Just One Taste (Kimani Romance) (9 page)

“Thanks. I think I’m finally getting over the cold that never came. I’ve been feeling so run-down and tired lately, but today I feel great.”

“Maybe it was the Teen Center event,” Nikita said.

“Yeah, probably. David made me promise to see a doctor if I didn’t get any better.”

“Actually, that’s a good idea. I agree with him. You should do it. I’ll watch the boys.”

“But—hey—check you out, girl. Your face is practically glowing. What have you been up to?”

“Me? Nothing, just working,” Nikita said, then quickly changed the subject. “Last night was fantastic, Nat. Everything was wonderful. You and Mia did an amazing job.”

Natalia nodded. “Thank you. Yes, it was great. The kids were so happy to be there and celebrate with us. We raised a lot of money for the scholarship fund and I’m so pleased. The teens worked so hard, and to be able to hand over a check to help them further their education is an amazing feeling. And thank you for everything you did. The catering and food were spectacular. I didn’t get a chance to eat last night, but everybody raved about the food. Thank you so much. We really appreciated it.”

“Oh, you’re very welcome. It was our pleasure to participate. I’m just glad everything worked out,” Nikita said.

“It did, beautifully.”

Nikita lifted up the cake boxes. “I brought this by today ’cause I figured you probably didn’t get any last night. Guess I was right.”

“Yep, you were. But don’t you even try to kiss up to me after what happened last night.”

Nikita looked confused. “What do you mean? What happened last night?” she asked.

“You know you’re in trouble, don’t you?” Natalia said as she opened the back door and walked into the kitchen. The boys were already seated at the table.

“Trouble, why? What did I do?” Nikita said anxiously as she put the cake boxes on the counter, then went over and gave each nephew a kiss on the forehead.

“Don’t pretend all innocent like you don’t know what you did. That’s why you baked and brought over the cake. You knew you were wrong for disappearing on me last night.”

Nikita visibly relaxed. “Oh, that,” she said casually.

“Oh, that,” Natalia repeated. She gave the boys a slice of cake each and they immediately dug in. Then the sisters went back outside to sit on the back deck. “So what happened to you? Where’d you go?”

“You know I have to get up early.”

Natalia laughed, knowing her sister too well. “You didn’t have to open the café this morning and you never go to bed early when you don’t have to open the next day. Plus you even have tomorrow off. Darcy already told me,” Natalia said. Nikita looked guilty. “You might as well just tell me. You know I’m gonna find out anyway.”

Nikita paused a moment then shook her head. She knew her sister was right, she would find out eventually. “I went to Stock Island,” she said. Natalia looked at her, knowing there was more. Nikita took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Chase Buchanan came with me.”

Natalia smiled. “So that’s what happened to him. Oren Davis kept asking for him all night. The man was just about losing his mind. So, he was with you. Interesting. So… And…” She prompted for more.

“And nothing,” Nikita said. “Would you please stop trying to get me down the aisle? I can see it written all over your face.”

Natalia laughed. “Did I say anything about marriage? All I said was, interesting.”

“Yeah, but I know your ‘interesting.’ It means that you mentally already have your dress picked out for the wedding.”

“Hey, stop trying to do my job. I’m the psychologist in the family,” Natalia joked.

“Doesn’t matter, I know you too well, Nat. Marriage doesn’t interest me. Not anymore. I’ve done all that, the falling in love thing. Never again. To love is to open yourself up to pain.”

“Not always, Nikita. Finding that someone special—for you to love—will change that.”

“But I’m not looking for someone to love,” Nikita said.

Natalia smiled. “And that’s exactly when they come along.”

“No, not this time.”

Natalia gave her a reassuring pat on the arm. “So tell me, hanging out with Chase Buchanan, what’s he really like?”

“I don’t know, nice. He’s a lot different than I expected.”

“What did you expect, an ogre because he’s in the oil business?”

“No, not exactly.” She paused to consider then shrugged. “I don’t know, he’s just different. He’s sweet, funny and kind of tender. He told me a lot about himself and his family. I was surprised. He seemed to be the closed-off type, but he’s not.”

“It sounds like you two got to know each other a bit.”

“We did. We talked and then got to know each other a lot more. We had sex. And before you get all romance-novel-happily-ever-after on me, it was just a physical release. We both needed it.”

“A physical release,” Natalia repeated.

Nikita nodded. “Exactly, a physical release—four times.”

Natalia’s mouth gaped open, then she chuckled. “Whoa, four times? Damn, girl, are you sure that it was just a physical release? Once, twice, maybe is no big deal physical. But when you get into four times in one night, you’re talking serious attraction. Add in the talking, and that’s two people getting to know one another real well. It sounds like it might be more than you think.”

“Trust me, beyond the physical we have very little in common. He works for a huge oil company and the last time I checked, they nearly destroyed the Gulf and everything around it, including my café.”

