“How many vehicles do you have?” Remy asked.
“Enough. In this case Mercedes is sponsoring one of the upcoming challenges and giving away this car as a prize.”
“Nice. I hope I win,” Staci said. “I’ve been riding the bus for too long.”
Remy laughed. “Ah, without the bus I wouldn’t have that great first impression of you.”
She shook her head remembering how she’d landed in his arms. “I could have done without that.”
Soon they were both seated in the backseat and being whisked across town toward the famous restaurant. Instead of thinking about the evening or even the contest, Staci’s thoughts hadn’t drifted any further than the man sitting next to her.
She wished she’d made a better first impression on him but she knew that her skills in the kitchen had made up for her stumble. And if she were honest, she wouldn’t trade their first meeting for anything.
“Nervous?” he asked.
“A little. But not really,” she said. “You?”
“No. I’m curious to see his techniques. I haven’t cooked much outside of the South.”
“I was trained in Paris,” she said.
“Really? Pastry?” he asked.
“Yes and everything else,” she admitted.
“Then why are you the co-owner of a cupcake bakery? You should be working in the finest kitchens in the world.”
“That is a long story,” she said.
“Well, we do have a long drive ahead of us,” he replied.
Chapter Three
THEWARMTHOFTHECAR’Sinterior feltlike an intimate cocoon and it would have been easy for her to forget that Remy was her competitor. Yet, this situation was so far removed from what she knew life to be like. Remy might be an out-of-work chef but he was clearly used to luxury. He sat relaxed next to her in his expensive clothes.
What was his story? Did she want to know? A lot of people said it was better to know your enemy but given her personality flaw regarding men, she thought a little mystery was probably in order.
“You were going to tell me how a Cordon Bleu chef ends up owning a cupcake bakery,” he said in that sultry southern way of his.
It would be easy to dismiss him as an innocent were it not for the shrewd look in his eyes. She didn’t have to guess to know that he was one of those who subscribed to the know-your-enemy theory.
“Was I?” she asked, turning toward him. The fabric of her skirt slid up her legs and she waited to see if he had noticed.
He had. But he arched one eyebrow at her to let her know that he knew she’d done it deliberately. She shrugged and he smiled.
“It’s clear that neither of us is going to forget this is a competition,” he said.
“I’m here to win,” she said. “I have to assume you are too.”
“Indeed. Why else would I travel across the country with just my knives and culinary training?”
“Where did you train?” she asked, turning the tables back to him.
“CIA. But we’ll learn about that during the competition. I want to know more about you. The things you aren’t going to reveal in front of the camera,” he said, as he shifted to stretch his arm along the back of the seat. His fingers just inches from her shoulder, she felt the heat of his body against her skin.
“But those facts aren’t ones I’ll give up for nothing. What are you going to offer me in return, what secrets do you keep, Southern Man?”
She realized that the attraction ran both ways and that Remy wasn’t afraid to turn the tables on her. She cleared her throat.
