How to Lose a Girl in 10 Texts, an all-new second chance romantic comedy from USA Today bestselling authors Delancey Stewart and Marika Ray is now available!
Sophia Whittington is the girl next door. And Dillon Cunningham hates her with the fire of a thousand suns… Only, it’s not hate as much as… something else
And Dillon Cunningham hates her with the fire of a thousand suns… Only, it’s not hate as much as… something else.
The things that happened between them in high school, coupled with the loss of his dad, are a big part of what drove Dillon to decide that a future for him would be far, far away from Solano Creek, his family, and especially, Sophia.
So when his brother Boston’s wedding brings him back to his hometown, and circumstance throws him together with the girl he once thought might be THE ONE, he does everything in his power to avoid her.
But Sophia Whittington has a plan too. Her lingering feelings about Dillon have gotten in the way of everything else she’s tried to do with her life.
She’s going to banish him from her heart for once and for all. And it will only take ten texts.
Grab your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited! Amazon: https://amzn.to/3DpeeTa Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/HowtoLose
Add How to Lose a Girl in 10 texts to Goodreads→ https://bit.ly/3mKuCWS
About Delancey Stewart I’m USA Today Bestselling author Delancey Stewart. My contemporary romances run the gamut of settings and setups, but they always deliver humor, heart and heat. It’s a guarantee.
I write from my home in Denver, CO, where I manage a household full of boys and men. Okay, only one man. The hubs. But two boys. I mean, three if you count the hubs. (You see why I do words and not numbers. I was told there’d be no math in this bio. Someone lied.)
I grew up in California and have had more jobs than anyone on earth (personal trainer, pharmaceutical rep, copywriter, tech writer, marketing director, wine seller, elementary school teacher… I’m not kidding. The list. It goes on.) But the one I love the most is writing, in part because I get to meet people who love books and stories as much as I do! Please don’t hesitate to get in touch to say hello, and don’t forget to join my newsletter!
Connect with Delancey Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vzxpVv Facebook: https://bit.ly/3t6G0gF Instagram: https://bit.ly/3nAZAka Subscribe to Delancey’s newsletter: https://www.subscribepage.com/FancyForm Website: https://delanceystewart.com/
About Marika Ray Marika Ray is a USA Today bestselling author, writing steamy RomComs to brighten your day. All her books come with a money-back guarantee that you’ll laugh at least once with every book. Marika Ray spends her time behind a computer crafting stories, walking the beaches of southern California scoping out the lifeguards, and making healthy food for her kids and husband whether they like it or not. Prior to writing novels, Marika held various jobs in the finance industry, with private start-up companies, and then in health & fitness. Cats may have nine lives, but Marika believes everyone should have nine careers to keep things spicy.
Russel Adler has one job while Elijah Barrett is away. Keep Holly Barrett and her best friend Gemma Livingston safe from those out to collapse Club Solitaire. There’s just one problem, Gemma is pain in the ass. A gorgeous, irresistible, pain in the ass determined to make his job impossible. She makes the Dom in him twitch but he knows he can’t lose focus or people might die.
Gemma Livingston isn’t used to being cooped up but ever since her soon-to-be ex husband nearly got her killed and then faked his own death, she’s been trapped by people who want to keep her safe. Including the mysterious Russell. They have chemistry but he refuses to give in to it and she’s determined to get under his skin.
Forever is the long-awaited conclusion to the Diamond Doms series.
Ivy Nelson writes delicious contemporary romance with kinky alpha heroes and sassy heroines you wish could be your best friend. Club Solitaire is her favorite fictional place to hang out in, and she spends most of her free time spinning tales set there. Ivy currently lives in Las Vegas with her husband of five years and their son. When she isn’t writing, she’s probably reading something dirty or drinking wine with her readers on Facebook. There are lots of ways to keep in touch with Ivy.
It was one moment of stupidity, one second of not thinking twice, and everything spiraled.
I wasn’t supposed to kiss a stranger. But I did.
