Some Like It Spicy (18 page)

“To hell with what he thinks! Who cares?”

The tears that moments ago had teetered at the edge of her eyes burned away. “I care! Besides, it isn’t just him. How will my friends forgive me if I quit?”

“Your friends?”

She nodded. “Chloe and Jenna. The restaurant is this close to closing.” She held her index finger and thumb an inch apart. “The only reason I came on the show was to drum up publicity. And now with the prize money…” She shook her head violently, as if forcing out any lingering thoughts of quitting.

He knew immediately she would never willingly give up. If it had been just about her, she might have seen reason, but like any chef, her restaurant was her life. She would suffer any consequence in order to save it. In her place, he would have done the same thing.

“Can we go to bed now?” she asked suddenly. “I need you to make me forget this night, okay?”

Okay? He’d been itching to have her in his bed since about ten that morning. And with her leaving for Chicago in the morning, this was their last chance to burn up the sheets for a week. But as he looked at her, the way she wrapped her arms around herself, the bags that had appeared under her eyes in the last few minutes, he knew the last thing she needed tonight was a romp. She needed tenderness, gentleness, and safety.

“Come on,” he said, taking her hand. He led her down the hall and into his bedroom. Beside the bed, he unzipped her purple dress and watched it pool around her feet. She stood, statuesque, as he removed her black sandals and then unclasped her bra, letting it fall alongside her dress. After pushing back the covers, he guided her between the quilt and the sheets. After flicking off the light, he climbed in beside her.

She immediately turned to him, her lips finding his in a kiss so hot his bed nearly caught on fire. He could feel the tension in her shoulders, in the way she held her body.

As gently as he could, he ended the kiss and put a hand against her head to guide it to his chest.

“Go to sleep,” he whispered. He wrapped his arms around her and let her use him as a body pillow. “I’ll keep you safe.”

She sagged against him, suddenly as pliable as putty. And within a few minutes, her deep, even breaths told him she slept.

Chapter Sixteen

“Ashton, are you there? Open up.”

Ashton grabbed the remote from the coffee table and hit the mute button. She held her breath, hoping Chloe hadn’t heard the television and assumed she wasn’t home.

No such luck.

“Ashton, open the door.” This time it was Jenna’s voice and her fist banging loudly against the door. “We know you’re in there.”

Groaning, Ashton threw off the blanket she had snuggled in to watch some mindless television show and rose. She padded over to the door and opened it.

Jenna and Chloe stood in her doorway. Jenna had her arms crossed over her chest and one eyebrow rose considerably over the other. Chloe just smiled sympathetically.

Jenna was the first to push in. “You got home yesterday and you didn’t come by or even call. Seriously?”

“You got eliminated, didn’t you?” Chloe put one arm around Ashton in a half hug—her other hand held a bakery box. “It’s okay. We’ll get through it. I brought double-chocolate sea-salt cookies. That should help. And if not, I can bake a pie.”

Ashton’s eyes rolled heavenward. “I didn’t get eliminated.”

“Really?” Chloe sounded skeptical.

“Yes, really. And I shouldn’t have even told you that, so don’t you dare repeat it.”

“Then why are you hiding out?” Jenna asked as she lowered herself onto the couch.

Ashton flopped beside her. “I needed some time alone, to think. Things have been…tough. The competition’s harder than I thought.”

“But you’re doing great,” Jenna said. “And if you haven’t been eliminated…”

“Oh, my God!” Ashton moaned. “I swear I’m not lying. I’m still on the show. And it isn’t the competition itself, it’s everything else.”

“Like what?” Chloe asked as she came back to the living room with plates, cups, and a carton of milk.

Ashton couldn’t tell them about Ty, so she started with what had happened at Heat. “I’m not sure if I can handle it,” she admitted. “The celebrity lifestyle.”

“Do you want to quit?” Jenna’s voice held no censure, which lightened the burden weighing on Ashton’s shoulders.

“Based on the crowd mobbing me at that club, I’d say I’ve garnered enough publicity,” Ashton joked lightly, but there was hope in her words.

She looked between Jenna and Chloe, praying they’d agree with her. But when they looked at each other and then looked down, her heart sank to the floor.

