Page 25 of Chef's Kiss

“Christian, we’ve got hundreds of location in—“

“Don’t give me numbers. Give me my woman!” I all but stomp my foot. “And then I’ll agree to any number you want.”

“You want me to find a woman, in one of our stores?”

“As fast as you can, if you want this deal.”

He exhales hard. “I’m not sure about the legality of this—“

“I don’t give a damn about legal. All I care about is her. Can you find her or not?”

“What’s she look like?”

A rush of excitement shoots through me and I damn near spit out her entire description to him in under two seconds.

“Okay, slow down. Can you repeat that, and do you have a picture of her?”

The last thing I want is another man looking at my woman, but in this case I have to do whatever it takes.

“Just imagine the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen. Blond hair, blue eyes, and the innocence of a girl who still believes the world is a beautiful place.”

“Do girls like that even exist in L.A. anymore?” Jack asks. I’d completely forgotten he was even on the line.

“They don’t, but she does. One of a kind and she’s mine…and I’m going to find her and get her back. Right. Fucking. Now.”

CHAPTER 18

Christian

I’m practically bouncing off the wall for nineteen minutes, which just so happens to be how many years she’s been on this planet. My phone rings and I hit the green answer button so hard and so quickly I stab my phone right out of my hands, the device hitting the floor.

I dive onto my hands and knees, grab it and bring it to my ear.

“Tell me you found her.”

“We’ve got a visual at a location.”

My heart pounds in my chest. Hope.

“Send me an image from the security camera,” I demand.

“I knew you’d ask that. It should be hitting your phone right about…”

My phone dings and I look at it.

My woman.

I howl at the ceiling like a feral wolf.

“You okay over there, bud?”

“Give me the address, and don’t let her leave.”

He rattles off the numbers and just as he’s done I end the call.

We can talk business or whatever he wants later. I’m going to go get my woman, and I’m not coming back here without her in my arms.

CHAPTER 19

Charlotte

“Another pumpkin spice latte, miss. It’s on the house.”

“Really,” I say, shooting the barista a crooked eyebrow.

“We value you as a customer and hope you have a nice day.”

He turns to go and I realize that was a little too practiced of a line. When he rounds the corner he glances back at me quickly, almost as if to see if I’m still here.

I feel like I’m in a James Bond movie and someone is setting me up to get whacked. Is Christian the jealous type who’d take it so far he’d hire a sniper to take me out? Just one quick shot through the window?

I giggle for the first time and take a sip of my free drink. Wow, my imagination really is wild…just like it convinced me we had something together.

But that giggle quickly turns to surprise, and a bit of disgust, when the door comes flying open and I see Christian lock his sights on me, moving toward me like a heat seeking missiles.

I wish the booth would just swallow me up, but it’s not to be as he approaches my table, which I’ve occupied for way too many hours now.

“Is this seat taken?” he asks.

“Yes,” I say, but he blatantly disregards me, pulling out the chair opposite me and sitting down.

He reaches for my hands but I pull them back.

“What are you doing here?” I ask. “How did you find me?”

“When you want something more than anything in the world you find a way.”

He looks at me with an expression that can’t be faked, one that is completely real and genuine, but I’m still not having it.

“You had me, but you didn’t want me.”

“Will you please tell me what you’re talking about? What set you off this morning?”

As much as I want him gone, this reminds me of an age-old adage they tell writers. Readers can’t stand an unanswered question. I have to know how he found me, and I have to get to the bottom of why he did what he did. And it sounds like he has a similar question especially for me.

I exhale hard. “Why didn’t you want to be seen in public with me yesterday?”

“Why didn’t I…” he shakes his head and then drops it so low I can see the crown on top. It’s where the king’s wreath I anointed him used to sit, but the polish wore off long ago and it’s completely missing.

His head rises and he looks at me just shaking his head. “Is that what this is all about?”

“Is this all? You act like it’s no big deal. You’re embarrassed to be seen with me in public!” I yell. A few people turn and look at us. “What?” I stare, and their heads quickly duck in other directions.

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