The Way You Tempt Me. Elle Wright

Duke had blazed a trail in the culinary industry, winning multiple awards and turning the food game on its ears. He’d recently won a reality-television contest for best chef and was currently wielding all kinds of offers, from product endorsements to lucrative job offers to cookbook deals. He’d even managed to snag a deal as an underwear model.

      “Did the florist come to the house?”

      Xavier had spared no expense, hiring one of the top floral artists to decorate his condo for the proposal.

      “She just left,” Duke said. “But not before I got her number for tonight.”

      “You just make sure the entrée is on point, before you hook up with Samantha.”

      “I got you, bruh. You know that.”

      “Thanks, man. I need this entire thing to go off without a hitch.”

      “At least the food will be good.” Duke laughed. “That is the only thing that I’m sure about.”

      “Shut the hell up, man.” He’d heard all of his friend’s reservations about Naomi and the proposal multiple times since he’d asked him to prepare the meal for the occasion. And after the conversation he’d just had with his dad, he didn’t want to hear it again.

      “I’m just sayin’... Despite the slammin’ dinner, the whole engagement thing doesn’t sit right with me. But it’s your life.”

      “Exactly, so stop talking about it.” The phone buzzed in his ear again. Xavier glanced at the screen. His father. Hitting IGNORE, he said, “Bruh, once you’re finished, you can go ahead and go. I’ll probably be done here a little early today, because I want to take care of some things at the house.”

      “I don’t just cook a masterpiece and walk away. Part of my process is the presentation.”

      “For someone else, yes. But not for me.”

      Another call buzzed in his ear. Skye again. For a second, he wondered if something was wrong. But he quickly brushed that worry off, because she would have sent a text.

      Xavier stopped at a coffee kiosk in the lobby, while Duke ticked off all the details for the romantic date he’d planned tonight. He placed his regular order, but paused when the barista simply stared at him. He looked down at his suit to check for a stain or something. “Is something wrong, Rita?”

      The petite woman quickly snapped out of her trance. “Uh, no. I’m sorry, X.” She hurried to get his drink.

      Frowning, he scanned the area and noticed that Rita wasn’t the only one staring at him. Conspicuous glances from several people in the lobby got his attention. Stares and whispers weren’t new to him. As a former child star with a hit show still running in syndication, being noticed wherever he went was commonplace. But not in the Pure Talent offices. And not the way the various staff members were watching him.

      “X, what’s up?” Duke asked, interrupting his thoughts.

      “Nothing.” He smiled when Rita slid a cup of coffee toward him. Meeting her gaze, he noticed her chin tremble, almost like she was going to break out in an ugly cry. “Are you okay?”

      She dropped her gaze. “I’m okay, X. Are you?”

      Tilting his head, he nodded. “I’m fine.” He pulled out a twenty-dollar bill and set it on the counter.

      Before he could slide it to her, she placed her hand on top of his. “It’s good. Coffee’s on me today.”

      “Okay,” he murmured. “Thanks, Rita.”

      “Who the hell is Rita?” Duke asked.

      Xavier blinked. Because for a second, he’d forgotten he was on the phone. “No one to you, bruh. Listen, what did you decide for dessert?”

      Duke described a strawberry-and-chocolate torte that he was sure Naomi would love. Smiling, Xavier said, “Sounds like you have everything under control.”

      “I told you... I got this. This is what I do.”

      “X!”

      Xavier turned toward the entrance of the building. Skye waved at him and rushed over to where he’d been standing near the small coffee kiosk. He held up a hand, signaling her to wait a second. Speaking to Duke, he told him to call if he had any issues and ended the call.

      “What’s up, Skye?”

      Breathing heavily, like she’d been running, Skye ran a hand through her hair. “I’ve been trying to call you.”

      Xavier opened an e-mail and skimmed a message from one of his client’s parents. “I was in the middle of something.” He quickly typed out a response to the e-mail and hit the SEND button. “What’s going on?” He read another e-mail and pondered the best way to answer the question posed to him.

      Skye snatched his phone. “Listen to me.”

      Frowning, he wondered if he’d missed something. Has she been talking? “There’s a lot going on. I’m actually on my way out to take care of something for the proposal tonight.”

      “X, I...”

      He pulled the ring out of his pocket. “I forgot to show you the ring.” He opened the box and smiled, anticipating her reaction.

      Skye had been his number one supporter in everything he’d done in life. They’d grown up together, joined at the hip from the time they could walk. Their fathers were brothers and partners in numerous business ventures.

      With a hard eye roll, Skye shook her head. “X, stop.”

      He paused, confused by Skye’s reaction to the ring. He’d expected her to hype him up, coo over the size and shape of the diamond. “What? You don’t think she’ll like it? We talked about this. You told me marquise-cut was the way to go?”

      “Will you just shut up about the ring?” Skye scanned the immediate area. “Too many people, too many ears,” she mumbled, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward an empty conference room.

      Once inside the room, she closed the door and the blinds and turned to him. “X, we need to talk.”

      Skye worked for Pure Talent in the public relations department. She knew how to handle all types of situations—good, bad, or catastrophic. Her specialty was putting a positive spin on everything, whether she was writing press releases, fine-tuning images, or managing crises. Right now, she was giving him “bad news” vibes. Soft voice, direct eye contact, and straight back.

      He eyed her, waited for her to speak. Then he saw it. The slightest tremble in her chin. This was personal, not client related. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Did someone die?”

      She shook her head.

      “Accident?”

      “Okay, I’m going to talk now.” She sighed heavily. “And I need you to remain calm, no matter what.”

      Dread knotted in his stomach. The last time Skye had told him to remain calm, she’d informed him that their uncle had passed away suddenly. “I’m good.”

      Finally her shoulders relaxed. “You obviously haven’t seen Page Six.”

      “No. Like I said, I’ve been busy. Why?”

      She pulled out her phone. “There’s something you need to see.” Xavier took the offered device from his cousin and peered at the Page Six headline. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

      The title of the article was the punch to the gut, the huge picture under the article served as the uppercut. The combination of both knocked the wind out of his lungs. He sat down on one of the empty chairs. Muttering a curse, he glared at the screen. He didn’t need to read the article to know that he was screwed, that he had been screwed.

      Still, he forced himself to look at the “happy couple” on the page. The woman smiled as if