A Date for the Regatta (The Dating Series Book 9)

by L. P. Dover

  Praise for A Date for the Fair

  Praise for A Date with a Foodie

  I’ve been left hungry, wanting for more. Deliciously romantic, and although it is short it will satisfy your appetite for romance.

  —Yoneidis Martín Martínez

  Ok as a foodie I loved this book!!!! A quick read as always and fun.

  —Jennifer

  This romance is one tasty morsel that will have you savoring every turn of the page.

  —One More Chapter

  One way to my heart is food...and this book delivers just that.

  —Christina Wilson

  Praise for The Dating Series

  McLaughlin and Dover give sex appeal a heart.

  —Isha Coleman

  In less than 100 pages, theses 2 authors have made me laugh, blush and fall in love with their characters.

  —Yoneidis Martín Martínez

  I loved it, I couldn't stop laughing and smiling!

  —Dana for Bloggin’ With M. Brennan

  The Dating Series has been, by far, my favorite reads of the year. I’ve devoured them all and can’t wait until the next one comes out.

  —Crystal

  Praise for Society X

  There are no words to describe how much I LOVED DARK ROOM. My two favorite authors come together to write an EPIC SEXY story! Parker is off the charts SEXY!! I couldn't get enough of him!

  —Amy, Goodreads

  Two of the most amazing authors come together to write this hot and steamy story.

  —Tamara, Goodreads

  Let loose your inhibitions, because being in the Dark Room will have you googling to see if one is near you.

  —Lexy at All Is Read

  After Dark Room, book one in this series, I was expecting BIG things from this book. Dark Room was a top read from me. I am a huge L.P. Dover fan and an even bigger fan of Heidi McLaughlin... but man these two ladies together are dynamic.

  —Brianna at Renee Entress’s Blog

  You know this book is going to be hot when they give you a warning before you start the reading the book! What I love about this book is it's ability to surprise me. I should know by now to never underestimate Heidi & LP when reading their books.

  —Annie, Goodreads

  What a steamy and hot read!! It started out steamy and sweet and ended with suspense and excitement!! Loved it!!

  —Kim, Goodreads

  Out of all the Society X novels, Play Room is hands down my favorite. I loved Alexandria and Kai together. They were sweet almost from the moment they met. This series was addictive from the start, and although it's over I look forward to what these two authors come up with next.

  —Rebecca, Goodreads

  Heidi McLaughlin & L.P. Dover deliver once again!! Loved the latest in the Society X series! Okay let's break this down shall we?!

  —Amber, Goodreads

  The Dating Series

  A Date for Midnight

  A Date with an Admirer

  A Date for Good Luck

  A Date for the Hunt

  A Date for the Derby

  A Date to Play Fore

  A Date with a Foodie

  A Date for the Fair

  A Date for the Regatta

  A Date for the Masquerade

  A Date with a Turkey

  A Date with an Elf

  Contents

  1. London

  2. Max

  3. London

  4. Max

  5. London

  6. Max

  7. London

  8. Max

  9. London

  More Books from Heidi & L.P.

  Also by Heidi McLaughlin

  Also by L.P. Dover

  About Heidi McLaughlin

  About L.P. Dover

  1

  London

  “Do you have any idea how much I want you?”

  The sound of his voice lingers in my mind. I can still feel the way he touched me and the way he kissed me. When I close my eyes, the vivid memories of our night together flash through my mind. I’ve never had a one night stand before, and I should’ve known better than to give in to him. Max Richmond. I don’t know how or why he noticed me, but he did. Someone like Max is only after one thing, but he sure does have a way with words…and he knows how to treat a woman in bed. He has a way of making you feel like you’re the only thing he could ever want. Never have I ever been with a man who thought about my needs. Not even my ex-husband knew how to make love right. It was usually a wham bam, thank you ma’am kind of deal. If I happened to get an orgasm, then great, but if not, it wasn’t his problem. That might be why our marriage lasted only two years. We dated in high school and got married right after. The biggest mistake of my life. The asshole took all my savings and there was nothing I could do about it. Hence, why I’m now living with two women and have been working as a waitress at the Wesleyan Yacht Club for the past three years. My goal is to become manager one day, but I have to work up the ranks for that.

  Dressed in only my bra and underwear, I open my closet door and pull out the crisp, white button-down shirt with the Wesleyan Yacht Club logo printed on the front pocket. I’m supposed to wear it to work along with a pair of black pants or a black skirt. Most of the young women I work with wear the skirts and flaunt themselves around the elite men who waltz into the club. I could care less about impressing anyone. That’s why it was a shock when Max started flirting with me, and even more of a shock when he was waiting out in the parking lot for me after my shift, asking if he could take me out, which ended up being a night sail on his boat, followed by hours of pure bliss. It felt amazing, but then morning came, and I made sure to leave before he woke up. He probably doesn’t even remember my name. What really makes me nervous is being at the club. With the regatta coming up, I know he’ll be around with his yuppie friends. I hate this time of the year. I’m constantly reminded how I’m beneath people like him.

