The Rebound Pact (10 page)

Her kitchen.
Hers and Holden’s.

Her mouth suddenly went dry. She couldn’t speak so she nodded and offered up what she hoped was not a scared shitless smile.

The men went outside, thank goodness. If he’d stayed near her a moment longer, everyone was sure to figure out what was up. Gabrielle turned to Belinda. “Well, shall we?”

They sat for over an hour deciding on a simple menu of three appetizers, six entrees and three desserts
, with the option of expanding the menu after a month. Each had its own wine suggestion for pairing. They would only be open for dinner and possibly Sunday brunch.

“Holden is going to be very pleased,” Belinda said.

“Have you worked for him from the beginning?”

“Yes, and he’s a wonderful boss.
Knows a ton about wine, but I guess that’s to be expected.” She laughed. “The man goes to at least one international wine conference a quarter, and several within the states. He even had some experts come out from Italy and France to help him cultivate his vines.”

The man really was no joke when it came to his vineyard, and it showed.
Gabrielle was pleased to be working for a man who took such pride and had such passion about his work.

“
He struck a deal last year with a French bourbon distiller to use their barrels. Typically liquor has been aged in used wine barrels, but Holden is really excited for his special project.”

“Will it be red or white?”

“Actually both. It’s the Belle Ami Storm series. The first batch should be ready for the grand opening of the bistro.”

Gabrielle
smiled, curious about the flavoring. “Interesting.”

“Yeah, we’re all pretty proud of him.” Belinda tapped the table. “And he’s taking the world by storm.
Hmm,” she said tapping her chin, “I wonder if that’s why he called it that. Well, anyway, with you by his side, he’s sure to make national news.”

Gabrielle
cocked her head to the side. “Why do you say that?”

“Well, you were in the news for being such a knock-out chef. Your excellent food paired with Holden’s fine wines is bound to get noticed.”

An odd feeling stirred in her belly. “You saw me in the news?”

“Sure, Holden was always telling us about it.”

“Oh,” she said, her breath quickening. He’d kept up with her? Had he known about Len?

She shook her head and looked down at their list. Max probably told Holden about her gig in Georgetown. She couldn’t forget they were best friends and her brother was always bragging about her success.

“What did you ladies come up with?” Holden’s voice broke into her thoughts.

He sauntered toward them in his signature tight t-shirt and designer jeans
—an outfit that for her was completely enticing. All of his best hot body features—arms, chest, crotch, ass—were readily available for her greedy eyes. She licked her lips, wondering if he took a lunch break and what time and if she could encourage him to take it with her—at his house and in private.

“She has some great ideas, boss, that’s for sure,” Belinda beamed.

“Let me hear,” he said, rubbing his hands together. He gazed at Gabrielle with admiration and she felt her face warm into a blush.

She looked down at her menu, trying to disengage herself from his eyes. He was so damned gorgeous it had to be a crime against weaker individuals like
herself. How she wished it was already five o’clock and she could be done working. Then maybe she’d take a few tastes of wine just to calm her nerves.

Taking a deep breath, she forced her desire aside and launched into the menu.
“For the appetizers we chose sun-dried tomato hummus with pita and sliced veggies. A garden salad with fresh-baked croutons and our house chardonnay vinaigrette. And the final option is a white bean crostini with roasted red-peppers and asparagus.”

“Holy crap,
Gabrielle. I’m starving just listening to you!” He glanced over at Belinda. “See what I mean? She is amazing.”

“No doubt, boss.”

“I’m guessing for the salad dressing, you’ll be using a Belle Ami wine?”

She gave him a coy look. “Why of course. I just have to turn it into
a vinegar so it’s no longer alcoholic.”

He grinned, so damned sexy. “
Tremendous. What about the main courses?”

“An asparagus
pesto pasta with diced tomatoes and grated parmesan. Grilled vegetable lasagna. Peanut stir-fried rice with mixed fresh veggies. Baked breaded mustard tofu served with wild rice and mixed steamed greens on the side. “Crab” cakes and Asian coleslaw. And finally, the mega veggie burger topped with caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, avocado, vegan mayo and ketchup with baked sweet potato fries on the side.”

He
groaned, the sound completely sensual. Her heart skipped a beat and she licked her lips. She wanted to hear him do that again, preferably while he was inside her.

“Can you make me dinner tonight?”

His question caught her off guard, and she almost choked. She’d been eyeing him up like a tasty treat she was about to devour. Belinda was sure to notice now. The woman would resent her forever.

“I mean, so I can taste some of the meals. Maybe we could do it
a couple nights this week?”

Blood pounded a dizzying pace inside her veins. She uncrossed and re-crossed her legs.
“Um, sure.”

Thankfully,
seeming unaware of the tension, Belinda laughed and shook her head. “You’ll do anything to get a good meal! Poor guy.”

“Anything,” he said and wiggled his brows, only making Belinda laugh all the more.

But the dark, hungry look in his eyes was anything but funny. It was a downright demand for sex, and she wanted to get off her chair, yank her skirt up over her hips and bend over the table.

“You forgot to tell him
what’s for dessert,” Belinda said, tapping the menu they’d written.

“Oh, yeah,”
Gabrielle stammered, mentally taking herself off of the table and straightening her skirts. “Your guests will have three choices. A vegan white-coconut cake with chocolate fudge icing, chocolate mousse, or a berry tart. Oh, and I propose that we open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday. I’d love to have a brunch on Sundays, too—assorted pastries and baked goods, tofu scramble, vegetarian chorizos and sausage, potatoes and grilled fruit. We’ll pair brunch with your sparkling wines mixed with assorted fresh squeezed juices.”

“Sounds delicious.
And the times work for me. It’ll be good for the staff to have a couple days off.” Holden stood.

