Her Chocolate Fantasy (9 page)

Chapter Ten

Max decided to take me some place I had never been to before, a little café called Alfred’s. We had to take his car, since the restaurant wasn’t within walking distance, but once we arrived, I didn’t mind the drive. Alfred’s was a nice little out-of-the-way place that must have been there for years, but I had never heard of it. The interior was dark, the candelabras providing only a bit of dim lighting. The hostess walked us to the back and seated us at an intimate table for two. After settling into the plush, red velvet chair, I looked over the menu to see what I wanted to eat.

“See anything you like?” he asked me.

I kept looking, having a bit of difficulty, as part of the menu was in French. “Everything looks so delicious, but it’s going to take me sometime. You must have been here before?”

“It’s been a while
, but I’ve always loved this place. Thought maybe you’d enjoy it, too.”

H
e gave me a broad smile, and my cheeks grew warm. I had seen that smile once before, and it only led to trouble…in a good way, of course.

“You can stop looking at me like that
, you know,” I said.

He
raised his brows at my comment, but I returned my attention to the menu.

“What do you mean by that?”
he asked.

“Oh
, you know exactly what I mean. The look that says you’d like to take me on the table, right now, in front of everybody, and fuck me senseless.”

“
That look? Oh, yeah. I’ve given it to you a couple of times, haven’t I?”

“Yeah
, you have. Not that I don’t enjoy how you look at me. Especially
that
look…and a few others.”

“
What look do you mean?”

“
Well, like you could see right through my clothes, for one.”

H
e chuckled. “Why would I want to look through your clothes when I can just take them off?”

He sure had a way with words
. My skin grew hotter at his comment, but I lowered my head and continued looking over my menu with a smile. By the time our waiter came, I had decided to get the salad nicoise, while Max ordered the quiche. We sat quietly for a few moments.

“Do you have any plans for this weekend coming up?”
Max asked.

“I have a class that I go to on Saturdays.”

“Oh, a class… Are you taking a college course?”

“No, this class is for fun. Would you like to come with me
? It’s only for about an hour. Plus, I know you’ll have a lot of fun.”

“Sure
, I’d love to come.” He took a sip of water. “Um…what kind of class, anyway?”

I grinned.
“That’s my surprise. I’ll come by your place around eleven forty-five. Class starts at noon.”

He reached
over to take my hand. “Aren’t you going to tell me what the class is about?”

“No,
” I said, laughing. “I’m not going to tell you a damn thing. You can try to sweet talk me all you want, but you won’t get it out of me. You’ll just have to wait until Saturday. It’s going to be fun, Max, you’ll see. Just be ready for me when I come to pick you up. Thank goodness Fred is done with my damn car. He told me he was going to bring it over this afternoon, after he got off of work.”

With a cocked brow
, Max took another sip of water, but he didn’t grill me anymore on my plans for him on Saturday, and we continued talking about other things until our lunch came.

* * * *

When I pulled up to Max’s place that Saturday afternoon, he raced out of the building, wearing a pair of blue jeans and a red t-shirt. When he got in my car, he kissed my lips and said, “Good Afternoon.”

“Hello, are you ready for class?”

“I am ready.”

We drove off down the road
, and I honestly tried my best not to laugh or giggle, because I knew once we pulled up in front of the shop, he would wonder what the hell was going on.

“So
, are you going to tell me where we are going?”

“Of course not
besides we’ll be there soon. It’s only a few blocks away. So stop asking and enjoy the ride, Mr. Nosy.” I smirked.
This is going to be too much fun
. I reached down and turned up the radio a bit. Thank goodness, the lights were all green, because I could barely hold back my excitement. Finally, we made it to the corner where I had to turn onto the street where the shop was located. I stopped right in front of the building, looking over to see the expression on his face.

Max looked utterly confused.

“Come on, let’s go to class.” I got out, purse in hand, and stepped up on the sidewalk.

Max slowly climbed
out of the car.

“But this is the chocolate store
. You have classes here?”

“Yes
, now come on, you nut.”

He
joined me in front of the shop’s door.

“I was here that day you came to get me those chocolates
, by the way,” I told him. “I had a class that day. We made truffles.”

We both walk inside
. Andre was stacking some boxes along the wall. When he turned and saw me and Max, he smiled big and bright.

“
Why, hello there, Sarah dear, I see you brought a customer with you?”

“Actually
, I brought a student, and you’ve met him before, Andre. He came in and bought two pounds of chocolate that day I was here in the back.”

