Valentwines

By Linda Mooney

14 Tales of Romance That Didn't Quite Go As Planned
Stories included are:
CHOCOLATES - The salesman was persuasive, the samples delicious, and the price was where Melvin couldn't turn down buying a box.
BUBBLE BATH - Chet decided drawing her a hot bubble bath and ordering in some Chinese food would make for a perfect night.
DICE - A little love play based on a set of "romance dice" sounded like just thing to spice up their marriage.

ROMANTIC MOVIE - Word on the street was that it was the perfect movie for a date night.

STRAWBERRIES AND CHAMPAGNE - It was something different, which was why Lewis chose to spring this gift on Stacia.

MOTEL ROOM - It was their chance to get away for the night—no kids, no worries.

ROSE - He was dead broke, but fortune helped him find a way to get her the rose she wanted.

DINNER OUT - They were looking forward to celebrating the holiday at the exclusive restaurant.

JEWELRY - The heart-shaped earrings had to be real diamonds.

BREAKFAST IN BED – Callen's brother had a great idea, including what to fix.

CARD - Travis couldn't find one that expressed how much he really loved her.

NIGHTIE - It was sheer, sexy-looking, and they had her size.

PET - Hale swore they'd never have one, no matter how much his wife wanted it.

GIFT CARD - Kevin was stumped on what to get his wife, until he found the perfect solution.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Linda Mooney
• Release date: Feb 1, 2024
• ISBN: 9781953797384

Linda Mooney

Linda loves to write sensuously erotic romance with a fantasy, paranormal, or science fiction flair. Her technique is often described as being as visual as a motion picture or graphic novel. A wife, mother, grandmother, and retired Kindergarten and music teacher, she lives in a small south Texas town near the Gulf coast where she delves into other worlds filled with daring exploits, adventure, and intense love. She has numerous best sellers, including 10 consecutive #1s. In 2009, she was named Whiskey Creek Press Torrid's Author of the Year, and her book My Strength, My Power, My Love was named the 2009 WCPT Book of the Year. In 2011, her book Lord of Thunder was named the Epic Ebook "Eppie" Award Winner for Best Erotic Sci-Fi Romance. In addition, she write naughty erotic romances under the name of Carolyn Gregg, and horror under the pseudonym of Gail Smith. For more information about Linda Mooney books and titles, and to sign up for her newsletter, please visit her website. http://www.LindaMooney.com

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Chocolates

Hey, Mel?

Melvin glanced up from his desk to find Jake leaning over the cubicle wall. Make it short, Jake. I need to finish this report before I leave here today.

The man lifted a thumb to point behind them. There’s a guy here from Deelites Chocolates, handing out free samples in the lounge.

So?

He claims their chocolates are all natural and plant sourced.

Melvin glared at him. I hate to break it to you, but chocolate already comes from plants.

Jake grinned. "Annnd I hear it’s to die for."

As if by magic, Amadi appeared over the wall. The guy had a shit-eating grin on his face as he chewed on something. Hey, Mel! You gotta go try those chocolate samples! Man, oh, man! He lifted a heart-shaped box for them to see. I bought one of the small boxes to give to Josie. I figured, what the hell. Isn’t Valentine’s Day meant for chocolates?

Seriously? Melvin countered.

Dead serious. The price is right, too. If you don’t take advantage of what this guy has to offer, sucks to be you.

Guess I better get my butt over there before they run out, Jake remarked. Is it really that good?

Amadi smacked his lips. I’m not a big chocolate fan, but I’m this close to eating this whole box by myself and going back to get another one. He held up a thumb and forefinger barely a quarter of an inch apart.

C’mon, Mel. Jake waved for him to join him. I bet Casy would love some. What have you got to lose?

Melvin sighed, ready to admit defeat. If I agree to go try out those supposedly delicious chocolates, will you two leave me alone for the rest of the afternoon so I can finish my work?

Jake held up his three middle fingers. Scout’s honor.

You were never a scout, Melvin cracked.

Well, if I was, I’d still swear scout’s honor.

