Sweet, Sweet Revenge

by Nia Arthurs

  21

  JOON GI HAD CONVERTED a corner of the kitchen into a temporary office. Loose paper littered the counter. The scent of vanilla and cookie mix filled the air. Chocolate decadence. A fragrance that sweet should calm him.

  It didn’t.

  He ran a hand through his hair and blew out a frustrated breath.

  New ideas for Sweet Treats had been percolating in his head since the moment Hanna brought him here almost a month ago, but all his efforts would fail if they didn’t get that notice from the Public Health Department.

  One sheet of paper held the life of Sweet Treats by the chokehold.

  Without the grade that indicated they’d passed inspection, they were sailing up a rushing river without a paddle.

  He tapped his pen against the counter and glanced around the empty kitchen. On a normal day, Joon would never work in the kitchen. The ovens could multiply heat like the flames of hell.

  Unfortunately, Sky had more than enough leftovers in the morning to cover for an entire day of sales so there was no need to keep the ovens on and baking for long.

  A noise sounded at the front.

  He got up to check, confirmed that it was nothing and returned to the kitchen.

  This was his first time running the shop alone. Things were so slow he felt confident he could handle the counter without batting an eye.

  I wish I could fix this for Sky.

  She’d taken every bad review personally. He tried his best to distract her at home, but he still caught her sneaking around with her phone, refreshing the page and letting the words pierce her heart like fiery arrows.

  If Joon Gi had the money, he’d send her to San Pedro. Pay for a spa day. Let her go swimming with the dolphins. Maybe that would fix her mood. It felt like she hadn’t smiled in ages.

  His annoyance flared the more he thought about Sweet Treat’s demise.

  Everything that could go wrong was. First with the inspection, the negative reports about the store and then the bad reviews. Sky’s sales were in the dumps and continuing to nose dive.

  He’d put his revenge on pause so he could bail her out, but even with all his attention diverted to the crisis at Sweet Treats, he couldn’t seem to put a stop to the ship’s leaking finances. Pretty soon, Sky and her store would capsize.

  He had to do something drastic if he hoped to help.

  Grayson.

  The health inspector was the clog in the pipes. If he got rid of that problem, the rest would fall into place. He tapped his thumb against his thighs and gritted his teeth. He wanted to pay Grayson a visit in person, but since Sky had gone for a walk, he was the only one left in the store.

  Instead, he went for the next best thing and gave the Public Health office a call.

  After being transferred from one line to the other and listening to, what felt like, two hours of elevator music, Joon finally heard the phone click.

  Grayson’s voice scratched against his ear. “What do you want?”

  Way to greet a guy, Grayson. Someone wasn’t going to win customer service rep of the month.

  “You’re a hard man to get a hold of Director.”

  “I heard you’ve been annoying my people and calling non-stop so I had no choice but to clear my schedule and deal with you.”

  “I’m honored.”

  He heard the sneer in Grayson’s voice. “I don’t know what answers you’re looking for, Mr. Kim, but I can only tell you the same thing that everyone in this office has already. We will post our findings when we’ve finished conducting our research.”

  “How much longer do you expect us to wait?”

  “For as long as the Health Department needs.”

  “Bull. You’re intentionally dragging this out so that Sky won’t have any customers left when it’s over.”

  “I don’t like your tone or your implication, young man. Have some respect.”

  “Respect is earned, Director. The way you left Sky’s kitchen after you and your men plowed through it tells me you don’t respect her or her business so I’ll extend the same courtesy to you.”

  “Is that why you’ve been stalking my office? To deliver threats?”

  Joon stood and paced. He always thought better when he was on the move. “I want to make a deal.”

  “What kind of deal?”

  If he had any doubts before, they were obliterated by the director’s eagerness to be swayed. Joon was even more convinced that someone else was pulling Grayson’s strings.

  “Whatever was offered, I’ll offer double if you end this now and give Sky and Sweet Treats the grade they deserve.”

