Taste of Desire

Perhaps she should have been firmer with him before. When he’d started with the little smiles and touches, maybe she should have made it clear to him that he was crossing the lines of professional conduct.

But it was too late now to change the past. All Salina could do was move forward.

And as she got onto the subway car and sank into a seat in the corner, all she could wonder was how something that had started with such promise could go so terribly wrong.

But what had happened in Donald’s penthouse suite proved the adage true: that if something seemed too good to be true, then it was.

Donald Martin may have been one of the best chefs in New York city, but the price to learn the ropes from him had proved too steep.

The opportunity of a lifetime, gone in an instant. God help her, how would Salina ever accomplish her dream now?

Chapter 2

Three weeks later Salina was still in the dumps over what had happened with Donald Martin. She had applied at many more restaurants, hoping that she would have some success in landing another apprenticeship position. She had anything but. She didn’t know if Donald had bad-mouthed her in any way, but suspected that he hadn’t. Indeed, if he was smart, he wouldn’t. He had to know that if he did anything to hinder her opportunities for employment, she could easily let the world know about his failed seduction plan. And given the fact that he knew Salina’s sister was a lawyer—one who specialized in civil litigation—the thought must have come to him that Salina would slap him with a lawsuit if he tried to mess with her possible future employment in any way.

No, Salina believed that prospects were grim because the economic downturn had affected many restaurants to the point where they weren’t taking on any new employees. What that meant for her was that she was going to have to go back to her original plan—go to culinary school in order to see her dream fulfilled. And after the experience she had with Donald, she valued the idea of taking the regular route to success, as opposed to the shortcut. That said, the regular route was going to take her years and thousands of dollars. Thousands of dollars for culinary school that she didn’t have.

She had two options. Either she could head back to Buffalo and once again work in day care, or she was going to have to find something else to do in the city. She was loving the vibe of New York and wanted to stay. But she needed to stand on her own two feet and not live off her sister.

There was another reason she didn’t want to head back to Buffalo. All her friends and family there had had such high hopes for her when she told them she was heading to New York to work as a chef. She didn’t want to go back to her hometown with her tail between her legs, as the saying went, because that would be admitting she had failed.

She was at home on Thursday evening looking through the classifieds and trying to see what other positions might be available when her sister came in the door and practically sang, “I have the perfect opportunity for you.”

“What kind of opportunity?” Salina asked.

“The kind that means cash,” Emma replied, smiling brightly. She wore her hair short, the style Halle Berry had made famous, with bangs falling over her forehead. It was a professional look, easy to maintain and suited Emma’s face very well.

Salina narrowed her eyes as she stared at her sister. “Ah, I get it. You want me to start pulling my weight around here,” she joked.

“You know you’re welcome to stay here as long as you want or need,” Emma told her. She approached the table where Salina was sitting, and placed her briefcase on it. “Seriously, though. I think I have the answer for your job woes. At least for a little while.”

Salina put down the paper she had been reading, feeling hopeful for the first time in three weeks. “You got me an interview for a job? What kind of job?” The answer came to her a moment later. “Oh, I know. The receptionist at your law firm finally quit, didn’t she?”

Salina wasn’t sure she wanted to do reception work, as it wasn’t the kind of job that would advance her particular career interest. But the truth was, she was at a point where she had to acknowledge that beggars couldn’t be choosers. She would do what she had to in order to accomplish her bigger goal.

And that goal was to fund her way through culinary school.

“No, not a receptionist.” Emma began to unbutton her coat. “It’s in a field you’ve worked in before—well, sort of—so I think it’s right up your alley.”

Salina narrowed her eyes at her sister. “I’m confused.”

“Of course you’re confused. How many job avenues have you followed?”

Emma smiled wryly, and Salina had to concede that her sister had a point. It was true that she had, in her short twenty-seven years, contemplated about four major career paths. She had become a lifeguard at seventeen, and thought for sure she would end up working in that field for a very long time. Not simply as a lifeguard, but in management at a recreation center. She enjoyed working with children, and especially enjoyed the summer programs where she had helped inner-city kids learn how to swim.

Her love of working with children had led her to her second career path: working in day care. She had done so for four years, hoping to one day have her own child-care company. However, she found that she got too attached to the little darlings in the day care, and when they left to go to school, or because their parents moved, Salina had always been deeply saddened. She realized just how easy it was to get attached to children, and that had her rethinking her career choice.

She had gone on a totally different career path after that, applying to get onto the police force. Again, she’d been interested in doing a job where she could help people and be a positive role model, and she felt she could do that as a police officer in the city of Buffalo. She had gone through the initial physical training and study—and then realized that law enforcement wasn’t for her.

