Cajun Vacation (11 page)

He put on a faux grimace. “It’s not just the dinner, you know. The visitor’s bureau wants to come by and take some photos. Maybe even get a comment or two. Plus we need to be able to say that we honor the terms of all our prizes. If the bureau just wanted to offer a dinner, we sell gift certificates for them to give out. It’s really all about the personal cooking experience that I offer in our private dining rooms.”

“Oh…,” said Sara, and she took another sip of her drink. “I thought that we could just make a quick deal and get you out of the whole cooking for the prize thing.”

“Have you had lunch yet?” he asked.

“No,” she said biting her lower lip.

“Well then, that solves the problem,” he said. “You let me cook you a private lunch and then you can have a regular dinner with your sisters in the restaurant.” He had no intention of not cooking for her sisters later, but Sara didn’t need to know that. All she needed to do was accept his current offer and then he’d have her for another hour at least while he prepared a meal for her.

He kept his gaze fixed on her and admired all the angles of her face. She was the image of beauty. Full round eyes, high cheekbones, and lips that heated his heart every time her lips passed over them. Even under her clothes, he could make out the luscious curves of her hips, thighs, and body. He needed to be careful not to scare her away. Her anxiety had lessened since tasting his chocolate drink, but her eyes betrayed some inner battle she waged. He needed to add an appeal to something else.

“If you let me cook you lunch now then I can go back to the visitor’s bureau and tell them that I still honored all the terms of the prize: a meal personally cooked by me and dinner. I don’t think they’ll mind if we break it up into two meals,” he said. Sara relaxed.

“You’re helping me, so I wouldn’t want you to get any bad publicity,” she said, seeming to decide. Then she added in a low voice of her own. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”

Her sudden teasing hit him unexpectedly. “Absolutely,” he said, smiling back at her and wondering if her sudden change in demeanor meant anything. He made a quick decision.

“You up for a short walk?” he asked.

“Won’t lunch be here?” she asked.

“We only have two private rooms in the restaurant and during lunch, unless there’s a prior reservation, they’re kept open for our business clients holding small group meetings. But I have another kitchen, that I used to cater out of, and it is only a block away. I kept it and it’s fully stocked,” he said. He wasn’t completely honest. The private rooms were used mostly for groups during lunches and early breakfasts, but they were both empty now. The next reservation for either of them was two hours away.

Sara seemed to hesitate again, and then he added. “I can give you a tour while you’re there too.”

He put his hand on the small of her back and a shock of electricity went through his arm, but instead of pulling away, he pressed his hand more firmly on her back and the energy warmed him. She relaxed into his hand, and then walked with him to the door.

The old kitchen sat less than five minutes away from the restaurant. From the outside it looked like a converted real estate office, but inside had been completely redone. Laurent held the door open for her.

“Years ago, when I started out, I turned it into a fully functional kitchen for catering and cooking classes that I occasionally ran,” said Laurent. “I tried to make it feel warm and inviting for the classes I ran, but most people prefer to be at the restaurant, especially since I started guest judging on TV.”

A small lounge area sat off the main kitchen with ample storage in back. Laurent kept everything as spotless as in his restaurant. Sara put her bag down on a leather sofa. This was her first time in a professional kitchen, and her host was one of the most gorgeous men she’d ever laid eyes on. She still couldn’t believe that she had flirted with him at the restaurant. It had happened so abruptly. She used a line that she had heard Alicia use once. Her plan to stick to business hadn’t gone so well. Now her mind filled with ideas that Laurent was interested in her because of his own flirty comments.

Years of experience taught her otherwise. Handsome, gorgeous men like Laurent, a growing celebrity in his own right, didn’t go for plus sized women like her. Celebrities had their pick of beautiful women and a man like Laurent could afford to be picky.

There were sparks that flew between them. When he put his hands on her back it felt a surge of heat moved from his hands straight to her thighs. It was more powerful than any she’d felt before, but she would be a fool to consider them signs of love. Lust, maybe, if he felt them too. But she didn’t do flings. Sleeping with a man always took off a piece of her heart. Then when he tossed her away, it ended in heartbreak. She couldn’t afford any more heartbreak.