  “I don’t know what you’re referring to—”

  “Name a number, Inspector. I don’t care how much.” It doesn’t matter because we won’t pay you anyway. “Just get rid of the problem.”

  “I can be convinced, but we’re not talking small change here.”

  “Of course I understand that, but money is no object…”

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  Joon stiffened.

  Footsteps pounded the floor, a staccato rhythm. He knew Sky was in the room before she appeared in his line of sight.

  “Mr. Kim?” Grayson’s voice squawked in his ear.

  “I’ll need to call you back,” Joon said.

  “Wait, what about—?”

  He cut the inspector off and swiveled toward Sky. “When did you get back?” And what did you hear?

  From the way her nostrils flared and her eyes spit flames, Joon guessed she’d caught most of the conversation. But just in case, he decided not to confess to anything. There was a chance some other guy had gotten her pissed off and she was just here to vent to him.

  “What kind of deal were you about to strike, Joon?”

  Okay, so I’m the guy who pissed her off.

  “Nothing you need to worry about.” He tried to placate her with a smile.

  It had the opposite effect.

  “Do you think this is a joke?”

  “No, of course not.”

  She flashed an accusatory glance. “I can’t believe this. Were you just bribing the director of Public Health?”

  “What? Me? No.”

  “And now you’re lying about it.”

  “All I did was encourage him to see things from a different perspective and offer compensation for his time.”

  “Compensation.” She stopped near enough that he could see every fleck of her light brown eyes. “You were buying him off. With money that I don’t have, by the way.”

  “It’s not that big a deal.”

  “No, Joon. It’s a crime. The same one that got you in trouble before.”

  Damn. He should have known that Sky would freak out over this. And that’s why you don’t have incriminating phone calls where anyone can just walk in and overhear.

  Joon edged closer to her. “I did what I had to. How else would we have gotten him to surrender? Grayson’s following someone’s orders and he’s too slimy to do the right thing without an incentive.”

  “That’s it?” She blinked. “That’s your explanation?”

  “It doesn’t matter if we have the money or not. All that matters is the end result. I learned the hard way that people—”

  “My gosh, you’re serious, aren’t you?”

  “—people are selfish and dishonest. Rather than fight it, why not make human nature work for you? It’s the fastest way to get things done.”

  “You’d sacrifice your morals and integrity in order to keep your bottom line?”

  “You’re stuck in the fine print. I think bigger picture. Sometimes rules have to be broken.”

  “No wonder they locked you up.” She scoffed.

  His temper flared. “Do you honestly think that I’m the only one who bribed officers and hid their taxes? All those people raking in millions have greased a few palms so they’d look the other way. I was just unlucky enough to get caught.”

  “Everyone else is breaking the law so you’ll just j
ump on the train? Is that your justification?”

  “Why are you screaming at me? I’m trying to help you!”

  “No, you’re making excuses for your behavior. I told you I’d rather go down with honor than scheme to keep my shop.”

  “Then you’ll lose everything!” The words burst out of his chest and stunned Sky into silence. He shook his head and lowered his voice. “You’ll end up like me. And I can’t let that happen.”

  “So it’s all about you then?”

  “Woman!” He grasped at his hair. “That’s not what I meant.”

  She clasped her hands together and stared pointedly at the floor. “When were you going to tell me?”

  “Tell you what?” he snapped impatiently.

  “You’re going back to Korea.”

  The blood drained from his face. “How do you know about that?”

  “So it’s true.” She clamped her lips tight. What was that expression? Disappointment? Before he could figure it out, Sky blinked and it was gone. She lifted her chin and said coldly, “Thanks for the heads-up.”

  He grabbed her shoulders. “Sky, how do you know about Korea?”

  “I met your brother.”

  His eyes widened. “Sun Gi?”

  “He wanted me to give you this.” She tossed an envelope that had been ripped open. “He says he wants to help.”

