Pure Indulgence

Before he could continue the silent, flirtatious exchange between them, another guest demanded her attention and the moment was gone. He waited for the line at the table to dissipate, and once she was alone, he excused himself from the group of businessmen and their significant others and headed over to sample a few of the desserts she was offering.

Busy replenishing trays from the portable refrigerator against the wall behind her, she didn’t see him approach, giving him the opportunity to appraise her up close. His gaze slid down her backside as she bent low, and he couldn’t help but admire the gentle flare of her lush hips, and the way her black skirt tightened very nicely over her shapely bottom, prompting all sorts of sinful, erotic fantasies.

His groin stirred, and he shook himself, hard. Good Lord, he felt like a horny teenager. He’d always preferred real full-bodied figures—and ones that were one-hundred-percent natural. They turned him on much more than the too-thin and artificially enhanced women he’d dated. Their looks were as fake as their interest in him as anything more than a wealthy meal ticket—like his date who’d disappeared to “powder her nose”. He’d regretted bringing Gretta even before he’d laid eyes on this woman, and now his feelings were magnified.

For the last few years he’d devoted ninety-nine percent of his attention to making a success of his fine dining restaurant, Tremaine’s Downtown, and he’d dedicated one percent to dating. As a result, he’d deliberately gone out with women who wouldn’t pose a threat to his time, and who wouldn’t affect him emotionally.

But now that his business was financially stable enough for him to open a second restaurant, he was becoming increasingly aware of how much was lacking in his personal life. He realized maybe he was ready to settle down in a committed relationship. He glanced at the woman in front of him and smiled to himself. Obviously he had a whole lot of lost time to make up for.

He hoped for a chance to get to know her before he had to face his date again. And there was no doubt in his mind that he’d be letting Gretta down tonight. Permanently.

The woman turned around with a platterful of fancy candies and came to an abrupt stop. Her green eyes, threaded with gold flecks, widened in surprise, and he could have sworn he heard her suck in a startled breath. Her blond hair was secured into a ponytail away from her girl-next-door pretty face, and she had a beautiful, flawless complexion. His fingers flexed at the urge to reach out and stroke her smooth cheek, to see if her skin was as creamy-soft as it looked.

A slow, lazy grin lifted the corners of his mouth. “You’re tempting me,” he said huskily. Boy, was she ever.

Her gaze turned wary, and she carefully set the silver tray down on the table, causing her blouse to stretch taut across those full, luscious breasts of hers. “Excuse me?”

“You’re tempting me…with all these desserts.” He waved a hand to encompass the array of confections surrounding him. “I have little to no willpower when it comes to anything sweet.”

“Oh.” She ducked her head, as if she couldn’t quite believe he was flirting with her, but not before he caught the delightful blush sweeping across her cheeks. “What can I get for you?”

Certain the first answer that came to mind would undoubtedly shock her, he decided to behave himself. “Everything looks fabulous. What do you recommend?”

A teasing light entered her eyes. “That all depends on what you’re in the mood for.”

Oh, man, another loaded question that begged for a suggestive reply. “Let’s go with something rich and decadent.”

She reached for a plate and slanted him a speculative glance. “Sounds like you’ve got yourself a major sweet tooth.”

He shrugged, and winked at her. “I rarely pass up dessert.”

“Ahh, a man after my own heart,” she said with a dramatic sigh that was underscored by a mischievous grin, which let Jack know that she was finally relaxing with him. “My personal motto is, ‘Life is too short. Eat dessert first’.”

He laughed in amusement. “I might have to adopt that motto for myself.” He read the place cards in front of each dessert, amazed at the varied and overwhelming selection of treats in front of him. “Hmm, I think I’ll try a slice of the chocolate praline layer cake.”

She nodded her approval, causing her silky ponytail to swish against her shoulders. He wondered how long her hair was, how the blond strands would feel running through his fingers, trailing across his chest, his belly, his thighs….

“Excellent choice,” she said, snapping him out of yet another arousing daydream as she passed him a piece of the decadent-looking cake, along with a fork.

He took a bite, and the silky substance literally dissolved in his mouth. “Oh, wow. This is absolutely delicious.”

She looked extremely pleased with his comment. “That’s one of my favorites, too, though I have to admit I have too many desserts that I’m fond of,” she said a bit sheepishly.

The woman was a mass of intriguing contradictions, from confident to modest in the span of a few moments. But it was those sincere traits that roused his libido and his interest in her. “If everything is as delicious as this, I can see why you have so many favorites.” He continued eating his layered cake, and moved down to the end of the table to check out a few pots of melted sauces. “What’s this over here?” he asked curiously.

“This is for the more health-conscious,” she said wryly, and gestured toward the platter of pineapple wedges, strawberries, peaches, and sliced bananas and apples. “Guests can eat the cut-up fruit just as it is, or for the more adventurous and daring, there’s fondue dip.”

“I’m definitely feeling adventurous and daring,” he said a bit wickedly.