“That had nothing to do with Titan Energy and you know it.”

“It doesn’t matter. Oil companies have tried to stake a claim in this area before. I have a feeling he’s here to do the same thing.”

“Did he say that?”

“No, not exactly,” Nikita said.

“Then you don’t really know. Niki, maybe you’re letting your experience with Reed’s family influence your objectivity. Just because they’re both in the oil business doesn’t mean that Reed and Chase are alike. Reed’s family came in with big plans and big promises to help this community. They wound up almost destroying it.”

“And how do we know the Buchanans aren’t going to do the exact same thing?”

“We don’t know,” Natalia said.

“No, we don’t,” Nikita confirmed, then paused for a moment.

“You know there’s a book out about them, the Buchanans.”

“Really,” Nikita said then, shook her head. “It’s probably just another hyped-up, self-promoting, tell-nothing book.”

“No. Actually it’s pretty good. It’s about Jacob Buchanan and the Titan Energy Corporation and it’s written by Johanna Butler before she became Andre Buchanan’s wife.”

“Then how objective can it possibly be?”

“All I know is that it’s a good book. It tells the good and the bad of how their ancestor Thaddeus Boles became Louis Buchanan. It starts in New Orleans in 1863 and tells how they became the Buchanans of Alaska in the twenty-first century. Like I said, it’s pretty good.Maybe you should check it out. You’d get a better insight into what Chase is all about.”

“Maybe,” Nikita said. Her sister was right, she didn’t know what Chase and his family were up to, but she intended to find out. “Nat, I gotta go. Give David and the boys a kiss for me.” She hugged her sister just as the boys called to her asking for more cake. “I’ll catch up with you later.”

As soon as she got into the car her cell phone rang. It was Darcy. She pressed the button on her steering wheel and answered. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Everything’s good. I just wanted to finalize this private chef job before tomorrow. Did you decide what you want to do about Chase Buchanan? I need to give them an answer as soon as possible.”

“Um, yeah, I’m turning it down.”

“For real—you’re turning him down?” Darcy sounded surprised.

“Yes.”

“Did I mention I gave them our top-tier fee?”

“Yes, and the answer is the same. I’m still turning them down.”

“You know you’re killing me, right?”

“You’ll survive. I’ll talk to you later.” She ended the call and blasted her music all the way home.

Chapter 9

C
hase ran along the beachfront path with the purpose and determination of an Olympic marathon contender a mile and a half behind the frontrunner. He was overdoing it, but he needed this. He was a man driven by both his desire and his need.

His desire was simple—it pulled him toward Nikita. But he needed to get his job done and the diversion with Nikita, once merely a means to an end, was suddenly more than he expected. Spending the night with Nikita was better than he ever imagined. She was remarkable—funny, smart, beautiful and just too damn sexy.

He’d played it close before by taking the more subtle route to his end result. To his credit, it had always worked. But that was before. Never had he allowed his feelings and emotions to go this deep. Nikita was doing this to him and he was letting her. She was getting him to open up. He needed to stop. He knew he needed to get close
to
her, without getting lost
in
her.

He still couldn’t believe he’d told her things about himself, things no one knew about him or his family. She asked, he answered. It was impulse and it was stupid. He was losing his edge and passion was pushing him over.

He slowed his pace then eventually stopped running and looked around. The lush tropical scenery was breathtaking. He could definitely see himself living here. It wasn’t that different from his home in France in the warmer months. He put his hands on his hips and took a few deep inhales to steady his breathing.

He started walking back toward the house knowing he had to continue what he started. Soon his walk became a jog and he was back to running again. He decided to take a shortcut back. A half mile from the house, he spotted a car coming toward him. The car suddenly slammed on its brakes and the driver window rolled down. “Chase. Chase.”

It was Oren Davis. Chase nodded and waved then kept running.

Oren made an awkward U-turn, drove a bit, then pulled up beside him and stopped abruptly, calling to him again. “Chase, hold up.”

Chase turned to see Oren waving as he got out of the car to catch up to him. He stopped running as Oren approached. “Hello, Oren,” he said, catching his breath.

“Chase, how are you? I just stopped by the house. I guess I just missed you. I see you’re out here exercising—fine day for a run. You know my daughter, Crystal, runs out here all the time. I’m surprised you haven’t seen her. You can’t miss her, she’s so beautiful but, of course, you already know that,” he said, then chuckled to himself.

“Listen, about that property you’re trying to secure. I think I might have a possible solution. Why don’t you stop by the house one evening this week for dinner and we’ll flush out a few ideas.”

“Actually, Oren, I’m going to be pretty busy the next few days. As I mentioned, Key West isn’t the only area we’re interested in pursuing.”

