Hearts Aflame Collection III: 4-Book Bundle (4 page)

As the billionaire head of a major company, Ethan Richmond feels the weight of his enormous responsibilities crushing down on him, until he meets the one woman who can set him free by tying him up.   Jocelyn Ricci is the beautiful and talented chef he hired to work in his kitchen, but she has a passion for more than just cooking and can see the stress that her handsome boss is under.  When Jocelyn offers to introduce Ethan to the kinky world of bondage and domination sex games by playing the part of his Mistress, things in the kitchen really heat up!  The steamy affair turns Ethan into a new man, but not everybody is happy about it and will do everything they can to ruin him.  Will things get too hot for them or are they just getting warmed up?

“Oh no!” Jocelyn Ricci cried out in a panic.  She rushed to the stove and lifted the pan off the burner, but it was too late.  Black smoke billowed from the pan and the sauce inside was ruined.

“Damn!” she cursed in a hot-blooded rage and poured the sauce into the garbage disposal of the sink.  As she watched the blackened liquid disappear down the drain, she felt her anger wash away along with it. 

“Time to start again,” she said with a sigh.  Jocelyn had always been quick to anger, but her temper was also quick to cool.  She returned to the giant fridge and began to pull out fresh ingredients.  As she measured and poured, she paused to brush her bangs out of her eyes.  She noticed for the first time that her long, raven black hair had fallen out of the tight bun she normally kept it swept into.  She shook her head to allow the rest of her hair to fall free and it cascaded down to her waist in luscious waves of ebony.

“That’s better.” She smiled, and her green eyes sparkled with merriment.  As a professional chef, she was used to keeping her hair pulled back and often wore a hairnet as an added precaution to keep her unruly mane from contaminating the food, but she wasn’t working right now.  This time, she was cooking simply for her own pleasure. 

Sure, she was using her boss’ kitchen, but it was late in the evening, and she was certain he didn’t have any need of it.  In all the months that she’d been cooking for him, she’d barely ever seen him; which was too bad, because he was sexy as hell.  During their brief interactions, he had made her feel weak in the knees in a way few men ever had.  She felt certain that he was just as attracted to her, but for some reason he backed away from the heat between them, instead of embracing it.  A real waste of passion, in Jocelyn’s opinion.

As far as she could tell, Ethan Richmond did nothing but work, from early morning till the middle of the night.  He didn’t seem to date, socialize or relax in any way.  It made Jocelyn think that he must be terribly lonely.  Having billions of dollars and tons of power was a poor substitute for human companionship and the touch of skin on skin.  It’s why she tried so hard to make him meals she knew he would enjoy and that would bring some fire into his life.  Although she never got to see him eat, the meals she prepared for him were always gone the next day, so she assumed her plan worked and that he liked them. 

Jocelyn knew that her employer was under a particular amount of stress lately.  The newspapers were filled with stories of how Richmond stocks were plummeting and how the company needed to make a drastic change or risk being bought out by its competitor.  It made her want to create something extra special for him; something that would not only fill his stomach and sustain his energy all day, but also nurture his spirit and satisfy his soul.  Jocelyn hoped that her next recipe would be just what he needed.

***

At the age of thirty, Ethan Richmond thought there’d be more to his life than what it had become.  He was proud of the business empire his grandfather had built up from nothing and his father had expanded into a global giant.  More than anything, Ethan wanted to make them both proud, and he’d be damned if he was going to let the company fail or go under.  He would do whatever it took to keep the company going, no matter how hard he had to work.

Ethan had spent his entire childhood preparing to take his place as the head of Richmond Enterprises.  He’d gone to all the best schools and worked hard to implement innovative ideas.  Unfortunately, there were many who thought he was trading on nepotism, and he had not had time to earn their respect before stock prices plummeted.  It was going to take an even bigger effort on his part to repair the damages done to the company’s reputation and get those stocks to rise. Now he understood why both his grandfather and his father had died at early ages of heart attacks, and he feared he was heading down that same road. 

“You’ve got to find a way to relieve your stress,” his doctor had told him just than morning, when he’d squeezed in a brief appointment between back-to-back meetings. 

“I don’t have time to take a vacation,” Ethan had said to him, with an exasperated sigh.  He had run his hands through his wavy brown hair, and thought that he could already feel it starting to thin.  He knew his eyes were no longer vivid blue, but tired and dull.  Ethan confessed to his doctor, “There are hundreds of thousands of people who work for Richmond Enterprises and all of them are relying on the decisions I make.  I have to find a way to increase our value.  If I make a wrong choice, it could cost them their jobs, and have devastating effects on their lives.  It’s why I have to keep working so hard, so I can make sure I’m making the right decisions and save my grandfather’s company.”