  My bedroom door flies open and Kim saunters in. Her light brown hair is sleek and pulled back in a low ponytail and she has on the same clothes I’m about to put on. We work together at the yacht club and it’s how we met. I was in a hard place financially, so she took me in as one of her roommates. I live with her and her sister, Holly, who is currently in school to be a dental assistant. Splitting the rent three ways makes it affordable, and it’s helping me to save more money so I can buy my own place one day.

  Kim walks over to my dresser and picks up a pair of my silver earrings. “Do you mind if I borrow these tonight?” She holds them up and stares at me through the reflection in my dresser mirror.

  Closing my closet door, I turn to her, grinning slyly. “Only if I can borrow your black sandals tonight.”

  She nods once. “Deal.” Her mouth gapes and she jerks around, her eyes trained on my chest. “What is that?” She points at the spot on my breast.

  I look down and sigh. There’s a giant hickey on my skin. Great, just what I need. “It’s nothing,” I say, sliding my arms into the sleeves of my shirt. I button it up quick.

  “That is not nothing,” Kim teases. “Who were you with last night? I heard you come in early this morning.”

  She knows who Max Richmond is. Everyone at the yacht club does. I know what she’ll say if I tell her it was him I was with. The words crazy and careless come to mind. “It was nobody,” I try to tell her.

  She bursts out laughing. “Well, nobody left a huge ass hickey on your boob. You must’ve had a good night.”

  More visions play through my mind. Max and I in the cabin of his boat, him taking my clothes off, and laying me gently on his
bed. It was seriously something you’d read about in a romance novel; it was that perfect.

  Once I have my pants on, I hurry out of my room and head straight to Kim’s to grab her black sandals. She follows close on my heels. “Why are you making this difficult? I want to know what guy put that glow on your face.”

  Rolling my eyes, I find her sandals in her closet and slip them on. “I can’t tell you. You’ll think I’m insane.” We’re running out of time and I want to get to the club early. To be a manager, I have to be on my game with no penalties. I definitely don’t want my boss knowing I slept with one of the members. Kim follows me into the hall and starts naming off men she knows. When she calls out Max’s name, I freeze. She grabs my arm and jerks me around, her eyes wide with mischief. “Seriously? Max Richmond? How the hell did that happen?”

  I never thought she’d name him. Now that she has, I can’t hide it. “I’ll tell you on the way to work. We have to go.”

  She bolts past me to the kitchen to grab her purse and keys. “Let’s go. I want to hear all the juicy details.” Once I have my purse and the house is locked up, we get in her little Toyota Camry and head toward the club which is only ten minutes away. “Spill,” she commands.

  Groaning, I look out the window. “Okay, fine. Max came into the club last night. I was busy working my own tables, but there were a few moments where we made eye contact. That went on the entire night. Then, after my shift, I walked out to the parking lot and he was waiting on me.”

  Kim squeals. “And? What happened?”

  I slap a hand to my forehead. “You’re killing me. It was a one-time deal. I’m sure he’ll be busy with some other girl tonight.”

  She smacks my arm. “Don’t say that. Max has always been super nice and a huge tipper. Maybe a little arrogant at times, but he’s never come onto me. I’ve wanted him too though.”

  Secretly, so have I. It’s hard not to when you have someone like Max stroll into the club. He’s twenty-eight years old, just three years older than me, with dark, dirty blond hair, green eyes, and a clean-shaven face. A playboy is what he is. He’s been a member of the yacht club for as long as I’ve worked there. Never once has he spoken to me in those three years until last night. I don’t know what changed in him. Maybe it was a bet amongst his friends. If so, that’ll piss me off. It’s best I don’t think about it. I may not be worth millions like him, but I’m a human being.

  “Tell me, London. I have to know what it was like.” I peer over at her and she waggles her brows. “Was he good in bed? Romantic? Does he have a small dick?”

  Of course she had to ask that. “Yes. Yes. And no,” I answer.

  She fans herself. “Wow. So I guess you had a good time then.”

  “It was amazing,” I breathe. “I walked out of the club and there he was. He asked if I’d like to go for a night sail with him, and for some reason, I couldn’t tell him no.”

  Kim giggles. “I can see why. He’s hot and one of the richest members of the club.”

  “That doesn’t matter to me,” I say. “I don’t care how much money a man has. As long as he’s a decent human being, that’s good enough for me.”

  We pull into the parking lot and she turns off the car. “Tell me the rest. How did you two end up sleeping together?”

  I think back to last night and smile. “After he took me out on the water, we docked and sat up on deck for a while and talked about random things, nothing important. Then, he kissed me and things just…happened. I’ve never had a one-night stand before. In a way, I feel kind of dirty.”

