Pure Indulgence

Chapter 7

Saturday s at Pure Indulgence were always busy, and this one was doubly so due to an outdoor arts-and-crafts show the village was sponsoring. From the moment the bakery opened in the morning, there hadn't been a lull in business. Somehow, in between filling orders and keeping the front displays fully stocked with fresh-baked treats, Kayla managed to prepare a new recipe for Jack to try for his restaurant's dessert menu, as well as create a batch of Caramel Caress candies.

And while she worked, she imagined Jack's response to her newest aphrodisiac candies, and fantasized various erotic ways their night together would end.

The shop closed promptly at six, and Kayla barely made it home in time to take a shower and get ready for dinner with Jack. She jumped into the shower, washed her hair, and shaved her legs. Then she dried her hair until it was silky soft and decided to curl the ends but leave it down, like Jack seemed to prefer it. She applied a light layer of makeup, put on her prettiest lingerie, and dabbed perfume in all the right places.

Minutes later she was dressed in the two-piece periwinkle skirt and blouse she'd bought from the boutique, along with the silver chain belt. She slipped her feet into a pair of cream-colored heels and actually liked what she saw in the mirror-a sexy, confident woman.

By the time Jack arrived at her house at six-thirty sharp she was out of breath from rushing, but miraculously ready. The appreciative look in Jack's eyes when he saw her made her feel like a million bucks. She grabbed the cake box with his dessert tucked inside, and off they went to dinner.

It wasn't until they turned onto Harbor Drive and were heading toward the San DiegoHarbor that Kayla realized in her rush and excitement that she'd forgotten the Caramel Caresses on the kitchen counter at home.

"Damn."

Jack heard the soft expletive and glanced over at Kayla sitting in the passenger seat of his Escalade. She was staring out the windshield, her brows furrowed in distress. Concern immediately took hold of him.

Reaching across the console, he grasped her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Everything okay?"

She glanced at him, her green eyes troubled. "I forgot the new candies I meant to bring along for you to try."

He didn't understand why that was so important to her, or why she was so upset, but he attempted to bolster her spirits. "You can always send them to me like you did the last batch." He grinned and winked at her.

A seductive smile chased away some of her disappointment as she obviously remembered how that scenario had ended. "You're so bad," she murmured, that adorable blush of hers casting a pink tint to her smooth complexion.

"You seem to bring out that side of me." He brushed his thumb along the pulse point in her wrist, loving the silky texture of her skin. "Any complaints?"

She shook her head, causing the rays of the setting sun to highlight those blond strands with gold streaks. "None at all."

"Good to hear," he replied, satisfied with her answer.

She returned her stare back out the window, taking in the scenery along Harbor Drive, and he replaced his hand back on the steering wheel, though his gaze kept straying back to her profile. She looked beautiful tonight, the soft, purplish color of her outfit complementing her skin tone and adding a radiant glow he was glimpsing more and more of late.

There was a definite change in her since the evening they'd first met. Not just the hair and makeup and clothes, but a more intangible metamorphosis, one that seemed to start on the inside and was gradually working its way out. Self-assurance. Openness. Trust in him. And maybe, the faith to let him in, past those emotional barriers he could still feel between them.

All of those subtle changes made tonight's date all the more important to him. This was his chance to share an important part of himself with Kayla, an opportunity to let her into his life in a way he'd kept private from other women. Tonight was about romance and letting her know that their relationship was about more than just great sex, which seemed to have become a big focal point between them, and very quickly.

Reaching their destination, he pulled into the circular drive that led to the valet parking. He stopped at the curb, and Kayla glanced from the sign in front of the establishment to him, her eyes wide with surprise and pleasure.

"We're at your restaurant," she said, and smiled.

He ran his finger down the slope of her nose, just because he wanted to touch her. "I told you I was going to take you someplace you've never been before."

A young man dressed in a black uniform opened Kayla's door and helped her out of the SUV, while Jack slid out of the driver's side to let his employee take the vehicle to his private parking spot. He retrieved the dessert box from the back seat, met up with Kayla on the sidewalk, and entwined her fingers in his as they walked to the main entrance.

"I've always wanted to come here," she admitted as she took in the lush plants and tropical garden surrounding them, complete with a small rock waterfall. "But I never had a reason to come to such a fancy restaurant."

Jack was glad that no one else had ever brought her to Tremaine's Downtown before. He hoped it would make the experience more special, for both of them. "Now you have every reason. Me."

Once inside, they were greeted by the hostess, then Jack led Kayla to the back of the restaurant and through the kitchen, where he let his chef know to start the dinner he had planned. He gave her a quick tour of the place and introduced her to Rich before leading her upstairs to a private banquet room with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the harbor on one side, and the city skyline on the other.

