Showing posts with label Sneak Peek. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sneak Peek. Show all posts
Thursday, June 25, 2020
Thursday, June 18, 2020
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Monday, October 7, 2019
#SneakPeek: The Kingmaker by Kennedy Ryan
“A dazzling, thought-provoking, layered romance that will keep you on the edge of your seat. A round of applause for one of the best books of 2019."~ L.J. Shen, USA Today bestselling author
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Friday, January 8, 2016
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Friday, July 31, 2015
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Monday, July 6, 2015
Friday, June 19, 2015
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Sneak Peek: Steeling My Haart by Lizzy Roberts
Title: Steeling My Haart
Author: Lizzy Roberts
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: March 2015
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions
A tragedy is bringing me home and I’m now finding my well ordered and successful life hurled into a whirlwind of uncertainty. The biggest threat of all comes in the shape of Charlie Haart, the number one reason I have stayed away from Glen Springs for so long.
Playlist:
excerpt
*Unedited and subject to change*
He reached into his jacket pocket and palmed the small box he had been carrying close to his heart now for a few months. It contained a modest diamond solitaire he had tirelessly saved from his meagre wage but was going to be the icing on the cake for him and Em. Looking at it now though, it seemed so small and insignificant and he needed to give her the world, not some cheap, tiny second-hand diamond ring.
His plan was to propose to her when they found their first home. Making love for the first time was to be the first night alone in their new bedroom, a room he wanted to adorn with candles and rose petals and give her the romance she so deserved. But now she was moving on to much bigger things, asking her to marry him now was the wrong thing to do. He had wanted at least one ring on her finger before he took the next step with her.
He hadn’t had a lot of experience in romancing a girl and although Emma wasn’t his first, he had wanted them to be in a meaningful stage in their relationship because he wanted to prove to her that she meant far more to him that just sex. She had stolen his heart and soul and he felt like he had a purpose in life when he was with her. But by being weak and selfish in the spur of the moment the night before, he had not only tainted that special moment for them both, but he felt he had dirtied his precious Emma in the process. And thank goodness he already knew she had those pills that protected from pregnancy. He was clean and knew Emma was but he never even broached the fact he didn’t have a condom. He hated himself for not thinking this out and ruining his dreams for them but wouldn’t regret ever taking those precious moments with her especially if that was all he would ever have to take. And that made him no better than his own goddam loser of a father, and that made the fact he was about to walk away that bit less of a bitter pill to swallow.
He took in the sight of her before him right now and tried to take one last mental picture of her. Tears pooled in his eyes as she breathed deeply, looking so serene in the depths of her slumber. Leaning in, he took in one last discrete breath of her scent, and kissing her gently so as not to wake her, he whispered, “Please forgive me, Em, for what I am about to do and I hope you can do what I’m about to ask. Be happy, sweetheart. That is all I want for you. I will be eternally sorry for the way things have happened but please, sweetheart, know that I will love you forever.” Choking back a sob, he collected a few essentials he had found in one of the old metal boxes and he headed out of the shelter and up to the reality awaiting him.
He reached into his jacket pocket and palmed the small box he had been carrying close to his heart now for a few months. It contained a modest diamond solitaire he had tirelessly saved from his meagre wage but was going to be the icing on the cake for him and Em. Looking at it now though, it seemed so small and insignificant and he needed to give her the world, not some cheap, tiny second-hand diamond ring.
His plan was to propose to her when they found their first home. Making love for the first time was to be the first night alone in their new bedroom, a room he wanted to adorn with candles and rose petals and give her the romance she so deserved. But now she was moving on to much bigger things, asking her to marry him now was the wrong thing to do. He had wanted at least one ring on her finger before he took the next step with her.