  “Sky—”

  “He asked me to convince you. Told me you’d be stubborn about it. So I’m here to tell you that… you should just go, Joon.”

  “No, Sky. You don’t understand.”

  “I understand enough.” Sky gave him her back and marched toward the door. “Sweet Treats was just a temporary stop on your way out. It’s okay. I get it.”

  A rush of urgency welled in his chest. Joon rushed forward. His long strides easily caught up with her.

  Sky jerked back when he slid into her path. She tipped her chin all the way up so she could meet his eyes. “What?”

  “I’m not leaving yet.”

  “It’s only a matter of time, right?” Her eyes burned into his. “So why prolong the inevitable?”

  “There are things that I need to do here. Important things.”

  “Like your oh-so-important revenge?”

  He blinked.

  “Yeah, I know about that. I’m not stupid. You’re after your brother and your old fiancée aren’t you?”

  He avoided her eyes. “Those aren’t the only reasons.”

  She folded her arms over her chest. “Then what else is keeping you here?”

  He let his eyes fall all over her face, taking in her gorgeous brown skin, the eyes that narrowed and widened according to her mood and those plump lips that had distracted him more than once since they’d met.

  Sky’s expression soured the longer he stared. The stifling silence made every beat of his heart pound through the room like a gong.

  “Well?” She huffed.

  “I—” The words stuck in his throat.

  You’re in no position to take care of anyone, even yourself. What are you doing?

  The warning blew through his head, but it couldn’t stop him from reaching out. His hands curved around Sky’s waist. A little gasp escaped as their bodies collided. Hard and soft. Man and woman.

  He couldn’t say the words, but he could show her.

  Sky looked up at him, and then slowly her eyes fell closed.

  He watched her, marveling at the invitation in the movement, at the beauty of her face. His fingers dug into the dip of her waist, just above her jeans. More than anything in the world, Joon wanted to taste those gorgeous brown lips.

  He let himself get as close to Sky as he dared, breathing her in. Vanilla. Cookies. His nose brushed hers, the sensation both innocent and so very intimate.

  She arched her chest. Brushed her breasts against the surface of his T-shirt. Every nerve in his body pounded from wanting her.

  But he couldn’t.

  Painfully, Joon tore himself away. “I’m sorry.”

  For a lot of things.

  Sky’s eyes burst open. Cheeks flushing, she backed away from him. He wanted to follow her, but he held himself steady and stayed in place.

  He had nothing to offer her. Not now. Not ever.

  22

  SKY WAS USED to the heat. Living as a baker in Belize meant that the scorching temperatures rarely fazed her. But this heat was different. It surged through her veins and set every patch of skin on fire.

  Her throat dry, Sky struggled to swallow. Failed. Clasped her hands together. Found they were slick with sweat and wiped them on the side of her pants.

  Joon Gi stood a few feet away. She wondered when he’d gotten that far. A few seconds ago, his entire being had encircled her, trapped her in some hazy, in-between world that didn’t quite feel like the reality she’d known for twenty-five years.

  His black hair flopped against his forehead. His body was lean and lithe but powerful. She’d felt every bit of his intensity when he held her close.

  Now, he seemed to find whatever was on his tennis shoes ten times more interesting than her.

  Good. His diverted attention gave her a little time to regroup and make sense of her mangled thoughts. Clarity would come eventually. Right?

  Or maybe not.

  Her heart still thudded, adrenaline mingling with regret. She’d wanted Joon Gi to kiss her. He had been reaching out to kiss her, right? That wasn’t a figment of her imagination.

  Sky closed her eyes and scrambled after the memories of his brief touch. His breath on hers. His fingers curling around her waist. Eyes darkening with desire.

  She crossed her legs and bounced, straining to hold herself together so she could pretend to be as cool and calm as Joon Gi.

  Girl, you crazy? You’re about to explode.

  “I should…” Sky pointed over her shoulder to the door. “Customers might have—”

  “Yeah.”

