Strike a Match

by Fiona Riley

  Strike a Match

  Every date that firefighter Sasha McCray has had in the last year has been orchestrated by matchmaker Samantha Monteiro through Perfect Match, Inc., and she still has nothing to show for it. After a series of near matches, Sasha has all but given up on finding that special spark with someone else.

  Accountant by day and reluctant millionairess by night, Abby Rossmore wants nothing more than to be the normal girl she reads about in all those romance novels. But the truth is, once people find out about her family, their interest in her flares for all the wrong reasons.

  When Samantha tries to help Abby and Sasha discover they have more in common than being unlucky in love, they have to decide if their shared passion will blaze on or burn out. Could they be each other’s perfect match? Or did the notorious Miss Match strike out?

  Table of Contents

  Synopsis

  What Reviewers Say About Fiona Riley’s Work

  By the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Books Available from Bold Strokes Books

  What Reviewers Say About Fiona Riley’s Work

  Miss Match

  “In this sweet, sensual debut, Riley brings together likable characters, setting them against a colorful supporting cast and exploring their relationship through charming interactions and red-hot erotic scenes. …Rich in characterization and emotional appeal, this one is sure to please.”—Publishers Weekly

  “Miss Match by Fiona Riley is an adorable romance with a lot of amazing chemistry, steamy sex scenes, and fun dialogue. I can’t believe it’s the author’s first book, even though she assured me on Twitter that it is.”—The Lesbian Review

  “This was a beautiful love story, chock full of love and emotion and I felt I had a big grin on my face the whole time I was reading it. I adored both main characters as they were strong, independent women with good hearts and were just waiting for the right person to come along and make them whole. I felt I smiled for days after reading this wonderful book.”—Inked Rainbow Reads

  Strike a Match

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  eBooks from Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

  http://www.boldstrokesbooks.com

  eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.

  Please respect the rights of the author and do not file share.

  Strike a Match

  © 2017 By Fiona Riley. All Rights Reserved.

  ISBN 13: 978-1-63555-000-9

  This Electronic Original is published by

  Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

  P.O. Box 249

  Valley Falls, NY 12185

  First Edition: November 2017

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

  Credits

  Editor: Ruth Sternglantz

  Production Design: Susan Ramundo

  Cover Design By Jeanine Henning

  By the Author

  Miss Match

  Unlikely Match

  Strike a Match

  Acknowledgments

  It takes a village to write a book. There. I said it.

  For this book, my village consisted of my ever-patient wife, my super amazing editor Ruth, team Bold Strokes Books, the world’s coolest female firefighter, and a glassblowing studio. Mix them all together and Strike a Match was born.

  Without the help of Sherri Mullin and her firefighting expertise, Sasha McCray would never have come to life the way she did during the making of this novel. Sherri, your input was invaluable and I appreciate how personal and honest your answers were to my endless questions. Thanks for taking the time (and it was a LOT of time) to reply to my emails. I am especially grateful you explained the equipment and purpose of all the hose thingies and mask do-hickeys to me. I promise to never leave a candle unattended. Ever.

  Ruth Sternglantz, I am running out of nice things to say about you in my Acknowledgments section. Just kidding, that’s impossible. You’re fantastic. And funny. And wise. And just the right amount of teacher-y to not be too preacher-y. I know those aren’t real words—I don’t care: You’re the best.

  To the unknowing people at Luke Adam’s Glass Studio, thanks for letting me make all kinds of cool glass art in the name of research and for not being mad when I wanted to know the exact temperature of all the things.

  Team BSB: Thanks for all of your support. You really fanned the flames and encouraged my creativity to ignite (I literally could not help myself there #sorrynotsorry).

  To my wife—I know that you make sacrifices every day to support my, at times, insane writing lifestyle. And I’m sure you’ve used up all your patience over my looming deadlines, but know that I appreciate you and am in awe of everything that you do. Thank you for reminding me that the cat box isn’t going to change itself, deadline or not. You’re my rock.

  Dedication

  For Jenn.

  Every love story I write is a reflection of how deeply and passionately I feel loved by you and in love with you, every day of my life. All the moments we share are my favorite moments. Thank you for your support and for bringing my newest *Love* into this crazy life of ours. I wouldn’t change a thing.

  Chapter One

  Sasha McCray watched in disbelief as the entire case of champagne flutes took to the air before crashing to the ground, sending shards of glass in every direction. Never once in all of her years supplementing her firefighting job as a catering waitress had she ever seen glassware defy gravity in such a way. Granted, that clumsy brute Aaron Burger was juggling the dishwashing tray like it was a hot potato, but still, the height he got when he tripped was kind of amazing. Kind of. Except now there was a monstrous mess and the wedding reception was about to start. They had thirty minutes to clean up the glass and get the tables set…assuming they even had extra flutes.

