The Perfect Dish (23 page)

“Give me a sec.” She squirted detergent into the sink water and dumped the frying pan in. She wiped her hands on a towel, then walked with him to the door.

He gathered her into his arms. “See you tomorrow night.”

She leaned into him. “That reminds me, I have to call the girls.”

“Going to tell them about the wicked things you did to me?” He laughed. Wouldn’t that be something? He could imagine what the reaction to that x-rated story would be.

“And make them jealous?” Her laughter blended with his. “You’re too much.”

He pulled her closer and captured her mouth in a short, hungry kiss. “Am I?”

“No,” she whispered. “You’re exactly enough.”

* * *

Mery fastened the bracelet of sparkly jet beads she’d bought to go with her new black dress. The color was comforting but the cut of the dress was anything but. Other than a single swath of fabric looped loosely over one shoulder the dress was strapless. Ruching down the sides accented every curve with perfect definition. She couldn’t wait to see what Kelly thought of it.

Matching jet bead dangles glittered at her ears like black diamonds. She stepped into the black satin sling-backs, tottering on one foot as she adjusted the strap on the other.

The intercom buzzed. She pressed the talk button. “Yes?”

“Dr. Black, your car is here.”

“Thank you. Would you let them know I’ll be right down?” She checked her watch. Viv and the girls were right on time. She grabbed her wrap and evening bag then checked her reflection in the mirror again before heading down.

The dress was very sexy. The jewelry and shoes were just right. She looked good. No. She looked great. A smile crossed her face. Something told her this was going to be a night to remember. Maybe it should also be their last night, before things got any more complicated. She’d gotten some good press. Shown the world she wasn’t anti-man.

Marcus opened the limo door for her with smile. “Evening, Dr. Black.”

“Hi, Marcus. Thank you.” She got into the car to a chorus of “oohs” and “ahhs”.

“Hot dress, Mer.” Celia grinned. “Out to impress someone?”

Viv nudged the curvy blonde. “Wouldn’t you look your best if you were dating that scrummy hunk of man?”

Celia sighed. “Thanks for reminding me that I’m not.”

Viv arched a brow in Mery’s direction. “Did Lizza have anything to do with that outfit?”

“Not a stitch,” Mery said proudly. “Bergdorf’s has some great dresses.” She stuck one foot out. “And shoes.”

Viv nodded. “Well done. You look stunning.” She leaned back with a Cheshire grin. “You have a real glow about you.” She looked at Celia across from them. “Wouldn’t you say so, Celia? Don’t you think Meredith looks especially happy?”

She nodded. Such an obedient little minion. Mery rolled her eyes.

Viv’s gaze returned to Mery. “Might go so far as to say you look
satisfied
.”

“I’m not telling you anything.”

Celia stuck out her bottom lip. “But we’re your best friends. And we’re dying to know.”

“Things are going well. End of discussion.”

“Translation: he must not be any good. What a shame,” Celia said to Viv.

The older woman nodded and shrugged. “How much can a boy that age know about the art of lovemaking?”

“He’s not a boy,” Mery interjected.

“Probably couldn’t last more than a few minutes, tops,” Celia added.

“I’m not telling you a thing,” Mery repeated.

“Ohhh...” Viv said, as if she suddenly understood the universe. She shook her head and clucked her tongue sympathetically. “The excitement of being with a more mature woman brought him to an untimely finish, didn’t it?”

Unspoken words danced on Mery’s tongue. If only they knew. Premature was the last thing Kelly had been.

Viv patted her hand. “He still has his looks.”

“The two of you should be ashamed of yourselves.” Mery glared at her friends. They were all on the verge of laughter. “You’re a naughty bunch of wenches.” She hesitated. “Probably not as naughty as I was last night, however.”

“Oh, Mer, please just tell me a little. It’s been so long, I can’t remember the last time I…you know.” Celia smiled encouragingly.

Mery groaned at her own sudden willingness to share. Or was it bragging? “You’re rotten, rotten women, you know that?”

Viv smiled. “We know. Now give us the highlights.”

* * *

A very elegant and eclectic crowd occupied Bishop Gallery. A woman in a charcoal gray sequin dress walked by, her black hair cropped in a short Mohawk. Just past her, two men--one in an expensive suit, the other in paint splattered jeans and studded leather jacket--talked with another woman in a Pucci-print dress that probably was genuine Pucci.

