Soul Sweet

by Nichelle Gregory

  It had felt good to tell her. Everything felt good about her.

  He walked out of the elevator with Vivian, nodding at something she said as echoes of Misha’s little moans replayed in his head. As much as he appreciated and enjoyed being a part of the show, he couldn’t want for Celeb Chef to be over. Only then would he get the uninterrupted time he craved with Misha.

  * * * *

  Cameron looked out of the window of the limo as he listened to his phone ring a third time. He prepared to hang up when Jess answered.

  Damn.

  He’d been hoping for her voicemail.

  “Cameron?”

  “Hey, Jess. I wanted to call and make sure you’re okay. It’s not like you to reach out to me.”

  “I know it’s uncharacteristic of me.” She sighed. “I’m fine. I’m sorry for sending that text last night. I’d opened a bottle of wine. Remember the red we got in Napa?”

  “I remember.” Cameron looked at the taxi that pulled alongside the limo he was in at a traffic light. “You were adamant you only liked white wines up until we’d gone wine tasting there.”

  Jess laughed. “I know. Anyways, I found a bottle in the basement and couldn’t resist, started reminiscing about the good times we had together.”

  Cameron remained silent, not sure what to say. He’d done his best to close himself off to all the past hurts that had eaten away at him after the dissolution of their marriage and had tried to move on.

  “There were good times, weren’t there, Cameron?”

  “Of course there were.”

  The silence between them was punctuated by the limo driver honking his horn.

  “Well, I should go. The limo is stopping any minute, Jess. I’m glad you’re doing well. I was worried about you.”

  “You still worry about me?”

  “You were my wife. I’ll always be concerned about your well-being.”

  Jess let out a humourless chuckle. “You were always so careful with your words. I told you I missed you. What do you have to say about that?”

  “What do you want me to say? Wait, that I miss you too?”

  “Do you? Do you think about the family we almost had?”

  Cameron closed his eyes as the limo came to a stop in front of the studio, remembering every detail of the baby room they’d worked on together. “Jess, there isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t think about the baby we lost, what we lost. I never wanted to lose either of you, but it happened. It was, I think, one of the most difficult things we’ll ever have to endure. We both grieved differently.”

  “We grieved apart.”

  “We did.” And that destroyed us.

  “I just keep thinking about how different things could be if we could just go back.”

  “You’ll drive yourself crazy doing that.” Cameron opened his eyes. “Stop dwelling in the past.” He got out of the limo, grateful for the fresh air as he walked towards the studio doors. “Jess?”

  “I’m here.”

  “Did you hear what I said?”

  “Yes, you said ‘stop dwelling in the past’.”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m not sure I can. The past is where you and I were still together.”

  Cameron entered the studio, oblivious of everyone and everything as he frowned. “Jess, you couldn’t wait to get out of our marriage. Everything I did, everything I tried to do, only pushed you further away.”

  “I couldn’t talk about what I was feeling. I felt like I’d failed you and I hated myself for losing our baby.”

  “You know I never blamed you. What happened was a terrible tragedy. You did everything you could to bring our child into this world.” The sniffles he heard in the background blurred his vision. “This is the conversation I wanted to have with you a year ago.”

  “I know and I’m sorry.”

  “Stop apologising. You dealt with things the way you needed to. I understand that now. I don’t want you to keep harbouring these feelings of guilt. You deserve to be happy.”

  “I was happy with you. I know it might not have seemed like it, but I was, very much so.”

  Cameron nodded to Shannon when she frantically waved him to his seat, but remained immobile. There was a time he’d wondered if he’d ever pleased her. “In the beginning, we were both happy. Look, Jess, I’ve gotta go.”

  “I still love you, Cameron.”

  Stunned, Cameron struggled for an appropriate response.

  “Are you there?”

  “Yes.” Cameron numbly walked towards the stage where the other judges were already seated.

  Jess laughed harshly. “Wow. You’re at a loss for words? This is new.”

