Customize My Heart
By Bea Richard
Copyright © 2014
By Belinda Richard
Cover photo by Dreamstime Stock Photos
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by
Any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any
Information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author,
Except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
This is the work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously and any way resemble the actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Published in the United States of America
This is dedicated to my Husband Chris, who never gave up on me.
Love you baby.
CHAPTER ONE
Samantha Maxwell scowled as her 1971 Hemi ‘Cuda came to a sudden stop. It finally gave up and died as she drove to the auto shop a mile away. “Come on Shannon, don’t do this to me.” She turned the key again and got nothing, her car was done.
The car was her mother’s first car and was passed down to Sam when she hit sixteen. Now at thirty years old, Sam realized she needed to get her baby Shannon an overhaul and makeover..
She looked at her watch and grimaced, it was six am. If she was to get her car towed and make it to her eight o’clock meeting with her attorneys to finish the purchase of The View Towers, she needed Vince’s help.
Samantha got her cellphone from the car and placed the call. “Hullo.” a sleepy Vince Moran said, she grinned. “Good morning handsome, it’s Sam. I’m stuck a mile away from your shop. Can you meet me there while I get my baby towed to you?”
He scowled “I told you to bring me Shannon a month ago!” “Yeah I know, but you know I don’t trust anyone with my baby. So, can you meet me?” Vince yawned “I’ll come get you in ten minutes, call the tow company.”
“See you soon” she said as she ended the call. Samantha called the tow company and then called her assistant to meet her at the garage once she’s settled her car in with Vince. She finished her call with Brent when she saw Vince pull up in his truck.
“Hey handsome, still driving in that ugly truck of yours.” He rolled his eyes “don’t hate my truck, at least its running.” She winced. “So tell me, what’s wrong with her.” She gave him the rundown on what her car was doing, he whistled.
“Sam, you do realize that it’s gonna cost you a chunk of change to get it back to pristine condition on just the engine.” She gave a dismissive wave “you’ve been bitching at me to move to Vegas so you can get your hands on Shannon and give my baby a makeover, so here’s your chance.”
Vince looked over the car again as the tow truck arrived and started to back up to load the Hemi ‘Cuda. “Well Cameron’s gonna have a blast getting her restored, do we have a budget?”
She looked at him as if he was insane, “really Vince?” He laughed “alright Ms. Warbucks, let’s get to the shop and on your way. Hey, don’t you close on The View Towers today or did Lily get the dates confused?”
Samantha chuckled “yeah I close today. I called Brent to pick me up at your shop. Now, you don’t need to rush on Shannon. I’ll be heading back to New York tomorrow morning then I’ll be back to look for a place to live in two months. You better charge me for storage because I don’t want her sitting out in these elements.”
Vince looked over his paperwork. “Alright, I’ll let Cameron know and we’ll get started. Thanks again Sam, we need the business badly.”
Samantha looked at Vince confused, he shrugged it off like it was no big deal. “It’s been real slow at the shop. Cameron’s been stressing about it. He worked on the books last night. He’s coming in to give me the status on if we can keep our doors open. Now that we have this job, we can function for another five months.”
She frowned, she didn’t like hearing her best friends were struggling. Lily never gave any hint that the auto shop was in any trouble.
Samantha put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently “if you need help, all you have to do is ask. I know you have to talk it over with your business partner but if you need an investor, I’m your girl.”
Vince smiled and squeezed her hand “we’ll talk when you come over for dinner. Lily is excited to spend time with you and Emma misses her Auntie Sammie.” She laughed “you’re so lucky you’re Lily’s husband. I don’t need to make your wife a widow for the Sammie comment.”
He gave her a hug “thanks Sam. Now let’s finish your paperwork so you can go do what billionaires do while us common folk work.” She scowled at Vince as her assistant pulled up to the garage.
Cameron Davis felt sick to his stomach. He went over the books for the shop and as of this morning he’d have to tell Vince that he could no longer afford to keep the garage going without any business coming into the garage.
It’s been dead for almost a year at CV customs and he was down to his last ten grand before he would have to put his personal collection up for sale. The small repairs and flips they were selling for less than expected were killing the shop.
Cameron hoped there was another way to get business to pick up but right now only a miracle will help them out of this predicament. He walked into the bay of CV Customs and stopped in his tracks. A cherry red 1971 rag top Hemi ‘Cuda sat before him with the hood up.
He walked over to where his business partner and their head mechanic stood, bent over looking over the engine. “Yeah Vince, the manifold is shot and the engine needs a major overhaul. Does the customer know what’s its going to cost to fix it?” Steve asked Vince went go over the rest of the car.
Vince nodded “We have a blank check and Sam wants it handled, whatever it takes.” Cameron bent over to see the damage “morning brother, so, did I hear you correctly, we get cart Blanche on the Hemi?”
