All The Passion: All The Ways Duo, #2

By Kelly Violet

No one said anything about falling in love. But when the stars align…

 

Never one to let much get her down, Starr Thomas had finally reached the end of her rope at work. Getting a new boss seemed outside the realm of possibility, so she figured a reset might do her a world of good. With one suggestion from her best friend, she decided to use her marketing expertise as a side hustle. Other options would keep her from making a rash decision and quitting the job she enjoyed. What she got instead was a temporary contract with the ultimate eye candy and her almost brother-in-law, Chef Cullen. His food made her drool. His focus made her shudder. Since a little white lie got her in this situation in the first place, did that mean payback was best served hot or cold? 

 

His love of cooking was what pushed him forward. Managing a kitchen had been his top goal for ages. And thanks to his brother, that far-fetched dream came true in the form of Obscurité. Too bad Cullen Leary's personal life suffered from too little attention. He'd learned early on that passion and drive only got someone so far in life when there were significant hurdles to overcome. His parents taught him to think of his blindness as an asset and not a hindrance, but the real world wasn't so idealistic. With the one thing he lacked constantly on his mind, was it time for him to throw caution to the wind and use his skills on a recipe for love? One answer became crystal clear the moment a brave and audacious woman entered his restaurant.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pump Up the Violet Publishing
• Release date: Mar 4, 2023
• ISBN: 9781954572089

Kelly Violet

Kelly Violet is a fan of love and writes romance in all forms. You can expect her stories to be fun and flirty, angsty and gut-wrenching, or downright dark and extremely naughty. One thing they’ll all have in common is a happy ending, however it comes. No matter the obstacles or dire circumstance. Either way, it’ll be a roller coaster ride of emotions, just the way she likes it. Music and dancing are her go-to outlets. If there’s a party and a dance floor (optional), she’s usually the first one out there. When not writing, Kelly can be found working at her day job assisting people in their search for information and concocting a plan to write more. Thank you for joining her on this journey she’s dreamed about pursuing for many years. Kelly loves to hear from readers, so be sure to drop her a line on social media or at www.kellyviolet.com.

Book preview

Blurb

No one said anything about falling in love. But when the stars align…

Never one to let much get her down, Starr Thomas had finally reached the end of her rope at work. Getting a new boss seemed outside the realm of possibility, so she figured a reset might do her a world of good. With one suggestion from her best friend, she decided to use her marketing expertise as a side hustle. Other options would keep her from making a rash decision and quitting the job she enjoyed. What she got instead was a temporary contract with the ultimate eye candy and her almost brother-in-law, Chef Cullen. His food made her drool. His focus made her shudder. Since a little white lie got her in this situation in the first place, did that mean payback was best served hot or cold? 

His love of cooking was what pushed him forward. Managing a kitchen had been his top goal for ages. And thanks to his brother, that far-fetched dream came true in the form of Obscurité. Too bad Cullen Leary’s personal life suffered from too little attention. He’d learned early on that passion and drive only got someone so far in life when there were significant hurdles to overcome. His parents taught him to think of his blindness as an asset and not a hindrance, but the real world wasn’t so idealistic. With the one thing he lacked constantly on his mind, was it time for him to throw caution to the wind and use his skills on a recipe for love? One answer became crystal clear the moment a brave and audacious woman entered his restaurant.

Copyright

All The Passion

Copyright © 2023 by Kelly Violet

All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereinafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the express written permission of the author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. All product/brand names mentioned herein are registered trademarks of their respective holders/companies.

Published by Pump Up the Violet Publishing, Los Angeles, CA.

Original Front Photo by Jennifer Enujiugha on Pexels

Cover Design by Kelly Violet

The cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.

ISBN-13: 978-1-954572-08-9

Printed in the U.S.A.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to you, dear reader.

May you find your light.

Your peace.

And your happily ever after.

Table of Contents

Blurb

Copyright

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Epilogue

Also by Kelly Violet

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About the Author

Chapter One

A LITTLE WHITE LIE never hurt anybody. At least that’s what Starr convinced herself from the jump. She was happy that everything worked out in the end. Her dear friend Cass had found herself a new beau. And her man treats her like the amazing woman she is, and I’m over-the-moon ecstatic for her.

