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  “I haven’t had time, Errol.”

  “You have time now. The crew can handle the few remaining customers out there. Not to brag, but La Benicoise has customers coming in for dinner well past midnight. You’ll get a chance to see…”

  “What… how a real restaurant is run?”

  “That’s not what I was going to say.”

  “Maybe, but I’m sure it’s not too far off.”

  “It’s different, that’s all. Throw off that apron, and come on.”

  Minutes later they were entering the culinary palace Errol had created. The dining room was large, but managed to feel intimate. The décor was somber and refined, but comfortable; the kind of place patrons wanted to stay and linger over every aspect of their meal.

  “This is impressive.” Taryn ran her hand over the back of a plush, stuffed chair. The stemware on the table glistened and the silver gleamed over a pristine white linen napkin set atop a crisp black tablecloth.

  Several couples sat enjoying a quiet meal, while many groups of four, six and even eight held animated conversations over an expensive glass of wine and a sumptuous late night dinner.

  “Come to the kitchen to see how we put it all together.”

  The words she’d spoken earlier reverberated in her head; how a real restaurant is run. Large, well lit and expensively equipped, the kitchen easily allowed a dozen employees to work at their stations with ample room. The flow of dishes being prepared and brought out to customers was fluid and seamless.

  “Okay,” she said. “Now I’m really impressed. I mean, I knew large restaurants had to be well run, but I’ve never seen anything like this.”

  “I have to admit that I’m well surrounded. I handpicked every employee you see here, right down to the busboys. I read and re-read each of their résumés, I checked out all their references and I personally interviewed them and put them to the test.”

  “That must have been quite a task.”

  “It took weeks, but it was well worth it. Look at how they all work together; like one.”

  A waitress noticed Errol and came up to him. “I’m sorry to bother you, Mr. King, but a patron saw you come in and would like to personally congratulate you.”

  “Thank you, Natalie. I’ll be right out.” He turned to Taryn. “I’ll leave you to admire my team for a moment.”

  Taryn grinned and waved him away.

  With every order that came in, commands for various portions of every dish were called out, executed, plated and brought out to the waiting customers. Impressed and a little envious, Taryn watched the quick pace of the employees until she noticed Suzanne eyeing her from the far corner of the kitchen.

  Though she wore the same white jacket as all the other employees in the kitchen, her voluptuous sensuality was in no way diminished. She sashayed her way to Taryn, her eyes dark and menacing above the deceitful smile.

  “Taryn, is it not?”

  “Yes,” Taryn said as she controlled every part of her body that fought to fidget. “Nice to see you again.”

  “And what brings you out of the slums and into a real restaurant like La Benicoise?” Her tone, in complete contrast to her words, was polite and amiable.

  Instead of responding to the venom of Suzanne’s words, Taryn opted to play nice. “I know I still have a lot to learn when it comes to running a restaurant. I’ve never seen a kitchen run like this. It’s spectacular.”

  “Indeed.” Suzanne shot Taryn a disgusted up and down gaze. “I assume it was Errol’s idea.”

  “Yes, he did bring me here. He went out to see a patron.”

  A chuckle rumbled ominously in Suzanne’s chest. “You're a cute, perky little thing and I’m surprised Errol still finds something in you that interests him, but, rest assured, my young Taryn, your time is almost up. ”

  Taryn hesitated as she sought her best response. Get angry and spit at the bitch? Play sweet and just bat her lashes innocently? Accuse her of being jealous? She clasped her hands together in front of her and simply nodded.

  “I’ve known Errol for a long time.” She unbuttoned her jacket and pulled the flaps back as she set her hands firmly on her hips, exposing the skin tight, hot red cocktail dress underneath. “A very long time.”

  Taryn swallowed the huge ball of discomfort that lodged in her throat and kept her mute.

