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  “I have to agree with Sasha,” Genise said, grinning at her. “I’m betting you have never fixed a meal in this space before, unless you were handing Chef Ethan a measuring cup.”

  Anger began setting in at how her sisters doubted her talents as a cook. She knew her way around this kitchen as well as or better than Ethan. If they didn’t believe her then she would just have to prove it to them. This would be the last time either one of them taunted her about her culinary abilities.

  “Fine, if both of you need proof that I know how to cook, I will give it to you,” Akisha said, moving away from the counter.

  Sasha and Genise both glanced at each other then back in her direction. “Are you sure about this? Don’t you need Ethan’s permission to cook in here?” Sasha questioned warily.

  Without giving them an answer, she spun around on her heel and went around the kitchen, gathering everything she needed to fix breakfast. She was as much a part of this place as he was. He might not have noticed it yet, because he was too busy dating every woman who wasn’t worth his time; however, he was too stupid to even notice.

  “I don’t need Ethan’s permission to do anything at all. I can work in this kitchen anytime I want to do it. He isn’t going to say anything because he won’t care,” she said, placing a skillet on the stove then turning it on along with the oven.

  She worked getting all of the ingredients and placing them in a glass bowl. After that was done, she put the bacon on a tray, opened the oven, and slid it inside. Today, she determined to prove to her sisters that she wasn’t hung up on Ethan as they believed she was.

  He spent more time away from here than inside the building. Now, she wasn’t taking away from the excellent chef he was, but if he came in more than four times a week he might be able to get this place off the ground.

  Shaking Ethan out of her head, Akisha grabbed the bowl and dropped the first three pancakes into the hot skillet. “See, I’m not scared to cook here,” she told her sisters. “I’m doing it now, aren’t I?”

  “Yeah, but Ethan could walk in at any second and fire you on the spot,” Genise chimed in. “We don’t want to get you into trouble with him.”

  Flipping over the pancakes, Akisha doubted Ethan would be in today. He was probably having too much fun with his newest conquest at her place because he never allowed any of them to spend a night at his.

  “Genise, I seriously doubt my boss will make an appearance here today,” she answered. “Ethan has more important things to do with his time.”

  “Like what?” Sasha asked as she took the first stack of pancakes out of the skillet and placed them down on plates.

  “I would like to hear the answer to that question myself,” a male voice said from behind her.

  Gasping, Akisha spun around and found Ethan with his suit jacket folded across his arm and his shoulder braced against the wall. His light brown eyes caught hers in a direct stare from across the room. She was momentarily speechless at how handsome he looked. Ethan’s six-feet, one-inch frame seemed to fill the doorway as his gaze never left hers; it was very intimidating to be caught held captive like this from only a look.

  “Hmmm, I think we should be going,” Sasha said, drawing her attention back to her sisters. They were grabbing their purses and easing out of the seats.

  No...They couldn’t leave her alone with Ethan. He didn’t look happy with her. They had to stay here and have her back.

  “Don’t go,” Akisha insisted. “I thought we were going to eat breakfast together. I’m working on it now.”

  Genise quickly glanced past her back at Ethan. “Thanks, but no thanks. All of a sudden I’m not all that hungry. Anyways, we are going to Luxury to check on Rachelle,” her sister answered, following Sasha. “We need to see how things turned out with Cash. Call us later when you get a chance.”

  “Morning, Ethan,” Genise said as she rushed towards Akisha’s boss.

  Ethan took that moment to look away from her and at her sisters as they hurried past him. “Morning, ladies,” he answered as Sasha and Genise left them alone.

  The second they were gone, Ethan gave her his full attention. “Why don’t you turn everything off, so we can get a few things straight, Akisha?” he said, coming further into the room.

  “Yes, sir,” she answered.

  Sighing, Akisha turned off the oven and the stove. She didn’t even have to guess how this conversation was going to go. Her boss had walked in and overheard her talking bad about him. She loved working here and now it was about to be taken away from her, thanks to her sisters.

  ****

  Tossing his jacket on the counter, Ethan watched as Akisha came closer to him. She was the better looking one of the triplets, not that all of them weren’t good-looking women. But, something about her enthusiasm caught his attention the first time he saw her. She sparked his interest greatly, but he never broke his golden rule of mixing business with pleasure.

  He wasn’t dumb. He had eyes, and from a very young age noticed when a woman was attracted to him. He was flattered by having such a beautiful woman into him, but nothing could come of it.

  She was the best assistant he had hired in a long time to keep his kitchen in order, and he wasn’t about to lose her for a hot night of mindless sex. He could get that from any of the women who threw themselves at him during his cooking classes. No, he wanted Akisha to stay at his side, which meant he couldn’t ever have her in his bed.

  “Yes, Mr. Newman,” Akisha said.

  “Akisha, we need to talk about what just happened,” he said, crossing his arms across his chest.

  Ethan wasn’t in the mood for a long conversation. He just came from a date that should have ended last night, but Rachael had invited him to crash on her couch. Since he was too worn out from partying, he had taken his date up on her offer. However, he made sure he was gone way before she woke up. Everything between them was causal and he would make sure it stayed that away.