“I don’t care how you do it, but you’ve got to find a way to reduce your stress,” the doctor insisted.  “If you don’t, then you’ll be dead and who will make the decisions for Richmond Enterprises then?”

They had been harsh words to hear, and Ethan had been unable to stop thinking about them all day.  During all the rest of his meetings, he’d hardly heard a word anyone had said until finally he just gave up and decided to leave his office early.  Well, early for him at any rate.  Technically speaking, it was still hours after everyone else had gone home for the night.

He expected his house to be empty as usual when he drove up to it.  Since the death of his grandfather, and then his parents, the mansion was basically deserted.  Ethan had been an only child, and he had never married or had any children.  It was something he regretted, but there was little he could do about it at the moment.  He barely had time to get four hours sleep a night, let alone meet a woman.

A full staff still maintained the mansion during the day, but with Ethan gone at work all the time, there was really no need.  The gardeners and maids were just more people whose jobs depended on the decisions he made, so he kept them on.  The one person he probably couldn’t live without was the chef he’d hired several months ago, Jocelyn Ricci.  From the delicious taste of her cooking, he’d expected her to be some fat, old Italian man.  He’d been surprised to discover that she was a twenty-four year old, beautiful woman with a saucy figure and gorgeous exotic features.  He’d felt an immediate attraction to her, and when she spoke he was equally drawn in by her intelligence, wit, and humor.  She was a lethal combination of all the things he’d ever wanted in a woman, and he knew he’d have to keep his distance from her or she would be a distraction from the business he so desperately needed to attend to.

As his car rolled up the long driveway, Ethan was surprised to see that the mansion wasn’t dark and deserted this evening.  Several lights were on in the western wing.  Looking through the windows, Ethan saw the lone figure of a woman in the kitchen and knew instantly that it was Jocelyn.  She moved gracefully from stove to sink to counter, as if performing an intricate dance. He knew he should turn away from the enchanting vision, after all he had so much work to do, but for some reason he couldn’t.  She was mesmerizing. 

He forced himself to turn away, shut off the engine, and carried his briefcase and box of files into the house.  No sooner had he entered the foyer, than the scents of delicious cooking filled his nostrils and the sounds of gentle humming filled his ears like the song of a Siren.  Ethan set down his burdens by the door and recalled the words of his doctor, who insisted that he find a way to relax.  Perhaps having a late night snack was just what the doctor had ordered.   He decided that for once in his life, he would set work aside for a moment and taste the good things in life.

“Yes, Mr. Colder, I had the maid fax you all of Mr. Richmond’s files this morning,” Jocelyn said impatiently.  She hated taking calls related to her boss’ business, especially when they involved that pushy Chester Colder.  She unplugged the kitchen phone as soon as she’d hung up to insure he wouldn’t disturb her again.  Cooking was supposed to be a pleasant experience and he was anything but pleasant!

With the phone no longer a distraction, she got back to the business of perfecting her sauce. She began to hum merrily to herself while she stirred, carefully making sure the sauce didn’t stick to the bottom of pan or over boil.  It was an old song that her ancestors used to sing in pubs and it always put her in a playful mood.  She often would hum it when she tried to create new dishes and found it gave her the inspiration and boldness she needed to blend flavors together in unexpected and pleasant ways. 

Suddenly, she heard a thumping sound in the dining room, as if someone had set down something heavy.  Jocelyn quit singing instantly and froze with fear, dropping her wooden spoon into the sauce pan.  All the housekeeping staff had left the mansion hours ago, and she knew her employer never came home this early.  With all the security systems installed in this place, how had someone managed to break in?

She suddenly regretted unplugging the phone as she tried to dial 911 and discovered it was dead.  The cord was clear on the other side of the spacious kitchen and the intruder was approaching quickly.  There was no way she’d be able to plug it back in to call for help before he could get to her.  Jocelyn realized it was up to her to defend herself!  Her eyes darted around the kitchen for something she could use to protect herself.  She picked up the skillet next to her, but it was a light-weight aluminum one and wouldn’t do much damage to an attacker.  She put it down as quietly as she could.  

Her heart was pounding so loudly in her chest that it was difficult to think.  Suddenly, her eyes fell upon the cutting board on the counter just a few feet away.  A large chopping knife rested next to a partially diced onion, the blade gleaming in the light.  That was it!  She needed to get that knife!

Suddenly, the door to the kitchen swung open and a large, muscular figure walked through it, hidden by shadows.  Quickly, Jocelyn lunged forward and grabbed the knife.  Her body surged with adrenaline as she whirled around to confront her attacker.

“Easy!  It’s just me!” a familiar male voice said.  Jocelyn stopped short of stabbing him and stared in surprise and relief when she realized it was Ethan, her employer.   Jocelyn dropped the knife and it clanked noisily against the marble floor.  Her hands flew up to cover her cheeks, which were now bright pink with embarrassment.