He hadn’t had a lot of experience in romancing a girl and although Emma wasn’t his first, he had wanted them to be in a meaningful stage in their relationship because he wanted to prove to her that she meant far more to him that just sex. She had stolen his heart and soul and he felt like he had a purpose in life when he was with her. But by being weak and selfish in the spur of the moment the night before, he had not only tainted that special moment for them both, but he felt he had dirtied his precious Emma in the process. And thank goodness he already knew she had those pills that protected from pregnancy. He was clean and knew Emma was but he never even broached the fact he didn’t have a condom. He hated himself for not thinking this out and ruining his dreams for them but wouldn’t regret ever taking those precious moments with her especially if that was all he would ever have to take. And that made him no better than his own goddam loser of a father, and that made the fact he was about to walk away that bit less of a bitter pill to swallow.
He took in the sight of her before him right now and tried to take one last mental picture of her. Tears pooled in his eyes as she breathed deeply, looking so serene in the depths of her slumber. Leaning in, he took in one last discrete breath of her scent, and kissing her gently so as not to wake her, he whispered, “Please forgive me, Em, for what I am about to do and I hope you can do what I’m about to ask. Be happy, sweetheart. That is all I want for you. I will be eternally sorry for the way things have happened but please, sweetheart, know that I will love you forever.” Choking back a sob, he collected a few essentials he had found in one of the old metal boxes and he headed out of the shelter and up to the reality awaiting him.
Pinterest board
#MeettheAuthor
30 - something Mum of two from the North of England (Yorkshire to be precise AKA Gods own Country) who regularly seeks refuge in fictional characters minds. Prefers the hot and hunky men with a romantic side but not averse to a dominant man, nor ones with a dark side too!
She decided, after much persuasion from both her friends and especially her husband to pursue her dream of one day publishing her own book!
So after much deliberation (and nagging from him indoors), her first book Steeling my Haart due for release March 2015!
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Sneak Peek: #TripleX by Christine Zolendz & Angelisa Stone
About The Book:
Title: #TripleX
Authors: Christine Zolendz & Angelisa Stone
Genre: Chic-Lit
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions
Does size really matter?Two women spin a tale of comedy and new beginnings after they wake up and find themselves in a jail cell over 3000 miles away from home. Rehashing their adventure in front of a less-than-sympathetic judge, they give a laugh-out-loud and extremely detailed story of a road trip that finds them in a ton of trouble.
Battling age, weight, and their own personal demons, not only do they discover the open road and a life they misplaced somewhere in their 20s, they also find themselves. From breakups and stealing cars to blurry memories of something that might have happened in New Mexico, these two women will take you on a real journey, full of fun and, well, situations that people only write about and never really do….or do they?
Excerpt:
Prologue
Twitter: That awkward moment when you wake up in jail and you wonder what you did to get there. Then smile. #TripleX
A lone dimly lit light bulb sways gently from the jail cell’s ceiling. It hurts to open my eyes toward it, so I squint to try to ease the pain. A handful of loudly buzzing insects fly wildly around the dull yellow globe and just the sight causes me to scratch at my arms and neck madly. I loathe bugs. And it's like Swarmageddon above my head right now.
Pulling myself up into a sitting position, the throbbing behind my eyes turns sharp and shatters into millions of razor-tipped tiny pieces of glass. I moan as I grab my head in pounding pain. The room spins, and I fall back with a hard thud against the cold concrete wall.
I hear footsteps, heavy and impending, walking along the rough cement of the hallway. I peek through my fingers, but all I can see is the knotted hair of my cellmate, my partner in crime.
The footsteps become louder, closer. Keys are jangling. Someone is whistling, and the screech of the rusty cell door makes scorching bile burn the back of my throat. I swallow twice to keep it down.
"Stone. Zolendz. Up-and-at-'em. Going before the judge," a deep voice bellows. I hate the man instantly.
I believe I moan out some sort of unintelligible sound, but I'm not sure. Who can be sure?
The dull bulb overhead flickers and makes a sizzling sound. Damn, I'm in a place where even the bugs are killing themselves. "Come on ladies, let's go," the voice yells. It's closer now, and the body attached to it starts kicking the wooden bench I'm sitting on. I think my head is going to explode from the vibrations and violent crashes that echo through my head. "What's the matter, not willing to offer up your goods this morning?"
