Flavour of the
Month – Bianca Sarble
CHAPTER ONE
Weaving through the Saturday afternoon traffic across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Cate Gallagher managed to knock over her can of drink as she searched one handed for her phone.
Damn.
She pressed the speaker button and hoped whoever was on the line gave her some good news after the disaster this day was turning out to be.
“Hi, you’ve reached the Cakery. You’re speaking with Cate.”
“It’s Millie. I’ve just spoken to the wedding co-ordinator and she’s going to meet you there with the keys. Ha! At least something’s gone right today.”
The tension that had kept her shoulders rigid dispelled in relief with her assistant’s good news. Finally, she’d caught a break.
But, it’s not over yet.
The day had started out on the wrong foot when she’d overslept by an hour. Normally not a problem - she was the boss after all - but then she’d arrived at work to a message confirming the delivery time for a wedding cake for an event that afternoon.
An order she’d had no idea about.
After the initial panic – which had given her more energy than her normal two cups of caffeine – had passed, she’d discovered the order had been placed by a former employee who hadn’t lasted long due to constant mistakes. After a rather embarrassing phone call to the surprisingly easy going mother of the bride, she’d called in reinforcements and got baking. Even though it was last minute, the three tiered edible artwork still came out of her kitchen looking a million bucks.
“I’m just pulling in to Hamilton Hill now, so go home, relax and I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Well, at least you made great time. Good luck with the cake. Call me if you need anything, and by anything, I mean wine.”
“Thanks.” She chuckled and hung up. The heat of the Australian sun bore down on her as she flicked her long blonde ponytail over her shoulder and lifted the back door of the delivery van. After wiping her sweat dampened hands on her work shorts, Cate opened the cooler, carefully examining the cookies and cream mud cake with caramel buttercream icing and let out a sigh of relief. It had survived the trip across Sydney at possibly illegal speeds surprisingly well. She stepped back, balancing the cake on one hand and reached for the door.
BANG!
One minute, her day seemed to be coming good, the next she was flat on her back, blistering pain radiating from her head and the grit of the tar road biting into her shoulders. The blinding light of the afternoon sun was all she saw as she opened her eyes, until an angel filled her vision.
“Holy shit! I’m so sorry. I was reversing out of the park and I swear I didn’t see you.”
Not an angel. Just a man. A rather good looking man who’d knocked her down and caused a major headache. As if she didn’t already know that lesson; handsome men left you hurting. His body blocked the sun as he hovered, running soft hands all over her, which her brain was awake enough to interpret as not an unpleasant sensation.
“Are you okay?”
No. She was getting turned on by the guy who had just reversed into her with his car. Something was seriously not okay with that.
Cate sat up, dusted the grit from her hands and took stock of her injuries. “Yeah, I’m okay. You can stop groping me anytime now.”
Mr Hitman Angel sat back in a crouch, elbows resting on his knees. “I’m no doctor, but I think we should get you to a hospital to be checked out.”
“Thanks, but I don’t have time.” Oh shit! Her heartbeat skipped as reason returned. “The cake.” She turned sharply, her head screaming in pain until she saw the cake lying slightly askew under his car. On her hands and knees and praying to whatever gods were listening, she grabbed the cake board and slowly edged back inspecting the damage on the way.
“Hey, don’t worry about the car, I don’t think there was any damage.”
Seriously? She stood, holding the cake in trembling hands and met his gaze head on. “I’m not worried about your car,” moron, “I’m worried about this. The cake that needs to be ready for the bride and groom, who are about an hour away, that now needs repairs that I might not have time for.”
With a confused look on his face, Mr Hitman Angel’s gaze swept to the logo on the side of her van before he eyed the wobbly cake in her hands. “Ahhh, right. Sorry. What can I do to help?”
Cate huffed out a breath of disbelief. Great. Now not only did she have to pull a miracle out of her hat, she had an annoying hanger on to deal with. “Look, you can’t do anything. Thanks anyway. I’ll be fine, so you can be on your way.”
