HEAT Vol. 2 (Master Chefs: HEAT Series #2) (7 page)

“I’ll
admit it’s quite a turn around.”

“I’ll
say.  From a convent to a country house on the sea, back to Paris.”

“And
I have to say I’m very happy to be back in Paris.”

“Good.”

Bobby
and Errol arrived several minutes later with chilled white wine and bites to
nibble on while we waited for dinner.

“So
now that you’re back in Paris, where will you be staying?” Taryn said.

I
looked across the coffee table at Bobby.  “I’ll…”  I couldn’t possibly tell her
I was planning to sleep in her brother’s rented car.  “I’ll check into a hotel
for a few nights, then see what I can find.”

Errol
cocked a brow and let out a long, low whistle.  “You could end up staying in
that hotel for quite a while.  There’s a shortage of affordable apartments these
days.”

“I
know.”

“That’s
not true, actually,” Bobby said.  “She’s not going to a hotel.”

I
glared at him with my ‘don’t you dare’ eyes.

“Since
Lilly’s apartment is already rented out, and she doesn’t have enough money to
stay anywhere, she’s decided to stay in my car.”

“Your
what?” Taryn said, appalled by the notion.

“It
would be temporary,” I said, still glaring at Bobby.  “Until I can find an
affordable place.”

“I
suggested my dorm.”

Taryn
turned outraged eyes to him.  “Don’t even think about it, Bobby.  You were able
to weasel your way back into Monsieur Franchines good graces.  Don’t push your
luck.”

Unfazed,
he looked at his sister head on.  “You have a better idea?”

She
turned to me.  “Why don’t you go back to the institute?  Now that the worse has
passed, maybe…”

“Maybe
nothing, Taryn,” Bobby snapped.  “We’re not going to go back to hiding our
relationship.”

“That’s
a little selfish, don’t you think?” Taryn said.  “You're willing to let the
love of your life sleep in your car just so you can flaunt your relationship?”

He
looked at me.  “I want to be with you.  I don’t want to sneak around.  Is that
so bad?”

“I
don’t really want to go back to hiding either, Bobby, but…” I reached for his
hand and forced a smile.  “Maybe it’s worth considering for now.”

“No.”

“It’s
not your decision,” Taryn said.  “Let her decide.”

I
shrugged.  “There isn’t really anything else I can do.”

“There
might be something else,” Errol said.

Great. 
Now everyone would have input on my homeless and unemployed status.

“Come
work for me,” Errol went on.

Taryn
clapped her hands and smiled.  “Of course.  That would be perfect.”

“Doing
what?” Bobby said.  “Working in your kitchen?”

“Actually,
I’d like to hire her to create some items for my prepared foods company.”

“Really?”
I said.  What a turn of events.  Working for Errol King; it was a dream come
true.

“Just
think how that will look on your resume,” Taryn said.

“I’ve
had my eye on you for quite a while,” Errol said.  “I’d put the idea aside when
you left the institute, but now…”

“Me? 
You’ve had your eye on me?”  I couldn’t believe it.

He
laughed.  “Your sauces are a hit.  I even heard of the new cheese sauce that is
already making people talk.  The company the institute hired to prepare the
sauce can’t keep up with demand.”

“I’d
be honored to work for you, really.”

“I’m
a tough boss.  I don’t take any lip from anyone, I don’t like excuses and I
expect results.  But working conditions are fair, the salary is generous and of
course the prestige of creating a sauce for Errol King Foods goes without
saying.”

I
was beyond thrilled.

“Since
you're in a bit of a bind, I’ll forward you the first two weeks’ pay.  Take the
rest of the week to find adequate living quarters and get settled in.  I’ll
expect to find you in our lab, just outside Paris, first thing Monday morning.”

As
it turned out, I found the perfect apartment two days later, spent the weekend
with Bobby who helped me settle in, and dove into this new venture the
following Monday. 

Working
for Errol was a dream.  Yes, he was a tough boss, but he was fair, and he was
inspiring.  While he didn’t take any lip from anyone, nor excuses, he was very
open minded when it came to exploring new ideas.  I was free to let my
imagination run wild, and I did.

Only
a month and a half later, I’d formulated a new marinara sauce that was an
instant hit, and had a pepper sauce almost perfected.  It was only a matter of
time before it hit the shelves as well.

