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Christian’s mouth skimmed over her jaw. “Rory has his moods. But he’s very much like you—he’s a Renaissance man. The two of you will get along fabulously. You just have to find your groove with him. Don’t let him scare you off.”
Christian kissed her ardently as the mere thought of Bayli and Rory sparking the way Christian and Bayli did charged him, lit him up. Christian’s cock throbbed and thickened. The feel of her beneath him, against him, surrounding him, made him hotter than hell. Factor in the notion of Rory partnering with him to bring her the ultimate pleasure … Jesus, it was a wonder he didn’t just slide right into her and push them both over the brink again.
But there was a big, fat fly in the ointment.
“You don’t happen to have a condom handy, do you?” he asked.
Bayli’s eyes squeezed shut. “Shit. No.” Her lids lifted and she said, “A romantic or even merely a sex life is not something I’ve actively pursued in … wow. A really long time.” Her gaze narrowed as she obviously contemplated this further and then she let out a little snicker. “Geez, another embarrassing moment. I probably haven’t gotten laid in like … two years? I’d like to be more specific, but it really wasn’t memorable enough to anchor a time frame to. In fact, it would have pretty much been a waste of a condom we could be putting to good use right now. Exceptionally good use.”
He kissed her. Then said, “I haven’t exactly been active in that arena of late, either. Launching the steakhouse and then trying to fix a colossal business failure—”
“A failure?” Her brows jumped. “All of your restaurants are wildly successful.”
“Yes, thankfully. Rory and I have a knack for being in the right market at the right time. But this other project…” He snorted at himself and rolled onto his back, pulling Bayli to him so she was nestled alongside him. “I fucked it up badly. It’s not even Rory’s fault despite him trying to claim some responsibility. My idea was completely uninspired and I didn’t take into account his, uh … disposition.”
“You mean that gruff exterior and sharp tongue that makes a person want to fade into oblivion when he stares them down?”
“Yeah, that. Except Rory told me on the phone earlier that he tried that with you … and you still walked into his kitchen. Which impressed him.”
“Wait.” She sat up suddenly, her long black hair tumbling ove
r her bare shoulders. She stared at Christian. “I impressed him? Because that is not the way I saw it. By any stretch of the imagination. And I assure you, I am incredibly good at creating my own little Emerald City in my mind over things like blowing an interview. Yet there wasn’t one decent takeaway from the entire debacle, aside from the fact that I restrained myself from marching back into the restaurant after he’d shooed me from it to demand an actual interview with the man.”
“That must’ve taken some willpower on your part.” Christian had no doubt the woman had steely resolve. And, from the moment he’d laid eyes on her, he’d not missed the determination exuding from her.
Coaxing her bac down beside him and draping an arm around her shoulders as her head rested on his chest, Christian told her, “Rory is a perfectionist. He wants everything to be precisely the way he wants it. But there’s another side to him. A very … giving … side. And I truly believe the two of you will get along incredibly well. Once we’ve settled the professional aspect of things.”
“Still leaving me in the dark with that one,” she lightly scolded.
Christian’s fingers stroked her skin, drawing lazy circles on her upper arm as he considered how much to divulge at this point. He hadn’t fully fleshed out the new idea in his mind, much less run it by Rory. But then again, when it came to conceptualizing, that was Christian’s forte and Rory left him to it while capitalizing on his own strength behind the scenes.
So giving Bayli a little preview wouldn’t hurt anything, Christian surmised.
He said, “I’m envisioning you in front of TV cameras, not digital ones. Traveling with Rory to off-the-beaten-path places where you use your research skills to unearth interesting local cultural and scenic tidbits and Rory explores the culinary genius of up-and-coming chefs in the area and incorporates their favorite ingredients into a menu he can whip up during the show. While you host it. That way, Rory’s focused on what he does best and doesn’t have to scare the living hell out of the audience because he neither speaks in layman’s terms when in chef mode nor does he interact well with the natives. Any native.”
Bayli was instantly back to her sitting position. “A cooking show?”
“Of sorts. When I say ‘natives’ I even mean a studio audience here in New York. He’s much too intense, much too tunnel-visioned. Apparently extremely—”
“Off-putting,” she said for Christian. “Yeah, I can see that. Except…”
Bayli shifted on the bed so she could look directly at Christian. She’d switched off the chandeliers earlier when he’d popped into the bathroom, but there were still some pillars flickering throughout the apartment, casting shadows and warm glows, softly illuminating her striking features.
She said, “I really didn’t consider him pompous or anything. That wasn’t the response I had to him. Yes, he set me completely on edge, but it was in sort of a challenging way. And when I just observed him at work, absorbed the entire atmosphere he’d created in that special space of his, I really felt that the all-encompassing surliness isn’t so much that; rather, it’s … passion. Zest. Pride in ownership when it comes to everything he creates.”
Christian didn’t miss the excitement in her eyes when she spoke of Rory. Nor did Christian miss the admiration in her tone. It convinced him even more that he was on the right track this time. And not just with the show …
He told her, “The static—and stagnant—studio concept was all wrong for us. But cooking live on location, on the beach, on a cliff overlooking the ocean, on a balcony, under a thatched palapa, whatever … I think that will not only give us a more inviting, engaging feel, but it’ll focus on more than just discussing ingredients and how to prep the meal. We can make this rich with history, as well as traditional and current flavors. A local flair that’s dynamic, interactive, educational, and entertaining all at the same time. Starring you and Rory.”
She blinked a few times, looking a little stunned.
He said, “You’d be the hostess, historian, buffer. Rory would be in the background. Where he prefers to be. That way he doesn’t have to get aggravated when people can’t keep up with him over complicated instructions. You can serve as the liaison. You’ll intermingle with the audience and simply relay Rory’s instructions with humor and grace … and that amazing fucking smile of yours.”
She didn’t speak as she clearly tried to process it all.
Had she really not known this was the direction in which Christian was headed? Or was he overwhelming her, this concept coming out of the blue since he’d just tapped into it this very evening?
Christian didn’t know. All he could focus on was how her eyes bulged a bit and her chest rose and fell more quickly behind the sheet and duvet she pressed against her bare breasts.
