After living through her share of disloyal relationships, Evangeline Avery will be damned if she lets another man cheat her. A beautiful and confident woman, Eva is the owner of an interior design firm at the brink of collapse. She swears to bring her company back to its past glory, even if it involves sweet talking the one man who caused this turmoil in the first place – Clive Stanton.
Published: April 5th, 2016
Author Camellia Hart’s debut contemporary romance novel about a man and a woman whose lives are about to get sizzling hot…
After living through her share of disloyal relationships, Evangeline Avery will be damned if she lets another man cheat her. A beautiful and confident woman, Eva is the owner of an interior design firm at the brink of collapse. She swears to bring her company back to its past glory, even if it involves sweet talking the one man who caused this turmoil in the first place – Clive Stanton.
Notorious playboy Clive Stanton is a powerful businessman and a formidable enemy of many. He doesn’t do love, or at least not until he meets her again, fifteen years after he saw her last. Eva, his crush from teenage years, the one that got away, is back in his world and he is determined to do anything to make her his.
Will passion and lust bring them together or conflict and the unforgettable scars from their pasts forever tear them apart?
EXCERPT
CHAPTER 1
Downtown
San Francisco
“You look happy.”
Eva’s gaze darted to the tabloid vendor
standing by her side. Despite the numerous times her best friend, Izzy, made
her and her other best friend, Ali, visit the book stand outside of the subway
station in the past two months, this was the first time the vendor had spoken
to Eva. Maybe because she hadn’t been his ideal customer—tabloid obsession was
Izzy’s thing.
“He’s one lucky guy.” The vendor smiled.
Her eyes widened. Was it that evident
she’d been thinking about Daniel? She wasn’t sure how to respond to his remark.
And to her relief, the vendor reverted his attention back to Izzy.
Daniel Neeson. The six foot two, blond,
blue-eyed, investment banker she’d recently met at a birthday party for a
common friend. Daniel seemed witty, charming and confident. She liked
confidence. It would be their first date tonight. It would also be her first
date in more than a year, since saying goodbye to her ex, Jake, the cheater.
Although she’d looked forward to meeting
Daniel again, emotional scars from her past relationship still haunted her
heart. Her palms turned clammy, she’d never felt this nervous about a date
before.
She’d set an alarm on her phone to leave
from work on time; she’d laid out a little black dress along with other
accessories on her bed; she’d also brushed up on her list of things she liked
to do so she’d have something to talk about. Maybe she should rehearse that
list one more time? She ran through it silently. And as she did, she realized
the general theme of the things she liked to do all somehow concluded in
loathing Jake.
One: running, as in away from Jake.
Two: hanging out with her friends, as in
to forget Jake.
Three: cooking, as in to poison Jake.
She cringed. How did her thoughts get so
morbid? Moreover, where had her insecurities around dating stemmed from? Had
Jake’s betrayal been entirely to blame or was it also because she could never
forgive her father for cheating on her mother? “This one just came in, and it’s selling
out fast.” The vendor’s voice brought her back to the present.
“And that’s the one she wants, right
Izzy?” Ali hurried Izzy with an impatient glare.
“Yes, this is the one I want,” Izzy said.
Without letting her eyes wander off the cover, she handed over a few bills and
thanked the vendor.
“I can’t believe you get paid to read this
junk,” Eva said as they walked into their office building.
“I’m with Eva on that. Is this weekly
ritual of yours really necessary to be a good fashion editor?”
“This one’s not for work ladies, it’s for
pleasure.” Izzy pointed to the magazine cover.
“Holy smokes…he’s hot!” Ali ogled at the
picture of a drop dead gorgeous man, sun bathing on a beach. In the nude.
The picture showed everything, from his
unruly hair, to his strong chiseled jaw, to the toned muscles in his arms; his
broad chest dusted with just the right amount of hair, his six-pack abs and his
long legs. And that line of fuzz that tapered from his navel down to his—blurry
round circle?
Aw—Boo!
“Who’s that?” Based on his looks, the guy
was a model, or an actor, or maybe even an athlete.
“Seriously?” Izzy glared at her. “He’s the
owner of Stanton Enterprises.”
“No way. That’s Clive Stanton? The Clive
Stanton?”
