NYC Love Deal

By Madison Grace

For the first, for the second, for the third - sold!

 

An auction of a very special kind is taking place in the middle of New York City: Ten young women are auctioning off their services at the highest price to the men present, all of them the richest of the rich. It's not about disreputable offers, but about the special professional skills of the ladies.

Luica is excited. A year ago she took over a wedding planner agency, but the small business is going badly and desperately needs a cash injection. Now she has the chance to auction off her services at the Manhattan Casino Club. At first, however, no one is interested. No wonder - the rich men here don't want to know anything about marriage! But then suddenly someone makes a bid. And what a bid it is! Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars for planning a single wedding. Going once, twice, three times ... sold! Only at second glance does Luica realise who the bidder is: her childhood friend Gavin Lovhead. Once he broke her heart - and now she of all people is supposed to plan his wedding? How can he expect such a thing from her? But then she finds out who his bride-to-be is supposed to be - namely herself ...

 

Second chance romance novel with romance, tingling scenes and of course a happy ending.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookRix
• Release date: Aug 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9783755448884

Book preview

PROLOG

Gavin

I'm supposed to - what? Get married? Amused, I laugh out loud. You can't be serious now, Dad, I hope. You know me, I'll never get married!

But when I look at my father across his massive desk, his expression tells me that he is not joking at all. Which should not surprise me. My father never jokes. Humour is an absolute foreign word for Edward Lovhead, owner of one of the biggest romance publishers in America.

I'm serious, son, my old man replies as expected. "You should know that I am always serious when it comes to the family business.

I know that, though. The company was always the most important thing for him, always came first - and thus, of course, before the family. Only ... What does it have to do with the publishing house if I get married?, I ask irritated.

A lot. Because when you get married and start a family, you make sure that Lovhead Publishing stays exactly what it is. A family business.

So the subject again. I roll my eyes. It's going to stay that way anyway! I've already assured you that I'll take over the shop one day.

And what comes after you? You will not stay on earth forever either, son.

But hopefully for quite a while yet. And until then: Time will tell.

But that's not enough for me! my father rumbles. "You can't allow yourself this frivolity as the sole heir to this shop. Things must be settled - immediately!"

I squint my eyes. What exactly do you mean by that?

"What I just said, I expect you to get married. If you haven't walked down the aisle in six months, I'll change my will and leave the family business to your cousin.

Maximilian? I widen my eyes. You want that jerk to continue running the publishing house?

Maximilian has quite a bit on you, my son.

Oh, really? What?

He is married and soon to be a father.

How nice for him. Or not. And that's all it takes to run a publishing house?

As you should be well aware, your cousin has been working in the company as long as you have.

Yes, as an accountant! And he's never read anything other than his balance sheets and business studies. He has no idea what we publish!

Do you? Do you know anything about love? But I quickly put that thought to rest. To successfully sell romance novels to women, you don't have to believe in love yourself. But you do have to know what readers expect - and that is certainly not bare figures!

Besides, he's even more old-fashioned than you, Dad, I continue. Instead of moving with the times, he would end up introducing potato printing.

What you call old-fashioned is actually a sense of tradition. Lovhead Publishing has a long history. Your grandfather - my father - printed the first book in a small print shop in the back room of his bookstore in Gilbertsville and laid the foundation for our success today.

Today, the publisher's own printing plant is located in New York City and is working at full capacity. That's where they are printed: the new romance novels that appear weekly and are delivered in the form of thin paperbacks every Friday by numerous trucks to railway station bookshops, press shops and supermarkets and bookshops. A mass business. High print runs, week after week.

The official company headquarters are located here in Gilbertsville. Lovhead Manor, a huge mansion on a park-like estate. I grew up here, in the private part of the estate, where my father still lives today. The rest of the manor is the prestigious publishing house. Which means that, apart from my father, no one really works here. A make-believe world is presented here to the press, television, authors and sometimes readers: Old printing presses, a huge library, my father's old-fashioned office ... The real publishing house, on the other hand, has long been in Manhattan. And quite unromantically in a huge skyscraper. Countless offices where editors and proofreaders, graphic designers, secretaries, assistants, the accounting department, headed by my cousin, and last but not least the people from sales and distribution go about their work day in, day out.

In this skyscraper, I am the boss. As CEO and deputy publishing director. But that doesn't mean I have a free hand, especially when it comes to modernising the publishing house. The fact that our print products are also available as e-book editions was a long, hard battle that I only won in the end because my father simply had no choice but to back down. And that was only because he had to realise that we could not compensate for our declining print editions in any other way and because a publishing house that is opposed to e-books simply cannot keep up any longer.