Bolstered with the adrenaline pumping through her veins from her near death experience, she shot him the fakest smile she could in an attempt to dislodge any guilt he had. Her reputation as one of Sydney’s premier bakers couldn’t afford to take a huge hit if she royally stuffed this up. Hamilton Hill was the place to be married and guaranteed the who’s who of Australian celebrities and icons would probably be in attendance. Impressing the on-staff wedding coordinator was definitely on her to do list.
After carefully closing the back door of her van, she walked as fast as she dared up the paved driveway, hoping she’d done enough to lose the guy who’d hit her. When the blond haired, blue eyed Mr Hitman Angel jogged up and started walking backward in front of her, she stopped.
“Can I at least carry that for you? Please?” he pleaded, giving her his best attempt at puppy dog eyes.
Any other day. She could be hit on by Adonis any other day, and she might be tempted, but not today. “I really need to get inside, so although the eyes probably work for you with other women, they won’t on me.”
He lifted his arms in the air and stepped to the side, letting her pass. “Okay, sorry. Again.” He followed her up the path. “You’re right, though. The eyes usually do work, especially with speeding tickets. My sister is the only other person who’s immune; actually that’s why I’m here today, not just to show off my spectacularly bad driving skills.”
She gripped the cake board with both hands as she couldn’t help but laugh “I’ll bet.”
“She’s getting married in a few months and she’s having trouble deciding on what colour to decorate this place with, so I’m trying to be stealthy and report back.”
They approached the entry and Mr Hitman Angel came back in front, holding his hand out. “I’m Patrick Garrett by the way.”
She looked at his hand and back to his face and shifted her doubled handed grip on the round board holding the mountain of cake. “Excuse me if I don’t shake your hand there, James Bond.”
“Right. Duh. Guess I’m a bit shaken. I had a little bit of a car accident before.” He sucked in a deep breath. “Hard to believe, but I was lucky to get out alive.” How he said it with a completely straight face she didn’t know, but she couldn’t help burst out laughing. Even after the day she’d had, and the fact that he had added to her troubles, it was nice to laugh.
The door opened and a professional woman dressed head to toe in black ushered them into the fully decorated function room.
“Hi, I’m Carol, and you must be Cate. I know you by reputation of course, but if you’ve managed to pull this off, you have five star recommendations for life. The bride doesn’t know there was a mishap and hopefully it can stay that way.” She studied the cake. “Oh, dear. What do we have here?”
“There was a bit of an accident, but I’ll have it fixed in no time.” Cate rushed to assure her, but from the doubtful look on her face all of Cate’s hopes of impressing the one woman who could make or break her deflated.
“Totally my fault, I wasn’t looking where I was going. I was distracted by this beautiful function centre.” Patrick stepped forward with his hand outstretched, “Patrick Garrett. I’ll be doing everything possible to help…ahhh…Cate, with the cake.”
“Of course. Nice to meet you, Patrick. Now, I have to run and help the florist with the centrepieces, so I
’ll leave you to it.” Carol shook hands with Patrick, and was gone within a minute. A quick glance at her watch had her hands started to sweat again. She only had forty minutes to restore the cake to perfect and with the ringing in her ears and headache mounting, she’d need every one.
“What can I do? Is there anything you need?” Patrick crowded against her back and murmured his question over her shoulder. Being so close she could smell his scent. A purely male smell mixed with very expensive cologne making her want to take a nice, deep breath.
“Yes. I need you to leave me alone so I can fix this cake.”
“Okay. Roger that.”
Cate was aware of his movements until the door shut behind him. With a sigh, she shook off the effect he’d had on her and got down to work. There wasn’t a lot she could do, especially with what she had on hand, but with thicker ribbon and some touch ups here and there…maybe disaster could be diverted. When she reached for her repair kit, a shot of panic speared her chest. It was in her car. Her unlocked car with the keys hanging out of the ignition. Explaining to the police that her car had been stolen because she’d been stunned by a gorgeous man would just top this day off.