Groaning, Melvin scooted his chair away from his desk and got to his feet. As he’d promised, Jake continued down the corridor toward his own cubicle with Amadi trailing behind him.

There were five other employees inside the lounge when he arrived. Boxes of chocolates lay open, enabling people to pick and choose on their own. Melvin spotted the salesman sitting off to the side, next to the water cooler. Several cardboard boxes were stacked behind him, the top one open. Two other empty boxes had been tossed to the side.

The guy had to be doing a booming business, especially this close to the holiday.

Good afternoon, the salesman greeted him. Help yourself to a few samples.

I don’t care how good your chocolate is if I can’t afford it, Melvin remarked, getting straight to the point.

Small box of twelve is five bucks. Tax is already included. Large box of twenty-four is ten.

Melvin looked at him in surprise. For real?

For real.

Why is it so cheap?

We’re a start-up company. Just getting our feet wet. We’re hoping word of mouth will boost our sales, and bigger companies will take enough interest to start carrying us in their stores.

Melvin nodded. It made perfect sense.

Sensing his hesitancy, the salesman pointed to two trays in front of him. We carry milk and dark chocolates. With nuts and without. Do you have a nut allergy? Or does the woman you’re thinking of giving these to have one?

No.

The man continued. Those with the little swirls on top have caramel. The dotted ones are crunchy, and the striped ones have a cookie center. Try as many as you like.

By now his curiosity and his appetite had been whetted. Reaching out to the closest box, he picked up a dark chocolate one and bit into it.

It was like nothing he’d ever put in his mouth. It made every candy bar he’d ever eaten pale in comparison. Unaware that he was rolling his eyes, he caught himself moaning from the taste.

The salesman grinned at him. Try the crunchy ones.

With the cookies?

Not all of them have a cookie center, just like all the ones with nuts don’t have just peanuts. Some have almonds, some pecans. We carry twenty-four different varieties.

Melvin tried a second one and was delighted to taste caramel on his tongue. All right, damn it. I’m sold. All natural ingredients?

Yep. No chemicals. No preservatives. Everything in them is what you’d find in nature. I swear by it.

And you have twenty-four different varieties?

The guy indicated one of the larger boxes. That one has one of each kind.

All right. I’m sold. Give me one of those boxes with all the different kinds. Reaching into his pocket, Melvin pulled out his wallet, extracted a ten, and handed it over. Taking the bill, the salesman gave him his purchase.

Thanks, and I hope you both enjoy.

Thank you for coming in and giving us a chance to sample, Melvin replied. Tucking the box under his arm, he hurried back to his desk to finish his work. But it didn’t stop him from casting longing looks at the box for the next two hours.

When he arrived home, he discovered Casy was already there. Parking his car in the garage, he entered through the door that led into the kitchen.

Casy was placing a meatloaf in the oven and straightened. He went up to her to place a soft kiss on her mouth. When it ended, she gave him a bemused look.

My, my. That was an unexpected treat.

He threaded an arm around her waist. How about another one?

Her gaze dropped to the arm he kept behind his back. Another kiss? Or whatever it is you’re hiding?

Both. Before she could retort, he kissed her again. This time he felt her gradually melting against him. As he reluctantly pulled away, he produced the box to give to her.

Her first reaction was delight. Mel! What…

Sweets for my sweetie. Happy Valentine’s Day.

Her next reaction was despair. You agreed that we needed to save our money for more important things. I didn’t get you anything.

Melvin nuzzled her temple. A salesman was in the staff lounge today selling these. I tasted a couple, and they were delicious, as much as I didn’t want to admit it. Plus he was selling them at a really cheap price. Considering how much you like chocolate…

She dropped another quick peck on the lips, then took the box over to the kitchen table. You spoil me. Lifting the lid, she stared at the display inside. Oh my goodness!

Try one. The one’s with the little swirls have caramel in them, and the one’s with the dots on top are crunchy. Oh! And the salesman guaranteed that they use no artificial anything in them. They’re all natural.

Her fingers hovered a light chocolate one that had little horizontal stripes on top. Seeing her hesitation, Melvin urged her on. "Go ahead. I promise they won’t spoil