Vince grinned at him. “Sam’s a personal friend of the family and wants it restored to pristine, inside and out.” He whistled “damn Vince, that’s over sixty five grand, minimum.”
“Sam put that up front and if we need more I just have to invoice it and send it to The View Towers.” Cameron looked at him in shock “Sam works at The View?”
Vince chuckled “Sam just brought The View.” He stepped back and slapped Cameron on the back of the neck. “Let’s talk brother, we may have an investor for the garage.”
2 months later
“Ms. Maxwell, you have a Mr. Vince Moran and Cameron Davis here to deliver Shannon.” her front desk manager informed Samantha. She showed Brent the changes she wanted to the penthouses for her customers. “Send them up.”
She ended the call then looked at her assistant “I need you finish this then get my Realtor on the line. I want to know when I can go see the house and make a decision so I can move out of the suites here.”
Brent rose from Samantha’s chair when the door to the office opened. The man that walked in with Vince was an Adonis with the sexiest tattoos she’s ever seen in her life. His long black hair was braided down his back. He wore a blue bandanna and had a sexy goatee.
His body was built like a runner and yet his frame was over six feet four inches. He wore a black buttoned down shirt with the sleeves cut off, showing off the works of art on both arms.
His blue jeans were old, but had a comfortable look to them. Hanging low on his hips. She’d bet her hotels he hid a six pack. Finally, his work boots finished the outfit. Cameron had the look of a bad boy who can tilt her world upside down.
Samantha gawked at the sexy man before her. She blushed as she saw his gorgeous smi
le and caramel eyes. “So you must be the infamous Sam Maxwell, I’m Cameron.”
The man that stepped in the room with Vince went passed Samantha and straight towards Brent. “How you doing man. I’ve got to say this, you have one sweet ride with that Hemi. I hope you like what we did with her.”
Vince gave Samantha an apologetic look, she grinned then placed a finger to her lips to keep Vince from correcting him just yet.
Cameron finally looked at the sexy woman standing before him. Raven black hair in a chiffon bun, alabaster skin with baby blue eyes. She had curves that belonged to a sexy smaller version of Betty Paige and her mouth had full lips that all he can think of was biting them.
She wore a black pencil skirt with white silk blouse showing a little bit of cleavage, her white lacy bra catching his full attention. Cameron needed to get this girl’s number after he’s done business with Maxwell.
He gave her a cocky smile “hello there sweetheart. Do you mind getting me a cup of coffee while I do business with your boss?”
Samantha looked amused then raised an eyebrow “cream and sugar, or black?” Cameron winked at her “surprise me.” She rolled her eyes as she went over to give Vince a hug “hey handsome, how’s my god baby?”
Vince chuckled as he shot a glare at Cameron. “She’s good, Lily’s going to be here in an hour to go to lunch with you. By the way Cameron, meet Samantha Maxwell.” Samantha laughed as she saw the look of realization hit Cameron’s face.
Brent smiled then looked over at Samantha, “I’ll bring in the coffee and get started on the changes Sam.” She nodded as she took her seat behind her desk. “So Mr. Davis, I hear you’re looking for a business partner.”
CHAPTER TWO
“Okay so tell me again, why didn’t you inform me Sam Maxwell was a woman.” Cameron said for the tenth time, Vince sighed.
It’s been an hour since they left Samantha at her office and he made a fool of himself. The least his best friend and business partner could have done was give him a heads up.
“I did tell you, you just have this tendency of having selective hearing.” Cameron scowled at his friend “and why didn’t you tell me she grew up with you and your wife?”
Vince rolled his eyes “Jesus Cam, it’s not like it’s the end of the world. Sam thought it was funny that you assumed her assistant was the boss.” He glared at Vince “I assumed because she wasn’t sitting at her desk.”
He still grumbled as he went over the paperwork Samantha had presented them to get the business back in the black. She offered to buy ten percent of the garage with the contingency of helping them with not only getting more business, but setting them up at car shows and an apparel store in the lobby of The View Towers to sell clothing and accessories offered at CV Customs.
The profits of the garage will be his and Vince’s while Sam gets eighty percent of the profit made in the apparel store. He looked over at Vince and saw his business partner reading the contract. “So, you think we should do it?” Cameron asked, Vince nodded.
“It’s a good deal, and I trust her. She’s a good person Cam, she’s the one that gave me and Lily the house as a wedding present as well as the startup money to open the garage.”
Cameron was shocked, he always wondered how Vince came up with that kind of cash. He knew that Vince was a mechanic and worked for a private garage in South Hampton New York, but five hundred thousand dollars wasn’t something you brought to the table.
Cameron also knew Vince’s didn’t get any help from his parents. He thanked his parents for giving him the money he needed to invest in the garage. But he still wondered, how Samantha became so rich.