My head snaps up, "Excuse me?"
The man standing over me is older, in his sixties with a long gray beard. His eyes dance with laughter. "Well, Ma'am. That's what you tried to bribe us with last night when we put you in here. Your goooooooods." He kind of shimmies a little and gives a few humps into the air. I vomit a little in my mouth.
"Oh my God. Seriously? Just don't...just don't pay any attention to anything I said, okay?" I mumble my mortification.
"You mean to tell me, you'll be cancelling our hot date tonight?" he laughs, snidely, mocking me. "Come on, Darlin' the judge is waiting on you both. No harm done last night, you both were quite intoxicated."
"Oh God, I think I'm going to be sick." Slowly, I pull myself off the bench, every bone in my body screaming for a few more hours of silently sound sleep. And really, that stupid light bulb is annoying the Hell out of me; someone needs to shoot it.
"Angelisa," I whisper and shake her awake. "Come on. We have to go. A judge wants to see us."
"Blah...Ha. Ha. Very funny. Lemme sleep," Angelisa groans and swats her hand at me. It falls to her side with a loud thwack against the metal rim of the bed.
"I can't. Clear your head and think about last night. Think back. Go ahead," I urge. She doesn't. She remains motionless and silent; all but a small, low snore can be heard. "You seriously need to open your eyes right now, because we're in trouble," I hiss ominously.
Her head slowly turns toward me, eyes blinking open. They dart around the room and widen; a bubble of laughter escapes her lips. "We're in jail, aren't we?"
I smile and join in with her laughter, "We are indeed, waking up together in a jail cell."
"Damn it, I can't go to prison. You know how horrible I look in stripes," she whispers as she climbs up to her feet, grabbing onto my shoulder and using me for leverage.
"Quick," I look around the cell and laugh, "anybody got a cell phone? I wanna take a cellfie."
And we try, we really do try not to fall back down into a fit of giggles, but it's way too hard. We follow the guard down the hallway.
“Dude, I could so be a violent criminal.” Angelisa mumbles. “Shouldn’t you cuff me? Why doesn’t anyone ever want to handcuff me, Chris?” she whines.
“Ummm, she’s not violent. We swear. She’s just…just…dumb.” I explain, nudging her.
“Seriously though, how does he know I’m not packing an oozie in my girly stuff?”
“Ya know that is true. It’s kind of sexist that you don’t think we could be hiding heat?”
“Ladies, the only thing you two are trying to hide…or hide from is good old-fashioned middle age. And quite frankly, neither one of you is doing a bang-bang up job of it,” the son-of-a-slut says, pretending to shoot us.
“Is that what you do now? Shoot blanks?” Angelisa quips, exploding in laughter that spirals out of control until we’re both laughing like lunatics.
“Enough!” he shouts, trying to silence us before we enter the courtroom.
The two of us are still giggling like two immature kids being brought in front of the principal. Matted hair, mascara-streaked cheeks, and barefoot. I’m pretty sure I even have an extra tattoo somewhere.
We're sworn in; big vocabulary is used. Case numbers are brought forth, and I almost fall asleep. I’m just about to face plant into the table with exhaustion when Judge Caroline Jacobson calls both of us up to the podium. "Ms. Zolendz. Ms. Stone. Approach the bench please." She has dark tired brown eyes, the kind that are weighed down with darker brown bags beneath them. Her light blonde hair is pulled back into a tight, painful looking bun. It's streaked with gray. I want to pull out all those restraining pins. I want her to stop feeling so tight and tense behind her bench. I want her to feel free like me, like us.
Almost as if Angelisa’s reading my thoughts, she mumbles, “Man, she needs to get laid…and needs to get those roots done.” I can’t control the giggle that escapes me. The judge eyes us sternly, and you can nearly hear our mouths snap shut.
"As I hear, you both were found in the fountains of the Bellagio last night. Swimming. Naked," she chirps.
"Yes, that's true," Angelisa giggles, proudly next to me.
I nod my head in agreement, "Yeah, that certainly sounds like us—well, the new us, anyway."
