The Playboy Billionaire (The Romero Brothers, Book 3) (18 page)

“Will you marry, Blue?”

“Oh, my God, are you kidding?” Blue could
hardly breathe. She was nodding and tears of delight gushed down her face.
“Yes. Yes. Yes.” She reached over and grabbed Zack's neck and hugged him to
her.

“Yes. I will marry you, Zack!”

“And this year’s honor for the National
Wine Awards goes to…” the announcer at the gala event lifted the trophy in her
hand. “Zack Romero, president and CEO of Romero Winery and Vineyard.”

A round of applause erupted from the packed-to-capacity
auditorium at the Trade Center as hundreds of press cameras clicked away. All
eyes were fixed on the stage.

Zack was reluctant at first to go to the
stage by himself. He said earlier it was a team effort and he wanted Blue by
his side for capturing the greatness of the vineyard’s legend and the rest of
his team for making it all work.

“Wow! Well, here’s the thing. I’m not a man
who relishes in giving speeches. But today I will make the exception.”

Laughter rang from the audience.

“On a serious note, I would like to thank
each and every one of you here for this.
For making this
happen.
Just like growing grapes in a vineyard takes a nurturing hand and
caring and passion, so does cultivating healthy relationships in our business
and in…our lives. And it’s all about growth. It’s all about not just letting
things sit. Everything takes time, care and tending to…” Zack’s eyes captured
Blue’s in the audience. “And just like the time it takes to sow viable seeds
that may one day blossom into delightful treasures, anything that you work long
and hard for is well worth the wait and worth the effort.”

Zack went on to talk about the programs
they have in the community to help support other companies. Saying was what set
them apart from the others. Caring and sharing go hand in hand. That was how
his grandfather raised them and that was what he shared with his team. “Because
that, my friends, is true success, giving your best, being your best and
sharing…only your best!”

A huge round of applause filled the room,
once again, and this time the audience stood up in recognition of this year’s
honorary winner of the National Winery Awards!

It was a truly blessed evening.
While at the Romero Estate, prior to the awards, the Romeros, once
again, celebrated Zack and Blue’s engagement.
Carl, Troy, Dion, Alonso
and Jules, of course, reiterating that they doubted very much they’d join
Lucas, Antonio and Zack in holy matrimony. Toni teased them and said, “Don’t
count on that, my boys. Don’t count on being a true bachelor for too long.” He winked
knowingly.

Moments earlier they viewed the beautiful
documentary of the Vineyard and Winery produced by Blue Monroe and her team.
She’d won an award earlier for her work that caught her by surprise. She didn’t
know it would also be featured in the awards section.

Around the white table-clothed table,
guests of honor seated were Jules, Alonso, Carl, Toni, Troy, Shelly, Antonio
and Lucy, Lucas and Maxine, who
was
about to deliver.
All dressed to impress in their black tie affair suits. Blue wore a shimmering
gown that accentuated her curves. A floor-length flowing ball gown. Zack looked
dressed to kill in his tailored tux. The man oozed sexual power, no matter what
he had on. Over three thousand affluent guests filled the hall.

Blue noticed Carl glancing over at Venus,
the vineyard’s receptionist, once every so often. Toni noticed it too, she
thought. It was obvious Carl had some feelings for Venus. Blue felt giddy
inside for Venus. If anyone deserved love, it was Venus.

She was happy with Zack and she wanted
everyone to find someone.

Later, after an exquisite dinner and meal,
the ballroom was open for an after-ceremony dance. Blue went into the restroom
to powder her face. She could not wait until tonight to have Zack all to
herself again. He’d been all worked up about this show because he wanted to
announce his new program to honor hard-working, upcoming winery entrepreneurs,
too. It would all fall under the umbrella of his company.

Venus was on her cell phone and looked
distraught.

“Are you okay?” Blue asked, trying not to
pry.

“Oh, I’m fine, thanks,” she said, ending
her call. “It’s never easy when you’re all by yourself and doing it all, you
know. Sometimes, I wish I had a…partner.”

“You’ve been crying,” Blue assessed, her
voice comforting.

“Oh, no. I’m just…I have to leave. Tristan
is having trouble with the new babysitter. Finding a good caregiver is hard.”