I definitely wasn’t supposed to like it. But I did.
And now I’m all caught up in the excitement of it.
The thrill and the anticipation of experiencing it again…with him.
Noah Alexander.
But there’s a whole list of reasons I should stay away from him,
One – he works for my father.
Two – he’s much older than I am.
Three – he told me to.
Yet there’s only one reason I shouldn’t… because I don’t want to.
I’m addicted to the fire that burns between us whenever we’re close. I’m addicted to the way he looks at me as if he desires and hates me at the same time. Call me a masochist, but the sound of his voice when he tells me all the things he wants to do to me right before he asks me to leave—it’s thrilling.
No matter how many times he warns that he’ll hurt me, I can’t stay away.
Bella J is an International Bestselling Author, who loves writing dark and gritty romance with alpha-holes who have absolutely no redeeming qualities…until they do. Maybe.
Some of her bestselling novels/series include:
The Rise of Saint
The Fall of Sin
American Street Kings Series
Royal Mafia Series
She lives in Cape Town, South Africa with her husband, two kids, and a chihuahua who gets treated like royalty.
Bella J’s writing motto: The darker the road to love, the sweeter the HEA.
Sophia Whittington is the girl next door.
And Dillon Cunningham hates her with the fire of a thousand suns… Only, it’s not hate as much as… something else
How to Lose a Girl in 10 Texts, an all-new sweet and laugh out loud rom-com from USA Today bestselling authors Delancey Stewart and Marika Ray is now available!
And Dillon Cunningham hates her with the fire of a thousand suns… Only, it’s not hate as much as… something else.
The things that happened between them in high school, coupled with the loss of his dad, are a big part of what drove Dillon to decide that a future for him would be far, far away from Solano Creek, his family, and especially, Sophia.
So when his brother Boston’s wedding brings him back to his hometown, and circumstance throws him together with the girl he once thought might be THE ONE, he does everything in his power to avoid her.
But Sophia Whittington has a plan too. Her lingering feelings about Dillon have gotten in the way of everything else she’s tried to do with her life.
She’s going to banish him from her heart for once and for all. And it will only take ten texts.
Grab your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3DpeeTa
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/HowtoLose
Add How to Lose a Girl in 10 texts to Goodreads→ https://bit.ly/3mKuCWS
About Delancey Stewart
I’m USA Today Bestselling author Delancey Stewart. My contemporary romances run the gamut of settings and setups, but they always deliver humor, heart and heat. It’s a guarantee.
I write from my home in Denver, CO, where I manage a household full of boys and men. Okay, only one man. The hubs. But two boys. I mean, three if you count the hubs. (You see why I do words and not numbers. I was told there’d be no math in this bio. Someone lied.)
I grew up in California and have had more jobs than anyone on earth (personal trainer, pharmaceutical rep, copywriter, tech writer, marketing director, wine seller, elementary school teacher… I’m not kidding. The list. It goes on.) But the one I love the most is writing, in part because I get to meet people who love books and stories as much as I do! Please don’t hesitate to get in touch to say hello, and don’t forget to join my newsletter!
Connect with Delancey
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3vzxpVv
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3t6G0gF
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3nAZAka
Subscribe to Delancey’s newsletter: https://www.subscribepage.com/FancyForm
Website: https://delanceystewart.com/
About Marika Ray
Marika Ray is a USA Today bestselling author, writing steamy RomComs to brighten your day. All her books come with a money-back guarantee that you’ll laugh at least once with every book.
Marika Ray spends her time behind a computer crafting stories, walking the beaches of southern California scoping out the lifeguards, and making healthy food for her kids and husband whether they like it or not. Prior to writing novels, Marika held various jobs in the finance industry, with private start-up companies, and then in health & fitness. Cats may have nine lives, but Marika believes everyone should have nine careers to keep things spicy.
