FlavorfulSeductions by Patti Shenberger Page A

today. I’ve got to get a new one, but didn’t have any time. Is anything wrong?”
    Samantha smiled. “Not a thing. I wanted to let you know that this time we’ve been moved to the second floor dining room for dinner. Apparently, some bigwig rented out the whole first floor for a private party. Which means us little peons will have to celebrate from the nosebleed seats.”
    “That sounds very nice. How come we never get lucky like that?” Kate laughed, picking up the white pastry box and following her friend across the foyer to the elevator.
    “Some people have all the luck I guess.” Samantha replied, pressing the Up button on the wall panel.
    Kate lifted the lid on the box in her arms. “Speaking of luck, check these out. I finally figured out the recipe for the frosting and it tastes just like Benito’s. I brought some tonight for all of you to taste test for me and let me know what you think.”
    “It’s your birthday and you brought us food? We’re supposed to celebrating your twenty-seventh birthday with a cake, which I’m sure Tara picked up. At least I hope she did,” Samantha said with a frown. “I probably should have called to check. But if not, we’ll eat those lovely treats.”
    “Or we’ll eat both. There’s always room for dessert and plenty of it,” Kate laughed as she took a step forward upon seeing the elevator doors open.
    She walked straight into a solid wall of man and muscle. The cupcake box tipped forward and the cupcakes smashed straight into his chest. Actually straight into and across the front of his impeccably tailored suit coat. A coat that from the looks of it, most likely cost more than six months of her salary. And it was unfortunately at present covered in pink butter cream frosting.
    For a second time stood still as Kate faltered for something to say. I’m sorry didn’t come close to cutting it, but was the best she could offer at the moment.
    “I’m so sorry. This was all my fault. I wasn’t paying attention and the cupcakes…” Her words trailed off as she stared once more at the wall of muscle before lifting her gaze to the man’s face.
    Bad idea. If his chest was impressive, his face was enough to stop a speeding locomotive in its tracks. The man was drop dead gorgeous, even covered in frosting.
    He looked from the box in her hands to her face and it was all she could not to turn beet red on the spot.
    “It’s my twenty-seventh birthday today,” Kate finished lamely. Great, now she’d gone from babbling to pathetic. Could the night get any worse?
    “Happy Birthday,” the man replied softly before running his finger down the front of his suit coat and lifting it to his mouth. “This is edible, I assume?”
    Kate nodded, unable to form a coherent word, entranced by the motion.
    She watched him put his finger into his mouth and suck off the frosting, then slowly ran the length of his tongue up and over the tip of his index finger. Kate watched as his gaze was locked on her face the entire time.
    Her stomach lurched as heat infused her body. Her heart beat wildly against her rib cage as Kate willed herself to be calm, but to no avail. This man didn’t invoke calm, he invoked lust and passion and naked hot, sweaty bodies on satin bed sheets. And other things she really had no business thinking of at that moment.
    Thoughts of a private birthday celebration with him would be a present she’d never forget. Kate tried and failed to pull her runaway thoughts back into focus as she continued to stare at him.
    Dear heaven, it was almost orgasmic watching him lick off the frosting. A thousand images popped into Kate’s head as she envisioned his tongue and her body in very close quarters.
    She closed her eyes in an order to pull her wildly errant thoughts back into some form of sanity. Right now sanity was the farthest thing from her mind or any other part of her body. After drawing in a deep breath, Kate reopened her eyes to find him staring at her with a