Kayla stopped at one of the windows, a soft sigh of awe and contentment escaping her. "The view up here is absolutely spectacular."

He came up behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders. "And it's all ours for the night."

She turned around and placed a hand on his chest, her expression teasing as she plucked at one of the buttons on his dress shirt. "I guess it pays to have a direct connection to the owner, doesn't it?"

He laughed, and when she would have pulled her hand away he stopped her, lifted her fingers to his lips, and kissed the warm, soft tips. "The owner is an easygoing guy who can be easily swayed by a beautiful woman."

She gave a sassy toss of her hair and added her own witty innuendo to the playful conversation. "Yes, well, I'll try not to take advantage of the owner's generosity."

"For the record, you can take advantage of me anytime you'd like." He leaned in close and lightly touched his lips to hers, which was all he was going to allow for tonight. Sweet, chaste kisses, nothing more.

He strolled over to the table set up for two and withdrew the bottle of champagne chilling in the silver ice bucket. Uncapping the top, he popped the cork and poured them each a glass of the bubbly liquid.

He handed her one of the crystal flutes. "Here's to a memorable evening."

"It already is," she said, and clinked the tip of her glass to his before taking a drink.

Music drifted up from the piano in the bar downstairs, a soft, melodious strain that was perfect for a slow dance. And since they were alone, at least for another ten minutes, he hated to let such a prime opportunity to hold her in his arms go to waste.

He set his champagne on the table then held out his hand for her to take. "Dance with me."

She shifted on her heels, suddenly appearing uncertain. "I'm not very good at dancing."

He wasn't going to let her out of this so easy, not when it could bring them closer, and not just physically. Sticking with his decision to make tonight romantic and keep sex out of the equation, he wanted to show her just how compatible they were outside the bedroom. And there was a certain element of trust and intimacy inherent in slow dancing. He wanted to experience that with her.

"Says who?" he asked.

"Says me." She took another gulp of her champagne. "I haven't really had much practice at it."

"It's quite easy, actually, and relatively painless," he said with gentle humor as he set her glass on the table next to his, then stepped closer to pull her into his embrace.

He was gratified when she came willingly.

"I hold you in my arms like this," he said, clasping one of her slender hands in his and sliding his other around to rest at the base of her spine. "Now put your other hand around my neck, relax against my body, and let me do all the work. Think you can handle that?"

She looked up into his eyes. "Are you going to give me a choice?" she asked wryly.

He chuckled. "No. Not really."

He moved in time with the slow music and eased her closer, until they were aligned from chest to thighs and she was in sync with his every step. He was surrounded by the warmth and softness of her body and the arousing scent of her perfume, and he couldn't imagine another place he'd rather be at the moment than right here with Kayla.

He dipped his head and gently slid his cheek to hers. "Nice, huh?"

"Umm, very nice." Tentatively, she laid her head on his shoulder and sighed, and her warm breath tickled his neck.

Her actions held nuances of the trust and intimacy he'd hoped for, but he knew this was just the beginning. He lazily stroked his hand up and down her back, wondering when the last time was that someone had just held her and made her feel cherished.

With the way she was snuggled up against him, all lush and warm and soft, it was inevitable that his body get turned on. And because that wasn't his intent tonight, he knew he had to end the embrace now, before that part of his anatomy passed the point of no return.

With a great amount of reluctance he eased to a stop and let her go, just as their waiter arrived with the first and second courses to their meal. They sat down at their table and were served bowls of lobster bisque, along with a platter of hors d'oeuvres that consisted of smoked salmon, paté, lobster medallions and Caspian Sea caviar.

Once the server was gone and they were alone again Kayla took a taste of her soup and moaned blissfully.

Jack spread a dollop of caviar on a cracker and grinned. "I take it you like the bisque."

She nodded her approval. "It's so incredibly smooth and creamy. I think this could become as addictive as my desserts."

"Give the smoked salmon and pâté a try," he said, and she helped herself to both, then added a few of the lobster medallions for good measure.

He watched Kayla savor her meal, and decided he liked being with a woman who actually ate the food on her plate, instead of pushing it around to make it look like she'd taken a few bites because she was worried about her figure. Fine cuisine was a big part of Jack's life, and it was nice to find a woman who shared that passion.

"This place is so elegant, and the food is outstanding," Kayla complimented as she waved her fork over the bisque and hors d'oeuvres. "You never did say how you got into the restaurant business. Do you mind me asking?"

"Not at all." This was the opening he'd been waiting for, an ideal segue for him to share more intimate details about himself and his past and the man he'd become. "Do you remember what this restaurant was before it became Tremaine's Downtown?"