Errol
was elated and we all celebrated with a champagne toast.

“This
might very well make you a very wealthy woman,” Errol said.  “If this sells
like I think it will, you’ll be very wealthy indeed.”

Money
had never been a factor; I loved what I did no matter what the salary was, but
now that I was there, it was nice.  It was nice not to have to worry, not to
have to count every penny before spending.  I even had enough to generously
support a few of my favorite charities.

Only
two months after its release, my marinara sauce took off and all that remained
was the release of the next and the next and the next…

Chapter 8

A few months
later

“
D
id you see the business section of
le
Journal de Paris
?”  Bobby said as he hurried into my apartment.

“You
know I don’t read the paper… especially the business section.”  I headed back
to the kitchen where I was whipping up some easy and savory scrambled eggs. 
For all the time I spent thinking up of new ways to prepare food at the lab, at
home, I kept it simple.

Bobby
slammed the open paper on the table.  “Lilly Cooke,” he said in his exaggerated
French accent.  “
Une merveille dans le monde culinaire
.”

I
shoved my hot pan off the fire and hurried to his side.  “If you’re pulling my
leg, Bobby Cummings, I promise I’ll make you pay for it.”

He
showed me the article.  There it was; my name.  Lilly Cooke, a marvel in the
culinary world.

“My
name is in the paper, Bobby.  Did you see that?  And my picture.  Oh, my
heaven’s.  Look at that.”  I held the paper up, barely believing my eyes. 

“You
look great, don’t you?”

I
nodded.  I didn’t look half bad.

“I’ve
got to get another copy and send it to the Reverend Mother.  She’ll be so
thrilled.”

Bobby
reached down into a duffle bag at his feet and pulled out an additional dozen
copies.  “Send one to everyone you know.”

I
cupped his cheeks and gave him a big, wet smooch.  “You're a doll.  I love
you.  I can’t believe it.  I’m so excited.”

The
following day my old landlady called to say she’d seen the article and how
proud she was to have known me, and everyone at Errol King Foods knew my name. 
I was no longer the anonymous lab technician who hid behind a white lab coat. 
A week later I received a note from the Reverend Mother congratulating me.

As
I slipped my key into the lock of my pretty and airy apartment, I mused at the
sudden turn my life had once again taken. 
Never set your life’s path in
stone
, I once heard a wise woman say. 
You never know when you’ll have a
change in direction.

I
set my cloth grocery bag on a kitchen chair and pulled out the fresh basil
plant I’d just bought.  Not only did it remind me of the convent, but of that
night in the institute’s garden with Bobby.  Smiling, I shoved my nose into the
fragrant leaves and breathed in the sublime scent.  Bobby was right; nothing
smelled better.

As
I went on to pull out a few other items I’d bought, my phone rang and I had a
sneaking suspicion it was Bobby.  It was just like him to call right when I was
thinking of him.

“Hello,”
I said in a light and loving tone.

“Lilly
Cooke.”  The unfamiliar deep male voice said. 

I
hesitated before saying, “Yes?”

“You’ve
been a very busy girl, haven’t you?”

“Who
is this?”

“You’ll
find out soon enough.”

“Maybe
not.  If you don’t want to tell me who you are in the next three seconds, I’ll
put an end to this call.”

“I
wouldn’t do that if I were you.”  There was nothing amusing or teasing in his
words, just a solid and serious threat.  “I see that things are going well for
you, Lilly.”

“What
do you want?”

“A
meeting.”

“For
what?”

“Let’s
just say I think it’s time we sat down to have a little chat.”

“Well,
we’re having a chat now, aren’t we?  What do you want to know?”

He
chuckled, a sound that was far from pleasant.  “No.  I want to talk to you in
person.”

I
swallowed as fear engulfed me.  “I don’t think that’s going to be possible.”

“Well,
it’s up to you.  You can accept my invitation and come sit down and talk to me
face to face, then go on with your happy little life, or you can stay home and
ignore this invitation, but your happiness forever after might be compromised.”

Fear
now took over and I trembled.  “What do you mean, compromised?”

“All
I’m saying is, I can’t guarantee the safety of those you love.”

“Is
that…  Is that a threat?”