“We’re not going to make it to Christmas, Ash,” Jenna said softly. “Business has picked up, but not enough to make a dent in our debt. I wish there was another solution.”

“If it’s too much for you, though,” Chloe said quickly, “we understand. You don’t have to stay in the competition.”

Quitting wasn’t an option. Neither was losing. She had to make it to the end, and she had to come out the winner. There were no other alternatives.

“I’ll be fine,” she promised her friends. “Chloe, I’m going to need a crash course on pastries. It’s the next challenge.”

Chloe’s eyebrows furrowed. “They told you the challenge beforehand?”

Oops. Ashton gulped and then said the first lie she could think of. “Well, since none of the chefs do pastries, they didn’t want the show to be a total disaster, so they gave us a heads-up. We don’t know the particulars, so it will mostly be a surprise.”

“The restaurant is closed tomorrow; we can practice then,” Chloe said. She smiled mischievously. “And you can tell me everything you know about Ty Cates.”

Ashton could feel her cheeks heat. “I told you I don’t know him that well.”

“Then just tell me how good his butt looks in person,” Chloe said. “I’m not particular about the information.”

“Afterward,” Jenna added, “we can watch the show together. They’re doing a double episode tomorrow.”

“Great,” Ashton said through gritted teeth. The episode at the Inn would air. If she weren’t careful, her face would reveal too much about how good Ty’s butt looked in person. She didn’t want to tell Chloe and Jenna, it looked even better naked.

“On tonight’s episode of The Next Celebrity Chef…”

Ashton put her hands over her ears. “I can’t believe I’m watching this.”

“I can’t believe you don’t
want
to watch this,” Chloe said, her mouth full of chocolate drizzled caramel corn. “How can you not want to see yourself on TV?”

“It’s not that exciting, believe me,” she muttered.

“We’ll answer the question America’s been dying to know…”

“I hate that voice-over guy,” Ashton said.

But Voice-over Guy didn’t finish his own question. Morgan’s face popped up on screen. She had a sly smile on her lips as she said, “Does Ty Cates sleep in boxers or briefs? Stay tuned and find out.”

“What!” Jenna and Chloe screeched in unison.

“Don’t tell me Ty fell for that bitch,” Chloe begged. “Please, or I’ll never be able to have another erotic dream about him again.”

Ashton bit her lip against asking Chloe never to have erotic thoughts about Ty again, since Ashton was actually getting the live-action show.

“I don’t know,” she lied. “Maybe he’s got a thing for women who travel by broomstick.”

The first episode that aired was the white elephant challenge that had eliminated Anthony.

“I hate to admit it,” Chloe said. “But I think Morgan should win.”

Ashton threw her a look. “Traitor.”

“Oh, come on!” Jenna exclaimed. “ If she can create a dish with watermelon and ketchup that doesn’t make a judge vomit, then she deserves the win.”

They looked back at the screen as Ashton appeared. “I have some unusual ingredients,” she said to the camera. “But part of being a good chef is knowing how to manipulate flavors.”

They’d filmed the interview after she’d won. It had taken everything in her not to smile like a crazy person and let out a whoop.

The screen cut to Morgan. She’d also been filmed after the challenge, but since the scowl on her face was par for the course, no one at home would guess she had just lost.

“Ashton’s ingredients are ridiculously easy compared to the other chefs’,” she said. “It’s almost as if someone intentionally gave her ingredients that were made to be cooked together.”

“What!” Ashton yelled at the television. “You think mango chutney and pepperoni go together?”

Jenna stared at her. “She can’t hear you.”

Ashton gritted her teeth. “I lost half the ingredients I originally picked. How could that have been fixed?”

“Obviously it wasn’t,” Chloe said. “She’s just being a bitch. Why are you so irate?”

She let out a long breath instead of answering. Morgan had been throwing around innuendos and accusations for weeks. The last thing Ashton needed was someone believing her. Especially since some of what Morgan thought was true. Yes, Ashton and Ty were sleeping together, but that didn’t give her any advantages.

Except prior knowledge of the dessert challenge
, an annoying voice reminded her. She swatted it away. Ty had slipped; he hadn’t intentionally revealed the secret.