  Sky ran outside and then spent the rest of the day running from Joon Gi.

  It was a tall order given Sweet Treats wasn’t that big. Fortunately, Joon seemed equally determined to give her space. They made an unspoken boundary. Joon Gi’s territory was the kitchen and hers was the counter.

  No one crossed the lines. Physical or imagined.

  For lunch, Sky ate from her stock and tried not to think about her drowning sales or her embarrassing moment with Joon. She succeeded on one count and did so poorly in the other that the more she tried not to dwell on it, the more it demanded her attention.

  The frequency that Joon’s face popped into mind was almost frightening. Every sensation had been impressed on her brain. Tattooed behind her eyelids.

  Why did I close my eyes when he touched me? Why? I made it so obvious.

  Nope.

  Not going there.

  Sky tapped her fingers against the counter and stared at her empty storefront. Things were usually slow this late in the evening, but she still felt depressed.

  An image of Joon Gi’s lips flashed in her mind.

  “Ah!” She shot to her feet and shook her head so hard her short ponytail flapped against her cheek. Sweet Treats’ problems were doubling by the hour. Why couldn’t she drag her mind away from her sexy employee?

  “Miss?”

  Sky froze, mid-stride. Glancing up, she found a boy in the trade’s school’s white shirt and khaki pants. He stood in front of the counter, brown eyes fixed on her and a mischievous smirk playing on his lips.

  Sky realized how insane she must have looked and ran her hand over the front of her apron. After pasting a smile on her face that said ‘I’m definitely not crazy’, she approached the customer.

  “How can I help you today?”

  “Are any of your stuffed jacks left?”

  “Yes.” She rushed to the counter and extracted a foil-covered stuffed jack.

  In the store’s prime, there was no way this kid would be able to sniff a stuffed jack at four in the evening. But things had changed.


  “Great!” He pumped his fists. “I love this.”

  “I appreciate that.” She placed the pastry in a plastic bag and bit down hard on her bottom lip to keep from asking—‘so the bad reviews don’t bother you?’

  “I’d buy one every day, but it’s hard for me to wake up early enough,” he said.

  She handed the bag over and nodded. “I’m glad you enjoy them.”

  The student gave her the money and inhaled the scent of the fried jack. “It would be great if they sold these right on campus. Don’t you think?”

  The student left, but Sky’s mind kept buzzing around his idea. The more she chewed on it, the more it made sense. Sweet Treats had been blackballed by the community but her stuffed jacks had not. She’d been so busy trying to save her store that she’d forgotten Sweet Treats wasn’t a building.

  It was her pastries.

  This could be the jolt that we need!

  Sky almost vibrated with excitement. The first person she wanted to share her idea with was Joon, but given how awkward they were, she decided against it. Grabbing her phone, she dialed Jo instead.

  Jo picked up and yelled, “What’s wrong? Are those inspector guys back again?”

  “No.” She chuckled. “Calm down, girl.”

  “Sorry. I’m still pissed about how they wrecked the kitchen.”

  “I’m calling to bounce an idea off you. What do you think about selling Sweet Treat’s most popular pastries directly to the schools?”

  “You mean like custom orders?”

  “Sort of. I’ll take orders from schools and other businesses and they’ll sell to their own customers.”

  “I like it.” Jo squealed. “That’s my girl. I knew you wouldn’t wallow for long.”

  “I wasn’t wallowing.”

  “You were so wallowing.” Jo chuckled. “But it doesn’t matter because Sweet Treats is about to turn a corner.” Jo’s voice turned bouncy with excitement. “Why don’t we all go out to celebrate?”

  “What do you mean by ‘all’?” Sky asked warily.

  “Me, you and Joon Gi.”

  “Joon Gi?” She stiffened. “Since when did you want to hang out? I thought you hated him?”

  Jo sighed. “I did. And a part of me still thinks that he’s a little sly when it comes to business, but when it comes to you… it’s different.”