THE HEAVY BAKER'S DIRTY CONTRACT
Harper stirred the batter slowly, closing her eyes for a moment, enjoying the warmth of the chocolate steam hitting her sweat-drenched face.
Harper grabbed a box of plump, ripe, juicy fresh black cherries. Quickly, she pitted them, then crushed the fruit in a small pan with pure cane sugar and a splash of premium liqueur. As the sweet aroma of the cherries began to simmer and bubble, Harper reached for a secret ingredient that a French chef as rigid as Armand would never dare touch: red bird's-eye chili, dried and ground into a sharp, aromatic powder.
She sprinkled the chili powder into the bubbling cherry sauce. Chili-cherry re