Rumors Ring True: A Maxi's Place Story

By Literary Stud

Welcome to Maxi’s Place. A pleasant environment where good food satisfies the hungry patron and the stimulating jazz music infuses the soul. The employees are as diverse as the crowd, trained to provide excellent service while coping with the inevitable drama plaguing their lives. Cole Washington inherited the thriving business and she’s spent every waking moment since her aunt’s death preserving a legacy. Cole adamantly enforces a no-dating policy among the staff even though she’d break the rules if given the opportunity. Executive chef Tasha Haynes built the kitchen from the ground up, cultivating a foodie following for her delectable delights. No stranger to heartache, Tasha is surprisingly comfortable with her future, even though the past remains within her grasp.

Determined to reach her graduation date, Ava Russell resolves to focus on college and everything else, including romance, comes second. Thankfully, a new job at Maxi’s Place gives Ava a few extra dollars in her pocket and the freedom to command her destiny. The local skirt chaser and saxophonist of her family’s quintet, Bailey Thompson is riding a recent wave of success after winning a major music competition. Despite a stern warning to stay away from the new hostess, Bailey can’t pass up a possible conquest and makes a selfish decision affecting more than her libido.

Much to the consternation of the other employees, Daniel St. Clair keeps tabs on everyone from the comfort of the host stand. On any given night he enjoys doling out juicy nuggets of information for his own amusement. Lead bartender, Logan Evans serves drinks with a broad smile and a captivating flair. A certified mixologist, she would rather shake a drink than crush on a pretty young thing, disappointing most of her regulars.

The story begins after The Jazz Battle of the Bands competition changes the delicate balance of the restaurant. Thompson 5 won a close and hard-fought event and underground fans looked forward to the quintet headlining for the next year. Bailey Thompson catapults from waiting tables to signing autographs and with more freedom to indulge in her favorite hobby, she quickly scopes out her next target. However, Bailey soon realizes her polished tactics aren’t one size fits all. Good food. Good music. Great drama. Maxi’s Place.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Literary Stud
• Release date: Nov 30, 2013
• ISBN: 9781311652683

Literary Stud

A native Texan, Literary Stud discovered her passion for writing at an early age. In elementary school, she penned a serial story on leftover school paper, stored in old folders with the title written on the front. Born between the analog and digital ages, Literary Stud remembers her first typewriter and desktop computer but prefers to hand-write rough drafts in college-ruled notebooks.Reading and writing are constant companions and Literary Stud often curled with a book from her mother’s bookshelf while sitting in a tree in the front yard. However, she didn’t discover Lesbian fiction until her early twenties – right around the time she bounded out of the closet. She enjoyed the tales of sapphic entanglements but could only relate to half the content. She resolved to write the books she wanted to read. Her books feature Lesbians of Color belonging to the masculine/feminine spectrum and the issues affecting those dynamics.Literary Stud lives in Fort Worth, Texas, with her wife and extremely spoiled fur baby.

Book preview

EPISODE I: RUMORS RING TRUE

by

LITERARY STUD

MAXI’S PLACE: RUMORS RING TRUE

by Literary Stud

Copyright 2013 by Literary Stud

Smashwords Edition

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Dedication

This book is dedicated to my family for always supporting me with anything that I need them to but most of all to my mother who knew how to nurture a writer. I also dedicate this to my fiancée for putting up with my manic moments with patience and understanding.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

About the Author

Chapter 1

Summer in Dallas, Texas was not a season to be taken lightly. The heat was confusing as one moment it was dry and the next, steaming rain rolled through, ruining the hair plans of quite a few women. The heat didn’t stop weekend revelers from stepping out into the humidity for some entertainment. Clubs and restaurants rose to the challenge of cooling off a cranky hoard. Maxi’s Place, located on the outskirts of downtown, pushed frozen alcoholic drinks the moment customers began streaming in the double doors. The fruity concoctions hampered the crowd’s impatience as they waited for their little buzzers to vibrate and flash red.

Ava smiled at a foursome of merry diners as she led them through the restaurant to their designated table. After presenting them with the menu, she glanced at the stage. The jazz quintet, Thompson 5, played every weekend and was one of the reasons why Maxi’s Place was so popular. Featuring cool and Cuban jazz, they had a loyal following. Even Ava owned a couple of their underground CDs and was excited when she applied for a job at the host stand. She chanced a peek at the tall, lanky individual playing the saxophone. Her cheeks were puffed out, causing a soulful wail to filter out among the listeners. With closed eyes, Bailey Thompson let the music take control, beads of perspiration coating her