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know Faaid’s wife is expecting their third, and that your mom has foot surgery coming up. Don’t feel flattered.”
    He stood, towering over her. He easily had eight to nine inches on her. His smile widened, and he reached out to stroke her hair back from her face. “You should be flattered. I came here to see you. I’ve missed you, Kelly.”
    “Between dating that actress from The Avengers and your parade of models who make Giselle look like a heifer?”
    “None of them appeal to me like you do, mon amie .”
    “Well, as charming as you are even with dragon breath and circles under your eyes, I have a huge meal to plan for a demanding boss. So, I’m going have to take a rain check. In fact, maybe it’ll be for the rest of this century.”
    Asam surprised her by kissing her. He didn’t ask. His tongue tangled with hers, and she felt arousal flare through her warm and piercing. When he pulled back, his expression was pure smug self-satisfaction. “I think you’re more interested than you let on.”
    “Maybe you’ll learn to breathe underwater or invent nuclear fusion too. Those possibilities are about as likely.”
    His eyes flashed with a hint of the irritation. “You’d do well not to defy me, Kelly.”
    “Aww,” she said, heading toward the exit. “And here I thought that was what you liked best about me.”
    “You want me. Stop pretending you don’t.”
    “I want a lot of things, and you’re not even on top of the list, Asam,” she replied before scurrying out of his way.
    ***
    “So I balanced out the couscous with an eggplant and asparagus roasted medley. I feel the saffron and a hint of paprika add more to the dish to eliminate blandness or the potential for it. I have a similar concept I’m playing with for a tofu dish so we can have additional protein in it as well,” she said, trying to stay upbeat and honest when she put the dish before Monique.
    The mogul chewed thoughtfully and swallowed two to three bites, which might’ve been a record for Ms. Dawson. Kelly suspected she’d be on the treadmill an extra half-hour just to compensate. “It’s still a bit dry.”
    “I can work on that. Perhaps I could roast the eggplant and asparagus mixture instead of grilling it.”
    “Or maybe you’re not good at cooking anything that doesn’t require loads of butter and cream,” her boss said, pointedly. “Look I accept that someone who looks like Melissa McCarthy isn’t going to understand the need for a healthy, vegan lifestyle…”
    Kelly took a few deep breaths and reminded herself for the thousandth time that day that she needed this job, even if her boss was an insulting ass. Besides, she was only a size ten. Sure, that wasn’t tiny, but there was no need for her boss to insult her.
    Okay, maybe after the latest trip to Al-Marasae and all the delicacies of the palace, she was more like a twelve, but still... Not that the double-zero mogul would know the difference.
    “I can retry my approach. It’s more challenging with vegan, but I know I can do this. I have a few colleagues back in New York that I’m planning to visit in order to get their input on their own approach to this. If I had a week or two to revamp and not six hours’ notice, I could create the healthy fusion menu you’re looking for.”
    “You have two weeks. Bring me twelve dishes and three desserts to be used as the new signature of Paradiso. I have to love them all, or I’ll find a real chef. Someone who doesn’t use cheese as their default ingredient.”
    Kelly clenched her jaw but nodded like a damn bobblehead. If she didn’t want to be unemployed and in jail, it was the only thing she could do to keep herself from decking her boss, even if Monique deserved it.
    “I’ll see what I can do,” she said, barely waiting for Monique to leave before she told Tina and Elan that she’d be starting her two-week trip to New York today. Anything to get away from this humiliation.
    If her cheeks were a little wet as