She thought for a moment on that as she took a drink of her champagne. "That was such a long time ago. I believe it was a casual kind of restaurant, wasn't it?"

"It was six years ago, and back then the place was called Bluebeard's."

Her eyes lit up in recollection. "That's right. Now I remember. It was a bar and grill, wasn't it?"

"Yes," he said, and absently swirled the sparkling liquid in his flute before finishing it off. "When I was seventeen, I was hired on as the dishwasher, and it was the perfect part-time job while I finished school then went to college. Over the years I worked my way up to being a waiter, then a bartender, and finally, the manager of the restaurant."

"Very impressive," she said.

He shrugged off her compliment, because the ambition to make something of himself had driven him hard from a very young age. He'd always been looking ahead at a better raise, that next promotion, and anything else that would take him where he wanted to go-and that place was financial security. The kind he'd grown up without.

"Jimmy was the owner who initially hired me," he said, back to his story. "And when he died a few years later his wife, Molly, took over the restaurant, which was a huge mistake since she didn't have much interest in Bluebeard's at all. She held on to the place because it provided a small extra cash flow for her, but eventually she sucked the restaurant dry financially. One day the employees came in for work and Molly announced that Bluebeard's was on the verge of bankruptcy and she was shutting the place down."

Kayla winced, obviously understanding the ramifications of that. "Dare I ask what happened?"

"The story ends happily," he assured her.

He paused as their waiter returned to clear off their plates and serve them their main entrée of chateaubriand, a roasted tenderloin of beef accompanied by an array of fresh steamed vegetables topped with béarnaise sauce.

He cut into the beef and found it tender and perfectly prepared. "Anyway, I saw this as the ideal opportunity to finally open a restaurant of my own, which I was considering anyway. I made an offer on the place, and since it was so run-down and Molly was so anxious to unload the restaurant, we came to a quick, mutually acceptable price and the establishment became mine.

"Unfortunately the place needed a whole lot of work for what I envisioned," he went on as he refilled each of their champagne glasses. "And because I was determined to make a success of my restaurant when it opened, I took out an additional loan for major renovations and shut the place down for six months while I had the establishment redesigned and restructured. The inside was completely gutted then redecorated, and I had this upper level added on, too, for private parties and banquets."

"That's an amazing story." She dabbed the corners of her mouth with her linen napkin then spread it on her lap again. "And soon you'll be opening your second restaurant. That has to be exciting."

"Exciting and scary," he said, knowing she'd understand since she had a business of her own. "It's like starting all over again."

"After tonight's meal, I'm certain the success of Tremaine's Downtown will carry over to Tremaine's Uptown." Then the corner of her mouth twitched with unmistakable humor and delight. "And of course you'll have your new dessert menu to draw your customers back again and again."

"That I will," he said.

For another half hour they ate their dinner around companionable conversation, until Kayla declared that she was unable to eat another bite.

"Not even the dessert you brought?" he asked, setting his fork on his empty plate.

She leaned back in her chair, looking impish. "Okay, maybe a bite."

He laughed and when the waiter returned to clear their dinner plates he asked the young man to bring back the dessert he'd brought to the restaurant, along with coffee for both of them. Minutes later, their order arrived-fresh coffee and two slices of the cake Kayla had made for him.

This evening there would be no feeding each other, or asking Kayla to sit on his lap. He knew all too well how fast things could turn wild and hot between them, and there was no sense tempting himself with what he wasn't going to take tonight.

"Tell me about the cake," he prompted, curious to know what it was, and what to expect.

"This is a coconut lemon cake," she told him as she stirred cream into her coffee. "The inside is an extra-moist blend of coconut-flavored cake enhanced with fresh lemon juice and grated peel. The outside is topped with a halo of delicate coconut flakes on a lemon glaze."

He took a few bites to really savor the taste, and like every dessert that had come before, he liked it. The moist cake dissolved in his mouth, and the coconut and lemon flavor was a combination that worked well together and left a pleasant taste in his mouth afterward.

Kayla ignored her own slice of cake and watched him eat his dessert. After a few silent moments had passed, she asked anxiously, "Well?"

He wiped his mouth with his napkin and grinned. "It's great. I'll take it."

She visibly relaxed in her chair. "You're easy to please, you know that?"

"You make it easy on me." He took a drink of his coffee, and forked off another bite of the cake. "You've given me three very unique and diverse desserts, and I think each one will be a hit."

Finally, she started in on her own piece of cake. "I was thinking, maybe you'd like to add a cheesecake to the menu?"

He considered the suggestion, and agreed that cheesecake was a popular item. "What did you have in mind?"

