Ride of her Life: Lust to Love Series Read online

  Ride of her Life

  Lust to Love Series

  Kate Cabrera

  BaR Publishing

  Copyright © 2020 BaR Publishing

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise without written permission from the publisher.

  It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

  This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

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  Hot and steamy - for 18+ only!

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Chapter One: Gloria

  Chapter Two: Alexander

  Chapter Three: Gloria

  Chapter Four: Alexander

  Chapter Five: Gloria

  Chapter Six: Alexander

  Chapter Seven: Gloria

  Chapter Eight: Alexander

  Chapter Nine: Gloria

  Chapter Ten: Alexander

  Chapter Eleven: Gloria

  Chapter Twelve: Alexander

  Chapter Thirteen: Gloria

  Chapter Fourteen: Alexander

  Chapter Fifteen: Gloria

  Epilogue: Alexander

  Epilogue II: Gloria

  About the Author

  Chapter One: Gloria

  I pushed up my glasses and scanned the area, looking for a booth that intrigued me. I loved books. I loved reading. Being surrounded by thousands of paperbacks was about as perfect as it got for me. I could smell the paper mingling with the copious amounts of perfume, deodorant and hint of body odor circulating the space.

  I used to so love the book fairs, but now, I had to admit, it was becoming more a chore than an enjoyable experience. Yes, it was my job, but before, I’d loved my job. Now, I was finding it more and more tedious and boring – very rarely rewarding.

  I was sent out to the book fairs to scout for new authors. I was supposed to be the woman who made blossoming new authors’ dreams come true…

  Unfortunately, that wasn’t the reality. The actual truth of the matter was that no one gave a damn about my opinion anymore. At least, I never felt like they did.

  I approached a booth with what appeared to be a full series spread out. A woman was sitting behind the table, her laptop open as she furiously tapped away at the keys.

  “Hello,” I greeted her.

  She looked up, apparently surprised to have a visitor. “Hi.”

  “Are you the author?” I asked, picking up one of the books to read the blurb on the back.

  “I am. Are you a consumer or do you work for a publishing house?”

  She asked the last with a great deal of hope. “I do work for a publishing house,” I told her. I didn’t tell her I was basically ignored. My hopes and dreams of being a part of the publishing process were fading faster than the free cookies being offered at the event. “My name’s Gloria. I’m a buyer. I scout new books and authors and take them back to my bosses.”

  “Can I give you a set of my books?” she asked eagerly.

  “Can you tell me what they are about?” I asked in return.

  “It’s post-apocalyptic fiction with a little romance and sci-fi.”

  I held my smile. That wasn’t anything my publishing house would ever want. But still…

  “Hmm, I’d like to buy the first book. How about that?”

  She nodded, looking a little disappointed. “Sure.”

  I quickly handed her my personal credit card. The book was for me. I knew my bosses wouldn’t like it, even if it was amazing. They would dismiss my idea and send me on my way, like so many times before. It didn’t matter that I knew what customers wanted to read. No one wanted to listen to the mousy girl. For all the influence I had, I might as well be invisible.

  “Thank you and I hope you like it,” she said as she handed me the book.

  “I’ll be sure to leave feedback,” I told her and moved away from the table to see what other goodies I could find.

  Suddenly, I felt eyes on me and looked to my left.

  I saw a man staring directly at me. He had the kind of looks that turned heads from both sexes, and even from here, I could see he was way out of my league – even if he was looking my way. He was tall, dark and a little intimidating. I guessed him to be late thirties, maybe early forties. He certainly wasn’t the kind of man I was accustomed to finding at book fairs. Maybe he was lost.

  His intent stare was making me feel flustered. Then a moment of clarity slapped me upside the head. He wasn’t looking at me. He must be looking behind me. I was such an idiot. No man who looked like that was ever going to give me the time of day. He wouldn’t look out of place with a slinky super model on his arm. He definitely wouldn’t be giving a once over to a mousy, overweight book nerd.

  Good try, Gloria. Good try.

  Chapter Two: Alexander

  As I made my way around the space, I casually listened in on conversations among avid book readers. I wanted to know what they were reading and what they wanted to read. I hadn’t taken over a publishing empire to burn it to the ground by picking up the wrong book. Most of my free time was spent scouring the internet, reading reviews and constantly keeping on top of what consumers were looking for.

  My great grandfather had built this company from nothing and I wasn't about to let it fail on my watch. It would be easy to let my team of buyers and agents do the scouting, but that wasn’t how I operated. I liked to be in the thick of things – just like my great grandfather. I had my finger on the pulse of the book world and that was where it was going to stay.

  Okay, maybe I had a bit of a control issue. But I liked knowing exactly what was happening in my company. I didn’t like to leave anything to chance. Some people dubbed me overbearing and pretty bloody obnoxious - well, to be fair, most people did - but then it was my billions at risk, not theirs.