Matilda Shriner spent years fading into the background of marriage and motherhood. She’s more than ready to shed her old identity—the one who suffocated under the crushing weight of tragic loss and then divorce—and rediscover the real Matilda. Especially when she shares a sizzling glance with a stranger the very first night her friends talk her into being social. When that same stranger rescues her from an attack hours later, her quest to find herself takes on new meaning. Because he knows way more about her than he should…
Feather Conrad has been watching Matilda from afar for a long time. From the shadows, he saw her endure the worst a parent can face, her resilience in the aftermath of heartbreak, and her determination to follow her own dreams. Through it all, he fell a little bit in love. Now, thanks to some not-so-coincidental timing, his skills as a private investigator and security specialist might be the only thing standing between Matilda, her fractured family, and a dangerous man with a score to settle. But the same threat that gives Feather the chance to get to know Matilda in person—and prove he’s not an unhinged stalker—puts her in close proximity to her ex and all the history they share.
The secrets he uncovers might just give Matilda everything she wants—and break Feather’s heart.
J.W. Swartz writes contemporary fiction with a little mystery, a little romance, and the kind of real characters who will have you rooting for them from the beginning. Her stories most often take place in Missoula valley of Montana, where the layers of history and culture have blended to form a vibrant, independent-minded, and arts-loving community. She raised her family in the shadow of the mountains around Missoula, and you can find her enjoying local activities with her friends and family.
A vampire princess. A human. One drop of blood changed their lives forever.
Vampires had taken everything from Quinn Hogan during the war. She had spent her entire life hiding from them. The last thing Quinn wanted in life was to be matched to one. Each human was required by law to enter the draft. Her name was randomly picked for submitting her blood sample.
Chances of being chosen? A million to one.
Luck had never been on her side.
Quinn matched with a vampire.
Now she was being shipped off to some random vampire who would probably bleed her dry.
Velika Riskel didn’t want a mate. As the warden of Northwest America, there was no time for her to take a mate. When the human arrived, she had planned to release her, but one look into Quinn’s hazel eyes and all of that changed.
Velika and Quinn’s relationship was doomed from the start. Velika was a seasoned warrior who wasn’t afraid of challenges. The vampire princess was determined to win Quinn’s heart, defend her against a rival, and then claim her.
Ariel Marie is an author who loves the paranormal, action and hot steamy romance. She combines all three in each and every one of her stories. For as long as she can remember, she has loved vampires, shifters and every creature you can think of. This even rolls over into her favorite movies! She love a good action packed thriller! Throw a touch of the supernatural world in it and she’s hooked!
She grew up in Cleveland, Ohio where she currently resides with her husband and three beautiful children.
The most prestigious school around, with the biggest price tag to go with it.
It was a dream. Until it became a nightmare.
One moment. One person.
That’s all it took to bring my entire world crashing down around my ears.
A world I’m not sure I’ll be able to put back together.
Anton
Anger bubbles beneath the surface.
A constant simmering rage that can never be sated.
It’s been like this for a long time. As long as I can remember.
And now she’s here. Under my feet and under my nose.
Poking the bear and kissing the damage.
But I don’t know how to reconcile the hatred with what it’s becoming.
The past is out to get us.
A ticking clock that neither of us can outrun.
Will we burn when the world crashes around us? Or will we rise like the Phoenix?
Goodreads Review – “Oof.
Welcome to The Academy.
Anton and Elena… HOT DAMN!!
This book is amazing! Light on the bully and heavy on the mafia, this book was so addictive!”
Funkybooklover78 – “Can I just say Bravo Heather,
La Famiglia sucked me in from the first page..”
Goodreads Review – “This is such a brilliant read . 100% must read”
H.L. Packer is, quite frankly, a busy bee.
An avid reader as a child, her love for all things written waned into adulthood, the excitement of real life things taking over. But when her life slowed down as she finished her office job for maternity leave, her husband purchased her an e-reader, and that obsession was rekindled.
Quickly she went from reader to reviewer, and then from reviewer to blogger; street teams and promo tours galore. When she began collating her own book boxes over at Romance Readers Book Box UK and had the opportunity to include her own words and worlds, the characters began talking.
