Always You: A Friends to Lovers Romance Book 1
Needing You: A Friends to Lovers Romance Book 2
Sweet Temptation: A Virgin Billionaire Romance Book 1
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Sweet Temptation
A Billionaire Virgin Romance
Forbidden Desires Series-Book 1
A Novella
By
Alexis Winter
© Copyright 2018 by Alexis Winter - All rights reserved.
In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.
Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.
Chapter 1
Charlotte Fairweather pushed her strawberry blonde curls back over one shoulder. Now that the breakfast rush was over, she had a chance to get herself together and take a breath before things picked up again at lunch time. She’d only opened the food cart in the first floor of the Pierce Building a few weeks ago, but she’d already gotten a pretty steady business going.
A lot of people would have killed for this spot and it had certainly helped that her Uncle Howard was a partner in Pierce Industries. Charlotte had accepted the offer to run the food cart that had recently been vacated on the first floor. There were several sites to buy food, but this one was closest to the elevator bank which made it the most popular by default. Business had been good and she’d already started to make a profit. That was pretty rare for a new business, but then again, location was everything and this one was prime.
It wasn’t exactly what she’d dreamed of doing, but it was a step in the right direction. If Charlotte wanted to own her own bakery, she was going to have to come up with a way to raise enough money to get a location started and running on it’s own. For now, she was going to have to make do with baking each day in the kitchen of her apartment and bringing it in to the food cart every day.
Some customers were regulars, the ones who showed up every single day and knew exactly what they wanted. She even had a couple of their orders down to memory. She made it a point to learn as much as she could about her customers, so she could engage them on a personal level. She would ask Mrs. Jenkins, who worked up on the fourth floor, how her daughter was doing now that she was only three weeks away from her due date and she would ask how the renovations to Mr. Samson’s kitchen were coming along. It helped that she was genuinely a sweet and kind girl; it also didn’t hurt that her hazel eyes and turned up nose, covered with a fine smattering of tiny freckles, made her cute and approachable.
That got her started, but the fact that her baking was practically flawless was the thing that cinched the deal. She got the first customers with her sweet smile and brightly colored dresses. She kept them coming with the things she woke up at three in the morning to get ready for the day. Her pastries were always perfectly puffed and her cakes and muffins were just the right amount of moist.
Charlotte started her mornings off early every single day of the week. She got to sleep in until around 7 am on Saturdays and Sundays, but she was always a morning person. It suited her just fine to be up while the rest of the world was asleep, except for her cat Andy, who watched her while she moved around her kitchen preparing the things that were going to make their way into the bakery cart at the high-rise a few blocks from her apartment every day. She had a few staples that were there every day, but she tried to rotate a selection of new things out as she experimented with new flavors and combinations. She loved seeing the expression on her patron’s faces as they indulged in some new sweet treat.
The one thing she tried to keep in stock every single day were the cinnamon rolls she’d learned to make from her grandmother back in Iowa. They were always a hit, and they sold out before lunch every single morning. It had gotten to the point where there were a few customers that she had to hide them for so they wouldn’t be gone before they’d arrived to claim them in the morning. She knew all of them by name except for one. He came twice a week, always on Monday and Thursday mornings and bought a cinnamon roll at almost the same time. He clearly worked in the building. His suit was a dead giveaway, but the times she’d tried to engage him in conversation always ended with her left standing high and dry.
Maybe he wasn’t much of a conversationalist. Some people weren’t, but it wasn’t going to stop Charlotte from being as friendly to him as she could muster, even without knowing anything about him other than the fact that he could be predicted like clockwork to show up at 9 am on Monday and Thursday to pick up his cinnamon roll. It just so happened that today was Thursday, and she was expecting him any moment.
Charlotte tugged down on the white button down blouse she’d worn to go with the skirt printed with a design of sunflowers. It was one of her favorites, and it went perfectly with the green ballet flats she’d worn. She was on her feet most of the day, and sensible shoes were a must, but Charlotte was going to make them as cute as she possibly could.
She grinned over at the man who approached and reached under the counter to pull out the clear plastic snap together container she’d stowed away for him this morning. Charlotte had sold the last of the cinnamon rolls she’d put on display fifteen minutes ago, but this one had been waiting for him since she’d arrived here this morning. She scrambled for something to say, but the mystery man had a way of intimidating her to the point of near distraction.
It wasn’t just that he was devastatingly handsome. He was more than just good looking, he was probably 15 years older than Charlotte, though his hair was still dark, almost jet black with only a little gray at the temples. His eyes were dark as well, a deep brown that she thought reminded her of tempered dark chocolate. Sometimes brown eyes could look flat, but his looked nearly liquid and deep. She wouldn’t have been hard pressed to admit that he was attractive, but there was far more to it than that. There was something about his air that made her feel a little tongue tied.
“Good morning, Sir.” That much was automatic when he approached the food stand. She could at least make her brain work on auto-pilot while she figured out the rest.
