Only a Taste
by Hedonist Six
Chance Encounters #3
Publication Date: December
7, 2016
Genres: Adult,
Realistic Romance, Contemporary, Erotic, Romance
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Synopsis: Some
of us have to choose; family, or love?When Mandi (Mandeep Garg) is
forced to move back in with her conservative parents, she’s
preparing to say goodbye to all the freedoms she’s enjoyed so far:
no curfews, no questions, and the freedom to date or hang out with
whoever she wants. She spends her last night of independence with
Callum, whom she has only just met. Sparks fly almost immediately.
Can she say goodbye?
TV Chef Callum Byrne is used to getting what he
wants, both from relationships and life in general. From his first
meeting with Mandi, he realises she’s refreshingly different: his
fame doesn’t impress her much. She tells him she’s only looking
for one night of fun. Will he let her go?
Chance Encounters is a
series of stand-alone contemporary romance novellas set in jolly old
England, following a set of loosely connected people as they find
love in unexpected places. Can love conquer all, from class
differences to age gaps? One-click and find out.
EXCERPT: Callum
"Mr. Byrne, I can assure you that you won't
find a better location for your new restaurant in all of Brighton."
The estate agent flashes his extra-white teeth. He looks almost like
a shark, readying himself to shred his prey to pieces - me in this
case.
"The rent is too high, it won't be viable,"
I argue, while looking around the empty establishment again. A lot of
decorating would be needed as well. It's too much.
"Think of the footfall!" He points out
the window which is currently partially obscured by white paint.
Still, masses of day-trippers can be seen from where we stand.
"How about you speak to the owners again and
let me know if the lease is negotiable? It will take a lot of
investment to bring this property up to scratch." I offer him my
hand, signalling the end of the viewing, as well as the discussion.
If he comes down enough, I may consider this property, otherwise,
it's back to the drawing board.
"Very well. Thank you very much for your
time." The estate agent shakes my hand slightly less
enthusiastically than at the beginning of the meeting.
After leaving the empty shop, we say our goodbyes
and go our separate ways.
It's a beautiful day, deep blue skies with not a
cloud in sight. Warm too, the surging temperatures of our current
summer heatwave evident in the amount of exposed skin outside.
Apparently I'm overdressed. Swimming trunks and bikinis, that's
Brighton's dress code in the summer. I stand out like a sore thumb in
my jeans and button-up shirt.
The footfall would be good here, though I'd expect
my new restaurant to quickly become bookings-only once the new show
airs. Perhaps I should consider a location that's a little further
away from the madding crowds, and hopefully more affordable. I don't
want to have to shutter up the place as soon as I'm no longer on
TV.
Enough work for one day though. Today is too lovely
to waste.
The beach is crowded, so much so I'm not at all
tempted to go near it. Perhaps if I walk further out towards the
western side of town I'll find some peace and quiet. But not without
sampling some of the local refreshments. The only establishment not
selling fish and chips around here seems to be the ice cream truck
parked up on the pavement. There's a queue of people already waiting,
but I can't help myself. Gelato will do that to a person.
I
join one of the two queues and wait my turn. It takes a while, but
it'll be worth it.
"One scoop of rum and raisin, please," I
say, shocked to find that the girl to my left has word-for-word
ordered the exact same thing. The two guys behind the counter look at
each other and pause.
"OK, you're going to have to sort this out
between yourselves," my guy says. He seems to be in charge of
the truck. "We've got one scoop left."
Looking over at the girl I'm competing with, I'm
struck by her exotic beauty. Big brown eyes gaze up at me, a mixture
of disappointment and hope. Her full lips half-parted as if she's
about to say something, but something interrupted her. I find myself
uncharacteristically reluctant to speak up first, but it looks like I
have no choice.
"Let's flip a coin for it," I attempt a
joke.
Her stare tells me I failed. My eyes are quickly
drawn to her hand, clutching a purple leather wallet. No ring, no tan
line where one might have been. She looks young, but not
inappropriately so.
"I can just get something else," she
whispers at last. Her eyes are still glued to me. Did she recognise
me and that's why she's staring? Or is it something else? Have I got
something stuck in my teeth?
"I hope you won't take this the wrong way."
I pause, while she raises an eyebrow. My guy, who decided to serve
the customer behind me instead of waiting for us to resolve our
gelato stand-off, pauses a bit too long, clearly listening in to our
conversation.
The black-haired girl patiently waits for me to
finish, but something in her body language has changed. I'm sure she
gets this all the time. Fuck it, I feel like a sleaze for even
trying.
"You have it." I turn to face the
chalkboard again, ready to pick another flavour. "I'll have
tiramisu," I tell the guy behind the counter, who just shrugs. I
guess he was looking forward to watching me get shot down by this
girl, had I actually made a move.
Meanwhile, the younger guy hands the girl her scoop
of rum and raisin in a cone, which she accepts with a smile. God,
what a radiant smile. She takes her change and turns, walking off
towards the beach. I quickly take my cup and impossibly tiny spoon
and rush after her.
"Excuse me, miss," I say, when I catch up
with her a few steps ahead.
She turns and stares at me again. How the hell do I
do this without coming across like a total douche bag? Funnily
enough, coming across like a douche has never been much of a concern.
You win some you lose some, and ever since the first season of my
show aired, I haven't really had to work hard to get female
attention. But there's something different about this one. I wonder
if much of my interest in her is caused by how hard she's making
things?
"Yes?" she asks, sounding stand-offish.
Her rich amber-coloured eyes are too distracting, I almost forget
what I was about to say.
"I was wondering if I could take you out to
dinner?" I ask at last.
