Authors: Sommer Marsden
You’re more nervous you’ll win than you won’t …
The thought was there in her face a bit startling, but more startling was the fact that it was true. She was more worried they’d name her Best Chef than that they wouldn’t.
Beside Kat stood every single guest judge that had ever guest judged on the show. Some of them looked happy, some angry, some indifferent. Behind all those folks were the other contestants who’d been called in to witness the finale.
Cole glanced her way and gave her that half grin. He winked at her and she remembered the feel of him pressing into her just a few minutes before. How the cool marble counter had felt under her steadying hands. How they’d come at the same time, gazes locked in the mirror, a camera man knocking on the door.
‘We’ve never had such a hard time before in Best Chef.’
Jill tried to suck in a decent breath and failed. Without thinking, she sidled up to Cole and took his hand. They were waiting for a verdict, who would think twice about them being nervous.
He squeezed her hand and kissed the side of her head. Ginger smiled from behind the judges. She knew, that was clear. But that was fine. Jill didn’t care.
‘We went back and forth and back and forth. We called in a tie breaker and still it was a difficult decision …’
She squeezed Cole’s hand so hard she heard him chuckle. He seemed so … calm. That freak!
‘And still the battle raged on,’ Kat Stephens said, clearly loving the suspenseful moment and relishing their discomfort. ‘Simple alligator meat elevated to something sophisticated in a lovely creamy sauce or down home perfection with fried ’gator and all the fixins?’
‘We never thought we’d finish deliberation,’ Kat went on, milking the moment for all it was worth.
Jill had a brief but vivid fantasy of tackling the woman and pulling her hair.
‘But finally, we did. And the judges finally agreed that we had only one option.’
She squeezed Cole’s hand harder still and held her breath and thought she’d hallucinated when Kat said, ‘There is the first ever tie of Best Chef. Congratulations, Chefs. You are both the best chef.’
The confetti fell and when Cole grabbed her up in the thickly muscled cage of his arms, she never thought she’d stop shaking. Her whole body trembled with it. They’d both won. Together. They’d both proven what needed to be proven and they’d both succeeded.
He kissed her and that was the cherry on the sundae. Perfect day. Perfect outcome. Perfect man.
Epilogue
‘WE DID IT,’ HE said, running a towel over his short dark hair.
‘We did.’ Jill put her clothes in a single dresser. They’d immediately checked out of the suites provided by Best Chef and travelled across town to a swanky suite that was pretty and luxurious and very high up on a top floor. Jill felt like they were tucked away in a secret tower and nothing else mattered but them.
There was still stuff in DC to do for the show. Appearances and cooking demos and morning shows awaited them but the night was theirs.
Cole came up behind her and wrapped her in his arms. He walked her one stutter step at a time to the sizeable kitchenette. There was a congratulatory basket on the counter from the judging committee of Best Chef.
‘Order in or make our own dinner?’ he asked, pressing his lips to her neck. Kissing her gently on the thin skin above her thrumming pulse.
‘I say order in. I don’t think I want to cook for a week,’ she said.
He palmed her breasts through the lush white robe provided by the hotel. When that wasn’t enough, he pushed his fingers below the lapels and stroked her warm, bare skin. It made her breath hurry out of her and her nipples peak into hard rosy points.
‘I saw a nice Porterhouse and crab cake combo on the menu. We could order wine and some fresh veg and maybe a chocolate cake with raspberries and whipped cream.’ He was creating food lust with his verbal food foreplay.
She hummed low in her throat.
‘Sounds great.’
‘But first, we have something to take care of in here.’
‘We do? What?’
Cole opened one of the kitchenette drawers and pulled out a wire whisk. The kitchen was all white. Wood and tile and nice clean counters. A small dinette set sat in one corner consisting of two red leather and chrome chairs and a Formica topped chrome table. ‘You were bad,’ he said very softly.
Her skin pebbled with goose bumps and her heart twisted a little. But her pussy, oh her pussy, responded with glee at the soft and menacing words.
‘I was?’ Jill barely managed to force the words out.
‘You were. You almost threw that competition. Didn’t you?’ His blue eyes behind his black framed glasses bored into her as he turned her to face him. Cole’s jaw was set and he didn’t look angry but he did look … intense.
‘Maybe a little.’
He pushed the lapels apart further and took her breasts in his hand. The cool metal of the whisk kissed her skin because he held it loosely in one hand. When he bent to suckle one nipple and then nibble the other, she gasped. Her hips shot forward on their own, seeking him out. Wanting him.
‘That was bad.’
‘It was?’
‘It was. I appreciate it. I love you for it. But it was bad.’
‘So what … happens?’
Cole turned from her and walked to the dinette set. He settled all six foot six of himself into the small chair and patted his lap. ‘Belly up.’
‘Belly up?’
‘Put your belly over my legs, Jill. So I can punish you.’
‘So you can … what?’
And though she balked, her insides went molten and desperate. She wanted it. She wanted to give him – and herself – this little moment. She was a control freak and doing as he asked, given her nature of control, was amazing. And thrilling.
‘You heard me. Come on. I won’t hurt you. But you do have to pay for doubting me. And how I feel about you. And yourself for that matter.’