If I now imagine that one day my cousin will be running all this - for God's sake! Before making important decisions, Maximilian would only ever think how my father would have decided and would be just as opposed to anything new as he is.

And look far too soberly at numbers.

An example: The other day an editor came to me with what I thought was a great fresh idea. She wanted to start an e-book-only series. Specifically tailored to the needs and expectations of readers who only read their romance novels digitally.

I thought it was a great idea. It would have given us the opportunity to publish even more stories than we already had and also to experiment more with the themes.

But when I approached my father with the idea, he was, as expected, not at all impressed and instructed me to first ask Maximilian whether something like this could be profitable at all. My cousin then calculated - also as expected - that we wouldn't even recoup the author's fee in the first three months after publication, based on the e-book sales of our other novels.

So nothing came of this project.

And this Maximilian - who is opposed to anything new because he only looks at the bare figures - is supposed to be at the head of the publishing house one day?

Not if I can help it!

That may be all, Dad, I say with a touch of desperation in my voice. But Maximilian is not the right man for the job. Maximilian is not a publishing man. He may be a good accountant, yes. But he could just as easily be that in any furniture store.

Your love for romantic novels isn't very strong either, boy.

But she used to be. Many years ago...

No less than with you. But unlike Maximilian, we don't see books as mere products. We know what's important to our readers.

And how I know that. From a woman who has given me more knowledge in this regard than any counsellor could have.

A woman who showed me what love is - and how quickly love can turn into suffering.

Then you know what to do if you want to prevent your cousin from continuing the publishing house one day. Half a year - the time runs from today.

Once again I looked at my father from narrowed eyes. Why now? I asked. Why do you now too suddenly get the idea that I absolutely have to be married in six months?

As I said before, certain things have to be settled. If something should happen to me in half a year, I want everything to be settled.

Wait a minute. Now I'm really paying attention and squint my eyes even tighter. Are you sick? I ask.

Gruffly, my old man waves me off. No, I'm not. My personal doctor checked me out yesterday. Everything is fine. But that could be completely different in six months.

Always this half year. What is there ...?

Your birthday!, I blurt out. In half a year it will be your birthday. You'll be ...

Sixty-four. That's how old my father - your grandfather - became. On the evening of his birthday he suffered a heart attack. The doctors could do nothing more for him.

And now you think you're just going to fall over on your birthday? Come on, father, that's ridiculous. History doesn't repeat itself.

There's no way of knowing. My decision stands, son. You know what has to be done. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do.

I still have work to do ...

A sentence I have heard thousands of times in my life. Even as a child, I learned that after this sentence, any attempt to continue talking to my father is pointless.

Daddy's busy, so don't bother him and go ...

I must have been very small when I first heard these words from my mother.

And so I also know now that any attempt to bring my father to his senses would be futile.

As I find myself in my sports car shortly afterwards and make my way back to Manhattan, his suggestion continues to haunt my mind.

So my father is seriously asking me to get married - in six months!

Marry ...

This word alone is enough to make nausea rise in me. Because usually a wedding has something to do with love. And love ... love does not exist for me.

Not any more.

Not for a long time.

Yes, there were times when it was different. At least I thought I was in love. And that's exactly the time I'm thinking about now, because my father has started talking about marriage.

There she is again, before my eyes: the woman I should have forgotten long ago. Eighteen years old and of such pure beauty that I treated her like the most precious treasure on earth. I would have done anything for her, carried her on my hands.

And she thanked me by ripping out my heart and stomping on it.

I will never forget that day when she disappeared from my life, leaving behind nothing but grief, disappointment and unspeakable anger.

Is it any wonder I reacted the way I did to my father's proposal?

Wedding - in six months!

I really don't want to sound impertinent, but let's be honest: the old man must not have heard the shot.

CHAPTER 1

Five months later

Melissa Channing

Well, how are the preparations going? my father enquires as I join him in the office to rest for a moment. Everything to your satisfaction?

Mason Channing is not only my father, but also the owner of the Manhattan Casinos Club. A casino where you can only play if you have been accepted as a member. And for that you have to be one thing above all.

Rich.

Stony rich.

In return, however, there are also a lot of amenities for the players. Regular special prizes in the form of luxury cars and private jets, even entire islands and skyscrapers have already been raffled off. In addition, of course, the culinary well-being of the players is taken care of at all times - and it is ensured that no man ever has to play alone if he doesn't want to. In other words: a sexy woman can always be found here.

And believe me, these women are not just here to keep the players company. All the it-girls are hoping for more, of course. For a flirt, a one-night stand - and to get a piece of the cake of a millionaire or billionaire.

Lately, the casino has also been offering very special events. And that's thanks to me. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Melissa Channing, Mason Channing's only daughter. Now thirty years