  Kim shakes her head. “Don’t. I’ve had plenty of them. They’re fun and you don’t have to worry about attachments.”

  “That’s not me, Kim. I’m the responsible one in the house, besides your sister.”

  She laughs. “Yeah, Holly’s the straight edge one in my family.”

  And she is. She’s also a clean freak just like me. We’ve been trying to train Kim on the art of cleaning up after herself, but nothing works. After awhile, we just gave up.

  It’s almost time for us to clock in so we get out of the car and head toward the back door of the club that leads into the kitchen. “So tell me what happened after your night of raw primal sex with Poseidon?”

  “Poseidon? Really?”

  Kim snickers. “It fits. He’s a god out there on the water.”

  “Well, after we rocked the boat and he fell asleep, I snuck out. I doubt he even remembers my name.”

  We stop at the door and she drapes her arm over my shoulders. “No one can forget you, babe.” Guess we’ll see when Max decides to grace us with his presence again.

  She opens the door and we hurry to the time clock and punch in. “Doesn’t matter anyway. When he comes in, I’m going to go about my business as if nothing happened. He’s not the only one who can use people to get what he wants.”

  “And did you get what you want?” Kim asks curiously.

  Did I? I guess for a moment I wanted to be someone different than I am, to see how it feels to live like the people I serve. One day, I won’t be just a waitress. Most of the yuppies who come into the club don’t know what it’s like to work hard for a living or to have their money stolen, forcing them to struggle.

  “Yes and no,” I answer her. I can’t help but sense that things are about to change. “Even though I had fun, I think it was a mistake to get involved with him.”

  Kim shrugs. “As long as no one finds out you’ll be fine. I don’t want you to lose your job.” Neither do I. It’s the only thing I have in my life right now. Kim pats my shoulder and starts for the door that leads out to the restaurant. “See ya out there.”

  Taking a deep breath, I hurry to the bathroom and make sure my clothes are wrinkle free and crisp, and that there isn’t a hair out of place on my head. I really want to be manager one day. To do that, I have to be perfect. When I walk out, Kim rushes up and pushes me back in.

  “What?”

  She grabs her chest. “Put your game face on, babe. Poseidon just showed up with his friends. And let me tell you, he’s looking pretty sexy. Remember, you used him just like he used you.”

  She’s right. I hold my head up high and smile. “Exactly. I can do this.” Guess we’ll see what happens.

  2

  Max

  The morning dew makes the deck of my sailboat a bit slippery. I tilt my head back and let the late summer sun bask over me. There’s a small breeze coming off the harbor, making the air smell like rotten fish. It’s disgusting, but I’ll never tire of it. There’s a loud rumble, almost like thunder coming toward me. I turn and find someone pushing a massive cart down the ramp of the dock. They’re likely going to the giant yacht moored at the end of the walkway. Whoever is on that ship is likely here for the Kingston Regatta sponsored by Wesleyan Yacht Club happening soon. It’s why I’m here. I’ve won the last three years and wasn’t going to let some stuffy job in New York City keep me from retaining my title.

  The sound of horns blaring grabs my attention. Coming into the marina are my two best friends, Vance and Yates, each in their own boats. It’s a good thing there is a speed limit right now because those two would race each other to pull into the slip first if given the chance. Vance beats Yates to the open slip on my right. He pulls in and I jump down to help him tie off before jogging over to Yates. Once their boats are secured and everything is shut off, my friends meet me on the dock with high-fives and bro hugs. It’s odd because we saw each other a few days ago, but they make it like this is some big reunion. Come Saturday, they’ll be with me as I race to the finish line.

  “How was Alyssa’s party?” Yates asks. Alyssa Worthington, Rhode Island elite. Well, actually she’s Newport Elite and lives in one of the mansions facing the ocean. She’s also my ex, who doesn’t understand we’re broken up and not getting back together. We started dating in college and have known each other for as long as I can remember. Things were really good with us, until our senior year when she gave me a detailed l
ist of how our relationship needed to progress. In a nutshell, she had our engagement party, wedding date and honeymoon picked out. Not to mention, the venues booked. The list included her ring, where I needed to buy it and when I should propose. If that doesn’t scare a guy, I don’t know what does. But it was enough to make me bail. We broke up, got back together, and broke up again for the final time a little over eight months ago. Since then, I’ve been playing the field, having one-night stands, and just acting like the guy I could’ve been in college if I hadn’t tied myself down with a steady girlfriend. Thing is, Alyssa still thinks we’re going to get back together despite my many assurances it’ll never happen.

  “Don’t know, never went,” I tell them with a shrug. Both their mouths drop open. Not sure if it’s because I dared to defy Alyssa and the Worthington’s—who just happen to be one of the biggest sponsors of the regatta—or because they think I’m an idiot when it comes to my ex.