  “You have nothing on me, sweetie. You're just a plaything to occupy his time while I’m busy here. I admit it. I got ambitious when we started this restaurant and I concentrated all my attention into turning La Benicoise into the success it’s become. Now that everything is running smoothly, I have plenty of energy to put elsewhere, and I’m hungry for Errol. I’m hungry for the sweaty and sleepless nights he and I used to share. I’m sure he had fun with you, but he’s also made it clear that he’s eager to resume our relationship.”

  Taryn’s eyes widened in horror for a flash before she clenched her teeth and glanced at the doorway Errol had disappeared through.

  “Oh, did Errol forget to tell you about our relationship?”

  “Actually, I think he might have just forgotten all about your relationship altogether.” The moment the words were out, Taryn regretted the snide comment; not because they were mean spirited, but because she knew Suzanne would have a strong retort.

  Tilting her head back, Suzanne let out a raunchy laugh and reached out to caress Taryn’s cheek. “Ah, you wish, my dear. You wish.” She turned on her heel and returned to work.

  By the time Errol returned, it was as if nothing had happened, except for the fuming rage that bellowed deep within Taryn. She smiled at Errol, but felt the tension on her lips, on her face and in her clenched fists.

  “Benoit Radisson,” Errol said. “He’s an acquaintance from Paris. I must have told him a dozen times to drop by if he was ever in New York, so…”

  “That’s nice of him.” Taryn heard the hard cool tone that came out of her mouth, but Errol missed it.

  “Come on. We’ll go tell Suzanne we’re here.” He put his hand to her elbow and when Taryn resisted, he turned to her. “You okay?”

  “Actually, no. I’m a bit tired. I think it’s time I went home.”

  He chuckled. “Don’t be silly. You're not tired. It’s just the impression you have from watching this whirlwind. It’s enough to exhaust anyone.” He tugged on her arm.

  “Errol, I really don’t feel like it.”

  “But Suzanne can give you such insight. If you were to just watch her for…”

  No longer able to contain her anger, Taryn yanked her arm free and stepped back. “I said, no.”

  “What’s gotten into you? A minute ago you were enchanted and now you look like you're disgusted.”

  “All right. If you must know, Suzanne and I exchanged a few words. And, you know what? You're right, she did give me insight, but not into the way you run your restaurant, Errol, but rather the way you run your sex life.”

  Errol clenched his jaw as his eyes darkened.

  “Yeah,” Taryn droned. “That’s right. She told me about the two of you, and she seemed quite happy to do so.”

  He reached out for her. “Taryn…”

  “Don’t,” she ordered as she stepped back. “Don’t touch me just now, Errol.”

  “What do you want me to tell you?”

  “The truth, maybe.”

  “Okay, but this isn’t the place or time.”

  Taryn gazed past Errol and saw Suzanne, a cocky grin on her face as she glanced their way while taking care of every order that came in.

  Stepping back just a few paces, Taryn found an out of the way corner and stared Errol down. “This is as good a place as any, and I seriously doubt you’ll have another time to explain all this.”

  “Taryn, I did have a life before I met you.”

  “I know that.”

  “Okay, so, yes, Suzanne and I…” He clenched his jaw and shifted his weight from one leg to the other. “We had a relationship that was more than professional.”
/>   “You went to bed with her.”

  “It was a long time ago.”

  “You went to bed with her.”

  “Taryn…”

  “You went to bed with her.”

  “Yes. Yes. What more do you want me to tell you? Taryn, I met her, we worked together and the relationship turned personal, but it was all a long time ago and there’s nothing…”

  “Don’t you dare try to tell there’s nothing going on between you two. She made it perfectly clear that she wants you and she said you’ve been hinting about resuming your relationship with her.”

  “She’s fantasizing aloud, Taryn. I have no intention of doing anything with her other than running this restaurant. We don’t even sit to have a casual cup of coffee together.”

  “And why should I believe you?”

  “Taryn, even if I weren’t involved with you, I would not want to start up with her again. It’s over. We got together, had a little bit of fun, and now I’ve moved on.”