Just six months ago she had decided to pursue her latest passion: cooking. All her life she had liked to cook, to make meals and desserts for family and friends. After hearing a radio show where a woman had talked about how people should turn their passion into a career, the proverbial light-bulb had turned on in her brain. She loved to cook. She should become a chef.

Salina had done her research and learned that it would cost a small fortune to go to a respected culinary school. But there were other ways to achieve her dream. If she could be hired as an apprentice, she could learn the ropes from a master and gain the skills necessary to become a chef and open her own restaurant one day.

“Can’t guess?” Emma asked.

“Well, I know it’s not going to be police work,” Salina said, smiling sweetly. “Is there a community pool that needs a lifeguard?”

“I’ve gotten you a job as a nanny,” Emma told her, since she clearly couldn’t guess.

“A nanny?” Salina asked. “I’ve never been a nanny.”

“That’s why I said that it was sort of in a field you’ve worked in before. A colleague at my law firm needs someone immediately. His nanny had to go to Mexico for a family emergency, and he’s left in a bind. He needs someone right away.”

“But I’ve never been a nanny,” Salina repeated.

“But you’ve worked in day care. You worked in day care for four years. That’s a long time, and that’s relevant experience.”

Salina frowned, but realized that her sister was right. She did have experience, and she could work as a nanny, even if she hadn’t officially done so in the past. “Who needs the nanny? Is it someone I met before?”

“Jake McKnight,” Emma replied. “And yes, you met him.”

Even before Emma said that Salina had met him, a vivid image of Jake McKnight came into Salina’s mind. She had met him at the same charity event where she’d met Donald Martin, albeit briefly.

What Salina remembered was that he was a very attractive man, and one who had stayed at the charity event for a very short time. Initially, upon meeting him and shaking his hand, Salina’s interest had been piqued. In fact, she had been surprised at her instant interest in Jake McKnight. Perhaps because it had been such a long time since she had been involved with anyone—the last guy being an aspiring musician she had met at a friend’s party in Buffalo—she had been particularly susceptible to an attractive face, not to mention a body that was clearly fine. But after that initial handshake, Jake turned away from her and greeted the next person, and so on. As Salina had watched him, she had come to the conclusion that he was the brooding sort. He hadn’t been smiling, but he had made the rounds at the event, greeting everyone, and then he quickly left. Salina had gotten the impression that he was not the kind of guy who liked to socialize.

“I met him at that charity event,” Salina said.

“That’s right,” Emma said. “Jake’s a really nice guy, and had the misfortune of losing his wife two years ago. It was a tragic accident. Slippery roads, and her car skidded off the highway into a ditch, hitting a tree. Jake was devastated.”

“Oh, how awful!” Salina said. Now she understood why he was brooding. To lose someone you loved so unexpectedly and in such a horrible way, had to be absolutely heartbreaking.

“Like I said, he’s in a bind,” Emma explained. “His nanny is from Mexico, and apparently her mother is gravely ill. She had to leave immediately, and with Jake being a single parent, he needs help. He can’t very well bring his daughter to the office every day. He had to today though, which is how I got to know about his issue. I told him that you were looking for work and that you had extensive experience in day care. He was immediately interested. This will be a win-win situation. A good temporary job for you, and a lifesaver for him.”

Salina was relieved to hear the word temporary. As much as she had enjoyed working in day care, despite the emotional downfalls, she didn’t want a career in child care anymore. She loved kids, but her goal was to become a chef.

“How temporary?” Salina asked.

“Probably two weeks,” Emma said. “That’s what he said. His nanny got on a plane two days ago. I get the sense that she’s going to be in touch with him to let him know exactly how much time she needs, but two weeks was her best guess. He did say that her mother was gravely ill, so if she passes away, who knows? I suspect it could be anywhere from two weeks to four, depending on how much time Maria might want to spend with family dealing with funeral arrangements and so forth, if it comes to that.”

Salina considered her sister’s proposition. “I agree that this might be a great temporary job for me, but what if I get a call about permanent employment?”

“You can cross that bridge when you get to it,” Emma told her. “Probably within the time that it would take for Maria to go to Mexico and return, you wouldn’t be starting your new position yet. And if you don’t get a job in the meantime, at least you’ll have some income.”

Salina nodded, but she wasn’t entirely convinced. “How old is his child?”

“He has a little girl, and she’s four. From what I witnessed of her in the office, she is very well behaved.”

“Four. That’s such a darling age,” Salina commented. The problem however, was that with four-year-olds—cute as a button and typically loads of fun—you got attached to them more easily. At least, Salina always had.