Brenda Jackson - A Madaris Bride for Christmas

“Yes. I know,” Jodie said, inhaling deeply between each bite. “The only thing missing is a nice glass of wine. I think I will—”

“Excuse me.” Mickey, one of the waiters, interrupted them. “Chef Blanchard wants you out front, Chef Briggs. Everyone loved your dessert and wants to meet you personally.”

Carly noticed the kitchen got quiet. All the other chefs had stopped what they were doing to stare at her. And she knew why. Typically, when dinner guests had compliments for the cooks, thanking the executive chef would suffice since preparing a delicious meal was a collective effort. To be singled out was definitely a feather in her cap.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Jodie said with a huge grin on her face. “Get going. And smile prettily at the owner...the one that’s single. And if you can pull Diamond Swain aside, please tell her that I’ve seen every single movie she’s made but my favorite is still Black Butterfly. And that I would love for her and Sterling Hamilton to make another movie together, and that I am one of her biggest fans.”

Carly smiled at Jodie as she straightened the toque on her head and smoothed down her jacket, grateful there weren’t any chocolate stains on it tonight. “I wouldn’t know the owners from anyone else. Besides, I doubt I’ll get the chance to say anything and you know it,” Carly said.

She drew in a deep breath as she followed Mickey out of the kitchen. When they rounded the corner she saw that the guests were all standing around, chatting and shaking hands. She knew that meant the dinner party was ending. The women were dressed in outfits as beautiful as they were. Chef Blanchard was standing tall, but he wasn’t as tall as several of the other men.

Carly recognized Diamond Swain immediately. The woman was simply gorgeous. Carly tried not to stare too hard at the handsome man standing by the movie actress’s side with his arm around her waist.

Suddenly the crowd shifted and Carly’s breath caught. She almost stumbled. She could only see the man’s profile but she knew it was him. She would recognize those broad masculine shoulders anywhere.

What is Lee doing here?

Everyone must have heard her approach since they all turned around. Her gaze connected with Lee’s. And when it did, her heart pounded, a tingling sensation swirled around in her stomach and a rush of intense heat swept through her.

It was all she could do to continue walking toward the group knowing his eyes were on her every step.

Chapter 3

“Chef Briggs, I asked you to come out because our dinner guests were quite taken with the dessert you made.”

Lee watched the woman who’d been on his mind since he’d seen her two nights ago. She was a chef? Here? At his hotel? She hadn’t mentioned anything about it that night—in fact she’d claimed to be a guest at the Grand MD. Why had she lied?

Even dressed in her chef garb she looked beautiful. After making initial eye contact, she refused to look at him. But he was definitely looking at her. Her features were exquisite.

He heard Diamond, Jake, Rasheed and others give her compliment after compliment, and somehow he could tell that she wasn’t used to getting such praise. Since he knew the others expected him to say something complimentary as well, he extended his hand to her.

“I’m Lee Madaris. The dessert was delicious.” He made the introduction for the benefit of the others who had no idea of his and Carly’s prior encounter. It was better if no one knew until the two of them could talk.

Following his lead, she shook his hand. Immediately a surge of warmth filled him. “Thanks, Mr. Madaris.”

Had she actually placed emphasis on his name or had he just imagined it? With nothing more to be said, she returned to the kitchen. Lee watched her retreat. If she thought for one minute this was the end of things, then she was mistaken.

As far as he was concerned, Carly Briggs had a lot of explaining to do.

* * *

“Good night, Carly. See you tomorrow.”

“Good night, Jodie.” Carly watched as Jodie met up with her boyfriend, Jerome Mathis, who worked as a bellman for the hotel, before walking quickly to the elevator that would take her to the parking garage.

How she’d made it through the rest of the night, Carly wasn’t sure. She’d concentrated on cleaning the kitchen. Going home was her top priority. She just couldn’t get out of her mind the fact that the man she’d met a few nights ago was actually L. C. Madaris, one of the owners of the hotel. That meant that technically he was her boss.

And she had kissed him.

She waited for the elevator and when the door opened she barely glanced at the person getting on the elevator with her. When she did, she probably looked as thunderstruck as she felt. It was him...again. Where had he come from?

“We need to talk, don’t you think, Carly?”

Apparently, he thought so. She stepped back against the elevator wall. In the confines of the small space she became even more aware of his captivating presence.

“What do we need to talk about?”

His chuckle sounded like a low growl in his throat. “I think you know.”

Carly had a pretty good idea. He held a key card to the scanner and a new set of numbers appeared on the keypad. She watched as he punched one.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“To my suite.”

“Your suite?” Blood pounded in her temples.

“Yes, my suite.”

She tightened her grip on her purse. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

“Neither am I, but that’s the only place I know where we can have absolute privacy.”

She didn’t want privacy. She didn’t want to talk at all. Now that she knew who he was, she could make a promise that she would keep the other night to herself. Nothing like it would happen again. She liked working here. And more than anything, she needed her job.

She was about to speak when the back wall of the elevator slid open. She hadn’t expected it and would have tumbled out into a beautiful living room had Lee not reached out and caught her hand.

She wished he hadn’t done that. Immediately, a sensation she couldn’t describe flowed through her from his touch.

“You okay?” he asked with concern in his eyes.

She nodded. “Yes, I’m fine.”

She was in full control of her balance...although she was questioning her senses.... She stepped off the elevator, which had opened directly into his suite. The place was simply gorgeous. But she shouldn’t be surprised. He owned one of the most elegant hotels on the Vegas Strip; anything was possible.

“Make yourself at home. Would you care for something to drink?”

She watched him remove his jacket and toss it on the back of a chair before heading toward the kitchen. “No, thank you.”

“I hope you don’t mind if I do. A beer sounds pretty good right now.”

She watched him open the refrigerator before what he’d said sank in.

Make yourself at home.

There was no way she could do that. “You wanted to talk.”

“Yes,” he said, returning from the kitchen with his beer to find her still standing. “We are definitely going to talk. How about if we sit down first?”

She preferred standing, but she sat down on a plush sofa and he did too.

“That night on the balcony,” he began. “Did you know who I was?”

She met his gaze, surprised by his question. “Of course not. Had I known who you were, I would not have...” She swallowed. There was no need to remind him of what she had done that night.

“Initiated a kiss between us?”

Why had he gone there and done the very thing she hadn’t wanted him to do? Since he had reminded them both of what had happened, she said, “No, I would not have initiated it.”