  “So you can do the same with me? Have a little bit of fun and move on?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “This isn’t the same. We’re not the same. My relationship with you isn’t…”

  “Yeah, right, I get it. I’m the cute and perky little girl you can sexually enlighten while she’s the experienced vixen who… well, I don’t really want to have to think about what she did to and for you.”

  “You're making a big deal out of something that was over before I even met you, Taryn.”

  “Okay then, if it’s really over, if you have nothing going on with this woman, if you have no intention of starting a new romance with this woman, then fire her.”

  He brought his hand to his chest as if she’d struck him. “Taryn,” he said as he chuckled uncomfortably. “I can’t do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “I have this business. I have the restaurant to run. Professionally speaking, I need her.”

  “I’m sure there are a hundred well-qualified sous-chefs out there who would love to work for you.”

  “You’d be surprised. Finding someone as qualified, competent and dedicated as Suzanne isn’t that easy.”

  “You mean finding someone who’ll fuck you the way she does isn’t that easy.” Taryn stormed out of the kitchen and stomped through the dining room.

  “Taryn,” Errol called after her.

  Chapter 15

  Taryn lost count of the number of times Errol called, the number of times she saw his number and ignored it. She lost count of the endless apologetic texts and the messages he left at Sam’s.

  “I’m going to go home and check in on Mom,” Taryn said to Bobby as she ignored another text and pulled off her apron. “I need to get some air.” Bobby was right, Errol was the kind of man who would break her heart. He was an experienced sex god, player, man whore, Cassanova; while Taryn was Miss First Timer.

  “What should I do if Errol drops by again?”

  “The same thing you’ve been telling him; that I don’t want him here.”

  He leaned against the doorjamb and looked at her. “You know, I’m the first to think you should be careful when it comes to guys like him, but…”

  “Please don’t tell me you're going to take his defense, Bobby.” She put the lunch she’d prepared for her mother in a paper bag.

  “No, I’m not going to defend him, but I just think you're being a little hard on the guy. I mean, it’s normal that he has a past.”

  “I know that, Bobby.” Taryn reached for her jacket and shrugged it on. “I have no objections to that. I object to the fact that his past is right there in his present.”

  “Do you really think that’s fair?”

  She looked at him in disbelief. “I can’t believe it. You're taking his side. You’ve been on my back since day one about being careful not to get too attached, not to fall in love, not to trust him and now…”

  “I never said you shouldn’t trust him, I just said to keep your eyes open.”

  “Well,” she said as she patted her brother’s cheek. “That’s what I’m doing, little brother. I’m keeping my eyes wide open.” She turned to open the door. “I’ll be back in an hour.”

  As she drove home, Taryn turned the radio on and tuned it to her favorite station. She needed an upbeat song to make her forget Errol and put aside her argument with Bobby. More than anything, she wanted to keep this recent development with Errol from her mother. She needed a good song to lift her into a good mood.

  “Hey, Mom,” she called out as she opened the apartment door. “I brought you something for lunch.”

  “You're just in time,” Samantha called from her room. “I’m famished.”

  Taryn tossed her jacket on the sofa and went into her mother’s bedroom. “Sorry, I couldn’t get here earlier.”

  “Hey, I’m thrilled. If you're here late it’s because things are rocking and rolling at the restaurant, right?”

  “Right, Mom.” Taryn pulled her prepared lunch out of the bag for her Mom. “Today, we have a nice shell pasta with a delicate garlic sauce and shrimp.”

  “Sure smells good.”

  “It should still be hot.” Taryn helped her mom sit up and pulled a chair up to the bed for herself. “How’d your therapy go this morning?”

  Sam tasted the pasta. “This is great. Perfect.” She dug in for more and spoke as she ate. “Yolanda has been putting me through the wringer. It’s unavoidable. I finish my therapy and I’m bitching and complaining like you wouldn’t believe.”