“Yes. The Clive Stanton. They have an
office here, top floor. And he owns this building and the one next to it. How
can you not know Clive Stanton?”
“Well, I know the name. We’ve worked with
the Stantons for years. I met Clive’s father once, but…” Eva glanced back to
the magazine cover. “I’ve never actually met Clive.” She should look him up on
the Internet later. Because it was good to know all about one’s clients. She
had no other intention whatsoever.
Right.
“Shouldn’t he be in Time Magazine or
Forbes and not some junky magazine?” Ali asked.
She had a good point. Stanton Enterprises
owned several businesses, from spas to night clubs, restaurants to charities
and much more. It was unusual to see a man of his standing making an appearance
in a weekly gossip journal.
“Well, that’s because he’s with Silvia.
She’s the Sports Illustrated cover this season.” Izzy referred to the beautiful
woman lying next to Clive in the picture. “He’s been linked with several elite
models in the past. He’s quite the mix, you know, billionaire, philanthropist,
and playboy.”
Eva trusted Izzy’s knowledge on these
matters. As the editor of In Trend magazine, Izzy always had all the dirt on
the celebrity circles.
The way Izzy said that word, playboy,
churned Eva’s insides. She didn’t like playboys just as much as she didn’t like
cheaters. And now, she didn’t like Clive. Yet, she glanced back at the magazine
cover, and imagined herself next to him on the beach in place of the super-hot
blonde. She’d never get tired of looking at this man. The sex would be
mind-blowing. No harm in fantasizing, right?
“Isn’t he delicious?” Izzy sighed as the
elevator doors opened.
They stilled. And they stared.
There he was, the tabloid hottie, clothed
in a dark gray suit, a crisp, white shirt with the top few buttons undone, hair
ruffled, and looking straight at them from inside the elevator car.
He glanced at the magazine in Izzy’s hand
and a slow, sexy grin appeared on his handsome face. Eva grew weak in her
knees.
He looked at them one by one, first at
Izzy, then at Ali and then his gaze met hers and lingered. The unexpected
attention from the man she had only moments ago been fantasizing about made her
tense. A thrill of attraction zinged all over her as his gaze traveled her
length. She almost forgot to breathe, as the same way she almost forgot he was
a playboy. And she most definitely forgot Daniel.
Delicious.
Her brain commanded her to get into the
car, but the rest of her body stayed still.
She worried her lower
lip with her teeth, hoping the pain would shake her awake. Could he possibly
know what she had been thinking right then? His lips curled into an alluring smile.
Evidently he did. She swallowed hard, but managed to smile back.
“Ahem.” A harsh wake-up-call came from
one of the many others waiting to get past them and into the elevator.
Izzy shoved the magazine into her leather
tote as they hurried in. Eva turned her back to Clive as soon as possible, but
as the crowd shuffled in, she had no choice except to move toward him. She took
a step backward, then another…and by the time the car was full, she stood
pressed close to him. His breath fanned her hair and he smelled of something
fresh and divinely male.
Ali shot Eva a sideways glance. Her
expression was one of contained amusement, and brought Eva back to the hilarity
of the moment. After what felt like eternity, the doors opened and Eva, Izzy,
and Ali rushed out. And as soon as the doors closed they burst out into
laughter.
“Oh. My. God. What were the chances of
that happening?” Izzy pressed her hand to her chest, clearly flustered by the
unlikely encounter.
“Right? And Eva, he was totally checking
you out,” Ali said.
“He so was,” Izzy chimed in.
A quick shiver zipped up Eva’s spine as
she was still energized from Clive’s silent attention. But remembering Izzy’s
opinion of him raised an immediate red flag she wouldn’t ignore. Moreover, this
had been the first time she’d seen him in the two months she’d worked in the
building. A fluke. She doubted she would see him again anytime soon.
“Whatever, not interested.”
“Not interested?” Izzy looked shocked. “Do
you know how many women want him to look at them the way he did at you?”
“Uh-huh. And how many women has he already
looked at, the way he did at me?”
“Well…there’s that,” Izzy said.
“So yes, not interested. But, for the
record, he is…wow.” They giggled.
After a moment of composure they said
their goodbyes, and they each walked to their respective offices.
“Morning, Tina,” Eva greeted.
