Recipe for Attraction (8 page)

“Jesus Christ.” He shrugged them off. “Can we just go?”

Being deprived of fresh air for even one night was too many. When they walked out of the station into the light, it smacked him in the face almost knocking him back. He needed to remember not to do anything illegal ever again.

Finn and Cole left Neil in Jack’s capable hands. They stopped by his condo so he could shower and pack a bag. That tiny cottage he called his office was going to be his home for the next seven days. He spent every waking minute at the site, and with no license, there was no reason to bother anyone to drive him back and forth.

But before he whiled away his hours on site he needed to make a stop at Bistro and pick up some paperwork.

The car ride was quiet but Jack finally spoke up, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Hell no!
“Nothing to talk about.”

“You have nothing to say about the fact that I had to pick you up in jail and that you’ve lost your license for seven days. How fast were you going exactly in order to—”

“Look,” Neil straightened in his seat. “I said I don’t want to talk about it.”

Jack lifted up one hand acknowledging his request. The rest of the car ride was silent. Despite being so early in the morning, the air was thick and muggy. He looked in the side mirror and saw the dense smog hovered over the city in the distance behind them.

They pulled up to the restaurant, gravel crunching under the car as they parked in the driveway behind the building.

When Jack turned off the engine, Neil said, “I’ll be at the program this afternoon in case you need me.”

He turned in his seat. “I already know that. I help make the schedule. What you should be telling me is where you’re spending the rest of your time”

Neil shot him a dirty look. “What does that mean?”

“It means most nights you’re missing in action and we don’t know where the hell you are.” Jack clutched the steering wheel. “Then you surface in the morning like everything is normal even though sometimes you have scrapes and scratches on your face and hands.”

“It’s from the site.” Neil hated lying, but there was no way he was going to tell Jack the truth. “There is construction all around me and I—”

“Cut the shit. It’s not from construction. Especially, when you’re wrecking at least one bike every month.”

Neil turned to face him. “How do you…?”

There was no way he could know that. Neil bought the same bike over and over again so he didn’t look too suspicious. But obviously Jack was much smarter than he gave him credit for.

“Jack, my schedule isn’t a secret and I—”

“Because you’re going to start telling us where you are. Especially now.” Jack looked him in the eye. There was sincere concern for his welfare in his stare. “Every time we can’t find you I’m going to go from precinct to precinct thinking you’ve been picked up again.”

He hated being an asshole. But Jack didn’t need to get wrapped up in his world. “Just mind your own business and focus on your own work.”

Jack had been busy with the foundation he had created the year before in honor of their mother—the Vivian Madewood Foundation. Jack focused on securing funds for the Cooking for the Future program, a program his mother started when she realized how the culinary arts helped Neil and his brothers acclimate and focus on their future.

Neil and his brothers took turns running the program and because of Jack’s efforts over the last year, it was the reason why Neil was teaching the program in actual schools rather than just the test kitchen they had built specifically for the program.

Jack took out his phone and glanced at his screen. “Any reason why Carson Kelly would be calling me?”

Carson. Why the hell would she be calling? Neil cursed under his breath. Today was the final inspection. And he had missed it.

“She’s probably looking for me. I may be in some trouble when I finally show up today.”

“I’m off to pick up Sterling and we’re coming back to Bistro.” Sterling Andrews was Jack’s live-in girlfriend and the woman who finally got him to settle down. “I can wait for you if you want.” Jack said.

Neil shot him a dirty look. He didn’t need a babysitter. “Why the hell would you wait for me?”

“How are you going to get to the CF program?”

“Shit!” He didn’t need a babysitter, but he definitely needed a chauffeur. He’d already forgotten about the license situation. The next week was going to be torture. “I’ll just get Penn to call me one of those car services.” Penn Foster was their marketing and event planner for the Madewood group of companies, which included two restaurants, the Madewood Farm and their gourmet food stores. She worked out of Bistro and had become their go-to person for…everything. “I’ll make do for a week.”

