Lemon Truffles - Love Instantly Read online

  Two hearts forever intertwined by one, wild, hot, passionate night…

  Cheng had… left behind his friends, family and his entire way of life to risk everything by placing all his bets on her. Wow. It must be amazing to live with that kind of certainty. To want to be with someone so badly and know so fully that everything was going to work out in the end. Angela couldn’t take this. Her head was swimming from the glass of wine that was really starting to kick in right now of course, her emotions were in a jumble, and her hormones were in a knot as he stood so close she could smell Cheng’s cologne.

  It was a heady mix of a citrusy, masculine fragrance that suited him interwoven with his own intoxicating essence and pheromones that had combined to call out to her like the sirens. She remembered this scent all too well. It triggered a memory that drew her right back to their night together in Hong Kong. The memories of their bodies interlaced came back vividly, in full color as they assaulted her mind. Angela had the kind of explosive chemistry with Cheng that she couldn’t deny or control, no matter how conflicted and confused she felt right now. He was also still holding her hand up to his forehead, looking at her with the kind of yearning she personally knew and understood all too well…

  CeCe Monét

  The Chocolate Chronicles Volume 1:

  Lemon Truffles – Love Instantly

  · Los Angeles ·

  This novel is completely a work of fiction. Characters – including their names, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are otherwise used fictitiously. Any similarity from this book to events occurring in real life – including location(s), or person(s) living or dead is wholly coincidental.

  P.O. Box 4464

  Carson, CA 90749

  The Chocolate Chronicles Volume 1: Lemon Truffles – Love Instantly Copyright © 2012 CeCe Monét

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever, except for short excerpts appearing in book reviews. For reprint or excerpt permission inquiries, please contact the author by e-mail at [email protected] or write to Diva C Publishing, c/o CeCe Monét, P.O. Box 4464, Carson, CA 90749.

  http://cecemonet.com

  First published and distributed in the United States of America in March, 2012.

  Cover photo used with implied permission from an AMBW online group’s public domain images.

  Acknowledgements

  This book is dedicated to all of the people who really believed in me, supported me and helped me to get this book finished – thank you!

  To my son and main source of inspiration to keep going every day – Caleb because without you, I wouldn’t have found the courage to do any of this. Remember to always follow your dreams baby!

  Special appreciation and much love going out to my entire family and to my true friends – most especially to Cameesha Gordon. Thanks homie, you’re the best!

  Table of contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Keep Reading for a Preview from Vol. 2…

  About The Author

  Chapter One

  Cheng wasn’t some sappy guy who believed in love at first sight, winning the lottery or getting lucky in some other random, mysterious, bullshit way. In fact, he was studious, industrious and most assuredly believed in the power of an individual’s own hard work and sheer will power. Okay, so his classmates and close friends also knew he was an avid prankster, at least during his school days. Still, he had worked his ass off and had earned some of the highest grades in his business classes when he was attending the University of Hong Kong.

  He was also multilingual and had managed to learn three languages fluently – English, Mandarin, Cantonese, as well as one dialect – Shanghainese. So Cheng simply didn’t believe in being lazy. Nor could he lollygag with nothing more than wishful thinking about how good things would somehow magically come to him as he sat around on his ass. He believed in carving out his own path, making things happen and taking action to manifest what he wanted into reality. This was why he was now one of the youngest members of a corporate management team that oversaw one of the largest manufacturing conglomerates in China.

  Headquartered in Hong Kong, he was only twenty-five years old and already had his own office, shining like a super star amidst the vast sea of worker bees who were his peers. Cheng wasn’t taken in by any of the so called glitz and glamour of his seemingly sexy job, status or wealth either. He’d already seen the world, was responsible overall and generally careful with his money. He’d also sacrificed a lot to get to the top so quickly in part by working endless hours.

  Trusting his gut instincts had always paid off, so he’d taken calculated risks, putting his career and reputation on the line numerous times to be super outspoken. Thus, Cheng had been taken seriously more often than not when he knew he was right about a direction the company should take. After all, his father had taught him how to handle business people and Cheng had a knack for speaking to them respectfully, though assertively.

  Cheng was good too at winning people over one-on-one or in small groups to socialize with them and persuade them to see things his way. He enrolled his colleagues in his visions then enlisted them to execute those goals. Then they were much more likely to support his initiatives companywide. Networking with his father’s connections and having several of his late father’s colleagues as mentors hadn’t hurt either. So Cheng had basically foregone his personal life in order to get to where he was now, always putting work first instead.

  In times of quiet reflection though, like now when it was late in the day, the office was totally deserted and he was basically past his productive prime time for the day, he knew. Cheng knew that he was missing out on so many of those things that made life really worth living. He stood looking out of his office high rise’s floor to ceiling windows, seeing the lights of the city glowing with vibrancy all around him.