“Miss Avery, good morning,” Eva’s
secretary greeted back, her voice chirpy and upbeat. The young woman followed
her into Eva’s spacious office.
“Any messages for me yet?” Eva shed her
coat, hung it on the rack, and walked to her desk.
“Yes, Mr. Avery stopped by. He wants to
see you as soon as possible.”
It had been two months since Eva had taken
over her late-father’s business. If not forced by his will, never in a million
years would she have agreed to be the sole owner of S. F. Designs. After all,
she was trained to be a Chef, not a CEO, and had no experience leading a
company. None especially in leading one of the top Interior Design firms in the
nation.
After graduating from culinary school, Eva
had spent several years committed to grueling hours of work as she climbed up
the chef ladder. And then finally, about a year ago, she’d been made the
Executive Chef at a starred restaurant— a title she had worked hard to achieve
and that made her, and her father too, quite proud. She’d been so close to making
her long-aspired dream a reality. A vision to own a restaurant, one that would gain
critical acclaim by delighting with food set precisely in place, like artwork.
Yet here she was at S. F. Designs,
following a path she had never wanted to pursue, in a field in which she had no
experience, shelving her creativity for a future day that may or may not come
her way. Why? Because of that last, unforgettable conversation she’d had with
her father.
Only after his death had those few moments
she’d spent with him come to mean so much to her. The ambience of the coffee
shop, the aroma, what her father had worn that day, his every gesture, every
grimace, every word…all now ingrained in her mind forever.
“I’ve put you down in my will as the next
owner of the company.”
“What? Why?”
“Why not?”
She laughed. He didn’t. Was he serious?
“You’re not kidding.”
“Dave will train you in no time.”
She laughed again. This had to be a joke.
“Why? Are you going somewhere?”
“So you’re willing to take over then?”
“I’m neither willing, nor ready, nor even
remotely capable of working in any other business that isn’t in the
food-industry. I’m a chef, Dad. I want to own a restaurant some day. That’s
what I want to do. Not run an interior design firm.”
“Why? Is it because I was a bad father?
Because I was never around?”
“Oh, c’mon. This is emotional blackmail.”
“Is it? Did you not choose a career path
completely different from mine because you imagine that means you won’t have to
live the life I’ve lived? Yes, I was consumed by work. But I did it all for
you, damn it. For your brother. For your mother.“
“I know that. We know that. You’re
wonderful, you always were.”
“Then don’t refuse this, Evie. You’re
perfect for this role. No one else can lead this company like you can. In only
a matter of months you’ll be as good, maybe even better at this job than I ever
was. This company needs a fighter, this company needs you.”
“I…” She shook her head, “I’m sorry…I-I
can’t…I just can’t. Why won’t you let Uncle Dave take over?”
“He’s excellent, no doubt. But he’s not
you, he can never be what you can to this company.”
His explanation and insistence made no
sense to her then; it made no sense to her now. Whatever the reason behind him
choosing her to lead the company after him, she might never know. But she loved
her father and missed him terribly. S. F. Designs had been a huge part of his
life and was all that was left of him. She couldn’t forgo his last wishes, she couldn’t
let him down.
Eva sighed, set her bag on her desk, and
walked over to find out why Uncle Dave wanted to see her so urgently.
“Hey,” she greeted her uncle as she walked
into his attractive corner office. Uncle Dave sat behind a large, mahogany
desk. The silver in his hair shined in the morning sun that gleamed through the
huge windows. A familiar expression of affection lit up his face, but quickly
reverted back to contagious worry. Her stomach tightened. “Is everything OK?”
“I’m not sure.” He handed her a paper
marked with the Stanton Enterprises logo. She scanned through the document, rushing
to find the words that might explain his discomfort.
…We cherish our unwavering
partnership…blah, blah, blah…we regret to inform
you
that we are terminating our contract with S. F Designs… Thank you for your
exceptional
service…
“But why?” Confused, she looked at her
uncle.
“They don’t say.”
She brought her gaze back to the paper she
held in her now shaky hand. Her
father had launched S.
F. Designs the same year she was born. Through the years, the company had
progressed from a meager garage start-up into a high-end corporation. She thought
back to the day the company set up shop on this thirty-seventh floor. She’d only
been five years old then; cars and people had looked like moving toys from the
windows of her father’s office.
