Love Games. A Holiday Heartbeats Story.: Holiday Heartbeats, #2

By Atina Atwood

Dante is a born player. This time, he's playing for keeps.

Dante Cole is a player. Women know what they're getting into before the first kiss, and as his business grows, they can expect to sign an NDA before the dessert menu lands on the table. As committed as he is to work and family, there's no room in his heart for a serious one-on-one relationship. He's afraid to look for anything more.

Marisol Aguilar only needs to work for the loathsome Dante Cole for a few weeks while her mom recuperates from a freak accident that nearly destroyed their family's livelihood. Despite her mother's inexplicable fondness for the man, Mari refuses to think highly of him. She's heard the stories. But chance encounters reveal different sides of Dante that contradict her expectations of him.

When Fate throws them together on Valentine's Day, will Mari fall victim to the player's game? Or will she be the one making the rules?

Light, sweet, and a fun read, Love Games is the second short story in the Holiday Heartbeats series by Atina Atwood.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Quilted Hearts Press
• Release date: Feb 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781949452013

Atina Atwood

Mom, wife, business owner, a classically trained vocalist, occasional university instructor and incurable book-addict, Atina can’t resist sticking her fingers in as many pots as she can reach. Passionate about love, learning, and fair chances, after earning her Ph.D. in less than 3 years, she began reading and writing Romance (the best recovery method ever). A relative newbie in America’s Finest City, Atina loves highlighting aspects of San Diego in her books. Faith, hope, and love guide her days, fueling her addiction to HEA’s. She’s happy and content with her husband and darling toddler and is totally open to having a loving house pet in the future.

Book preview

Love Games

A Holiday Heartbeats Story (Book 2)

Atina Atwood

Copyright

This is a work of fiction . Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

No portion of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, or in informational storage retrieval systems, without prior permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews and other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. 

Love Games. Holiday Heartbeats Story #2

Copyright ©2019 Atina Atwood

Quilted Hearts Press

All rights reserved.

ISBN-13: 978-1-949452-01-3

www.atinaatwood.com

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Love Games

Dante is a born player. This time, he’s playing for keeps.

DANTE COLE IS A PLAYER. Women know what they’re getting into before the first date, and as his business grows, they can expect to sign an NDA before the dessert menu lands on the table. As committed as he is to work and family, there’s no room in his heart for a serious one-on-one relationship. He’s afraid to look for anything more.

Marisol Aguilar only needs to work for the loathsome Dante Cole for a quick weekend while her mom recuperates from a freak accident that nearly destroyed their family’s livelihood. Despite her mother’s inexplicable fondness for the man, Mari refuses to think highly of him. She’s heard the stories. But chance encounters reveal different sides of Dante that contradict her expectations of him.

When Fate throws them together on Valentine’s Day, will Mari fall victim to the player’s game? Or will she be the one making the rules?

This book is dedicated to everyone who’s ever been willing to take a chance.

Chapter 1

I hope you'll find this restaurant to your liking. Dante Cole smoothly pressed his hand against his date's lower back. Dressed to the nine's, at first glance, she looked flawless, but in the dim lighting of the French restaurant, her pancake makeup made him wonder what the young socialite covered up.

Oh, anything you choose is fine, Dante, she responded, batting her eyelashes in a way he assumed she believed to be demure. On the contrary, one glance made it apparent that this woman was anything but chaste. Her flashy evening gown — blood red and strapless — had a split on one side so wide; even the Grand Canyon would envy of the vast chasm it created between the rich layers of fabric. 

Just his type, or so everyone thought. Dante suppressed a shudder and cleared his throat. He only needed to focus on charming her and securing a meeting with her elusive father. That should be possible after a date or two, but something about this woman spelled trouble. There was a wildness about her that didn't quite feel right to him. To make matters worse, if his business partner Riley even caught a whiff of Dante's dubious methods for trying to win an introduction with the senior partner of the law firm they were hoping to secure, he'd never hear the end of it.

There was no immediate need for them to pursue the Lance & Langley law firm, but Dante convinced himself that if they developed a good rapport with them, Back At You would gain an even stronger foothold in that sector for their B2B business. The way Dante envisioned it, after casually dating Mr. Langley's daughter for a little while, she could put in a good word for him with her dad, and eventually they would part ways amicably. Easy-Peasy. If only Dante could ignore the gnawing feeling of disgust working its way around in the pit of his stomach. He merely maintained a reputation that had thus far served him well. Women knew what they were getting into when they hooked up with him, or so the rest of the world was led to believe. He gave everyone what they expected.

Dante hated to admit it, but he made a terrible mistake underestimating the tenacity of ambitious socialites. As the success of his business grew exponentially, his prominence in the tech industry exploded. The surprisingly quick success of the company in today's rapid-paced market garnered international attention, and with its solid business model and easily replicable platform, Dante and his best friend and partner Riley Blakely had comfortably nestled themselves into a niche market on an international scale in under three years.

Riley was the more reserved, behind-the-scenes half of the partnership, and there had never been any doubt Dante would be the face of the company. Tall, undeniably handsome, charismatic, and a shrewd negotiator, he slid into the role with ease. Dante quickly earned a reputation for his smooth, nearly flawless approach and affable demeanor. While Riley had never been a fan of crowds and rubbing elbows, Dante eagerly accepted invitations from clients because he genuinely loved getting to know people. When he noticed a direct correlation between his popularity in social circles and the bottom line of their startup, it became a no-brainer he would continue to be the most public face of the company.

But why did he start to feel more and more ashamed of himself? These days, he was a shadow of who he once was, spending more time on his warped superficial social image and less time on the things that really mattered to him.

Earth to Dante... His date — was her name Holly or Heather? — tried to get his attention as his thoughts drifted off. She cupped her chin in her hand, fluttering her eyelashes while leaning over the table in such a way Dante silently prayed she wouldn't have a wardrobe malfunction.

"Sorry, Sweetness. Why don't we start with the Escargots a la Bourguignonne Provençal and the Tartare de Filet de Boeuf? If you don't mind the intensity of anchovies, I can happily recommend the Pissaladieres." Inexplicably, mischievous pleasure surged through Dante when he noticed the woman suppress a scowl followed by a delicate shudder. A millisecond later, her perfect mask settled perfectly back in place.

Whatever you want, hon, She purred.

He flashed his winning smile, the one that could garner forgiveness for any and all