  So much of life seemed to be passing him by. All of his days were blending together as they were spent much the same way, especially since both of his parents were gone now. Cheng worked, went home and slept for a few hours, then went back to work. Wash, rinse and repeat. Day in and day out. The only thing that occasionally broke up the monotony was his various business trips, like the one he was scheduled to be leaving for tomorrow.

  Cheng glanced at the clock and decided to go grab a late dinner and a drink at one of the many nearby hotel restaurants in Kowloon. His flight wasn’t scheduled to depart for another twelve hours and it seemed silly to bother going all the way home now. He wasn’t sure how long he’d have to work today and was only going to be gone for a few days so he had his lightly packed carry-on luggage with him already.

  Maybe he could kill some time and go to Novotel’s Tasca Bar before making his way to the airport? Cheng shut down his computer, got his blazer and roll away suitcase before he finally left work for the day. He walked the short distance to the hotel’s entrance, made his way through the lobby and eventually landed at the type of hotel bar he’d been searching for. He ordered himself a double Kaolian on the rocks and requested a dinner menu from the bartender.

  As Cheng contemplated whether or not to get a savory fried noodle dish or the appetizer sampler platter instead, he saw her. A woman who’d captured his attention so completely, he nearly dropped his drink as he watched her take a seat at the other end of the bar. She was beautiful, with a sleek, toned frame, slende
r, graceful fingers, large, round, beautiful eyes with creased eyelids, toasted almond colored skin and hair in tight curly ringlets that came just past her shoulders. Surprisingly, she also had an American accent when she ordered her apple martini in English. Most of the Black women he’d seen in HK were from Africa, though there were occasionally a few from the UK as well.

  He’d run into American women in HK from time to time, but never someone like her. Cheng was fairly certain that the woman now seated at the opposite end of the bar from him was Black, but he would guess that she had some kind of mixed race ancestry in her family’s background too. Cheng had never seen a woman who made everything else around him feel like it melted into non-existence in her wake. In a word, she was extraordinary. He hadn’t meant to, but he stared at her so long and so intensely, he caught her attention.

  The lady looked up at him and must’ve seen the blatant interest he couldn’t conceal even if he’d wanted to. She smiled shyly and then looked back down at her drink. Normally, Cheng would’ve felt embarrassed at having been caught so openly gaping at a woman, but he’d just downed his own drink and it must’ve been fueling his bravado with liquid courage. After all, he did live by the “just do it” motto to the fullest.

  Cheng realized suddenly that he should’ve eaten first since he’d just had a double shot of whiskey on an empty stomach, not having eaten since lunch time. Oh well, too late now he thought to himself wryly as he motioned for the bartender. When the bartender came over, Cheng ordered a second drink for himself as well as one for the lady he hoped would allow him to get to know her much better before the night was over.

  ~

  Angela was an attractive woman, or so she’d been told on several occasions. So she was somewhat used to being noticed by her fair share of men in various places around the world. Her job for the US State Department often had her traveling to numerous international sites, but she sometimes found it lonely always moving, shaking and jet-setting. Angela knew how to put on her professional game face and was definitely confident in her abilities when it came to her job.

  Yet for some reason, she didn’t feel nearly as comfortable randomly starting up conversations with strangers she ran across out in the big, wide world. Though the gorgeous man at the other end of the bar was making her rethink the limitations imposed by her social awkwardness and general shyness. She’d had the instinct that someone was watching her and when she’d looked up to meet his gaze she couldn’t help but smile at him like a simpleton.

  She hoped he didn’t think she was behaving in a way that made her seem as silly as she currently felt. If only she were more like her best friend Beverly. Beverly believed in getting what she wanted above all else. If a desirable man was scoping out Bev like he wanted to devour her slowly, sensuously, Bev would definitely find a way to make it happen. Angela wasn’t like Beverly though. So instead, the best Angela had managed had been a tiny, juvenile, idiotic smile.

  The good thing about that inane little smile, however, was that it had apparently worked well enough to give Mr. HK Super Model the green light. Angela had barely sipped out of her first drink when the bartender slid her over a lychee martini and inclined his head towards the other end of the bar and said “from the gentleman over there.”

  “Thanks,” Angela said as she accepted the drink with a slight dip of her head and another weak smile in the handsome stranger’s general direction. She took a deep breath, then proceeded to make a cheers gesture towards the man, which he returned in kind, before she gulped down the drink he’d sent her. Good thing it had been delicious and smooth, which had made it easy to chug down so quickly. Then Angela immediately returned her attention to her first drink, pretending to study the glass, thereby giving her an excuse to keep her eyes averted from the man.

