Service with a Smirk

by Ariel Tachna

  “We wouldn’t want to impose,” Nicole said even as Martine’s smile widened. Pascal almost said no on principle. He wasn’t sure he’d survive Mathias getting friendly with his ladies.

  “It’s not an imposition,” Mathias said. “We’re celebrating. It’s not a business dinner. Although it looks like you’re celebrating too.”

  “Just bringing Pascal his usual gift,” Martine replied. “It comes out in two months, but this one is extra special, so I made sure to get an advance copy just for him.”

  Pascal took the package she handed him, balloons and all.

  “Why is this one extra special?” he asked.

  “Open it and see.”

  Pascal didn’t usually open the books they brought him until he was home and could enjoy them in private, but Martine was looking at him expectantly, not to mention Mathias.

  “Let me pull the tables together, if you’re going to do this, and then I’ll open it.”

  “Are you sure you don’t mind?” Martine asked Mathias.

  “I’m sure.”

  Pascal set the gift basket in front of Mathias with a stern, “Don’t touch,” and gestured for another waiter to help him move the tables together. Once everyone was situated, he took the package back and unwrapped it carefully.

  At the top of the cover, even above the title, the words “The Long-Awaited Conclusion” jumped off the page.

  “What’s this?” he asked Martine.

  She smiled up at him from her seat. “When I started the series, it was to cheer you up and give you hope where you didn’t see any. Last I heard, there’s a wedding in the works. Seems like you got your happy ending, so I thought it was time to give my fictional Pascal his as well.”

  “I’ll drink to that,” Mathias said, raising his glass.

  “Hold that thought,” Pascal replied. “I haven’t brought drinks for everyone. I’m sure Nick has your drinks ready. Let me get them, and then we can have a toast.”

  Nick had a tray of five cosmos ready to go when Pascal approached. He carried it back to the table, served his ladies, and took his own drink.

  Martine lifted her glass. “To happy endings.”

  Pascal met Mathias’s gaze as everyone clinked glasses and smiled at the pure, unadulterated joy that matched what he felt perfectly. Yes, he’d drink to that.

  More from Ariel Tachna

  When Anthony Mercer walked into Au cœur du terroir, he was looking for good food and a pleasant evening spent with a friend. He never expected to meet—and sleep with—Paul Delescluse, a waiter at the restaurant. After spending a magical week together in Paris, Anthony must return to his life in North Carolina, while Paul remains in France.

  Despite the distance and the lack of promises between them—Paul wants sex, not a relationship—Paul and Anthony forge a solid friendship. Then Anthony’s job takes him back to Paris, this time to stay. Paul is thrilled to have him back, but Anthony has a harder choice: be another of Paul’s conquests or fight for the relationship he knows they could have, if only Paul would believe it.

  All for Love: Book One

  When sword-for-hire Teodoro Ciéza de Vivar accepts a commission to “rescue” Lord Christian Blackwood from unsuitable influences, he has no idea he’s landed himself in the middle of a plot to assassinate King Philip IV of Spain and blame the English ambassador for the deed. Nor does he expect the spoiled child he’s sent to retrieve to be a handsome, engaging young man.

  As Teodoro and Christian face down enemies at every turn, they fall more and more in love, an emotion they can’t safely indulge with the threat of the Inquisition looming over them. It will take all their combined guile and influence to outmaneuver the powerful men who would see them separated… or even killed.

  All for Love: Book Two

  Aristide, Léandre, and Perrin pledge only three loyalties in life: their king, their captain, and their passion for each other. So when the musketeers discover a plan to accuse M. de Tréville of treason, the initial impulse to kill the messenger, Benoît, is tempered by their need to unmask the plotter. But their first two suspects, the English ambassador and Cardinal Richelieu, prove to be innocent, forcing the musketeers to delve deeper into the inner machinations of the French court.

  Meanwhile, Aristide finds himself falling in love with the ill-fated messenger, a blacksmith without a home who rouses all of his protective, possessive instincts. Benoît, however, has no interest in any man. Torn between desire and duty, Aristide must find a way to protect the king and clear his captain’s name—all while heeding the demands of his heart.

  All for Love: Book Three

  “Are you surprised that strength is drawn to strength?”

  For the last six years, the gypsy healer Raúl has lived a life he never dreamed possible. Gerrard Hawkins has stood at his side, his love a source of silent strength like nothing Raúl has ever known.

  When a letter from Gerrard’s estranged father forces them in separate directions—Gerrard back to England to make peace with his family and Raúl to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer for his annual pilgrimage—Raúl expects to suffer for their parting, but he holds on to their plans to meet again in France when Gerrard has satisfied his father’s demands.

