Burn (Heat #1)(5)

She headed straight for the bar, ordered us both the same drink and downed half of hers in one gulp. The only thing that proved to me is that she didn't eat before we arrived. Her eyes started to glaze over almost as soon as she'd placed the glass back on the bar.

"Did you have dinner?" I ask out of curiosity. I worked until eleven and it's now just past midnight. I grabbed a bite at Nova during my shift.

"I made a sandwich for myself this afternoon." She rubs the back of her neck, her fingers stopping to touch the fabric of her dress. "I finished this dress when you were at work. Do you like it?"

It's beautiful. Everything Sophia designs is breathtaking. This one in particular is stunning. It's royal blue with satin straps and a square neckline. "It's gorgeous. This is the one you should show your boss."

She looks over my shoulder at the crowded dance floor. The volume of the music drowns out everything except her voice. We lucked out when the two women who were sitting at these barstools, jumped up to dance just as we approached.

We both like to pace ourselves when we're at a club. We don't rush. We normally have a drink before we hit the dance floor to see who, in the form of an unattached man, is out there waiting.

"I'll show him one day," she murmurs. "You never told me what Tyler said to you about the morning show. He thought you did a great job, didn't he?"

"I haven't talked to him since then." I smile at the bartender, a guy not much older than me with shaggy blonde hair and brown eyes. "He's been busy. I keep to myself mostly at work."

"You outshined him, Den." She glances over her shoulder. "No one even noticed he was there."

I arch both my brows when she turns back around, tilting my head an inch to the right in the direction of the bar. "Pamela, the mushroom cutting, co-host did. I thought she was going to hike up her skirt so Tyler could ram it home during the commercial break."

She laughs as she rests her elbow on the bar. "There is something about a man who can cook. It's probably different for you, but for us average home cooks, Tyler Monroe is the complete package. He's irresistible in more ways than one."

"He's super talented, Soph," I concede. "You're right about that."

"Talented? Have you looked at him?" she asks me, raising her voice above the music which is a notch higher than it was during the last song. "He's insanely good-looking. I'd be surprised if there's another chef in this city as hot as him."

How can I argue that point? I've worked in restaurants in New York City for years. I jumped head first into a job as a sous chef right after high school. I believed in my talent so strongly that I thought I could hurdle over culinary school and slide right into a head chef position.

That didn't happen. Every chef I've worked under has told me the same thing. They were impressed with my natural ability to create unique and flavorful dishes but the restaurant industry is cut-throat. They wanted a degree to show I had the knowledge to back up my skills.

I eventually realized they were right and by the time I was finally accepted into culinary school, I'd already logged more than three years of full-time work in professional kitchens doing everything from prep-work to helping prepare entrees. I kept working part-time when I went to school because I wasn't willing to give up the rush that I get from being in a kitchen.

In all that time, I've never seen another chef who looked anything like Tyler Monroe. One caught my eye once. He was definitely hot, but he couldn't hold a candle to Tyler. The man is in a class all by himself.

"I've looked at him." I cast a glance back at the bartender who is busy talking to a man at the end of the bar. "You're right about him being gorgeous, but I'd never call him the complete package."

"Why not?" She studies my face before her gaze drops to my simple black dress. "I have a red leather wraparound belt that would completely change the look of this. I wish I would have thought of that before we left home."

She's done what I wanted to do. It has nothing to do with the dress and everything to do with getting off the topic of my hot as hell boss.

It's Saturday night. I'm hanging out with my best friend, making serious eye contact with a cute bartender and trying to get my mind off of work, especially the part of my work that includes Chef Monroe.

"Let's dance." She jumps to her feet and grabs hold of my hand. "Unless you're big one is the bartender."

I lean to the right so I can peer past her shoulder to where the bartender is now stroking the cheek of a beautiful brunette who is practically crawling over the bar to get to him. "Looks like that one got away but we still have a few hundred to pick from."

She nods before she tugs be by my hand to lead me to the dance floor.





CHAPTER 5


"Do you go to Club Aeon often?" Tyler asks as he stands in the doorway.

I can't exactly ignore him. I'm the only one in Nova's kitchen right now. Everyone else is in the dining room enjoying the early dinner we all prepared together. I opted not to eat, instead focusing the time I would have given to that to prepping the salmon that is our feature menu item for dinner service.

"It was my first time." I look across the room at him. "I take it you were there on Saturday night?"