Those cheeky characters quickly found themselves written down on the page, and her first series was in progress.
When she is not coordinating her worlds, you can find her running around after her free-spirited three children, and husband, or tending to the dogs, bearded dragons, and snakes that also reside with them.
A break can be found soaking in a bubble bath or enjoying a glass of wine, often still with a book in her hand.
Playing the Player, an all new smoking hot sports romance from New York Times bestselling author Erin McCarthy is coming November 8th, but we have the stunning cover!
When a chance meeting with a tall, hot, and obviously wealthy stranger leads to a sexy hookup, can this Cinderella play to win, or will it all end when the clock runs out?
I did not steal JJ Beckett’s wallet. Or his championship ring.
In fact, seeing as I accidentally left my shoe behind, maybe I should be the one crying thief.
But after a one-night stand with the hottest stranger, I’d ever seen?
Well, that was the last thing I was yelling.
Not that I had time to say much of anything–I was already late for work.
The shoe seemed like a small price to pay for a night like that.
The kind of night I could remember while I’m cleaning other people’s rooms; the kind of night a girl like me never dared to dream of.
C’est la vie, right?
Wrong.
Because the shoe wasn’t the only accidental thing that happened the morning after.
Turns out I may have grabbed his stuff too.
Putting it back isn’t as easy as I’d hoped . . . and as he says, no one plays the player.
Getting caught leads to some X-rated tackles that make it all worth the risk.
Now one of us has to make a big play and decide if this game of love has a final score…
Reserve your copy today!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2YfmnJQ
Amazon Worldwide: https://mybook.to/PlayingThePlayer
Apple Books: https://apple.co/2XUc4ul
B&N: https://bit.ly/2Y0uMQU
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2YuPCbw
Add Playing the Player to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3mc5qIs
About Erin McCarthy
USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Erin McCarthy sold her first book in 2002 and has since written over seventy-five novels and novellas in the romance and mystery genres. Erin has a special weakness for high-heeled boots, martinis, and Frank Sinatra. She lives with her renovation-addicted husband (he built her a bar, so it’s all good!) and their blended family of kids and rescue dogs.
Connect with Erin
Facebook: http://bit.ly/39K0yDk
Instagram: http://bit.ly/37EuvCQ
Twitter: http://bit.ly/2ZWtdQT
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2QtYjMD
BookBub: http://bit.ly/2uqW6Jx
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2FrgL2d
Stay up to date with Erin by joining her mailing list: http://bit.ly/2tYmOsP
Website: https://erinmccarthy.net
“Have a seat, Myers.”
Nerves dance in my stomach, but I do as he says, sitting down on the chair opposite his desk. “I’m sorry.”
Victor looks at me from his computer. “What are you apologizing for?”
“My resume?” I ask. “You saw it? I know I shouldn’t have had it in the office.”
“No,” he says, “you shouldn’t have.”
“I recognize that, and I’m sorry. Won’t happen again.” I’m about to start cold sweating beneath my silk blouse.
Victor raises an eyebrow. “Despite how unprofessional that might have been,” he says, “I didn’t call you in for that.”
“Oh.”
He leans back in his chair and looks at me in that full, scrutinizing way he’d done the other day. That’s twice in a week. I bear the full brunt of Victor St. Clair’s intensity, unsure if I’ll survive a third time.
“So you want to quit,” he says.
“No,” I say. “I mean, I might in the future. This has been a terrific job, truly. But I think I’ve learned all I can in this position. I’m thinking of finding another job, one more challenging, so I can continue to grow. But that’s in the future.”
“Right. Well, that’s excellent.”
I stare at him for a long moment, my heart pounding like I’ve run a marathon. His words don’t make sense. “It’s… excellent, sir?”
“Yes. I have a new job proposal for you.”
“You do?” He has never expressed anything but disdain or a complete lack of interest in me. Had I managed to impress him? I do everything he asks of me and a lot more he doesn’t.