  Angela couldn’t help but think about how it was a good thing that the stranger was handsome even without “beer goggles.” Unfortunately, that thought gave her a slight case of the giggles, that she was having a hard time keeping in check now. Angela became more somber as she thought about the fact that she was twenty-four years old and had never had a one night stand before. She wondered if there really was a first time for everything in life and if this was going to be her first time to engage in a casual affair? If so, how did one initiate such a thing?

  Oh God. She was doing it again. What Bev called “micro dissecting,” or Angela’s tendency to overly analyze absolutely everything. Angela couldn’t help it though. Sometimes other people made her feel so anxious. She always wanted to know what they were thinking and why. She also wanted to know what they thought about her specifically and did she meet, exceed or fail their expectations. Yet as the alcohol loosened her up a bit more, her brain decided it was tired of working in hyper drive.

  She’d been stuck at work all day, then at an exhausting business dinner where she’d had to play peacekeeper and referee between two stubborn idiots (her boss being one of them), and it was getting late now. All Angela wanted to do was go with the flow, relax and maybe even have some fun for once in her life. She glanced up then to see the man making his way over to her.

  Angela nervously tucked a few locks of her hair behind her ear and looked down into her nearly full drink again. She took a sip and watched his continued approach over the rim of her martini glass. He was tall, lean, and sexy; his stride even exuded the utmost in male confidence and swagger. He was so comfortable with himself that he wore his self-assurance like he wore his well tailored suit – as though it was his second skin. He was also much closer to where she was sitting now. Angela took another deep breath. Well, here goes…

  ~

  Under normal circumstances, Cheng would be calling himself all kinds of names akin to the phrase “dumb ass” right now. Despite her earlier tipsy giggle fit, the woman now looked like she’d rather be getting her toenails all ripped off one by one than have him come over and talk to her. It was already too late though. Despite her positively terrified expression, Cheng felt the momentum of his feet carrying him towards her.

  He was drawn to this woman and wasn’t sure he could halt his forward progression to her even if he wanted to. Which by the way, he most assuredly did not, could not. Cheng had to go over to her. It felt like he’d been waiting all his life for this one particular moment and dammit, he was going to seize this instant and live it to the fullest even if it killed him.

  If nothing else, he had to meet her and at least learn her name. He didn’t want to be full of regrets tomorrow, torturing himself by playing the “what if” game over and over again in his own mind. So Cheng had to take the chance to see where just striking up a conversation with this remarkable lady could lead. Despite the playful, boyish, womanizing bachelor image that some local gossips would like to associate him with, Cheng wanted the opportunity to show this woman he was so much more than that.

  He was actually glad she wasn’t a local so she wouldn’t know to associate him with any of that agitating gossip rag rubbish. It might have unduly prejudiced her against him. Cheng briefly mentally flashed back to when he was dating a college student just over a year ago. At the time, he was already receiving some local press attention for being a Liu heir and so-called “golden boy.”

  So when the girl he’d been dating decided to sell her “tell all” story to the highest bidder, Cheng had been thrust even more so into the spot light, but of the very unwelcome variety. He’d been advised, however, not to worry about it and let the would-be scandal die a slow death. Apparently, his defending himself to the public would only make things worse for him.

  He’d immediately broken up with the girl when she’d admitted to him what she’d done. Of course she’d only been looking for additional funding for her studies and seemed genuinely remorseful, once it was too late to undo all the damage that was. Later, Cheng came to understand that she hadn’t really understood all of the ramifications of her actions at the time. Still, her betrayal stung and was only one complicating element in his life then.
/>   It had already been challenging enough for Cheng to deal with that whole situation, but later, the tabloids tried printing more and more inventive, salacious, outrageous lies just to get him to respond, oh yeah and to sell even more of their publications. He’d persevered and had managed to ignore every single scathing word, through eight grueling months, until the whole thing seemed to have finally blown over. Did people really not have anything better to do with their time than try to learn every juicy tidbit about his life? Too bad for them, because there wasn’t much of that in Cheng’s life anyway these days. Actually, there really hadn’t been ever.

  That situation had made him much more reluctant to trust people in general, but women specifically seemed to fall into his automatic category of being untrustworthy these days. So Cheng was surprised as hell at himself when he was suddenly overcome with the strongest urge to really get to know this lady in front of him now. As if doing so was going to forever alter the course of his life. He couldn’t shake the strongest suspicion that this woman would definitely have something to do with his life’s ultimate fate.

  “Do you mind if I join you?” Cheng asked the young woman in his friendliest tone. He smiled at her then and she nervously took a sip of her drink again. Cheng waited patiently for a moment and when she looked back over at him, she simply nodded and inclined her hand to gesture to the seat next to her. So Cheng sat down. He realized then that he’d miscalculated. Looking at her now, not only did he want to get to know her, but being in even closer proximity to her was awakening a hunger in him to physically possess her. He wanted to reach out and touch her, kiss her, make love to her.