  And the loudest criticizers of the choices I made? My close friends and family. They were universally convinced I was going to be a bachelor for the rest of my days. I used to tell them I had plenty of time. At nearly forty, I was beginning to realize they might actually be right. But though I’d met plenty of women I’d happily take to my bed at night, I’d never met a woman I wanted to wake up next to for the next thirty plus years.

  I picked up a book, flipped it over and then opened the first page. It wasn’t anything I wanted so I put it down and moved on. I liked to find the diamonds in the rough. Some days, there weren’t even any damn cubic zirconia, but that didn’t mean I stopped coming to book fairs.

  I let out a sigh and looked around the busy area. Something caught my eye. Not something, someone. I watched a dark blond woman interact with an author. Her hair was pulled back in a very unstylish ponytail. The glasses she wore were too big for her f
ace and her outfit was, well, hideous. And I couldn’t stop looking at her.

  She was the exact opposite of the type of women I usually went for. She was small and curvy, even rounded, but for some reason I just stood there staring. I knew the exact moment she caught me watching her. Our eyes locked and out of the blue I felt an unexpected and unwelcome stirring of my cock – like a fucking adolescent schoolboy. But just when I thought I’d have to cover myself up to save any further embarrassment, she glanced behind her and walked away.

  I frowned. I wanted to know who she was. I wanted to hear her voice. I wanted to know what she smelled like. What the fuck?

  Baffled, I started towards her, pushing through the people mingling and chatting. I was focused on one goal—her. I saw her look over her shoulder at me before darting to the left.

  One second she was there and the next she was gone.

  Chapter Three: Gloria

  I was bored to tears which made me antsy. I wanted to explore. I wanted to be anywhere but in more tedious meetings – the meetings my boss signed me up for because no one else wanted to go. I sighed, trying to focus on the current speaker, telling myself sternly to stop with the damn whining. There might be another day left of having to check out the offerings, but tonight was mine. Kind of. I had to make a brief appearance at tonight’s evening reception and then I was free.

  At the end of the meeting, I went back to my room to change. It was business casual and I planned on taking full advantage of the casual. I pulled on some loose-fitting black crepe evening pants that made me look slimmer and taller - or at least I thought they did. I paired them with a white cami and a pretty silver sweater.

  I made my way down to the recreation room of the old hotel the event was being held in. It had been renovated extensively, giving it a whole new lease of life as a trendy boutique hotel. It wasn’t the kind of venue book fairs were usually held in and I couldn’t wait to do some exploring. I loved history. I wanted to see if I could find any secret passages that always seemed to be present in old buildings. At least in the books I read anyway…

  I made my way around the reception, making sure I was seen by anyone who might report back to my company. I smiled, made small talk, and then faded away. That was one of the good things about being me. I was unremarkable.

  I rounded a corner, making a beeline for a door I’d passed earlier. I wanted to go up to the roof and check out the view. I couldn’t explain why, but after looking round to make sure no one saw me going in, I stole up the stairs, only to find the door that opened to the roof was locked.

  “Dammit,” I muttered. I’d really been looking forward to a little peace and quiet under the stars.

  As if on cue, there was a boom of thunder that rattled the roof door. I yelped and hopped backwards. “Saved by the locked door.”

  Disappointed I wasn’t going to get to check out the view, I headed back down the stairs. Once at the bottom, I pulled the door handle and found it locked. I tugged again. Nothing. Another loud crack of thunder had me nearly jumping out of my skin.

  “Don’t panic,” I told myself. “Not a big deal.”

  I walked back up the stairs and tried the roof door again. Still locked. There must be a keypad or an emergency release. I couldn’t see anything. I felt a slight shiver of panic. I took a few deep breaths, calming my nerves. I could hear the rain slamming against the door and was glad I wasn’t locked on the roof.

  The lights flickered. “Oh no, oh no you don’t,” I warned the storm, like I could possibly control Mother Nature.

  I couldn’t even call the front desk. I hadn’t bothered bringing my phone. Why would I? It was so old it doubled up as a paperweight. I had exactly two friends and they both knew I was at a work thing. I rarely carried my phone with me, something I decided right in that moment I was going to rectify. It felt like the stairwell was shrinking with every breath I took.

  I leaned against the wall, closing my eyes and counting to three. Panicking was not going to help. Someone would certainly look for me.

  I sat down in defeat. No, they wouldn’t. No one would even know I was missing. Everyone was at the reception, taking advantage of the free alcohol.

  Just when I thought I was going to be spending the night in the stairwell, I heard the door open. I jumped up shouting, “I’m here! Don’t close the d….”

