Author: Rawiya
Publisher: Thirteen Below Press
Release Date: April 1, 2016
Heat Level: 3
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 165 pages
Genre/Tags: Interracial, contemporary, multicultural, mm, gay romance
Synopsis
Exclusive Excerpt from Smooth Like Latte
After finishing the projected numbers for the next board meeting, Brendan flicked his pen and covered his face with his head. All the figures, the numbers, so many zeroes practically blinded him, making him dizzy.
I need a drink.
If only he could go home and enjoy a couple of beers or a bottle of wine before going to bed, but instead, he had to get ready for another boring dinner with his father and their client, Mister what’s his name.
Harrisford?
Brendan sighed inwardly and leaned back in his chair. He wished he could fake sick to get out of going with his meddling father, but that would only cause problems later.
Elder Mr. Walsh wasn’t one to take no for an answer. He’d make his life a living hell if he didn’t show up.
“Mr. Walsh? Um, Brendan?”
Brendan straightened in his chair and opened one eye. “Yes, Suzette?”
“You have someone here to see you.”
“Who? I’m sorry, I really don’t feel like seeing anyone right now—”
“It’s a young man who claims he works at Cathy’s Coffee Corner,” she interrupted him.
Latte?
Immediately, Brendan’s lips curled into a smile. “Oh, send him in, Suzette, and please, hold all calls including any from my father.”
“Yes, sir.” She bowed her head and stepped out, closing the door behind her.
The minute she disappeared, Brendan panicked.
How do I look?
Brendan wished he could jog to his small bathroom to check, but Latte was right there by the door. Instead, he plucked his phone out of his pocket and turned the camera’s selfie feature on.
He raked his fingers through his hair and checked the teeth. Good thing he’d gotten good sleep the night prior. He had no bags under his eyes.
Brendan set his phone down and drummed his fingers on the desk. This was the first time they’d get to talk without the roving eyes of customers and Cathy’s other employees.
Brendan wanted to make the best of it.
“Brendan? Hey.” Latte poked his head in.
“Hello there. Please come in and have a seat.”
Suzette walked him in, offering the chair in front of Brendan’s desk.
“Thanks, Brendan. I hope I’m not disturbing you from something important.”
When he sat, Brendan’s eyes met Latte’s emerald green gaze. With the apron off, Brendan caught sight of the rest of Latte’s outfit. Well-fitted midnight blue dungarees and the black turtleneck ended at the waistband of his jeans. When Latte stretched, his v-muscles peeked from under his shirt.
Fuck me, please.
Latte was built in all the right places. His light caramel skin, the mustache and goatee cut perfectly. Brendan wondered why this man wasn’t walking a runway instead of toiling in a coffee shop.
“Oh, I’m not doing anything now. I wasn’t sure if you’d actually take me up on my offer, but it is a pleasant surprise nonetheless.”
“Oh… well, I suppose it was a mixture of Cathy pushing and me being forward, especially after you continued to come see me as you promised. I hope you don’t mind.”
Brendan grimaced at the mention of Cathy’s name. “Um… yes, well—”
“Relax, Brendan. I know Cathy will keep your secret safe. Believe me, I get it. Until I came out to my parents, staying in the closet was the hardest thing I’d ever done. That’s one of the reasons I moved here.”
Hearing that, Brendan breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad to hear the guy he was interested in had the same issues at one time. “Thank you, Latte. I do appreciate that. My father is just—”
“Difficult? Cathy clued me in. No worries.”
“Good. Well, let’s move on in the conversation, then. I wish I could’ve stayed down there a little longer, but work calls. Truthfully when I got back up here, I didn’t do anything but think about you.” The minute Brendan finished talking, he wondered why he’d made that statement.
“Same here, Brendan. I was afraid of coming on too strong, but I figured, what the heck. We made a connection down there the first day we met.”
“Yes, yes, I’d agree. From the minute you slipped me the cup of coffee, you had me hooked.”
“Yeah? I hope it was for more than just the macchiato.”
Tour Stops
5/5 - 3 Chicks After Dark
5/2 - Alpha Book Club
5/3 - Bayou Book Junkie
5/5 - Book Lovers 4Ever
5/2 - Boys on the Brink
5/2 - Diverse Reader
5/6 - Divine Magazine
5/6 - Elisa Rolle
5/6 - Happily Ever Chapter
5/3 - Hearts On Fire Reviews
5/5 - It's Raining Men
5/4 - Oh My Shelves
5/4 - Unrandom Randomness
Simple delicacies like donuts and coffee can bring two people together no matter what their differences; it can make for a very satisfying experience. But deceit can turn those experiences sour. In these two stories, Cupid shoots his arrows at four men, drawing them to one another through chance encounters that instantly grow into something more. Time To Make The Donuts Christopher Wettlon has inherited his grandfather’s Donuts to Go shop. He’s young, educated, and pretty well off, but still something is missing from his life. Enter Andre Bentley, who seems to have everything going for him. Little does Christopher know Andre is out for more than his fresh, strawberry creams. The two men are getting along well until Chris confronts Andre about his job. Can Andre ‘work’ himself back into Chris’s good graces? Smooth Like Latte Brendan Walsh is committed to working for his irrational, homophobic dad who has threatened to disown him if he comes out gay to the world. Pretending to be someone he isn’t weighs him down. This puts Brendan on edge and alert at all times, leaving little to no time for him to build a steady relationship with anyone. Davori “Latte” Jenkins is a happy go lucky barista working in the Walsh building. Born and raised in North Carolina, Latte possesses extremely good looks and charms the pants off anyone in his path using his Southern boy attitude. When Brendan visits the shop Latte works in, they’re immediately drawn to one another. Latte makes him a caramel latte with something extra. Because Brendan isn’t out of the closet, they keep their thoughts and flirtations private. Once they start dating, Brendan gets the courage to come out publicly and the relationship goes into overdrive. Still, Latte desires something more to define their relationship.
