Coming soon, Bobby Hernandez, Second Base.
Bottom of the Ninth, book 5
This book can stand alone.
A bit about the book:
Star Nighthawk second
baseman, Bobby Hernandez shunned groupies looking to share his bed and his bank
account. Seeking a woman who would recapture the Dominican culture he’d lost
was like finding a four-leaf clover…until he met smart, sassy, in-your-face
Elena Delgado, newbie reporter.
A confrontation,
and a hostile interview couldn’t cool the sparks igniting between them. Secrets
smoldered. Lies revealed. Could Bobby stop protecting his heart and take a leap
of faith? Would Elena risk everything for him, or sell him down the river to
get ahead?
Caution: locker room language.
A taste of the book. Please note that this excerpt has not been professionally edited yet.
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“Is that you?”
Anita Mendoza tossed an open copy of the magazine, Celebs ‘R Us, on her desk.
“Who?”
“Don’t play with me, Elena. Are you that woman, in the
picture? The one who dumped a drink on Bobby Hernandez?
Elena Delgado, sat across from her boss, editor-in-chief
of Hoy!, a New York City Spanish language
newspaper. The young reporter crossed and re-crossed her legs. She shifted in
her seat.
“Are you?” Anita sat forward, her eyes blazing, her
brows drawn down.
“Okay. Yes. That’s me.”
“What the Hell?”
“He was being obnoxious. Coming on to Tina.”
“Tina? That flirt? And I suppose she had nothing to do
with it? He just wandered over from the bar and hit on Tina?”
Elena looked down at her hands. “Well, no. Not
exactly.”
“I didn’t think so. Why did you take her there? You
know how she is. Every time she sees an attractive man, she has to add him to
her list.”
“She’s only eighteen. She wanted to meet him.”
“And how did you know where he was?”
“I looked him up on the Internet. The Hide-Out was
listed under ‘favorite places’.”
Anita shook her head slowly. “You have a temper,
Elena. You’re going to have to curb it.”
“I was only protecting Tina.”
“You want to protect Tina? Take her to a movie.”
“I’m sorry. I’m not sure what the big deal is. The
picture only shows my back.”
Anita sat back, an inscrutable smile on her face.
“I know that look. Whatever you’re thinking, forget
it.” She waved her hand.
“Yesterday I received a reply to my request.”
“What request?” Elena asked, sweat breaking out on her
forehead.
“To interview Mr. Hernandez.”
“What?” Elena rose halfway out of her seat.
“That’s right. He’s an important member of the
Hispanic community. He’s risen to the top, worked hard, used his talent, and
has succeeded. He’s a role model. And we’re going to interview him.” Anita
smiled.
Elena plucked a tissue from her purse and mopped her
face. “Some role model, hitting on young girls.”
“Tina is eighteen. She could have walked away.”
“Fine. You’re giving the story to Luis, right? He
loves baseball.”
“Nope. I’m giving it to you.”
“What? Oh no, you’re not. I’m not interviewing that
jerk.” Elena shook her head.
“Oh yes you are. I don’t need some suck-up to
interview this man. I want a real reporter. One who will ask the hard
questions. And that’s you.”
“No, it isn’t me.”
“Oh yes, it is. And this story here,” Anita poked the
magazine, “just confirms what I’ve thought all along–you have guts and are not
afraid to speak up. You’ll get an in-depth interview. One that goes beyond the
surface and the adoration. Yours will be worth reading. That’s why you’re doing
the interview.”
“I’m not interviewing that man.”
“Then you’d better call unemployment,” Anita said, her
voice low.
“You’re kidding, right? You’d fire me over this?”
“Damn right I would. I’m the boss, Elena. And if you
can’t respect that and take the assignments you’re given, then you can damn
well work someplace else.” Anita’s lips compressed into a thin line.
Elena recognized that look. There was no arguing.
“What a great opportunity to apologize for humiliating
the man in public! He’s very attractive, you could do worse than to spend a
couple of hours in his company,” Anita said, sitting back, twirling her pen.
“Yeah, yeah. If you say I have to do it, I will,”
Elena said, tamping down her anger.
“Here,” the boss lady leaned forward, holding out a
piece of paper. “The front office gave me his cell. Get going. Make it a long
interview. We’ll do it as a two-parter. Get more bang from the buck.” She
laughed. “Bang! Eh, Elena? I doubt that will apply to you though, right? Unless
it’s a bang in the head with a baseball bat.”
“Okay. Don’t rub it in. No, I don’t like him. But I’m
a professional. I’ll do the interview.”
“Good. Have the rough draft on my desk in ten days,”
Anita said, picking up her phone.
That was Elena’s signal to leave. She pushed up from
her chair and headed back to her cubicle. Her heart sank. Last thing she wanted
was to see that asshole, Bobby Hernandez, again. Fortunately, the story in Celebs ‘R Us gave Anita a plausible
excuse for Elena to object. Then she’d never have to admit the real reason to
her boss.
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The book should be published within two weeks. If you'd be interested in reviewing an ARC, please email me at:
sunnydaysbook@gmail.com
Put BOBBY ARC in the subject line.