The gallery was clean-lined and well lit. Wire-strung halogens floated overhead warming the dark wood floors and brilliant white walls.

Mery didn’t see Kelly and since she didn’t know what his friend Mick looked like, she and the girls headed for one of the photographs on display. On the way, they helped themselves to glasses of wine being passed by a server.

Stopping in front of the black and white photograph, they stared silently. At least until the shock wore off.

“Is that supposed to be what I think it’s supposed to be?” Celia whispered.

“I do believe it is.” Viv sipped her wine.

“That’s the most risqué thing I’ve ever seen,” Celia breathed.

Mery doubted that, but nodded any way. It was risqué all right.

A thick rivulet of melted butter dripped down an upright baguette anchored between two smaller round loaves of seeded rye.

Celia’s whisper got louder. “It looks like a peni—”

“Mery, there you are.” Kelly gave her a quick kiss. “I’ve been looking all over for you.” He stepped back and she noticed a large red stain down the front of his white chef coat. His gaze traveled from head to foot and back up. “You look more beautiful than I have words for.”

“Thank you.” She did a little twirl. She’d known he was going to like it. “Little accident?” She pointed at the crimson blotch.

“Clumsy server,” he mumbled, then smiled at the duo behind her. “Pleasure to see you ladies. Viv, Celia. Really nice of you to come. I’ll introduce you to Mick in just a minute but first I need to borrow Mery. If you’ll excuse us?”

They all nodded. Mery ignored their knowing smiles. Kelly slipped his arm around her waist and led her to an uncrowded corner. “I missed you,” he said, his voice low. “That dress is smoking. Can I help you out of it later?”

She laughed. “We’ll see. I’m glad you like it. I picked it out with you in mind.”

“Then I should definitely get to take it off you.” He grinned. “I want to kiss you like you deserve to be kissed but since I’m actually kind of working...”

“It’s okay. I understand.” She wanted to help herself to that kiss. Instead, she drew a finger down his sleeve. “You can make up for it later.”

“Can you do me a big favor? I hate to ask since you just got here. Normally I could call Shelby but with her in Texas, and both restaurants in the weeds at the moment, I don’t have anyone else to ask.”

“Of course. As long as you aren’t asking me to serve food. I have to draw the line somewhere.” She winked.

“I’ll pay for the cab and everything.”

“Kelly, what do you need me to do? Just ask.”

He slipped his keycard out of his pants pocket. “I can’t stay in this coat. I need a clean one. You know where I keep them in my office, on the hanger behind the door? I should have brought a change with me but I was in such a hurry to get down here and make sure the food was right and the servers were here...” He shook his head and pulled the soiled coat away from his body. “I am not a caterer and this reminds me why. This is never going to come out.”

“Red wine?”

“Sangria. The server poured it on me instead of into the glass.”

She took the keycard. “I’ll be back before you know it.” She tapped the edge of the card against his chest. “Don’t think this is a freebie, though.”

He grinned big. “I was hoping you’d expect payment.” He kissed her, a little longer this time. “Let me introduce you to Mick before you go.”

A friend of Kelly’s. This should be interesting. She interlaced her arm with his. “I’m all yours.”

“I like the sound of that.”

They headed toward a group of people chatting about the show. As they waited for a break in the conversation, a server came by with a tray of goodies. “May I offer you a chorizo-stuffed mushroom?”

“Sounds great.” Mery helped herself to one but Kelly waved the tray away and the server left.

“I worry when the chef doesn’t eat his own food.”

“Nerves,” Kelly said.

Normally, she’d argue that. Kelly was one of the most confident men she knew but he did seem a little off his game tonight. She took a bite of the mushroom. “They’re good.”

Kelly smiled. “Thanks.”

Mery studied the small group while she ate the rest. One of the men stood a head taller than the rest and was easily a foot wider. He wore his black hair in a short, military-style buzz cut that made his ebony eyes stand out like chips of obsidian. He stroked his well-groomed goatee as he laughed. She wondered if the devil knew he had a twin living in Manhattan.

Kelly slipped his hand to the small of her back. “Mick, I’d like you to meet Mery.”

Beelzebub’s brother turned and smiled. His eyes sparkled as he offered his catcher’s mitt of a hand. “Mick Bishop, how you doing?”