The wild images she had of Laurent naked didn’t help, and she needed to get through this lunch, without doing anything rash — Like falling down on the nearby sofa with him on top of her.

“So what’s for lunch?” she asked. If she kept his mind on food, then the meal would pass quickly, and she could be on her way. Unless he wanted me for dessert, she thought. She scolded herself for her lack of control concerning this man.

He walked her around the counter and by the cabinets. “I have a confession to make,” he said. She braced herself for some sort of rejection. He probably just remembered an appointment, or a date. It always ended with goodbye. She should have known better then to start daydreaming about him.

“This is the first meal I’ve made in this kitchen in over a year, so I’d like it to be something special,” he said, and her mouth dropped open. “It’s all about you Sara. What kind of foods do you really love and I’ll make something unforgettable. I’ll even teach you if you like.” He started pulling random ingredients out of the refrigerator.

Her mouth dropped open for a moment while she caught her breath. Not one of her boyfriends had ever made her feel as special as this stranger. A man she had met less than fifteen minutes ago. She pulled her thoughts together. “I like the ethnic, spicy stuff. But I usually have a very light lunch so I can eat more at dinner.” Then she added quickly. “I’m on a diet.”

Laurent dropped his knife, and it clattered on the cutting board. “You’re on a what?”

She took a step back at the change in his voice. The way it rumbled through her, frightened, and turned her on, at the same time. She wasn’t sure which emotion to act on, so she answered. “I’m on a diet.”

He turned on her, wild emotions roiled through his eyes, and he took her by both shoulders. “I don’t ever want to hear you say that again. Do you hear me? You’re a beautiful woman Sara. Absolutely amazing and desirable. Men should worship you and your body.” His voice ached with passion and she felt the heat of his grip ignite something down in the vee between her legs, but a louder voice in her head told her to run. Sara Canning — Ever practical, ever sensible, forever safe. So running is what she tried to do.

She slipped out of his hold. “I’m sorry to have bothered you. My sisters and I can pass on dinner tonight,” she said, turning for the door. Before she took a single step, his hand was on her arm, spinning her around to face him again. She thought briefly of trying to hit him with her free hand, but the moment she faced him, his lips pressed against hers. Every thought short-circuited from the rush of electricity that flowed between them. Then his tongue swept into her mouth, tasting her, and claiming her. She let out a moan, both her hands moving to rake down every ripped muscle under his shirt as she kissed him back.

He pushed her hair back and kissed down her neck to her collarbone. The kisses alternated between gentle and biting on her skin.

He brought his head up from her neck. “Promise me you’ll never talk about dieting again,” he said.

The thinking part of her brain still hadn’t started to work again, so she nodded. He let her go and pulled her back to the counter next to him. Her skin flushed and visions of Laurent kissing more than just her neck flooded her mind.

“What will you do if I do talk about diets again?” she asked.

Chapter 14

He pursued women when he was interested. Usually they were all receptive to his advances. Especially after he started making a name for himself on TV, he’d had to rebuff more than his fair share of women that he didn’t want. But never once had he ever kissed, or touched, a woman without their permission. When he grabbed Sara and scolded her about being on a diet, he wondered if she might scream or run out to call 911. Then an overpowering instinct had taken hold of him and he just kissed her. Not a light gently kiss, or even an ordinary, passionate kiss. He’d kissed her like he possessed her and no other man could ever touch lips with her again.

Even as she kissed him back, a voice in his head warned him that if he didn’t stop right away, he would push things too far and drive her away. So he pulled away from her. The kiss held promise, but he couldn’t move things too quickly, and he needed to show her he was a man who kept his own promises. Like the simple act of making her lunch. Then, if he had his way, they could explore their kiss in more detail.

He barely registered her speaking. Then he stopped cold, his blood froze him in place as he turned his head to look at her again.

“What did you say?” he asked, not believing what his mind told him.

