by Jo Davis
Guilt assailed her, and she decided to take action. Test the waters, show them she was human. What could it hurt?
Walking toward the bar, she spotted Brandon waiting for a drink order. As she headed toward him, she racked her brain to recall what sort of pet Gray said he’d lost. It was something unusual. A snake? A gerbil? No, a lizard of some kind.
Stopping in front of Brandon, she said, “Can I have a word with you?”
Blinking at her, he nodded and swallowed hard, eyes widening. “Sure. I mean, yes, ma’am! I . . . Did I do something wrong? Is this about the Jacksons’ order? I swear I told Chef medium rare, and the steak looked fine to me, but—”
“It’s not about the steak. You handled that situation just fine.” Giving him a sympathetic look, she said, “I just wanted to express my condolences for the loss of your gecko.”
“Um . . . thanks?” He was now staring at her as though she’d sprouted a third eye. “He was an iguana, though.”
“Oh, right.” She nodded gravely. “I’m sure he was a good companion, and I know how hard it is to lose a member of the family. If there’s anything I can do, let me know.”
“That’s really awesome of you, Miss Claire. Thanks.”
“Anna, please.”
“Okay.” The boy cleared his throat, still looking shell-shocked.
“Well, carry on.”
As she left, she was feeling pretty good until she heard Steve, the bartender, ask, “What the heck was that all about?”
Rounding the corner, Anna stopped to listen. She really shouldn’t, but curiosity won.
“Uh, she said she was sorry Freddie died.”
“No shit?” Steve said, incredulous. “My grandmother passed last month and she didn’t say a friggin’ thing.”
“Maybe she didn’t know,” Brandon replied in her defense. “Cut her a break; she’s nice.”
“Yeah, I guess. A little stuck-up, but in a nice way.”
“That doesn’t even make sense, buttwipe.”
“It does to me.”
Unfortunately, it did to Anna as well. Perfect sense. This was exactly what Gray had been trying to tell her last night. She was a good boss, but she was disconnected from her people. Case in point, Freddie the iguana. One kind word and two staff members were flummoxed.
That had to change. Now that she’d started to turn over a new leaf, she had to keep going.
She was on a roll, having complimented one surprised waiter on his new haircut and showing interest in another one’s college studies, when her cell phone buzzed. Retrieving it from the pocket of her jacket, she peered at the screen and groaned.
“No way. What lousy timing.” Punching the button, she resigned herself to being annoyed by her mother in some new and creative way. “Hello.”
“Anna Marie, I was starting to wonder if you’d fallen off the face of the earth! I haven’t heard from you in two weeks.”
Repressing a sigh, she managed to keep her tone even. “I haven’t heard from you, either, Mom. Been busy?”
“Don’t deflect,” Margaret scolded. “I wanted to make sure we’re still on for next weekend. My flight arrives Friday at noon, and I leave on Sunday morning.”
“I thought you were coming on Saturday?”
“Nope. We said Friday, it’s written right here. Unless you don’t have time for your mother, and then I guess I can cancel—”
“Friday is fine, Mom,” she said, cutting off the impending pity party midstream. “I must’ve misunderstood, but we’re good.” No, I didn’t. It was planned for Saturday. Talking to her is like conversing with a brick wall. I must get my communication skills from her.
“Well, if you’re sure . . .”
The hesitation in her mother’s voice made her feel like crap. “Absolutely. It’ll be great to catch up. Girl time, you know?”
“Yes, it will,” Margaret enthused, good cheer restored. “That is, if I’m not taking you away from a date or anything. Are you seeing anyone?”
Here we go. “No time, you know that.”
“Huh. It’s a good thing I was a lot more open to dating when I met your father, or you wouldn’t even be here.”
“You lucked out. Daddy loved you, and he wouldn’t take no for an answer,” she said, momentarily overwhelmed by what a good man he was and how very much they both missed him. “They don’t make men like that anymore.”
“You have to look around, sweetie. He’s out there somewhere.”
I doubt that. “Maybe.” Just then, a loud crash resounded from the direction of the kitchen. “Hey, I’ve got to go. I’ll call before you leave next Friday.”
“Okay. Love you, baby.”
“Love you, too.”
Hanging up, she heaved a sigh. Between her mother, Gray’s pursuit, and the restaurant, she was on her way to developing a headache. She headed for the kitchen to see what disaster had befallen them, hurrying when she heard the yelling. Stepping inside, she drew up short, and took in the scene. Flour was everywhere—on the floor, the counter, and all over her head chef.
“. . . the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Ethan screamed into Gray’s face. “You imbecile! Did you get your certification from a box of cereal? Did it come with a plastic toy inside, too?”
Gray’s hands clenched into fists at his sides, and his body was tense. Lines of strain were etched around his mouth, his lips pressed into a grim line. Anna didn’t know him well, but she could tell that it was very, very difficult for an alpha male like Gray to stand there and take what Ethan was dishing out. But take it he did, and he managed to keep his tone respectful, if just barely.
“I’m sorry, sir,” he said, looking the head chef right in the eye. “The container slipped out of my hands. It won’t happen again.”