The judge pinches her lips into a tight pucker. Doesn't she realize that’s exactly what makes those little wrinkles all around her mouth? She pulls out an envelope marked Prisoner Property/Currency and unfastens the clasp. I suck my lips between my teeth to stop myself from laughing, because this isn't funny—at all. But if I remember correctly, the things in the envelope are.
She slips one dainty little hand in.
Angelisa and I lean forward to watch.
Two books of matches, fifty-six dollars, a bent wedding ring, a fake moustache, a shoehorn, four glow sticks, two “Call for a good time” prostitute cards, a tube of Ben-gay, and an extra large rubbery dildo that flops on its side when she places it on her desk.
"Do you want to explain to me why two fully grown women, respected in their fields, would be caught in this situation…with these items?"
Angelisa and I look and back and forth from her to each other and back again. We both shrug.
"Well, it all started with an apple pie," I smile.
Angelisa nods next to me, "Yes, definitely. That's probably where it all started, the apple pie fiasco."
The judge leans back and draws in a long breath. She pulls her glasses off her fatigued eyes and rubs them softly with her hands. "An apple pie?"
"Yes. A forgotten apple pie. I can tell you every detail except for three or four days where I have no recollection. Both of us can, it's what we do, tell stories."
The corner of the judge's lips curl up the tiniest bit, "Come into my chambers ladies, this I have to hear."
A lone dimly lit light bulb sways gently from the jail cell’s ceiling. It hurts to open my eyes toward it, so I squint to try to ease the pain. A handful of loudly buzzing insects fly wildly around the dull yellow globe and just the sight causes me to scratch at my arms and neck madly. I loathe bugs. And it's like Swarmageddon above my head right now.
Pulling myself up into a sitting position, the throbbing behind my eyes turns sharp and shatters into millions of razor-tipped tiny pieces of glass. I moan as I grab my head in pounding pain. The room spins, and I fall back with a hard thud against the cold concrete wall.
I hear footsteps, heavy and impending, walking along the rough cement of the hallway. I peek through my fingers, but all I can see is the knotted hair of my cellmate, my partner in crime.
The footsteps become louder, closer. Keys are jangling. Someone is whistling, and the screech of the rusty cell door makes scorching bile burn the back of my throat. I swallow twice to keep it down.
"Stone. Zolendz. Up-and-at-'em. Going before the judge," a deep voice bellows. I hate the man instantly.
I believe I moan out some sort of unintelligible sound, but I'm not sure. Who can be sure?
The dull bulb overhead flickers and makes a sizzling sound. Damn, I'm in a place where even the bugs are killing themselves. "Come on ladies, let's go," the voice yells. It's closer now, and the body attached to it starts kicking the wooden bench I'm sitting on. I think my head is going to explode from the vibrations and violent crashes that echo through my head. "What's the matter, not willing to offer up your goods this morning?"
My head snaps up, "Excuse me?"
The man standing over me is older, in his sixties with a long gray beard. His eyes dance with laughter. "Well, Ma'am. That's what you tried to bribe us with last night when we put you in here. Your goooooooods." He kind of shimmies a little and gives a few humps into the air. I vomit a little in my mouth.
"Oh my God. Seriously? Just don't...just don't pay any attention to anything I said, okay?" I mumble my mortification.
"You mean to tell me, you'll be cancelling our hot date tonight?" he laughs, snidely, mocking me. "Come on, Darlin' the judge is waiting on you both. No harm done last night, you both were quite intoxicated."
"Oh God, I think I'm going to be sick." Slowly, I pull myself off the bench, every bone in my body screaming for a few more hours of silently sound sleep. And really, that stupid light bulb is annoying the Hell out of me; someone needs to shoot it.
"Angelisa," I whisper and shake her awake. "Come on. We have to go. A judge wants to see us."
"Blah...Ha. Ha. Very funny. Lemme sleep," Angelisa groans and swats her hand at me. It falls to her side with a loud thwack against the metal rim of the bed.
