Verita Williams

Five years ago, Orlando Duncan created the perfect drug in HEAT. It made the Duncans more than two hundred and fifty million dollars and was on its way to making them billionaires. However, they abruptly stopped manufacturing the drug when it was proven to cause cancer in rats. When Orlando is awakened by an alarm in his old lab, he discovers that not only have all his computers, equipment, and notes been stolen, but the robbers have also taken over a million tabs of HEAT that he’d left behind for future experiments—tabs that he had sworn to his family he would destroy.

Maria Pagliano is a woman on a diet mission. Desperate to drop a dress size before her reunion, she joins the Chubby Chums. But waiting next door is sexy, tempting chef and restaurateur Dante Del Rosso. Dante is all wrong for Maria. He tastes and smells like all the foods she has stricken from her diet. But Maria's love for her singing grandfather, cantankerous grandmother, and matchmaking mother all fill a long-empty spot in Dante's heart. He sets out to win her, using every weapon he has....

Loretha Curry’s life is full. A little crowded sometimes, but full indeed. On the eve of her 68th birthday, she has a booming beauty-supply empire, a gaggle of lifelong friends, and a husband whose moves still surprise. True, she’s carrying a few more pounds than she should be, but Loretha is not one of those women who think her best days are behind her - and she’s determined to prove wrong her mother, her twin sister, and everyone else with that outdated view of aging wrong. It’s not all downhill from here.