"I came up with a few flavors I'd like to run by you, actually." She licked a smear of lemon glaze off her bottom lip, her expressive green eyes lighting up with exuberance. "There's a Dutch Apple Streusel Cheesecake, Kahlúa Coffee Cheesecake, a Dulce de Leche Caramel Cheesecake, or Chocolate Pecan Turtle."

He chuckled and shook his head. "And you expect me to choose just one?"

"Eventually." She smiled, drawing his gaze back to her sexy mouth and reminding him of the immense pleasure she'd given him with those lips of hers. "How about I make a small example of each flavor, and you can pick the one you like the best? I can have them ready for you to taste by Wednesday afternoon."

"That would be perfect." As she was. Every single curvaceous inch of her.

And that easily, that quickly, his body reacted, growing heavy with a need that made him question his personal promise about not making love to her tonight.

After dessert, the drive back to Kayla's house was made in a companionable silence, which gave her too much time to think about how the night might end. She knew how she wanted it to end. But despite the awareness and sensuality that had been undeniably apparent between them all night long, there was also a level of reserve on Jack's part that left her feeling off balance and uncertain about herself, and them. Now she really wished she hadn't left those Caramel Caresses sitting on the counter at home.

If she'd brought them along as planned, there wouldn't be any doubt in her mind that they'd end the night in a hot, passionate encounter. Just like every time before that he'd eaten her aphrodisiac candies.

Refusing to let insecurities or those too-distracting voices in her head ruin what had been a great evening, she let her mind drift to more pleasant thoughts… like how at ease and comfortable she felt around Jack. She couldn't ever remember feeling this way with another man before.

Not even Doug.

Especially not Doug.

With Doug there had always been too many expectations on his part that left her constantly worrying about whether or not she measured up. Did she look all right? Had she said or done the wrong thing? And no matter how hard she tried to please him, he'd always find something to criticize.

But with Jack… she was beginning to relax and feel comfortable in her own skin, which was a first. But as much as that realization increased her inner confidence, she was all too aware that she was gradually opening herself up to Jack emotionally, which hadn't been part of her plan. When this affair of theirs ended, she wanted to walk away with her heart intact, and she'd do well to remember that.

He pulled into her driveway, then walked her to her front door. A sudden burst of nervous energy took hold, and butterflies swarmed in her stomach.

"I had a wonderful time tonight," she said as she dug around in her purse for her keys. Finding them, she then glanced back up at Jack's face. The porch light illuminated his strong features and fathomless blue eyes. "Thanks for taking me to your restaurant."

"It was my pleasure." He plucked the keys from her fingers, then unlocked and opened the door for her.

He was being so polite, so chivalrous, and she knew that any advance tonight was going to be up to her.

"Would you like to come in?" she asked before her small allotment of courage fled. "I still have those candies you haven't tried yet." Good God, she hoped she didn't look as desperate as she suddenly felt.

"I'm tempted to take you up on that offer, but I'm going to pass tonight." He feathered his warm fingers along her jaw, the touch more soothing than sexual. "It's late and you look tired."

She gave a jerky nod of understanding, even as a huge swell of disappointment settled over her. She'd known from the moment she'd forgotten her Caramel Caresses at home that they wouldn't make love, but that knowledge, combined with Jack's subtle rejection of her invitation to come inside, didn't make her heart ache any less.

Her all-consuming need for Jack was having less and less to do with her experiment, and everything to do with a deeper yearning she couldn't ignore.

She inhaled a deep, startled breath as her mind tried to grasp the ramifications of those thoughts. Oh, Lord, she was falling for Jack Tremaine, despite her best intentions to keep her emotions out of their relationship. And that realization scared the heck out of her.

Still, she was determined to enjoy their affair, and her short time with Jack. And that meant being daring enough to invite him to join her for a night out, without her desserts as a lure.

"I meant to mention this earlier," she said with a tremulous smile. "I'm catering an art show next Friday for the Seaside Gallery, and I was invited as a guest. Would you be interested in coming with me?"

He smiled that sexy smile of his, which made her feel a bit better. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

A date. She liked the sound of that. "Yes, I guess I am."

"Then I accept." He brushed a tender kiss on her temple. "Good night, Kayla."

"Good night," she whispered, hating the longing in her voice that she knew he had to have heard.

She went inside the house, stripped out of her clothes, and put on a silky chemise, still disappointed about how the evening had ended, but feeling hopeful about their date next Friday. After washing the makeup from her face and brushing her teeth, she crawled into her big lonely bed with only Pumpkin for company. The feline loved to cuddle, but she was a poor substitute for the warm male body Kayla had been hoping for.