Dangerously Yours (Titans of Chicago #3)

LULU

Thankfully, word of mouth had spread fast after the successful Waters party and I was able to book three additional jobs. This new influx of income was providing hope that I might be able to make it on my own after all. Cade had done his best to make things as difficult on me as possible, and had not slandered me since the night of the divorce announcement. The hit to his own reputation was the thing he hated most. It wasn’t losing me, or seeing his children less, but rather the black spot his infidelity had left on his standing as a Titan. It wasn’t as if no one expected him to be faithful to me, but no one had dared to be so open with it, either.

I had chosen to go the divorce route versus putting up with his betrayal longer and unfortunately, I was the one who would be punished. Those in positions of power wielded it over those of us without it, and what had become of my life was proof of it. My attorney had done a damn good job. He was able to secure his fees from my ex, and Cade was also ordered to provide monthly child support to me to care for the children.

There was also a small bit of alimony which was to be paid out to me despite the presence of a prenuptial agreement. Due to Illinois law, he was not allowed to be exempt from paying it as it would create a hardship for me. Between the money I was now making on my own, combined with the alimony, I would be able to just barely afford the astronomical mortgage payments on this penthouse. I refused to use the money for the children on anything but them, so if these jobs didn’t stay consistent, the possibility of having to sell our home still existed.

I didn’t want to dwell on that anymore. I needed to focus on my current client. Also a Titan, this was for Merrill Carter, a former athlete turned executive at his own start-up company. The man was also a golfing partner with none other than my ex-husband, so it shouldn’t have shocked me at all that he was to be included on the guest list. I truly hoped that Cade didn’t make a scene of any sort. Lately, whenever we were within shouting distance of one another, he would say or do something to infuriate me. I think he secretly got off on upsetting me, and it was why I tried my hardest to take the high road. I would let his words and threats wash off my shoulders, then go home and cry about them afterward when no one was around.

“Have you gotten a list of caterers yet, Lucy,” Merrill’s wife asked me, and I looked up at her and smiled.

“Yes, Estelle. I have narrowed it down to three, and all of them should be here shortly with a sampling menu for you to try.”

It had taken some groveling to get these high end caterers who were usually booked up months to a year in advance, to even consider working my event which had to be thrown together in just weeks. The Carters had a previous event planner, but when Estelle caught the woman in bed with Merrill, the professional side of things didn’t survive. It was crazy what was considered so normal in high society. There seemed to be hardly any morals, and I was actually surprised I had lasted this long in it myself.

“I’ve got a nail and hair appointment in two hours. I hope they arrive soon, and have everything ready,” she replied.

“I’m sure they will. Now, if you’ll excuse me...”

I stepped away and pulled back out my cell phone. According to the text message confirmations I had received from all three chefs, they had agreed upon the times, and the first of them should be here any minute. I had no sooner thought to check in with that chef when the door opened and he stepped inside. For this venue, we were hosting it at the Ritz Carlton which was a popular choice amongst Titans in the city. While the hotel also employed its own culinary teams, clients like Estelle had insisted on bringing in outsiders, and my job was to find the best one.

“Are you Mrs. Davis?” The man asked me, and I nodded.

“Yes, it’s very nice to meet you. I’m thankful for you taking the time to stop in and share your suggested menu with us. This...” I stopped, and used my hand to motion at my client, “is Estelle Waters. Her husband, Merrill, is retiring after forty-five years on the job.”

“I’m Roberto, and that sounds like a very good reason to celebrate. I apologize for running late. If you don’t mind giving me just a few minutes, I can unpack these items and go over them with you both.”

Estelle was impatient, but she agreed to wait, and soon he had two options for the starting course. The first was salmon timbales, and the other was this tasty cucumber and apple in a dill crème fraiche. My client seemed pleased with both of those, so he moved on to the fish course. Neither of us were big fans of the monkfish and chorizo dish, but the confit duck course redeemed him in my eyes. Estelle was a huge fan of the crème br?lée.

“That was a lovely meal. Lucy will be back in touch with you soon,” Estelle had told Roberto right after, and as he was leaving, our next chef arrived.

It was more of the same, and the two chefs had even decided to serve the same salmon timbales. The differences came in the fish and main courses, both of which were good, but not quite on the level of what my clients expected. Dessert was also tasty with her, and I planned to reach out to her for more of those Nutella macarons. Finally, the last chef arrived and I extended my hand out in greeting. Nigel was very congenial, and he complimented Estelle on her handbag which made her beam. He was already starting out on a good note, and I was thrilled to see my client smiling from ear to ear.

His starters consisted of ham and cheese palmiers, as well as smoked salmon canapés. For his fish course, he offered up either seared scallops on a pea puree, or cod with a basil mousseline. Both were actually quite delicious and I knew Estelle would have a hard time deciding between them both. The dinner entrée selection had my mind drifting off to another place altogether. The ribeye selection with a poached lobster tail made me think of the meal Noah Capshaw had made for me. I had no idea the man could cook, especially at that level, but his other talents from that night were as good, if not better than imagined.