“You’re goddamned right it won’t! Because if it does, you’ll be lucky to get a recommendation from me as a fry cook at McDonald’s!”
“Yes, sir.”
Anna started forward, then stopped. As much as she wanted to intervene, rush to Gray’s rescue, under no circumstances could she undermine Ethan’s authority by reprimanding him in front of his staff. And they were his by unwritten rule, even though she was the owner of the establishment.
“And the cost of the flour is coming out of your paycheck! Fucking clean this shit up!”
“Right away.”
“Of all the idiotic fucking . . .” Ethan turned back to the pan on the stove, continuing to grumble to himself.
Shooting Gray looks ranging from sympathy to silent support, the others slowly returned to their tasks. None risked the chef’s wrath by helping him when he grabbed a broom and dustpan and started sweeping. A pang of feeling swept through Anna, something more than sympathy. Whatever is was stirred in her breast, and in a way, it hurt.
Walking over, she addressed the angry prep chef. “I’d like to see you in my office when you’re done.”
He paused in his sweeping, gripping the broom handle tightly. “If you’re going to fire me, I’d prefer you do it now.”
“Whether you’re fired is Ethan’s decision,” she said, well aware that the others were hanging on their every word. “He’s given you another chance, and that’s good enough for me. This is about something else.”
“All right,” he said with a nod, expression relieved. “I’ll be there as soon as I’m done.”
Giving him an encouraging smile, she patted him on the arm. “See you soon.”
In the office, she booted up her laptop and tried to busy herself studying profit and loss reports from Jeff. The numbers kept blurring on the screen as she remembered last night. Gray’s strength as he fought off her attacker. His caring afterward.
He was so handsome, his blue eyes studying her in concern. His streaked brown hair sticking in every direction. Those lips that knew how to deliver a toe-curling kiss.
“Miss Claire?”
Gray stood in the doorway, practically filling the space. For one insane moment, she wanted to rip off those d
rab kitchen whites and see if his big body was as delectable naked as it had appeared last night in his jeans and T-shirt.
“Anna, remember?”
His full lips hitched upward. “I figured that didn’t apply here at work.”
“It applies to you, no matter where we are.”
“I take it you’re not planning to chew me out?” he drawled, moving inside and closing the door behind him.
“I don’t think there’s anything of your ass left to chew,” she teased. His gaze grew hungry, and she knew he was about to make an off-color comment, so she rushed on. “I just wanted to thank you again for last night.”
“You already did, so it’s not necessary. I’m sure you’d do the same for me if I found myself in dire need of your ninja skills.”
Laughing, she shook her head. “You’d better hope that never becomes an issue. My ninja skills are sadly lacking.”
Closing the distance between them, he moved around her desk and said, “Want to tell me why you really called me in here? Could it be because you missed me?”
He was so close, she had to look up at him from her chair. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him not to be ridiculous. Then his hand covered hers and he knelt beside her chair, leaned close, and brought their lips together gently.
Pure heaven. This man kissed like nobody she’d ever met, his lips exerting just the right amount of pressure, his tongue seeking hers. She explored him in return, tasting a hint of coffee and cinnamon. Delicious.
Common sense struggled to reassert itself and she pushed him back, breaking the kiss. “We shouldn’t do this.”
“You said shouldn’t, not can’t. That’s pretty telling.” He appeared smug.
“I’m your boss, Gray.”
“Only on paper. You said yourself that Ethan has the final word where I’m concerned. Or anyone in his kitchen, for that matter.”
“How do you think the rest of my staff would react if they found out I was seeing one of them?”
“Why would you care? They answer to you, not the other way around.” He paused. “Do you have a policy prohibiting employees from seeing each other socially?”
“No, of course not.”
“Dating?”
“No,” she admitted.
“And if you found out some of them were dating right now, what would you do?” he pressed.
“Nothing.” She sighed. “As long as they kept the lovey-dovey stuff away from the customers and didn’t let it distract them at work, I wouldn’t say anything.”
“There you go,” he said with a wicked grin. “You’re not breaking your own rule because there isn’t one, and you’re not setting a double standard. So live a little. All work and no play makes Anna a sad girl.”
“Now you sound like my mother.”
“She must be a smart woman.”
“You can judge for yourself. She’s arriving for a visit next Friday.”
“You bringing her here, to the restaurant?”
She nodded. “It’ll be her first time in New York since we opened. I’m rolling out the red carpet.” For all the good it would do where her mom was concerned. But one could hope.
“Good for you both. Maybe I’ll get to meet her while she’s here.” He seemed genuine. He stood. “I get off in an hour. What do you say we go for a walk, then I buy us a bottle of wine to share at your place.”
“Why not yours?”
“That’s fine with me. It’s just that my place is sort of bare. I’m afraid it’s a typical bachelor pad, without much furniture or ambiance.”
Hesitating, she wondered if she was really going to do this. In the next instant, she told herself to stop overthinking it.
“My place it is.”
That smile of his could melt her all the way to her toes. He seemed pretty pleased with himself as he sauntered to the door.
“One hour. Can’t wait.” Then he was gone.
One hour never passed so slowly.