At the end of the path, her van was thankfully still there, so she retrieved the keys and grabbed some painkillers from the glove compartment. It didn’t feel like she had a concussion, but even if she did, it would have to wait until the cake was fixed.
She swallowed the pills with cold water and hummed while she worked, half her mind on the job of fixing the cake and the other half on the first man to wake up her womanly bits in a long time. There had been no romantic interest in her life since her ex-boyfriend, Paul. He’d wined and dined her, impressed her with his high flying lifestyle. Weekends sailing on the harbour, A-list parties and weekends away had meant a wonderful ten months. They’d made the commitment to move in together, and Cate had naively believed they were going to get engaged.
That is, until he’d introduced her to his family. His mother had openly looked down her nose at Cate’s less than lofty social standing, and the fact that she actually worked for her money. Not to mention how hideous it was that Cate didn’t fit into runway model cookie cutter ideal that she’d had for her precious son. Three days before they were due to move, he’d pulled out, of the lease and their relationship.
Stuck with nowhere to live and no potential fiancée, she had thrown herself into her work and made the Cakery what it was today. One of Sydney’s leading special occasion cake suppliers as well as a bustling café.
It was nice to feel like a desired female again. Feel that current of sexual attraction pulse through her body and remind her that she had needs. Desires she’d kept buried for so long. But, she’d look elsewhere than Patrick Garrett. He was cut from the same cloth as Paul. Expensive car, expensive clothes and man-about-town air about him that screamed playboy.
Why couldn’t he have been a mechanic?
Cate huffed and bent over to secure a length of ribbon around the bottom for the finishing touch.
“Wow, that’s spectacular.”
She spun around and saw Patrick standing there with shopping bags in one hand, tray of drinks in the other. His smouldering gaze took her breath away. “Thanks, it really didn’t need that much work after all.” Just seeing him made her heart race and her pulse thump in her lower regions. “What are you doing back here?”
“I wasn’t talking about the cake, I was paying you a compliment.”
A compliment? Ohh…he was checking out her arse. Good to know the attraction wasn’t one sided.
“I brought supplies.” He sat the drinks on the table and riffled through the bag. “Hot and cold caffeine, chocolate and superglue.”
“Superglue? Really?” Cate asked incredulously.
“You never know when that stuff will come in handy.”
“True, but what if it’s poisonous if eaten? I’ll pass, but thanks.” After surveying the cake one last time, she started packing up her supplies.
“So, would you be willing to eat some completely non-poisonous foods with me tonight? Say seven o’clock?”
“Hang on. You hit me with your car, then expect me to go to dinner with you?” She pushed the bit of loose hair behind her ear and cocked her head. Leaning against one of the guest tables where his long, jean clad thighs and chest covered in a black polo shirt were on full display, Patrick was tempting. Very tempting.
“Why not? Call me crazy, but you laugh at my jokes, so you must have a great sense of humour. I’d like to take you to dinner, get to know you and, just maybe, to try making up for hitting you with my car as well.”
Her feminine pride glowed at his compliments and made her stand a little straighter. In doing so though, pain shot through her neck reminding her that the sooner she got into a warm bath and relaxed her muscles, the better. She walked over to him and reached beside him into the shopping bag. He licked his lips and the corner of her mouth kicked up as she pulled the blocks of chocolate from it.
“Thanks for the dinner invitation, but these are all the apology I need.”
CHAPTER TWO
Taking a break from the Sunday morning breakfast rush, Cate rested her head on the cool surface of the stainless steel bench wishing the relief she needed would kick in. Either from the pain meds she’d taken for the massive headache, or the two blocks of chocolate she’d eaten to ease the sexual frustration. It seemed now her feminine parts had come out of hibernation, they wanted to feast on spring berries. Specifically, Patrick’s berries.
