Kenzie
Imade the cut, and while I should’ve been happy about being one of the final seven chefs left, I was still angry that the one I needed to impress was Jonas Courtland. Of all the cooking competitions and hotels in the world...
“Please tell me you’re not wearing that to karaoke tonight,” Reece implored, breaking me out of my preoccupation.
“Then I won’t,” I answered, before adding, “because I don’t plan to go.”
I’d had enough of trying to schmooze up to my ex. Was he actually that, though? In my head, we’d been exclusively committed to one another. I had given him my virginity after all. Now in hindsight, since I was nothing more than a game to him, I doubted he considered me anything back then. I was the stupid one imagining place settings and color schemes for our wedding, while he’d been anticipating the reaction he’d get from his boys when they saw the video of us and what I thought had been a private moment.
Oh my God. I’d been so stupid back then. Even now, I was bordering on complete lunacy for even sharing air with him. My thoughts returned to his friends, and I wanted to roll my eyes as I remembered each and every one of them, especially Kristopher Simon. I should’ve known something like reuniting with Jonas would happen after I had catered a society wedding a few months back for the same man who used to be his best friend. I’d been able to stay hidden mostly from view, especially since his fiancée, Hayley, had been in complete control of the menu. I should’ve turned down the job, but it paid good, and living in Manhattan, I needed all the money I could make. It had actually never crossed my mind that the groom was the same one from Texas, although it would’ve the moment I had seen his face. The one time he was supposed to be there to sample my tasting menu prior to the event, he’d been called away for an emergency surgery, so my moment of shock happened at the ceremony itself.
I’d not seen Jonas there. I stayed in the back and left as soon as the festivities were over. I hadn’t wanted to see any of the other guys or girls, who had made my life hell after the prom. There’d been rumblings that my client was just as malicious as those other kids had been, but in New York City. I thankfully hadn’t had to like those that hired me. I only needed to do what they paid me to do. I did it with Kristopher and Hayley, and I would do it with Jonas Courtland, even if the mere thought made me nauseous. Lord knows he made sure I was that way for several months more as the morning sickness I had with Tori had been brutal. He knew nothing of his daughter, and I intended to keep it that way. To the world, she was my niece, but to me, she was my greatest blessing and most heart-wrenching mistake all wrapped into one. My sister and her husband gave my daughter a good life, and that was more than I likely could’ve given her on my own.
“What do you mean you’re not going?” Reece was now standing in front of me with her hands on her hips.
“I’m not in a partying mood,” I told her, then feigned a yawn for good measure. “I’m actually quite tired.”
“You can sleep when you’re dead,” she retorted, then grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the closet. “You’ll never get into his good favor by avoiding him.”
If only it was that easy. To Reece, I was simply trying to keep my distance. She had known he screwed me over in high school, but she had no idea to what extent, and I intended to keep it that way.
“Why is this so important to you?” I had to ask, and Reece released my arm.
“I heard that others in the industry are supposed to be here for tonight’s party. Jonas has invited the crème of the crème when it comes to high society. There are even going to be a few fashion icons.”
Ahh, so that was it. I knew Reece fancied herself a fashionista, and that she wanted to break into the fashion world. It was the main draw that had convinced her to follow me to New York. She had aspirations outside of the kitchen, and I needed a sous chef I could trust. It was mutually beneficial for us both. “You can still go down there and mingle.”
“It’s not the same.” She pouted. “If you’re not going downstairs, then neither am I.”
I watched as she was about to remove her dress. Fashion was very important to Reece, and after all that she’d put up with for me, I knew I owed her this much. “No, stop. I’ll go.”
Her hand dropped immediately, and she smiled brightly at me. “Thank you, Kenzie.”
The next few minutes went by in a flurry as my friend handed me various articles of clothing. I eventually settled on a peach dress if one could even call it that. The material hugged me so tightly I was afraid to breathe for fear of popping a stitch. That irrational thought soon faded once I paired it with brown, thigh-high boots. The hem of the dress rested just above the top of the leather and I wasn’t revealing nearly as much as I had thought I would be.
I went into the bathroom to spend a few minutes to fuss with my hair. Leaving the blonde curls loose, they cascaded down my backside and another memory came rushing back, this one actually making me glare now, whereas in the past it would’ve just made me cry instead. Jonas loved to pull hair during sex. It was something I so vividly remembered, and I knew the longer length of mine had to have made him want to do so again. In fact, I’d even wager a bet on it. I then smiled over that because I knew it’d be a cold day in Hell before it led to anything he’d want it to.
I lowered my gaze and my eyes traveled slowly down my body. This particular dress had a plunging neckline which highlighted my ample cleavage. My breasts ached as I thought about how badly I needed them touched because it had been a few months since I’d had sex with anyone. With Jonas still possessing the ability to arouse my body so effortlessly, my nipples practically throbbed but I’d have to ignore them. Later, I’d escape back here to take care of my needs myself later. Continuing my self-appraisal, I adjusted one of the thin straps holding my heavy breasts up, then I dropped my gaze lower. The dress was pulled in tightly, the fabric wrapping horizontally around my torso and hips, and squeezing in everything.
“Just breathe, Kenzie. Jonas won’t be able to take his eyes off of you,” Reece said as she stood in the doorway of the bathroom.
“That’s probably what I’m most afraid of,” I muttered softly under my breath. Raising my voice back to my normal tone, I added, “We should probably get this over and done with.”
I didn’t need to bring much of anything with me, and opting to even leave my phone in the room, the only thing I grabbed was my keycard. Reece and I took the elevator downstairs and when we arrived in the ballroom, it was completely transformed from earlier that day. Gone were the makeshift kitchens and pantry, and now strobe lights flashed overhead and more people than I had imagined were dancing or off huddled in small groups together.
It reminded me a lot of our prom. I had never gone to a formal dance before, so I’d had no idea what to expect. This was a very matured party compared to the other as I quickly learned. There were no quirky themes or lame decorations. Jonas had gone all out in the couple of hours since we’d stopped cooking. There were many men, most of whom I recognized from the society papers, including a number of men also known as Titans.
“If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.”
“What?” Reece asked, and I shook my head.
“It’s not important. Let’s go get a drink.”
I didn’t have to suggest that twice to Reece. She practically dragged me to the bar set up in the corner. I recognized the mobile bartender as the same one from the roof the night before, and he was so good that he’d even remembered my drink of choice. I thanked him for it, then moved off somewhere more private to drink it. From where we stood, I could now see different people going on and off the stage. Some actually possessed a little musical talent, while others sounded like wounded animals or worse. I wasn’t self-conscious about my singing abilities because I had been in choirs since I was older enough to talk. My father was a minister, so he was always heavily involved in all things church related. His wife and all their kids had been made to sing on Sundays, and it was something I was comfortable enough doing.
I became pre-occupied as I thought about what I would sing. So far, the song selections had ranged from country to pop and everything in between. Most of the partygoers were more interested in talking among one another, usually only looking up to acknowledge the performances with a small round of applause when they were over. Surprisingly, I hadn’t yet seen Jonas and I was about to tell Reece how happy I was about that when the hairs on my arms stood up. Goosebumps rose on my flesh and I casually looked over my shoulder and right into a pair of intense eyes. He’d been checking out my ass, and for once, I was glad I was wearing something so form fitting.
“You’ve been spotted,” Reece proclaimed, and I slightly shook my head over how excited she was about that.