A South Beach bachelor party stirs up a scorching affair in USA TODAY bestselling author Jamie K. Schmidt’s Wild Wedding Hookup!
Concierge Mikelina Presley works for a luxurious resort club in sunny South Beach, Florida. She’s thrilled to land a two-week booking for a bachelor party at one of the resort’s most expensive villas—not least because the fiery chemistry between her and best man Bastian Ainsworth is deliciously tempting.
When the groom-to-be suddenly disappears, Mikelina and Bastian team up to find him, bringing them closer together. Their irresistible desire for each other is dangerously distracting, but the stakes are high for both of them: if they don’t bring back the runaway bachelor, Bastian’s little sister will have her heart broken. And Mikelina’s resort stands to lose out on the group’s lucrative booking—which would be devastating for her career.
As the search takes them all over South Beach’s sexiest hideaways, their racy fling becomes something much deeper and Mikelina finds herself falling for Bastian. But she hasn’t told him everything about her past, and a shameful secret weighs heavy on her mind... Can their passionate affair survive the truth?
Harlequin DARE publishes sexy romances featuring powerful alpha males and bold, fearless heroines exploring their deepest fantasies.
USA TODAY bestselling author Jamie K. Schmidt is known for her erotically charged romances. Jamie’s books have been called “hot and sexy, with just the right amount of emotional punch” and “turbo-paced, gritty, highly sexual thrill rides.” A #1 Amazon bestseller and a 2018 Romance Writers of America RITA® Award finalist in erotica, Jamie writes daily, drinks lots of tea and sneaks away to play World of Warcraft whenever she makes her deadlines. Along with her husband, who lets her stick magnetic signs on his car about her books, and her twelve-year-old son, who wants to be her cover model, Jamie lives in Connecticut with her rescue pup, Romeo, who is cool with her writing schedule as long as he can cuddle up in a blanket next to her. You can find Jamie on Twitter, @jamiekswriter, and on Facebook at jamie.k.schmidt.1, where she’ll be chatting about her latest book and wishing desperately for a kitten to be her new writing buddy, and some carbs—not necessarily in that order.
If you liked Wild Wedding Hookup, why not try
Hot Boss by Anne Marsh
At Your Service by A.C. Arthur
Guilty Pleasure by Taryn Leigh Taylor
Discover more at Harlequin.com
WILD WEDDING
HOOKUP
JAMIE K. SCHMIDT
To the MTBs and the seven-thousand-dollar coffee machine. We’ll always have Naples.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Epilogue
Excerpt from Guilty Pleasure by Taryn Leigh Taylor
CHAPTER ONE
MIKELINA PRESLEY WALKED through the five-bedroom beach house, making sure everything was perfect for the bachelor party. Checking the list on her phone, she confirmed that the sheets were five-hundred-thread-count Italian percale. The fridge was stocked with steaks and seafood, and the freezer with several bottles of Russian Standard vodka. The bar was tricked out with top shelf liquor, and the bathrooms all had condoms.
The housecleaning team was putting the finishing touches on the toilet paper by folding the edges into neat triangles on the roll, and then spritzing the air with their signature lime and verbena room spray. Mikelina was confident that Bastien Ainsworth would find everything to his satisfaction for his two-week stay.
As she was locking up, she had the customary pang of fear that a group of selfish rich boys would trash the place for good this time.
She was more than just the concierge for this house. This had been her family’s vacation home until her father’s fraudulent stock market trades landed him in prison and her parents’ assets were seized. Luckily, the beach house had been in Mikelina’s name for several years. So when her parents lost their house, her mother stayed here for a while. When her mother needed more money to pay off her father’s lawyer fees, Mikelina should have put the house on the market. It would have solved all their problems. They would have been millionaires.
But she hadn’t been able to let it go. There had been a lot of happy vacations here. Growing up, her father had worked sixty-hour weeks while her mother concentrated on her charities and social events. But when they came to South Beach on vacation, they had been a family.
Mikelina’s phone rang as she was entering the security code to lock up. It was her boss.
“The house is all set,” she said by way of greeting. Kirk Diamonte didn’t waste time with pleasantries like hello and goodbye, and if you let him start off the call, he’d never let you get in a word edgewise. He was the CEO of the global Five Diamond Resorts Vacation Club. You’d think he’d want to check in and get off the phone as soon as possible. But he gossiped worse than her mother. In fact, the only reason Mikelina had been able to convince her mother to move out so she could rent the house was because of the “nice” conversation she had with Kirk where he had spilled the tea about all their mutual friends.
“Good. The Ainsworth family has booked us for the wedding and honeymoon, too, so we want to start them off with an excellent impression.”
Mikelina had chosen to do a rental contract with the Five Diamond Resorts vacation club because her friend Selena worked as a chef for them. Selena got to travel all over the world cooking for the members of the club in whatever home they decided to rent for their vacation. Mikelina, stuck behind a desk in Manhattan, had thought that sounded glamorous and exotic.
