Page 45 of Sweet Temptation

She did not want to talk about John. She especially did not want to hear his name on this other man’s lips.

She set the plate down and briefly shut her eyes, working to dispel the images from last night, the way John had touched her...made love to her.

He made love to me?

The sex had been different, beautiful and tender, and while she loved his dominant side, there was something so deeply profound in what they’d shared.

Stop thinking about him.

“Anyway, so the menu—” She hoped to put Gavin’s focus back on what he was doing here, although she was beginning to wonder if she was wrong about that, considering he seemed more interested in John than the menu she’d spent hours working up for him.

“The thing is, Meg,” he said, pursing his lips and bracing his palms on the stainless steel counter, “I have this new start-up that’s launching and could use John’s help. He’s very good at what he does, and his price tag reflects that, but I was thinking we could work together here.”

“I think I’ve done quite a lot of work here already, on my own.” She could see her dreams of landing this contract flying out the window.

She could use a win today.

“You know. You scratch my back,” he said, his fingers toying with the edge of her printed-out menu as he gave it a quick glance. “And I’ll scratch yours, too.”

“Excuse me?” she bit out.

He rolled one shoulder and gave her a smile that was likely meant to put her at ease when what it really did was infuriate her. Her blood boiled, and she cast a glance sideways to see the wide-eyed look Jada was giving her.

She would do a lot of things for her business. A lot. But using John to further her career was not on today’s menu. She opened her mouth, about to tell Gavin that, when he cut her off.

“How does being the sole event caterer for my next five events sound?” Gavin cocked his head, smirking. “There’s the mayoral award ceremony we’ve discussed, of course. A music award ceremony after-party. Maybe even a celebrity wedding.”

The images danced in front of her face before shattering like a mirror and falling to her feet.

He didn’t give a shit what her food tasted like. Hell, he’d probably stumbled across some reference to John’s connection to her family before he’d ever called her—it was probably why he’d called her in the first place.

He might have called her after tasting her food, but she wasn’t fool enough to think John wasn’t the reason Gavin was back in her kitchen.

Meg is smart, talented and the best woman I know. She makes good choices.

As John’s words bounced around her brain like a pinball, she stared at the cocky man before her—a man used to getting his way. Honest to God, if this wasn’t the time to make a good choice, she had no idea what was. She could feel Jada staring at her, waiting to see what she was going to do next.

Well, Jada, watch me now.

“How about this,” she began, standing up for all the girls who felt they had no voice, for Jada as she watched this unravel and for the man she loved. “You hire me for your next five events because I’m the best goddamn outfit in Boston. My food speaks for itself and I’m damn good at my job. In fact, if you don’t make your booking today, there’s a good chance my schedule will fill up.”

Gavin’s head reared back, but she was far from done.

“John is an expert in his field, and I suggest if you want his input on your start-up, you can pay the price.” She stood straight as she ripped a sheet of paper from her planning notebook and held it out to him. “Speaking of prices, these are mine.”

Gavin’s nostrils flared, and little blotches of red dotted his face as she stood her ground. With Jada in the background, they all stared at each other, like they were in a goddamn Western standoff. Meg wanted the job, sure, but she wasn’t going let this man walk all over her, and more important, she was going to protect John.

And why is that, Meg?

Because she damn well loved him.

“Take it or leave it, Gavin.”

His gaze finally lowered, and his expression was undetectable as he looked over her quote, which she wasn’t going to be budging on.

Without words, he pulled a contract from inside his suit pocket and slapped it down onto the counter.

“Courier it over once it’s signed,” he said, spinning on the toes of his leather shoes and storming for the door.

---