Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 42829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 171(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 171(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
Mack Oliver loves his job as a server at Alfonso’s. The clientele is wonderful and the food divine. Things might be going well at work, but the rest of his life is in shambles.
High-powered lawyer, Grey Bradford spends long hours in his office. He does enjoy taking time to enjoy a good meal. When he spots a small fuzzy face peeking at him from the new waiter’s bun, something inside tells Grey to focus. Could this be the Little he’s dreamed of finding?
Addiction Pepper’s stories will touch your heart and may warm your bottom. While both sweet & spicy, the Dr. Richards’ Littles stories may contain more heat than some will find comfortable. Playing doctor with Dr. Richards can be an intense experience that borders on electrifying. The greatest risk, however, is developing an intense craving for more after reading just one. Proceed with caution.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
CHAPTER 1
Let’s do this.
He straightened his tie before opening the door. A woman in a stylish suit stood as Grey Bradford walked into the restaurant. She stepped forward with her hand outstretched to shake his.
“Mr. Bradford, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise, Ms. Saunders.” He shook her hand and was pleased by his first impression of the applicant for a position in his law firm. “Let me check on our table.”
As he turned to chat with Virginia, the long-time hostess at Armando’s, he found her standing next to the podium with menus already in her hands. Smiling, he greeted the familiar woman.
“Hi, Virginia. It’s good to see you again.”
“Hi, Grey. Let me show you to your table.”
Grey sat in his normal chair after waiting for Simone Saunders to take a seat. Accepting his menu, he didn’t even open it. “Thank you, Virginia. Is Raymond here today?”
“You’ll have a new server today. He’s a great addition to Armando’s. His name is Mack.”
“Wonderful.”
“It sounds like you come here often,” Simone commented after Virginia left.
“It’s one of my favorite places in town. It’s a bonus that it’s right around the corner from the office. I’ve run over here often to refuel when I’m preparing after hours.”
“That is a lucky thing. I always seem to order a delivery to eat at my desk on those intense pretrial nights. I bet getting out of the office for an hour does recharge your batteries to go back and finish,” Simone commented.
Grey put a check in the positive column when she volunteered she understood long hours went along with the job sometimes. “I don’t encourage the associates to work eighty hours a week, but preparations get intense sometimes, don’t they?”
“It’s the nature of being a successful attorney,” she agreed. “I was a bit surprised you wished to meet here instead of in the office.”
“Thank you for indulging my idiosyncrasies. Hiring the right people is important to the future of my firm. Let’s look at the menu and see what sounds good to you. Lunch, of course, is on me.”
A few seconds after they’d opened the large leather menus, a young man approached. He was handsome and fit with hair pulled neatly from his face and secured in a thick man bun. Grey took a second look at his hairstyle. Was that a small brown face with whiskers peeking out of his gathered hair? Grey was instantly intrigued. He doubted people even noticed it hidden in the brown tresses.
“Hi, I’m Mack. It’s a pleasure to wait on you, Mr. Bradford. Armando threatened to throw me out on my ear if I don’t take good care of you and your guest today,” the server said with a careful blend of humor and respect.
Grey could tell immediately that Armando had found a winner. “Nice to meet you, Mack.”
“May I start you out with something to drink?” he asked, looking first at Simone.
“Water with several lemons, please.”
“I’ll have a club soda with lime, Mack,” Grey ordered his usual.
“Of course. Let me tell you about our specials so you can consider those while I get your drinks.”
A few minutes later, he returned with their drinks and a basket of delicious-smelling bread. Simone was in the middle of telling Grey about her litigation experience. She paused to wave away the bread.
“Please take those carb bombs away,” she said unpleasantly to Mack before turning back to Grey and finishing her story.
Grey maintained eye contact with her while watching the server. He set the basket on an empty table a short distance away before placing their drinks in front of them. Efficiently, he added a small bowl of lemons next to Simone’s table setting. When Simone didn’t stop talking again, Mack stepped back from the table to give them some privacy.
A few minutes later, Simone swept her arm in front of her to emphasize a point she was making. Unfortunately, the bowl of lemon wedges went flying and clattered to the floor. She instantly exclaimed, “What a stupid place to put that!”