“Let’s just watch, okay?” Ashton said, returning her gaze to the television. She could feel Jenna and Chloe staring at her, but she focused on the show.

In the last ten minutes of the hour, Ashton was announced as winner. Her friends cheered so loudly Ashton was afraid they’d scare the neighbors.

“Shh,” she quieted, laughing.

“What did you win?” Jenna asked. The answer caught in Ashton’s throat, but Andrea took care of it for her.

The room fell silent.

Chloe was the first to speak. “You were with Ty Cates? Alone?”

“And you didn’t mention it until now,” Jenna added.

“It’s not a big deal,” Ashton muttered.

“Not a big deal?” Chloe’s voice was half shout and half squeak. “That’s like saying winning the lottery is no big deal. Where’d you have the lesson? In the studio?”

“Not exactly…”

Chloe’s head bounced from side to side. “Then…”

Ashton swallowed. “It was at his apartment.”

“His apartment!” Chloe and Jenna shouted together.

“You slept with him, didn’t you?” Jenna’s question was more matter-of-fact than inquiry.

“No way,” Chloe scoffed. “Ashton wouldn’t risk the restaurant for some pretty-boy playboy.”

She pressed herself against the back of the couch, wishing she could melt into the cushions. She couldn’t do it, couldn’t lie to her best friends anymore. But she couldn’t tell them the whole truth, either.

She didn’t have to. Her silence told them everything they needed to know.

“Oh, my God,” Chloe screeched. “You and Ty Cates?”

“I’m sorry,” Ashton said softly.

“About what?” Jenna snapped. “Lying to us? Getting into a relationship that will not only end your career, but will end this restaurant?” Jenna stood and paced the room before turning back to face Ashton. “Are you crazy?”

“Are you in love?” Chloe asked.

“No,” Ashton said quickly. “No to both. Ty and I…we’re not in love; it’s just sex.”

“So you
are
crazy,” Jenna put in. “To risk both your careers—and ours—for a roll in the hay.”

“I can’t explain it,” she said. “It’s not love, but…it’s something. I tried to resist him, but I couldn’t. I tried to stop, but I couldn’t.”

“Sounds like love to me,” Chloe said. She looked less upset than Jenna, probably because she was the more romantic of the two. When it came to love, Chloe was looking for Mr. Perfect, the one who would make her see unicorns and rainbows. More than once, she’d passed up a great guy because he didn’t fit every criterion on her checklist.

Jenna, on the other hand, was pragmatic. She’d given herself deadlines, taken what she’d got, and was happy with it. Jenna would have been able to resist Ty, no question.

“Look, we know we have no future, and we don’t want one. We’re going to enjoy each other as long as I’m in the competition and then it’s over.”

“And you’re not worried he’s going to fix the results because of your relationship?” Jenna asked.

“Absolutely not. Besides, he’s not the only judge. He could get outvoted by Andrea and Claude.” And just because she’d accidently found out about the next challenge didn’t mean the judges would like her dish.

Jenna shook her head as she lowered herself in a chair, away from Ashton. “I hope you know what you’re doing. It’s not just about you. This could destroy all of us.”

“That won’t happen,” Ashton said. “I promise.”
There was silence again. She didn’t know if she should say something, leave (although it was her apartment), or just keep her mouth shut.

Chloe made the decision for her. “So what does Ty Cates look like naked?”

Ashton forced a laugh. “Wait a half hour and you’ll find out.” At their confused expressions, she added, “Remember the coming attraction for tonight’s episode? They’re going to serve him breakfast in bed in the buff.”

“Really?” Chloe squealed. Even Jenna looked mildly interested.

“Yup. And see if you can spot the condom on the floor and my hand reaching out from under the bed as Morgan serves breakfast.”

“No!” Chloe hooted.

“Tune in and see.”

Chapter Seventeen

Ashton arrived at the set with the other chefs, barely awake but brimming with nerves over the upcoming challenge. They’d been given an extra early start time this morning. Combined with yesterday’s late-night dinner at Nobu, she didn’t feel her sharpest, and at this point in the game, her lack of focus could prove disastrous.

