Match
Published by Jessica Wharton
Copyright© 2016 Jessica Wharton
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the author. Reviewers may quote brief passages in reviews.
ISBN-13:
978-1537487786
ISBN-10:
1537487787
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Table of Content
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
Chapter 15
Chapter 1
Dahlia Rasputin is a matchmaker, she is third generation, well her Great Grandmother and her Grandmother were matchmakers, it skipped her mother’s generation. Her mother did try her hand at it, but she kept insulting people and losing business.
Dahlia is from a line of Russian gypsies known as the Ruska Roma. Her grandmother was part of the resistance during WWII even though she was just a child at the time.
Dahlia only takes on famous or wealthy clients, she has a 99% success rate, and her only failure had been when she had tried to set up her mother.
With her Bubby’s help she is able to instinctively match couples.
The week before, she went out on a date that her Bubby had arranged. Bubby had been at the Jewish deli getting some matzo ball soup when the young man in front of her ordered a pastrami on rye made exactly like her granddaughter orders hers. Seeing this as a sign, she invited him to take out her granddaughter after showing him a photo of her.
Dahlia fell instantly in love and before the evening was over they had driven the 4 hours to Las Vegas from Newport Beach and got married. Dahlia brought her husband home to the house she shares with her mother and grandmother on Newport Harbor. Bubby is ecstatic, her mother Natalya not so much.
Matchmaking is only part of what Dahlia does. She also writes books, has a web series, a blog and a monthly article she writes. Her new husband David Dillard or “Double D” as he is known, is a well-known radio personality who now has a daily segment called “Oh No She Didn’t” where he re-enacts awful things his new mother-in-law had said or done in the last 24 hours.
Dahlia meets with a new client. He has “gazillions” of dollars — a multi-billionaire. Josh Samson is an international playboy with the sexiest of Australian accents, more Keith Urban than crocodile Dundee. He had inherited millions at the age of 20, turned it into billions by 25, and now at 45 has lived the past 20 years using the world as his playground. Now he wanted to settle down.
Looking over his answers to the questionnaire, she had provided to Josh, Dahlia raised an eyebrow, looked up and caught him staring at her.
Dahlia was a stunning woman, she had the exotic attributes of her heritage and looked as if she could jump into a caravan wagon and start reading palms at any moment. Josh smiled a slow sexy smile that never ceased to work on any female. He said, “I think you and I would work out doll. It will save us a lot of time and energy. You are everything I am looking for, looks, career, you don’t need my money. What do you say?”
“Well I say no. first of all I am married already, second of all, I am not the girl for you.”
“So it says here you want someone who can travel with you, has her own interests so won’t be clingy or defined by you, can make her own money so she is not after you gazillions, attractive, childbearing age, likes the same activities you do, is opposite enough to make her interesting and not predictable but not so opposite you would have nothing in common.”
“Right. Are you sure your unavailable, you can get your marriage annulled and run off with me.”
“Yeah… No.”
“Can’t blame a guy for trying.”
“Yes I can.” She stood up and held out her hand to get this over with and send him out the door, she had what she needed to get the ball rolling.
After Josh left, Natalya walked into the room. “Are you crazy? You have the opportunity to get out of that mistake you call a marriage with that two bit radio announcer and marry one of the most famous, not to mention wealthiest eligible bachelors in the world and you say no?” “What is wrong with you? I knew it caused permanent damage to your head when you were knocked out of your stroller during the after Christmas sale at Woolworth’s when you were 2. Goodness but I miss a good five and dime.”
Dahlia just looked at her mother. She would never break her of her habit of listening at doors, and the woman carried a small glass in her housecoat pocket just for that reason.
“Where’s Bubby? I need her help.” Dahlia asked.
“How should I know? I’m not her keeper.”
Dahlia knew that to be a lie, Natalya knew every moment who was where and what they were doing, she went about it as if it were her career.
Chapter 2
Dahlia and her Bubby were going over the data base of females, trying to figure out if they had the perfect woman for Josh. So far they had a few maybes but nothing really promising. They looked up as Natalya walked into the room leading a young woman whose face was seen everywhere these days.
“Look what the cat dragged in. I told Miss woo woo she should just embrace being single. The type she will attract are the crazies, but she insisted on seeing you.” With that Natalya left the room.
Dahlia rushed over to greet her new client Rain Shine. They met a few days ago at the radio station that both Rain and her husband David did their radio shows. They had felt an immediate kinship.