He nodded and rested his hands on the counter top as he looked around the stand for a moment before she slid the container with the last remaining cinnamon roll for the morning across the counter.
“I was just about to ask you if there were any left. Thank you.” He lifted the container before looking her in the eye with a raised eyebrow. “And how much do I owe you?” He got the same thing twice a week for the last two months. He clearly knew exactly how much it cost, but if it was the only thing he was going to say to her this morning then so be it. He wasn’t much of a conversationalist so maybe this was his way of making small talk.
“So, since you’re such a good customer, this one’s on the house.” She smiled across the counter at him and slid her hands into the pockets on either side of her skirt.
He picked up the container, and nodded towards her before taking a step back. Charlotte had half hoped that giving him the pastry would be just the thing to open him up, but that wasn’t the case.
“Thank you.” The corners of his mouth did turn up into a smile before he walked away, headed straight for the bank of elevators just across the lobby and pressed the button to signal one to call him up.
Charlotte watched him go, letting out a soft sigh. She didn’t know what to make of this man. He wasn’t unpleasant, but he was distant, as distant as she was friendly and open. She hadn’t realized how tense she’d been until he walked away and she relaxed, almost slumping down to rest her elbows on the counter in front of her.
“Can’t win them all can we?” She mumbled to herself, trying to push the interaction out of her mind, as she set about preparing the cupcakes she’d brought for the
lunch crowd to fill in the empty spaces that the breakfast muffins had occupied only an hour ago.
❖
Later that afternoon, Charlotte made her way over to the elevator bank with a basket draped over one arm. After the lunch rush, she was completely sold out of everything she’d managed to bring in for the food stand that morning, but she’d been making a habit of bringing in a basket of mini muffins every couple of days to drop off at the businesses around the building to build her brand. She was busy but she could do more business, and if she intended to save enough money to get a bakery off the ground, she was going to need to raise as much capital as possible. The best way she could go about doing that was to make sure everyone in the building knew who she was.
So far, she’d managed to make it around to all of the offices in the building one floor at a time, and for a building that was forty stories tall, that was no small accomplishment. That left only one floor she hadn’t gotten around to yet, the top floor where her uncle’s office was located. She hadn’t wanted anyone to know that he was her uncle. Charlotte wanted to make it, but she wanted to do it on her own merit, not her uncle’s last name. It helped that he was her mother’s brother so they had different last names, and it wasn’t something she was going to bring up in conversation with anyone around the business.
Besides, Uncle Howard was more or less a silent partner these days. He showed up for board meetings and when he was absolutely needed around the office. The rest of the time he was content to hang out at this house and annoy Aunt Amelia until she made him go back to his office in the house. Charlotte laughed a little thinking about the two of them as she rode the elevator up to the top floor. They were her only family here. Her parents lived back in Iowa, and she had no brothers or sisters, so it was important to her to keep them fairly close. She went out to their house in the suburbs most weekends for dinner and to catch up with family.
Charlotte was a little lost in her thoughts when the elevator finally dinged to indicate its presence on the top floor of the building. It was a longer ride than she was used to taking, and this was her first visit to this particular floor in spite of the fact that her uncle did work up here when he was in the building. It might have been late afternoon and working it’s way into evening, but the office here was buzzing with people moving about. A lot of the other places would have started emptying out right about now, especially towards the end of the week, but this place showed no signs of slowing down.
She took a deep breath and looked around the place, finally letting her attention fall on an older woman sitting behind a desk and typing on the laptop set up on the desk in front of her. Charlotte put on her best smile and made a beeline for the desk, stopping just in front of it and clearing her throat gently before speaking.
“Pardon me, but my name is Charlotte Fairweather. I run one of the food carts downstairs, and I just wanted to come around and introduce myself and drop off some muffins for you all. Just so I can get word out about my business.” She passed the basket over to the older woman who stood up almost immediately offering her hand with a matching smile.
“Well, aren’t you the cutest thing? I’m Sophie… Sophie Neal, Mr. Piece’s personal assistant.” She snagged a mini muffin out of the basket and took a bite, letting out a soft groan just before she swallowed. “And these are the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.”
Charlotte grinned and slid her hands into her pockets. “They’re my grandmother’s recipe, but I’ve put my own twist on them. I’m glad you enjoy them.”
“So, you’re far too adorable to just run a food cart downstairs.” She finished off the rest of her muffin and dusted the crumbs off her hands. “Please tell me this is just temporary and that you’re going to bring me more muffins like that.” She grinned and glanced at the basket. “I’m going to have to put the rest of these in the break room or I’m going to wind up the size of a house.”
Charlotte laughed softly. Sophie was probably the nicest person she’d met in her time at the building. Not that people weren’t friendly. For the most part they were, but a lot of them were all business when they got to work every day. It was refreshing to run into someone who made her laugh.