She shuffled her feet, turned up one lip, and put a hand on her hip. “What will you do, if I talk about diets again,” she said. Her low voice and body language left no room for doubt about her intention. His blood went from frozen to a simmer in seconds.

He gazed into her eyes. “If you talk about diets again, then I’m going to spank you like a naughty child,” he said. He could feel his pulse. His breath slowed as he waited to see how she responded. Did he misinterpret her teasing, and just say something that pegged him as a crazy man, or was she really flirting with him.

Her lips rounded like she was kissing. “D — I — E — T. Diet,” she said.

He reached over, took her by both shoulders, and pulled her chest into his. “You’re a very naughty woman,” he said, and scooped her up with both hands to walk over to the sofa. He flipped her over, and laid her on her belly across his lap. His hand came down on her skirt before she had a chance to speak. The fabric muted the slap and she whimpered underneath his hand.

“I don’t think that’s nearly enough punishment,” he said.

“Harder,” she said her voice thick with need.

His hand slipped under her skirt to move up the curve of her ass until it reached the tops of her panties. “I don’t think we need anything in-between you and your punishment,” he said. Then he tugged at them. She moved her hips as he slowly slipped them off and they dropped to her knees. He lifted the skirt until her ass was completely exposed. Her sex already glistened with moisture, but he didn’t intend to go there. Not yet. Not until she’d been spanked.

His hand came down again and cracked against her skin. Harder than before, but still soft enough he knew he wouldn’t hurt her.

“More,” she said as she pressed her ass back into his hand. She tried lifting her hips up to force his finger to slide across her pussy, but he wasn’t going to have any of that. This was his punishment for her, and she wouldn’t end it before he was ready. His cock bulged in his pants. One of Sara’s hands covered it over his jeans.

“Still not enough,” he said, and then his hand began a rhythmic spanking. Each blow growing in intensity and speed. His hand moving ever closer to the one spot she desired him to touch. Whimpers alternated with moans and she grew wetter and wetter. Her thighs heavy with moisture that dripped down her legs.

Finally, he stopped, and gently slid his fingers across her swollen lips. He slipped one finger inside. She responded with a loud moan and bucked her hips back into his hand.

“I’ve punished you enough Sara,” he said, slipping another finger inside her, sliding them in and out. “Now it’s time to make it all feel better.”

She nodded her head in his lap. His fingers moved at a steady pace while her thigh muscles tightened their grip. Her hips joined the movement and their tempo increased. He felt his own heart speeding up as her sounds of pleasure rang through the kitchen. She stood on the edge and a single flick of his thumb across her clit sent her over the edge.

She bucked frantically as her orgasm swept across her. He thought she might break one of his fingers that still massaged her insides. The second wave came right on the heels of the first until her spasms of pleasure subsided.

He took his fingers out and laid her across the sofa. Moving behind her, he freed his cock and quickly rolled on a condom. She raised her hips higher to meet him. He teased the outside of her pussy lips with his head when she shocked him by bucking quickly back, driving his cock deep inside. He reacted immediately, pushing deeper into her. He thrust into her without regard for her own needs or pleasure. Long, powerful thrusts, each coming quicker than before, as he held tight onto her hips. Her arms gripped the sofa above her head. Her moans became pants. His own heart raced, and he fought the growing tide of pleasure building in his groin.

One of Sara’s hands moved back under her belly and in between her thighs. He watched, thinking she was about to masturbate herself, but then he felt her squeezing and kneading his balls. Her touch sent a shockwave through him, and he went over the edge. His first orgasm hit as her second reached a crest. He drove his cock deep and she pushed back to take every inch.

When the twitching in his cock finished, they fell on the floor next to each other and he slid out of her. He pulled her head to his and kissed her again, stroking her face.

He broke their kiss and she lay next to him, exhausted yet wanting more. Her hidden kinky side had emerged with an insatiable need to make up for more than a decade of normal, boring sex, that she had had with men possessing less than a tenth the skill Laurent displayed. Aftershocks of pleasure wracked her body, and she marveled at how she could have so quickly had sex with a man she had only met a short time ago. If she could channel her inner Alicia, how much more did she have in common with her sister?