“Yes. Yes, of course. I just thought that if you were interested we could get together and discuss a few other prime locations. That way we could—”

“Oren, I have to get back to the house. I’m expecting a very important phone call in a few minutes,” he said, backing up.

“Oh, sure, of course, I was just going to mention that I can have Crystal stop by and—”

“Oren, I really have to go. I’ll catch up with you later,” Chase said, then crossed in front of Oren’s car and continued running.

A few minutes later he walked into the house, stood in the large foyer and looked around with a satisfied smile on his face. He’d have to do something about Oren eventually. He shook his head and half chuckled as he headed upstairs to the master bedroom. He pulled out a pair of dark charcoal slacks and a gray cotton knit shirt, and then headed into the bathroom.

After a long hot, then cold shower he dried off, shaved and changed. He headed downstairs to the home office, and then sat down at the desk and opened his laptop.

The first thing he saw was that he had several messages since he’d checked earlier. Two were from Daniel. Neither of which he intended to answer anytime soon. He typed a message to his assistant and just as he hit the send key his cell phone rang. He checked out the caller ID, and then answered. “Hey.”

“What’s up, bro? How’s it going down there in paradise?” Andre Buchanan said jokingly.

Hearing Andre’s voice made him smile. Andre was nothing like their father. Where Daniel was abrasive and quick to act, Andre was calm, laid-back and levelheaded. He was somewhere in the middle. “It’s all good. I’m making headway. Where are you?” Chase asked.

“Alaska. Home.”

“How’s Johanna?”

“She’s incredible.”

Chase smiled. He could hear the broad smile in Andre’s voice. “Dude, you know you really struck gold when she came into your life. I’ve never seen you happier. You’re right, she’s an incredible woman.”

“She is,” Andre agreed. “I don’t know if you heard the news. I’m gonna be a father.”

Chase chuckled. “For real? Excellent, that’s fantastic news, Andre. Congratulations, I wish you and Johanna all the best. You’ll be great parents.”

“Man, I never thought I could be so happy.”

“You know we have to celebrate when you get here,” Chase said.

“For sure, sounds good. So, I hear Daniel’s on your case. He wants the setup ASAP.”

“Yeah, and that’s an understatement. But what he wants and what’s gonna actually happen are two different things. He can’t just come in and bulldoze the place. I told him that an aggressive takeover isn’t what’s needed in this case.”

“You’re preaching to the choir. I echoed that assessment six weeks ago. After the Gulf spill and the Blackwell deal debacle, there’s no way the local community is just going to open their arms and welcome us. We have to tread lightly. I don’t envy your position right now.”

“I’m handling it okay. Getting me into Mikhail’s house was a smart move. It puts me right in the center of everything. How well do you know the Coles family?”

“I know Mikhail. We go back a few years. I’ve met his brother, Dominik, who’s a doctor at the local hospital, and I’ve worked with their sister, Tatiana. She’s a journalist. She did a story on Titan a year and a half ago. She’s very professional, fair and very good at her job. She just married Spencer Cage, the media mogul.”

“Yeah. And her sister, Natalia, is married to David Montgomery.”

“Yep, that’s right.”

“Interesting. What do you know about the other sister, Nikita?”

“I’ve never met her. She owns a bakery and café in town. I’ve had the food. She’s good, very good. Have you talked to her yet?”

“Yes,” Chase said without elaborating further.

“Is she willing to sell?”

“We haven’t actually discussed it yet, but the local Realtor says no. I intend to find out why, eliminate the obstruction and then hopefully get her cooperation.”

“Psychology?”

“Whatever works,” Chase said, “but she doesn’t open up much.”

“If anyone can get her to open up and sell, you can. So listen, I’m on my way to New York tomorrow then I’ll swing down there at the end of the week. You gonna be around?”

“Yeah, I should be here.”

“When’s your meeting with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission?”

“It’s early next Monday. I don’t foresee any problems.”

“I agree. I have a few documents I want you to look over before you go. I think you’ll find them helpful.”

“Okay,” Chase said.

“All right, I’ll see you in a few days.”

“Have a safe trip. See you later,” Chase said, then disconnected the call. As soon as he did he saw that he had another email from Daniel and also one from Darcy Richardson at Nikita’s Café. He opened and read the latter.

Five minutes later he was in his car and headed back into town.

* * *

After the short visit with her sister and a quick stop at home, Nikita drove into town. She parked, ran a few errands, then walked into the café. Business was bustling as usual. She spoke to a few regular customers, waved to the Sunday-afternoon counter staff, then continued to the kitchen. The sweet aroma of sugar and cinnamon dusted the air as Leroy placed a tray of elephant ear pastries on the baking rack to cool. The caramelized brown crisps, tinted top and bottom, smelled divine and looked just perfect.

“Hey,” Darcy said, “what are you doing here? I finally get you two days off in a row and this is what you do, come in here? Hello, Nikita, it’s your day off. Go home, relax.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I am. I just need to grab a few recipes from the office,” she said as she headed in that direction.