His eyes lit up
. “Ah yes, so good to meet you again. Charlotte, darling, come here. Sarah is here, and she’s brought company!”

Soon
, Charlotte joined us and when she saw Max, her cheeks grew bright red. “My goodness, I didn’t think I would see you again.”

Max smiled, took her hand
, and kissed it lightly. Charlotte giggled like a school girl. Yeah, Max had that magnetism about him to even make a pregnant woman grow giddy.

“Stop flirting
over there silly. Max wanted to come and observe my class with you, Charlotte.”

“
Well, he can’t just watch, you know. All my students participate during class,” Charlotte told us both.

“But I’m not a student
.”

“Well,”
she said, grabbing him by the arm, “you are today.”

S
he pulled him toward the kitchen. “Today, we are going to make our famous dark fire truffles.”

“Dark
fire truffles… I’ve never seen those on the menu before,” Max said.

“Well
, we don’t make them for the general public. These are special order. Sarah, go grab our newest student an apron.”

I
took two aprons from hooks on the wall, and then handed one to Max. We put them on, as Charlotte continued to tell us more about her famous dark fire truffles.

“We have special order truffles here at the shop. We use some pretty exotic
ingredients for some of thecandies we make. If I was to put them out for the public, we’d never be able to keep up with the demand. However, we have certain clientele who want something special for their parties, something a bit different. So we get these special orders that come in, and today, I have one for a party. We need to make three dozen. Now Max, from the shelf over there, I want you to get the jar of cayenne pepper and chili pepper .Sarah, you help me with everything else.”

We
gathered up all the ingredients we needed, and I watched while she put Max to work measuring out, mixing everything together in bowl, and then he poured the chocolate into the pan.

“That’s good, real good
. Sarah, please be sure to cover the pan and put it into the fridge. Also, there is another pan in there that I made the other day. Bring it here, please.”

“Can you open the fridge door for me
, sweetheart?” I asked.

Max nodded as he went to open the huge
, stainless steel refrigerator door. Slowly, I put the pan inside and then grabbed the other one.

“Alright now
, Sarah, you will show Max how to roll the chocolate into balls, while I mix up the cocoa powder with some more of the pepper. They want the truffles to have a kick, they said. So Max, my dear, you will be our guinea pig for the day, since you are our new student. Sarah will show you how to roll the chocolate into a ball.”

“How many are we doing again?” I asked her.

“Thirty-six. After you’re done, I’ll show you how to do the piping of the little pepper on top.”

I went into the drawer to
grab some plastic gloves, so we could roll the chocolate without making a huge mess.

“Now
, the chocolate isn’t completely hard, but it’s good enough for us to be able to handle it. You want to make balls with a circumference about the size of a silver dollar.” I spooned some of the chocolate into my hands while quickly rolled them together while he watched. I had done this so many times before thatI had it down to a science. When I was done, I showed him my finished product.

Max
smiled. “Looks great.”

“Then you put it into the bowl of the chocolate powder,
chili, and cayenne and roll it around.” I slowly rolled the ball in the stainless steel bowl. Once I saw it was completely covered, I took it out and showed him the powdered morsel, holding the ball between my fingers. “Ready for a taste now, Max?”

He nodded and leaned in to
take a big bite of the truffle. He continued chewing it, licking his lips to get the powder off as I continued watching him, waiting...

W
aiting, because I knew what was going to happen next. His skin slowly turned a vibrant red, and his eyes started to water.

“Oh
. My God!” Holding his mouth, he ran to the sink and turned on the faucet.

Charlotte and I started to giggle. You see
, the cayenne pepper used with this truffle was super potent. Charlotte would never tell me where she got them, and honestly, I never wanted to know.

“Get him some milk out of the fridge
, Sarah. That water will do him no good.”

I grabbed a cup from the counter as I hurried to get him some milk
. I went over and handed him the cup, and he gulped it down quickly. He made a choking sound, and I knew he was trying to extinguish the flames in his mouth.

“Here you go,”
Charlotte said.

I turned a
nd caught the hand towel she threw as I quickly wet it so I could wipe his face to cool him down. He sighed deeply which seemed to calm down.

“Is that better?” I asked him.

He didn’t say anything for a couple of minutes, just gazed at me with an expression that said, ‘I am so going to get you’.

“You knew it was going to be hot
, didn’t you?” he finally asked.

I bit my lip
, trying my best to not laugh, but a snort broke through. “I’m sorry, but she did it to me when we first made them, and I nearly hyperventilated when I ate one, it was that hot.”

“And people eat them like this?” he asked Charlotte. “They must
have a death wish or something, eating these things.”