  “I wasn’t expecting this.”

  “You don’t have to say anything. Your silence speaks volumes. Lately, all I’ve thought about is telling you how I feel, felt when we were together. I know it’s not fair of me to lay all this at your feet now. I also know you don’t love me anymore.”

  “Jess, you will always be special to me.”

  “Likewise, Cheffie.”

  Cameron smiled sadly at the use of her old nickname for him.

  “Hey, at least I can breathe without the oppressive weight that’s been weighing me down.”

  “I’m glad. I wanted that for you.”

  “Goodbye, Cameron.”

  “Goodbye, Jess.” Cameron slipped the phone in his suit pocket and sat down in his chair. He lifted the mug in front of him and took a sip of the coffee prepared to his specifications with a grimace. It was only eleven o’ clock in the morning, but he wanted a stronger drink than the java in his hand.

  Don leaned over to him as the production assistant counted down the seconds before they were live. “I’d say good morning, but it doesn’t look like it’s been so good to you.”

  “I’ve had smoother mornings, for sure.”

  “Well, we’re about to see how smooth things go for these two ladies.” Don rested his hands on his belly. “I can’t wait to taste what they whip up.”

  Cameron finally looked at the two kitchen stations set up for the cook-off challenge. His gaze locked with Misha’s and instantly some of the tension within him faded. The barest hint of a smile played upon her lips before she directed her attention to her team. He watched Shannon walk on stage to thunderous applause as the show got underway, his mind on Jess’ call. Her admission about still loving him had shocked the hell out of him.

  Cameron clapped along with the other judges as Shannon finished introducing Vivian and Misha. The heartache in Jess’ voice had bothered him when she’d said she knew he didn’t love her anymore. She was right. They couldn’t go back, especially when he was finally ready to try to move forward.

  Chapter Eight

  A trickle of sweat slid down Misha’s back as she waited for Shannon to share the results of the cook-off challenge. She glanced at Vivian and the chef gave her a tremulous smile, clearly just as nervous as she was. Both of their breakfast quiches had been prepared without any major culinary disasters. Vivian had chosen to make a blueberry torte and she had prepared strawberry-filled biscuits. The feedback from the judges had all been favourable—there was no way to tell who’d won and the suspense was killing Misha.

  She cast a quick glance at Cameron. Something was off with him. She’d noticed the moment he’d sat down at the judges’ table and she wanted to know what it was.

  “And we’re back, ladies and gentlemen. Are you as excited as I am to find out who was the winner of our Celeb Chef Cook Challenge?” Shannon asked and the crowd cheered and whistled. “Remember, the winner of this challenge enters into the final competition with Jackson.” She waved to Jackson sitting near the judges, who looked relaxed, smiling and waving at the audience. “Only one will be named this year’s Celeb Chef. Now, without further ado, let’s find out from our judges who won this breakfast showdown.” Shannon walked up to Cameron. “Chef Banner, what decision did you all collectively make? Who won the challenge?”

  “
It was a hard decision, Shannon.”

  Misha drew in a deep breath as Cameron continued.

  “We want both chefs to know we enjoyed everything we tasted, but we are all in agreement there was a clear winner here today.”

  “And”—Shannon waved her hand and chuckles arose in the studio—“that winner would be?”

  Cameron smiled. “The winner of today’s Celeb Chef Cook Challenge is Chef Ryan.”

  Misha gasped, clasping her hand over her mouth as members of her team cheered and hugged her. She glanced over at Vivian’s station and laughed when she gave her a mock bow.

  “Chef Banner, can you tell us how the judges reached this decision?” Shannon asked once the wild applause had died down.

  “Her use of cilantro in the quiche and the extraordinary yumminess of her strawberry biscuits gave her a two point lead advantage.”

  Shannon came over to her. “Congratulations, Misha.”

  “Thank you, Shannon, and thank you, judges.”