“Yes. It’s unorthodox.”
“Unorthodox?”
He braces his hands on the desk. “You know that my grandfather passed a few months ago.”
“Yes, I do. I helped arrange his funeral.”
“Right. Well, he left a will.”
“Oh.”
“A will with certain… stipulations.”
This I understand. “You want me to coordinate with the lawyers?”
The lines of his face deepen. “No. I’ve already tried that for the past half year. They won’t budge.”
“Oh. Well, I’m sorry.”
His jaw works. “My grandfather’s will stipulates that to gain access to my inheritance, I must be married.”
“Married, sir? Is it legal to include that in a will?”
“I doubt it,” Victor mutters. His hands clench tight around the edge of his desk. “But the old bastard got his lawyers to agree. They filed every loophole available to make sure my inheritance is contingent on my civil status.”
“Wow. I’m sorry, sir. I imagine that’s difficult.”
St. Clair is never going to marry. I know that from working a year with him. Hell, I’d known it after working for him a week. He dated like a tomcat. Over the past couple of months I’d set him up on dates nearly every week.
Not to mention there wasn’t a woman in this world who’d tolerate the long hours he worked. The man had even spent Christmas Day in the office and forced me to answer his emails remotely.
And then there’s the issue of his personality, of course.
“It’s ridiculous,” he says. “But as it so happens, I’ve decided to do it.”
“To get married, sir? To whom?”
“I’m glad you asked, Miss Myers,” he says. There’s a hint of humor in the ice blue of his eyes. “To you.”
“You want me to marry you?”
Victor meets my gaze. I’ve never looked at him for this long before. It’s terrifying. “You want a new job.”
“Not as your wife.”
“Marrying me would get you out of this office.”
“Yes, but not away from you.”
St. Clair blinks once and then his usual scowl breaks, lips curving. Something glitters in his eyes and damned if it doesn’t make me more afraid. “I always knew you wouldn’t last a year.”
My hands curl into fists, nails digging into the meat of my palm. “Six days from now,” I say, “I will have worked for you for an entire year.”
“Well, then you have nothing to lose.”
The man is serious. There are a billion reasons why this is a bad idea, but as I grope for them, I say the first one I can think of. “But you’re not the marrying type.”
The same half curl to his lips. “This would be a marriage in name only, Miss Myers. We would not actually be in a relationship.”
“No. Right. I would never… of course not.”
“You’d be compensated handsomely for your time,” he says. “You’re in quite the bargaining position here, Miss Myers. How much do you want for agreeing?”
“I’m not going to marry you for money.”
“You worked for me for money,” he says, voice dropping. “You already trade your time for money. I’m asking for very little of your time for this contract. Only your name, signature, and one year of not being able to marry anyone else. It’s a far better bargain than the job you’re currently at.”
Victor St. Clair is infamous for driving a hard bargain, and he doesn’t relent until the other party accepts. I know. I’ve listened in on more than one of his negotiations, when he pesters and coaxes and intimidates until the person across from him folds. And then he walks away, victory glittering in his eyes, having doubled his fortune.
I just never expected to be the one on the other side.
“But… it’s marriage,” I say, in a brilliant stroke of verbal genius. “It’s not the same as a job.”
“We can decide it is. Come on, Miss Myers. What do you want?” He leans back in his chair, eyes narrowing as he studies me. “An entirely new wardrobe? A year of traveling around the globe? There must be something you want, more than simply out of your current job.”
“You’re really doing this. You’re buying a wife.”
He snorts. “If I was trying to buy a wife, I’d go online. Plenty of people in the market for a green card. No, I want a contract. I want someone I know, someone I can trust to follow orders, who is organized and reliable. Someone who understands exactly what this is.”
“So you thought of me.”
“Well, you submitted your resume.”
“Not intentionally.”
“Does it matter?” he says. “You said you wanted away from me. Well, you won’t have to work for me anymore.”
I stare at him. “But I’d be married to you.”
