Soufflés at Sunrise by M.J. O'Shea and Anna Martin

Not outside the bedroom, anyway. It was weirdly nice to be able to touch just for the sake of touching. At least when nobody in charge was watching. He knew it was very much against the rules for them to “form romantic attachments with fellow contestants.” At least according to the contract they’d all signed before they’d learned about how he and Chase were supposed to act antagonistic toward each other. He figured he’d get around that by interacting with Chase as little as possible on camera. He really didn’t feel like sniping at the guy he’d spent the past week making out with.
    Kai was startled out of his thoughts when the buzzer went off, loud and jarring in the middle of the studio kitchens. It was a pain to wait, silently sending death glares to Aaron for screwing them up so badly the day before, but then they got the notification, and they were off.
    He looked over the supply table, which had been mostly decimated when the other chefs grabbed their own ingredients, and wracked his brain for what the hell he should do with his least favorite dessert. And then he saw them. A gorgeous pile of juicy-looking plump lilikoi fruits. And next to them, like they were tailor-made for Kai, was a little pile of guavas and a single perfect pineapple. He was set.
     
     
    “T HEY ’ VE WHIPPED and chopped and baked, but now it’s time for someone to get burned,” Diego said into the cameras. They panned over the group of them, waiting to hear from the judges. “Let’s meet the judges. We have Basil Shrewsbury, respected pastry chef and restauranteur, Nicolette Anderson, beloved television star and dessert aficionado, and Emilio. He might only have one name, but he has a huge reputation as one of the country’s foremost food bloggers. Hopefully our chefs can impress our esteemed judges with their cheesecake creations.”
    Kai stood there and watched the others get judged, some favorably, others wince-worthy and harsh. He hoped when they got to him, it wasn’t too safe, too predictable. Kai would be happy for a middle position. He didn’t need to be in the top three. He just wanted to get through to something that would be more his style. The judges called him to the table.
    “Tell us about your dessert, Kai,” Nicolette said. Kai tried not to be skeeved out by her, but she leaned forward until her breasts nearly fell out of her low-cut top. He was sure there were other guys in the studio who drooled at her, but Kai wasn’t into women, and even if he had been, he thought he’d like quiet loveliness, not Nicolette’s overripe, in-your-face sexiness.
    “I’m calling it Waikiki sunrise. I wanted the cheesecake to reflect the flavors of the fruits of the island, and the colors to look like the soft light when the sun rises in the morning. So we have classic cheesecake form, but unique, fresh flavors.”
    The judges nodded quietly and took pensive forkfuls of Kai’s cheesecake.
    “This flavor I’m picking up is lovely. Passion fruit?” Emilio asked.
    “Lilikoi. It’s a variety, slightly tarter than the traditional passion fruit. I thought it would cut through the cream and the sweetness.”
    “Why did you choose to make your cake with cream cheese instead of ricotta?” Basil asked. He always seemed disapproving, even when he probably didn’t mean anything by it.
    Kai took a deep breath. “I thought the tanginess of cream cheese would pair well with the tropical fruits. It would stand up to their flavors more than a ricotta-based cake.”
    “Good choice,” Nicolette said. “I’m impressed with your execution.”
    Basil and Emilio gave him nods.
    “Thank you, Kai.” Diego nodded and gestured for him to go back to where the rest of the contestants were lined up.
    When everyone had been individually assessed, they were led to another room while the judges conferred. Sometimes there was a camera in the back room. There wasn’t one that day. Kai sunk down onto the chair next to Chase.
    “You think