A Touch Of Love

“There’s some big meeting going on at one of the companies upstairs and this was their lunch break.” Sam continued to the table carrying an armload of plates.

Lexia donned her apron and hairnet and joined the chef in the kitchen. She cooked, filled and carried plates. At two fifty-five, the last customers exited. She and Sam collapsed into the nearest booth.

“I really appreciate all the business, but my feet and arms are about to fall off,” Sam said with a groan. “And we still have to clean up.” Because they usually only had a few stragglers after two, they were able to clean up and prep for the next day, and be gone by three thirty. Today, it would take much longer.

Lexia chuckled. “Well, take five minutes. You deserve it.”

“I’m leaving now, Lexia.”

She turned to see Jayla with her backpack slung over her shoulder. “Okay. Thanks for staying a little later. You’re not going to be late for school, are you?” Nineteen-year-old Jayla Howard was a sophomore at UCLA, studying biochemistry. She had come up to Lexia after a food demonstration six months ago to tell her how much she had enjoyed the dish. The two spent several minutes talking and when Jayla mentioned needing a job to supplement her financial aid, Lexia had hired her to work four hours a day.

“Nope. Class doesn’t start until six, but I’m meeting my study group. I already texted to let them know I’d be a few minutes late. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye,” Lexia and Sam chorused.

A minute passed and Sam said, “That Khalil Gray is one fine man. I can’t believe you didn’t give him your number.”

She sighed and leaned her head against the seat. “Sam, you know what happened the last time I gave a fine man my number.”

“I do, but he might be worth another shot. I Googled him. Want to know what I found out?”

Yes! “No,” she answered, hoping she sounded disinterested.

Sam laughed. “Girl, you’re not fooling me.” She pushed to her feet and braced her hands on the table. “You know you want to know. And, ooh, the photos. Sexy!” She pulled out her phone, tapped a few buttons and fanned herself. She held the phone out to Lexia.

Lexia ignored the phone and stood. “We need to clean up so I can go home. I have some recipes to work on.” The angle of the screen let her see just enough to know he was shirtless and it took everything in her not to snatch the phone and get an up close and personal view. “If you’re so interested, maybe you should give him your number.”

“I would, but he didn’t ask me. Besides, I’m already dating someone.” Sam glanced down at the phone again. “Mmm, mmm, mmm!”

She rolled her eyes and strode off. The temptation to see the photo was so strong, Lexia had to stop in her office and lock her phone in the drawer before returning to the front and starting on the display case. I am not interested in that man. His smiling face floated across her mind along with her body’s reaction and she groaned inwardly. The next time he came in, she planned to stay in her office, far away from temptation.

Chapter 2

Tuesday morning, Khalil’s head came up when a knock sounded on his open office door. He stood and extended his hand. “Thanks for coming, Alonzo. And so early.” They’d been trying to schedule the meeting for over a week, and settled on seven this morning due to both their busy workloads. He gestured to the chair across from his desk.

Alonzo Wright gripped Khalil’s hand in a firm handshake, then sat. “Sorry it took me so long to get over here. Omar said you’re having some problems with your clients being overcharged?” Alonzo Wright had come highly recommended by Khalil’s pro football player brother-in-law, Omar Drummond. The private investigator had been instrumental in solving a scheme to ruin both Omar and Khalil’s sister Morgan’s reputations orchestrated by Omar’s former agent.

“No problem. I know you’re busy. And, yes.” He took a moment to explain the double charges. “I can’t figure out for the life of me why they’re happening all of a sudden. There were four last Monday when I called you and six more since then.”

“Have you changed your billing system recently?”

“No. It’s been the same since the day I opened the doors.”

“How many people have access?”

“Three—the manager, assistant manager and me.” Felicia had been with him for four years and he’d hired Logan Smith as manager a little over a year ago after his last manager relocated to another state. Khalil relayed that information to Alonzo.

Alonzo stroked his chin. “Unless someone’s hacked into your system, it sounds to me like you have a virus of the two-legged variety.”

He stilled. “You think it’s someone who works here?” He mentally went through all five personal trainers on his staff, but dismissed them immediately. None of them would do something like this. “I haven’t had any trouble with my staff, so I can’t see it being one of them.”

