Salazar's One Night Heir by Jennifer Hayward

The Secret Billionaires - Book Three

On the 16th of May, June, and July, look for interviews with the authors of each book in this fun trilogy about tycoons who go undercover to win a bet and lose their hearts along the way...

How does your hero go under cover?

Alejandro Salazar poses as horse groom, Colt Banyon in the stables of his family's enemy.

What does he think when he finds out exactly what the bet entails? (Share a couple of lines if you like)

Alejandro’s thrilled when he discovers what his assignment is. He’s been searching for time in his insanely busy billionaire schedule to avenge a decade’s old feud between his family, the Salazars, and the legendary Hargrove dynasty of Kentucky. Here’s a few lines:  

      Alejandro’s mouth twisted as he switched to Bacchus’ other side, toweling the sweat from the gelding’s dark coat. No doubt the idea of him breaking his back shoveling horse manure for two weeks with a name torn from the pages of a Hollywood script had provided an endless source of amusement for his mentor. But if Sebastien had been here, he would have told him this chance to provide his grandmother with the justice she was seeking would indeed provide him with the closure he’d been looking for. He should be thanking his mentor for the opportunity.

      The feud between the Salazars and Hargroves had been going on for decades—ever since Quinton Hargrove had illegally bred his mare Demeter to his grandmother, Adriana Salazar’s, prize stallion Diablo while the horse had been on loan to an American breeder. The Hargroves had gone on to build an entire show jumping legacy around Diablo’s bloodline, one Adriana had never been able to match.

      Heartbroken, his grandmother had been unable to attain proof as to what the Hargroves had done, watching as her fortunes plummeted and the Hargroves star had risen

  

Who is your heroine? What does she think of Alejandro when she first meets him?

My heroine is the Hargrove’s beautiful heiress, Cecily. She’s a world cup calibre equestrian, scarred by a recent fall in competition on her favourite horse, Bacchus. Alejandro, undercover as a Hargrove groom, is a master with horses because he’s grown up working summers on the Salazar’s Belgian horse farm.

In the opening scene, Cecily, who’s trying to make it back to international competition after her and her horse’s injury, is frustrated and scared as she attempts a practice course. When gorgeous, sexy 'Colt' tries to tell her how to handle her horse, she’s incensed. And sparks fly!

What situations or challenges does Alejandro face that risk exposing him?

The spark between Cecily and Alejandro is undeniable. Cecily’s intent on exploring it, Alejandro’s determined to ignore it. But when Cecily draws Alejandro away from the Hargrove’s annual summer barn party and the man her father wants her to marry, they share an illicit dance and an even more illicit night together. 

Alejandro’s identity, however, is almost blown as Cecily’s suitor stumbles upon them during their dance and picks a jealous fight with Alejandro. Suddenly he’s in danger of blowing his cover with his unintended entanglement with Cecily.    

What does Cecily think when she realizes who he really is? (Share a few lines of her reaction.)

She’s just a bit furious. I’ll let the excerpt speak for itself!

            Clad in a cream dress made of some soft material that hugged every memorable curve, a sky high pair of stilettos, her honey blonde hair a smooth silk curtain that fell over her shoulders, Cecily looked every bit New York chic. Gorgeous. But it was the icy glitter in her beautiful blue eyes that commanded his attention.

            Ai por Deus. She knew. Dust in his throat, gravel in his mouth. What the hell was she doing here?

            Deseree stared at them both with unabashed fascination. He snapped his stunned brain back into working order. He needed to defuse this…fast.

            “Tell my father to start the meeting without me.”

            Deseree’s jaw dropped. Salazar board meetings were sacrilegious. His father, Estevao Salazar, the Chairman of the Board, was known for his legendary temper tantrums over the tardiness of its members to his strictly laid out quarterly meetings. A true professional, however, Deseree didn’t miss a beat, simply picked up the phone and started dialing.

            Alejandro gestured toward his office. “After you.”

            Cecily turned on her heel and stalked inside. Her back a band of pure iron, fire sparking from every inch of her tiny frame, her amazing backside set off to perfection in the form fitting dress, she sent a wave of lust coursing through him that defied rationality. Now was not the time.

            He closed the door with a soft click. Faced the firebrand in front of him. Hands clenched by her sides, a flush staining her cheeks, she was clearly furious. He thought he might start with an apology.

            “Eu sinto muito, Cecily,” he murmured, holding her gaze. I’m sorry. “I never intended to hurt you. I tried to take a step back, you know I did.”

            Eyes darkening, she lifted her hand and slapped him across the face. Hard.

            “I deserved that,” he said evenly, jaw reverberating with the force of it. “I deserve your anger. Now let’s sit down and be rational about this. Let me explain.”

            “Rational?” She planted her hands on her hips. “You would like me to be rational? You came to work for my family under false pretenses. You lied to me and everyone else who trusted you, cared about you. You’re lucky I haven’t gone to the police.”

Salazar's One Night Heir is on shelves now or you can buy it at your favourite online retailer. 

Amazon: UK | US | iBooks | Kobo | Nook 

JENNIFER HAYWARD has been a fan of romance since filching her sister’s novels to escape her teenaged angst.

Her career in journalism and PR, including years of working alongside powerful, charismatic CEOs and traveling the world, has provided perfect fodder for the fast-paced, sexy stories she likes to write, always with a touch of humour