Donna Kauffman - Walk On The Wild Side

Not this cool, blond, slim drink of imported water with a twist of lemon, please.

And yet, he was all but hanging on her every word.

“Actually,” she said, with just the right amount of defensive posturing, “my experience is more Continental. French cuisine. Mama Bennie agreed to give me a one-month probationary period. Surely you can give me that much of a trial. If I don’t pull my weight, you can give me the ax. Fair?”

No, he thought, it wasn’t fair. He didn’t have time for this. And he certainly didn’t have time to figure out what it was about her that got his complete attention. He had zero time for that. Less than zero. So why in the world he opened his mouth and said, “One month. I want that in writing, so when I fire you, you won’t bring in some fancy suit and sue me,” he had no idea.

She smiled with satisfaction, which irked him all the more. She might not have wanted to trade on her good looks, but Nick could think of no reason other than his unreliable hormones for what he’d just gone and done. She stuck out her hand, and he actually had to think about the consequences of touching her.

He almost laughed. Damn if she hadn’t reduced him to the level of a gawky teenager, sweating out his first kiss. Only he’d never been gawky, as a teenager or any other time. He’d always been a natural with women. At twenty-eight, he could certainly handle this one.

He took her hand and pumped it once, then let it drop. Warm. He hadn’t expected that. He’d expected cool, finely boned, impersonal. He’d gotten two out of three right, but that one wrong had been critical.

Warm, huh? He found himself glancing into those blue eyes. Ice princess? Or blond temptress?

He shook the thoughts from his head. She was an employee now, he reminded himself. He did have some boundaries, and that was one of them. No dating the boss.

“So, where do I begin?” She asked expectantly.

He cleared his throat. “There is some paperwork to fill out. Don’t you want to discuss salary?”

It was her turn to look momentarily nonplussed. “Oh, uh, right. I suppose so, yes. I guess I assumed I’d just start out at the standard rate for new employees.” She forced a smile to cover what they both knew was a lame attempt to sound like an everyday new hire.

Which he knew she was not.

“So, you don’t care about the money? Why do you need this job? Really.”

“I always care about the money,” she corrected. “It’s bred into the Chandler DNA.”

“Chandler?” He recalled Bennie’s introduction. Sunny Chandler. Understanding dawned. “As in Chandler Enterprises?”

“I’m related, yes. You’re not going to fire me now, are you?”

“Why should I give this job to you instead of someone who really does need employment?”

“There are plenty of jobs out there. No one will go jobless because you hired me. So why not? I’m available.”

“And why is that?”

Her smile slipped a little, but she caught it on her chin, which lifted just enough to save it. “I’d rather not go into the details.”

“You told Bennie.”

She opened her mouth, as if to deny it, but shut it and nodded. “You can ask her if you want. I didn’t swear her to secrecy.”

Nick swore under his breath. If Bennie considered Sunny one of her worthy causes, he’d have a hell of a time getting rid of her. “And she thinks I’m a soft touch,” he muttered.

“I hardly think of you as a soft touch.”

“I hired you, didn’t I?” he retorted, briefly enjoying a look of surprise, then dismay, on her face. He’d bet his last dollar she was not remotely used to being a pity case.

“I agreed to a short trial period after which I can be fired, no questions asked. Isn’t that enough?”

He was dying to know what was really going on here, and damned if he’d go running to Bennie to find out. One way or the other, he’d get her to spill the real reason she’d invaded his life. Right before he fired her and got back to business. “Rather argumentative for someone who wants a job here so badly.”

He could see her grit her teeth, but she remained outwardly calm. “I’m simply being logical.”

“Logically I should hire someone with experience.”

“In one month, if I don’t fit the bill, you can.”

“You’re a tough negotiator. Is that also in the Chandler DNA?”

“You bet.” She rubbed her palms gently on her pants. Nervous? He wouldn’t have thought it of her. “Where are the papers for me to sign?”

“Anxious?”

She grinned at him. “I only have one month to impress the boss. I don’t plan on wasting any time.”

Despite the chaos this escapade of hers was likely to create, his responding smile was remarkably natural and relaxed. He’d just realized she hadn’t met her co-workers yet. This might be the shortest trial period on record.

“I’ll get to them after I finish my order. Bennie will take you to the kitchen and introduce you to the head chef. For all intents and purposes, he will be your immediate boss.” His smile spread at her look of alarm. She’d begged for this job. He wasn’t going to apologize for the working conditions. “Just consider me the CEO.”

“The head chef…that wouldn’t be—”

“Carlo.” He nodded. “I see you’ve already met.”

“Not exactly.”

Nick shouldn’t be enjoying this so much. Really. But she was so damned cool and competent. Competent—at least in her world—he had no doubt. He remembered her warm palm brushing his. The cool part was still in question.

He reminded himself that if she walked out today, he wouldn’t go in search of the answer. She was from another world, another stratosphere, really. It wasn’t that he thought her better than himself, but there were some cultural bridges too exhausting to span just for the fun of it. He’d give this one a pass.

“I’m not sure where Bennie is at the moment,” he said. “So why don’t I introduce you to Carlo myself.”

“You just want to watch the fireworks,” she muttered.

“What was that?”

She smiled brightly at him, her eyes telling him she knew he’d heard her. “I said I can’t wait to see how all this works.” She waved a hand. “Lead on.”

He opened the door and waved a hand of his own. “Ladies first.”

“Don’t you mean lions?” she asked dryly.

Nick laughed at that. “The lions generally won against the gladiators.”

“Not the ones armed with sharp blades, they didn’t.”

Damn if he didn’t admire her sense of humor. He didn’t give her a chance in hell of making it to the end of the day, but something had driven her to this. That softened him a bit. After all, it was only one day. “Carlo isn’t as bad as all that. His bark is worse than his bite.”

“But he does bite,” she countered. “I thought so.” Then, with a toss of her blond lioness mane, she walked into the hall. “As long as he realizes I bite back, we’ll get along just fine.”

Behind her, Nick’s smile faded a bit. Maybe that’s exactly what he should be afraid of.

ELEVEN HOURS LATER, Sunny collapsed into a chair outside the kitchen doors. She rested her elbows onto a table and dropped her head into her hands. “I’d rather oversee a hostile takeover than do this again.” A glass of ice water appeared in front of her. She swallowed most of it in one gulp, eyes closed in abject appreciation. She pulled off her hairnet and pushed at the straggling strands stuck to her forehead, then gazed at her savior, relieved to find it was Mama Bennie.

Nick had hovered all night. Inevitably, she’d glance up from whatever merciless task Carlo had dictated she perform, only to find him watching her. Probably hoping she’d do something really stupid so he could fire her on the spot. But something about the way he watched her made her insides twitch. Sort of like when the skin between her shoulder blades itched and she couldn’t reach the spot to scratch it.