The dinner had been a surprise from Sally after a grilling two-hour interview by fifty members of the press. The questions had started out easy—how is it cooking in front of cameras? Who is the biggest competition? Who is the underdog?

Inevitably, the questions had turned toward her “chemistry” with Ty. She’d been saved from answering by Sally, who reminded the press that judges and contestants had a strictly professional relationship and chemistry simply arose out of mutual respect among many of the colleagues.

Luckily, Ty hadn’t been on the panel or in the audience—she didn’t know if she could have looked at him without giving something away. The more time they spent together, the more she craved being with him. Their whole plan relied on making a clean break when the show was over, but that idea was crumbling faster than an overworked pastry. If she couldn’t survive the dessert challenge, then the choice would be taken out of her hands. She’d lose Ty and her restaurant in one swoop.

She put a hand over her mouth to hold in a gag.

“Are you okay?” Jolene asked. She, of course, looked beautiful, as if she’d gotten eight hours of sleep. Ashton felt like something a cat would cack up—her hair certainly resembled a hairball. She grabbed a bandana from her backpack to cover her head.

“No one should be up at this ungodly hour,” Ashton complained as she tied the scarf at the base of her skull. “If Ty has somewhere to be, they should have filled in with a guest judge.”

Jolene glanced at her sideways.

“What?” Ashton asked.

Jolene shook her head. “Nothing. I just thought you liked Ty. As a judge.”

Ashton shifted. “I do. I’m just not my best this early.”

Jolene put a hand on Ashton’s arm as if to comfort her. “Is everything okay between you and….” She didn’t finish the sentence, just stared hard at Ashton while bobbing her head.

Ashton’s stomach churned. “And…?”

Shrugging, Jolene replied, “And you. Are things okay with you?”

She knows!
What other explanation could there be? Jolene must have found out about Ashton and Ty. But even if she thought she knew, it was better the information was not confirmed. “Me and me are doing just fine.” Ashton managed to smile at Jolene’s genuine concern. “Thanks.”

She headed to the prep tables, where she could see Sally about to call the chefs. “Gather around,” Sally said. “We’re on a tight schedule today, and we need to work quickly. Ty, we need you now!” That last bit was screamed through her headset.

Ashton’s heart rate jumped into high gear. She hadn’t seen Ty since she’d gotten back from Chicago.

He walked from the hallway into the kitchen, looking sexy in gray dress pants and a crisp, white button-down shirt, and way too well rested. She glued her eyes to him—she couldn’t help it—looking for some kind of sign.

She got it when he said hello to each chef, lingering as he shook her hand. She had to actually tell herself to let go.

“Are we ready to film?” he asked Sally, who nodded.

He waited for his cue. “Welcome to
The Next Celebrity Chef
. We are down to our final four talented chefs. It’s a race to see who can take the heat, so let’s see what’s cooking.” He paused and turned toward the chefs. “Today you will have a unique guest judge. Or should I say judges.” He swung his head in the direction of the studio door.

Ashton craned her neck to see who it was as the door swung open. Could it be Anthony Bourdain? Mario Battali? Wolfgang Puck? She shifted from foot to foot in anticipation.

Suddenly, she caught sight of the judges, and it was the last thing she’d expected. Twelve tween girls stomped into the studio, all wearing Songbird uniforms.

“Chefs,” Ty said, “meet Troop 1121. They’ll be tasting your dishes and giving us input on the winner and loser of this High Heat challenge.”

The girls, all pink-cheeked and smiling, waved hello. Ashton and the other chefs waved back at the adorable group, but the smile on her lips didn’t match the quiver in her gut. While she enjoyed being around children, they were fickle eaters with unsophisticated palates. She’d have to be very careful not to offend their inexperienced taste buds.

“For your challenge, you’ll need to make a dessert.”

The chefs’ groans echoed through the room.

“And it will be based on something the girls are very familiar with.” Ty walked over to a table that was covered with a cranberry tablecloth. He whisked off the cover to reveal a table filled with Songbird brand cookies. “Chefs, your dessert must be based on a type of Songbird cookie. You have ninety minutes, and your time starts now.”