Several years later, her dad had met
Clive’s father, then owner of Stanton Enterprises. Sharing similar stories of
struggles in the initial years of their businesses, they took an immediate
liking to each other. Their companies had been in partnership ever since.
Her father had a contract to design all of
Stanton’s spas. The tone of the contract was informal, allowing each company
the freedom to terminate at any time without any legally binding implications.
Stanton Enterprises had benefitted hugely
from this partnership. Their Spa interiors, designed by her father’s firm,
provided unparalleled tranquility and privacy, and had become hot spots for
celebrities.
The partnership had positively propelled
her father’s firm into the public eye. Within a year of designing their first
spa, his team had been featured in several magazines for their superior and
innovative renderings. Soon his was the number one firm in the state for
designing luxurious living.
She’d imagined this streak of good luck
would go on forever. Although there had been recent rumors of aggressive
changes to Stanton’s business strategy, that they would end their partnership
with S. F. Designs had never crossed her mind.
It wasn’t even nine in the morning. How
could things have gone so wrong already?
Stanton Enterprises was the fifth company
pushing to sever ties with them this month. Her firm had committed to providing
services to Stanton and only a few other firms for the rest of this year.
Unless they were able to find another viable customer, losing this contract
would plummet her firm’s projected yearly profits.
Eva called Tina on the intercom and asked
to set up an immediate meeting with Bryan Austin, the Director of Design at
Stanton.
Her first impression of Bryan Austin had
been that of a man who was trying too hard. He was a tall, athletic man with
dark hair, each and every strand painstakingly set to perfection. He was
relatively young-looking for a corporate executive, and could almost second as
an owner of a swanky night club. With that came a moody attitude, his face mostly
expressionless and a pre-meditated response of rejection toward any offerings
her firm made to Stanton.
Except on one occasion last week, when
Eva’s team had suggested Stanton should switch to environmentally friendly
options while staying along the lines of their signature designs.
Eva liked the proposal from her team; to
her, any concept that benefitted the planet had a nice ring to it. The thought
that her firm could be a part of a green
world made her feel at peace, as if she were in an organic garden, picking
fragrant herbs for her next entrée invention.
To her surprise, at first Bryan was on
board with the idea. However, his enthusiasm seemed to have waned within the
last two days. His team had returned with a strong no, we’re sticking to tried and tested methods for now response. Eva
had further questioned Bryan, but he’d responded with minimal substance and
candor, leaving her baffled about this matter more than before. Worry about your own company, Miss Avery.
Leave
the worrying about Stanton to me.
As she stared at the notice she held, she
began to suspect he had known about the contract termination all along.
Whatever the reasoning behind his decision to send them the termination letter,
convincing him to reverse his decision would be quite a feat.
Burdened by a heavy,
sinking feeling, she slumped down into the empty chair across from her uncle.
Silence ensued for several long moments as
Eva contemplated the repercussions this change would bring upon her firm. And
then she heard a slight knock on the door. It was Tina.
“Miss Avery, the earliest the Stanton team
can meet is at two o’clock tomorrow.”
About the author:
Camellia Hart, a techie turned author of romance, lives in San Francisco with her husband, the love of her life. Other than writing her next romance novel, her hobbies include traveling, lazing on a beach with a good read, watching movies with happy endings while gorging on endless buckets of popcorn, red wine, and champagne truffles.
12 comments:
Love the cover! Thank you for the giveaway! :)
Sounds like a great read :)
Thanks for the chance .
Definitely on my to-read list! :)
Sounds great. Thank you for the chance!
I enjoyed the excerpt, and wish that I had the attitude of "bring it on".
cover is awesome.seems an awesome book.
I really like the cover. Great colors make it "pop"
Thank you all for your praises. Your every word, every comment, every mention is now a cherished memory calling for a celebration. Reading your messages makes me so happy, I'll be smiling all day :) Looking forward to your reading my book, also for your winning the gift card :) All the best!
It sounds like a sizzling good read
It would be great to
win a $25 Amazon Gift Card.
Chasing Eva by Camellia Hart
sounds like a great book.
I am going to look for this book because
i think i will enjoy reading it.
Thank you for having this giveaway.
looks like an awesome read
Eva seems like such a strong female character...love it!
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