Beef Cake: Beef Cake, #1

By Kris Eton

If you bake it, he will come.

Naomi Keller has been unlucky in love and is approaching her thirtieth birthday. Then one day, she receives a mysterious cookbook on her doorstep. It promises if she bakes a cake using one of the recipes, a hot, sexy man will arrive at her door, ready for action.

But there's a catch, not every recipe is a winner and she has to act fast before the right man slips through her fingers.

Can Naomi find true love in a cookbook? She'll have to find out, one recipe at a time.

Beef Cake is a quirky romance with explicit love scenes, delicious cakes, and naughty language in and out of the bedroom for mature readers only.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kris Eton
• Release date: Mar 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215894521

Kris Eton

Kris is a forty-something mom with 2 kids who lives far, far away from civilization, which means she has plenty of quiet nights (and days) to write. She is a movie addict, can bake a mean muffin, and loves reading historical romance - though she’d never try to write one. For four years, she worked hard to become published. GOING DOWN was her first real, live book. She’s currently busy writing a few others. Kris likes writing contemporary, sexy stories, but she does have a few ideas for some paranormal books.

Book preview

Chapter One

Naomi Keller, coffee in hand, opened her front door to pick up the Saturday paper. A small package sat on the step in front of her apartment. It was too early for the mail delivery, and she hadn’t seen the package last night when she came home from her job at the florist.

Curious, she picked up the package and set the paper on top.

Maybe it had been delivered to a neighbor by mistake. It was known to happen from time to time in this confusing jungle of apartment buildings.

Before she even set the package down, she recognized the handwriting on the label. Her grandmother’s.

But Gram died weeks ago. The funeral was long since over with, her assets distributed.

She turned the package over in her hands. The two of them had been very close. Gram had been so good at doling out useful advice. She’d never been wrong about anything Naomi came to her with. Trouble at work? She’d have a solution. Trouble with a man? She always knew how to best handle it.

Since Gram had been happily married to Naomi’s grandfather for over fifty years, she trusted her judgment on matters of the heart.

What could this package possibly be? Something forgotten her uncle had found while cleaning out her grandmother’s house, perhaps.

Naomi set the package on the small cafe table in her kitchen, took a sip of coffee, and tore at the brown paper.

It was a small cookbook, about the size of a paperback with the picture of a pretty, decorated cake and a smiling couple standing behind it.

101 Cakes

That was it.

A cookbook about cakes?

When Naomi flipped the book over, a note card slipped out and fell to the floor.

It was in her grandmother’s handwriting:

Dear Naomi, they always say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Hope this book brings you as much luck as it did me. Happy Birthday.

Love, Gram.

Tears came to her eyes. Her birthday was only a month away. The big 3-0. She’d always thought by now she’d have found the man of her dreams, just like Gram had.

She flipped to the table of contents. Gram always had made the best cakes. A few were crossed out with faint pencil. There was a star by Pound Cake.

Hmm, she’d always found pound cake to be too rich. She didn’t ever remember her grandmother making pound cake. How odd it would have a star by it.

Hey, babe, how’s it going? Sonya, her roommate and old college friend, came through the front door.

Naomi left the book on the table and went to pour Sonya a cup of coffee. So, out all night again with Russ?

Russ is a jerk. She plopped onto a chair. What’s this? She pulled the cookbook toward her.

You and Russ broke up?

Yep. Sonya flipped through the small book. Cakes. Are you going to make us a cake? Oh, can I pick one? Please?

Sonya’s sweet tooth was legendary.

Naomi shrugged. Why not? She liked to bake. Muffins were her favorite thing, but cake was fine. Sure. You pick one out, I’ll make it.

Sonya smiled and looked through the table of contents. Ooh, Devil’s Food. This one!

I should’ve guessed it’d be chocolate. Naomi snatched the book out of her friend’s hands and turned to the recipe. So, if you and Russ broke it off, who’s going to be your date for Tracy’s wedding next weekend?

Shit. Sonya dragged the other chair next to her and set her feet on it. You’ll have to find me a date, I guess.

Me? Naomi collected the ingredients she needed and pulled out a mixing bowl. I don’t even have my own date. What makes you think I can find one for you?

That guy at your work. Slovenly.

Slattery. Dale Slattery, the delivery guy? Naomi beat the eggs and added the oil as instructed.

Yeah, that’s the one. He’s got a nice butt.

And a nice wife. She set the bowl down. Crap, I have to preheat the oven.

What? When did he get married?

She scooped flour into a measuring cup. Three years ago.

Shit. Sonya added another spoonful of sugar to her coffee. Well, then, I’ll have to take your brother.

Naomi choked. What? You hate my brother. The last time the two of them were in the same room, there was a five-minute-long verbal sparring session between Sonya and her brother with more swear words than she cared to remember. She whipped the batter to a smooth consistency.

Hate is a very strong word.

That was the exact word you used at the time. Hate.

Well, that was in a moment of anger.

You always are in a moment of anger when Seth’s around. Reading her recipe again, Naomi noted she could make one large cake or a double-layer cake. She chose the large cake. It would be easier to finish.

Okay, so maybe I don’t want to go with Seth.

Naomi poured the batter into the pan and then looked up at Sonya. No, you don’t.

Hey, don’t I get to lick the spoon? Ever eager for a bit of sweetness, Sonya hopped