  Gerrard left England never expecting to return, especially after he pledged his life and love to Raúl. Yet he cannot dismiss his father’s offer of peace without some acknowledgment. When he arrives in England to find tragedy, his sense of duty toward his family’s tenants wars with his promises to Raúl.

  As tensions mount and illness spreads in France, Raúl stands as a bastion of hope, but his strength is not limitless. Gerrard is the rock he leans on, and without that strength, Gerrard’s arrival in France may come too late.

  Lexington Lovers

  Horses were his passion, until he laid eyes on his boss.

  Eighteen months ago, tragedy struck Bywater Farm when a riding accident killed Clay Hunter’s lover and traumatized his prize horse, King of Hearts. Clay and King lingered in limbo, surviving but not really living, until a breath of fresh air in the form of Luke Davis, a new groom in the stud barn, revives them both.

  When a fall from King’s back sends Luke to the emergency room, Clay watches the shaky foundation of their budding relationship tumble down. Can Clay really love a jockey again, or will his fear of losing another man he loves keep them apart for good?

  Readers love At Your Service by Ariel Tachna

  “At Your Service is a beautifully written tale where two guys rise from the despair of heartbreak to find and experience the true meaning of love.”

  —QUEERcentric Books

  “If you’re looking for a nice read with two endearing characters—and also Paris—then definitely pick this one up.”

  —Joyfully Jay

  “This is a lovely, sexy, emotional, hopeful story. Love can win the day if you are willing to fight for it!”

  —Divine Magazine

  “If you love your stories with some angst, travel and struggles towards romance, then At Your Service by Ariel Tachna is the story for you. I absolutely recommend it.”

  —Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

  When ARIEL TACHNA was twelve years old, she discovered two things: the French language and romance novels. Those two loves have defined her ever since. By the time she finished high school, she’d written four novels, none of which anyone would want to read now, featuring a young woman who was—you guessed it—bilingual. That girl was everything Ariel wanted to be at age twelve and wasn’t.

  She now lives on the outskirts of Houston with her husband (who also speaks French), her kids (who understand French even when they’re too lazy to speak it back), and their two dogs (who steadfastly refuse to answer any French commands).

  Visit Ariel:

  Website: www.arieltachna.com

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArielTachna

  E-mail: arieltachna@gmail.com

  By Ariel Tachna

  Best Ideas

  Château
d’Eternité

  With Nessa L. Warin: Dance Off

  Fallout

  Her Two Dads

  Highland Lover

  Home for Chirappu

  In Search of Fireworks

  The Inventor’s Companion

  The Matelot

  Music of the Heart

  Once in a Lifetime

  Out of the Fire

  Overdrive

  The Path

  Popcorn Garlands

  Rediscovery

  Revelations in the Dark

  Rose Among the Ruins

  Seducing C.C.

  Stolen Moments

  A Summer Place

  With Madeleine Urban: Sutcliffe Cove

  Testament to Love

  Why Nileas Loved the Sea

  AT YOUR SERVICE

  At Your Service • Service with a Smirk

  DREAMSPUN DESIRES

  LEXINGTON LOVERS

  #8 – Unstable Stud

  #19 – A Matchless Man

  GAMES LOVERS PLAY

  Amorous Liaison • Best Behavior • Ride ’em Cowboy

  HOT CARGO

  Healing in His Wings

  With Nicki Bennett: Hot Cargo • Something About Harry

  LANG DOWNS

  Inherit the Sky • Chase the Stars • Outlast the Night

  Conquer the Flames • Cherish the Land

  PARTNERSHIP IN BLOOD

  Alliance in Blood • Covenant in Blood • Conflict in Blood

  Reparation in Blood • Perilous Partnership • Reluctant Partnerships

  Lycan Partnership • Partnership Reborn • Partnership Reforged

  With Nicki Bennett

  Under the Skin

  ALL FOR LOVE

  Checkmate • All for One • Stronghold

  THE EXPLORING LIMITS SERIES

  Exploring Limits • Stretching Limits • Refining Limits

  Breaking Limits • Transcending Limits • No Limits

  Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS

  www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  Published by

  DREAMSPINNER PRESS

  5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA

  www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Service with a Smirk

  © 2017 Ariel Tachna.

  Cover Art

  © 2017 L.C. Chase.

  http://www.lcchase.com

  Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.

  All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. 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 the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.

  ISBN: 978-1-63533-217-9

  Digital ISBN: 978-1-63533-218-6

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2016915173

  Published January 2017

  v. 1.0

  Printed in the United States of America