“You’d have your own bedroom, bathroom and space in my apartment. Your own set of keys. We’d barely see one another.”
“I’d have to live with you?”
St. Clair’s jaw ticks. “One of my grandfather’s rules. I’m aware of how… unorthodox this is.”
“Who on earth was your grandfather?” I shake my head, his desk turning blurry. “No, sir. I’m not going to marry you. I can’t. I won’t.”
“You can,” he says, “and you will.”
“That’s not for you to decide.”
“No, it’s up to you,” he says, and I know not to trust him, but I look up anyway. He’s braced his hands on the desk and ice-blue eyes lock with mine. “This is the chance for a new life, Miss Myers. Leave Exciteur. Make enough money from this deal to do whatever you’ve ever dreamed of. If you want no contact with me, I’ll make sure it’s minimal. You’ll be married to me for a year and not a day longer. After all, you’ve lasted one year with me already. What’s one more?”
I stand on hollow legs. His words make no sense, and yet they do, and that’s why I have to leave. Because I know Victor St. Clair gets what he wants.
And he’s not getting me.
“I’m sorry, sir. But I’m not interested.”
“Take the weekend to think on it. We’ll discuss it further on Monday.”
I force the next words out. “No, we won’t. I’m not interested.”
“Of course, Miss Myers. We’ll see where we stand next week.”
I shake my head, more to myself than for him, and head for the door. The bleak, impersonal atrium that is my office has never seemed so welcoming before.
“One more thing.”
I pause, fingers on the door handle. “If you’re asking me to be the mother of your children too, then the answer is no to that as well.”
Silence stretches out. I want to apologize for the words, but I don’t. Because they’re true. Because who is he to demand this of me? He’s my boss.
But he won’t be my husband.
Grab your copy today! FREE in Kindle Unlimited
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Add to Goodreads→ https://bit.ly/3su7vSTExcerpt
“Have a seat, Myers.”
Nerves dance in my stomach, but I do as he says, sitting down on the chair opposite his desk. “I’m sorry.”
Victor looks at me from his computer. “What are you apologizing for?”
“My resume?” I ask. “You saw it? I know I shouldn’t have had it in the office.”
“No,” he says, “you shouldn’t have.”
“I recognize that, and I’m sorry. Won’t happen again.” I’m about to start cold sweating beneath my silk blouse.
Victor raises an eyebrow. “Despite how unprofessional that might have been,” he says, “I didn’t call you in for that.”
“Oh.”
He leans back in his chair and looks at me in that full, scrutinizing way he’d done the other day. That’s twice in a week. I bear the full brunt of Victor St. Clair’s intensity, unsure if I’ll survive a third time.
“So you want to quit,” he says.
“No,” I say. “I mean, I might in the future. This has been a terrific job, truly. But I think I’ve learned all I can in this position. I’m thinking of finding another job, one more challenging, so I can continue to grow. But that’s in the future.”
“Right. Well, that’s excellent.”
I stare at him for a long moment, my heart pounding like I’ve run a marathon. His words don’t make sense. “It’s… excellent, sir?”
“Yes. I have a new job proposal for you.”
“You do?” He has never expressed anything but disdain or a complete lack of interest in me. Had I managed to impress him? I do everything he asks of me and a lot more he doesn’t.
“Yes. It’s unorthodox.”
“Unorthodox?”
He braces his hands on the desk. “You know that my grandfather passed a few months ago.”
“Yes, I do. I helped arrange his funeral.”
“Right. Well, he left a will.”
“Oh.”
“A will with certain… stipulations.”
This I understand. “You want me to coordinate with the lawyers?”
The lines of his face deepen. “No. I’ve already tried that for the past half year. They won’t budge.”
“Oh. Well, I’m sorry.”
His jaw works. “My grandfather’s will stipulates that to gain access to my inheritance, I must be married.”
“Married, sir? Is it legal to include that in a will?”