  The door slammed shut. I didn’t dare move as I stared at the man I’d spotted earlier at the fair. He was still gorgeous, but that’s not what I saw in that moment.

  I saw the closed door.

  Groaning, I slapped my hands over my face. “Shit.”

  Chapter Four: Alexander

  I’d experienced a lot of reactions from women when they saw me, but this was a new one. She was clearly not happy to see me. Her irritation was written all over her face and in the narrowing of her eyes.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  She stomped her foot. “No, I’m not okay. The doors are locked.”

  “Locked?”

  “Yes! Locked. They lock automatically!”

  I frowned and turned round to try the door, not believing any building would have such a careless, dangerous feature. “Oh,” I said as I tugged on it, wiggling it and yanking as if that would somehow release the lock.

  “Oh!” she shrieked. “Oh is all you have to say? We’re trapped in here.”

  The lights flickered and she let out a small yelp and I realized she was actually scared. I took a step forward, holding out my hand as if I was approaching a wild animal. “It’s okay,” I reassured her as I stepped closer. “Don’t panic. This isn’t a problem.”

  She walked a few steps down, looking at me. She wasn’t wearing the glasses and I realized her eyes were blue. A beautiful, deep blue. Thunder boomed and she practically stumbled down the stairs and into my arms. I caught her, holding her arm to steady her. She stood in front of me, a good twelve inches shorter than I was.

  My body was reacting to her in ways that mystified me. She was nothing like any of the women I thought I was attracted to. I dropped her arm, all of a sudden tempted to yank her body against mine.

  “It’s not okay,” she said. “Both of the doors are locked. We’re trapped in here.”

  “I’m sure it’s just a temporary setback. Have you called the front desk?”

  “How could I call the front desk?” she shouted.

  “On your phone,” I slowly said.

  She flapped her arms. “I don’t have my phone with me.”

  “Oh,” I said. I couldn’t think straight. All the blood had rushed from my head and headed south. I wanted to touch her. “You don’t have a phone?” I asked, just realizing what she’d said.

  “I have a phone, but I only brought this stupid little purse with me” She held up something only slightly bigger than a postage stamp, before adding lamely, “I don’t want to be a phone zombie. And besides, no one is going to call me anyway.”

  She was frantic, clearly working herself up, totally unlike the people I usually dealt with. “Zombie? Did you just say zombie?”

  “Yes, you know, a zombie. Oh my God, what are we going to do?”

  I couldn’t stop myself. I reached out and touched her arm. “Relax. Everything is okay. It will be fine.”

  She looked at me and smiled. “I’m sorry. You must think I’m a total freak.”

  Fuck, her face completely changed when she smiled. Did I ever think she was plain? My cock was saying she was anything but.

  “I don’t think you are a freak. I’ll call the front desk.”

  I pulled my phone from my jacket and pushed the internet button to do a search for the number for the hotel. I made a face.

  “What? What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t have any service.”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh no!”

  The storm kicked up and the lights flickered again. They went out briefly before coming back on. I could feel her panic. She pushed by me and rattled the door before slapping it with her hand a
nd walking back upstairs to try the other door.

  “It really will be okay,” I reassured her.

  She spun around, her hands on her round hips. “Really? And you know that how? Have you never read a book? Well I’ve clearly read too damn many. This is the perfect scenario for a murder mystery.”

  I couldn’t help but grin. “I promise, you’re safe with me. I have no intention of murdering you.”

  She looked slightly offended. “What if I meant the other way around?”

  I shrugged one shoulder, trying not to laugh. “Then at least it’ll make a good headline.”

  The lights flickered once again and something hit the door above us. Given the hotel was in a heavily wooded area, I imagined it was a tree branch and wasn’t worried. The poor woman in front of me looked terrified and moved back down the stairs, wedging herself into a corner.

  Of course my male ego chose this moment to spring forth. I saw a damsel in distress who needed taking care of.

  Chapter Five: Gloria

  I wasn’t prone to panic attacks, but I had a feeling I was about to experience my first one in front of a drop-dead gorgeous stranger. I’d recognized him from the book fair as soon as he stepped through the door. How could I forget? He was the hottie I’d wanted to believe was looking at me. Seeing him up close and personal just reinforced what a ridiculous fairy tale that was.

  He was like a walking, talking movie star. His dark chestnut hair was short, with a slight wave. His brown eyes were a light honey color with a come to bed warmth that took the breath away from little old bookish me. He was tall, giving the impression that he was too big for the small space on the stairwell. The suit he was wearing was clearly expensive. I could practically smell the money coming off of him. I didn’t know who he was in the book world but he had to be somebody important. My eyes dropped to his hand and found it lacking a ring. My heart did a little pitter-patter before my brain laughed in my face for thinking his lack of a ring meant anything to me.