He’s hot.

He’s young.

He’s bad.

And Sal Raniero can’t keep his ass out of trouble.

He’s spent months learning to keep clients happy to line his wallet. When an unlikely friendship spins his world upside down, Sal ends up discovering the girl of his dreams. Chasing after Bertie the only way he knows how, Sal pushes out of his comfort zone and forces everyone to realize how far he’ll go to get what he wants.

Welcome to the story of Sal & Bertie… where some dreams only end in a nightmare.

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An excerpt from Tea for Two:

“What’s this?”

“The one to change your life.”

As Kaci read through the dossier, she knew the inherent risk and reward of acquiring him. By pure luck, Sal ended up running off to California at eighteen, and Jack positioned Kaci for bringing him into the fold. If he agreed, his participation would be a game changer.

With the possibility of complete failure looming on her one and only case, she proved years of studying and forcing her body to do the unimaginable was worth it. She fought hard to get to this point and would not disappoint anyone, least of all Jack.

If things fell in their favor, Sal would end up alongside Kaci. If not, they would be on opposing sides, and it would be every man—or woman—for themselves.

Sitting in the back off to the side, Kaci took a seat. Since Sal started, the weekends had become increasingly packed by a rowdy crowd of women and men, all wanting to experience the golden boy’s charms first hand. His performances enthralled, captivating the audience with a personal touch as he welcomed everyone individually.

The courtyard went dark when Mullins took to the stage under a single spotlight. “Tonight, you have all come to see… someone,” he teased suggestively. The crowd went wild, cheering and yelling. Chuckling at their fervor, Mullins added, “Ladies and Gents… Sal Raniero!”

Immediately, the crowd took to chanting “Sally” over and over again, until nothing could be heard but the drum of his name. Kaci glanced around, taking a sip of her water and making sure no one watched her scoping out the stage. Setting down her glass, she noticed a rustle off to her side.

There he was.

Sal Raniero covered in a silk, Italian flag robe. His long, wet curls brushed against his forehead, framing his easily distinguishable profile. The sharp nose and the dark brows contoured hauntingly seductive eyes.

He curled his lip at Kaci as he waited for the raucous crowd to take over like their chants alone would carry him to the stage. She nodded once, pushing her glasses up onto her nose and pulling her ball cap tighter on her head in an attempt to hide.

Sal jumped around, warming his body up as she tried to ignore him by turning away. He stepped closer, pushing his frame against her shoulder as he stole her ball cap and put it backwards on his head. Bending down, he kissed her lips lightly. Sal grinned like the devil and ran towards the stage. He spun around fast, shooting her a million-dollar smile. “Thanks babe!”

Kaci was just another stranger in his legion of fangirls. Before she could comprehend what had just happened, his hips gyrated and pulsed to a booming bass beat. She pulled out her phone and sent a message to Jack.

“He’s fucking charming…”

“I told you—he isn’t like anyone else. You are going to have to play your cards tight.”

Kaci didn’t need to stay for his performance to understand Sal Raniero. He played brilliantly to the crowd, building his confidence up to a cocky, arrogant level. With those eyes and that body, Sal had them eating out of his hand with the flash of a smile.

Dropping the robe, Sal strutted across the stage in a black suit. Still wearing the ball cap, he paced slowly to the back curtain and doffed the jacket, revealing his muscular back. When he turned around, his hands were full of long stem red roses. He placed one in his mouth and jumped out into the crowd, handing them out one-by-one.

Reaching the bar by the entry, Kaci turned to catch one more glimpse of him, only to wind up facing the devil himself. Handing her the last rose, Sal leaned closer and kissed her lips.

His breath brushed against her lip as he taunted with a smirk, “Have a nice night.”

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