Half an hour later, Neil sat in Cole’s office scouring the receipts from the night before.

“I’ve been phoning you all morning.”

The familiar female voice that wafted from his doorway didn’t sound so inviting. In fact, it sounded downright evil.

He looked up to see Carson standing in his doorway with the scowl he had seen so many times before on her face, her arms crossed over her chest.

“I was a little busy this morning.” Like being bailed out of jail. “Besides, my phone hasn’t rung once since I got here.” Neil grabbed it out of his pocket and thrust it forward. “See, it’s—”

“Off.” Carson stalked forward and grabbed at it, the white screen lit up.

He hadn’t bothered to look at his phone when he left the precinct. He’d just ripped open that plastic bag and gotten the hell out of there. “Shit. I’m sorry.”

She recoiled. “What?” She cupped her hand around her ear. “I didn’t hear that?”

Neil sighed. She was such a ballbuster. “I said I’m sorry.”

“Wow. I would have bet my entire trust fund that I’d never hear you say those words.”

Neil shot up in his chair. “I knew you had a trust fund.”

She gave him a dirty look. Right. Not the time or place to get into it.

“What can I do for you, Carson?”

She pulled the file folder she had tucked under her arm. “I need approvals and some signatures.”

She spent the next ten minutes boring him out of his mind discussing the inspection. Luckily, the woman had an awesome rack otherwise he would have taken a pencil to the eye.

“Harrison. Eyes up.” Her fingers pointed at her eyes. “Are you even listening to me?”

He smiled. “It’s tough to concentrate when your breasts are pushed in my face.”

“My breasts are nowhere near your face.”

Neil grabbed her waist and pulled her closer. “Now they are.”

She laughed. “You have a one track mind.”

Yes he did. And getting in between Carson’s legs seemed to be the only thing on his mind lately. “You’re supposed to be there for me.”

“Yes.” The word came out elongated. “I promised I’d be there for you when you’re anxious about riding.”

A knock sounded on the office door. Neil released Carson’s waist and pushed her away.

Cole peeked in the room. “King, do you have a minute? Oh, hey Carson, how are you?”

“Great, thank you, Cole. Looking pretty snazzy in your chef coat.”

“What can I do for you, Cole?” There was too much nicey-nicey going on. Cole was not getting a chance to horn in on his woman.
His woman? Where the hell had that come from?

“Penn told me you didn’t agree to my menu changes.”

“She’s right. I need to look them over in more detail, but it will have to wait.”

Cole fisted his hands at his side. “Neil, this is
my
restaurant.”

“That may be, but you know the rules. We all have to agree.” He could hardly believe the words he was saying. Was he really trying to play the power card? “Just buy some time and make the new dishes as daily specials. Gauge people’s interests.”

Carson stepped away, but the smell of her still lingered. It was enough to make his cock twitch inside his pants. Everything about this woman made his cock twitch.

“King, it will take you ten minutes to—”

“Jesus Christ, Cole. I don’t have time for this right now.”

Cole jerked back in surprise at Neil’s outburst. So did Carson. She looked at him with concern. Immediately an idea formulated in his mind.

Neil slid his hand over his face. “I’m getting really agitated. You’re really pushing me over the edge right now, Cole.” He looked over at Carson who stood, arms crossed over her luscious breasts and a big grin on her face. “I’m stressing and the only thing I think that can save me is a ride on my bike.”

“You have no license,” Cole blurted.

“What do you mean you have no license?” Carson voice went up at least two octaves. That wasn’t a good sign.

“Uhhh…” He glanced up at her, then at Cole, hoping he’d have an out. His only offering was a shrug. “I…uhh…sort of got pulled over for speeding and had my license suspended for seven days.”

“How could that have possibly happened in less than twelve hours since I last saw you?” She stopped talking and shrank into herself. So she didn’t want Cole to know they spent time with each other outside of business hours. That was all right. He didn’t owe anyone an explanation.