“Maybe not,” Alonzo said, leaning back in the chair. “But it can’t hurt to check them out. Do you mind if I look at your computer?”

Khalil stood and relinquished his chair. “By all means. Omar didn’t say you were a computer whiz.”

He smiled. “Just a little something I picked up along the way.”

He stood off to the side while Alonzo clicked away. He rotated his head to see the wall clock. His meeting with the production manager at the home safety company wouldn’t start until ten, so he had plenty of time. Today, he planned to arrive early and stop in the café. True, he wanted the cake, but he also wanted to see Lexia. Khalil hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her all week and the sound of her low, throaty voice played over and over in his head. He briefly wondered what it would be like to hear her calling his name as he...

“Your system is tight, man.”

The sound of Alonzo’s voice snapped Khalil out of his lustful thoughts. “That’s good news, isn’t it?”

Alonzo chuckled. “Yes, and no. Yes, because it means there’s not some nutjob out there stealing your clients’ information. No, because it could mean that—”

“That there’s someone here deliberately stealing money from the members,” he finished.

“Exactly.”

Again, Khalil tried to come up with a plausible scenario of why one of his employees would do something like this. “What do you suggest?”

He tapped a finger on the desk. “I can do a couple of things. One, I can install a program on your computer that will alert you if someone goes in and debits an account outside of the scheduled dates. I noticed that you have cameras installed outside and on both floors of the gym, but none in here. Are there any in the other offices?”

“No. It never occurred to me to put them in the offices because I don’t keep much in here and I have a lock on my file cabinet and drawers.”

“I’d like to install some, if you don’t mind. And when no one’s here.”

“I don’t mind at all. The gym doesn’t close until midnight. I’m not open on Sunday, but I don’t want to wait that long.” Unless Alonzo came before five in the morning, when the gym opened, Khalil would have no choice but to wait.

Alonzo rose to his feet. “Neither do I. The quicker we get on this, the quicker your people’s money will be safe. Let me check my schedule and work something out.”

“I appreciate your help.”

He opened the door. “I’ll give you a call later today or tomorrow.”

Khalil stood there for several seconds after Alonzo left. What the hell is going on? The intercom on his desk buzzed. He leaned over and pushed the button. “Yes.”

“Khalil, Anita Crowder is here,” the front receptionist said.

“Thanks. I’ll be right down.” Turning his mind to his client, he locked the office and went downstairs for the personal training session.

An hour and a half later, Khalil rushed back to his office to gather the drawings and reports for his meeting. His session had gone over by thirty minutes because he had to assure Anita that she would not look like the Incredible Hulk if she did some weight lifting. The woman had complained the entire session. Not until he showed her photos of other female clients he’d worked with, did she relax.

He still had an hour to get to his meeting and the drive from Fox Hills to the Wilshire District would take less than half an hour without traffic. However, with the sheer number of cars on the LA roads, that time could double. And he wanted to have plenty of time to stop in the café. He smiled. Yep, he was looking forward to seeing Lexia again.

As he’d predicted, the traffic was heavy and he made it with three minutes to spare. Khalil really hoped they’d complete whatever roadwork was being done near the building soon. It took ten minutes just to get into the parking garage. He was a stickler for time, so Lexia would have to wait.

* * *

Tuesday morning, Lexia yawned as she gently folded in chopped apples to her coffee cake batter and poured half into the prepared pan. She added crumb topping, the rest of the batter, a final layer of topping then put it, along with a second pan, into the oven. She told herself she hadn’t made the additional pan just in case Khalil showed up, but it was a lie. She’d also promised herself she wasn’t going to succumb to the urge to look him up on the internet and she had held up well over the past week. But curiosity got the best of her and, after washing her hands at the large double sink and drying them on a paper towel, she pulled out her cell and typed in his name.

Lexia expected a couple hundred hits but was stunned to see close to half a million. She clicked on the photo gallery and saw him in everything from shorts, T-shirt and running shoes to a tuxedo. However, the picture that had her attention was one taken a few years ago of him braced in a doorway, wearing nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs. Her gaze roamed over every perfect inch of his body, from the closely cut hair and goatee, to the slender well-defined muscles of his chest, arms, abs and thighs. He’d let the low beard grow in fully and she didn’t know which look she liked better. “How on earth does he keep his body looking like this?” she murmured.