“I doubt it,” Victor mutters. His hands clench tight around the edge of his desk. “But the old bastard got his lawyers to agree. They filed every loophole available to make sure my inheritance is contingent on my civil status.”
“Wow. I’m sorry, sir. I imagine that’s difficult.”
St. Clair is never going to marry. I know that from working a year with him. Hell, I’d known it after working for him a week. He dated like a tomcat. Over the past couple of months I’d set him up on dates nearly every week.
Not to mention there wasn’t a woman in this world who’d tolerate the long hours he worked. The man had even spent Christmas Day in the office and forced me to answer his emails remotely.
And then there’s the issue of his personality, of course.
“It’s ridiculous,” he says. “But as it so happens, I’ve decided to do it.”
“To get married, sir? To whom?”
“I’m glad you asked, Miss Myers,” he says. There’s a hint of humor in the ice blue of his eyes. “To you.”
“You want me to marry you?”
Victor meets my gaze. I’ve never looked at him for this long before. It’s terrifying. “You want a new job.”
“Not as your wife.”
“Marrying me would get you out of this office.”
“Yes, but not away from you.”
St. Clair blinks once and then his usual scowl breaks, lips curving. Something glitters in his eyes and damned if it doesn’t make me more afraid. “I always knew you wouldn’t last a year.”
My hands curl into fists, nails digging into the meat of my palm. “Six days from now,” I say, “I will have worked for you for an entire year.”
“Well, then you have nothing to lose.”
The man is serious. There are a billion reasons why this is a bad idea, but as I grope for them, I say the first one I can think of. “But you’re not the marrying type.”
The same half curl to his lips. “This would be a marriage in name only, Miss Myers. We would not actually be in a relationship.”
“No. Right. I would never… of course not.”
“You’d be compensated handsomely for your time,” he says. “You’re in quite the bargaining position here, Miss Myers. How much do you want for agreeing?”
“I’m not going to marry you for money.”
“You worked for me for money,” he says, voice dropping. “You already trade your time for money. I’m asking for very little of your time for this contract. Only your name, signature, and one year of not being able to marry anyone else. It’s a far better bargain than the job you’re currently at.”
Victor St. Clair is infamous for driving a hard bargain, and he doesn’t relent until the other party accepts. I know. I’ve listened in on more than one of his negotiations, when he pesters and coaxes and intimidates until the person across from him folds. And then he walks away, victory glittering in his eyes, having doubled his fortune.
I just never expected to be the one on the other side.
“But… it’s marriage,” I say, in a brilliant stroke of verbal genius. “It’s not the same as a job.”
“We can decide it is. Come on, Miss Myers. What do you want?” He leans back in his chair, eyes narrowing as he studies me. “An entirely new wardrobe? A year of traveling around the globe? There must be something you want, more than simply out of your current job.”
“You’re really doing this. You’re buying a wife.”
He snorts. “If I was trying to buy a wife, I’d go online. Plenty of people in the market for a green card. No, I want a contract. I want someone I know, someone I can trust to follow orders, who is organized and reliable. Someone who understands exactly what this is.”
“So you thought of me.”
“Well, you submitted your resume.”
“Not intentionally.”
“Does it matter?” he says. “You said you wanted away from me. Well, you won’t have to work for me anymore.”
I stare at him. “But I’d be married to you.”
“You’d have your own bedroom, bathroom and space in my apartment. Your own set of keys. We’d barely see one another.”
“I’d have to live with you?”
St. Clair’s jaw ticks. “One of my grandfather’s rules. I’m aware of how… unorthodox this is.”
“Who on earth was your grandfather?” I shake my head, his desk turning blurry. “No, sir. I’m not going to marry you. I can’t. I won’t.”
“You can,” he says, “and you will.”
“That’s not for you to decide.”
“No, it’s up to you,” he says, and I know not to trust him, but I look up anyway. He’s braced his hands on the desk and ice-blue eyes lock with mine. “This is the chance for a new life, Miss Myers. Leave Exciteur. Make enough money from this deal to do whatever you’ve ever dreamed of. If you want no contact with me, I’ll make sure it’s minimal. You’ll be married to me for a year and not a day longer. After all, you’ve lasted one year with me already. What’s one more?”
