Lavish Love: A Second Chance Romance (Blazin' Love Book 9) Read online

  Lavish Love

  A Blazin’ Love Novella

  Ja’Nese Dixon

  Also by Ja’Nese Dixon

  The Blazin’ Love Series

  Blazin’ Love (Contemporary Romance)

  Platinum Love (Book 1)

  Privileged Love (Book 2)

  Exclusive Love (Book 3)

  Chosen Love (Book 4)

  Special Love (Book 5)

  Absolute Love (Book 6)

  Pretend for Me (A Short Story)

  Devoted Love (Book 7)

  Select Love (Book 8)

  Lavish Love (Book 9)

  Total Love (Coming January 2019)

  Steamy Sensations Holiday Love

  LAVISH LOVE. Copyright © 2019 by Ja’Nese Dixon

  All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organization and events portrayed in this story are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  ISBN-13: 978-1-950405-12-1 (paperback)

  Printed in the United States of America.

  Table of Contents

  About Lavish Love

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Epilogue

  Sneak Peek! Platinum Love

  Author’s Note

  Leave a Review

  Sign Up!

  Book 1 ~ Platinum Love

  Book 2 ~ Privileged Love

  The Final Blazin’ Love Novella!

  SNEAK PEEK: Rockstar Secrets

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Read More by Ja’Nese

  About the Author

  About the Publisher

  About Lavish Love

  Ho… Ho… Ho…

  It’s Christmas.

  The little Santa in the hotel lobby is shady AF as I do the walk of shame. I accepted this assignment with one caveat: Don’t land in Mateo’s bed.

  I’m Alexandria Martinez. I’m a globetrotter specializing in international trade. After almost ten years in business, Platinum Prestige is considering global expansion. And I’m questioning if I’m the woman for the job.

  Mateo is dangerous for my heart yet beneficial for the next phase of our growth. He agrees to mentor me for the next six months in exchange for pretending to be his doting fiancé over the holidays.

  I agree, and the Latin don Juan slips a rock the size of Texas on my finger, and the weight of it and his life force me to define love, happiness, and the true meaning of Christmas.

  I expect snow and lights. I expect him to flirt and lavish me with the best his wealth provides. But what I didn’t expect was romance and passion and my willingness to let him in again.

  Should I trust the lessons bore from heartbreak? Or should I embrace the love budding amidst the concrete around my heart?

  Mateo seems to think the answer lies in the gift of Christmas. And now I’m starting to believe maybe he’s right.

  Chapter 1

  “Hello, handsome…” I whisper, brushing a hand across the cold coated paper. The slight shake of the magazine makes it hard to focus on the bold headline—Latino Businessperson of the Year. His thick black wavy hair flows away from his face, his bedroom eyes whisper, Remember me. And I do.

  The sound of laughter invades my private moment with Mateo Rodriquez. My eyes dart to my open office door and back to the man who has invaded my dreams ever since he called Platinum Prestige a week ago.

  According to Hunter, one of my best friends and business partners, Mateo contacted us about importing supplies and asked for me by name. I haven’t returned his call because quite frankly I’m scared. Then I went to the corner store for a Coke and there he was on the magazine rack.

  I’ve unintentionally kept up with his career. Here and there. Not going out of my way, not avoiding it. It’s hard to ignore him when the man is featured in magazines and on television shows. And now he’s on top of the list of the Most Powerful Latinos in Business.

  The steady cadence of my breathing is an act I've perfected. I'm the big bad Alexandria Martinez. I don't take shit from anybody, and I live by my own rules. But with him, it was different. I was different.

  My invincible, artificial superpowers seemed to have a loophole. Mateo had me ready to leave my parents, Texas, and my life behind until my grandfather and my mother forbade any involvement with him.

  A sudden tremble spreads through my entire body. I wonder what they’d say about him now. The kid they ran off that is a billionaire on the cover of a national magazine. My heart twists, and I stare at Mateo. I've begged for him to give my heart back after fifteen years, but my stubborn soul still wants him. The man that embodies everything I shouldn't desire. But I do.

  I have to get this longing in check before I call him.

  “What’s that?” Charlee slips Mateo from my line of sight. “Aye, Papi.”

  “Give it back.” I swipe at the air with the desk between us. “You’re supposed to be on maternity leave. Why are you not at home?”

  “Because somebody asked to see Raine.” She rolls her eyes in my direction. “Why does he look familiar?”

  "Uh...it's a new issue. I want to see the baby." I reach for the magazine, and she dips out of my reach again. This is what happens when you work with your best friends. We're prone to reverting back to our non-professional behavior. I should have closed my door.

  “I may forget names, but I know faces. Damn baby brain." Her head wags, and I chuckle. "I forgot the pin to our security system the other day. The operator called, and I'm so glad Darius was right behind me. Did you know they give a $250 ticket if a cop responds to a false alarm? Ask me how I know." She's thumbing through the pages talking to herself. "Mateo…Mateo…."