  Shannon looked directly into the camera. “There you have it. Misha and Jackson are our final two contenders who will battle it out here on Tuesday. Which one will be our next Celeb Chef? You’ll have to tune it to find out. Until then… Keep it delicious!”

  Misha turned around and congratulated her team, promising a round of drinks later that evening before making her way over to Vivian.

  “Congratulations, Misha.”

  “Thanks.”

  Vivian stuffed personal kitchen utensils into her bag. “I’m sad to be going home, but happy for you. I hope you win the final challenge. Jackson’s too cocky.”

  Misha grinned. “He’d take that as a compliment.”

  “Oh, I know.” Vivian offered her a bowl of her blueberry torte. “Taste this. It’s damn good if I do say so myself.”

  Misha took the bowl, lifted the spoon to her mouth and took a bite. “Oh, this is really good. I love the hint of nutmeg infused in the cream.”

  Vivian smiled. “Thank you. I hope you saved me one of those biscuits. It’ll go nicely with the Irish cream coffee I’m about to partake of once I’m back in my hotel room.”

  “There’s a whole pan of them left. I’ll set some aside for you.”

  “Do you think Chef Banner will personally wish you the best of luck for the final show?” Vivian winked at Misha as she took off her chef hat.

  Misha shrugged, keeping her expression neutral. “I don’t know.”

  “I think you do,” Vivian said in a singsong voice. “I’m not buying the ‘I don’t know he’s interested in me’ act.”

  “Vivian—”

  The other chef held up her hand when Misha remained silent. “Okay, I’m not saying another word. I’m going to go out with my crew and then I’m flying to New York.”

  “New York?” Misha asked, knowing Vivian was from Connecticut.

  “Yes, I’m going to be on that morning talk show tomorrow with those five female hosts. I’m so nervous.”

  “That’s exciting! I’ll be sure to watch.”

  “And I’ll be watching to see who wins.” Vivian hugged her. “Best of luck, Misha.”

  Misha thanked her again before going back to her own kitchen station. She sent over a dozen of her strawberry-filled biscuits and waved to Vivian as she exited the studio.

  “And then there were two.”

  Misha looked to see Jackson standing with his arms crossed behind her. “Yep. It’s just you and me now.”

  Jackson smiled at her. “Do you think you have what it takes to win, Chef Ryan?” His teasing tone held a hard edge just below the surface.

  “Do you think you do?”

  Jackson laughed, his handsome face full of merriment. “I do. I can picture myself holding that beautiful Celeb Chef knife now.”

  “Well, we’ll find out who gets to take it home soon enough, right?”

  “Indeed. I couldn’t have asked for a better chef to go into the final round with.”

  Misha grinned, surprised by his compliment. “Likewise, Jackson.”

  He tilted his head in her direction before striding off to talk to Shannon. Misha observed him laughing with the host and realised he was totally into the long-legged redhead. She couldn’t tell if the feeling was mutual, though. Shannon was warm and friendly to everyone.

  Her gaze shifted to the judges’ table as she instinctively sought out Cameron. He was nowhere to be seen. Disappointed, Misha grabbed her stuff and headed out of the studio, waving to everyone as she left. She stepped outside, grateful to see the limo to take her back to her hotel. Thanking the driver as he held open the door, Misha slid into the seat with a weary sigh. She couldn’t wait to take a leisurely shower and relax for a little bit before going out with her crew later on.

  Later, Misha flopped down on her bed, still damp from her shower. She turned her head and saw the light flashing, indicating a message for her. Curious, she picked up the phone to learn she had a package awaiting her at the front desk.

  What the hell?

  Misha got out of bed, put on a bra before pulling on a sweater and a pair of jeans. After applying eyeliner and lip gloss, she left her room and took the elevator down to the lobby. She gave her name at the desk, waited for Bev, the front desk clerk, to retrieve her package as she replied to a text message from her sister.

  “How does it feel to be so close to winning the title of Celeb Chef?”

  Misha’s heart skipped a beat the moment she heard Cameron’s voice. She shifted her body to look at him. “It feels damn good.”

