Dark Or Cream

Kaja groaned and hung up the phone. She went into damage control mode. Her fingers flashed across the screen as she quickly dialed up her sister. “Sis, I need you big time!” She struggled into her clothes and raced around the room in search of her keys. She would have to leave earlier than anticipated to get a head start on all the work. Kaja rapidly explained her dilemma to her sister as she stepped into open-toed sandals and dashed through the house to her kitchen. She gingerly removed the reserved batter and carried it with her to the front door. “So, basically, I’m out of an assistant for the day. If we don’t find someone who can help out, I won’t be able to get this stuff done.”

“Damn it! I wish we would’ve taken the time to do the cake last night instead of shopping,” Ebony said with annoyance. “Kaja, I’ve gotta run down to the gym and drop off the final payment. The rest of the party supplies have to be picked up, and mom and dad won’t be available until just before the party starts. Let me think.”

Kaja closed her door behind her and tiptoed across her lawn in the high heels, trying not to spill the cake batter. She had the phone clutched between her shoulder and her ear. “Listen, if you figure out something, then call me back. I’m going over to the restaurant to work some magic.”

“Gotcha! Just hang tight. I’ll come up with something.”

Kaja sped the short distance to Cooking by Kaj and hurried to the back. Although she was off for the day to attend the party, business was up and running as usual for the rest of her staff. She wished she could pull one of them away to help, but she knew they were needed to cover the Saturday crowd. Instead, she strolled into the kitchen and snatched up her apron and hairnet. “I need oven number three cleared,” she called out to her staff. Busy workers wove past her, racing to do her bidding. Kaja breezed through the crowded kitchen to her freezer and pulled out the trays of tasty food she’d prepared for the party. It wasn’t something she could simply heat and serve. There was a little prep work involved, and that was why she had offered Keisha overtime to help get it finished. Kaja groaned in frustration as the dishes lined up at her workstation near the cleared oven.

Pushing up her sleeves, she knew she’d never finish if she didn’t begin. First, she retrieved the cake batter from the car and prepared her pans. It took a half hour to get the cake in the oven. After that, she took charge of the meal. She toiled over the stove for a hot hour. It was approaching twelve o’clock, and Ebony still hadn’t called her back. The food was sufficiently heated and set on warming racks to await transport. When Kaja was in the middle of assembling the elaborate cake, her cell phone buzzed in the pocket of her apron.

“Ebony? Finally!”

“Hey, I got back to the gym and found Ramses here with some of his friends. I’m sending over one of these guys to help however they can.”

“Anybody is better than nobody! Send ’em over. Thanks so much, Ebony,” Kaja replied. She ended the call and clasped her hands together, praying it would be enough assistance.

***

He stepped out of a Range Rover wearing dark shades, his low-cut burst fade sharply edging his handsome chocolate face, and his beard was trim and mature-looking. Kaja caught sight of him through the glass door of the restaurant when she peeped out to see if her assistance had arrived, and she nearly dropped the tray of food she was taking to her business van. He was medium height, a little taller than Kaja, and the t-shirt he was wearing clung to his muscled chest and arms. She inhaled and hummed in appreciation as he loped across the back parking lot to the service door, as Ebony had instructed him. Slowly taking off his shades and letting his muddy brown eyes rove Kaja’s body from head to toe, he flashed a bright grin that made her feel weak in the knees.

Kaja straightened her spine and strutted to the white van parked next to her car. “Ms. Kaja?” he spoke uncertainly. His voice was a melodic tenor that sent tingles down her spine, and Kaja glanced over her shoulders, pretending to just notice him.

“Yes?” She casually opened the back doors of the truck and slid the tray inside before turning to shake his offered hand.

“I’m Rashan Taylor, ma’am,” he introduced himself politely. “Your sister told me you needed me to help with the catering?” Those dark eyes took their time studying her face, and Kaja read obvious interest in his expression. He had thick eyebrows that curved over deep-set, dancing brown eyes framed by a fringe of long, black eyelashes. He had high cheek bones and an angular face with a wide mouth and plush lips. They looked impossibly soft and appealing, and Kaja found herself staring, wondering what it would be like to be kissed by a man like Rashan. With his square chin and jawline, he had a bold masculinity that sent her feminine senses into overdrive.

Adding to his good looks, his cologne was captivating, musky sandalwood and myrrh that she inhaled all the way to her pelvis. A soft moan escaped her closed mouth, and Kaja blushed lightly. He had an instant effect on her that was impossible to ignore. Dragging her mind from thoughts of clandestine kisses and the feel of his large hands caressing her curvaceous body, Kaja refocused on the dwindling time. “That’s right. Um, I’ve got some more trays like this one in the back kitchen. Can you come with me and bring them back to the van? I’m in the middle of icing the cake.”