"I can't. Clear your head and think about last night. Think back. Go ahead," I urge. She doesn't. She remains motionless and silent; all but a small, low snore can be heard. "You seriously need to open your eyes right now, because we're in trouble," I hiss ominously.
Her head slowly turns toward me, eyes blinking open. They dart around the room and widen; a bubble of laughter escapes her lips. "We're in jail, aren't we?"
I smile and join in with her laughter, "We are indeed, waking up together in a jail cell."
"Damn it, I can't go to prison. You know how horrible I look in stripes," she whispers as she climbs up to her feet, grabbing onto my shoulder and using me for leverage.
"Quick," I look around the cell and laugh, "anybody got a cell phone? I wanna take a cellfie."
And we try, we really do try not to fall back down into a fit of giggles, but it's way too hard. We follow the guard down the hallway.
“Dude, I could so be a violent criminal.” Angelisa mumbles. “Shouldn’t you cuff me? Why doesn’t anyone ever want to handcuff me, Chris?” she whines.
“Ummm, she’s not violent. We swear. She’s just…just…dumb.” I explain, nudging her.
“Seriously though, how does he know I’m not packing an oozie in my girly stuff?”
“Ya know that is true. It’s kind of sexist that you don’t think we could be hiding heat?”
“Ladies, the only thing you two are trying to hide…or hide from is good old-fashioned middle age. And quite frankly, neither one of you is doing a bang-bang up job of it,” the son-of-a-slut says, pretending to shoot us.
“Is that what you do now? Shoot blanks?” Angelisa quips, exploding in laughter that spirals out of control until we’re both laughing like lunatics.
“Enough!” he shouts, trying to silence us before we enter the courtroom.
The two of us are still giggling like two immature kids being brought in front of the principal. Matted hair, mascara-streaked cheeks, and barefoot. I’m pretty sure I even have an extra tattoo somewhere.
We're sworn in; big vocabulary is used. Case numbers are brought forth, and I almost fall asleep. I’m just about to face plant into the table with exhaustion when Judge Caroline Jacobson calls both of us up to the podium. "Ms. Zolendz. Ms. Stone. Approach the bench please." She has dark tired brown eyes, the kind that are weighed down with darker brown bags beneath them. Her light blonde hair is pulled back into a tight, painful looking bun. It's streaked with gray. I want to pull out all those restraining pins. I want her to stop feeling so tight and tense behind her bench. I want her to feel free like me, like us.
Almost as if Angelisa’s reading my thoughts, she mumbles, “Man, she needs to get laid…and needs to get those roots done.” I can’t control the giggle that escapes me. The judge eyes us sternly, and you can nearly hear our mouths snap shut.
"As I hear, you both were found in the fountains of the Bellagio last night. Swimming. Naked," she chirps.
"Yes, that's true," Angelisa giggles, proudly next to me.
I nod my head in agreement, "Yeah, that certainly sounds like us—well, the new us, anyway."
The judge pinches her lips into a tight pucker. Doesn't she realize that’s exactly what makes those little wrinkles all around her mouth? She pulls out an envelope marked Prisoner Property/Currency and unfastens the clasp. I suck my lips between my teeth to stop myself from laughing, because this isn't funny—at all. But if I remember correctly, the things in the envelope are.
She slips one dainty little hand in.
Angelisa and I lean forward to watch.
Two books of matches, fifty-six dollars, a bent wedding ring, a fake moustache, a shoehorn, four glow sticks, two “Call for a good time” prostitute cards, a tube of Ben-gay, and an extra large rubbery dildo that flops on its side when she places it on her desk.
"Do you want to explain to me why two fully grown women, respected in their fields, would be caught in this situation…with these items?"
Angelisa and I look and back and forth from her to each other and back again. We both shrug.
"Well, it all started with an apple pie," I smile.
Angelisa nods next to me, "Yes, definitely. That's probably where it all started, the apple pie fiasco."
The judge leans back and draws in a long breath. She pulls her glasses off her fatigued eyes and rubs them softly with her hands. "An apple pie?"