“I knew you’d be checking him out sooner or later.”

She jumped and spun around. “Sam, you scared the crap out of me!” She drew in a calming breath. “Girl, you can’t just sneak up on me like that. I could’ve hurt you.”

Sam lifted a brow. “You didn’t have anything in your hands except that phone and, with that fine brother on the screen I knew you weren’t going to risk throwing it.” She leaned closer to see the photo. “Mmm-hmm, I saw that one, too. He was a model.”

Lexia stared at the photo. She could certainly believe that and it explained the upright posture and smooth, sexy walk. She glanced up to see Sam smiling, exited out of the page and shoved the phone back into her pocket.

“Oh don’t put it away on my account. I could look at him all day. And that voice.” Sam sighed dramatically.

So could she, but that’s how she got caught up the last time. She didn’t need another silver-tongued devil in her life. “Wait. Shouldn’t you be saving all your staring for your boyfriend?”

“I’m not planning to touch. Just look and admire,” she said with a grin.

“Well, you’ll have to look at him on your break. We have work to do.”

“Whatever you say, boss. I do think you ought to talk to him, though. It’s time for you to jump on the horse again.”

Lexia ignored the smirk on her friend’s face. Sam had witnessed firsthand what Lexia went through with her divorce and knew Lexia had sworn off men indefinitely.

By the time they placed the muffins and other pastries that the chef, James Willis, had made into the display case and brewed coffee, the coffee cake was done. After letting it cool for fifteen minutes, Lexia sliced it and added it to the case just as the six-thirty opening time rolled around. They had a steady stream of customers for the first couple of hours. Many people sat to eat while reading the paper or working on tablets. As soon as the rush hour died down, she retreated to her office.

An hour later, Sam stuck her head in the door. “Guess who’s here, Lexi?”

By the smile on her friend’s face, Lexia figured it had to be Khalil. “And? Just give him the plate you insisted we set aside just in case.”

“I would, but he specifically asked to see you.”

She lowered her head to the desk and groaned.

Sam laughed. “Hey, at least he looks good and has it going on. It could be worse.”

She glared. “You’re not helping, Samantha.”

“Uh-oh, she called me by my whole name. Must be serious. And I am helping. No need to let your best years pass you by because of one idiot.” She folded her arms and leaned against the door frame. “I still wish you had let me kick Desmond’s butt.”

Lexia smiled. Sam had been with her when she caught Desmond Martin and one of the waitresses who worked at the diner they owned having sex in the office. He hadn’t shown one ounce of remorse and made it his mission to hurt Lexia by taking away the diner when she wouldn’t “forget about it,” as he’d said. Samantha, with her five-ten height, had been ready to dismember him. If Lexia thought they could get away with it, she might have. Now there was Khalil Gray. She pushed to her feet.

Sam straightened and pointed a finger Lexia’s way. “And be nice.”

Lexia rolled her eyes. “I’m always nice.”

She burst out laughing. “Tell that to the last four guys that you sliced and diced so sweetly they’re still trying to figure out what happened.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she lied. Since her divorce, she’d immediately shut down any man who had shown the least bit of interest in her—delete and block. Why she hadn’t done the same thing to Khalil was a mystery. Lexia sighed heavily. “Let me go see what he wants.” She walked past Sam and started toward the front.

Sam stopped her. “Ah, you might want to take this.” She held out the plate.

She ignored Sam’s knowing smirk, snatched the plate covered in plastic wrap and strode off. Khalil was standing with his back to her and talking on his cell when she approached and Lexia took a moment to study his slim build. He stood over six feet and gave new meaning to fine and sexy. If she had to guess by his attire, she would say he was some kind of fitness buff. Once again, he wore a pair of athletic pants, which accentuated a firm muscular butt that made her want to find out if it was as hard as it looked. She chastised herself for the errant thought and promptly shoved it aside. As if sensing her presence, he turned and smiled. Her pulse skipped. Heart-stopping was the only way to describe it. And those eyes. If she had any sense, she’d drop the plate on a table and get as far away from this man as fast as possible.

