The Academic Bride: Billionaire Marriage Brokers Book One

by McConnell, Lucy

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  Chapter 1

  MaKayla fell into a chair at the bar, slid her high heels off her aching feet, and propped her legs onto the chair next to her. After a long day of making sure the decorations were up, the awards were in the right order, and the servers got the special dietary meals to the right tables, her toes needed a break. Technically, she was still on the job and needed to make sure the conference room was cleared out before she could go home and slip between her sheets. “What a weekend,” she moaned as she rested her chin on her hand.

  “Are you Ms. Marzet?” asked a pretty blonde in an expensive suit. MaKayla had seen her throughout the night talking to different people. As the event coordinator for the hotel, MaKayla didn’t mingle with the guests. She was expected to stay behind the scenes, and she was good at it.

  Painting on her occupational smile, she replied, “MaKayla, please.” Swinging her legs off the barstool, MaKayla winced at the pins and needles in her feet. She might need an ice bath for her piggies before bed.

  “Oh, don’t get up on my account. In fact, I think I’ll join you.” The woman slipped off her shoes, set them next to MaKayla’s, and rested her elbow on the bar.

  “Can I get you something?” MaKayla asked.

  “A water would be great.”

  The bartender overheard their conversation and winked at MaKayla. He offered two bottled waters and a dimpled smile. MaKayla said thank you without making eye contact. The guy was cute, dark skin and broad shoulders and all, but MaKayla wasn’t looking for anything right now; she needed to remain distraction-free. Once she had her own company, she could afford a few distractions. Focusing on the woman next to her, MaKayla handed her the drink.

  “I’m Pamela Jones.”

  “Nice to meet you.” They shook hands. Pamela had a firm grip that caught MaKayla by surprise. Limp meant wimp, and too many women out there just didn’t get it. MaKayla suspected Pamela got it and a whole lot more.

  “You’re quite the party planner.”

  MaKayla winced. “Party planning is cake compared to what I do here.”

  Pamela tilted her head to the side. “How so?”

  MaKayla swiveled in her chair so she faced the ballroom. Pamela did the same, and MaKayla felt that little thrill her work gave her. “It’s all in the details.” Her hands came up and she used them to accentuate her words. “Most people take for granted that the cloth napkins coordinate with the table cloths—that’s party planning. But what they don’t register, at least on a conscious level—because I fully believe it does click on a subconscious level—is that this particular shade of blue in the company’s logo was used on the invitation, the welcome banner in the hall, and the goodie bags they took home.”

  Pamela’s face lit up. “I see. It’s tastefully done, but you’ve managed to associate this color with Bellview Inc.”

  “Exactly. Now, by providing the attendees with a pleasant experience—good food, a few laughs, and a gift—they will also associate good feelings with the Bellview.”

  “And therefore chose to do business with them in the future,” added Pamela.

  MaKayla grinned. “Now you’re getting it.”

  Pamela took a moment to scan the room, and MaKayla turned back to the bar to take a sip of water. Pamela slid her knees around to join her. “Do you apply the same principles to smaller gatherings?”

  “I’d love to do an intimate dinner, but haven’t had the chance.”

  “Why not?”

  “People don’t book hotels for small gatherings. I have a degree in public relations, but event planning is my passion. There’s such a rush having it all come together, and even when it doesn’t, there’s a challenge to be met.” MaKayla used her thumbnail to separate the wrapper from the plastic bottle as she talked.

  “Why don’t you open a business? Surely you know enough people from working here that you could strike out on your own.”

  MaKayla sat up straight. If Pamela had identified her exact ring size MaKayla couldn’t have been any more surprised. Ever since she was a junior in high school she dreamed of owner her own events company. One day … If she played her cards right, saved enough money, and made the right sort of contacts, she’d be able to give it a go. Pamela was exactly the type of contact MaKayla needed. If Pamela’s suit was any indication, she was successful at what she did and MaKayla would love to add her name to her future clients’ list. Unfortunately, that list wasn’t nearly as long as she’d like.

