"He wasn't…"
Nina laughed. "Not that I saw, but his suit jacket probably hid some of it."
I changed into something less suggestive then walked out with the box.
"So what I need," I said, "is a fluffer."
Nina stifled a giggle.
Jack cocked his head. "Come again?"
"I want to make whipped sugar."
"Like cotton candy?" he asked.
"No, like whipped, fluffy icing, like snow. For a gingerbread house, people dump powdered sugar all over the plate, but I want fluffy whipped icing."
Jack looked thoughtful for a moment then nodded. "I'll see what I can do."
14
Jack
Watching her bend down, her ass wiggling in that ridiculously sexy costume, was almost too much.
I am in control,I chanted to myself.I am a block of ice, cold and unfeeling.But Chloe threatened to melt right through me and ignite my inhibitions.
She had given me a good idea at least for an attachment on the air injector pump. Chefs used the device in molecular gastronomy to infuse scented smoke into candy balloons or delicate dumplings. They also used an attachment to whip liquids or create foams. Chloe's request for fluffy frosting snow wasn't out of the realm of possibility.
I had a work room in my penthouse where I kept my tools and such. I changed out of my suit, put on my goggles, and set to work. Milo snoozed at my feet. I hadn't been doing as much tinkering lately. My days seemed to be taken up with meetings and the minutiae of corporate life. It was nice to actually create something, and I was soon in a flow state.
I carved the nozzle out of wood first to see if the shape worked. Once I had molded it to my liking, I would scan it into my computer to have a 3D model, and then I would hand it all over to the engineers.
I looked over the air injector pump. It only needed a few modifications to fluff the frosting. I spent the rest of the afternoon alternating between conference calls and working on the add-on for the air injector pump.
To test the nozzles I was making, however, I would need to make frosting. I found a recipe online and set to mixing. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. It didn't look like professional frosting, but it would suffice to test the nozzle. I spooned the frosting into the chambers and switched on the machine. The air pump purred, and the foamy icing came out of the nozzle like a cloud. I tasted it, and it was like pure sugar. I spit it out, unhappy with the sugary taste, but the texture seemed to be what Chloe had asked for.
My whole condo reeked of sugar, and I opened the French doors out to the balcony to air out the penthouse while I scanned the nozzle then set the 3D printer to make a metal version of the latest iteration. I wanted Chloe to test it before I sent it to the engineers.
Milo barked as someone knocked on the door.
"That better not be Hartleigh," I muttered, checking the camera. Gunnar and Dana were waving at me.
"Happy premiere night!" Dana said as she and Gunnar walked into my living room. "I thought we would all watch together. You need some socialization."
"You seem calm," I told her.
Milo barked again, and Liam barged in.
"I never should have given you the code," I told him as he roughhoused with Milo.
"Someone has to have access," he said. "What if you freeze to death from leaving all the windows open?"
"Milo doesn't like the heat," I retorted.
Dana rubbed her arms. "I should have brought a hat and a coat."
"Are you baking?" Liam asked, laughing as he surveyed my kitchen.
