Cover Up (Cover #2) (16 page)

Chapter Twelve

Julien

The last five days had not gone as I expected. Emily was
virtually ignoring me and I still hadn’t a clue as to what made her run away from me. I wasn’t discouraged completely. The mere fact that she had showed up at all was enough to strengthen my pursuit, but her complete shunning was beginning to drive me mad.

Charlette hadn’t signed the divorced papers
, yet; and I hadn’t heard from the treacherous woman since her little show in my office. Most would be thrilled about her disappearance but I, being the levelheaded businessman that I was, knew better. Charlette was not one to bend over and let anyone rob her of what she felt was hers. It was only a matter of time before the woman would reveal her next move. In the meantime, I was running my own game.

“Mr. Malory, thank you so much for seeing me today,” I greeted the old man as I shook his hand.

Mr. Malory had been our family’s attorney since I could remember; and though he was up in years, the man was as shark in the courtroom despite him being well into his sixties.

“Well
, you said you had a pressing, delicate, matter to discuss when I spoke to you yesterday.” He responded, took his seat in front of my desk, placed his briefcase on the ground next to him, and crossed his legs.

“Ah yes, it seems that my wife has forgotten about
the divorce clause in the original prenuptial agreement you drew up for us and is refusing to sign the papers your office served her. It’s time we show Ms. Delacroix just what happens when you cross a Belmont.”

Making deals with the likes of Charlette had never quite settled right with me in the beginning
. So I had our family’s lawyer, Mr. Malory, include stipulations into our agreement. At the time, Charlette was so blindsided by my offer that she hadn’t quite taken the time to understand just what the documents she had been signing included in their entirety.

“Sir, are you sure about this? Those stipulations were only there as a scare tactic in case she derailed you in some way; which she ha
sn’t in all the time you’ve been married,” he urged, obviously uncomfortable. I knew he wouldn’t like the idea, but I also knew that if I held my ground he wouldn’t contest it either.

“Mr. Malory, I know
exactly why we included those stipulations, but Ms. Delacroix has left me with no choice. Begin the preparations as soon as possible. Expect to hear from her lawyers, as well,” I informed him, leaning back into my chair, feeling content at the implications.

I heard a sigh from the old man as he stood to his feet and collect
ed his briefcase, “Very good, sir. I’ll start on the paperwork for the Delacroix Vineyard takeover. She’s going to blow one hell of a gasket when she realizes you’re taking away her company. I hope you’re ready for the shit storm you’re about to unleash on yourself,” he offered before making his way to my door.

EMILY

I hadn’t spoken to Diana, yet. After Adam left five days ago, I was a complete mess. I cried myself to sleep for the first two days over everything. Overwhelmed at the fact that I not only lost a year of my life, a boyfriend, and a lover whom I didn’t remember even meeting, but now a best friend as well. Things weren’t just bad; they were a disastrous, cluster fuck of mess, and I needed to think things through. Adam, Diana, and Julien all called me relentlessly, all trying to plead their cases, but I just wasn’t ready to face them - yet. It was too much to handle all at once and my perceptibly delicate mind just couldn’t process it all. After two days of nonstop ringing, I finally turned the damned phone off, sighing in relief when peace and quiet finally greeted me.
I need to be alone and figure this shit out on my own.

By day three
, I had decided I had had enough of my self-pity. It was time that I started to take my life back and hope to God that my mind followed suit. After meeting with the therapist Dr. Avery had set me up with, I went to work. Suzie filled me in as best she could about my
new
job. Apparently I was a line cook at the four star restaurant and had been snubbed by some prick name Thomas for the lead chef position.

Walking into that restaurant was beyond weird. My boss
, Mr. Gordon, talked my ear off for the first hour, insisting that I needed to go home and rest. He wasn’t thrilled with the fact that my memory hadn’t returned, but after I explained to him that my cooking skills were unaffected, he agreed to put me to the test.

“Alright then Ms. Roberts, I want you to present me with your best dish. You have two hours
,” he commanded, before turning on his heel and sauntering out of the kitchen, leaving me completely dumbfounded.

The other chefs stared at me
. I turned away and headed straight for the freezer. I hadn’t the faintest idea how I knew where the freezer was, but the fact that it just came to me sent a jolt of excitement through me. According to Suzie, I hadn’t had the opportunity to show Mr. Gordon what I was capable of in the kitchen, so this was my chance.

Two hours, a torn apart kitchen, and a burnt hand later, I presented my dish to Mr. Gordon. My stomach churned as he raised his eyebrow, examining my plating techniques with his critical eye. I cleared my throat and began my presentation. “I have for your eating pleasure today, Mr. Gordon, a Grilled Elk Tenderloin with vanilla butternut squash sauce, brandied cherries, roasted cipollini onion, and stuffed crimini mushroom. Enjoy!” I announced as I handed the man a fork.