  She shook her head as she replied, “I signed a contract when I started. I can’t solicit the hotel’s customers for at least a year after I quit.” She peeled the label all the way off and rolled it into a tight ball. With her parents in a vacation home in Mexico for who knows how long, her sister wrapped up in finishing her law degree, and her friends giving up on her because she was always working, MaKayla found herself willing to talk to this dynamic, yet motherly woman about her career plans. “I’d love to be out on my own; I just can’t afford to go without a paycheck for a year.”

  “Hmm.” Pamela tapped her manicured finger against her lips. “Working weekend nights must make it hard to see your boyfriend.”

  MaKayla looked up, startled at the question. “You’re right; that’s why I don’t have one.” That and a couple other reasons.

  “What about marriage?”

  “I’d love to be married one day, but it’s not in my foreseeable future.”

  “Oh, you’d be surprised.”

  MaKayla scoffed. “Yeah, like building a business and getting married simultaneously is feasible.”

  Pamela laughed. “Darling, you have no idea.”

  MaKayla gave her a disbelieving look, but she wasn’t about to press the point with this obviously well-off woman who could become a steady client. Maybe not for the hotel, but for her future. In fact, she had come asking for her by name ... “I’m sorry to go on about myself. Did you need something?”

  Pamela caught MaKayla’s eye and held it, searching into the corners of MaKayla’s soul. MaKayla had the feeling that Pamela was looking for something specific, like a missing puzzle piece. She didn’t look away.

  After a moment, Pamela broke into a huge smile. “I’ve got a good feeling about you. If you want to quit this job and come work for me for a year, I’d be happy to help you get your business started.” Pamela reached into her clutch and pulled out a card.

  MaKayla about fell off her chair. Apparently, whatever Pamela was looking for, she’d found it. “Are you serious?”

  “Darling, I’m always serious. Now, call that number on Monday and set up an appointment for Tuesday morning sometime.”

  MaKayla tapped the card on the bar as she watched the bussers pull the tablecloths off and stuff them in linen bags to take down to the laundry. She thought of all the events she’d pulled together in this room and the little thanks she got from it. Richard, her boss, didn’t appreciate the efforts MaKayla went to in order to please her clients—sometimes on ridiculously small budgets! Just that morning, he’d made a comment about MaKayla being replaceable by any fresh college graduate. If she stayed with the hotel, she’d be doing the same job in five years that she did today, no closer to owning her own business. The life she could live stretched before her like a long, predictable, boring hotel hallway.

  All of a sudden, she was tired of spending every waking moment surrounded by tacky wallpaper and busy carpet. She should take a card from her parents’ deck and throw out the expected. Embark on a new adventure. After all, if they could do a one-eighty in their late fifties, why couldn’t she do one in her late twenties?

  “You know what? I think I will.”

  “Perfect! I’ll see you Tuesday.” Pamela smiled as she slipped back into her shoes.

  MaKayla watched her leave and felt a thrill go up her spine. She read the card.

  BMB

  Pamela Jones
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br />   There was only a phone number, no address. She wondered what kind of job only lasted a year. Perhaps it was a special project of some kind. If Pamela would help her start her business, then she’d be happy to help out in any way she could as long as it paid the bills. This was an important step in the right direction. To get this year away from the hotel was an unexpected blessing.

  She flipped over one of the napkins on the bar and sketched her logo, the one she’d designed in a business class in college. Back then, the assignment was more than just a grade; it was an expression of her secret dream.

  If someone would have told her the Bellview event would have been a turning point in her life, MaKayla would have laughed out loud. Sure, everything went off without a hitch and the client was pleased, but for MaKayla personally, the night couldn’t have gone better.

  About the Author

  Lucy McConnell has always been a reader and a writer. Once caught up in a story, she disappears into a cave until the first draft is done. She writes fantasy, clean romance, Christian romance, historical fiction, and cookbooks (under the name Christina Dymock.) Her Christmas romance, Blue Christmas was a top seller in seven Amazon categories on its own and thirteen as part of the Christmas in Snow Valley Anthology.

  When she’s not writing, you can find her volunteering at the elementary school or church, shuttling kids to baseball, soccer, basketball, or football, depending on the time of year; skiing with her family; wake boarding; cycling; baking; cooking; or curled up with a good book.

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  Or, you can visit her website at:

  http://lucymcconnell.wordpress.com/