Page 4 of Bear
No?No what? No, he wasn’t planning a cookout? No, he didn’t want to chat in the Costco line?Rude.How could he walk off without even knowing what I was offering? A fire lit in my belly. He was about to learn something. I’d been getting rejected my entire life. A grumpy brush-off was nothing to me.
I chased after him, flashing my card at the scanner I entered the store.
“Wait.” I placed my hand on his arm to slow him down. “You didn’t even hear what I had to say.”
He sighed and turned to look at me. “You want to come to the cookout?”
“Well, yes, but—”
He brushed my hand away and looked me up and down. My outfit didn’t scream professionalism, but it was fine for Saturday shopping. I was wearing baby pink cotton shorts with a matching long sleeve jacket. The jacket was partially unzipped to show a gold Tinkerbelle on my white tank top.
“You’re cute, I’ll give you that.” He grinned, having liked what he saw, but then shook his head. “But we’ve got enough club bunnies right now. We don’t need anymore.” He turned and walked away.
I rolled my eyes. What a jerk.That was one part of MC life I was all too familiar with. Club bunnies were women that lived on the compound, and their main job was to have sex with the guys. I mean, if that’s what they were into, then I loved that for them. But that wasn’t for me. Even when the bikers were as hot as this guy.
I plastered on a bright smile and squared my shoulders. The urge to call him out for his sexism was strong, but I was trying to get a job, so I held back. I pushed forward and caught up with him as he rounded the first corner.
“Right, well, glad we got that cleared up. I’m Chef Lexie, and I own a catering business. I just so happen to have a free spot on my schedule today, and it sounds like you could use some help.”
“Caterer?” He turned to look at me, blinking several times.
I fought the urge to laugh.That’s right, caveman, women can do more than just screw. Like own a business.
“Yes. I’m a caterer, and I didn’t mean to overhear, but it sounds like you have a cookout this evening and could use someprofessional help.” I spread my arms wide and did a curtsy. “Chef Lexie, at your service.”
The big guy shifted on his feet and took a deep breath. “Name’s Bear.”
With his size and dark hair and beard, I could see where he got the name.“Bear, it’s wonderful to meet you.” Wonderful was a bit of a stretch, but I was manifesting the rest of our interaction. “I’ve got my portfolio here with my most popular recipes. You can pick out what you want, and we’ll shop for the ingredients, and I’ll meet you back at your clubhouse to cook.”
His eyes narrowed, and I could tell he was suspicious. Which was understandable. I did sort of drop out of nowhere to save his day.
“You got any vegetarian recipes in there?”
I grinned. “Absolutely. I’ve got a veggie burger and a dozen different sides.”
“You’ve cooked for a 100 people before?”
My smile grew larger. “Of course.” There were 103 residents at the senior home.
“How much?”
YES! This guy must be desperate, but I was willing to take full advantage. “Since you’re here to buy the food, I can take that out of my cost. So then it’s only my time and labor. If I prep the meats, will some of your guys operate the grill? Or will you want me to do that?”
He snorted. At least, I thought that’s what that noise was.
“I’ll handle the grill if you get everything ready.”
That was a relief. I hadn’t had a lot of opportunity to operate a grill, considering they weren’t allowed in the apartment complex where I lived. I was confident in my ability to make a damn good burger patty and veggie burger. A little less so in my ability to grill them to perfection. His help would be huge. And with the amount we’d be cooking, I was sure he’d need help and I’dbe able to practice on the grill. This gig was getting better and better.
“For my time, labor, setup and cleanup, I’d say $500.”
When he didn’t even bat an eye, I realized I might have lowballed myself.
“Plus an extra 20% for being last minute,” I rushed out.
The side of his mouth quirked, and I thought he almost wanted to smile.
“You’ve got yourself a deal.” He reached over and shook my hand. I suppressed a shiver that threatened to run through me. His hand was massive, large enough that he could crush my fingers to dust if he wanted. But instead, he was gentle, and I wondered how his giant, gentle hands would feel on other parts of my body.