All it took was Starr dusting off those acting skills she honed as a member of the theatre club back in high school. It helped that she’d been avoiding work for a few days with a mild cold. Some well-placed sniffling and hacking and her last-minute scheme paid off. Better than she ever expected. She finally got her friend out of the house and moved on from the rat bastard who broke her trust and her heart. And right in the nick of time too.

Cass had always considered her the adventurous one in their dynamic duo. Yet, the woman hardly gave herself the opportunity to try anything new. Not unless Starr said, ‘to hell with it’ and dragged her introverted friend along for some spontaneous fun.

It was exhilarating to do something completely out of your comfort zone every once and a while. Starr needed the occasional thrill to break up the monotony of everyday life. But she never did anything too crazy or out of the box, despite what her bestie thought.

And she knew from one phone call that Wick was the man to yank her friend back to the land of the living. Hell, Starr almost wished she hadn’t pulled the wool over Cass’ eyes and went to that event her damn self. If men like Wick Leary were still in the streets looking for a partner then she needed to hustle her behind out the door. Quick, fast, and in a hurry.

But she decided to get her life in order first. Lately, Starr felt unsettled and unfulfilled. She’d hit a major roadblock in the past few years and hadn’t figured out how to vault herself over it yet. 

So, where did that leave her?

Now that Cass scored a man dead set on pursuing her and cherishing each and every curve and crevice, that left little time for Starr to hang out with her one and only bestie and more time to consider her own dismal situation.

Something she had steadily and stubbornly ignored for far too long. One matter in particular had put a bad taste in her mouth.

Her workplace felt stifling. Or more aptly, it was her passive-aggressive supervisor. The man got off on using and abusing his leadership role. But potato-potahto. She’d had enough of dealing with the constant microaggressions and snide comments from her immature and ridiculous boss. The man was a complete and utter prick, and she hadn’t figured out what to do about the blatant mistreatment.

Her brief stint as an amateur life coach and matchmaker did wonders for Cass. It was about time to get her own life in order. Especially since it felt long overdue.

And it seemed like the tides had finally turned when Cass became the one nudging her a little. It was only a few weeks ago that her bestie mentioned a potential side project out of the blue. A road she had yet to contemplate until the other woman brought it up. Starr had given her chosen sister a thumbs up in response, ready to consider any and all impromptu offers. Hell, everybody and their mama had a side hustle nowadays. Why not her?

Those few days she faked being seriously ill not only benefited Cass’ love life, but it also gave Starr a much-needed reprieve from work. Her supervisor made his annoyance about her rare absence known with several snarky messages on the office group chat. He’d had to rely on himself for a change, and apparently it hadn’t gone over well which served the pompous bastard right.

The opportunity that Cass dangled in front of her like the tastiest carrot could lead to something promising, Starr thought. If only the restaurateur who Cass put her in contact with wasn’t elusive as hell. 

Cullen Leary was a hard man to pin down.

A little phone tag wouldn’t slow her down, though. She planned to see it through for Cass’ sake alone. Starr made up her mind that nothing would deter her from going the distance. Not even the hard-to-reach man himself.

And in the meantime, she’d muddle through another day at work before the blessed weekend arrived like a beacon of light.

Her phone chirped with an incoming notification from the office group chat.

Never fails. Starr rolled her eyes before opening the app on her phone. She took a deep breath while reading through the terse messages from her supervisor.

Ugh, the man is such an incompetent ass.

Start, can you respond to this email from the CEO, please?

Starr tried to work out the crick already developing in her neck. The man couldn’t even take an extra millisecond to check his damn message and make sure her name was spelled correctly before hitting send. She shook her head in disgust, way beyond surprised at this point. No, that sentiment passed ages ago. She was in straight pissed-off mode, and it was too damn early in the morning for his nonsense.

Even though he’d see that she read his message, Starr chose to ignore it for the time being. She wanted to maintain the last bit of sanity and motivation to keep her job.

Inhaling and exhaling, she breathed in the delicious aroma of her first cup of morning coffee. She pressed her eyelids closed and tried to let the minor stress slide off her shoulders.

Woosah, Starr. You got this girl. No weapon formed against you shall prosper. And that arrogant bastard is sure testing my patience this morning. But I will persevere. Like I always do.

After several sips, she savored the dark brew. As if it would give her the necessary strength to get through the full day of work ahead. She wished it had the power to perform actual miracles.

Ten minutes later, Starr finished the first cup of coffee, poured a second in her trusty to-go tumbler, and finally re-opened the app to deal with the ridiculous request from her boss.