Ashton shot toward the pantry, her mind racing as she moved. She and Chloe had practiced the basic recipes of cakes, cookies, and even a soufflé. The thing about pastries was that it all came down to a formula. With cooking, the chef could add a little of this and a little of that. If one did that with baking, it could result in a cake that wouldn’t rise or cookies that were as tasty as cardboard.

She felt most comfortable with a basic cake recipe, and though she didn’t have much contact with children, she was pretty sure they ate cake. She could usually be suckered into buying a box of Mint Surprise Cookies, so that was her inspiration. She would make a chocolate lava cake with a gooey, minty center.

From the pantry, she grabbed flour, sugar, cocoa powder, peppermint extract, and dark chocolate. She hesitated as she grabbed the chocolate bar. The girls would probably prefer the milk chocolate over the more bitter dark chocolate, but milk chocolate didn’t work as well in these recipes. She pushed away the doubt and went with her instincts.

She dropped her ingredients on her table and then grabbed butter and eggs from the refrigerator. As she was melting the butter and chocolate over the double boiler, she saw Ty walking the length of the tables, stopping to speak with each chef.

She tried to ignore him, but the closer he came, the faster her heart pulsed. When he finally stopped in front of her table, she was almost afraid to look up.

“Hello, Ashton.”

“Chef.”

“What cookie did you use as inspiration?”

She glanced at the camera as a reminder that it was there; they were being taped. “Mint Surprise. I’m making a chocolate-mint lava cake.”

“Have you ever made one before?”

“No,” she admitted. “But I’ve made cakes before. This is just a few alterations to my recipe.” She didn’t say that “her” recipe was actually Chloe’s and the first time she’d tried it had only been a few days ago.

The actual cooking time for the individual-sized cakes was only fifteen minutes plus a few to cool, so after she’d finished prepping, Ashton made whipped cream for a garnish. She wanted the cake to be warm when served, so she had to time it perfectly. She didn’t want it so hot it crumbled or melted the whipped cream, but she also didn’t want it to be so cool it was beginning to harden.

With five minutes on the clock, she took the cakes out of the oven. They smelled—and looked—heavenly. Chloe would be proud, she reflected with a smile.

With a minute and a half on the clock, she ran a knife around the individual molds and inverted them on plates. She topped each cake with a dollop of whipped cream and Mint Surprise Cookie crumbles as a garnish.

“Time!” Ty yelled. “Chefs, please bring your desserts into the dining room.”

The dining room was next door to the kitchen and the girls had been grouped into threes. Each group would share one of each of the chef’s creations. Ty, Andrea, and Claude would also share.

Ashton was the first to serve.

“This looks delicious,” Andrea said. “Tell us about your dessert, Ashton.”

Ashton shifted so she could address both the judges and the children. “This was inspired by the Mint Surprise Cookies. It’s a chocolate lava cake with homemade whipped cream and Mint Surprise Cookies crumbled on top. Enjoy.”

She watched them take a bite, looked for ecstasy on their faces. Andrea’s face held the closest reaction to what she was looking for: eyes closing, lips smacking, digging her fork in for more. Claude and Ty kept their reactions close to the vests.

The girls were chattering about the dish as she stepped back, but the highest praise she heard was, “It’s good.” For all she knew about kid speak, their reaction could have been anywhere between love and hatred.

Jolene presented next. “Hi y’all,” she said, flashing a wide smile and white teeth. “I have for you a delicious and nutritious dessert.”

Ashton was secretly delighted to hear a few groans from the kids.

“My inspiration was the Peanut Butter Chip Cookies. Peanut butter is a wonderful food, filled with good fats like monounsaturated, and it’s a source of protein, dietary fiber, and vitamins B3 and E. I made a peanut butter sorbet, with chocolate shavings and a wafer thin chocolate cookie as garnish.”

Jolene’s dish seemed to be a hit with the kids; they devoured the plates and asked for more. Ashton’s nerves, which had been in the safe zone, now climbed toward danger.

“I also used Mint Surprise Cookies,” Duffy said next.

Ashton bit back a gasp until it clogged her throat. Crap! Now they would compare the two desserts, and the loser would probably be sent home.

“I made a chocolate bread pudding with a mint glaze,” Duffy said.