“Mr. Richmond!  I thought you were an intruder!” she said, flushing brightly.

“I believe you’re the intruder.  I live here,” he teased gently and guided her to a chair, where she could sit and regain her composure.  “What are you doing here at this hour of the night?” 

“I wanted to use your kitchen to try some new variations on a sauce I’m creating for you.  I thought you were working late with Mr. Colder and I could surprise you with it,”  Jocelyn said. 

Ethan laughed. “You surprised me all right.  I guess we’re both workaholics; I can’t keep out of the office and you can’t keep away from the kitchen.”

“I suppose,” Jocelyn said, feeling that chemistry between them again.  His laugh was so sexy, and he smelled so good.   She needed to put some distance between them before she reached out and kissed him.  She crossed the kitchen to the stove to distract herself with her sauce, but he followed her.  “I guess I do spend almost as much time here in the kitchen as you spend at your office, but I wouldn’t consider this work, it’s more like play.  This new sauce is pure pleasure; here, taste!”

Jocelyn dipped a spoon into the pan of sauce and shoved it into Ethan’s mouth before he had time to object.  She grinned with satisfaction as his eyes flew open wide and a smile spread across his lips.  A dribble of sauce ran down his chin and she wiped it up with her finger and slid into his mouth, making him grin self-consciously.

“That really is delicious,” he complimented her with a blush.  He moved to dip his finger into the pan for a second helping, but she blocked his hand with a light smack of her wooden spoon.

“Naughty boy.  Use your manners.” She smiled sexily and gave him a plate of homemade sourdough bread to dip into the sauce instead. 

“As you wish,” he said with a charming smile and took the plate from her and sat down at the small kitchen table.  She was so sexy, it drove him wild.  He wished he could just take her into his arms and kiss her, but that would be inappropriate.  He was a businessman.  It was his duty to concentrate on his job and help his grandfather’s company.  He should finish his snack, get out of the kitchen, and get back to work as quickly as possible.

Ethan began to eat quickly, but without joy.  Jocelyn noticed the change in him immediately and knew something was on his mind.  As he ate, she poured him a glass of wine from the fridge that she knew would complement the antipasto perfectly and sat down next to him.  “What’s your rush all of a sudden?”

Ethan’s shoulders visibly slumped, as if suddenly he remembered that he had the weight of the world crushing down upon him.   “I have a lot of decisions to make before the board meeting on Friday.  I really should get back to work.”

“It’s always easier to concentrate when you’ve eaten.”  Jocelyn refilled his wine glass, then pulled her homemade cheesecake from the fridge and cut him slice.

As she expected, the rich dessert loosened his tongue and Ethan poured all his worries out to Jocelyn as they sat together, eating and talking for hours.  Ethan had never confided in a woman like this before, but there was something about Jocelyn that made him feel safe.  She wasn’t an executive out to garner corporate secrets or judge him in any way.  She was someone who just wanted to lend a sympathetic ear, a true friend that he could really talk to.  It was incredibly liberating to unburden himself in that way, and yet he still felt the weight of the world crushing against his chest.  The pressure he’d put himself under was still unbearable and they both knew it.

“I know what you need to do,” Jocelyn said lightly, as she downed the last of the wine.  Her voice was thick and sultry with desire.  She’d always been attracted to her handsome boss, but hearing him open his heart to her made him even more desirable than ever before.  She understood instinctively that he wasn’t the kind of man who shared such intimate secrets lightly, and this moment they were having tonight was something special.  She wanted to share something special with him in return; she just hoped he liked what she had to offer.  Her instincts told her that he would.

“How do you know what I need to do?” Ethan asked, raising his brow skeptically.  His own voice was rather thick too, as his head swam with the influence of the alcohol and being so close to such a beautiful woman.   Jocelyn was not only sexy, intelligent, and an excellent chef, but she had a warmth and compassion that nurtured his soul.  He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anyone before, and it crushed him that he had to keep away from her. 

“I know, because I’ve been listening to you.  The solution is simple.  You need to give up complete control.”

“Sure!” Ethan laughed loudly at what he assumed was a ridiculous joke.

“I’m serious,” Jocelyn said, and he could tell from the stern look in her eyes that she meant it.  He stopped laughing and stared at her, wondering what she meant.  “You feel an enormous amount of pressure to make the right decisions all the time.  The cure is simple.  Give up control.  Take a break to let your mind and body rejuvenate.”

“And how exactly do I just stop making decisions?” Ethan smirked, thinking it was impossible, but Jocelyn knew it wasn’t.

“Like this,” Jocelyn said with a sultry purr and everything suddenly went black.