Vince can see the wheels turning in Cameron’s head and chuckled, “Hey now, she didn’t get the money from some sugar daddy she married. Samantha Maxwell is the daughter to the late Samuel Maxwell, Real Estate Mogul of New York. He made Trump look like he sold trailers.”
Cameron raised an eyebrow “isn’t there a hotel named after the Maxwell’s here?” Vince nodded “Maxwell Grand Hotel. It’s still one of the most sought after hotel stays in Vegas. Sam was in search of a second location when The View’s former owner approached her wanting to sell.
He looked at Vince in disbelief “why didn’t you tell me you knew a billionaire?” Vince shrugged “I guess it’s because we don’t treat Sam that way. Lily, Sam and I were raised together and it seemed strange to think that my wife’s BFF is number five on the Forbes top women billionaires.”
Cameron choked on his coffee “you’re kidding me?” Vince chuckled “dude, Sam’s just Sam. If you treat her any different she’ll call you on it and stay as far away from you as humanly possible.”
He grimaced, “I’m sorry brother. I’m just trying to wrap my head around the fact that the girl I want to have babies with is Samantha Maxwell.”
Vince narrowed his eyes “what do you mean have babies?” Cameron didn’t mean to let that slip out, but he also knew he wasn’t going to take it back. “I want to get to know Samantha better. I’m finding it hard to concentrate when all I can think about is her. Now that I know who she is, I don’t think I’m in her league.”
Vince sighed “to get to know Sam you need to only be yourself. Lily likes you, if you let her know you’re digging on Sam she may help you.”
Cameron grinned “thanks brother. Now, let’s get this signed and sit down with Sam’s marketing team. I can see us going places, soon.” Vince and Cameron fist bumped then commenced on getting the paperwork signed and back over to Samantha’s attorneys.
“So I heard from Vince that Cam came to your office and made an ass of himself.” Lilly said as she got Emma settled in her high chair. They went downstairs to the restaurant in her hotel to enjoy the lunch buffet offered.
Samantha chuckled “yeah he was adorable though. I thought he would pass out on me when he found out I wanted to invest in their business.”
Lily laughed “well serves him right. Anyways thanks for helping Vince out with the business. I know you can get them back on track.”
Samantha looked at her best friend then asked “why didn’t you come to me when Vince was in trouble? You know I would have done anything to get you guys back on your feet.”
Lily shook her head “I know Sam, we just wanted to try and do it ourselves. With me not working and Vince putting in fifteen hours at the shop every day, I just hoped we wouldn’t be put in a position that I would have to go back to work and put Emma in daycare.”
Samantha scowled at that comment. “Emma’s still a baby, she needs her momma at home baking cookies and giving her brothers and sisters to torment. Let Auntie Sammie handle this.”
Lily rolled her eyes and snorted “we’ll talk about that later, now tell me, what you think about Cameron.” Sam squirmed in her seat, which Lily noticed. “Oh, so you’re interested?”
She sighed “he’s hot okay. I saw the hair and the tattoos and all I can think about is to run my fingers down that braid and see how many tattoos he has hiding under his clothing.”
Lily’s eyebrow rose “damn, you’re serious?” Samantha nodded “I know right? I’m afraid I’m just not his type.” Lily looked at her in disbelief “you’re kidding me, you’re gorgeous and so his type. If I wasn’t in love with Vince and a lesbian, I would so be begging you to take a bite of your luscious lips.” Samantha laughed as Lily continued. “I know he’s not seeing anyone, been single for a year now.”
Samantha looked surprised “whys that?” Surely a man like Cameron Davis can have any girl he wanted in the world, much less Las Vegas.
Lily shrugged “Last girl he was with was a complete psycho. She started working for them and getting business since she knew a lot of the auto clubs in Las Vegas. Next thing you know she moved in with Cam. When the garage started getting a ton of business, Nikkie expected to be made partner to the garage.” Samantha frowned then understood. This is where the business took a turn for the worse.
“When Vince said hell no and Cameron agreed, tha
t’s when she went crazy. She started lying to customers, not caring of the consequences, starting fights in the bay, throwing tools around. That’s why the business suffered so much. A lot of the customers were afraid of what she would do if their cars were in the bay and she’d lost it.”
Samantha shook her head in disbelief “so is the girl still around.” Lily nodded then sighed “she’s working for their competition now.”
Samantha scowled “so tell me, are they busy?” Lily nodded, Samantha’s anger rose. “Alright, now I’m defiantly wanting to get them up and running. No one fucks with my family and gets away with it.”
She grabbed her phone and called Brent “hey, I need you to get Mike over to CV Customs now and have him call Jay to ship these five vehicles on the list I’m emailing you.”
She ended the call and looked over at Lily. “What did you do Sam?” she asked cautiously, Samantha grinned. “I’m going to send my cars on tour with CV Customs and show that psycho we’re not the people you want to cross.”
Customize My Heart Page 1