“I tell you what. Let me know when you’ve got those finished, and I’ll plan out another batch to bring you. Maybe banana nut next time instead of blueberry, and I’m running a food cart downstairs for now. It’s just a step to get to my final goal. I’d like to own my own bakery some day.”
“Well, keep on baking like that, and I don’t think it’ll be too long before you get there, Sweetheart.” She snagged the handle of the basket. “I’m sure Mr. Pierce will appreciate a few of these himself. I’ll make sure to tell him you came by, and that you’ll be back with more. Though, I might have to hide those for myself if these muffins get too popular around here. You wouldn’t happen to have a business card or anything I could put out next to the basket would you?”
Charlotte fished into one of the pockets on her skirt, pulling out a business card she’d just had made up. When she opened the food cart and started marketing herself to the people around the building, her uncle had told her it would be a good idea to have something customers could use to get in touch with her for further orders. She passed it across the desk to Sophie with a warm grin.
“There you go, and let me know if there’s anything else you guys would like to see in the food cart downstairs. I’ll also do special orders for individual offices for meetings or events. I even do cakes for special events. I really appreciate the chance to get the word out about my business.” She nodded as Sophie slid the card into the top drawer of her desk.
“Well, if the rest of what you bake is as good as these muffins, I’m sure you’ll be getting a call sooner rather than later from us. Thank you for the baked goods. Anyone who can cook like this is definitely welcome back.” She walked around from behind the desk and glanced over at the closed double office doors to her right. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I’m overdue for a meeting in the boss’s office. Can’t be too late for one of those can you?” She nodded and walked off towards the wooden doors, leaving Charlotte behind to head off to the elevator, fairly convinced that she’d been successful in getting at least one more customer.
Chapter 2
Thursday afternoons were Preston Pierce’s least favorite time of day. Thursdays were always hectic with people trying to prepare as much as they could ahead of time so they could end Friday off early. Everyone tried to schedule everything in on a Thursday, and there were only so many hours in a day. Not that it really mattered to Preston. His secretary Sophie liked to hound him about the fact that he slept in his office. Most of the employees around here thought it was just a joke, but the truth was that he had a bed in the room off to one side of his office. He’d slept there more nights than he could count. He wasn’t much of a weekend person either. He hadn’t gotten this far in the business world by taking time off. Most weekends he could be found around the building or at his home working there instead of off golfing or skiing like most of the business associates around this building. Maybe that was why his office was on the top floor and his name was the one on the outside of the building.
Sophie should have been in here five minutes ago for the strategy meeting about the new business he was launching at the beginning of next week. All of the pieces should have already been in order, but he needed one last run through with her to make sure that everything he’d laid out had been put into action. He glanced at his watch and then up at the double doors to his office when she came through them with a basket draped across her arm.
“Listen, Boss. I know I should have been in here five minutes ago, but before you go off on me about punctuality have one of these.” She picked up one of the tiny muffins that lined the bottom of the basket and placed it in his palm. He glanced up and furrowed his brow as he noticed a familiar face just outside the door, as it was slowly closed on the hydraulic hinges that were made to keep it from slamming every t
ime it was opened. He recognized the young woman from downstairs who’d just opened a new bakery cart in the lobby. Before she’d been there, it had housed some god awful sandwich maker who didn’t know how to make a decent reuben. He’d avoided it like the plague, but the first day she’d been there with an array of baked goods that filled the lobby with the smell of cinnamon and sugar, he hadn’t been able to stop himself from walking over and buying one on the spot. It also didn’t hurt that she was far more pleasant to look at than the balding man in his fifties who’d been the previous occupant.
“Is that the girl who runs the bakery cart downstairs?” He took the muffin and took a small bite of it, letting the sweet muffin melt in his mouth. It was good. Everything she made was good. She had a good little business going down there, and it was just going to keep going as long as she kept a good head on her shoulders about all of it.
“Yes. Her name is Charlotte, and those are the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth, without exception. I’m sure both of my ex-husbands will back me up on that.” She grinned and settled into her usual chair on the opposite side of his desk. “So you’ll have to excuse me for being a little late, but I had good reason. That would have been a distraction for anyone.”
“What was she doing up here?” Preston hadn’t seen the strawberry blonde outside of her place on the first floor during the weeks she’d been here. It was strange to see her standing in the foyer of his office.
“She’s trying to drum up some business, and it seems like she’s going to be pretty successful. Mostly she’s trying to get together enough income to open a real bakery and not just a food cart. She can keep bringing me muffins for the rest of time if they’re going to taste like that, though. I won’t complain if they’re from the food cart downstairs, a bakery down the street or the moon.” Sophie laughed and snagged another muffin from the basket before taking a bite. She did have a point. The young woman certainly had the product, but he didn’t know if she had the business acumen to open her own bakery. Only time would tell there, but it was always intriguing to see someone who was out to start into business on their own. It reminded him of when he’d been young and ambitious and just needed the right helping hand to start out on that life.
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