“I know. You’ve always said you wished you
were able to afford private daycare. Hopefully, things will work out for you. I
hope you do meet the right-”

“Oh, no. Let’s not even talk about that,”
Venus dismissed. “I…I could never get married or settle down. I wish I could
but-”

“Never? Why? Are you still…married to
Tristan’s father?”

“Oh, no. I’m not married. Never was. I’m
just saying, oh, Blue. You and Zack look so happy together. Just be glad you
are both free to love each other.”

“What do you mean by that, Venus? Aren’t
you free to…be with anyone?”

“No. Blue, I can’t really talk about
my…past but…I’m just thankful to have a job. But unlike you, my life is…
well,
I could never get close to any man. I mean, I could
but…well, between you and me, it’s better that I don’t. Anyway, congratulations
on the beautiful film and I’m so happy for you and Zack. He's a good guy.”

“Thank you,” Blue said, softly.

Blue was still puzzled by Venus’s anxious
behavior and her earlier statement. Venus was such a kind woman, hardworking,
single-parent
who seemed to love her son so much. And Venus
came to Blue's rescue one too many times while Blue was trying to figure her
way around getting the right information for the vineyard in the documentary.
She couldn’t have done it without Venus’s dedication and hard work. They’d even
shared countless lunches together and became friends. Yet, Venus was always
secretive about her background and her home life.

What could have possibly happened in Venus’s
past that would make her feel she could never be loved?

***

For the next sizzling
installment of The Romero Brothers “The Billionaire’s Proposition” (Carl Romero
and Venus Jackson’s story) join Shadonna Richards’s email signup at
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Books by Shadonna Richards

THE ROMERO BROTHERS
SERIES

The Billionaire’s
Second-Chance Bride (Antonio & Lucy)

A Bride for the
Billionaire Bad Boy (Lucas & Maxine)

The Playboy
Billionaire (Zack & Blue)

The Billionaire’s
Proposition (Carl & Venus)

The Billionaire’s
Baby (coming soon)

The Billionaire’s
Assistant (coming soon)

Snowbound with the
Billionaire (coming soon)

THE BRIDE SERIES

An Unexpected Bride
 
(Book 1)

The Jilted Bride
 
(Book
2)

The Matchmaker Bride (Book 3)

His Island Bride (Free) (Book 4)

An Unexpected Baby
(The sequel
to An Unexpected Bride)
(Book 5)

The Billionaire’s Second Chance Bride
*also part of the Romero Brothers Series
(Book 6)

The Belmont Christmas Bride
 
(March 2014) (Book 7)

The Bride Series Collection (Books 1-5 and other stories)

WHIRLWIND ROMANCE SERIES

Accidentally Flirting with the CEO (Free) (Book 1)

Accidentally Married to the Billionaire (Book 2)

Accidentally Falling for the Tycoon (Book 3)

Accidentally Flirting with the CEO 2 (Book 4)

Accidentally Flirting with the CEO 3 (Book 5)

The Billionaire’s Whirlwind Romance (Books 1-3)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SHADONNA RICHARDS,
USA Today
Bestselling Author

Shadonna Richards enjoys reading and writing
about the magic of romance and the power of love. She has sold over 300,000
copies of her bestselling romance novels, the Bride Series and Whirlwind
Romance Series, in the past eighteen months. Born in London, England, she has a
B.A. Degree in Psychology and a Diploma in Nursing. Winner of Harlequin's So
You Think You Can Write 2010 Day Two Challenge, she is also a member of Romance
Writers of America. She's a proud mommy and wife and lives in Canada with her
husband and son.

AUTHOR CONTACT:

Email:
[email protected]
Website: www.shadonnarichards.blogspot.com
Facebook
:www.facebook.com
/authorshadonnarichards

SOME INTERESTING
FACTS
:


* All books in her
Bride Series (as of May, 2012) have hit the #1 spot in their categories


* Three of her
Bride Series novels simultaneously occupied the Top 5 Hot New Releases in
Romance Anthologies in May 2012
*

Five of her Bride
Series novels were simultaneously listed in the Top 20 Bestsellers list in
Romance Anthologies in May 2012


* Her
novels: The Matchmaker Bride, His Island Bride and The Bride Series (Novels
1-4) made the Top 100 Most Wished For list in April 2012 & May 2012 in the
top 10 spots


* She made
Amazon's Top 100 Most Popular Authors in Contemporary Romance at #48 in March
2013


* She made
Amazon's Top 10 Most Popular Authors in Contemporary Romance in November 2013