Rain was the newest obsession with celebrities. She was a New Age motivational speaker and life coach. Besides having her own radio show, her books were numbers one through three on almost every major book list. She was a born and bred Californian and was raised by her hippie grandparents who had been roadies for the Mammas and the Pappas, tall, willowy with blue eyes. She loved to surf and rock climb, actually almost any outdoor activity.
“Welcome Rain, let me introduce you to my grandmother, you can call her Bubby like everyone else.”
Dahlia had Rain fill out the questionnaire and she answered the questions almost ide
ntical to Josh. Bubby and Dahlia looked at each other. On the surface, you could not have two different people than Rain Shine and Josh Samson, but the formula worked and the formula said these two people belonged together.
They talked about how Rain got involved in her current business, being a pedicurist and her costumers coming to her more for advice than services, and Rain getting fired before one of her clients — a talent agent, groomed her as a motivational speaker and life coach… The rest was history.
After Rain left, Dahlia and Bubby compare notes. They both definitely believe this odd couple belongs together, they just aren’t sure the couple will realize it at first. They are going to have to cause an event which forces the two to be in each other’s company long enough for them to realize what Dahlia and Bubby already know.
David walks in. “How are my two favorite ladies doing?”
Both Dahlia and Bubby melt at his sexy announcer voice. Just as they were about to fill him in on their day, Natalya walks in, insults all three of them and walks out again.
“Today she wanted me to annul our marriage to trifle with a man who has gazillions of dollars. I passed.” Dahlia told her husband.
Bubby chimed in “That’s nothing. She wanted me to send to the old country for a charm and some salt peter, I told her to forget it.”
Alarmed David said “Really? A charm and salt peter? She isn’t messing around is she? Natalya really wants me out of your life.”
“Oh don’t worry, it’s not you, she would do that to any husband Dahlia brought home.”
Bubby continued this time, speaking to Dahlia, “Remember what she did to that poor boy you were dating last year?”
They reminisce about all the awful things Natalya had subjected the men in Dahlia’s life to. David looks very scared and concerned. Bubby and his new bride try to reassure him but it doesn’t quite come off.
Chapter 3
Dahlia arranges a date for Josh and Rain, horseback riding through the canyons and along the beaches of Orange County ending with a gourmet picnic snack. They are then whisked away by helicopter to the Chateau Mormont where they would change into evening attire and have an intimate dinner for two. After dinner, separate cars would whisk them away to their separate homes as Dahlia does not promote casual sex.
Dahlia and Bubby got out a bottle of champagne and some caviar. They put them on ice and played cards with Natalya and David while they waited to hear from the love birds. After every hand Natalya would throw out some Old Russian proverb that had nothing to do with what they were doing or saying, such as “A goose is not a pig’s friend” and “Elderberry is in the kitchen and the uncle is in Kiev.” Which David was happy about because it kept his mother in law busy so she wasn’t saying and doing awful things to him.
Around 6 pm the phone finally rings, Bubby jumps up and heads for the bubbly and fish eggs, she has been waiting all day for this.
“Hello?”
“Dahlia its Rain. I hate him, I hate him so much I want amnesia so I never have to remember him again.”
“What happened? Where are you?”
“I am at home in a scalding hot bubble bath hoping to scour him from my mind.”
“But it’s only 6… You couldn’t’ have had dinner yet.”
“Dinner? Oh no I wouldn’t eat with that pig, did I mention I hate him?”
“Did you go horseback riding?”
“Horse… What? What are you talking about? No we didn’t go horseback riding.”
“Well what did you do?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“No, nothing.”
“Okay, can you elaborate a little?”
“He sent his assistant to say he was going to be a little late, two hours later he still hadn’t shown up, so I left. Then he calls me and yells at me because I wasn’t there 4 hours later!”
Dahlia finishes her call, guzzles a glass of champagne Bubby hands her, holds the glass out for a refill and calls Josh.
Josh answers and is furious.
“Dahlia, I don’t know what kind of operation you’re running, but this is inexcusable. I have never in my life been stood up.”
“Well Josh you showed up 4 hours late! Did you expect your date to just wait indefinitely?”
“Look, this is what dating me is like. If she can’t handle that then she isn’t the right girl for me. This was a test and she failed!”
Wanting to reach through the phone and strangle him, Dahlia decided to regroup and talk to him again in the morning. “Josh, I will be at your place at 7 am. I want a nice breakfast and mimosa’s. Expect me and Bubby, do you understand?”
Josh hung up without replying, Dahlia took that for an affirmation.
Natalya looks at her and says “Vixen resolved not to steal chicken.”