  “I want to apologize for cooking breakfast for my sisters inside the test kitchen without asking you first,” she told him. “I shouldn’t have done it.”

  “I’m not concerned about you cooking a meal for your sisters here. What I wanted to speak with you about is your comment about my dating life. You are my employee. It isn’t any of your business who I go out with or how long I have been dating them,” he commented.

  “I value your skills here more than I have of any of my assistants in the past. Yet, if you can’t keep your comments to yourself, you can give me your two weeks’ notice and I will find someone to replace you. This choice is yours, Ms. Williams.”

  An inexplicable look of embarrassment came over Akisha’s face before it disappeared. For an instant, he felt bad about the way he had just spoken to her, but it had to be done. He couldn’t allow her to keep thinking anything could happen between them.

  “I apologize for stepping out of line, sir. I shouldn’t have gossiped about you with my sisters. I love my job and I want to keep it. I can promise you that you won’t hear another word come from my mouth about you or any of your dates.”

  “See that you keep your promise or I will have to fire you,” Ethan warned as he uncrossed his arms. “I’m heading home to shower and change into some fresh clothes. I know when I get back that the kitchen will be back in working order.”

  “Yes, it will.”

  “Thank you.” Turning, he grabbed his jacket off the counter and headed for the entrance. Ethan didn’t look back as he left the kitchen because he didn’t want to see the hurt look on Akisha’s beautiful face.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Rachelle walked around the lobby of Luxury, making sure that everything was in order before her sisters showed up. She had been working for five days straight, and it was time for her to have a day off—especially after everything going on with Cash. As much as she tried, she couldn’t get her mind off what Cash had confessed to her.

  Wasn’t she more responsible and logical to like a man whose career mos
tly involved criticizing others?

  She wasn’t trying to be self-righteous, but she hated when someone used another person’s misery or success for their own personal gain. She was always telling her younger sisters how they should date good, respectable guys and here she was having feelings for Cash.

  He wasn’t the man she believed him to be at all. He made his living being uncaring and probably malicious. How did she know that he wasn’t hiding something bigger than this from her?

  It took a certain kind of person to be a gossip reporter and she had to choose her partner carefully. She couldn’t fall hopelessly in love with a man with whom she had little in common.

  No, Rachelle realized that she couldn’t let her attraction to Cash go any further. She had to break things off between the two of them while it was still in the beginning stages.

  Last night would make a wonderful memory for her, but she had to stick to her values and not allow Cash to become more important to her. He would only be a guest at Luxury for the remainder of his stay here.

  Aren’t you being a little judgmental? her mind taunted. Cash’s job shouldn’t be such a huge issue for you if he’s a good guy.

  “Have you had a chance to think about what we were talking about?”

  Rachelle peeked over her shoulder and found Cash standing directly behind her. The expectant look on his handsome face made it painful to tell him about the decision she had come to last night.

  For a split second, she thought that she might be making the wrong decision, but then quickly shook the thought from her mind. No, she felt very strongly about earning money in an honest way, and Cash’s confession to her proved he didn’t.

  “Yes, I’ve given some thought to what you told me upstairs, and I've something to tell you,” she answered, watching as the hopeful expression slid from his face.

  “God, I can tell from the way you’re looking at me that I’m not going to like what you are about to tell me.” Cash sighed, shoving his hands into the front pockets of his slacks. “You don’t want to have a relationship with me, do you?”

  “I….” The sound of the phone ringing stopped Rachelle from talking. “Just a minute let me get this,” she said, picking up the telephone. “Hello, Luxury. Rachelle Williams speaking, how may I help you?”

  “This is Officer Shayne from the Hook Police Department. Do you have a guest staying there named Cash Garon?” he questioned.

  She glanced over at Cash, wondering what was going on. Why were the cops calling here for him? Was there something bad going on she should be worried about?

  “Yes, I do have a Cash Garon staying here,” she answered, watching as Cash stared at her.

  “Can I speak to him?” Office Shayne asked.

  “Okay, just a minute.” Placing her hand over the phone, she handed it over to Cash. “There’s a police officer who wants to talk with you.”

  Cash took the phone from her. “Do you know what this is about?”

  Rachelle shook her head. “No, I don’t.”

  “Hmm, okay,” Cash said.

  As she turned to walk away Cash touched her on the arm and mouthed the word stay. So, she moved over to the side of the desk and waited while he spoke with the police officer.

  “What? I can’t believe it. I thought he might have taken it. Thank you so much for calling me. Yes, I can find a way to come and pick it up. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Thank you again, Officer Shayne.”

  Cash hung up then phone and then grinned at her. “Guess what?”

  “What? It sounded like good news,” she answered, noticing the huge smile on Cash’s face.

  “Officer Shayne called to tell me that the guy who stole my wallet got arrested at the bus station last night for trying to steal a woman’s purse. They searched him and found my wallet on him. Officer Shayne and another officer have been trying to find me. The guy didn’t break and tell them where I went so they had to wait and contact the bus driver this morning. I have to go there and pick up my wallet. I hate to ask, but do you think you can drive me there?”