Ashton’s gaze fell on the judges, looking for a reaction. Just as with her dish, she didn’t get much. She kept her stare on Ty the longest, willing him to look at her. But if he felt her gaze, he didn’t acknowledge it.

Jin was the last chef to present his dish. “My inspiration was the Coconut Caramel Cookie,” he said. “I made a seven-layer cake. The cake layers are vanilla and the filling layers are caramel and coconut. I topped it with chocolate frosting.”

“Thank you, chefs,” Ty said after taking a bite. “We’ll speak to our guest judges before the elimination.”

The chefs were herded to the Wreck Room to await the elimination.

“I hope this doesn’t take long,” Duffy said, popping the cap off a beer. “The waiting is the worst part.”

“I don’t think we’ll have to wait too long today,” Ashton said. “Ty has to be at a book signing in Brooklyn.”

As the words left her mouth, she realized Duffy and Jin were staring at her. “What?”

“How do you know Ty’s schedule?” Duffy asked, eyebrow raised.

“I… S-Sally told us,” Ashton stammered.

Jin shook his head. “No, she just said we had an early start. She didn’t say why.”

Ashton’s mind raced, searching for a plausible explanation, one other than Ty telling her during one of the numerous times they’d talked on the phone. It was as if all thought had fled her head. She looked at Jolene pleadingly.

Jolene caught her glance. “I told her. I overheard Ty talking to his agent earlier about it.”

“Okay,” Duffy said, accepting her explanation. He grabbed a deck of cards out of his backpack and held them up. “Texas hold ’em?”

“Sure,” Ashton said.

As Jin and Duffy argued over the rules, Ashton bent close to Jolene. “Thanks,” she whispered.

Jolene glanced sideways at her, an understanding smile curving half her lip. “No problem. Just…just be careful.”

Jolene knew. Maybe because they were roommates, maybe because Ashton and Ty hadn’t been as discreet as they’d thought, or maybe just because Jolene was smarter than she’d realized. But she knew.

Panic clogged Ashton’s throat and radiated in her chest until it hurt to breath. “I-I—” The admission of guilt refused to break free.

“Don’t.” Jolene put up a hand. “Whatever you want to say, it’s better if you don’t.” She turned to Jin and Duffy. “So, how do we play this?”

They played cards for an hour before they were called back to the studio. Ashton had no idea if that was a good or bad sign. Had all their dishes been so good, they’d had to pick the tiniest nuance to eliminate by? Or, had the desserts been so awful, more than one of them deserved to go home?

When they walked into the studio, she saw that there was only one chair in the safe zone; three elimination flames were set up. Each step toward the table became heavier, until she could barely move.

Ty stood on his mark, waiting for the chefs to get into position. Her heart rate picked up its pace. Was this it? Would she ever be with him again?

He couldn’t possibly think if she was eliminated, they could go public, did he? At this point in the game, her reputation would be in smithereens if their affair got out. At the same time, she didn’t want him to keep her in the contest at the expense of a better chef, just so he could continue to screw her.

Unsteady, she stood on her mark and waited.

Sally yelled action.

“Today you were tasked with making a dessert based on a Songbird cookie,” Ty said. “Some of you succeeded, and some of you failed. Today, only the winner is safe. The rest of you will be up for elimination.” He turned to the troop of girls. “Girls, why don’t you announce today’s winner.”

A girl with red hair and a face full of freckles stepped forward. “The winner is…” She looked to her friends and they answered in unison, “Jolene!”

Jolene clapped her hand over her mouth, stifling a scream, as Ashton nearly collapsed.

“Jolene,” Claude said. “Your dessert not only had the flavor components of the Peanut Butter Chip Cookies, it was also nutritious and something a parent could feel good about serving to a child. Wonderful job.”

“Thank you,” Jolene said, eyes shining.

“As today’s winner,” Andrea said, “your prize an all-expenses-paid trip and front row seat at the Pastry World Cup, where the best pastry chefs in the world compete, this year to be held in Paris.”

Ashton, Jin, and Duffy politely clapped while Jolene let out a cry.
She deserves it,
Ashton chanted to herself.

“Jin, Duffy, Ashton, please take your spots behind a flame,” Ty said.