***
As Gray worked, he wrestled with his conscience. The case was coming along, but he needed to get into Anna’s apartment to plant those bugs. He needed time with Anna, too. Investigating her was his job.
The problem was, she was already much more than that to him. He could develop feelings for this woman, might be already. All day he’d thought about whether he should call someone else in to take his place, but there just wasn’t time.
Gray kept his eyes and ears open as he chopped. He closely watched the people on his hot list, which included three waiters, a couple of dishwashers, and one of the line cooks. He’d begun to take note of silent cues they gave one another. A nod here and there, or a hand signal. Sometimes a whispered word, so brief it would’ve gone totally unnoticed if Gray had been simply another coworker.
Their body language differed from the everyday interaction among the staff. Their movements were too precise, too planned. At times it was like they were executing a well-choreographed dance. Gray had discovered that one of the waiters seemed to be a messenger. After a series of signals, he would either text or make a call from an alcove near the men’s restroom.
Once the pattern emerged, Gray was surprised and impressed by how very simple and effective their operation was. If Gray and Simon hadn’t traced a mob boss’s key associate to Floor Fifty-Five, the setup could’ve operated for years without attracting attention.
Now he had to figure out where the cocaine was being stored and how they were moving it through the restaurant and out to their buyers. He had a theory, but no proof. Yet.
When his shift ended, he headed for Anna’s office. Through her half-open door he observed her unnoticed for a minute. Sitting at her desk, the gorgeous brunette was leaning over some papers, frowning as if she’d rather be anywhere else. He could fix that.
“Ready to quit?”
Straightening, she brushed her hair back from her face, but the long tresses tumbled down again, falling well past her shoulders. Big brown eyes were raised to his, the fatigue vanishing to be replaced by happiness the second she saw him.
“I am so ready. Let me shut down.”
Closing out of the program on her laptop, she took it and locked it in a cabinet behind her desk. Gray made a mental note to get to the computer one night soon, after closing, and download the information from the hard drive.
After tidying the papers and grabbing her purse, she faced him. “Ready.”
Walking out with her, he wondered if anyone would comment about his accompanying her. Ethan shot him a scowl, but everyone else went about their business. As they stepped into the elevator, he decided to probe her past a bit.
“You mentioned your mother coming to visit. What about your dad?”
Sadness shadowed her expression. “Dad passed away several years ago. My mom was heartbroken and has never remarried, though she’s had men interested. She’s still a good-looking woman at sixty-one.”
“Good genes must run in the family.”
She returned his smile. “Thanks. Same with yours.” Before he could reply, she asked, “What about your parents? Do they live in New York?”
Bittersweet memories assailed him, and a touch of regret. “No. They were from Alabama. Mom died of an aneurism four years ago, and Dad last year of a heart attack.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Me too. My dad and I had been at odds for the past several years, and I never got the chance to make things right.”
As they stepped out of the elevator, she surprised him by linking their fingers. It might’ve been nothing more than a gesture of comfort, but he liked her small, soft hand in his much bigger one. She called good night to the night watchman, and they strolled into the evening.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
“I could eat. You must be starving after working all afternoon.”
“Yeah. Surrounded by food every day and not one morsel can we sneak into our mouths without Ethan ripping us a new one.”
She snickered. “That’s what I
pay him the big bucks for—to be my food nazi.”
“Well, he’s doing a damned fine job.” He liked this. Just being with Anna, talking. Enjoying her closeness. “Want to grab a slice of pizza from that place on the next block?”
“Ooh, I love their pizza! The family who owns it makes everything from scratch, and the food is fantastic.”
“They’re one of my favorites, too. Let’s do it.”
They ended up sharing a whole pie, pigging out. Or rather, he ate most of it while listening to Anna talk about growing up with a set of parents who only saw things in black and white and no siblings to take the heat off. According to Anna, she and her mother were as polar opposite as mother and daughter could be, sometimes a source of friction between them. She loved her mother, though, and was looking forward to her visit from Baltimore in spite of all that.
After they were done eating, they strolled casually along, this time with Anna pumping him about his nonexistent time at the law firm and why he decided to become a prep chef. The conversation was uncomfortable to say the least—for once in his career, he hated lying to a potential suspect, even for the greater good of busting a drug ring.
“I just got tired of the strain, the pressure to claw my way to the top and stay there.” He shrugged. “Cooking has always been a passion of mine, so I went for it.”
A greater lie had never passed his lips. Gray couldn’t fix Hamburger Helper without reading the directions three times. Le Cordon Bleu had been thrilled to get rid of him when his crash course for the undercover job was done.
Thankfully, Anna seemed to accept his story without question, and he was able to relax again. The conversation swung to more innocuous topics, like Anna’s being a cat lover but not having much time for a pet.
“I think you should go for it. Cats don’t need a lot of attention like dogs do.”
She smiled, kept talking. He wasn’t aware of much more than her lithe body next to his, the way her round, tight rear end looked sensational in her black pants, how her classy, high-heeled boots made her legs seem a mile long.
Around the corner from home, they stopped to buy a bottle of red wine. Arriving at her apartment door, he could hardly contain his excitement when she turned to him and smiled.