When she contacted Kirk about the property, he had been impressed by the house’s wraparound porch and its proximity to the beach, but even more so by Mikelina’s hotel background. When she lost her New York job because she was spending too much time flying out here to keep her mother calm and centered, Kirk had overlooked her father’s scandal and hired her to be the client liaison for his Florida properties. He also gave her a large percentage of the money that came from renting out her family’s home and she gave that money to her mother to live on.
“I think they’ll be satisfied,” she said. “I was able to scrounge up tickets to Christian Dibiasi’s jam session tomorrow night. Very exclusive. It’s one of South Beach’s best kept secrets.”
Kirk whistled. “Nice score. That’s what I’m talking about. Try to anticipate their needs. The Ainsworth family is one of our biggest clients.”
“The bar is stocked, the fridge is packed, and the sound system is keyed up to caliente,” she said. She only hoped they wouldn’t puke in the pool or throw lamps at each other.
It had been hard enough to convince her mother that renting out the house was the best option. The fact that strangers would be touching their things and living in their space made her mother cringe. Mikelina wasn’t too happy about it either, but her father hadn’t left them much of a choice. Either they sold the house or rented it out. And in the long run, they’d still have their house once h
er father got out of prison in ten years. Reluctantly, her mother had moved in with her sister in Boca Raton, which was a far cry from Miami.
The worst was when her parents’ antique four-poster bed had been broken by an enthusiastic couple. It hadn’t mattered that they paid for the damages, as well as a hefty penalty fee. It hadn’t mattered that Kirk allowed her to ban them from ever renting the house again. Mikelina had to tell her mother that her grandparents’ bed was kindling.
“I’ve given Bastien Ainsworth your direct number,” Kirk said.
Mikelina hated when he gave clients her cell.
“He’ll be calling you shortly. He had a last-minute request, and you weren’t answering your email.”
“That’s because I was at the house.” Mikelina tried not to sound defensive. Bastien had been emailing daily her for the past six weeks. He wanted everything to be perfect for the bachelor party and was determined to micromanage every second. He didn’t even have the decency to foist the responsibility off on a secretary. No, he had to handle this personally.
Mikelina had become accustomed to his 10:00 a.m. emails and even though he was anal-retentive about his schedule, they sometimes shared a joke or some meme. She supposed it was sweet that he wanted everything to be perfect for his brother-in-law, but she had a feeling that some of the activities wouldn’t appeal to a younger groom. Of course, Bastien wouldn’t take any of her suggestions, so what did she know? This was just her job.
“Whatever he wants, get it for him,” Kirk said. “Money is no object. His credit is good.”
Must be nice.
“They’re spending a fortune with us for this wedding, so everything has to be perfect. I’m only stressing this because I need you to be available 24/7 for this party. No matter how outrageous, make it happen. Give them anything they ask for.”
“I’m not providing them hookers or blow,” she joked. Bastien hadn’t even hinted at anything remotely wild. They were going to do day trips and hang out by the pool. And while that sounded great for a group of older businessmen, it wasn’t what made Miami bachelor parties famous.
Although, she would kill to have Bastien’s planned vacation. Mikelina missed lying out in a lounge chair with a good book. She missed this house. Patting the door affectionately, she turned to get into her car. She had been working killer hours this past year. She was determined that Kirk would never regret hiring her. She wanted to make sure no one thought she was a cheat and a con artist like her father was. It was exhausting, though.
Kirk snorted. “Trust me, these guys don’t have to pay for it. And for the most part, they’re gentlemen, so you don’t have to worry about them getting handsy.”
That was something. Although Mikelina had become rather adept at the step-and-avoid technique. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. I’ll keep my phone on.”
“I’m a little nervous. Rumor has it, the groom is getting cold feet. His name is Jace Benjamin, from the Reigning Benjamins clothing line. It’s a good marriage between the two families. But from what I hear, he’s still looking to sow some wild oats and his future bride, Kitty Ainsworth, has been keeping him on a short leash.”
Mikelina couldn’t care less. She had enough drama in her life. She didn’t need any more. “I’m not sure what I can do about that.”
“Just keep an eye on him. No groom, no wedding. And while Five Diamond would still get to keep the fat deposit, I’d rather have the wedding and the honeymoon at our properties.”
“I think that’s more his future brother-in-law’s job.” And Bastien Ainsworth was welcome to it.
“You know the area. Steer him away from trouble when you can.”
Great. Now, she was a glorified babysitter to spoiled rich boys. While she was trying not to sputter into the phone, Kirk hung up.
Her phone rang almost immediately afterward.
It was the client, and she answered it on the first ring. “Yes, Mr. Ainsworth?”
“Bastien,” he corrected smoothly.