A slight tingle sparked in my mind, then spread like wildfire through my system as I remembered him eating me for dessert on the island counter. Noah had been every bit the skilled lover I had hoped he would be, and he got me off much easier than my husband ever had even when Cade was Noah’s age. And it wasn’t just his skillful tongue that was getting me all hot and bothered. I ached inside for several days as promised from the way he fucked me, first in the kitchen, then later in the living room and bedroom.

He had left in the early morning hours, and I had been hesitant to even clean my sheets the next morning. I did, however, because the scent of his cologne and body wash were still strong on the fabrics. He had left his T-shirt, though. I had saved that, and basically had worn it to bed every night since that one perfect one.

“Is there something wrong with the entrée?”

I looked over at Estelle. “Umm, no. I was just about to try it.”

She was still looking strangely at me, and my guess was that I had become flushed. The room did feel a lot warmer than before, however, the uptake in temperature was all on me and my sordid memories. It had been wrong to do, but it felt so damn right. When with Noah, I didn’t worry about whether I was pleasing him or not. In fact, the man made all rational thought leave my head as he took control of my body so effortlessly. All I could do was react to what he was doing to me in those moments, and the releases he had given me were cathartic in more ways than one. They were also distracting, and I had to clear my mind of them completely so I could get through this final tasting.

I took a bite of the steak, then a smaller one of the lobster tail. Both were delicious, and just a bit different than what Noah had prepared. My date that evening had gone a more American route while Estelle insisted on French cuisine for her husband’s party. Paris was very important to them both, and it had been where they honeymooned from what she had told me a week or so earlier.

For dessert, Nigel had prepared lemon meringue cheesecake which was also quite delicious. If I could’ve just had a menu composed of desserts only, I would’ve hired all three on the spot. Unfortunately, not everyone else had the same sweet tooth as me, unless you counted Noah. Again, I flushed, but managed to keep it at that. Overall, my client was impressed, so much so with this last chef, that she pulled me aside as he was packing up his things.

“I believe Merrill will enjoy this menu very much.”

“So you would like to go with this chef then?”

“Very much so. I only have one request, and only because it is one of our favorite desserts.”

She was speaking my language at desserts. “And that would be?”

“We had the best Charlotte aux Fraises at a Parisian café, and if he could make those as well, we would be most appreciative.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” I told her, then watched as she left.

I also knew what Charlotte aux Fraises were, because they were something room service had brought Cade and I years ago on our vacation to Martinique. They were small cakes that closely resembled a strawberry shortcake, and my most recent experience had me blushing harder. I definitely needed to go splash some cold water on my face, but before I rushed off to the powder room, I walked over to Nigel.

“Mrs. Waters was very impressed with your menu. There is only one change she would make, but it is an addition, versus a subtraction.”

I explained to Nigel what she wanted, and he told me that he would be able to accommodate, and at no extra charge either. I had used this same chef on two different occasions before, and now this would be a third time. We went over the rates, as well as the number of guests. I wanted to reconfirm so I pulled back out the email I had printed off. I skimmed through the guest list and my eyes stopped on one name in particular. Noah Capshaw. Of course, he would be there, as well as Cade. It wasn’t the first time they had invites to the same event, nor would it be the last. Both ran in the same social circle, even if their closest friends were much different. It was crazy to believe that the younger generation of Titans were more upstanding than some of their older counterparts, but here we were.

I didn’t allow myself to linger on his name, and finished skimming the list. “There’s going to be a hundred and twenty-five people,” I finally told him after double-checking those numbers.

“I’ll note it and bring some extra, just in case.”

“Thank you so much,” I told Nigel, then watched as he grabbed his things and left.

Noah and Cade at the same party as me. We’d done that dozens of times in the past, but all that had been before I had slept with Noah. I didn’t technically get much sleeping done. That realization had me grabbing the rest of my things as well. The only awkwardness would likely be my own, so I really had no reason to worry. As far as I knew, Noah might’ve already forgotten that night in its entirety. It had been a few days and we hadn’t talked about it since, and it was likely because there was nothing to talk about. One-night stands happened all of the time, just not to me. And, it wasn’t as if Cade would even notice me. I had been virtually invisible our entire marriage. Now that we were divorced, it would be much of the same.

I just hoped I wasn’t deluding myself. Thankfully, I would be spending much of my time with the various vendors and staff working the event to make sure everything was going according to plan. I would be far too busy to fantasize over Noah in a tuxedo, or my ex. That made me feel marginally better. Now, I needed to go check in with the florist, then return to this hotel to go over final arrangements with the property manager when he returned from lunch.