“
Well, as far as the heat of the truffle, it all depends on how the customer wants it. Some just want a tad of heat, while others want so much they can barely handle it. This customer I have has ordered these from me before, always this hot. They belong to a group that loves all things hot and spicy, and every year around this time, they order about three dozen of them.”

“More power to
them, that’s all I can say.” Max gave out a sigh. He looked back at me, and this time he smiled. “You got me this time, but I will so get you back.”

He gave
me a sound kiss on the lips, and I laughed, knowing he meant everything that he said.

Chapter Eleven

I was wondering whether or not I happened to mention how badly I hate Mondays? Max didn’t spend the weekend with me, which meant when I got up that next Monday morning I went to my car, but once again, the damn thing wouldn’t start. Of course, I had to take the bus, but thankfully, I didn’t run into Anton again.

When I made it to my floor, immediately I looked over toward Max’s office
, but he wasn’t there. I didn’t think much of his absence, but as soon as I sat down at my cubicle, Darla wheeled over next to me.

“There was a big
meeting of the executives, and I heard some changes are going to happen.”

“How did you hear that?”

“I have my ways.”

I shook my head and
chuckled, as I booted up my computer.

“Good Morning
, Sarah, how are you this morning?” Erik asked, coming to stand beside my desk.

“
Doing good, thanks. How was your weekend?”

“I went camping with some new friends of mine.
It was good to get out in the open air and all. Listen, I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch with me today.”

I had to do a double take
, because honestly, I couldn’t believe my ears. “Well, I would have to see, but if nothing is going on, I don’t mind having lunch with you.”

“Great, just let me know if you can
.” He smiled then walked away, leaving me dumbfounded.

I slowly turned to see an equally dumbfounded look on Darla’s face.

“I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe he asked you to lunch,” she said.

I could tell Darla was hurt
. After all, he’d turned her down, and she’d really wanted to have lunch with him. Moving in closer to her, I said, “Listen, I’ll get out of going to lunch with him. I know you wanted to go with him, so why don’t I tell him that something came up, and I can’t go but that you are available. I mean, it was nice of him to ask, but I’m not interested in him in that way.”

Darla turned back to her computer
, but I spun her back to face me again. “Darla, I mean it because I’m not interested in him whatsoever. Besides, you know I’m only interested in one person around here. Don’t worry, you know I can work my magic on anything.”

Darla gave me a
halfhearted smile, as we continued on with our work. I would periodically look over toward the elevator, hoping to catch a glimpse of Max going into his office. Finally, after about another hour, he and a few other people came from the elevator. His companions were all talking, and they patted him on the shoulder before going their separate ways. Max went into his office, closing the door behind him.
He’ll probablycall
, I thought. Sure enough, a few minutes later, my phone rang.

“Hello
, this is Sarah.”

“Hey there
, baby, how are you today?” His voice, even though he sounded mostly happy, had a bit of sadness in it.

“Oh
, I’m doing fine, even though I had to take the bus again. My car wouldn’t start. How are you?”

He didn’t answer, and I frowned.

“Do you want to talk?” I asked him.

“How about during lunch
? I’ve got to make some calls here. I’ll meet you at the elevator when it’s time for your lunch, alright?”

“Alright
, hon, talk with you then.”

We hung up
, but honestly, I would have preferred he tell me what was on his mind then, rather than making me wait. I really didn’t like how he sounded over the phone. Whatever happened during that meeting, it must have been bad for him.

I really don’t know what planet some people are from. When you are trying to get a simple answer
to a question of great importance, a normal person would give you a simple answer. But the person I had been talking with for the past fifteen minutes really didn’t have a clue.

After dealing with numerous calls, some with really stupid people, Erik came wheeling from around the corner, looking concerned for me.

“Everything alright
?” he asked.

“Not really
. Trying to get a report, but of course, no one seems to know where the hell it is. Big fat pain in the ass is all that it’s been, but I think Charlie is trying to find it. He said he’d call me.”

“Damn
, I’m sorry. I hope they can find it. You sounded frustrated as hell.”

“I’m surprised
Don didn’t call me in. I was probably yelling real loud, huh?”

He nodded
, and I smiled a bit, figuring I probably did put on a show with that call.

“Sorry you had to hear all that
, but I get frustrated with stupid.”

“Oh
, no problem at all. Hey, I did want to see if you still wanted to go have lunch with me.”

“Actually
, I’m going to have to decline this time; I have a friend who is in need of a shoulder to cry on during lunch. But I know Darla doesn’t have anybody to go to lunch with, and she’s real good company.”