There was a smokiness to his voice that made Mikelina’s toes curl. He didn’t sound how she had expected him to. His emails sometimes had been curt and borderline rude. She couldn’t wait to see what he really looked like when she met him to give him the tour of the house.
Over the past several weeks, she’d gone back and forth picturing him as a trust fund, Ivy League slacker with nothing better to do than make her job difficult, or as the son of a rock star with too much money and not enough people telling him no. She hadn’t so much as found a picture of him on social media or gotten an idea on what he was really like, but she knew his type. She had gone to high school and college with men like him.
“I have a few more requests,” he went on.
“Of course,” she said brightly, even though her fingers tightened on her purse strap. He was arriving tomorrow morning and she could only hope he didn’t ask for something ridiculous like a bowl full of M&M’s—but only the green ones.
“I’d like to have enough beach towels to last us the week.”
“You’ll have two per person and the maids will launder them daily.” And if you had read the paperwork you were sent a month ago, you’d already know that. “Is that sufficient?”
“Make it three per person. What about bathing suits?” he barked.
“What about them?” she snapped, before she could stop herself. Mikelina recovered quickly, though. “Do you need me to have an assortment available?” She looked at her watch. She could just get to her friend Abbie’s surf shop before it closed. It would be a good score for her. Five Diamond Resorts would buy them and add the cost to Bastien Ainsworth’s bill—with a significant markup, of course.
“Yes. Ten male board shorts, size large.”
“Not a problem. I’ll have a selection put in each bedroom as well as the extra towels. Any female sizes?” Abbie had gorgeous hand-painted batik bikinis.
“No,” he said curtly.
Right. Bachelor party. Who needed bikinis?
“Very well,” Mikelina said smoothly. “Was there anything else?”
“Not at the moment.”
Oh goody.
“Please don’t hesitate to call me if something comes up,” she added. “Otherwise, I’ll meet you at the property tomorrow around eleven.”
“Make it ten.”
She rolled her eyes. The contract specified eleven. But whatever. “I’ll see you then.” After hanging up with him, she tossed her phone into her gigantic shoulder bag and headed over to South Beach Surf. It was a quick walk down the quiet, residential area streets.
Mikelina kept her head up high as people looked the other way or glared at her as she passed. She had nothing to do with her father’s schemes. She had been in New York, but Tanner Presley had hurt a lot of people in this neighborhood. Of course, he had hurt his family most of all.
Her phone rang again. Now what?
“Yes, Mr. Ainsworth?” She forced sweetness and light into her tone.
“I would like to review the schedule for the next two weeks with you.”
“Of course,” she said through her teeth. She had it memorized. “I have double-checked all your reservations and I emailed you the confirmation numbers yesterday. You’re all set.”
“Have lunch prepared for us on Friday.”
Thanks for the short notice.
“What would you like?”
“Something light and healthy. We’re going to want something substantial, but nothing heavy.”
That was clear as mud. But she knew they were going parasailing in the late afternoon, so she’d probably have the catering company Selena recommended make them an assortment of deli salads. The shrimp and quinoa one was divine. Mikelina’s stomach growled just thinking about it.
“I’ll take care of it,” she said.
“I was also considering changing Sunday�
�s plans. Can we switch the Segway tour to Monday? I think Sunday we should just hang around the house.”
“That’s a good idea.” He had really overscheduled the bachelor party.
“I appreciate all your help. I couldn’t have set this up by myself. You have made this very easy and I’ll make sure Kirk knows how much you’ve put into this.”
Mikelina blinked at the warmth in his voice. “I’m delighted to help.” That was a stretch, but it was nice of him to acknowledge that she was on top of things. Maybe he wouldn’t be such an entitled snot in person.
“And two of the groomsmen are lactose intolerant, so if you could replace half of the ice cream with nondairy, that should be sufficient.”
And then he had to go and ruin it. She suppressed a sigh. “I’ll make sure it’s done.” Of course, there had been a section in the paperwork on dietary restrictions and that hadn’t been marked off. But at least he was telling her now. She didn’t want anyone sick on her watch.
“See you tomorrow, Mikelina.”
She got a shiver up her spine at the way he said her name. It tickled at her ear and she shook her head to get rid of the feeling. He had a sexy voice. Too bad he was a pain-in-the-ass perfectionist.
CHAPTER TWO
BASTIEN HUNG UP the phone and tried to work on his spreadsheets, but he couldn’t concentrate. He wished the bachelor party was over and done with instead of just beginning. It brought back too many memories of his own wedding and what an idiot he had been.
Clicking over to his external drive, Bastien accessed Jace Benjamin’s folder. Bastien checked the information that he had the private investigator gather for him. Jace was financially solvent. He was not marrying Kitty for her money. But Bastien strongly suspected Jace’s father would reward him somehow for marrying into the Ainsworth family.
Unfortunately, Bastien didn’t know how to prove that without breaking his sister’s heart in the process.
“Knock knock.”
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