Give me strength.

The task was easy enough, but it was just as easy for him to handle it himself. That’s what ticked her off the most. James was the lead on the Morrison account, yet he continued to give her the most mundane and simple tasks that were clearly his responsibility. She had her own clients and accounts to oversee which he damn well knew.

Since starting at the company a few years ago, James treated Starr like his personal assistant and not a seasoned marketing associate. And she’d had enough.

I need to get my life straight because this shit is for the birds. Tackling some new challenges would be good, she mused. Her current workplace was no longer fulfilling. Not with all the drama and microaggressions she dealt with on a regular basis. 

Starr needed a change before she ended up punching her asshole boss in his throat, figuring that wouldn’t go over well with Human Resources.

She just needed to get through one day at a time. During quiet moments at work, she’d plot ways to get some face to face time with Cullen Leary. Starr thought that would be the highlight of her day. Plotting and planning were her all-time favorite activities. Well, that’s how she mainly spent her days anyway, finding ways to market people and company brands.

Another message chimed as she headed out the front door. Again, Starr ignored it as she savored the last fifteen minutes of peace she’d have for the next eight hours or so.

Keeping her windows rolled up, she increased the volume on her radio and blasted Top 40 music on the drive to work.

And maybe she wouldn’t hyperventilate about catching every red light this morning. Just this once, she’d welcome the delay.

I NEED VEGGIES FOR the Herb-crusted Chicken Risotto. The order bellowed over the controlled chaos of the kitchen.

Yes, Chef! Cullen Leary would never get tired of hearing those two words directed at him from his sous-chef. Or any of the restaurant staff. They gave him a burst of energy each time, reigniting the passion in his core. He’d dreamed about running his own kitchen for too many years to count. Even though there had been a part of him that believed it would never happen.

The dining area of the restaurant bustled with activity and conversation, but he was perfectly content in the heat of the kitchen. His domain. It was where he belonged, thrived. His safe space. 

Although Cullen had his doubts that this would ever come to fruition, leave it to his big brother to make his dreams come true. He could always count on Wick for any and everything. The man had been his best friend and rock since they were young. Cullen assumed some of it was due to their parents’ urging. He also understood that it was just his brother’s inherent nature. Wick was a natural born leader. He took charge and made shit happen. That’s the type of guy he was. And it was one of the main reasons that made him the perfect manager and de facto bookkeeper for Obscurité.

Now that they were in cleaning mode, he let his mind wander.

Chef, a customer has requested your presence at their table. A soft voice called over the din of noise from his left. He recognized it as belonging to one of their servers.

Cullen stopped wiping to turn toward Sasha. Oh? His heart skipped a beat. He tried his best to avoid the dining area as much as possible while the restaurant was in full swing. It rankled his nerves too quickly. Cullen hated the prickly feeling he got when anxiety struck its ugly head. Is Wick available to handle whatever it is? God, he hoped so.

I’m not sure, but the person specifically requested you, Chef.

Well, damn. Seems like I won’t get out of this one tonight.

The last plates had gone out several minutes ago. There wasn’t much more for him or the kitchen staff to do besides finish cleaning and tidying up their stations. He had zero excuses.

Cullen released a put-upon sigh, wiping his palms along his chef’s coat. Seconds ticked by before he’d built up enough steam to walk out to the dining area with the server as his guide. Presumably, he could’ve gotten there himself, if only he’d had the foresight to ask where the customer was sitting.

Chef Leary is here to see you, miss.

Thank you, Sasha. Cullen dipped his head to the woman, already hearing her retreating steps. He then turned his head forward and waited.

You rock, Sasha! His ears perked up as a low but feminine voice raised the hairs on his forearms. The woman’s deeper tone raked across his skin and something inside him flared to life.

You’re a hard man to pin down, Cullen Leary.

His heart jumped in his chest at the same time that his dick twitched underneath the layers of his uniform. I’m sorry, but do we know each other? The mild accusation in that greeting rolled around in his head. There was a level of familiarity in the mystery woman’s tone. He edged closer to the table, putting a hand out to rest against the chair directly in front of him.

While his question hovered between them, he knew, without a doubt, that there was no possible way he’d met this woman before.

I would definitely remember, he assured himself.