“He was arrested, too,” Cole blurted. “Jack, Finn and I had to pick him up at the precinct this morning.”

Neil shot Cole a dirty look. He didn’t have to disclose the whole story.

“That’s why you missed the inspection?” Carson asked. “Because you were in jail.”

“I’m a dangerous mess.” His shoulders lifted to his ears. “I need help or I’m going to get on my bike.”

“Neil, I can’t let you ride. I promised Finn I’d keep an eye on you and—”

“I can handle it from here, Cole,” Carson said as she held up her hand to keep him from continuing his thought.

But Neil needed some answers from his brother. “What the hell do you mean you said you’d keep an eye on me?” Did the three of them think he was some child that needed watching over?

Before Cole responded, Carson said, “I have my truck out back. I’ll take him out when we’re done.” She looked over at the doorway. “That should appease Mr. Grumpy.”

Cole laughed but Neil did his best to keep his temper on a low simmer. He’d have a little talk with his brothers later on. Right now, he had a woman to seduce.

“Close the door behind you, Cole.”

Cole swiveled around before he slipped out the door, a huge grin on his face. He knew exactly what Neil had in mind.

“Jail?” Carson shook her head. “Purposely arguing with your brother to make me have sex with you?”

“You picked up on that, huh?” She was too smart for her own good. “I want what I want. And I want you. Right now on this desk.”

Neil snaked out his arm, wrapped it around her waist and pulled her closer. He positioned her in front of him, rested her bottom on the desk with her legs in between his own. He moved his hands from her waist up her ribcage to her breasts.

“We still have papers to review.”

He pulled his chair closer and the rolling wheels of the five-legged chair squeaked. He drew himself in until he was flush against her body, her knees pressed against the edge of the seat.

He lifted her shirt, a deep purple color that reminded him of eggplant. He kissed along her belly, soft open mouthed kisses that left her stomach quivering with every tiny contact.

“Neil?” She looked over her shoulder at the door. “Someone could walk in.”

“It’s just Cole. The restaurant isn’t open yet and none of his staff come near this office. Besides, he knows not to come in here when the door is closed.”

She tilted her head forward. “What is that, secret brother code?”

He grinned. “Something like that.”

He kissed his way higher, pushing her shirt up over her breasts. He nipped at the skin just under her bra, then the soft mounds of flesh that peeked out from the top. First the left. Then the right.

Carson let out a heavy breath. He knew her breaths. Short and shallow meant she was excited. Holding her breath meant she was overcome and heavy breaths meant she was fighting her desire. Challenge accepted.

He undid the clasp of her bra with one hand and the belt buckle of her pants with the other.

“Such a multi-tasker.”

“I know how to get things done.”

She gasped when he ripped her shirt and bra over her head and buried his face between her breasts. His mouth found her nipple and he bit down. A little pain never hurt anyone—a little pain would take her to the edge faster. But her uneven, hard breaths told him she was nervous.

“Come on, baby. It’s not like I’m recording this and putting it on YouTube. It’s just you and me.” Because that would be attention he just didn’t need. Only one Madewood brother was allowed to have a sex tape and Jack had claimed that honor years ago.

While he sucked on her nipples, he undid her pants and pushed, letting the fabric slide down over her hips, her legs. He took her thong with them, exposing her bare body, his face the perfect level to take in the sight of her pink center and the tiny strip of hair above it. He pushed her back, settling her on the desk, and spread her legs.

“You made some changes down here since we had tree sex.” He winked. “I like it.”

“I didn’t do it for you.”

“Oh, no…” He leaned in, his breath eliciting goose bumps across her flesh. “If not for me, then who?”

Something tightened in his chest as he awaited her answer. He shouldn’t care if she was screwing around with someone else. This wasn’t a permanent situation. But he had to be honest. He didn’t like the idea of her being with anyone else. Not while they were together.

He returned to teasing, his tongue snaking out and licking up the inside of her thigh and the area around her pink folds.

“I did it for me,” she said between gasps.