Short Order
Daddy, Surprise Billionaire
by Tabitha
Foster
Contemporary Multicultural
Romance
Published by Chances Press, LLC
Released on September 19, 2011
Heat Level: Steamy
Length:
162
pages
Available
at:
B&N - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/short-order-daddy-surprise-billionaire-tabitha-foster/1105817650
All Romance eBook - https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-shortorderdaddysurprisebillionairearomance-601922-149.html
Smashwords - http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/90347
Blurb:
Stranded on a sweltering Arizona roadside,
billionaire CEO, Max Van Buren, is rescued by the gorgeous, independent, and
sometime tow-truck driver, Allie. For several years her life has been devoted
to raising her young son and running a very successful restaurant. When she
offers the seemingly down-on-his-luck traveler a temporary job, she may not
want to resist opening her heart for much longer.
Maxwell
Van Buren had never been this hot in his entire life. Sweat poured from his
body and highlighted his defined biceps and pecs while also soaking his old
Guns N’ Roses t-shirt. His muscles tensed. It felt like he was on fire. In some
scenes, his appearance might even be sexy at that moment. Wet. Hot. Breathing
heavy. Unfortunately, there wasn't a damn thing erotic about his current
situation.
“Piece
of junk!” he exclaimed kicking the tire of his steaming rental car in
frustration. This is what he got for renting a car from some place called
Rent-A-Deal. The luxury convertible he had ordered for this trip had been
mistakenly given to another customer, and all rental car places in Phoenix were
booked due to ten simultaneous conventions except for...you guessed
it...Rent-A-Deal which specialized in rental cars that had passed their prime
many years earlier at other companies. If Max was going to continue with his
trip, he had to have a car...any car. So, the 2001 Corolla seemed reliable
enough at the time.
Now,
he stood along a deserted highway in northern Arizona right smack in the height
of summer. Max couldn't even begin to guess the temperature out here. He took
off his sweaty t-shirt, wiped his brow with it, and tied it around his waist.
He looked at his watch. When he called them, his auto club had said a tow truck
should have been there ten minutes ago.
“Stupid
idiot,” Max muttered under his breath. This whole plan had been his own
cockamamie idea to get back in touch with “the people,” to find out where his
company went wrong, and to see where they could inject new energy into their
restaurants. But it looked as if things would be a bust from the word “go.”
His
family, the Van Burens, owned a chain of Mexican restaurants called Tio Jose's,
or TJ's for short. The initial business had been started by his Mexican
great-grandfather, Jose Hernandez Gonzalez, who sold fresh tacos from a cart in
Los Angeles before upgrading to a small stand. His daughter was Max's grandmother,
Carmen Santana, a woman said to be so beautiful and voluptuous men would skip a
breath at the sight of her. She married Carlson Van Buren, much to the moneyed
Van Buren family's shock and dismay. When great-grandfather Jose died, Carl Van
Buren suddenly noticed how successful the little taco stand had become and
additional dollar signs flashed before his eyes. Carl, with Carmen's blessing,
took the initial restaurant idea and turned it into what would become a 200
location national restaurant chain specializing in mid-priced Mexican food,
using Jose's old recipes of course.
Years
later, Max had inherited the CEO position, but under his watch and with the
downsizing economy, TJ's had begun to lose ground and fast. At the last board
meeting, Max had been told to turn things around quickly or expect to be
replaced.
Maxwell
Van Buren, thirty-two years old, six foot two, dazzling smile, well-defined
body and charm that could talk a Catholic nun into giving up her habit had
never grown accustomed to failures of any kind. Failure had simply not been a
word in his vocabulary. He sure as hell would not start now. After studying
piles of customer survey data with his younger brother, Stuart, Max noticed a
trend. Customers felt that TJ's offered nothing special that could not be found
anywhere else and for a cheaper price. The customer service rating also left a
lot to be desired.
That's
when Max had what he hoped would be the saving idea to turn things around. He
gathered a team of assistants to research small-town Mexican restaurants that
were thriving, even in this economy. He wanted to see firsthand what these
establishments were doing that his big chain company didn't do. No contracted
out research company for him. Max wanted to get into the nitty-gritty himself.
A
one-week trip with ten stops through Arizona, Nevada, and California was
planned. Max instructed his staff to only contact him in an emergency and left
everything else in Stuart's hands. He wanted to have a clear head during his
expedition. He wanted to see what was needed to bring the heart back to TJ's
and its customers back to the dining room.
“So
much for careful planning. And I wanted to get into the nitty-gritty…,” Max
said to himself, glancing down at his watch, feeling hot and tired.
He
hadn't even made it to his first stop in Primrose, Arizona.
Finally,
in the distance, he saw a tow truck approaching.
“About
damn time,” he growled, his mouth feeling as dry and rough as the surrounding
landscape.
The
tow truck skidded to a stop behind his Corolla and to his utter surprise, a
tall, alluring Latina, with long curly dark hair hopped down from the bed of
the truck. She wore a green t-shirt which read “Find THE Flan at Tia Maria's”
and a pair of worn jeans. She sauntered up towards him and called out, “Having
some problems?”
About the Author:
Tabitha Foster
grew up in the Santa Barbara wine country and not far from the beautiful
Pacific Ocean coastline. She
currently lives in the Los Angeles area and is hard at work on the next
installment in the Van Buren Brothers series.
Connect with
Tabatha Foster:
http://www.chancespress.com/tabithafoster.html
Giveaway Info:
Prize is 10
eBook copies of "Short Order Daddy" (1 each to 10 winners).
Contest is tour-wide, open internationally and ends Feb 1. Must be 18 years of
age or older to enter.
Mmm... some much-needed 'heat' here... in both senses. Sounds like a great read.
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