Not in so many words, no. I’m Starr Thomas, Cass’ best friend. A short pause rested between them before she muttered under her breath, I hope her behind mentioned me or else I’m just making a fool of myself. Even though she’d lowered her voice, Cullen heard her loud and clear.

Oh, yes. Of course. The tension in his shoulders drained from his body as her words filtered through his brain. Cullen feared he’d have to deal with a customer complaint when Wick usually handled those issues. Even if they were few and far between so far. But that wasn’t what brought him out here now.

With both palms resting against the back of an empty chair, Cullen made a decision that had his heart racing for an altogether different reason.

May I join you, Starr?

Please, she murmured invitingly. He enjoyed the sound of her voice more and more as the low, sultry cadence teased his acute hearing.

The nervous energy settled after the mention of Cass. His brother’s new girlfriend was friendly and sweet. They’d become fast friends after meeting at his and Wick’s favorite cafe in town several weeks ago. She’d mentioned putting him in touch with the perfect person to assist him with his ideas. And Cullen was so wrapped up at the restaurant lately that he hadn’t spent enough time on planning the next dining-in-the-dark event. But it seemed that luck and Cass were on his side with his possible saving grace now sitting across from him.

He was reminded of the various messages they’d sent back and forth to each other for more than a couple weeks, and now she was here to see him. The thought sent a zing through his chest. He banished the unexpected feeling with his next breath, not wanting to go down that road again. It only led to disappointment.

Hell, Cullen knew nothing about the woman except that she was a marketing expert and Cass’ best friend. Yet, he recognized this inkling of a feeling. This woman had settled the mild frenzy inside him within moments. 

Please accept my apologies, Starr. Things have been busy around here.

That’s completely understandable. I thought I’d give it a shot stopping by and trying to catch you here before closing. I hope this is okay.

Yes, of course. It’s perfect actually. He inexplicably felt at ease, which wasn’t his natural state with new people. Cullen leaned back against the chair, getting comfortable.

Great. Well, I’d love to learn more about your events and how I can help. I was sorry that I couldn’t attend the last one, but it sounds like Cass had an unforgettable night. Cullen heard the smile in her voice and maybe something more. He couldn’t put his finger on it. But his gut told him that he would eventually. He didn’t have to see her facial expressions to know there was a deeper story there. 

You probably know a little about the blind date event since you initially signed up for it.

Yes, she responded after his brief pause.

He nodded. What you might not be aware of is that a portion of the revenue from the event goes to an organization close to my heart. It’s the School for the Blind.

Oh, that’s wonderful. I had no idea. That’s definitely information you should add to your marketing strategy.

My brother and Cass said the same thing. I’m not sure of the best way to go about promoting the event to reach the broader community. Plus, I’m afraid that it might come across like we’re asking for a handout or something. Cullen hated the idea of pity. And for sure didn’t want it associated with his plans for growing the restaurant.

I don’t think that’ll be the case at all. Your event aims to provide a new and interesting dating experience for local singles. And they can also feel good about some of the funds going to an amazing cause. Cullen nodded as he listened to Starr. Her words were passionately spoken, confident.

I hope you’re right, he said finally.

I know I am, Cullen. Would you trust me to work with you on this? The woman sounded determined. Like she wanted to do this as much as he needed the guidance. Cullen couldn’t put it off any longer. 

He didn’t have to think about her question too long as he already had an answer. Hell, if Cullen were honest with himself, he knew that Starr had sold him as soon as she introduced herself.

Yes, I trust you. Let’s do this.

Cullen lifted his hand, extending his arm across the tabletop, and waited a beat. As her palm slid against his to seal their new partnership with a handshake, he heard her murmur under her breath, this is exactly what I need.

A spark of excitement filled his chest.

For a reason he couldn’t quite understand, Cullen was in full agreement with Starr.

Maybe this would be the push he needed as well.

Only time will tell.

Chapter Two

STARR UNLOCKED THE DOOR to her apartment as her mind wandered. She had the conversation with Cullen Leary still on the brain.

Thoughts of him had lingered even an hour after their brief but promising chat. Instead of the marketing strategies she planned to use to promote his events, the pensive chef stayed at the forefront of her mind. The first look at the man left her momentarily speechless. He was gorgeous, and she was pissed at Cass for not warning her of that fact beforehand.

She’d watched his confident yet measured approach while walking behind the server who had been super helpful. Her gaze drank in the sight of him. The busy chef looked the part with a long-sleeved, black chef’s coat and windswept hair