“No. 
No.  Not a threat.  Just like I say.  I can’t guarantee their safety.  You
know, things happen… bad things, accidents.  The world is filled with
pitfalls.”

I
had no family, so he couldn’t very well be talking about parents or siblings. 
That left only…  I leaned up against the wall as the thought of something
happening to Bobby hit me.

“Where?”

“Now,
that’s my girl.  Meet me at the old Camille warehouse out by the water
filtration plant.”

It
was a deserted and desolate part of town.  “Why can’t we make it in front of
the Louvre.”

“Nice
try.  Camille, noon tomorrow.”

He
hung up and I was left staring at my phone for a full five minutes.  What had
just happened?

I
didn’t sleep that night and I wasn’t able to eat the next morning.  I
considered letting Bobby know about this secret meeting, but knew he wouldn’t
let me go alone, putting himself in even more danger.

At
eleven o’clock, I pulled off my lab coat, and changed into a comfortable pair
of jeans, a dark blue shirt and good sneakers, in case I needed to run.

“I’m
not feeling very well,” I told my supervisor.  “I’m just going to run down to
the pharmacy for some cough syrup or something.”

He
nodded and jotted down the time.

I
took a cab out to the Camille warehouse.  Even through I’d paid the driver to
hang around and wait a few minutes, he drove off the moment I got out of the
car and shut the door.

Cursing
him, I looked across from the abandoned building at the vast field of
wildflowers amidst untamed shrubs.  Many of the shrubs boasted a bright white
plastic grocery bag that beat in the wind as if protesting the pollution that
blew their way on a daily basis.  It was a dismal picture indeed.

I
turned to the warehouse and waited.  Was I expected to go inside?

A
large sliding door creaked and screeched open and a tall, good looking young
man with jet black hair to his shoulders, mysterious dark eyes and a strong
physique took a solitary step out.  In black leather pants tucked into black
riding boots and a black leather vest over a pristine white long sleeve shirt,
he was an impressive and imposing figure.  Okay, not just imposing, downright
sexy.  He looked more like the type of man who could model for GQ rather than
make threatening phone calls.

“Let’s
take it inside,” he called out.

He
looked nothing like a thug or maniac.  Then again, what did I expect a thug or
maniac to look like?  I walked up to him and he moved aside to let me in.  From
close up, he was even better looking.  His eyes were hard, but smoldered with
something intensely sexual, intensely untamed.  Though he didn’t smile, his
lips turned up slightly at the corners, giving him a constantly amused expression.

Once
inside the empty warehouse I was flanked by two large men who each took a firm
hold of my elbows.

“There’s
no need for that,” I complained as I tried to pull away.  “I’m here, aren’t I?”

The
sexy, dark haired man nodded at the two goons who sat me in a hard, straight
backed chair and released me, though they remained close by.

“You
grew up prettier than I’d imagined, Lilly.”

I
frowned, and when he took a slow, long look at me, pausing at my breasts and
hips, I had to look away.

“Yeah,
you grew up nicely.  You were kind of gangly the last time I saw you.”

“Saw
me?  When did you last see me?”

“You
don’t recognize me, do you?”

“No. 
Should I?”

He
puckered his lips in thought.  “I guess I’ve changed a lot over the years,
too.  I’m Rial.  Does that ring a bell?”

“Sorry,
but no,” I said matter of factly.

He
smiled.  “I guess it’s just as well.”  Passing in front of me, he was silent
for a while.  “I have to admit I didn’t know you were in France.  All this
time, right under my nose.  Then again, I never would have thought you’d end up
in a convent.”

His
knowledge of who I was and where I’d been made me increasingly uneasy.

“I
have to hand it to your father… very smart.  Putting you in a convent.  Of
course he had to know I wouldn’t think to look there.  Then again, he made a
good show of letting us think you were in the States.  I don’t know how he did
it, but…”  He tipped an imaginary hat in honor of my father.  “But leave it to
the media to uncover your whereabouts.”  He grinned and peered at me from under
his thick brow.  “Fame has its disadvantages, doesn’t it?  You come up with a
great food item and the next thing you know your name, face and whereabouts are
plastered all over a glossy magazine.  Congratulations.  I read that article
and know everything you’ve been up to; a scientist… impressive.  Smart and
pretty.”