Her gaze glimmered with humor. “In that case, there’s Caramel Kahlúa, Chocolate Rum, and Pink Squirrel fondue.”

“Pink Squirrel?” he repeated incredulously. “Do I even want to know what that consists of?”

She laughed, the light sound pure music to his soul. “Despite the name, it’s actually quite good. The dip is made up of marshmallow creme melted with creme d’almond, and creme de cocoa.”

He eyed the sauce dubiously. “I suppose I’d look like a wuss if I refused to eat something with such a frou-frou name.”

She leaned across the table and placed her hand on his arm in a way that was friendly yet arousing, even through his coat sleeve. “If you don’t mind me saying, I don’t think anyone could ever mistake you for a wuss,” she said in a low voice threaded with playful overtures.

He felt his chest expand a few inches beneath his dress shirt, and noticed just how close her glossy lips were. If he lowered his head and moved forward a few inches, he’d have the chance to see if she tasted as good as she looked.

His stomach muscles clenched, and he forced himself to glance away from the temptation of her mouth. He released a taut breath. Oh, man, he was craving her a lot more than the scrumptious confection on his plate—though he was fairly certain she wouldn’t appreciate being accosted over the dessert table.

He took another bite of his cake, determined to keep their conversation on track. “You certainly seem to know your desserts.”

“I should.” She fussed with the assortment of candies, rearranging them on the tray just so, then filled an empty plate with a few different chunks of fruit. “I run my own dessert shop.”

“Pure Indulgence?” he guessed.

She stopped stirring the Pink Squirrel fondue, and her gaze jerked to his in startled surprise. “You’ve been there?”

“No, it’s on your name tag.” He grinned and pointed his fork at the pin secured on her blouse above her left breast. “As is your name, Kayla.” Even her name had a soft, seductive ring to it.

“My name tag…of course.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head, as if she couldn’t believe she’d forgotten the badge that identified her. She poured a small amount of Caramel Kahlúa fondue over the bananas she’d selected for him, and drizzled the squirrel sauce over the strawberries. “Since I don’t have the advantage of you wearing a name tag, care to share?”

“Jack Tremaine.” She didn’t seem to connect his last name to his five-star restaurant, which was more than fine with him for the moment. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Deliberately, he stretched his hand toward her, giving her little choice but to accept it.

She slipped her warm palm against his much larger one, and he closed his fingers around her slender hand. “It’s nice meeting you, too,” she said, sounding breathless.

His heartbeat quickened. The sprinkling of gold in her eyes had darkened in awareness, and she dampened her bottom lip with her tongue. There was no denying the chemistry and latent desire that rippled between them, and it was damn nice to know that his interest was reciprocated. He glided his fingers along the soft skin of her wrist, and wished they were alone instead of in a banquet room with two hundred other people.

“Miss,” a woman said, diverting Kayla’s attention to the other end of the table where an elderly lady was pointing at the small, cut up squares that looked similar to brownies. “What’s in these Snicker Brownie Bars?”

Kayla pulled her hand back, and he let her go. “Excuse me while I help this guest,” she said to him, seemingly reluctant to abandon his end of the table. She exchanged his finished cake with the plate she’d just prepared for him. “Here, give this fruit and fondue a try. I think you’ll like it.”

Not ready to leave her just yet, Jack remained where he was and sampled the fruit and different sauces while listening to Kayla as she listed the ingredients of the brownie bars and swayed the older woman to try a small piece.

Absently, his gaze skimmed the table of sweets as he bit into a juicy strawberry topped with the marshmallow cream dip. He’d only sampled a few items so far. Still, he was highly impressed with the wide variety she offered that would please even the most discriminating palate. He was equally swayed by the fact that she’d obviously made the desserts herself.

He popped a sliced banana into his mouth and chewed. As the rich flavor of the Caramel Kahlúa sauce tempted his taste buds, he couldn’t help but wonder if the standard desserts he served at Tremaine’s Downtown were too ordinary in comparison. It had taken him and his chef years to perfect the main courses and side dishes that blended French cuisine with seafood fare. There was no doubt they had helped to garner a five-star recommendation for his establishment and rave reviews, yet he’d never given much thought to the desserts he’d initially chosen when the restaurant first opened years ago.

Now, he did. Just as he’d spent the time and care refining and improving the entrées at Tremaine’s Downtown to a high standard of excellence, maybe it was time to revamp and spruce up the dessert menu, as well. It would be a way to make sure that the final course of the meal lived up to the whole Tremaine’s Downtown experience.

“So, what do you think of the fondue?” Kayla was back, her expression expectant as she waited anxiously for his answer. “The Pink Squirrel especially?”

“Incredible,” he stated with honest enthusiasm, and licked a smear of Caramel Kahlúa from his thumb. “All of it, and especially the pink squirrel.”

“See, you aren’t a wuss at all,” she teased as her dancing eyes drifted to a spot just below his lower lip. “But you do have a bit of the sauce right below your mouth.”