I stand on hollow legs. His words make no sense, and yet they do, and that’s why I have to leave. Because I know Victor St. Clair gets what he wants.
And he’s not getting me.
“I’m sorry, sir. But I’m not interested.”
“Take the weekend to think on it. We’ll discuss it further on Monday.”
I force the next words out. “No, we won’t. I’m not interested.”
“Of course, Miss Myers. We’ll see where we stand next week.”
I shake my head, more to myself than for him, and head for the door. The bleak, impersonal atrium that is my office has never seemed so welcoming before.
“One more thing.”
I pause, fingers on the door handle. “If you’re asking me to be the mother of your children too, then the answer is no to that as well.”
Silence stretches out. I want to apologize for the words, but I don’t. Because they’re true. Because who is he to demand this of me? He’s my boss.
But he won’t be my husband.
About Olivia
Olivia is a twenty-something hopeless romantic who loves billionaires heroes despite never having met one. Taking matters into her own hands, she creates them on the page instead. Stern, charming, cold or brooding, so far she’s never met a (fictional) billionaire she didn’t like.
A voracious reader of romance, Olivia picked up the pen a few years back and what followed was a love affair of her own. Now she spends her days grinning at the steamy banter she’s writing or swooning at happily-ever-afters. Or, to be frank, struggling with writing about herself in third person for the purposes of marketing.
She’s been writing contemporary romance novels since 2018.
They’re all exclusively available on Amazon and enrolled in Kindle Unlimited.
(Phew. Now I can go back to first-person love stories!)
Love and Sins, an all-new prequel novella to dark and angst-filled new adult Love & Ruin Series from bestselling author J.A. Owenby is available now!
Can’t a guy catch a break?
I’m focused on my band and college.
We’re finally gaining a following, and we’re determined to make it
in this industry.
But my past refuses to let me go.
One wrong decision.
One devastating event shattered my soul.
Now, I’m struggling to pick up the pieces and questioning if I’ll be able to move forward.
All while I’m trying to keep my best friends safe from my enemy and my alcoholic father off my back.
With every step forward, my past haunts me.
All I want is redemption and a new start.
But I might be ruined beyond repair.
My hope is dwindling
Until I see her …
Whoever she was had helped me break through my writer’s block. Her quiet strength had pierced my soul. I recognized the pain and fear, yet she’d picked herself up off the ground and faced her ghosts. That wasn’t weakness. That was determination. The same determination I’d had after I lost Kendra.
Chaos slammed into me and caged me in my worst nightmare, the horror of that final day playing through my mind. No! Clenching my hands into fists, I willed myself to focus on reality. I refused to wallow in the past when my future was right in front of me. Whether she realized it or not, that girl was my hero.
Whatever had happened to her was bad, and I had no idea how to break through her walls. But there was only one way to find out.
About J.A.
International bestselling author J.A. Owenby grew up in a small backwoods town in Arkansas where she learned how to swear like a sailor and spot water moccasins skimming across the lake.
She finally ditched the south and headed to Oregon. The first winter there, she was literally blown away a few times by ninety mile an hour winds and storms that rolled in off the ocean.
Eventually, she longed for quiet and headed up to snowier pastures. She now resides in Washington state with her hot nerdy husband and cat, Chloe (who frequently encourages her to drink). She spends her days coming up with ways to torture characters in a way that either makes you want to throw your book down a flight of stairs or sob hysterically into a pillow.
J.A. Owenby writes new adult and romantic thriller novels. Her books ooze with emotion, angst, and twists that will leave you breathless. Having battled her own demons, she’s not afraid to tackle the secrets women are forced to hide. After all, the road to love is paved in the dark.
Her friends describe her as delightfully twisted. She loves fan mail and wine. Please send her all the wine.