An Uncertain Affair (The Affair Series Book 2) Read Free

for
his new book. I was so excited; I could hardly wait to tell Dane. The moment
he walked in the door, I practically accosted him with the news.
    “Hey,
Dane! Sergio Ramirez wants to talk to you about the photography for his new
book. Isn’t that amazing!?”
    “Hum,
really?” Dane said, with way less enthusiasm than I’d expected.
    “What’s
wrong? Do you have a problem with Sergio?”
    “Well,
I contacted his culinary director right after he was named one of the ‘Top Ten
New Chefs’ by Food & Wine Magazine about five years ago. I
was just getting started out on my own and offered to take some shots for him for
free. I thought it would help him out and would make me more legit to show work
I had done for the hot, up-and-coming Sergio Ramirez. Nothing,” he said, waving
his hands in the air and shaking his head.
    “Are
you sure he got your message?”
    “A
secretary of his at the time sent me a note saying they would get back to me,
but I never heard another peep. I suspect I wasn’t a big enough fish. Now he’s interested, now that I’ve won some awards for my work. Well, it’s going to
cost him, big time.”
     
    **
     
    The
meeting with Sergio and Adele was set for the following week. Valerie and I cleaned
up the studio, and dressed it up with half a dozen impressive poster-size shots
from some of Dane’s best work. Valerie was polishing the food-styling kitchen, while
I researched any backstory I could dig up about Sergio.
    “Wow,
did you know Sergio’s wife died from anaphylactic shock from a nut allergy?” I
asked Valerie.
    “I
know. I have the same allergy, which is why it stuck in my mind. It had to be a
freak accident. Everyone I know who has it always carries an Epipyn. And when
you go out to eat, you always tell the servers about your allergy. They
take it very seriously. I don’t think they ever figured out exactly what happened
with Sergio’s wife. Sergio seems to be doing better now, though, with the new
book and all.”
    “Yeah,
there are a number of articles here about his restaurant, Buena Comida. The
menu sounds awesome.”
     “That
place has certainly put him back in the spotlight. And he’s such a hottie I bet he won’t stay single long,” Valerie commented.
    “Do
you know anything about his culinary director, Adele? Looks like she’s in that
association of culinary professionals you belong to.”
    “Yeah,
I’ve met her at the convention and talked with her a couple of times. She’s all
business. She takes the work very seriously and doesn’t seem to have much of a
sense of humor.”
    “Great!”
I was being facetious. “I guess we’ll just have to see if there’s any chemistry
between Sergio and Dane tomorrow. I hate that Dane has such negative feelings
about the whole thing.”
    “He’ll
rally and be totally charismatic. That’s what Dane does best,” Valerie said. “You’ll
never know he had one bad thought about Sergio.”
    “This
is going to be interesting,” I said skeptically.

Chapter 3
     
     
    Sergio
and Adele arrived a few minutes after our scheduled meeting time of 9:30. The aroma
of fresh-brewed coffee filled the studio, and the kitchen counter was covered with
colorful fruits and pastries. Valerie was on hand, too. If Dane got the photography
gig, Valerie would be the stylist. We were all psyched about it.
    Sergio
glided into the studio with an elegant stride and captivating presence. He was
tall, obviously fit, and strikingly handsome. He greeted Dane warmly. His voice
was deep and sultry, with a distinct Latin accent.
    “Mr.
Pratt, it is such a delight to meet you. I’ve admired your work for some time.
This is my culinary director, Adele Westbrook.” Adele was painfully serious. She
had the body of a swimmer: thin, but with broad shoulders. She nodded as she
pushed her horn-rimmed glasses back in place and held out her hand to shake
Dane’s in an obligatory fashion. Her entire persona was stiff, with her hair tightly
tied up into a