Read When You Defy Me (When I'm With You Part 2) for Free Online Page A

Sharon.
     She had a mind of her own. “She’s a nice change for all of us. Do you know Maryanne won tickets to the symphony but couldn’t
     go because of her kids?” Sharon asked him, referring to one of their waitresses, a single mother. “Elise volunteered to watch
     Allie and David so Maryanne could go. That meant a lot to Maryanne. It meant a lot to me, too,” Sharon added thoughtfully.
     “And she’s doing a marvelous job of cooking. Why do you need another chef?”
    “Ms. Martin isn’t a fully qualified chef yet,” Lucien had said briskly as he cleared his desk in preparation for the interview.
    “Tell that to your elated customers,” Sharon had said wryly before she left to retrieve the chef candidate.
    He’d pretended to be brusque, but in truth he’d been pleased that Elise had won Sharon over as a protector. Sharon was no
     pushover, and all of his employees looked up to her.
    Another part of him was tense, however, waiting for the other shoe to drop. A calm atmosphere and Elise did
not
go together.
    She was a storm waiting to break
.
    The thought flew into his head as he opened the smoked-glass doors of Fusion and saw Elise standing in the lobby of the Noble
     Enterprises tower wearing her chef’s smock and talking to Francesca Arno, Ian’s lover. She was several inches shorter than
     Francesca, although he doubted most people would notice the inequity of the two women’s heights. Elise was so vibrant and
     animated, like a flickering flame. As he watched, several casual passersby turned to look at her, and not just men. Her strength
     of character and palpable charm had always amazed him, even when she’d been a child.
    Elise’s expression shifted when she took notice of his approach, but she kept chatting amiably until he arrived by her side.
    “Mr. Lenault! You know Francesca, don’t you?” she asked, pink lips curving.
    “Of course I do,” he said, leaning down to give Francesca a brief kiss of greeting on the cheek.
    “She just told me she’s a runner,” Elise said. “I’m going to start training with her for the Chicago Marathon.”
    “You run?” Lucien asked Elise, disguising his surprise.
    “Yes. I started a year ago. It’s good
discipline
,” she emphasized, the defiant spark in her sapphire eyes meant solely for him.
    “I hadn’t realized you two had met,” he added mildly, ignoring her stab at him.
    “I introduced myself last night after experiencing the ecstasy of her Essaouira chicken and strawberry crepes,” Francesca
     said, grinning up at him. “She’s brilliant. Ian and I asked for you at Fusion last night, but they said you weren’t in the
     restaurant. We had very important news to tell you.”
    Francesca was always a lovely woman, but he’d never seen her look quite so radiant as she did when she lifted her left hand.
     Lucien laughed and gave her a heartfelt hug. He reexamined the exquisite triple-diamond platinum ring on her finger after
     they’d stepped back from the embrace.
    “Ian is a very lucky man,” he told her sincerely. He bounced her hand teasingly. “Are you strong enough to handle such a
     heavy ring?”
    “I’m strong enough,” Francesca told him archly, and he knew she’d precisely understood his double entendre.
    He smiled, pleased yet again by Ian’s choice. “I believe you are.”
    “Thank you. Ian picked it out himself,” Francesca said amusedly, her eyelids narrowing. “And if you know any different, don’t
     tell me.”
    “He most definitely picked it out himself.”
    Francesca beamed at his steadfast answer. “We’re throwing a little get-together at the penthouse Sunday night to celebrate.
     I hope that you’ll come. You too,” she told Elise irrepressibly.
    “Oh, that’s so nice of you to ask, thank you. But . . . I don’t think I can,” Elise prevaricated, her hesitant, meek manner
     completely unbelievable to Lucien.
    “Of
course
you can,” Francesca insisted. “You told me just now that you hardly