‘How did I –’
‘You gave up on something you loved and that is self doubt. I understand why and I think it is … the most amazing thing ever but hey … I don’t make the rules.’
‘Actually, you do.’ She walked to him, dropped the robe, turned her body so he could see all of her. Her long legs, the flare of her hips, the bit of a swell at her belly from tasting food all day but fuck it – she was a chef. The jut of her breasts and the quickening pulse at her throat.
When he made an appreciative noise, she slowly draped herself over his lap. Feeling like electricity was sliding along and under her skin. Feeling like she couldn’t breathe but that it was all OK.
‘I say ten for being bad. For not having faith.’
‘I had faith. I just … had more love than faith, I guess,’ she said, trying to explain.
At that admission he stroked her bottom with gentle hands. When she shut her eyes and surrendered to the sensation he let the first blow fall with the head of the whisk. It didn’t hurt. Not really. It was more of a sharp tiny sting that quickly bled into an immense pleasure when mixed with her arousal.
He wasn’t hurting her. Not even close. In fact, what he was doing was –
The second blow fell and she felt his cock hard below her belly. Then a small gush of fluid between her legs. Two more soft kisses of the metal whisk to her bottom and he said, ‘Let’s see.’
Cole thrust three fingers into her pussy. It was a lazy teasing thrust that had her wriggling on her belly and trying to meet his touch more firmly.
‘Say you love me,’ he said.
When she opened her mouth he delivered three blows, somehow managing to synch them up with her ‘You. Love. Me.’
‘Smart ass,’ he chuckled. ‘Now for real. Say you love me. If you do.’
‘Oh you are evil,’ she said.
He pushed his fingers back into her cunt – driving deep. ‘And if you tell me, I might put you out of your misery.’
Oh how she wanted that. Oh how she was nearly dancing on his lap waiting to come. Wanting him in her. Needing his touch.
She heard him raise the whisk and this time it was she who synched it up when the gentle blows were delivered. ‘I. Love. You.’
‘That’s ten,’ he nearly growled and pulled her up onto his lap.
Their hands nearly warred each other to push his robe away and free his cock. He was long and hard and judging by the colour of him, beyond ready for her. ‘Come on, Jill.’
He grinned at her and it nearly felt like her heart broke but in a good way.
She straddled him, lowering herself onto him, inch by inch as her mouth tasted his mouth and her tongue stroked over his.
He held her hands behind her at the small of her back. All she could move was her lower body and he thrust up with each movement to meet her half way. She was full of him and he was sweet.
So sweet. His cock, the way he made love, the taste of him on her tongue. Her wet hair slapped between them and his grip on her wrists got a little harder. The fine bones ground together just enough to add that pain dimension to their pleasure.
Her cunt gripped up around him and the first spasm slammed her. ‘I love you,’ she said against his throat and he groaned.
‘Don’t. Not yet,’ he said and she understood. Don’t push him over the edge just yet. He wanted more.
Her orgasm stole her words for a minute. Those sweet sticky flickerings filling her and making her move mindlessly. Grinding and rocking and driving herself down on him so that she could work every last drop of it from her body.
He used her hair as a leash, gently tugging it so she had to pull back and look at him. ‘Good?’ he asked.
‘Good?’ she snickered. ‘Were you there? Phenomenal.’
He nodded once and stood, her legs still straddling his waist, her upper body wrapped round his. He walked them both into the room proper and they fell onto the bed. She took the brunt of his weight but he was still buried deep inside of her so it triggered another swelling rush of bliss in her pussy.
‘Oh, Jesus,’ she sighed.
Cole began moving in earnest, thrusting into her and holding her still so he had better leverage to penetrate her. His eyes penetrated her too and he cocked an eyebrow. ‘You can just call me Cole, but I’m flattered.’
She grabbed his face and kissed him, muttering against his throat before biting him right above where his pulse thundered. ‘Shut up and fuck me, Chef.’
‘Cheater,’ he managed to say before he was emptying into her. Coming with a loud roar that made the fine hair on her neck stand up and her belly roll with excitement. And then she came. Her orgasm slamming her hard just from hearing him come undone.
And come undone he did. But she came undone with him.
‘Good job, Best Chef,’ he whispered in her ear.
‘And you too, Best Chef.’
‘Hungry?’ Cole asked, kissing her throat. His hands roamed her body and her body hummed to life – as it always did for him.
This is what she’d been missing. For way too long.
‘Always,’ Jill said.
‘Good. You’ll need your strength.’
‘Oh yeah? For what?’
She touched his high cheekbone, his nose, his strong forehead, his lush lips. Cole sucked her fingertip into his mouth and Jill felt a resounding tug in her cunt at the sensation.
‘For seconds of that.’
‘Seconds?’
‘And thirds …’
‘And fourths?’ Jill laughed.
‘Now you’re getting the picture,’ he said. And then he kissed her.
Her stomach rumbled merrily and he sighed. ‘Let’s get that food for you.’
She held his face in her hands for just one more magical moment. The heat off his body enveloping hers. The look on his face making something in her chest loosen and warm. ‘And for dessert?’
Cole gave her that crooked half grin and touched her gently between the legs. Leaned in and kissed her murmuring against her lips. ‘Now what do you think, Chef.’
It wasn’t lost on Jill that every kiss felt like the first. Or that she would be dessert.
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