Gah! She really needed to stop thinking about him. Much more and she’d be studying the spam emails advertising the latest in sex toy technology for an online splurge. Her last vibrator had ended up in the trash with all other Paul related items and getting another one hadn’t been a priority. Until Patrick.
She needed to move, keeping busy was the key to forgetting about latex penises or real ones attached to handsome men who were off limits. She put her apron on over her black T-shirt and shorts on her way out to the main room and stopped dead.
There he was.
Ordering coffee from Millie, complete with panty drenching smile. If he aimed that thing her way again, she’d need another block or two of chocolate which wouldn’t keep her in a size sixteen for long. She tried to turn with the hope he hadn’t seen her.
“Hey, Cate!”
No such luck. She slowly turned to the ordering station.
“How’s your head today?”
She smiled with a level of enthusiasm she didn’t feel. “I’m fine. Thanks.”
“I see my raw masculinity still hasn’t won you over. Can I at least tempt you to sit and have a coffee with me?”
His grin was infectious. His voice like velvet on her very sensitive nerves.
“Ah…no.”
“No? Is it because I knocked you down with my reckless driving? I can promise you’d make it to your chair without incident.”
He made her laugh. She’d give him that. “Sorry, but the fact that you drive a BMW and wear designer labels doesn’t impress me. Been there, done that. Plus, it’s just Millie and I here today so I really don’t have time to sit around drinking coffee.”
“Got me all worked out have you? We’ll see about that. I know you won’t be able to resist my animal magnetism once you get to know me.” He glanced at his watch. “I’ll just…wait around…if you change your mind.” He grinned and stepped backward.
“I doubt I will.”
He just grinned at her, almost in challenge. He was beyond cocky, but she couldn’t say he was conceited which was like kryptonite to Cate. That confidence in a man made her weak at the knees, and kept her on her toes as he picked the one table that allowed him to watch her whether she was serving or making drinks.
Millie delivered his coffee and he raised it in salute before sipping the tasty brew. When his tongue ducked out to lick the chocolate remnants off his lips, she licked hers in reflex and caught the sexy invitation in his eyes. Animal magnet
ism was right. He was in full pursuit and his message was loud and clear – he wanted to show her how wild they could be.
*****
“I can’t believe he’s been out there for six hours, drinking coffee, just waiting for you. That’s so romantic.”
Cate stared at Millie and slowly shook her head. “Or delusional. Of course he hasn’t left, your lunch special was amazing and we have free wireless internet.”
“Cate, not every guy is like Paul. Patrick seems like a really nice guy and he says your blueberry muffins are his favourite of all time.”
Sometimes she envied Millie’s innocence when it came to the world of men. So far, the twenty-two year old had been too focused on her studies and fictional boyfriends to ever fall in, or messily, out of love.
“So did Paul. I know all about the Garrett’s. They’re high society through and through. Sure, he seems nice, has a smokin’ hot body and that grin…” oh, boy that grin, “But, I’ve been on that roller coaster, and I don’t want to go there again.”
“I get it. Just a shame.” She got a faraway look in her eye and let out a dreamy sigh. “Have you seen his arms? Just imagine those big boys wrapped around you.”
“I have eyes and a heartbeat.” And a pussy that agrees with you. “Sounds like you should be dating him.”
“Trust me, if I was even a blip on his radar, I’d have him back here in a heartbeat testing out the weight limit of this bench.” With a pointed look in Cate’s direction, she gripped the stainless steel and tried to move it. “Unlike you, I wouldn’t knock a good thing back when it’s staring me in the face.”
Cate scowled at her supposedly helpful employee and refused to admit to any truth to what she said. Millie just laughed as she walked out and Cate started her daily paperwork. Sex with Patrick would be a good thing, great even. But it was all that went with it that she wanted to avoid. It didn’t matter that he’d kept her hot and turned on all day. Sitting there, watching her. Wanting her.
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