Seven thousand dollars.

Not the five he owed me… but seven thousand dollars. I hadn’t taken the time to count it the night before. But this morning I sat at the dinette in the kitchen and just stared, stunned at the piles of bills. Chase had overpaid me by thousands. And I had to give it back.

Reese knocked gently on the wooden trim of the doorway and smiled when I looked up. “Cash?” she asked, looking at the stacks. “Seriously… they paid us in cash?”

“No kidding. Not only that, but it’s too much. I think they got their wires crossed somewhere, in how much they still owed us.” I blinked up at her as she poured herself a cup of coffee and plunked down in the metal chair opposite me. “Did I get my wires crossed too?,” I asked. “Today’s Sunday… right?”

She took a sip and made a face. “Remind me never to let you make the coffee for our customers,” she muttered. “Yeah, it’s our day off. But I came over to give you this…,” she handed me a slip of paper. The handwriting was large and elegant. Amelia’s name and number… plus Chris’s as well…

“She gave me this right before she left last night,” Reese went on, stirring another spoonful of sugar into her mug. “She said you should give her a call about the bridal shower. That if you have trouble reaching her, you can always call her brother…”

“You could have called me with the numbers…”

“And miss a chance to pump you for information? Hell no, I wasn’t gonna call… Now give. I saw how he was looking at you last night. When a man looks at a woman like that, he wants more than to thank her for a job well done.” Her brown eyes sparkled. “Depending on the kind of job…,” she added teasingly. “I saw him lead you off during the fireworks…”

I felt the blush burn its way from my cheeks to my toes, knowing my chance to pretend innocence was hopelessly lost. I took her hand and gripped it tight, grateful to have someone I could tell.

“It wasn’t like that,” I said dismissively. “Not between the two of us, anyway. It was something I’d seen earlier between… well… between another couple…” I blushed again and lowered my voice. “He… this man was having sex with a girl, right where anybody could have seen them…”

“And Chase wanted to make sure you wouldn’t go spreading stories about the wild parties he and his colleagues throw.” She nodded. “We’ve all heard a tale or two about the relationship between privilege and decadence.” She looked at the pile of cash on the table and aimed her dark brown eyes straight into mine. “So what happens on the job, stays on the job… right?”

“Right,” I said coolly. “We just do what we’re hired to do. The rest is none of our business.” I gathered the money and the slip with the phone numbers. “Do you think that’s wrong, Reese? God knows, I can’t talk to my grandmother about this… hell, I already know what she’d say.”

“Well, I say you can’t hold a host responsible for the behavior of his guests. And besides… what happens between consenting adults is their own business. And we’ve already got offers for more work than we’ve had in the last six months. Who knows how much more could come our way.” Reese gave me a sidelong look. “And I still say that Christopher Chase had more than just business on his mind when he was looking at you, Em.” She smiled thoughtfully. “He’s rich and drop-dead gorgeous, you know… A girl could do a lot worse…”

I felt that slow, delicious heat course through my body again at the thought of him. He was so… so… overwhelming in every way. Tall and dark and intriguing as hell. Just standing near him had seemed to heighten all my senses. His eyes on mine made me feel like anything might happen. The whole evening had set a hundred different fantasies loose in my head, about what those huge hands could do to my naked flesh, just given the chance.

“It’s not just that,” I answered slowly, looking up to meet her eyes. “Not just who he is… or how he looks at me…” I swallowed, trying to force down the bad, bad girl inside me who wanted what she couldn’t have, or didn’t dare have…

“He’s rich, gorgeous, hot… every girl’s dream… But it isn’t just that. He was kind to me too, and respectful,” I said, more calmly than I felt. “Whatever else might go on in his kind of social circles,

Christopher Chase, at least, is a gentleman.”

* * *

“So, we’re all set for the fifteenth?”

Amelia’s voice tinkled like a silvery bell over the phone. I’d spent an hour pacing the floor after Reese had left, trying to work up the courage to call Chris. I’d settled for his sister instead.

“Sunday, the fifteenth at five o’clock, “ I repeated, putting the date on my calendar as I spoke. “I’ve made notes for the cake and the goody bags.” I scrolled through some of the photographs she’d sent as inspiration. “I think I’ve got a good sense of what you’re looking for…”

“And if you’ve got questions, just give me a ring. I swear, Becca’s been planning this wedding since we were six years old… Now, you’re sure you don’t mind doing a light buffet, too?” Amelia asked kindly. “I know I kinda sprung the idea on you last minute…”

“I couldn’t be more excited,” I reassured her. “This whole job is like a dream come true for me. I like baking, but real cooking’s always been my first love. I can promise you, I won’t let you or Becca down.”

“I know you won’t,” she said confidently. “And you’ll get some great exposure. Some of her friends will be planning their own weddings soon. Bring a thick stack of business cards along.”

“Thank you, Amelia,” I breathed. “I will…”

We said our goodbyes and I started dialing again before I had a chance to think… or to lose my nerve. He answered on the second ring, catching me between breaths and speechless for a second, at the intimate sound of his voice in my ear.

“Hello?” he repeated, “Who’s there?”

“Emily,” I said, stopping to clear my throat. “I’m the caterer from the…”

“I remember,” he cut me off, his voice low… deep… “It’s interesting you chose to call just now… I was thinking about you.” He cleared his throat too. “What is it I can do for you?”

I tried to ignore the effect of his words on the pace of my heart. “I’m afraid I was too… well… I didn’t catch the mistake until this morning,” I stammered awkwardly. “I’m afraid you overpaid me last night, quite a considerable amount.”

“Did I?” he asked softly.

“I didn’t know how you’d prefer me to return it to you…” My heart was pounding at the thought I might get to see him again…

“Have dinner with me,” he said abruptly. It wasn’t a question.

“I… I’m sorry…?”

“We left something unfinished last night. And I need to see you.

I’ll be in the city this evening. I’ll pick you up at six.”