Page 42 of Desirous

Emma’s mouth drops open in shock, and a security guard walks through the door. “The police are waiting outside just as you asked me to do, Miss Sanchez. Miss, you need to come with me.”

“What? Are you fucking kidding me? I’m being thrown off the show? No way!” Emma screeches.

“Not only that. You’re being arrested for poisoning Murphy and trying to poison Alex,” Shane says with a satisfied grin. “Take her away, Mick.”

I watch in stunned amazement as she tries to run and then fights the security guard every step of the way, screaming that this isn’t fair and she didn’t do anything wrong. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect this meeting to go like this.

And to think I thought today was going to be like every other day.

Once security escorts her out of the room and closes the door, Shane and Maria take their seats again and ask me to sit down once more. “We would like to have you back on the show. There are only a few more days of taping, but we’ve come up with a way to shoot your time so it can be edited in. You’re a great chef, Kat, and we wish this never happened. We’re sorry.”

An apology and an invitation to rejoin the show? I must be living someone else’s life because great things like this never happen to me.

Then again, I do have an incredible man in my life now for the first time in ages, so maybe things are turning around for me.

I can’t stop myself from grinning ear to ear when I say, “I’d love to come back. I’m going to be honest, though. I’m with Alex now, and I have no intention of breaking things off with him for anything, including this show. If that isn’t okay, then I’ll have to decline your offer.”

Fraternization with other contestants is against our contracts, but having a man like him is worth a thousand chances at a grand prize of a million dollars. They may not understand, but it doesn’t matter.

I know the value of what Alex and I have.

After they mumble a few things to each other, they both turn to me and Maria says, “We’re fine with that. So is that a yes to coming back?”

I nod, happy I stood my ground and stood up for what matters. “It’s a yes.”

“Just so you know, that whole thing with Emma is going to be edited into the show,” Shane says with a chuckle.

For a second, I worry that I came off too mean and viewers will see me as a bitch, but you know what? I don’t care. Call me a bitch or a shrew or anything else, but I told the truth and showed I wouldn’t let anyone run all over me anymore.

I bet my father would be proud.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Alex

I lookaround the studio at all the contestants I’ve spent the last couple weeks with and can’t help but think this experience hasn’t been all terrible. Yes, Emma poisoned Murphy, but he’s okay now and she’s been arrested. And yes, she tried to drug me, but Kane made sure that didn’t happen.

But the best thing about Chef on Chef was meeting Kat. We had a rough start, but these past few days have been nothing short of perfect. During the day, we act like we’re just two people competing for a million-dollar prize, but at night, we make up for all that pretending not to care about one another with hours of fantastic sex, great conversations, and the most fun I’ve ever had with a woman.

All in all, this reality show has been an experience I’ll never forget.

Shane walks out to the middle of the set and waves his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Okay, it’s our last day together, and Maria and I have made it an easy one. We want to thank you for a great show! It’s been exciting, hasn’t it?”

I glance over at Kat a few stations away, and she gives me a look that says she might call all that happened something other than exciting. I wink at her, hoping she remembers what I said we’d do tonight to celebrate finally being done with Chef on Chef. I’ve got a surprise for her too, and I can’t wait to give it to her.

“Okay, okay. It has been a wild ride at times, but I think we can all honestly say it’s been memorable,” Shane says with a chuckle. “Today, we’re going to end our time together with interviews, so be ready when we yell your name. Alex, you’re up first!”

As I walk over to where Maria and Shane wait, I give Kat a tiny smile. We’re supposed to pretend we aren’t actually dating, but since the show is over, I figure it couldn’t hurt. So what if people know?

Taking my seat in front of the camera, I look around this area of the set for the final time. When I had my first interview, I had no idea what this experience would be like. That day, Kat and I got into it, and I had a feeling I was going to hate everything about doing this show.

It’s amazing how things change.

“So Alex, tell us about how working on your first reality show has been?” Maria asks. “Did you have a good time?”

Unsure if I should mention anything about the criminal acts Emma carried out, I stick to the positives I have about the show. “You know, I didn’t expect this to be life changing for me, but it turns out it was. I came to this with a passion for cooking and loving being a chef, but I found something more to care about, and for that, I’ll always remember Chef on Chef as a good thing.”

Shane nods as I give my answer, obviously pleased, and when I finish, he asks, “Did you have fun? We always hope that contestants have a good time on all of our shows.”

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