Page 25 of Just Desserts

"Gimme, gimme." They both looked down at their boxes and back up at me before giving in with a sigh. I had brought 6 cupcakes and 6 brownies for each of them, so I knew there was plenty to share.

They each placed a treat on the towel and Sarah clapped her hands with giddiness. Another front desk worker came out from the back to see the commotion, when he leaned over Sarah's shoulder to see what she had she smacked him.

"These are mine. Back off." We all laughed as the man backed up as if under fire. Sully came over and gave me a swift kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks for these Isla. Feel free to come by anytime and remember to call me if you need anything."

I nodded at the big man and waved as he headed back to his office. I turned around to find Sarah had moved down to the other check-in station to help a customer and it was just Myles standing there.

"Do you have to head back right away, or do you have time for me to show you something?" He asked me in a soft voice, cradling the box in his hands like it was precious China.

"I have time." Came out of my mouth before I could stop it and I knew I was probably blushing.

"Great, come with me then, let me drop these off in my office then we can head to the kitchen."

He steered me through the lobby, and I couldn't help but admire how nice it felt with his arm around me. He looked stunning as usual. He was in a grey suit today with a white shirt and no tie. His shirt was unbuttoned and his collar lookedlike he had been yanking at it. Wisps of a tattoo were visible, and I was curious if they matched the ones on his arm.

Trailing behind him, I took more time than I cared to admit admiring his broad shoulders and strong arms. Trying to stop my lascivious thoughts I scurried to keep up with his fast pace, his long legs eating up the distance at a rate much faster than mine. Myles must have noticed as he slowed his gait.

"Are you hungry?" He asked me, throwing a mischievous smile over his shoulder.

"Always." I replied.

"Great! This should be fun!" He exclaimed as he held a door open to another employee area.

We walked down a long hallway before he opened another door that held his office. Dark crown molding framed navy walls. The floor was carpeted, and he had a heavy looking desk in front of the large window featured on the back wall. To the left he had a comfy looking couch and two chairs with a small coffee table in between them.

From the little I knew of Myles, the room suited him. It was warm and inviting, comfy but somewhat imposing. I watched as he went and put the box on his desk but not before grabbing one of the cupcakes. He took a bite and closed his eyes.I watched as he chewed, experiencing the flavors then looked up and found myself locking eyes with Myles. He looked ready to devour something, and it wasn’t just the cupcake.

Myles

"Holy shit these are fucking amazing." I groaned after taking a bite of the cupcake. The sweetness of the red velvet and cream cheese frosting was cut by the slightly bitter dark chocolate ganache in the center. It was phenomenal. I ate the whole cupcake in a bite and a half.

Isla's eyes widened as she watched me demolish it then she covered her mouth as she let out a giggle. I smiled at her, my mouth full then dusted my hands off on my pants. I walked towards her and touched her arm softly.

"Thank you so much for coming by, it's great to see you again. Not to mention those cupcakes, well I don't quite have the words yet. Makes what I'm inviting you to seem silly in comparison."

I was not expecting to see her again so soon, I was also not expecting the overwhelming emotions rushing through me at having her in front of me. I was both nervous and excited, any semblance of the cool, calm businessman I was known for flew out the window as soon as I got within a ten-foot radius of Isla.

"Oh hush, you said it involved eating right? I'm definitely your girl for that, so where are you taking me, Mr. Bennett?"

She said as she hooked her arm through mine. I smiled, overjoyed at her easy contact and gently guided her out of my office and towards the kitchen.

"We like to switch up the menu and offerings in the hotel each season to give an option to showcase different vendors. We're working on locking in some decisions for the spring so we've been hosting tastings every other week to try and figure out which direction we should go in. I thought you might want to join me for today's tasting. It's from a potential new chef who specializes in Italian."

I looked at her gauging her reaction as we approached the kitchen doors.

"Are you kidding me? That sounds amazing! You get to do this every year? How do you choose? What if they're all good?" She was bouncing with energy and her joy was contagious.

We entered the kitchen, and I watched as her eyes widened,taking everything in. We got to the area set up for the tasting and everyone in the kitchen looked up curiously. I don’t usually bring anyone back here with me. The chef stopped what he was doing, murmured something to his sous chef then headed over to us.

"Good to see you again Mr. Bennett. I'm looking forward to your feedback." His accent was thick, and he gave me a firm handshake.

"Looking forward to it, Massimo. This is Isla, she'll be joining me for the tasting if you don't mind plating up an extra portion."

"Of course not, no problem at all, happy to serve you." He reached over to shake Isla's hand.

"It smells absolutely incredible over here! I can't wait to try what you're making, is that Nduja I see over there?" I spied the small jar next to a wedge of Parmesan on the steel countertop near the Sous Chef station.

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