Gabrielle
nodded. “Feels like I never had any days off at La Peche, so I’m glad you agree. Once things pick up and I’ve got a sous-chef I can trust, we can add the additional two days.”

“Whatever you think is best. You’re the chef. I have to check on some orders. See you at eight?” He touched her shoulder.

Just a brief touch, but even that sent a spark of heat straight to her groin.

“Oh, yeah, here are the kitchen plans.
” He took his hand off of her and reached behind the bar, pulling out a roll of papers. “Let me know what you think.”

He handed her the plans then walked away—and she couldn’t stop staring at his ass.
The way his jeans hugged his muscles with just the right amount of pressure. Not too tight, not too loose. Enough to keep her riveted.

Belinda stood
, tucking her chair neatly back into place. “This was great, Gabrielle. I’m really excited. Well, I have to make sure we have all the wines set up for a special tasting we have this afternoon. Chocolate and dessert wine. Even have a local musician playing, Dave Brandon. Always draws a crowd.”

“Thanks for your help, Belinda. I’m thrilled to work with you.” And
Gabrielle meant it. Belinda was a happy go-lucky person who genuinely liked both her job and her boss. That would make working with her day in and day out extra pleasant. The restaurant business could be very stressful. If all the personalities mixed well, things tended to go much smoother.

Gabrielle
went over the specs for the kitchen, made a few notes on changes to the size of the refrigerators. With vegetarian cooking she was going to need a lot more space for fresh veggies. She also enlarged her prep stations and changed the pantry from the opposite side of the kitchen to next to the fridge and freezer.

Satisfied that the kitchen would suit her needs, she made a grocery list. Tonight she would make Holden the crostini, pesto pasta, the baked tofu dish and coconut cake.
If she doubled up on meals, she’d only have to be at his place three days instead of six—she wasn’t sure she could handle six days in a row of raw rapture. She might go crazy. A little part of her—okay a big part of her—was excited to cook for him, but also to see the look of satisfaction on his face when he took his first bite of each dish.

She w
andered around the winery until she found Holden’s office, but he wasn’t there. Disappointed, but kind of relieved, she left the plans and her suggestions on his desk. On a sticky note she wrote that she’d see him at eight o’clock for dinner.

Chapter Seven

H
olden pulled on his oxford shirt, then took it off again. What the hell was he doing? He’d tried on three different shirts already. He crumpled up the oxford and tossed it, then dug into his closet again, choosing a black button down dress shirt and jeans. Casual but sexy.

The way
Gabrielle had dressed today was definitely for him, meant to entice. The way her top hugged the soft curve of her breasts and her skirt had him staring for uncountable minutes at her shapely legs. When she sat down and crossed her legs, he’d caught himself looking to see if he could catch a glimpse of her panties. What color would they be today? Another thong? Lace? Satin?

He groaned and jammed his shirt ends into his jeans. After dressing, h
e stomped down the stairs to the kitchen, dimmed the lights and smiled up at the thong hanging from the pots. He couldn’t wait to see her face when she saw it still dangling there.

Her panties were hotter than hell. The only thing sexier would be her walking in with no panties on at all.

His cock hardened, pressing uncomfortably against his jeans. He shifted, but it didn’t help. Lust had taken over and the only resolution would be burying himself deep inside her. But he wasn’t going to press. As much as he wanted to spread her thighs wide and taste the cream that made her slick. This had to be about business. Especially if she was going to come over and cook for him each night. How ironic his thoughts were, considering her thong hung above his head.

He pulled out a bottle of
reserve Belle Ami merlot and another bottle of reserve chardonnay, opening both to let them breathe. Only the best of his collection for her.

He was reading too much into their encounters.
Wanting too much out of them. That was a problem for sure. He really should be concentrating on his winery, the restaurant. Not on what color panties Gabrielle was going to be wearing tonight.

His cell buzzed on the counter. Disappointment twisted his gut. She was going to cancel. But when he answered, it wasn’t
Gabrielle’s voice that greeted him.

“What’s up, man?” Max said on the other end.

“Not much, what about you?” What the hell did Max want? That was uncharitable. Max wasn’t calling to ruin his evening. He hoped. Besides, he liked talking to his best friend, wished they could hang out more. The stretch of Atlantic between them had made that impossible until this week.

“
I know you’re busy tonight. Heard my favorite chef is cooking you dinner.”

Holden swallowed. How much had
Gabrielle spilled? It would always be a question on Holden’s mind. The Danes were a tight knit family. Maybe Max was calling to put an end to the relationship Holden had started with her—wait, not a relationship. He cleared his throat, annoyed at how nervous he felt. “Yeah, she’s cooking some food.”

“Yeah?
That’s it?”

Crap
, what else was he supposed to say? “She’s going to test out some of her recipes for the restaurant.”

“Business, right?
” Max’s tone dropped a few octaves, taking on that manner he knew so well when Max wasn’t too happy about something.

“Yeah.
No worries, Max. Strictly business.” He felt like choking on his own words.

“All right.
So, when is the restaurant opening? Unfortunately, I’ll be headed back to Paris next week. But I have a merger I’m working on and will be in D.C. again sometime in the next couple of months. I can swing it to work out around your opening night.”

He loved his best friend, but damn the pressure was tough. Guilt ebbed into his mind for being relieved Max would be leaving soon.
“We’re thinking it should be ready in a couple months. Hoping for a September 1
st
opening.”

“Perfect, I’ll be there.”

Would Max notice the way Holden and Gabrielle looked at each other? Would he be able to feel the electricity that sparked the air every time they were in the same room? Then again, their arrangement could have run its course by then. So, no. They’d be safe. “Can’t wait, Max, that really means a lot.”