  “Well, I’m sure she’s just doing what’s best for you.”

  “I know. I just wish it could be a little easier.”

  “It’ll get easier. And soon you’ll be back at Sam’s. Everyone really misses you, Mom.”

  “Yolanda thinks I might be strong enough to go out for a visit… maybe next week.”

  “I won’t say anything to anyone. That way everyone will be surprised to see you.”

  “Good, cause it will probably be a spot check while I’m at it.”

  “You won’t be disappointed. Things are running pretty smooth. Our new employees, Kyle and Lauren, are really fast learners, and I told you how Arnie is really coming up to the plate.”

  “Gee, if things keep going so well, I might just be able to retire.”

  “Yeah, right. You… retire. And what would you do with all your free time.”

  Samantha set her lunch aside and reached for Taryn’s hand. “What’s going on, sweetie?”

  “Well, like I just said, things are…”

  “No, not the restaurant… you.”

  “With the new employees, I have a bit more time, and…”

  “Taryn,” Samantha said as she squeezed her hand. “I didn’t want to say anything. I wanted to give you time to figure out whatever it is you need to figure out, but something has changed. You’ve changed this past week. You come in here smiling and you're putting on a brave face, but you can’t hide the sadness in your eyes. What’s going on?”

  Tears lined her lashes and she dropped her gaze to the comforter on the bed. “Please don’t say you told me so.”

  Samantha remained silent a long moment. “This is about your relationship with that interesting person you’ve avoided talking to me about?”

  “I’m sorry. It’s not that I didn’t want to confide in you, but with everything that’s going on.”

  “Okay, I’ll buy that… for now, but what did he do to leave you so heartbroken?”

  Taryn looked pointedly at her mother. “He works with this ungodly sexy woman, a woman who has the hots for him.”

  “That’s hardly his fault, dear.”

  “They once had an intimate relationship.”

  “Oh, okay. I can understand how that can upset you, but, is it over?”

  “He says it is.”

  “And?”

  “And she says it’s not.” Taryn grimaced as she thought of her conversation with Suzanne. “You should see the way she
looks at him, Mom. You should see the way she looks at me. My God, you should see the way she looks.”

  “Perhaps you should consider how this man is looking at you.”

  “Damn it, Mom, not you, too.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Bobby was taking his side this morning, saying I was being too hard on him, and now you. I asked him to fire her, Mom and he refused. He’s working with a hot and sexy woman who’s made it clear she wants him and he refuses to take into consideration how I feel in all this.”

  “And how do you feel?”

  “I hate it. I hate it that he’s there every day, every night working side by side with her.”

  “Why?”

  “What do you mean, why? Because, Mom. Because I don’t want him going to bed with her. Because I want him to be with me.”

  “Because you feel insecure?”

  Taryn shrugged. “I guess.”

  “Do you love him?”

  Pulling her hand free of her mom’s, she sat back and sighed. “Oh, hell, I don’t know. Sometimes I think I might, then I think I shouldn’t, then I realize I do despite everything.”

  “It’s not easy, is it?”

  “Damn, no.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “This sucks.”

  Samantha let out a hearty laugh. “It can, at times, but, honey, I don’t want you to turn into an old, cynical, prune like me. I admit I was a little bitter when everything went down with your father and the reason I left him, but you can’t allow yourself to drown in that bitterness. When’s the last time you spoke to…”

  “Errol. His name is Errol. Last week when he told me everything.”

  “I don’t want to tell you what to do, but I’d just suggest you keep an open mind.”

  Taryn checked her watch. “Maybe in a few more days, when I’ve simmered off a bit, I’ll consider keeping an open mind, but for now…” She shook her head. “I’m just too disgusted by the whole thing to even think about talking to him.”

  “You know best what’s good for you.”

  With a heavy heart, Taryn got up and put the chair back in its corner and returned to kiss her mother on the cheek. “Is there anything you need before I leave?”

  “Everything’s good, honey.”