She scrutinises me from head to toe, as she
considers the question. Perhaps she's wondering if it's worth the
sacrifice to stick the ice cream in my face.
"Do I know you from somewhere?" she says
finally.
Normally, I may have been more than happy to
explain, but not this time. Oh yeah, I'm on
TV, seems way too tacky. So I shrug. "Maybe I
just have one of those faces?"
My answer makes her pause as she cocks her head and
looks me right in the eye. Shit, she can tell I'm bullshitting
her.
"Where would we go?" She has a lick of
ice cream, rescuing some droplets that were about to dribble off the
side of the cone.
I
hadn't thought ahead so far. What is it about this girl that she
throws me off so much?
"That entirely depends on what type of food
you like."
A
hint of a smile plays on her lips.
"I'm here with a friend, is she invited
too?"
Bollocks .
Finally a full grin does appear on her face. "No
need to look so shocked, I'm only joking."
I
smile back at her, relieved to have not made a complete arse of
myself. Yet.
"But I'd better let her know anyway." The
girl turns to scan the beach stretching out ahead of us, before
facing me again. "So. What time and where?"
"Nine? Here? Unless you have a better
idea."
"Bear in mind I'm only here for the day, so I
don't have a change of clothes with me. What you see is what you get,
I'm afraid." She glances down at herself, smoothing down the
multi-coloured cotton summer dress that covers what appears to be a
bikini.
"No matter, same here." I suddenly
realise I don't even know her name. "I'm Callum, by the way."
In the absence of a better idea of what to do, I stretch out my hand
towards her.
She accepts the handshake, though the slight curl
of the corners of her mouth suggests I did indeed just make an arse
of myself at last. "Mandi. Lovely to
meet you." Yep, her tone confirms it. Ouch.
I
try to think of something else to say to break the tension, or at
least to distract me from the instant reaction I feel upon touching
her hand. What is it about her? You'd think I'd never interacted with
a beautiful girl before. Why does she make me feel more like an
awkward teenager than a successful and established thirty-year-old
man?
"Perhaps we should exchange phone numbers, so
we don't miss each other in the crowds here," I mumble, while
quickly pulling my hand back and fishing my mobile out of my
pocket.
"Sure," she says, before giving me her
number. When we say our goodbyes immediately after, I can't help
wondering if I'll ever see her again, or she'll decide she'd much
rather vanish with her supposed friend. Only time will tell.
DON'T MISS THE OTHER BOOKS IN THE CHANCE ENCOUNTERS SERIES, ALL STANDALONES!
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Synopsis: A
sexy older man, younger woman romance…
Age and wealth are just numbers,
right?
Twenty-four year old Claudia has always been the
sensible one. From her boring call centre job right down to her
practical wardrobe; flash and extravagant are not part of her normal
vocabulary. She may live in Ascot, the home of British horse racing,
but the presence of all the moneyed revellers blocking her route home
from work are more of a nuisance than a thrill. Until one of them
catches her eye…
Peter’s life couldn’t be more different. All
his life he’s worked hard to make it in the banking industry, to
give his wife all she’s ever wanted. After a day of sipping
champagne and watching the races, an indiscretion of hers with
Peter’s colleague changes this picture-perfect vision of middle
class life forever. He decides to cut and run, only, he hasn’t a
clue where he’s going.
A
chance meeting by the side of the road brings them together, making
them forget their opposing backgrounds. Is passion alone enough to
overcome their differences?
Chance Encounters is a
series of stand-alone novellas set in jolly old England, following a
set of loosely connected people as they find love in unexpected
places. Can love conquer all, from class differences to age gaps?
Read on and find out.
Series Reading Order:
One Night Stand (Released 7th October 2016)
Beautiful Stranger (Released 7th November
2016)
Only a Taste (Releasing 7th December 2016)
BUY:
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Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2cXSIY7
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2en9VQ5
iBooks: http://apple.co/2dysq1
Synopsis: From
casual encounter to something more?
Lucy is used to having a handle
on things herself: her business, which she’s fighting to turn
around after a rough patch, and her love life, which consists of
carefully conducted casual encounters during which only she calls the
shots.
A
one night stand with George – the tall, husky biker whose rough
exterior hides a gentler side – changes everything. Lucy’s usual
approach doesn’t work anymore: come morning, she doesn’t want to
say goodbye. Perhaps it’s time to let someone into her life for
more than just one night?
Meanwhile, the crucial project she’s just landed
is about to fall to pieces, threatening her reputation as well as her
finances. Suddenly Lucy has to learn what it’s like to not be in
control of anything at all.
Chance Encounters is a
series of stand-alone contemporary romance novellas set in jolly old
England, following a set of loosely connected people as they find
love in unexpected places. Can love conquer all, from class
differences to age gaps? One-click and find out.
ABOUT HEDONIST SIX
Call me “H.” or Hedonist if you prefer. I’m a
Romance writer based in London and I’ve always been a dreamer,
though it didn’t occur to me to write down the stories I kept
dreaming up until 2012. You’ll not find flowery language and poetry
in my work. What you will find though is believable characters, none
of whom perfect, going through life and trying to find happiness.
Just like the rest of us.
I
first started writing because I craved to see more of “my kind of
books” on the shelves. In any scenario, you’ll find me rooting
for the underdog. The (emotionally) scarred hero who hasn’t really
had much (or any) luck in love. The shy office worker who wants to
pursue the man of her dreams, but hasn’t quite mustered the courage
yet. All my characters are beautifully flawed and messed up, in a way
that makes them perfect for one another.
ENTER THE GIVEAWAY
