Oh those wicked real estate developers! And our guest blogger today, Neil S. Plakcy, has a steamy new novel with just the right amount of villain. Tell us about it, Neil:
Real estate developers often get a bad rap. They’re accused of everything from paying off government officials to flouting conservation laws to subjecting tenants to egregious clauses.
developers. In my construction career, I’ve built shopping centers from Albany, New York to Manhattan, New Orleans to Miami, and I’ve worked for both good and bad people—just like in any occupation. The “enemy” in my enemies-to-lovers romance is a good guy developer, who a passionate woman eventually convinces to adjust his plans to honor the history of the area and the local environment.
But I needed a villain, someone who would force the developer and the preservationist in my story to work together. An uber-villain, if you will.
It wasn’t hard to come up with Morgan Swan, the owner of Black Swan. He’s a rapacious businessman who has specialized in coercion and bribery to get the building permits he wants, and then often sold the ready-to-build property to someone who won’t be bound by any of the agreements he has struck.
Victoria and Alex claimed a corner table on the cafe’s wraparound porch, ordering coffee and waiting until the server retreated before spreading the plans between them. Victoria’s knee brushed Alex’s under the table as she leaned in to study the drawings. He tried to ignore the contact and focus on the crisis at hand.
“Look at this foundation design.” She tapped the page. “They’re planning to backfill part of the shoreline to accommodate the parking structure.”
“Black Swan is known for this. Coming in with overwhelming force, pushing projects through before opposition can mobilize.” Alex watched her face as she studied the plans. “He’s already got three commissioners in his pocket.”
“Four.” She looked up, meeting his eyes. “Commissioner Epstein called me this morning to ‘explain’ his position. Apparently, Miami desperately needs another Neiman Marcus.”
“More than it needs workforce housing?”
“More than it needs anything, according to Epstein.” She sat back, wrapping her hands around her coffee cup. “This is worse than your project, Alex. The environmental impact alone...”
It was the first time she’d used his first name. Something shifted in the air between them, the professional facade cracking just slightly.
And here’s another, to demonstrate the kind of tactics a villainous developer can use:
Epstein’s smile didn’t waver, but something flickered in his eyes. “The Commission is always happy to work with developers who understand Miami’s needs. Swan’s project would bring significant tax revenue and jobs.”
“Like the jobs he promised in Port Haven?” Alex kept his tone casual. “Before that project mysteriously fell apart?”
“I’m not familiar with all his other projects.” Epstein turned to look out his window. “Though I hear he’s had some impressive successes.”
“He has interesting methods of achieving those successes.” Alex watched the older man’s reflection in the glass. “The kind that sometimes lead to unfortunate questions about commissioners’ voting records.”
Epstein turned back slowly. “Are you implying something, Rivera?”
“Not at all. Just expressing concern about Miami’s reputation. It would be a shame if certain development practices from up north found their way down here.” Alex stood. “I know how much you’ve always cared about doing things the right way, David.”
The commissioner’s face had gone carefully blank. “Swan has friends here, Alex. Powerful ones. Be careful where you stick your nose.”
“I always am.” Alex headed for the door, then paused. “By the way, how’s Michael enjoying Boston U’s law school? I hear he’s in line for a clerkship with the same judge who often rules in favor of Morgan Swan’s projects.”
He caught Epstein’s sharp intake of breath before closing the door behind him. One commissioner compromised. How many more to go?
Have I worked with guys like Morgan Swan? You bet. I was young and inexperienced, and I needed the job more than I needed a conscience. Not that I could have done anything myself—by the time I met tenants, they had already signed restrictive leases, and I had to make them stick to those deals. Marble storefront for a mall drugstore? Got it. Hiring extra construction staff to make the grand opening? I’m there.
Even when we as the developers didn’t stick to our deadlines, the tenants had to suck it up. Like spend extra money to put up plastic tarps over portable generators to make the mall interior warm enough to install their storefronts.
Morgan Swan is that kind of guy, and it’s up to preservation attorney Victoria Whitmore and her original enemy, developer Alex Rivera, to band together and stop him. Even if it means sharing a bed in a sold-out hotel during a Boston snowstorm.
If you’re going to fight the good fight against a villain, you’ve got to be willing to pay the price!
BLUEPRINT FOR PASSION sizzles with forbidden attraction, forced proximity, and the undeniable heat of Miami nights. This steamy enemies-to-lovers romance proves that sometimes the best foundations are built on opposites attracting.
Content warning: Contains a Latin lover who knows exactly how to push all the right buttons, steamy scenes that will fog up your windows faster than a Miami summer day, and enough sexual tension to rival the Florida humidity.
An Enemies to Lovers Contemporary Romance by Neil S. Plakcy
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