Free A Matter of Taste (Men of the Capital #2) by Cara Nelson Page B

who was crooning over her boyfriend’s class ring. Finally she dumped them out in the trash and gave the vase to Shannon.
    “Was the sex that bad?” Shannon inquired, eyebrows up.
    “No. It was phenomenal. But he needs to back off and just cook for the party.”
    “And you called Cates moody ,” Shannon observed.
    “I don’t want to get involved with this guy he’s too intense.” She made the excuse and then went and cried in the ladies restroom.
     
    For two days, she dodged his calls and his messages. She signed her lease and gave the giant bouquet of orchids Des sent her as a thank you gift to the cafeteria lady who had put up with her for so long. She bought a futon and a TV and filled the refrigerator with popsicles…a sweeter alternative to a cold shower, but one still guaranteed to lower her temperature when she caught herself thinking of Des. A weekend of satellite TV convinced her that every man on every show reminded her of him , which meant she was slowly going insane. She couldn’t sleep because of all the sugar from the popsicles she was eating. She couldn’t even text Shannon about her misery, because every time she turned her phone on, it was flooded with messages from Des.
    On Monday morning, an email in her in-box bore his name. Clicking on it, wincing, she read on.
     
    As all of my attempts to communicate with my contact at Cates Corporation have been ignored, I hereby terminate our contract due to breach of collaboration cause. Payment in full will be expected per the terms. Aux Delices, its subsidiaries and agents are no longer responsible for any work or product relating to the Cates event scheduled for October 12 th of this year.
     
    Annelise felt herself go pale, her hands shaking. He was backing out of the party because she ignored him. What a nasty, manipulative thing to do! She shoved back her chair and stomped to the elevator. She was already confused, tired and brokenhearted. She was not losing the bonus and possibly her job because of some guy in the food business.
    The street in front of Aux Delices was bustling, but the shop itself was dark, empty. When she buzzed, the door was unlocked remotely. She went upstairs to the kitchen, her footsteps echoing on the highly polished slate floors. They should have been busy, with kitchen assistants everywhere, but the place was deserted except for the light under his office door. Annelise turned the knob and opened the door. Desmond Blair, so self-contained, so polished, looked like a mess. His short hair was rumpled, his jacket hung open, not crisply pressed and fresh as usual. He started to stand when she entered but he hesitated, sat back down as if deciding she wasn’t worth it. His shoulders were hunched and he stared at his desk, not even seeing the stacks of papers. Gone was the precision, the order she knew him by.
    “You are not backing out of this party. That email was a bullshit ploy to get me to come down here. Here you go. I’m here. What do you want?”
    “What do I want ?” he asked softly, his voice a warning. “What do I WANT? I want a fucking ANSWER!” He slammed the flat of his hand down on the desktop for emphasis. “You leave without a word, you won’t take my calls. I want to know what the hell is going on.”
    His dark eyes looked pained . She wanted to go to him, to take him in her arms, but she wouldn’t allow herself. She felt the twist of agony in her chest, knowing she had hurt him but unable to reverse it. She couldn’t face her feelings for him, or the well of pain it would open up for her.
    “I emailed you. I told you what you needed to know. It was a mistake. We have to work together. Just a few more days , and the party will be over and we never have to see each other again,” she said evenly.
    “A mistake. That is NOT what that was ,” he said, the anger in his voice startling her. “You knew I had feelings for you. I told you as much. Why did you let me make love to you if you were just