"Yes. A forgotten apple pie. I can tell you every detail except for three or four days where I have no recollection. Both of us can, it's what we do, tell stories."
The corner of the judge's lips curl up the tiniest bit, "Come into my chambers ladies, this I have to hear."
About The Authors:
Christine Zolendz resides in New York City, and is the author of five novels. Her first series, a paranormal romance (heavy on the romance and light on the paranormal) was published in 2012-2013 and includes Fall From Grace, Saving Grace, and Scars and Songs. Her newest series, published in 2014, includes the dark romance Brutally Beautiful and Cold-Blooded Beautiful.
Angelisa Stone is a typical Midwestern wife and mom, frazzled by parenting and housework, and overwhelmed with sports schedules, doctor appointments, and three-dimensional creative projects due "tomorrow morning." Angelisa dreams of white sandy beaches, clear-blue waters, and Midori coladas in hand, but realizes that her loving husband and four not-so-perfect children are her real dreams-come-true. Writing and reading are her passions, and she hopes (and prays with her fingers tightly crossed) that readers will find enjoyment and escape through her words and characters.
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Sneak Peek: Finding Us by Debra Presley
About The Book:
Title: Finding Us
Series: A Nucci Securities Novel
Author: Debra Presley
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: March 2015
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions
COVER REVEAL: January 23, 2015
As Sean ratchets up his threats against her, Abby turns to her bodyguard, Danny Nucci, who will do everything in his power to keep her safe.
But when Abby realizes her feelings for Danny run much deeper than she'd like, she pushes him away as much to keep her own independence as to protect him from Sean's machinations.
When Abby finally finds the strength to confront all that is wrong with her life, she seeks refuge with Danny, but is it too late? Has she pushed him away one too many times for him to trust her now? Or can he put his own demons aside to help repair them both?
Chapter One:
The house lights went on and Abby took in the huge crowd. They were screaming for her to sing one more song. Some held up signs that read “I love you, Abby” and others took pictures and recorded the show using their phones, trying to capture the magic of the night.
She had just spent the last two hours tearing down the house with an elaborate show that included dances, pyrotechnics, jugglers, acrobats, and fucking circus animals. She hated all the glitz and glamour but she was just a pawn in a game much bigger than her.
However, she never liked disappointing her fans. She smiled and waved and the volume in the arena increased tenfold.
“You want more?” she asked her audience and the crowd went crazy. She signaled to the drummer and he started the intro to a song that was recently pegged as her next single to be released by her record company, “Beg Me.” Seemed fitting, since that was what the crowd was doing. Dancers launched from the bottom of the stage and Abby picked it up from there, and sang her guts out and danced like it was her last night at a club. As the last note faded, fireworks lit up the stage.
“Thank you, Vegas” she shouted into the mic. “I love you. Good night.”
The crowd cheered and screamed for her. With one last wave, Abby went backstage, but stopped by her guitarist and latched onto him before she gave him a quick kiss and ran off the stage. The crowd continued to scream and shout her name and she could hear it, even as security whisked her to her dressing room.
Once there, Abby sighed. As she suspected, it was completely packed with staff, media and random groupies all vying for attention. She hated this part of a show, and immediately lost the high from the stage. Her one request for her tours was to have a private area so that she could escape for a little bit. Looked like that wasn’t going to be an option, yet again.
She thought of her mother, who always took that request to the extreme, when all Abby needed was four walls, a door, and maybe a humidifier to keep her vocal cords healthy. But no. Her mother insisted on a “pop star life,” so Abby was met at every venue with a private, completely over-the-top dressing suite filled with unnecessary things and usually unnecessary people.
This one had light lavender walls and soft lighting to help “set the mood.” The floors were cappuccino-colored hardwood, and a lavender area rug had been placed in the center of the room. A deep purple sofa with accent pillows stood on the rug, while two slim lined cream-colored side chairs with brown piping had been placed to the right and left of it. A square glass coffee and a sofa table held freshly cut roses in various shades of pink. A humidifier was placed discreetly behind the sofa, because Abby’s mother thought such things were ugly and didn’t match the décor. No matter that it was the only necessary thing in the room for her.