  “Burger.” Casey Matthews rubbed his forehead and sighed. “You are officially relegated to the coat room. Go find Stefan and get out of my sight.”

  “The coat room? That sounds so boring.” Burger brushed off his knees as he stood from the floor and frowned.

  “Really? Because to me it sounds like a safe, enclosed space where you can’t break anything. Not that I’m suggesting that you try.” Casey warned, “Just go and don’t screw anything up.”

  Burger mumbled something under his breath and Sasha shook her head. He was sweet enough, but tonight was not the night for him to make any more mistakes; Boston’s notorious Miss Match was getting married, and it was the
job of a lifetime for Casey’s catering company.

  “He’s going to give me an ulcer.” Casey pressed his hand to his stomach and dropped his head. “I swear to God, if his brother hadn’t saved my ass last month in that fire on Hereford, I never would have hired him to fill in tonight. I’d rather be a man short than try to contain that bull in a china shop.”

  Sasha walked over to her lieutenant and patted him on the shoulder. “You’re doing a good thing. He’s new to Engine 28 and he needs to find his own way in the company. You letting him sub in tonight was important to him—it made him feel like one of the guys, you know? I’ll keep an eye on him, I promise.”

  “Sasha, you’re good at this. If you ever decide you want to change jobs, I think you’d do well here.” Casey gave her a genuine smile. She tried to accept it as a compliment, but she knew her mother had been in his ear again. “I mean it. I could use someone to run the day-to-day operations. This business is doing well—it’s gonna be my future. You should think about it some more.”

  “I’ll do that.” Casey was her lieutenant and her friend, and she knew that he meant well, but she wasn’t in the mood to talk about giving up her firefighting career, not today or ever.

  “Well, anyway, I have to get a rush on flutes from the warehouse before the first toast now that we’re definitely two dozen short. You’re going to man the main floor bars tonight—there are five in total. You’re bar supervisor and head floor staff. That cool?” Casey picked up his clipboard and pen and started checking things off.

  “Bar service? Yes, sir. I’m down.” Sasha fist pumped—it was common knowledge that the bar manager had the best job of the evening. It was fast paced and would make the time fly by, but more than that, it would give her the chance to interact with the wedding guests and see the festivities. She had been looking forward to this night ever since Samantha Monteiro had chosen Casey and his wife Elise’s catering company to service her wedding, something that Sasha’s involvement with Samantha’s matchmaking company had helped to make happen.

  Casey gave her a nod and headed back toward the kitchen, dialing his phone as he went. She was glad to have him in her life. He was patient and kind and was an excellent firefighter, and he’d been a great mentor to her over the years. He also had been an absolute saint when Sasha had asked to join his side business to help pay off some of her father’s medical debts. Casey didn’t even hesitate before he’d agreed; he’d started booking her regularly on her off days from the firehouse, and now she was one of his senior employees.

  She looked across the gorgeous dance floor at the maze of tables and sparkling white linens. This was a proud moment for Casey and Elise, and she was happy to do her part. Their company had started out small, doing fundraisers at the firehouse and birthday parties for some of the fire crew; they started with kids’ parties and graduations, and then they moved on to weddings and larger events. Elise was the talent behind the operation: she had gone to culinary school and worked at not one but two Michelin starred restaurants before she was thirty. Sasha smiled as she thought about how cute the two of them were together. He might be high ranking at the firehouse, but Elise was definitely in charge at these events.

  It had always impressed Sasha how well Casey and Elise got along, even in the toughest of situations. They were high school sweethearts, but fast-forward nineteen years, and now they were catering and staffing the wedding of one of Boston’s bold-faced names, Samantha Monteiro, and her soon to be wife, Lucinda Moss.

  Sasha grabbed a dustpan and broom and started tackling the mess. Casey had thanked her for the referral nearly a dozen times in private, but putting her in charge of the bar service was the icing on the cake. She swept the shattered stems and larger pieces into one area as Jonah, one of Casey’s junior staff, came by with a trash bin.

  “Make sure you double line this bag when we clean this up. The last thing we need is someone bleeding on their uniform. Elise will freak.” Sasha emptied the dustpan and handed it to Jonah. “I’m going to do a quick count on glasses at the main bar—let me know if you need anything.” She started walking away before turning back to add, “You’d better run a mop and a vacuum over this area. Grab someone to help you.”

  “Sure thing, boss.” Jonah gave her a salute and a wink. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from rolling her eyes. Jonah was probably nineteen years old, twenty at most, but that didn’t dissuade him from flirting with her whenever they shared an event. Someone ought to tell him she was into women in addition to being way out of his league.

