Book 2: The Kissing Test
And Then He Kissed Me
The chocolate wars…
Botanist Dr. Aubrey Summer has two goals for her trip to Ecuador – fulfill her bridesmaid duties and confront billionaire Marcos Alfaro about his efforts to steal her work. The wedding is being held at a hotel owned by Marcos and he’s rumored to be a guest. But along the way, Aubrey is distracted by a handsome man named Nino, a former employee with a crush, and Grandma Dotty, who’s got romance on her bucket list.
More at stake…
Marcos “Nino” Alfaro didn’t accumulate his wealth playing by the rules. Yes, he hired Dr. Summer’s assistant, but the principled young man won’t divulge the secrets to growing a richer strain of cocoa. When Nino meets Dr. Summer, it’s clear what he needs to do – use romance to learn more about her research. After all, he’s got to turn around the chocolate company he just purchased. There are millions at stake, not to mention his pride and – surprisingly – his heart.
Can he pass The Kissing Test?
Tropes: billionaire romance, sisters romance, romantic comedy, enemies to lovers
Excerpt:
A man stepped into the arching entrance, a cell phone pressed to his ear. His suit was tailored and of the finest black wool. His tie was silk, a rich pattern of teal and brown. His hair, his eyes, and his expression were dark and imposing, dangerous even.
Tall, dark, and virile.
Without meaning to, Aubrey sighed.
He’d make beautiful babies.
Aubrey shook off the thought. She was a bridesmaid in a wedding, not on the lookout for a baby daddy.
And yet, there was something magnetic about Mr. Imposing.
Could he be the man she was looking for?
“Listen…” Aubrey swung around to read the bartender’s name tag. “…Gilberto. My grandmother’s right. I am looking for a man.” She ignored the innuendo in Gilberto’s gaze. “A man named Marcos Alfaro.”
The reclusive billionaire had made his first fortune buying a dependable, affordable motorcycle brand and turning it into a sexy, affordable motorcycle brand, doubling the brand’s sales in Latin America. He now owned several businesses and properties, including the Brighton Hotel, the most exclusive resort in Quito, as well as the recently purchased Caradoc Confections, a competitor of Bon Bon Chocolate, the company where Aubrey worked as a botanist, developing new strains of cocoa plants and yeast fermenters that produced richer, more flavorful chocolate.
The scowling, sexy man in the doorway looked like a billionaire who’d do anything to advance innovation in his company, including hiring Aubrey’s assistant instead of conducting years of his own research.
“Marcos Alfaro,” Aubrey repeated softly, studying the bartender’s expression closely. “Ring any bells?”
The bartender shook his head. If he noticed the man in the bar’s doorway, he gave no indication.
“Are we drinking?” Grandma Dotty glanced around the rapidly filling bar.
It was nearly nine, and the recently remodeled Brighton was a popular destination of Quito’s young and elite. It was also a popular venue for weddings, which was why Aubrey and her grandmother were staying there. Aubrey was a bridesmaid at her friend Layla’s wedding. The fact that the hotel was Marcos Alfaro’s property was just a bonus.
“Let’s drink.” Grandma Dotty perked up.
“No.” That had been one of her father’s strictest instructions before they left New York – not to give Grandma Dotty alcohol.
“If we’re mingling with the wedding party, I want a drink,” her grandmother said firmly. “A daiquiri.”
“A virgin daiquiri,” Aubrey insisted.
“For the love of Mike,” Grandma Dotty said in a loud voice, tossing her hands. “Nobody wants a virgin anything. Least of all men like Marcos Alfaro.”
The Story Behind the Story
I love a good enemies to lovers story. Nino has been so focused on bending the rules to best his father, that his moral code is tested when he tries to do the same to Aubrey. This may be comedy, but it has a lot of heart, too.
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Learn More About Book 3 HERE…