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Exclusive Excerpt from Smooth Like Latte
After finishing the projected numbers for the next board meeting, Brendan flicked his pen and covered his face with his head. All the figures, the numbers, so many zeroes practically blinded him, making him dizzy.
I need a drink.
If only he could go home and enjoy a couple of beers or a bottle of wine before going to bed, but instead, he had to get ready for another boring dinner with his father and their client, Mister what’s his name.
Harrisford?
Brendan sighed inwardly and leaned back in his chair. He wished he could fake sick to get out of going with his meddling father, but that would only cause problems later.
Elder Mr. Walsh wasn’t one to take no for an answer. He’d make his life a living hell if he didn’t show up.
“Mr. Walsh? Um, Brendan?”
Brendan straightened in his chair and opened one eye. “Yes, Suzette?”
“You have someone here to see you.”
“Who? I’m sorry, I really don’t feel like seeing anyone right now—”
“It’s a young man who claims he works at Cathy’s Coffee Corner,” she interrupted him.
Latte?
Immediately, Brendan’s lips curled into a smile. “Oh, send him in, Suzette, and please, hold all calls including any from my father.”
“Yes, sir.” She bowed her head and stepped out, closing the door behind her.
The minute she disappeared, Brendan panicked.
How do I look?
Brendan wished he could jog to his small bathroom to check, but Latte was right there by the door. Instead, he plucked his phone out of his pocket and turned the camera’s selfie feature on.
He raked his fingers through his hair and checked the teeth. Good thing he’d gotten good sleep the night prior. He had no bags under his eyes.
Brendan set his phone down and drummed his fingers on the desk. This was the first time they’d get to talk without the roving eyes of customers and Cathy’s other employees.
Brendan wanted to make the best of it.
“Brendan? Hey.” Latte poked his head in.
“Hello there. Please come in and have a seat.”
Suzette walked him in, offering the chair in front of Brendan’s desk.
“Thanks, Brendan. I hope I’m not disturbing you from something important.”
When he sat, Brendan’s eyes met Latte’s emerald green gaze. With the apron off, Brendan caught sight of the rest of Latte’s outfit. Well-fitted midnight blue dungarees and the black turtleneck ended at the waistband of his jeans. When Latte stretched, his v-muscles peeked from under his shirt.
Fuck me, please.
Latte was built in all the right places. His light caramel skin, the mustache and goatee cut perfectly. Brendan wondered why this man wasn’t walking a runway instead of toiling in a coffee shop.
“Oh, I’m not doing anything now. I wasn’t sure if you’d actually take me up on my offer, but it is a pleasant surprise nonetheless.”
“Oh… well, I suppose it was a mixture of Cathy pushing and me being forward, especially after you continued to come see me as you promised. I hope you don’t mind.”
Brendan grimaced at the mention of Cathy’s name. “Um… yes, well—”
“Relax, Brendan. I know Cathy will keep your secret safe. Believe me, I get it. Until I came out to my parents, staying in the closet was the hardest thing I’d ever done. That’s one of the reasons I moved here.”
Hearing that, Brendan breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad to hear the guy he was interested in had the same issues at one time. “Thank you, Latte. I do appreciate that. My father is just—”
“Difficult? Cathy clued me in. No worries.”
“Good. Well, let’s move on in the conversation, then. I wish I could’ve stayed down there a little longer, but work calls. Truthfully when I got back up here, I didn’t do anything but think about you.” The minute Brendan finished talking, he wondered why he’d made that statement.
“Same here, Brendan. I was afraid of coming on too strong, but I figured, what the heck. We made a connection down there the first day we met.”
“Yes, yes, I’d agree. From the minute you slipped me the cup of coffee, you had me hooked.”
“Yeah? I hope it was for more than just the macchiato.”
Meet the Author
RAWIYA is the more sensual erotica writer in the BLRawiya duo. She loves multiracial characters who overcome obstacles other than race. Sweet, sassy, and spicy would be the best way to describe her work. Happily married mother of two, loves music, computers, and travel.
Blog | The Literary Triad| Pinterest| Instagram| Ello| Twitter | Facebook
Blog | The Literary Triad| Pinterest| Instagram| Ello| Twitter | Facebook
Tour Stops
5/5 - 3 Chicks After Dark
5/2 - Alpha Book Club
5/3 - Bayou Book Junkie
5/5 - Book Lovers 4Ever
5/2 - Boys on the Brink
5/2 - Diverse Reader
5/6 - Divine Magazine
5/6 - Elisa Rolle
5/6 - Happily Ever Chapter
5/3 - Hearts On Fire Reviews
5/5 - It's Raining Men
5/4 - Oh My Shelves
5/4 - Unrandom Randomness
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