  She jogged over to the large main bar and dug out the clipboard that Casey left under the oak bar top. The front page had a map of the reception area, each bar location marked with a drawing paired with the designated bartender’s name, and also designating the area set for dish and glass removal by the kitchen staff. A quick glance told Sasha that Casey had put his most seasoned bartenders at the areas with the highest foot traffic. This would be helpful once the guests starting trickling into the reception. The brides would be taking photos for a while, so the appetizers and cocktails would be the main event for a bit.

  “Hey, I heard you’re the person I should be thanking for tonight’s gig.” Shaun ran a cloth over the bar’s surface, spraying the organic lemon scented cleaner in between swipes.

  “I’m not the one getting married.” Sasha shrugged. “Plus, I think you put too much sour mix in the margaritas, so I definitely would have asked for Carmen at the main bar.”

  “You and I both know that I don’t use sour mix in anything. Fresh is best, all the way.” Shaun laughed. “And you’d ask for Carmen because she has better cleavage than me, not because she mixes a better drink.”

  “Well she certainly looks better when she shakes the drinks, I’ll give you that.” Sasha poked Shaun’s rotund belly with her finger before he slapped it away.

  “Years of taste-testing Elise’s food are catching up to me.” Shaun grabbed a fresh glass and poured a dark purple liquid into it, turning toward Sasha and holding it out to her.

  “What’s this?” Sasha took the glass and sipped it. Shaun had been with the company the longest and he was the best bartender she had ever worked with; his ingenuity with cocktail creations was unmatched. She swirled the slightly sweet liquid around her mouth before swallowing it. It was delicious. Dangerously delicious.

  “Tonight’s signature cocktail. I’m calling it Swept Away by Romance. All local ingredients, a touch of brightly colored liquor, and voilà, signature cocktail to the stars. Well, to the best dressed of Boston anyway.” Shaun poured himself a sip and finished it off. “A cocktail worthy of the gorgeous couple, themed to match the event space.”

  Sasha smiled. “You know, I’ve never been to the New England Aquarium at night—it’s so pretty here.”

  Shaun stood to his full six-foot-five-inch frame and looked beyond her at the reception area. “They did a really great job decorating the space. This wedding planner is amazing. Hopefully Elise cooks up a storm and we get to work with him again—a guy could get used to this kind of venue.”

  “I know what you mean.” Sasha considered how she got here and almost couldn’t believe it. She had gotten involved with Samantha Monteiro’s matchmaking company, Perfect Match, Inc., on a dare from some of her firehouse colleagues. There was an ad for eligible bachelorettes in the Boston Globe, specifically looking for those that identified as lesbian or bisexual, to meet some of Boston’s most eligible lesbians. Although she didn’t doubt that the guys had heartily encouraged it for their own perverse reasons, curiosity actually had her walking through the door. It was over a year ago since she had first met Samantha Monteiro.

  Samantha had been talking to her admin when Sasha got off the elevator. She was early, more out of nervousness than anything else. Samantha had stopped midsentence and regarded her with a broad smile.

  “You must be Sasha.” Her voice was like warm honey, matching the rest of her beautiful form. Sasha had to swallow twice to keep hers
elf from drooling. She figured in that moment if Samantha’s clients were half as attractive as she was, she was winning. So hard.

  “That’s me.” Sasha had hated herself the moment she opened her mouth, feeling like someone spilled lame-sauce in aisle five.

  After a brief exchange, Samantha guided her into her plush, gorgeous office and opened her file. Sasha had been impressed, and also a little freaked out, by the thoroughness of Samantha’s preparation for their meeting. She had been searched and re-searched online, her DMV record and professional license obtained, the headshot she’d submitted matched to her license photo, and a copy of her passport sat on top of the neatly arranged file like a prize. Samantha assured her that this was a routine data collection for all of their clients and their prospective dates—Perfect Match wasn’t just looking for single ladies, but she and her business partner Andrew Stanley were looking for single women to be paired with some of Boston’s best, brightest, and most successful professional women looking for partners in life and love. It had sounded so romantic that she’d nearly zoned out. She couldn’t decide if it was Samantha’s soothing voice that was having a lulling effect, or that watching Samantha’s full pink-glossed lips move was hypnotizing. Either way, her first impression of Samantha Monteiro had been very, very good.

  Which was why, a year later, she still had confidence in Samantha’s skillset. Sasha had had multiple near matches through Perfect Match. And she had to admit, the matches they had made for her had felt more significant and legitimate than any she had made for herself in the darkened back corner of a dusty bar with a nameless girl. She had felt a genuine connection with both of her matches, most recently, entrepreneurial millionaire tech wiz Shelly White. She’d been disappointed when neither match progressed beyond a few dates. But she knew they were on to something, because for the first time in her life, Sasha had felt a connection with someone that was more than physical. It was as if a stable, loving relationship like her parents had was actually an option for her. She had mentioned that to Samantha on that first day: she wanted to find a love like her parents found, and Samantha had assured her that with time, she would do just that.