Some Like It Sweet! (*Wattpad Featured Story*) #Wattys2015

Chapter 6-An Irresistible Offer

Author's Note-This chapter is dedicated to an amazing person who I just became friends with. Here's to many more conversations and more fun, N! :)

Dev did not directly approach Meera; instead, he kept hovering around her for a bit, trying to understand her reaction to the food they had just served her.

When he finally could wait no longer, he approached her with a smile.

"I hope the desserts met your expectations this time?" he asked her.

Meera could not lie. She was not somebody who could keep her feelings to herself-her facial expressions made her inner feelings quite explicit every time.

She sighed and wondered, "How should I put this?" A tiny voice in her head told her to be frank and honest and tell the man exactly what it was that she thought of the second dessert.

That was how she always was with any other chef, then why should he be any different, the voice questioned. She ignored the insinuation and instead, answered Dev.

"I thought both desserts looked absolutely stunning. I was pleasantly surprised! The crème brulee tasted divine-I think it was quite innovative of you to mix the lavender flavor with that of raspberries."

Before she could finish, Dev interrupted her, "I sense a 'but' coming..."

Meera laughed nervously but decided to spit it out, "We-ll, the laddoos were erm... a little too sweet! They tasted better than any dessert I have ever eaten in my life, atleast till the taste of the chocolate settled in my mouth. Chef Malhotra, you use too much chocolate!"

There, she said it. She knew his rant was not far behind.

"Too sweet? Too chocolatey? What do you even mean 'too much chocolate'? Let me tell you one thing, Ms. Sachdev-all my desserts are created off of my own personal recipes. Recipes that I have now been using for many years. What's more, I work on the desserts personally. I don't let any of my kitchen staff even touch the preparation of desserts here!"

"Maybe that is exactly what the problem is," she murmured.

He looked like she had struck him-and hard.

"What do you mean?" he asked testily.

"Look, I have a proposition for you-why don't you come over to my place tomorrow after you close up for the day? I will explain to you the difference between sweet and overly sweet."

Dev was on the verge of sputtering out a profanity-the gall of this woman! Trying to teach him, a professional chef, how to cook dessert? What did she know about cooking anyway? She was a critic-he was sure her own cooking skills were absolutely mediocre, or perhaps worse!

Then why the deuce did he agree to her offer? Maybe it was to teach the little minx a lesson, or maybe because he couldn't ignore the fire in her eyes and her fierce independence, or maybe because he wanted to hobnob with the most successful food critic around town.

"You know what, sure. Let's do it. I can pack up and leave this place by midnight tomorrow. I hope that won't get too late for you?" he asked.

Meera scoffed, "We work in the same industry, Mr. Malhotra. And anyway, I have a few assignments that are due soon-I can finish those up till you arrive."

Picking up her bag and jacket, she was just walking out of the restaurant when she turned out around and said, "I'll text my address to you then. The office gave me your number."