“I’m sorry you can’t make it
. I totally understand about helping out a friend.” He looked over at Darla, who was still at her computer, but I knew she was listening in on what we were talking about. Erik wheeled over to her and asked, “Ms. Darla, would you like to have lunch with me today?”

I never knew Darla
could be speechless. Finally, after a minute, she said, “Sure, I would love to.”

“Great
! Be ready at noon.” He gave her a wink and smile before scooting back toward his cubicle.

Darla’s face lit up
, and I knew right then and there, things were going to be just fine between her and Erik. I just hoped things would be fine when I talked with Max at lunch that day.

* * * *

Max sat in front of me at lunch. We had decided to go back to the park, and I ate, but he didn’t, saying he really didn’t have much of an appetite for lunch. He was avoiding eye contact with me, and after a bit, I set my sandwich on the plate and gave him a look.

“What’s wrong?”

He continued to fidget, ran his fingers through his hair, and then sighed. “We had a meeting this morning, just to go over figures and stuff, like usual. That was when the big boss came in and said he wanted to talk with me for a bit in private. We went into another room, and he told me they were going to be opening another office, and he had wanted me to go there because my work would be greatly needed there. I would get more pay than I am making right now—actually, my salary willtriple. I would have a bigger office, a company car, and an apartment of my very own.”

“Wow
, that’s great! I’m so happy for you. You’re really moving up the corporate ladder now.”

“Yeah
, but there is a huge drawback to all of this,” he said, still looking down at his hands.

“What’s that?”

“I’ll have to move to New York.”

You know that moment when it seem
s like everything around you sounds like glass being shattered? Shards of glass are falling all around you, and the sound is so deafening, that honestly, you just can’t seem to stand it?

Did he just say New York? I know he didn’t just say New York
. “What!”

“I know
, sweetheart, and I was just as shocked when I heard the news. I would have to move in a month.”

“A month
? Are you serious? A fucking month.” I got up as my throat started to tighten, and I quickly walked away from him. I didn’t want him to see me cry, but I couldn’t help it. This couldn’t have been happening, I thought. I mean, we had just started to get into a relationship, and now he was being taken away from me, just like that, just when things were suddenly going so well. Two strong hands grabbed my arms, stopping me in my tracks, quickly turning me, and I looked up to see a very somber-looking face and eyes that appeared just as upset as mine.

“Baby, I’m sorry to tell you all this. I honestly didn’t want to tell you about it in the first place.”

“So, when were you going to tell me about it? Probably the day before you were leaving out so that way you could break the news then?”

“Of course not, baby
. I didn’t want to take the job, but I have to. Boss told me I was needed in New York.” His touch was delicate against my cheek as he wiped my tears.

“But I need you here
. Don’t you understand? We just getting started in this, and now you have to leave…just like that.”

“I’m not leaving you
, Sarah, alright? Let’s get this straight before anything. You are mine, and I am all yours and only yours. What we got going on, I wouldn’t want it to end, not ever. We complete each other, and I’m not going to let that end.” He kissed my forehead and held me close. “Besides, it’s not like it’s the end of the world. We will see each other. I’ll make sure of it. Yes, we’ll be miles away from each other, but that doesn’t mean I won’t come and visit or have you fly up to New York from Georgia. I want you in my life now, Sarah, and no amount of distance is going to stop me.”

He took my hand in his
, softly kissing it while rubbing my knuckles with those fingers of his.

How I wish what he was saying was true
, but deep down, for some reason, I felt as if that was not going to happen. After this time with him, I was beginning to feel as if our union were nothing more than just some fling.

“I hope you are right
, Max.”

“Of course
, I’m right. I’ve wanted you in my life for a long time now. I’m not about to let you go, Sarah. Listen, why don’t we go out of town for the weekend? I have a friend that has a bungalow along the beach in Panama City. He owes me big time for helping him out of a jam, so I know he will let me have it for the weekend. I can get us a flight out Thursday morning, and we can be off.”

“But I have to work on Thursday
.”

“Call in sick
. After all, when do you get the chance to jet off to Florida for the weekend with the man you love?”

Looking into those eyes of his
, it made me feel like some little school girl, shy and timid within his arms. I couldn’t help but smile a bit when he did. Softly, his lips caressed my own, while he deepened our embrace. God, I was going to miss moments like this, feeling him in my arms, having him holding me and kissing on me like this.

Yeah…
I would be an idiot not to skip out with him to Florida for the weekend.