Page 13 of Tuxedos and Tinsel

An hour later, he gave up all pretense of working. Ian stood, stretched and walked out to his secretary’s desk. “Ms. Smith, I’m going to be out of the office for a couple of hours. If something comes up, you can reach me on my cell.”

“No problem, Mr. Jeffries.”

He was going to the Bonaventure to find Maya. In his car, he cranked up the air-conditioning. Winter was a month away, yet the temperatures still hovered near eighty. On the drive, he thought about what he would say to her. Other than asking why she left, he didn’t have a clue. He did know that he was going to have a hard time not dragging her up to a room and continuing what they had started on Saturday. And if he got his hands on some more of that chocolate, all bets were off. For the past three nights, he’d had visions of all the things they had done with those desserts and woke up with a hard-on each morning. That last go-around they had changed positions at least three times and ended up half off the bed. Ian always enjoyed being adventurous in the bedroom, but no other woman had inspired him to use food during foreplay. And he suspected no other woman would. The memory of their kisses came back to him. As much as he enjoyed those truffles, they didn’t compare with the sweet taste of her mouth.

Ian parked in the registration area and entered the lobby. “Excuse me, I’m looking for Maya Brooks. She’s a pastry chef,” he said to the concierge.

The woman frowned. “I don’t think we have an employee by that name, but maybe she’s new. I’ll call the executive chef. He’ll be able to help you.”

“Thanks.” He could have sworn she said she worked at the hotel.

“If you’ll follow me, sir.”

He followed her to the entrance of an expensive steak house located on the thirty-fifth floor, where a man wearing a chef’s jacket waited.

He introduced himself. “Hello. I understand you’re looking for one of my employees.”

“Yes,” Ian said. “Maya Brooks. She provided the desserts for a party here on Saturday night.”

“I’m sorry. Maya doesn’t work for the hotel. She was contracted directly by the client.”

Ian did his best to hide his shock and, yes, panic.

The man folded his arms across his chest and frowned slightly. “Why are you looking for her?”

“I attended the party Saturday and enjoyed several of the desserts.”Enjoyedprobably wasn’t the most accurate word, but it was appropriate for the conversation. “I’m planning a small gathering and wanted to see if Ms. Brooks was available,” he lied.

“Hmm. What was your favorite?”

“The black-and-white pudding parfait.”

The chef’s features relaxed. “Mine, too. Isn’t it exquisite?”

“It was absolutely unforgettable.”In more ways than one.

“Well, she did ask me to pass on her information to prospective clients. Wait here and I’ll get it.”

“Thank you.” Ian breathed a sigh of relief. He was one step closer to finding Maya. The chef returned moments later and handed Ian a piece of paper. Ian thanked the man again and hurried off with a huge grin on his face. Back in his car, he programmed the address into his GPS and was surprised to find it was in a residential area. Did she work out of her home? He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, debating whether to go directly to her house or wait until tonight. Now. He couldn’t wait. It was already after four and that made it close to evening, he reasoned. Besides, after getting through the downtown traffic, it would be evening when he arrived. He called his secretary to tell her he would not be returning and then, starting the engine, eased out of the lot and onto the road.

It took him over an hour to get to Maya’s place and, luckily, someone was exiting the gate as he reached the entry to her condominium complex. He parked in an uncovered spot, circled back to her unit and rang the bell, hoping she was home. His head came up when the door opened.

“Ian! What are you... How did you... What are you doing here?” Maya asked, surprise clearly evident in her voice.

He drank in the sight of her and let his gaze wander over her luscious body in a fitted T-shirt and skimpy shorts, and standing barefoot. Every detail of their night together came rushing back, and his body reacted in kind. She wasn’t out of his system. Not by a long shot.

Chapter 5

Maya couldn’t believe Ian was standing at her door. How had he gotten her address?

“You left without saying goodbye.”

“I—”

Ian moved closer until their bodies were touching. “Invite me in, Maya,” he whispered against her lips. When she nodded, he backed her into the house and shut the door behind him, pulling her into his arms and slanting his mouth over hers.

Heat shot to her core and she moaned in his mouth. Their tongues tangled and danced and she felt herself losing control. Maya broke off the kiss.

He eased back and rested his forehead against hers. “Why did you leave?”