  "He's just a guy on the cover of the magazine," I say, and the butterflies in my stomach call my bluff because Mateo was never just a guy.

  "Charlee Raine…" Darius calls from down the hall. But her husband's call doesn't disrupt Charlee's struggle to summons the distant memories from college.

  “You’re going to make me miss the baby.” I walk to the doorway and peak out around the corner.

  When Ben had the floor remodeled, he made the focal point the sitting area. It's where we gather. Right now, they're crowded around Peyton, holding a bundle of pink minky.

  “I want to hold her.”

  “I got it.” Charlee shakes the magazine in my direction. “You used to tutor him. When was that?”

  Oh hell. Why does her baby brain have to turn off now? I chew on the inside of my lip, praying Charlee changes the subject.

  “How are the boys enjoying their little sister?”

  "Ethan loves it. Little D isn't impressed." She answers without looking in my direction. "Harper…" Charlee passes the magazine, and I want to disappear.
/>
  "Charlee, stop teasing Alex. Look at her face." Harper pulls me close, rubbing my back, then she looks down. "Oh, I saw him last week."

  “You did?” I face Harper.

  “Yeah, he remembered me from school and asked about you. He’s trying to get his family here for the holidays or something like that. I didn’t catch all of the details.”

  “So, you gave him our number?” I ask. This is all starting to make sense. Harper and her husband Liam own Walsh Executive Jets.

  “Yes, was I not supposed to?” She lifts an inquisitive eyebrow.

  "Of course, we're expanding our business, and he may need our services," I mutter, relieved when she places the magazine in my hand until Charlee retakes it.

  “That was last week. Refresh my memory. We knew him in undergrad?”

  “Let me see.” Hunter walks over.

  “I was his English tutor. Damn.” I snatch the magazine back.

  “Touchy…touchy.” Charlee folds her arms with a tilt to her head.

  "I'm not touchy. It's nothing. Now, let me hold the baby." I face Harper, who's now cradling Raine in her arms.

  “Not until you wash your hands,” Charlee says.

  "Leave it alone, Charlee Raine." Darius places a hand on her shoulder. "Wash your hands. You're next."

  I take his out.

  I walk past the offices toward the break room. This is the executive floor of Platinum Prestige, an elite concierge service. We—Hunter, Harper, Charlee, Parker, Chase, Taylor, Payton, Ryann, Jordan, and I—started almost nine years ago. Ten women with guy names who have built and maintain a solid sisterhood and a lucrative business. We’ve dubbed ourselves the GIB—guys in black—because when you have ten bad-ass women strolling into a meeting dressed in all black, we’re a sight to behold.

  I stop at the sink turning on the hot water. It trickles over my fingertips, as I rerun the conversation in my head. I didn’t mean to snap at Charlee. I owe her an apology.

  I return to the sitting area, and Raine is still the center of their attention. I loop my arm through Charlee's and rest my head on her shoulder.

  “Sorry,” we whisper in unison, laughing it off.

  "You know I don't mean any harm, Alex."

  “I overreacted.” I glance up into Charlee’s eyes.

  “Why?” Harper asks.

  "I don't know. We have unfinished business, I guess." He's the one I let get away because I didn't have the courage to stand up to my family. It's an old regret that cuts deep.

  My guys, graciously, let my little attitude go. I cradle Raine in my arms. She has a button nose, rosy cheeks, and jet-black curls like her mother, but her wise eyes resemble her father's. I inhale her fresh baby scent.

  “Darius, are you planning for one more?” I tease.

  "No, I want my body back. But I agreed to table the talk until Raine is two." Charlee answers, glancing up into his eyes as he wraps an arm around her waist. The way she leans into his body holds a sense of security and peace. She's a riot, and most men tried to tame her. But not Darius, he laughs at her quick wit, bad singing, and protects her fragile heart.

  Darius loves Charlee.

  How does it feel to be wholly accepted and loved?

  Charlee and her family leave a while later. We stand around counting all the babies born into our family with Raine, Hunter's baby girl, Drew, and Ryann's baby boy Xavier. After a half-hour of chatting, the guys head back to their offices.

  “Alex, can you stop by my office?” Hunter asks.

  “Sure.” I follow her down the hall with the magazine gathered to my chest. We sit at the same time as she extends her hand. I glance at Mateo and reluctantly let him go.

  "I can't believe the name didn't ring a bell." She flips the pages, and mid-turn, her eyes met mine.

  She returns the seven dollar instigator. I should have waited until I got home to read it but his eyes…they kept calling me. It’s one thing to hear about his success, seeing him again awakens old feelings and old mistakes.

  Hunter reclines in her chair. I've known her since elementary school, but the woman in front of me has transformed before our eyes.

