“Well, I hope they get here soon. I have an appointment downtown to pick up that special order seafood for the Millers.”
“I can do that for you, Boss.”
James really was great, but I was getting irritated and concerned that this couple hadn’t shown up yet. I was just about to call and find out where they were when the front door buzzed.
“Finally!” I stood to go get the door when James rushed out first.
“Let me get it. Make them wait for you for a second.” He winked at me. “It’s a power move.”
I grinned and went to rinse out my coffee cup. I didn’t much care for power moves and games like that. I just wanted to cook good food for people who appreciated it.
***
After a couple of minutes, I headed out of the kitchen into the “conference room.” It wasn’t really a conference room, but more like a storeroom that we’d put a small table and chairs in so that I didn’t have to meet clients in my office. Health regulations prohibited them from coming into the kitchen, so it was the best we could do in our space.
Her back was to me as I entered the conference room, and I didn’t see the guy anywhere. All I saw was long, straight silver hair and well-manicured fingers scrolling through a cellphone that cost as much as a month’s rent on this place.
I cleared my throat as I came in, to let her know I was here. “Kimberly?”
She turned to me and I had to conceal my surprise. The best way to describe her appearance was “wannabe Kim Kardashian.” She clearly had made a few trips to the plastic surgeon, and had overly plumped lips, eyelashes that were so thick and fake that it looked like her eyes had been attacked by spiders. She was wearing a ton of makeup, and body-hugging clothes that showed ample, fake breasts. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but this wasn’t it at all.
She didn’t stand to greet me, but simply said, “Yes.”
Crossing the small room, I pulled out a chair and sat down. “Is Bryant able to join us this morning?” I could only imagine the kind of man who’d be attracted to a woman that looked like this. Where Kim Kardashian pulled the look off elegantly, Kimberly (if that was even her real name) looked like a discount store version. I was half expecting a Kanye wannabe to be her fiance.
“Oh, he’s here. Your assistant Jim took him to use the restroom. It took quite a bit longer to get here than we anticipated. I’m surprised you’re so far out of the city.” She looked around uncomfortably.
My assistant James hated being called Jim, and it made me wonder if these people had heard of a thing called Siri.
“We find it to be convenient,” I replied. “Less city traffic.”
There was a moment of awkward silence, and then we both heard the men talking as they approached the door so we turned our heads. I could hear James laughing and saying, “Well, maybe that’s why Zuckerberg wears the same color every day!”
As the door to the conference room opened, I was taken aback again. The man standing before me was no Kanye wannabe. This was the most beautiful man I had ever laid eyes on in my life.
His skin was the color of coffee with cream. His eyes were this green color that reminded me of artichokes that had been perfectly steamed. His lips were full and pink, and when he smiled they revealed perfectly even white teeth.
I sat there with my mouth open, just taking him in until I realized what I was doing. I bolted up and out of the chair so fast that I hit my knee on the table. I didn’t even notice, but the sound made everyone look my way.
“That sounded like it hurt,” James said. “Are you okay?”
I was most definitely not okay, but it had nothing to do with my knee. I was desperately trying to find my professional composure. I stuck my hand out and said, “Nikki.”
Not, “Yes, I’m okay” or “Come on in.” Just, “Nikki.”
Kimberly was looking at me like I’d grown a horn out of my forehead. “Oh hey, babe.” She stood up and placed a hand possessively on his chest and went in for a kiss. “I’m glad you’re back.”
He gave his fiance a peck and then extended his hand to shake mine. “Hi Nikki. I’m Bryant.”
Our eye contact was so intense that I had to look away. James seemed to notice and then cleared his throat. “Well. I’ll be in the kitchen if anyone needs me.” He shut the door behind him, and I could see a grin on his face.
“Come on in. Sit down,” I said, regaining my composure. “Let’s talk about your engagement party!” I grabbed my pen and a notepad, ready to take notes.
Bryant and Kimberly sat down and I noticed that her entire demeanor had changed. She’d gone from arrogant and aloof to this clingy affectionate female.
“First of all,” she said, practically cooing, “I just need you to know that money is no object. Bryant is a very successful businessman and has plenty of money. So we want the best of the best. High end all the way. No cutting corners. Isn’t that right, babe?”
He was still staring at me with those eyes, but he grinned and I was pretty much lost in his dimples. “Well. I mean, we don’t have to go crazy or anything. No swans or anything like that.”
I smiled and wrote down on my pad, “No swans. Got it.”
Bryant chuckled and I grinned, but Kimberly didn’t get the joke. “Why would we have swans? The party is at the Hamilton? They don’t even have a lake.” As she looked back and forth between Bryant and me, with a completely clueless look on her face, I realized one important thing. I’d better be very careful with this client. He was the sexiest man I’d ever seen. Charming. Funny. Wealthy and successful. But his taste in women was questionable. I’d better stay far away from The Billionaire and focus on making The Bimbo happy. That was the key to success for this gig.
Chapter Three: A Spicy Little Dish
I couldn’t sleep so I did what I always did when I got insomnia. I cooked. I’d thought about getting dressed and driving to the office and cooking there, but it was 2:00 in the morning.
The meeting with Bryant and Kimberly had gone well. She was pretty much an idiot and a gold digger; or so it seemed to me. I honestly couldn’t figure out what a guy like that saw in a chick like her.
All night long as I’d been tossing and turning, I kept telling myself that it was none of my business and I was just the caterer. No matter how much I tried to put it out of my mind, the question kept coming back. “What the actual hell?”
If girls like that were the ones getting guys like him, what chance did someone like me have of finding a great guy?
So I went down to the kitchen, still wearing the chili pepper pajamas and knee socks I’d worn to bed. Bryant had said that he liked spicy food, but Kimberly had said that her family preferred comfort classics. I had a ton of stuff already on the menu that would likely appeal to Kimberly, but I found myself wanting to create something fresh and new for Bryant. Something saucy and spicy that I’d never given anyone else before...
Get a grip, Nikki This is food you’re talking about, not sex.
If I were being honest with myself, though, I’d have to admit that it was about more than just food. It wasn’t even about Bryant, although he definitely got my water boiling. It was about me.