His Every Desire

The way in which the confident chef spoke made Tracy hold onto his every word. Every minute of his years of experience shone through in his tone. Anyone could tell, just by listening, that he knew exactly what he was talking about. To Tracy, that kind of confidence made her imagination run wild.

More than that, however, she found herself helplessly drawn to him. For all of the press and attention that his successful career had drawn, people actually knew very little about Gordon Baxter. It was, so it seemed, to be just the way that he wanted it. But to Tracy, it was only a begging invitation to want to know more.

He brought his hands up and rested his index fingers on each side of his tightly-angled chin. His eyes bored into hers, making her core heat with his intensity.

"So what do you say?" he asked.

"That would be great,” she whispered. For a moment she wondered if he wanted to be alone with her for this tasting. In her mind's eye, she could quickly see it turning sexual. The way he looked at her was primal and full of desire. As much as the thought piqued her interest, she was with Mr. Hayes. “It will be me and my boyfriend, Mr. Paul Hayes."

"Of course." Gordon nodded and pushed the contract back toward her as if he had expected that all along. "How about tomorrow night around seven? I need some time for prep and all that."

Tracy smiled. Her thoughts finally felt a little lighter for the first time in weeks.

"I can’t wait."

“Neither can I,” Gordon replied, fixing her with his stare again. Tracy bit her lip. It was a good thing Mr. Hayes was coming to dinner, or she would be tempted to do so much more than just eat Mr. Baxter's food.

Chapter 19

"So," Tracy turned to Mr. Hayes, who had his eyes fixed on the road in front of them as it whipped by their luxury car. "Are you excited?"

He quickly turned to her and flashed a smile. "Yes, but probably not as much as you."

Tracy wrapped her fingers around the seat belt near her shoulder and sank down into the seat with a giddy giggle.

"Probably not,” she agreed. The look of desire Gordon had given her flashed into her mind.

As time went on, the nervousness started to relent and gave way to a hesitant air of child-like excitement. Tracy knew that nothing was guaranteed: her restaurant, her relationship, the life that she was living. All of it could be so easily yanked out from under her by a few different people. If Gordon or Mr. Hayes had a change of heart, she knew that her dreams would go up in smoke. Still, that knowledge had been progressively pushed back into the recesses of Tracy’s mind.

Pulling up to the empty parking lot, it felt like Christmas morning.

Tracy shifted and sat up in her seat. From inside, the light from the kitchen poured through the empty slits of the windows.

"Looks like we aren’t the first ones here." Mr. Hayes glanced around and pulled the Town Car into a spot near the back door. "Where is his car, though?"

"He doesn’t have a car."

Mr. Hayes scoffed, "Why wouldn’t he have a car?"

"Why would he? He’s staying at The Starmore until he gets settled, and you know they would give him a ride to China if he asked for one."

The local ritzy hotel, The Starmore was a luxury tower that rose high above the city’s bustling streets. Only the most elite businessmen stayed there, including Mr. Hayes. Tracy, on the other hand, had only ever heard about it.

Mr. Hayes chuckled. "I suppose you’re right."

They climbed out of the car and were immediately hit by the wafting smell of bacon, garlic and simmering onions, along with sage and many other scents serving as undertones."I hope that’s coming from my restaurant."

"Well let’s go find out."Tracy hurried through the unlocked back door. When she stepped in, a more concentrated form of the outside smell hit her in the face. It was the most welcoming assault on her senses that she’d ever experienced.

"Gordon?" she called out.

The famous chef peeked his head around the corner. He had a black bandana wrapped around his head and his chiseled cheeks glistened with small beads of sweat. It was obvious that he had been working for quite some time.

They locked eyes just long enough for her to see him sizing her up. It was a look that she (and most women on the planet) knew well, though his stolen glances at her body were stealthy. Still, Tracy saw his eyes quickly taking in the feminine curves of her body, all the way up to the loose, tousled curls that she had carefully ironed in. His pupils dilated enough that she blushed.

"Hey there! Is this the elusive Paul Hayes?" he asked, pretending as if he hadn't just checked her out.

Mr. Hayes smiled and nodded. "Nice to meet you."