  Poor choice of words.

  “I bet.”

  She drew in a sharp breath consumed by erotic flashbacks of her fingers threading through his hair as she bucked her hips against his face. Goose bumps arose on her skin and she got wet looking at him as she recalled the way he’d worked his fingers in and out of her wet pussy. Her nipples hardened, rubbing deliciously against the satiny material of her bra as Cameron’s gaze ran over her.

  Misha returned his lazy grin with a small smile of her own. “How are you?”

  He was close enough for her to smell his cologne. Her gaze dropped from his eyes to his lips and a pulse of desire spiralled out of control within her as more images of him between her legs popped into her mind.

  His tongue…

  Good lawd.

  He knew how to eat pussy.

  Was he thinking about how hard she’d come for him just using his mouth and hand?

  The naughty question in her mind sent a surge of heat through her. She shifted her weight off the front desk, very aware of her bare pussy rubbing against the seam of her jeans and the wetness threatening to soak the fabric. She wanted him so bad and she couldn’t remember the last time a man had created such need within her.

  “I’m good. It’s been an interesting morning to say the least.”

  Misha nodded. “That it has been. It still hasn’t sunk in that I’m in the final showdown with Jackson.”

  “You deserve the chance to win.”

  “Thanks, Cameron.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Here you are, Ms Ryan.” Misha and Cameron both turned to look at Bev, who pushed forward a huge vase of roses. “There is a card enclosed.”

  “Thank you.” Misha’s eyes widened as she took in the enormous bouquet of red and pink roses.

  “Someone went all out.”

  Misha didn’t respond to Cameron as she reached for the card nestled in between the soft, fragrant blossoms. She opened the small envelope to read the message inside.

  I’ve watched you blossom into something far prettier than these roses.

  Turn around.

  Misha whirled around, barely aware of Cameron pivoting with her and gasped. “Oh, my God.”

  Darius!

  She blinked, but he was still there, leaning against a pillar. He approached with a huge satisfied grin on his handsome face.

  “Darius, what are you doing here?”

  Darius frowned. “Now, that’s not quite
the response I was expecting.” He wrapped his arms around her before pressing a quick kiss on her cheek. “I wanted to come and show my support. I know Serene couldn’t stay. Surprised?”

  “Very.” Misha could feel Cameron’s gaze on her as she pulled away from Darius.

  “I’m so proud of you! You’re in the final show, baby. Everyone back at Savoury is so excited for you.”

  “Aww… I miss them.”

  “Trust me, they miss you too. I think your management style is more to their liking.”

  Misha chuckled as she shook her head. “I can’t believe you’re here. Darius Pane”—she gestured to Cameron—“this is Cameron Banner.”

  Darius shifted his attention from her to offer his hand to Cameron. “Hey, man, you’re a great addition to the show. Nice to meet you.”

  Cameron shook Darius’ hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Darius, and thanks. I’ve got to go make some phone calls. I hope you enjoy your time here in the Emerald City.”

  Darius grinned. “I plan to.”

  “Later, then.” Cameron gave them both what she now knew to be his television smile before walking away.

  Misha regretted not being able to talk to him longer. She’d intended to find out what was bothering him.

  “Do you like the flowers?”

  Misha dragged her gaze from Cameron’s retreating form to nod. “They’re gorgeous. Thank you, Darius.” She picked the vase up off the counter, feeling a tad guilty that she had to drum up excitement and joy for his unexpected visit. “I don’t think I’ve ever gotten this many roses at one time.”

  “You deserve them and more. Here, let me carry them up to your room for you.”

  Misha passed him the flowers as they walked towards the elevator. “Your support means a lot to me.”

  Darius held the elevator door open. “You’ll always have my support.”

  They stepped into the lift with another couple and Misha waited until they’d exited to turn to Darius. “You’ll always have mine too. I wouldn’t have come this far along in the show if it hadn’t been for the experience gained from working with you at Savoury.”