  “Is this cool with you? Reaching out to him and the possibility of working with him?”

  I shrug. Not my most eloquent response, but it’s all I got.

  "I'm in an unusual predicament. I want to consider our options as a brand and leverage our growing popularity. However, we are nine guys down between pregnancies, newborns, or new marriages. I need to lean on you at least until I deliver this baby. And with Zoe turning thirteen, I can't oversee this." She rubs her belly in slow circular motions. "You're the most efficient, dependable, and organized of our bunch, which is saying a lot. You'll have our full support, but you have to be our anchor. Can I count on you?"

  “Yes.” I sit up.

  “Even if it means working with Mateo?”

  I shift in the chair under her intense gaze. She knows secrets about my life that I haven’t shared with all of the guys. It wasn’t until Ryann told us about her father murdering her mother that I finally gave myself permission to think about my mother and my biological father as my parents.

  Hunter knows how somedays it’s hard to live in my skin. Mateo thriving in his Latino, Dominican skin makes it difficult to stew in my hidden insecurities.

  I'm a grown-ass woman still afraid to stand up to my mother and accept half of my genetic makeup. I'm a coward.

  "Yeah, sure. That was years ago. What do you have in mind?"

  Her long pause makes me uncomfortable. Is she second-guessing her decision?

  "For the record, I'm respecting your privacy, but you're safe here. We're not pressed to make this happen. Understand?"

  “Yes. Tell me what you have in mind.”

  She nods, reaching in her side drawer. "I think having an idea of what to expect if we enter the international market. Legislation, tax considerations, expenses, viable services to provide. I guess we need to know the feasibility. And whether it's something we truly want to explore."

  I nod. All of the partners work with Platinum Prestige, but only Hunter, her husband Ben, and I work here full time.

  "According to this article, Mateo would be the perfect person to help us get a clear picture. We could also talk with Liam since he has an extension of their business overseas. Darius too." I offer for her consideration. The guys have married astute and successful businessmen.

  "That's right. You'll be our liaison, and I'll differ to your judgment."

  "What type of deadline are we looking at?" This is the most significant assignment I've been given.

  "We don't have to decide, but having enough information to sit the guys down by the end of the year would be cool."

  “So, by our holiday girl’s trip?” That’s less than a month away.

  "Oh yeah, that would be a perfect time. No kids. No husbands." She smiles at the thought, and so do I. The plan is to spend a weekend in Las Vegas.

  “Jo, you about ready? Because I know you’re hungry.” Ben stops just inside the office. “Hey, Alex.” He waves.

  Hunter's eyes shift, and her love for him washes over the room. The dynamics of our relationships have changed. All but two of us are married. I'm the only one with neither a husband or a child.

  Watching each guy find love and marry it equally joyous and isolating. I’m gaining brothers and precious godchildren, but a part of me is losing my sisters. Our tight circle is no longer a circle of ten, and I tell myself I'm happy about it.

  “Hey. Where are y’all going to eat?” I stand.

  “I hope home. This baby is a picky eater.” Hunter starts gathering her stuff.

  “Zoe started your favorite, spaghetti.” Ben picks up her bag, tossing it over his shoulder.

  “Cooking, about to turn thirteen…” I rub my hands over my arms covered in goosebumps. Zoe is Ben’s niece that he and Hunter raise. “Next thing she’ll be heading off to college.”

  “Don’t go there. Someone becomes a
puddle of tears.” Ben smiles with his eyes glued on Hunter.

  “I can’t help it. Watch when you have kids. One minute they’re babies the next they’re leaving. God, I hate crying." She fans her eyes. "Please change the subject."

  “I’ll call Mateo when I get to my office.”

  Hunter nods. “Ben, Alex’s going to research the global expansion.”

  “Great. Let me know if you need a hand.” He adds.

  “I’ll have this handled in no time.”

  “I have no doubts. But if it becomes too much, promise you’ll walk away.” Her eyes are stern.

  “Yes, Mother Hunter.”

  “I’m serious. You were a different person with him.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Mateo and I kept our relationship between the four walls of my apartment. He met the guys and spent time with them, but I never went into detail. We all were dating and adjusting to life outside the sphere of our parents.

  "Let's go, Jo. Zoe will fuss like her Mamma Jo if the food gets cold."

  Hunter wags her head walking into the hallway. “Who wants to spend time slaving over a stove to serve cold food?”

  “Hunt, what did you mean?” I place a hand on her arm.

  “Give us a second.”

  "I'll give you five. I need to get something from my office." He kisses her cheek, and Hunter waits for him to enter his office.

  “Alex, you laughed more, you let your hair down, you stopped caring about your mother’s wants and wishes. You stopped hiding. You were different.” She gathers my hands in hers. “I knew the moment you two broke it off. The moment he boarded that plane to New York, he took a piece of you with him.”