  Rachelle was so thrilled for Cash. She remembered how upset he was about his missing wallet. “Sure, let me get an employee to come up front to check guests in and I’ll be glad to take you there.”

  “Thank you,” Cash told her as she turned to walk away. “While we’re gone, I need to call my brother and have him cancel the wire. I’ll be waiting right here for you when you get back.”

  She looked over her shoulder back at Cash. “Give me about ten minutes and we can head out of here.”

  ****

  An hour later, back at Luxury, Cash looked through his wallet again for a fourth time since leaving the police station, shocked that everything was still there. Thank God, the cops had caught the thief before he had any time to spend any of his money or use his credit cards.

  “I’m so thrilled you got your wallet back,” she told Cash, truly happy for him. “I remember how upset you were after you realized it had gotten stolen on the bus.”

  “I’m glad that I’ll be able to pay for my room now.” Opening up his wallet, Cash pulled out a platinum card and handed it to her.

  Rachelle glanced at the credit card for a few seconds. As she reached for it, her fingers brushed against Cash’s, which gave her a slight shock. No…it wasn’t fair. Why did she have to feel this away about Cash?

  Pretending she still didn’t feel the lingering connection between them, she made her way towards the front desk. She wouldn’t allow her attraction to him to cloud her mind anymore.

  “How can you act like we don’t feel something for each other?” Cash demanded as he followed her. “Yes, it might have happened out of the blue and it could be scary for you, but don’t shoot it down. I can see you still feel the same chemistry as I do. God, Rachelle. Give me a chance. Why are you being so stubborn?”

  “I was someone you would have considered dating less than twenty four hours ago. So what if my job might be a little scandalous in your eyes? There is a need for what I do—a lot of people love celebrity gossip. I give them what they want for an hour every day, it doesn’t consume my life. Would you really not date me because of it? I told you that I was giving it up. Can you at least give me a chance?”

  Rachelle didn’t answer Cash as she rung up his credit card for the room. He was making good points and every single one of them made sense. Acting seriously on her feelings would be new for her. She hadn’t been looking for a relationship before Cash sauntered through the door late last night.

  Her life had been going down the exact path she planned for it, now here was this man in front of her who could possibly be her soul mate. Nothing else could explain why she felt such a deep connection with him.

  However, Cash seemed so sure of everything and was pursuing her with such determination, like he wasn’t about to let her slip through his fingers. This wasn’t something she was used to dealing with when it came to men.

  “Here you go,” she said, giving Cash his credit card back along with the receipt to sign.

  “Please talk to me. I know you want to talk. I can see it in your eyes when you look at me. I get it that you’re scared everything happened between us so fast, but it did.

  “Hell, I love that I walked through those doors and saw a woman I felt this instant attraction towards, who genuinely liked me without knowing who I was. Can’t you see that this was meant to be between the two of us?” he questioned, signing the receipt and giving it back to her.

  “Cash, you must understand that I have a lot going on in my head right now,” Rachelle said. “Last night blew my mind because I wasn’t expecting you to make me feel the things I did. My sisters are the ones who go headfirst into everything, not me. I’m the level-headed one and I like being the one they can count on.

  “Yet, when you look at me I get this unexplainable feeling I can’t control by any means. Yes, your career is a sore spot for me, but I’m beginning to see it’s more than what’s going on here. It’s hard for me to
put into words, and you keeping pushing me.

  “It’s only making it more difficult. I’m only asking for some space,” Rachelle said. “I have been working non-stop and I need some time to myself from work and especially you.”

  Leaning across the counter, Cash stared into her eyes. “I can completely understand about you being a workaholic. I used to be the same way until it hit me that I need more in my life than I’m getting. You are more like me than you want to admit.”

  “I love my job. Why would I ever want to do something different?” Rachelle defended.

  “Sweetheart, you need more in your life than these four walls. They aren’t going to keep you happy or fulfilled. Now, I’m going upstairs for a little while because I need to call my brother and tell him to cancel the Western Union.

  “I will be back down here later and when you do see me again we are going to figure out a way to make whatever this is work.” Cash turned on his heel and strode back up the steps to his room. As he walked away from her, Rachelle wondered if she was making a rash decision by not living in the moment and finding out where things could go with Cash.

  Chapter Fifteen

  After Cash was gone, Rachelle’s thoughts filtered back to when she’d met him. The memory brought a smile to her face. She would never forget how he sauntered through the door like he owned the place. She could still feel the warmth of his mouth against hers from when he kissed her in front of the fireplace. Recalling the smoldering passion that they had shared only made Rachelle more concerned Cash came into her life too suddenly.

  Moving from behind the registration desk, Rachelle made her way over to the dining room and took a seat at one of the tables. She savored the feeling of satisfaction when she was going on emotion and not thinking everything through like she usually did. So much had happened in the last twenty-four hours that it was hard to believe she was the one living it instead of another woman.

  Why did this have to be so difficult for her?