Darcy followed. “Listen, I know you said you wanted to turn the Chase job down, but are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m very sure,” Nikita said, sitting at her desk and opening her laptop. She began scanning her recipe files.

Darcy, standing in the doorway, leaned to the side and cocked her head, wondering. “Did something happen last night?”

Nikita look up at her quickly, anxiously. “What do you mean?”

“I mean yesterday you didn’t seem this positive and now you’re damn near adamant about not taking the job. I just thought maybe something happened to prompt this total certainty.”

“Nothing happened. I thought about it and it’s best if I pass.”

Darcy shook her head. “I don’t get it. This is the perfect job. One person, occasional guests, no drama—in and out, no big deal, just cook and leave. He seems easy enough to please.”

Nikita smirked, knowing that was exactly the problem. She shook her head more from the heated memories of the night before then from anything Darcy had just said. “I have too much on my plate right now.”

“You’re forgetting I’m the one who makes your plate. If you really wanted this job, you could do it. We both know that. Or is there something else I need to know?”

“No, there’s nothing else you need to know. Just thank him and drop it, okay?”

“Okay, sure, if you say so. I’ll send the email right now.”

“Good. Thanks. I’ll be here for a little while.”

“Okay,” Darcy said, sounding suspicious, “I’ll be up front.”

Two hours later there was a knock on her office door. Nikita looked up, seeing Chase standing in the doorway smiling. “Good afternoon, Nikita,” he said.

“Chase, hi, what are you doing here?” she asked, surprised.

“You refused me,” he said, “so I came to find out why.”

“I don’t understand. Why what?” she asked, still too stunned seeing him standing in her office doorway.

“I got an email from your assistant. You refused my offer.”

“Oh, right, that private chef thing. I can’t. Sorry, I’m just too busy at the moment to take anything else on.”

“No, you’re not,” he said, smirking knowingly as he began walking around her office looking at the many cookbooks, awards and certificates. “At least be honest with yourself.”

“Excuse me,” she said, leaning back and crossing her arms in front. Her defenses shot up instantly.

He turned back to her, still smiling. “You heard me. Yeah, you’re busy, but at least admit the
real
truth. We both know.”

“Which is?” she asked, then saw Leroy walk by the open door, Russ followed a few seconds later. Both men glanced in. Nikita walked over and closed the door then came back to her desk. She stood, leaning back casually.

“You’re scared to do it,” he said simply.

Her eyes narrowed. These were fighting words as far as she was concerned. He was challenging her and she didn’t like it. “Scared of a Buchanan?” she said, chuckling. “I don’t think so.”

“Of me,” he more than firmly clarified.

“Women don’t say no to you often, do they?”

“No, not often,” he admitted freely.

“Perhaps you should get used to it once in a while. Call this a one-off, and accept it. The answer is still no.”

The seductive smile that appeared on his face told her exactly what he was thinking. His eyes drifted down the long length of her body, then back up to her face. He shook his head. “I’ll triple the fee from your last job.”

She immediately knew something was up. No one paid the money he was offering just to have her cook a few meals. He wanted something else from her and she knew exactly what it was. “Don’t get confused because we slept together last night. It was physical pleasure, that’s all. Remember, one time only.”

“Actually, it was four times, but who’s counting?”

“I’m not looking for anything from you. And if you’re looking for some kind of
Pretty Woman
scenario to play out while you’re here, you’ve got the wrong woman. That’s not my job description.”

“To clarify my intentions—I’m looking for someone to prepare my meals. I will be entertaining business associates over the next few weeks. I don’t want to worry about menus, preparations, schedules or whether or not everything is top quality. I want the best. I want you.” His tone was all business, showing the true professional he was. “And as to your other point—our time together was great. No—correction—it was fantastic. But I can separate my personal life from my professional goal. The question is, can you?”

She nodded, metaphorically stepping up to the offer with equal professionalism. “Fine, I’ll do it. Two weeks, right?” she asked.

“Three,” he corrected, challenging her again.

“Fine, three weeks. Starting…?”

“Tomorrow night,” he said instantly.

“Just you, right?”

“Tomorrow, yes, but there will be an occasional guest or two. You’ll know in advance.”

She nodded. “Darcy will handle the contract stipulations and your dietary details.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She grabbed her backpack and computer pad, opened her office door and left. When she got outside she stopped, realizing she’d just stormed out of her own office leaving him there. Good Lord, what was she thinking? But it was too late. Going back in would make her look like a nutcase. She got into her car and headed home. At the first traffic light she glanced in the rearview mirror. Chase was standing in front of her café smiling. She shook her head. This was crazy. She was crazy. He’d challenged and goaded her and she’d buckled under almost instantly. Crap.