I chew slowly, closing my eyes to savor the freshness.
"If I would have known I would be treated to seeing the bliss on your face, I would have brought back a bushel of these things with me. A crate of them arrives tomorrow."
"If they all taste like this, I'm going to need to be tied down." I sweep my tongue over my lower lip.
He reaches up to rub the path my tongue just traced with the pad of his thumb. "I'll volunteer for that job."
I stare at his lips willing him to seal them over mine, but I know that's not about to happen. My co-workers are still milling about us, all of them feigning oblivion but I've caught their eyes when they've looked in our direction.
"Thank you for the gift, Chef."
"You're welcome. It's my pleasure, truly." His gaze darts over my shoulder to the kitchen door. "I need to get back to my guests. I hope you enjoy what's left of the evening."
"I will," I breathe deeply, finally understanding the appeal of Chef Tyler Monroe.
CHAPTER 9
"I thought you'd wear the dress you wore last night." Sophia pouts before she sits her ass down on a sleek, stainless steel barstool. "It would have been perfect to wear here."
She's right. I could have worn the dress again, but I didn't. Instead I'm wearing a black pencil skirt and matching sleeveless blouse, tied at the neck. It's elegant, understated and something Sophia made for me more than two months ago. It had taken her weeks to get the fit just right. I'd patiently tried both pieces on each morning before she went to work so she could push pins into the fabric to mark where she needed to make alterations.
When it was finally complete, we did what we always do. I stood next to the white, barren wall in her bedroom while she snapped four pictures of me using her smartphone. My head is never in any of the shots so I'm not against showing up for our impromptu photo shoots with no make-up on and my hair pinned chaotically on top of my head.
She has me stand in place as she takes a picture of the outfit's front, the back and both sides. I'm technically the human mannequin who displays her creations so she can upload them to the growing portfolio on her website.
I've joked with her, more than once, that she decided to move in with me because of my height. I may be as tall as most models, but that's where the comparison ends. I like food too much to have a body that would be welcomed on a cat walk.
"When's Maribel coming?" she asks as she looks beyond me to the crowded club. "I thought we were meeting her outside."
I'm surprised we're meeting her at all.
Sophia had stopped at Nova for lunch today. She'd dropped my name in the hope of getting a table. That only got her on a waiting list, with a chance at a lunch reservation a week from next Tuesday. When she texted me to tell me she was denied, I spoke to the front of the house manager and she arranged a seat at the corner of the bar for my best friend.
I caught her on the street just as she was leaving. When I spotted Maribel on a cigarette break, I introduced the two. Five minutes and a few laughs later, the two of them had planned a ladies' night out for the three of us at a club I've never been to on the Lower East Side called Skyn.
We're here now and I can't say that it's different than any of the other clubs that Sophia and I have been to. The aesthetics of each may be unique, but the intentions of the clientele are always the same.
"She's running late." I hold up my phone. "She texted me when we were in the taxi on the way over. She'll be here in just a few."
She nods. "I'm going to wait for her before I order. I don't want to get tipsy too fast tonight."
I was hoping for the opposite. I'm ready to head home already. I was out late last night at Tyler's VIP event and when I did get home, I fell fast asleep but it was short and sweet.
Sophia had woken me shortly after she got up around seven to talk to me about a design conference she was spending her day off at. It's Saturday. I work the dinner service only which means I'm typically in bed until at least ten.
Even if I had wanted to go back to bed after she left for the conference, I couldn't. I was up, cooking breakfast for myself by then.
"I'm going to head outside to see if I can find her." She hops off the bar stool onto her cute pink strappy heels. "Will you wait right here for me?"
"You should wait here too." My eyes narrow as I see Maribel approaching. "She's here and she's not alone."
"That's Tyler Monroe, isn't it, Cadence? Maribel brought us Tyler Monroe."
***
"The offer of a drink is still on the table, Cadence." Tyler taps his fingers on the edge of the bar. "I can order for you. They make a mean vodka gimlet here."
"You've been here before?" I ask with a wave of my hand at the bartender as he approaches. He turns quickly on his heel. "I'm not drinking tonight, Chef."
"Tyler," he reminds me as he takes a large swallow of imported beer. "I've been here a few times."