Read Online Charming (Exiled Book 3) by Victoria Danann - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Victoria Danann
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pots behind her.
Scar stared at her for a few beats before saying, “Okay, smart ass. Let’s try this another way. Since you’ve got such big ideas about cookies…”
“Charming told you about the cookies?” She couldn’t hide her delight any more than she could help the smile that popped out.
“Yeah, he did. I’m going to try a test to see if your ‘market survey’ has any merit, but I’m not going to pay somebody else to make something that we could make ourselves. That’s what we have a kitchen for. So I need you to make cookies that are better than the ones the humans sell at that, ah…”
“Bakery?”
“Yeah. Bakery.”
“But I don’t know how to bake. That’s why I’m here. To learn.”
“Right. And you’re going to start with cookies.”
Ana looked around. “Is there somebody here who knows how to make cookies and can teach me?”
Scar looked at the four people working in the kitchen. All of them began shaking their heads.
“Well, there’s your answer,” he said. “It’s up to you. If you make cookies that people like and want to buy, you’ll be the new cookies cook.”
“If I don’t?”
“Look, you need a job and I need that job done. End of story.”
“How long do I have to learn to make cookies?”
“Well, I want to be fair.” He brought his chin toward his body and looked out of the top of his eyes, presumably to indicate that he was being serious. “And no one has ever accused me of not being fair.”
A loud snort had Ana and Scar looking around at the kitchen help to determine who’d challenged Scar’s self-evaluation, but all four were busy working a symphony of pots, pans, sizzles, and innocence.
Scar chose to ignore the outburst and went on. “So I’m thinking two days on the clock.”
“Five,” Ana countered without a beat’s worth of hesitation.
“Five days. Two on the clock.”
“Five days. Four on the clock.”
“Five days. Three on the clock.”
“You’ve got yourself a cookies cook.”
“Sincerely hope so, little girl.”
“But you cannot call me ‘little girl’. That’s a deal breaker.”
Scar laughed. “A deal breaker? You think you get to dictate terms?”
“About what I’m called? Yes.”
Scar pursed his lips and regarded her with amusement in his eyes. “Giving you the benefit of the doubt for now. In five days I’m expecting nothing less than orgasmic cookies, the kind people would fight over. You give me that and you’re Ana. You don’t and you’re Little Girl.”
“Just to be clear, I’m giving cookies, not orgasms.”
Scar laughed and walked off shaking his head.
Ana turned to the four people in the kitchen, who looked up and smiled.
“You’re brave for a human,” said the female who was stirring a pot closest to Ana. “I’m Moonlight. I’m in charge of soup, sauce, and gravy and almost everything we serve here comes with one of those things.” Pointing to her hybrid co-workers, she introduced them one by one. Each looked over and smiled, making her feel more relaxed and welcome by the minute. “That’s Able. He’s master of entrees. Brook does all the chopping, peeling, sorting, stuff like that. And Bowman does everything else.”
Bowman was considerably younger than the other three and looked like he couldn’t be any older than Ana. He grinned and did a little salute.
“Unfortunately none of us have taught anybody to cook before, but we’re all willing.”
“Thank you. Where should I start?”
Moonlight looked around to see if anybody had anything to offer. Nothing.
“Well… Have you really not ever done any cooking? At all?”
“Not other than heating stuff up in a microwave.”
They all looked at each other.
“What’s a microwave?” Bowman asked.
“Well, it’s a…” Ana laughed. “You know, now that you ask me, I realize I don’t really know. It’s a metal box that plugs into an electrical outlet and heats things really, really fast.”
He cocked his head to the
Scar stared at her for a few beats before saying, “Okay, smart ass. Let’s try this another way. Since you’ve got such big ideas about cookies…”
“Charming told you about the cookies?” She couldn’t hide her delight any more than she could help the smile that popped out.
“Yeah, he did. I’m going to try a test to see if your ‘market survey’ has any merit, but I’m not going to pay somebody else to make something that we could make ourselves. That’s what we have a kitchen for. So I need you to make cookies that are better than the ones the humans sell at that, ah…”
“Bakery?”
“Yeah. Bakery.”
“But I don’t know how to bake. That’s why I’m here. To learn.”
“Right. And you’re going to start with cookies.”
Ana looked around. “Is there somebody here who knows how to make cookies and can teach me?”
Scar looked at the four people working in the kitchen. All of them began shaking their heads.
“Well, there’s your answer,” he said. “It’s up to you. If you make cookies that people like and want to buy, you’ll be the new cookies cook.”
“If I don’t?”
“Look, you need a job and I need that job done. End of story.”
“How long do I have to learn to make cookies?”
“Well, I want to be fair.” He brought his chin toward his body and looked out of the top of his eyes, presumably to indicate that he was being serious. “And no one has ever accused me of not being fair.”
A loud snort had Ana and Scar looking around at the kitchen help to determine who’d challenged Scar’s self-evaluation, but all four were busy working a symphony of pots, pans, sizzles, and innocence.
Scar chose to ignore the outburst and went on. “So I’m thinking two days on the clock.”
“Five,” Ana countered without a beat’s worth of hesitation.
“Five days. Two on the clock.”
“Five days. Four on the clock.”
“Five days. Three on the clock.”
“You’ve got yourself a cookies cook.”
“Sincerely hope so, little girl.”
“But you cannot call me ‘little girl’. That’s a deal breaker.”
Scar laughed. “A deal breaker? You think you get to dictate terms?”
“About what I’m called? Yes.”
Scar pursed his lips and regarded her with amusement in his eyes. “Giving you the benefit of the doubt for now. In five days I’m expecting nothing less than orgasmic cookies, the kind people would fight over. You give me that and you’re Ana. You don’t and you’re Little Girl.”
“Just to be clear, I’m giving cookies, not orgasms.”
Scar laughed and walked off shaking his head.
Ana turned to the four people in the kitchen, who looked up and smiled.
“You’re brave for a human,” said the female who was stirring a pot closest to Ana. “I’m Moonlight. I’m in charge of soup, sauce, and gravy and almost everything we serve here comes with one of those things.” Pointing to her hybrid co-workers, she introduced them one by one. Each looked over and smiled, making her feel more relaxed and welcome by the minute. “That’s Able. He’s master of entrees. Brook does all the chopping, peeling, sorting, stuff like that. And Bowman does everything else.”
Bowman was considerably younger than the other three and looked like he couldn’t be any older than Ana. He grinned and did a little salute.
“Unfortunately none of us have taught anybody to cook before, but we’re all willing.”
“Thank you. Where should I start?”
Moonlight looked around to see if anybody had anything to offer. Nothing.
“Well… Have you really not ever done any cooking? At all?”
“Not other than heating stuff up in a microwave.”
They all looked at each other.
“What’s a microwave?” Bowman asked.
“Well, it’s a…” Ana laughed. “You know, now that you ask me, I realize I don’t really know. It’s a metal box that plugs into an electrical outlet and heats things really, really fast.”
He cocked his head to the
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