Page 11 of Sensuous

“That was nice of you to be so kind to her,” he says.

“Eavesdrop much?” I ask, barely containing my loathing for this guy.

“Hard not to when we’re all in the same room,” he says without a hint of guilt for his bad manners. “Don’t worry. You’re going to be great just like you told her. Just smile a little every once in a while.”

Did this asshole just tell me to smile more? Oh. My. God. He’s going to be lucky if I don’t use those damn knives of his on him.

“Thanks, but I’m not interested in taking the advice of someone who clearly doesn’t have much interest in anyone but himself. Maybe you should try to be focused on someone other than yourself once in a while. People might like you better if you did.”

My insult hits home, just as I wanted it to, and for the first time, Alex March looks something less than confident. Good. Maybe that will provide the rest of us a chance.

I don’t give him the opportunity to reply to my comment, instead spinning on my heel to go watch Emma do her interview. By the time I join the rest of the group, she’s finished answering the first question Maria asked her and looks perfectly comfortable on the stool she’s sitting on in front of the camera.

“Tell me about the first time you walked into a kitchen and knew that’s where you wanted to be, Emma.”

Oh, that’s an easy one for me. The first time I felt that way about cooking was when I was eight and my father brought me to work with him because my mother had to be out of town for the weekend with a client. The moment I walked into his kitchen and saw all that stainless steel surrounding me I knew that’s what I wanted to do with my life. I watched my father that day and thought he was a god with how he created such incredible dishes with ease. I wanted to be him but even more, I wanted to be the one standing there in control of that kitchen.

Emma finishes answering that question, and I notice Alex has positioned himself next to me as Maria continues to ask her about things like what she does for fun and what hobbies she has. Emma happily explains how she likes to go wind surfing, and her favorite pastime is to cross stitch because it’s so relaxing. Jesus, she sounds like a terrific person.

My mind races with possible answers if they ask me the same questions. I don’t do much for fun since I work all the time, and I don’t have any hobbies. Damnit! I hope these aren’t the standard questions they plan to ask everyone.

By the time she’s finished her interview, everyone knows more about her and cheers her on as she steps away from the camera. I clap, hoping the next name called won’t be mine, andwhen Shane yells out the next contestant to come up for their interview, I cringe.

“Alex, you’re up!”

CHAPTER FIVE

Alex

I settlein on the wooden stool they’ve provided for the interview and smile at the woman standing next to Maria. I saw her earlier today when I arrived, but I didn’t know she was part of the crew working this show.

Too bad there’s that clause in the contract that says absolutely no fraternization between the crew and contestants. I would have liked to find out more about her other than she’s stunning with long black hair and brown eyes and a great body.

She comes over to stand in front of me and gives me a smile. “Don’t worry. You’ll be fine. Just be yourself, Alex.”

“I feel like I’m at a disadvantage since you know my name and I don’t know yours,” I say in a low voice as she brushes something off my shoulder.

“Sophia,” she says with a smile. “I’m Maria’s assistant. Good luck!”

“Thanks, Sophia.”

Stunning name for a stunning woman. I watch her walk away, letting my gaze drift down her long legs underneath thefloor-length forest green dress she’s wearing. I’m nearly six five, and she’s got to be over six foot. I like tall women, and she’s got everything in all the right places.

A few feet away, the crowd of fellow contestants waits for Maria to begin asking questions, and I swear I hear someone groan as Sophia walks back to her place next to her boss. Turning my head toward them, I see that Kat woman glaring at me.

What the hell is her problem? She acts like I killed one of her family members or something. Does she have me confused with someone else? She must because the handful of times I’ve been around her I’ve said nothing to offend her.

“Okay, Alex. Ready for your first question?” Maria asks with a mischievous look in her eyes.

“Ready. Give me your worst. Or your best, depending on how you want this to go,” I answer with a chuckle.

She smiles, letting me know she got the joke, and says, “First question. If you weren’t a chef, what would you want to do with your life?”

Christ, talk about coming out of the gate with a tough one. I have to think about that for a few seconds, but it’s hard to answer because being a chef is all I’ve ever wanted to be.

Knowing how important it is to turn on the charm for this kind of thing, I look directly into the camera and flash a confident smile as I say, “To be honest, a chef is the only thing I’ve ever wanted to be, but I think when I was five I told my parents I wanted to be a forest ranger when I grew up after we spent a week camping at a national park.”

That makes everyone laugh, and I know I’ve succeeded at that first question. Only a half dozen more to go.

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