At a loss for words, Mery took his hand and prayed his handshake wouldn’t live up to his image.

It didn’t.

He was as gentle as if he were petting a kitten. “I couldn’t wait to meet you.” He tapped his chest with his fingers. “I had to see for myself the woman who’s had such an effect on Tex here.” His gravelly voice held more than a hint of Brooklyn.

“Tex?” She glanced sideways at Kelly to see his reaction, then looked back at Mick. She had to hear more about this. “Such an effect, you say?”

He nodded. “Like no other woman I’ve seen.”

She glanced at Kelly. “Could you elaborate on that, Mr. Bishop?”

“Call me Mick.”

Kelly put his hands on her shoulders. “Mery has to run an errand for me. She’s too busy to chat now.”

She patted his hand while she smiled at Mick. “I’ll find you when I get back and we’ll continue this conversation. And maybe you can help me pick out one of these photographs? I’m suddenly in the mood to spend.”

“You got it, sweetheart,” Mick said.

Despite her initial impression, Mery thought Mick seemed like an okay guy. Probably kept Kelly, or should she say Tex, on his toes. That made her like Mick even more.

“C’mon, let’s go.” Kelly steered her toward the exit. On the way out, she let the girls know she’d be back in a few minutes and then Kelly walked her out to get a cab.

He raised his hand to the oncoming traffic. “You have my keycard, right?”

“In my purse.” She waved the little bag for him to see. “Too bad there’s not a chef coat store open. I could just buy you a new one.”

He smiled, a little sheepishly. “The one in my office will do just fine, but thanks.”

One block away a cab sitting at the red light put its turn signal on. Kelly stepped back from the curb and glanced toward the gallery. She grabbed a handful of fabric and tugged him closer. “No one’s looking.”

“I don’t care if they see, but—”

“Shut up and kiss me.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He eased his fingers under the edges of her jaw and tipped her face up to meet his. The first touch of his lips sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine.

She danced her tongue across his, drinking in the sweetness of the kiss. He was enough to make a woman forget her manners in public.

He broke the kiss, eyes dark with need. “Any more of that and we’ll both go back to the office.” His gaze traveled over her outfit again. “As if that dress isn’t enough to make a grown man cry.”

The cab rumbled to a halt. Kelly opened the door for her. “Don’t be long.”

She smiled. “Try not to miss me too much.”

“Impossible.” He closed the door and gave her a wink. She waved then settled back into the seat for the ride. How could a man be that perfect?

He seemed too flawless to be real.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Mery hurried past the crowd waiting at Sedona’s entrance and down the hall to the elevator. She slid Kelly’s keycard through the reader and the lift whirred to life.

Things had certainly changed from that first night she’d used a secret password to access the VIP dining room. She rode up to the second floor and headed to his office. She slid the keycard through another reader, and the lock snicked open.

She ran her hand along the wall, feeling for the light switch. Finding it, she flipped it on and closed the door behind her.

Two clean chef coats hung there, one white, one denim. She reached for the white one, then stopped. It really should be covered with something. She looked around for a plastic bag. Nothing. She opened the small closet and rummaged around. Boxes of envelopes, old menus, menu sleeves, a stack of Gauchos t-shirts. Those were cool. She’d have to ask Kelly about getting one of those for Jason.

She shut the closet door. Maybe she could ask the hostess for a garbage bag. Or just be very careful.

The phone rang. Mery jumped then laughed at herself for feeling like an intruder. She had every right to be here. Kelly had given her the key.

His answering machine picked up on the third ring. “You’ve reached Kelly Spicer’s office, thanks for calling and leave a message.” She smiled at his sexy twang.

“Hi Kel, it’s Shelby.”

Mery grabbed the phone. “Shelby? Hi, it’s Mery Black.”

“Dr. Black? Is this...but that was Kelly’s answering machine.”

“I’m in his office. He’s catering a showing at Mick’s gallery and he got red wine all over his chef coat so he asked me to run up here and grab him a clean one.” She plopped down in Kelly’s big leather desk chair. It smelled like him and she closed her eyes to enjoy it.

“Oh. Well, I just called to let Kel know everything is fine.”

“Just fine?” She propped her feet up like Kelly always did. If he could see her now, he’d probably get a good laugh.