Shouting out as if he is on a game show and is the first one to buzz in with the right answer, David shouts, “I know this one! It means a leopard doesn’t change his spots!”
Bubby and Dahlia both beam at him as if he is the most brilliant man on earth. Natalya just says “Even a blind dog finds his dinner on occasion.”
Bubby and Dahlia drive to Malibu to see Josh. During an amazing breakfast she try’s to understand what happened.
She explains to him that by his answers on the questionnaire, he wants a woman who is intelligent, independent, and has a career. No woman who fits those requirements will sit around for 4 hours waiting for him to show up. It was a stupid test, unless it was to make sure she was all the things he said he wanted and not one of the gold digging bimbos he has dated in the past. In that case, he would have been happy she hadn’t stayed around. Dahlia was able to turn it around as if Josh was brilliant to put it to the test to make sure Rain was not like the other women he claimed he didn’t want.
“Okay so now that she has passed the test, you are going to somehow make it up to her and convince her you are not only sorry but that you really do want to take a date with her seriously enough to put all your business on hold for the few hours of your time with her. This is a tall order because right now she hates you.”
“Hates me? Come on, you are being a little melodramatic.”
Dahlia suggests he call her. He dials the number and his name must have come up on caller id because she answered and said in way of greeting “I hate you!” and hung up.
“Okay it would seem she hates me.”
Bubby pats his hand, “Don’t worry, we will get this smoothed over, What we need you to do now is seriously find a block of time for her and plan the date. Usually we plan it and the parties involved know nothing about each other until the date, however I think this time we will make an exception.” Bubby pulled a folder out of her large handbag, “Here read up, this may help you not only understand you two belong together but give you some idea of how to get her not to hate you.”
The ladies take their leave and head back to Newport.
Josh takes a look at the file and at first doesn’t understand why they think a New Age motivational speaker and an international playboy would be compatible, but that was the surface. When he read her bio, he was impressed at how she became the successful person she was today. He also saw her questionnaire and saw that many of her answers were the same as his. He looked at her photo and couldn’t deny she was gorgeous. He also felt she was interesting, like he would never be bored with her around. So now the question was how to make everything up to her. Dahlia and Bubby had made it clear, this was his to mess up or clean up.
Chapter 4
Rain was still fuming about the day before. Normally things didn’t really bother her that long. She had an attitude that things happened for a reason and moved on quickly, so she couldn’t understand why this time was different, why she just couldn’t get over it.
A large envelope arrived by messenger, she opened it to find a file folder, inside was a note from Dahlia…
I know you hate him but please read anyway.
— D and B
> Rain grabbed her herbal tea and curled up on the sofa in her office. At first, she wanted to spit on this Lothario’s photo. Instead, she just let it slide to the ground as she perused the contents of the file.
It was very interesting. It amazed her at how much they had in common, and she never would have guessed that. When she was don,e she leaned over and picked up the photo. Wow, he was nothing like the guys she normally dated. He was nerd chic, all button down polo and black horn rim glasses which she found amazingly hot. While still mulling it all over, a beautiful pot with a miniature herb garden planted in it arrived, by messenger. The card read…
Thought you would enjoy this more than a bunch of roses killed for their beauty.
Josh
Okay that was amazing. The one thing she hated was cut flowers — it just seemed like such a waste.
Her phone rang, she looked at the id, it was Josh Samson. She answered it by saying “ I love the herbs thank you, however I am still not going to sit around for 4 hours waiting for you to show up.” And hung up before he could say anything.
Ten minutes later an email showed up in her inbox it said:
A dozen goats have been given to a village in your name.
Her phone rings, the caller id is Josh.
“Okay the dozen goats are nice. The last guy who apologized only did it with half a dozen… You are not out of the woods yet, but you are getting closer.” Once again she hangs up without letting him say a word.
Then a text arrived…
Hi, if you will allow me to even begin to make up to you for yesterday, I would love to take you on an adventure. The marine animal rescue in Laguna is releasing some sea lions back into the pacific today. They said we can tour the facility and tag along on the release. If you are interested meet me outside in five minutes.
How could she possibly resist an offer like that?
Josh couldn’t believe it. He was excited about seeing Rain again. He found her interesting and funny. She was a good sport who was up for just about anything. She didn’t want diamonds and furs, she wanted to save the animals who provided the furs and to protest the diamond mines!
Romance: Match Romance - A Billionaire Romance (Alpha Male Romance Series) (The Matchmaker Book 1) Page 1