“I’ll call you back,” she heard him say. He stuck the phone in his pocket. “How are you, Lexia?”

“Fine.” She handed him the plate. “S—”

“Lexi figured you’d be in and saved you an extra-large piece,” Sam said as she breezed by carrying full plates, earning a scowl from Lexia.

Lexia wanted to strangle Sam. Sam knew good and well she had cut that piece herself.

Khalil’s smile widened. “Thanks for looking out for me. How did you know I’d be here today?”

“I didn’t.” No way would she tell him she’d spotted him earlier as he rushed toward the elevator. “Well, enjoy your food.”

“Aren’t you going to join me?”

“I hadn’t planned to. I have a lot of work to do.”

He cupped her elbow and steered her toward a booth at the far end. “I’m sure Sam won’t mind if you keep me company for a few minutes. After all you are the boss.”

The warmth of his touch ignited a fluttering sensation in her stomach. To keep from melting in a puddle, Lexia quickly slid into the booth.

Khalil set the plate down. “I’ll be right back.”

She watched his sexy swagger as he headed back to the counter and knew, instinctively, that he’d gone back for tea. That walk should be outlawed! She could just imagine him strutting down a runway. She frowned when he came toward her with two cups.

“Chamomile with honey and lemon for you and, of course, decaf vanilla chai for me.” He took a seat across from her and pushed the cup her way.

Lexia sent a lethal glare Sam’s way. The traitor. “Thanks,” she murmured.

“So how long have you been a chef?” he asked, starting in on his food.

“Eight years, but I’ve been cooking since I was a teen.” She had fond memories of Mr. Wall letting her help in the kitchen of his small diner. Just as quickly, another thought stirred up the anger and hurt she had worked so hard to forget. Not wanting to dwell on the unpleasantness, she took a sip of her tea and changed the subject. “What about you? Do you work here in the building?”

Khalil finished chewing. “Lately, it’s starting to feel like I work here, but no, I don’t. Our family-owned home safety company is located on the sixth floor and I attend some of the meetings. I’m actually in fitness.”

“I figured it was something like that by the way you’re always dressed. Are you some kind of personal trainer?”

“Yes, among other things.” He leaned forward and locked his gaze with hers. “Are you looking for some personal training?”

A vision of his hands on her demonstrating some exercise technique flashed in her mind. Lexia choked on her tea. She hastily set the cup down with a thud.

“Are you okay?”

When he started to stand, she held up a hand. “I’m fine,” she croaked. “It just went down the wrong pipe.” She cleared her throat, took a careful sip and swallowed without incident. “See. Fine.”

Khalil studied Lexia for a moment, and then nodded. They fell silent. “You didn’t answer my question.”

She had hoped he’d forgotten. “No. Although I probably should work out more consistently, my schedule doesn’t allow for a gym membership right now. Where do you work?”

“Maximum Burn in Fox Hills.”

Great. Less than ten minutes from my condo. “I’ve heard of it.”

“Anytime you want to come by, let me know.”

“Um...I heard it’s pretty pricey.”

He waved her off. “We offer plans to fit every budget. I don’t want money to be an obstacle for anyone looking to maintain or start a healthy lifestyle. But you don’t have to be concerned about money. For you, the cost is free.”

Lexia narrowed her eyes. “What’s the catch?”

Khalil laughed. “No catch. Well, maybe a small one.”

“I knew it.”

He reached for her hand. “A date. Next Tuesday morning, you and me, right here in this booth, ten thirty.”

She should have known better than to ask. From the moment they had met, he’d made his interest clear. “I don’t—”

“It’s a win-win for both of us. I get to spend more time with a beautiful lady and you get three free personal training sessions. And before you say you don’t have time to go to the gym, I’ll design a program for you that can easily be done at home with just a few simple and inexpensive pieces of equipment. So what do you say?”

He unleashed that mesmerizing smile on her and Lexia heard herself agreeing.

“Great. It’s a date. You can let me know next time what your fitness goals are and when you’d like to start your sessions.”

