if you think for one minute I'm going to treat you like my child because that gets your rocks off you've got another thought coming,” Julia took her coat and hung it on the coat stand. She turned to Bella and smiled, “I don't know where I meet these men. I really don't.”
Bella knew exactly where Julia met these men.
She was a serial online dater and Bella also suspected that on the sly her friend was a nymphomaniac.
Petite with delicate elfin features, Julia looked much younger than her thirty-five years and was never short of admirers, Bella being one of them.
Bella admired Julia's thirst for life and the fireball of energy that she carried around inside.
“Right, let's get this show on the road,” Julia said like she did every morning when they arrived at the coffee shop she owned.
Within an hour of her uttering these words, The Lemon Tree coffee room was teeming with customers.
It had once been described as the jewel in New York's crown by an acclaimed food and drink reviewer of the New York Times and their clientele was an eclectic mix, as vibrant as the interior décor that was a mixture of bright yellows, oranges, and dark blues, giving the coffee shop an almost Mediterranean feel.
The client range varied from the students from the local university who usually bought one latte between six of them and would stay huddled in the corner on the orange sofas for as long as they possibly could.
In comparison, high-flying businessmen and women who patted out their orders, their brusqueness as sharp as their suits and stiletto heels, also frequented the coffee shop.
“Choose one of them,” Julia quipped throughout the day. “Any of them. Just choose one.”
“I can’t do it,” Bella regretted telling Julia about the article suggesting one-night stands were good for the broken hearted.
“Yes, you can. You are an amazing woman, Bella. It’s time you started living an amazing life.”
It wasn't until mid-afternoon that things had started to slow down in coffee shop.
Just as Julia suggested they take a break and were both nursing a well-earned latte, the bell tinkled, heralding the arrival of another customer.
“Oh,” the words fell out of Bella’s mouth as she looked towards the door.
Julia whistled under her breath before whispering in Bella's ear, “Ten out of ten? A candidate for your new life, maybe?”
Bella couldn’t answer – her breath had vanished.
Chapter 2
Owen Parker's day started pretty much in the way it always did - a short, sharp platinum power shower followed by breakfast of eggs Benedict accompanied with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.
Owen knew that he cut a formidable figure.
His short black hair crowned his caramel colored features. His piercing green eyes were at odds with his half-caste origin but were also his best feature and he knew it.
His broad six foot four inch frame was toned to perfection but today, he felt at odds with himself as he shrugged his body into his black Armani suit.
Of course, he knew what had caused his discontent.
As always, it was down to Priscilla.
She was his long-term girlfriend and at times Owen saw her as more of a hindrance than a pleasure. Recently she had started to become really difficult, so difficult, in fact, Owen had completely lost his temper the previous evening and called his chauffeur and then ushered Priscilla into the limousine, ignoring her pleas to just let her stay.
When he had met her, Priscilla had been such fun but for months now she had been banging on about commitments and how he was so non-committal when after three years most women were expecting a proposal along with an engagement ring.
In Priscilla's world, that would have meant a diamond ring the size of a small rock.
Owen would have loved to be able to meet her demands but unfortunately as he had explained the
Bella knew exactly where Julia met these men.
She was a serial online dater and Bella also suspected that on the sly her friend was a nymphomaniac.
Petite with delicate elfin features, Julia looked much younger than her thirty-five years and was never short of admirers, Bella being one of them.
Bella admired Julia's thirst for life and the fireball of energy that she carried around inside.
“Right, let's get this show on the road,” Julia said like she did every morning when they arrived at the coffee shop she owned.
Within an hour of her uttering these words, The Lemon Tree coffee room was teeming with customers.
It had once been described as the jewel in New York's crown by an acclaimed food and drink reviewer of the New York Times and their clientele was an eclectic mix, as vibrant as the interior décor that was a mixture of bright yellows, oranges, and dark blues, giving the coffee shop an almost Mediterranean feel.
The client range varied from the students from the local university who usually bought one latte between six of them and would stay huddled in the corner on the orange sofas for as long as they possibly could.
In comparison, high-flying businessmen and women who patted out their orders, their brusqueness as sharp as their suits and stiletto heels, also frequented the coffee shop.
“Choose one of them,” Julia quipped throughout the day. “Any of them. Just choose one.”
“I can’t do it,” Bella regretted telling Julia about the article suggesting one-night stands were good for the broken hearted.
“Yes, you can. You are an amazing woman, Bella. It’s time you started living an amazing life.”
It wasn't until mid-afternoon that things had started to slow down in coffee shop.
Just as Julia suggested they take a break and were both nursing a well-earned latte, the bell tinkled, heralding the arrival of another customer.
“Oh,” the words fell out of Bella’s mouth as she looked towards the door.
Julia whistled under her breath before whispering in Bella's ear, “Ten out of ten? A candidate for your new life, maybe?”
Bella couldn’t answer – her breath had vanished.
Chapter 2
Owen Parker's day started pretty much in the way it always did - a short, sharp platinum power shower followed by breakfast of eggs Benedict accompanied with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.
Owen knew that he cut a formidable figure.
His short black hair crowned his caramel colored features. His piercing green eyes were at odds with his half-caste origin but were also his best feature and he knew it.
His broad six foot four inch frame was toned to perfection but today, he felt at odds with himself as he shrugged his body into his black Armani suit.
Of course, he knew what had caused his discontent.
As always, it was down to Priscilla.
She was his long-term girlfriend and at times Owen saw her as more of a hindrance than a pleasure. Recently she had started to become really difficult, so difficult, in fact, Owen had completely lost his temper the previous evening and called his chauffeur and then ushered Priscilla into the limousine, ignoring her pleas to just let her stay.
When he had met her, Priscilla had been such fun but for months now she had been banging on about commitments and how he was so non-committal when after three years most women were expecting a proposal along with an engagement ring.
In Priscilla's world, that would have meant a diamond ring the size of a small rock.
Owen would have loved to be able to meet her demands but unfortunately as he had explained the
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