constantly thought of ways to make Oskar happy, and in turn, Oskar treated Fritz like a queen. They didn’t take each other for granted. Mika wanted that same type of treatment, and realized that if she didn’t put any energy into finding a man and having a successful relationship, then she would never have one. “I guess you have a point, but....”
“But nothing. Now go home and change before the event starts,” Fritz said, sounding more like an overbearing mother than a friend.
“I don’t have time to go home. I have to input these recipes into the computer.” Mika had recently landed a publishing deal to write a decadent dessert cookbook.
“Aren’t you going to Colorado so you can write?”
“Yes, and to ski. I plan to spend the mornings hitting the slopes and the evenings curled up by the fire working on my book.” As an avid skier, she had been to some of the best resorts in the country—Heavenly Mountain in Lake Tahoe, Deer Valley in Park City, Utah, Whistler in Canada and Killington in Vermont. She was excited to hit the slopes in Vail and maybe take a jaunt over to Aspen.
“So what’s the problem with putting off the writing until then?” Fritz asked, refusing to let up.
“My trip to Vail isn’t for another few days. I’ve been on a roll lately, and don’t want to stop.”
“When is your deadline?”
“The manuscript isn’t due for a few months, but I still have at least another fifty pages to go.”
“Is that all? You’ll have that book finished in no time. Mika, you can at least take tonight off and enjoy yourself. When was the last time you put on a dress and heels?”
“It’s been a while. I didn’t even bother dressing for my last date, since it was casual. To be honest, I don’t have anything in my closet that I’d want to wear anyway, so what’s the point in going home?” Mika wasn’t very fashion-conscious. She preferred to spend her money on expensive cooking equipment and lavish vacations, instead of on designer clothing and shoes.
“Oh, I have an idea! Let’s go over to the Water Tower and let me treat you to a new outfit.”
“Fritz, you don’t have to do that. I’m more than capable of buying my own clothes.”
“That’s not the point. You know I’m a shopping queen, no pun intended, and love putting together outfits. Come on, Mika, it’ll be fun. Everything is all set for tonight. The assistant manager can hold down the fort while we run out for a few hours. Don’t even try to say no. You don’t have any more excuses left.” Fritz stood in front of her with his hand on his slender hip, waiting on her reply.
Mika sighed. “Oh, okay. If I don’t go, you’ll just nag me to death.”
“You know I will.”
The possibility of meeting the handsome stranger tonight was motivation enough for enduring a shopping expedition. She saved the file she was working on and logged off the computer. Mika then took off her smock, put on a leather biker jacket, grabbed her tote bag and headed out of the kitchen arm in arm with Fritz. The more she thought about meeting Blaine, the more excited she became. She had spied on the man from the kitchen doors. Now thanks to Fritz she would finally have a proper introduction, and from there maybe her dream would become a reality.
Chapter Five
Mika and Fritz had spent the entire afternoon at Water Tower Place, shopping. They’d gone from one end of the luxury mall to the next in search of the perfect outfit. Fritz pushed for Mika to wear a fire-engine-red sequined dress with thigh-high slits and matching ruby stilettos, but Mika had in mind a more subdued look. She was the antithesis of the glitzy, glamorous type. Even as a child, Mika wore overalls, and played in the dirt, making mud pies. She didn’t like playing dress-up like most girls. Her Easy Bake oven was her favorite childhood toy. She’d bake for hours, making miniature cakes for her friends and family.
After an exhausting couple of hours, Fritz and Mika had finally come to a happy medium regarding her look for the evening.
* * *
Back at Delicious, Mika had showered in her private bathroom and was now in her office getting dressed. Fritz waited impatiently outside the door, ready for the big reveal.
“What’s taking you so long?” he yelled at the closed door.
“Calm down. I’m almost finished.”
“We’re opening the doors in fifteen minutes. Hurry up!” Mika heard Fritz pacing in front of the door as if he were an expectant dad waiting on the delivery of his newborn child.
“Well...what do you think?” Mika asked, stepping out of her office.
“Oh, my goodness!” Fritz threw his hands up to his mouth and gasped. “You look like a supermodel. That dress fits you to a T!”
Mika wore a one shoulder, cherry-colored dress that stopped right above the knees, a pair of red, sling-back pumps and shoulder-duster rhinestone earrings. Her long hair was swept up in a French roll with wisps of hair loose around her ears.
“I don’t look overdressed, do I? This dress isn’t too short, is it?” she asked, fidgeting with the hemline.
“No, no, not at all, your outfit is perfect, if I do say
so myself,” Fritz said, grinning like a proud papa.
“I feel so uncomfortable. I’m going to change back into my smock.” She turned around toward the office, but Fritz caught her by the arm.
“Oh, no, you’re not! We spent too much time trying to find the perfect outfit. You’re not wearing that smock tonight. Got it? Good!” Fritz took hold of Mika’s hand. “Come on. Let’s go up front and light the candles.”
“Uh...okay.” Mika reluctantly trailed behind Fritz, walking awkwardly in the high heels.
Fritz and Mika lit the candles that filled the shop. There were small tables for two lined up near the wall, which were dressed in crimson linen cloths with red taper candles in silver holders. Fritz had a speed-dating segment planned for the singles where they could get to know each other in a fun setting. Music played softly in the background, from a speaker connected to an iPod that was loaded with a selection of jazz and romantic ballads. As Fritz was attending to the final touches, Mika was behind the bar concocting a variety of chocolate martinis. She mixed vodka, her special blend of liquid chocolate in a shaker with crushed ice, and shook the silver shaker twenty times. She poured two drinks, and handed one to Fritz.
“I just want to say thanks for getting me out of my comfort zone. I’m glad you insisted that we go shopping. You were right. Tonight is special and I should look like the co-owner of Delicious instead of the hired help. It really doesn’t matter if I have a date or not. I’m feeling festive,” Mika said, raising her glass. “Cheers.”
Fritz clinked his glass to hers. “Cheers.” He took a sip of the martini. “Hmm, this is really good. What’s in it?”
Dim the Lights: Islands of DesireLiquid ChocolateHer Wild and Sexy Nights Page 11