Free Recipe for Desire by Cheris Hodges Page A

Charles,” she replied with a limp handshake.
    Daniella gave her a questioning look. “All right,” she said. “Well, let’s get busy. Chef is going to have a great show. So many people have been trying to get in here.”
    Devon hoped Marie and Daniella would be able to handle the seating arrangements because he needed to focus on his cooking. “All right, guys,” he said. “I’m going to leave you to it.”
    He rushed down the hall to change into his chef’s jacket and get cleaned up for the demonstration. As he headed for the kitchen to get his utensils, Serena stopped him.
    “Devon, is that Marie Charles in the audience out there?” she asked.
    He sighed and nodded. “That’s her. She’s working with me at My Sister’s Keeper.”
    “Get the hell out of here,” Serena exclaimed. “And here I thought all she could do was party. Wait a minute, you mean she’s doing her court-ordered community service at the shelter.”
    “Yeah, look, we can talk about that later. You got your front-row seat, right?”
    She nodded. “And you better not say a word about my cooking on your show, or I am going to throw grits at you.”
    “As long as they aren’t hot, bring it on,” he quipped. “You probably can’t even cook grits.”
    Serena shrugged, pouted, then sauntered down the hall while Devon laughed at her. The show’s director ran over to him. “Devon, five minutes!” Monique exclaimed. “It’s pretty crowded out there. This is going to be great. Like Emeril’s old shows.”
    “Hopefully better,” Devon said. “I don’t have a catchphrase.”
    “Good, because I wanted to ‘bam’ him after hearing it a million times; now let’s move,” Monique said as she placed her hand on Devon’s back and led him to the front of the restaurant. As soon as the audience saw him, they erupted in applause.
    Monique gave him the signal to start the show, and he smiled at his adoring public. “Thank you for being here today on Dining with Devon . I’m your chef, Devon Harris,” he said, full of energy. “Today, we’re going to combine two of my favorite things, fish and shrimp.”

    Marie watched Devon intently, not because she was interested in what he was cooking or his explanation of the different flavors he was mixing up for his marinade. She was just captivated by his passion. If he was this passionate about cooking, what would he be like with a woman? She watched as he rolled a filet of tilapia in bread crumbs, paying attention to his fingers as they stroked the fish. How would her breasts feel as he brushed his thumbs against her taut nipples the way he did the fish? Would he use his tongue along with his fingers to make her cry out in pleasure?
    Shay broke into Marie’s wanton thoughts when she pinched her on the arm. “Are you all right over there with all of that moaning?” she whispered. “Hungry much?”
    “Well,” Marie said, “I did skip breakfast.”
    “Shh,” Bria admonished Marie and Shay. “Some of us are trying to learn something.”
    Marie threw her hands up and turned her attention back to Devon’s big hands. Shay leaned into Marie and whispered, “You don’t care about Devon’s cooking, do you? I see how you’re looking at him.”
    “What? No,” Marie said quietly. “I’m going to try this recipe.”
    “Whatever.”
    Bria turned around and glared at Shay, who rolled her eyes in response. Marie crossed her legs and stroked her ankle, remembering how Devon had touched her after she’d twisted her ankle in the kitchen at the shelter. Stop it, she thought. The only reason you’re looking at this man like this is because it’s been so long since you’ve actually had some satisfaction in the bedroom. William didn’t know how to do anything remotely satisfactory.
    “All right,” Devon said, his silky voice causing Marie to snap her head up and lock eyes with him. “I need a volunteer because this dish is so easy, even the most novice cook can make it.” He pointed at