She made a move to stand and he was up and around to her side with his hand extended in a flash. She tentatively placed her hand in his and he helped her to her feet. “Thanks.”

Once again, he brought her hand to his lips. “Until next week, Lexia.” He smiled, winked and strolled out.

What in the world have I gotten myself into?

Chapter 3

Monday evening, Lexia leaned against the kitchen counter trying to decide which recipe to use for the cooking demonstration next month. With summer fast approaching, people would most likely be looking for something a little healthier. Her mind automatically shifted to Khalil and his personal training offer. If her body reacted just from him simply holding her hand, no way could she handle a session with him standing so close, his hands roaming over her arms, sliding down her torso and hips, around to her... She abruptly halted her lustful thoughts. “Get a grip, girl,” she muttered. “Recipes...that’s all you’re supposed to be thinking about.” She flipped through the cards and lingered over one featuring shrimp tacos with a creamy cilantro sauce. This could work.

She searched through the cabinets and refrigerator and found all the ingredients. Lexia made a practice of shopping every week and kept her kitchen well stocked. Since it was relatively early, she decided to make homemade corn tortillas instead of using the store-bought ones. She defrosted the shrimp, removed the tails and seasoned them with a rub made from seasoned salt, pepper, cumin, paprika and chili powder, then skewered them. Next, she went to work on the cilantro sauce. Just as she finished, her phone rang. She quickly washed and dried her hands and ran to catch it. Seeing Samantha’s name on the display, she said, “What’s up, girlfriend?”

“Hey, girl,” Samantha said. “Aaron has to work late tonight and I was wondering if you wanted to grab a bite to eat.”

Lexia smiled. “Oh, so now you have time for me,” she teased. Since Samantha and Aaron started dating four months ago, Lexia and Sam rarely hung out during the week.

“Whatever. We’ll see if you have time once you and Mr. Gray start hanging out.”

“Yeah, right. We won’t be hanging out. The man has playboy written all over him. You saw him. Besides, I’m sure he has tons of women running after him already. Remember he was a model.” Against her better judgment, she’d read more about him and found out that he had modeled all over the United States and in several other countries. There had been thousands of photos of him with an array of beautiful women, and in some of the shots, they seemed quite cozy.

“Mmm-hmm, I saw him, all right. Saw that he only had eyes for you.”

“You were asking about dinner.”

Sam laughed. “You can change the subject, but you can’t change Khalil Gray’s blatant attraction to you. Now, regarding dinner, I can pick something up and bring it over or we can meet up somewhere.”

“Actually, I’m experimenting with a recipe, shrimp tacos with a cilantro cream sauce on homemade corn tortillas.”

“Say no more. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

Lexia heard a beep. “Sam?” She pulled the cell away from her ear and glanced down at the display. Sam had hung up. She chuckled, shook her head and continued preparing dinner.

Twenty minutes later, she opened the door to Sam.

Sam held up a bag. “I stopped and got our favorite Moscato.”

“In that case, come on in.” They both laughed.

She followed Lexia to the kitchen. “Do you need me to do anything?”

“If you can grill the shrimp while I make the tortillas, that would be great.”

“Sure.” Sam washed her hands, then carried the plate with the shrimp skewers to the stove. She laid them on the preheated built-in grill. “Mmm, this smells so good. What spices did you use?”

Lexia rattled off the list while pressing the tortillas. When she finished, she heated the comal and added the tortillas, one at a time. Once everything was done, Lexia added some of the sauce to the shredded cabbage and mixed it in. “All right, let’s try this.” They fixed their plates, filled glasses of wine and sat at the kitchen table.

Sam rubbed her hands together. “I’m starving.” She bit into a taco, chewed and groaned. “Oh my goodness, Lexi, this is absolutely divine. And this sauce.” She spooned more onto her half-eaten taco. “It’s so light, like a summer day. What’s in it?”

“That’s what I was going for. It’s light sour cream, cilantro, lime and a dash of salt. I’m planning to do this for the cooking demonstration at the food festival next month.” She was pleased by the outcome and agreed that the light dish would be perfect for summer.

“Girl, I hope you’re planning to make at least a hundred of these because folks are going to be lined up for miles to get one. This would be a great recipe to add to the menu at the café.”