I had no idea how much had been riding on that single thrown together dish
, but here I was two days later standing in the most spectacular kitchen I’d ever seen and leading my own team of line cooks. It was surreal to say the least. I had somehow impressed Mr. Gordon to the point where he insisted I lead his evening shift.

Thomas hadn’t been thrilled with the idea of sharing the Sous Chef position with me and nearly choked when Chef Gordon made the announcement during our morning roundup. Initially
, I hadn’t a clue as to which of the many stunned faces in the sea of chef jackets was Thomas, but just as Mr. Gordon finished his announcement my eyes fell on a very furious man standing to the far right of the kitchen. He didn’t even attempt to hide his anger. His puny, boney chest rose and fell rapidly as he burned a hole into me with his eyes. I couldn’t make out their color, but honestly, I didn’t care what color his eyes were. I was just happy that something had finally gone my way since waking up from the coma, and couldn’t help the excitement coursing through me. I stuck out my tongue at Thomas and made funny faces, which successfully pissed him off even more.

I
never told Mr. Gordon on Monday that I hadn’t the faintest idea what the menu was. I didn’t want to chance telling him; for fear that he would take my promotion away from me just as fast as it was given to me. Instead, I spent the next two days going over the menu I had swiped during my Monday shift. I used it as a guide the whole day and took it home with me so I could study the menu; trying my best to imagine the recipes, based on the vague descriptions the menus held. Most of the dishes were classics, but it was the specialty dishes, created by Mr. Gordon himself, that twisted away at my stomach. Apparently, I had been doing something right because the customers seemed pleased with my variation of the specialties, often sending their thanks via the wait staff.

I was exhausted
after a fifteen-hour shift and, after making sure that the kitchen was spotless, I bolted for the door; wanting to desperately get home and soak in a long, hot, bath. My body ached, mostly my feet, and I needed to relax. I had the day off tomorrow and planned to spend the day with Suzie at the spa, but until then my little old shower would be my godsend.

As I locked the doors to restaurant, I stared down at the keys marveling
at the symbolism. The small silver key in my hand meant so much to me. Mr. Gordon had given it to me the day after he promoted me, informing me that all of his Sous Chefs possessed one. To most, it would be a small gesture, him handing me the key to his restaurant, but to me it meant that I he finally noticed my talents.

Tucking the key into my chef
’s coat, I turned on my heel to head to my car. I hadn’t even taken two steps before I stopped dead in my tracks in complete surprise.

Shit
, I thought as I stared at one of the many people I had been trying desperately to avoid.
What the hell is he doing here?

He stood in front of a beautiful Mercedes with what seemed to be over a dozen white roses
in hand, and a smile that instantly made my panties wet.
God, he looked good.

His perfectly tailored suit couldn’t contain his sexy broad shoulders and chest
, and I subconsciously licked my lips as I stood gaping at him unable to make a move towards or away from him. I knew I should turn around and flee, but for the life of me, I just couldn’t. Instead, I drank him in, letting my gaze roll over his perfectly sexy body, remembering the feel of him on top of me, in me.

His
smile widened, obviously loving the way my eyes molested him and he slowly closed the gap between us.

You’re so not ready to see him
, Em’
, I thought while willing my legs to run away. Instead, my traitorous legs remained planted as he stood mere inches away from me.

“
Mon cœur
. My love. I have missed you,” he whispered he pulled me into a warm sensual hug and I almost melted at the sound of his sexy, French, voice. His musky sent assaulted my nose instantly, pulling me deeper into him.

What was it about this man that made my body call to him?

“What are you doing here, Julien?” I whispered breathlessly, once I finally pulled away from him.

He towered over me, look
ed deep into my eyes, and brought his right hand to my cheek, softly caressing it and making me weak in the knees. His touch sent shivers down my spine as a warm sensation began coursing through my body. No other man had ever brought my body such pleasure with just a touch, and I couldn’t help but want him at that moment.

“I’ve come for you Emily.”

JULIEN

I knew that had to convince Emily that we belonged together. We had been apart for far too long and I was not going to take no for an answer. Tonight I would show her a glimpse of what we could have together. I had hurt her so many times before
, but not anymore; she would come first and we would finally be together. All she had to do was give me inch and I would handle the rest. I knew that she felt
something
for me even if she couldn’t remember most of our relationship; our chemistry was still undeniable. The pull we experienced in each other’s presence was simply electrifying. That pull… that tug, was not something to be easily forgotten or pushed aside, I knew that ― more now than before, and deep down, I knew Emily knew it too.