Lavender-scented candles in various sizes had been lit at least one hour prior to an arrival at a performance location and the dressing room also contained high-speed wireless Internet connection. All things Abby didn’t want or need at the moment. But she had stopped trying to change her mother’s mind. Some days, she just wanted to run away, to some place where no one knew who she was.
Abby scanned the room and found the friendly face of her assistant Sophie. She knew once she could make it to Sophie she’d be in the clear from all the bad stuff.
“You killed it tonight.” Sophie gave Abby a quick hug and handed her a bottled water.
“Thanks, where’s the evil one?” Abby asked as she took a quick sip of the cool drink.
“Bailed as usual.” She gave Abby a warm smile, which took a bit of Abby’s annoyance away.
“Thank God. She knows just how to ruin a good night.” She smiled at Sophie but Sophie didn’t look very happy.
“Don’t get too excited. We might’ve dodged one bitch but there’s one waiting for you. Gina’s looking for ‘a few minutes of your time.’ Don’t worry I’ll save you.” She patted Abby on the back.
“Ugh, fuck. What does that lady want from me? She’s a fuckin’ nosy-ass bitch.” She sighed, knowing there’s no way she could get out of talking to her.
“Well she is a gossip columnist. It’s kinda her job to be nosey.” Sophie giggled.
“Not funny. You were my favorite assistant five minutes ago but now you’re just mean,” Abby said as she stuck her tongue out at Sophie.
“What if I promise to rescue your ass after five minutes?” She playfully poked Abby in the arm.
“I’d say you’d quickly become my best assistant in the world again.”
“Here she comes,” Sophie warned.
“Don’t go far,” Abby pleaded.
“I’ll be over here, keeping a close watch, if she gets too personal use our signal.” She scratched her arm and smiled at Abby. “Five minutes and you’ll be able to get some quiet.”
“Yeah right.”
“Abby, sweetie! Wonderful show tonight.” Gina placed her hands on Abby’s arms and gave her an air kiss on either side of her face.
“Gina, lovely to see you,” Abby said with her best fake smile.
“You and Sean looked cozy up on stage. Things going well?” She asked, totally fishing for something and Abby knew it.
“Yes, perfect. Sean’s amazing. I’m very lucky to have him.” Abby gave her best smile.
“Oh, that’s so good to hear because you know the rumors are flying that he was seen in a very compromising position with a young woman with bright red hair. But I’m glad you think things are good.” She smiled at Abby with a wicked little smirk. Abby knew exactly who she was talking about but she also knew they were just friends. Kelly had introduced Abby to Sean. There was no way anything romantic was going on between them.
“Well you can’t believe everything you hear now, can you?” Abby smiled as she scratched her arm.
“I suppose.” Gina answered and gave Abby a ‘yeah right’ look.
“Excuse me ladies,” Sophie interrupted. “Abby, you need to get ready for your meet and greet. Gina, if you’d like to sit down and do a formal interview with Abby just give me a call and I’ll set it up.” She smiled.
“Sorry Gina, gotta go meet my fans.” Abby gave Gina a quick hug and air kiss. Sophie ushered Abby away.
“Thank God that’s over,” Abby said and sighed with relief.
“By the way, that dress is hot on you, girl.” Abby scanned Sophie’s outfit, a black shift dress with a thick white band down the middle and a square-cut neckline. She sported a pair of black sparkly four-inch platform shoes and had pulled her reddish-brown hair back in a bun. “That’s the other reason I hired you. Our fashionista sensibilities.”
“Learned it from you. Now come on. The inner sanctum awaits!”
Abby followed her into the other room of the dressing area and sank down onto a sofa. She closed her eyes, savoring the quiet.
Always a pillar of efficiency, Sophie retrieved her binder from the coffee table and took a seat across from her. She opened it.
“Okay, tonight we have a meet and greet with a bunch of radio station winners. It starts in about an hour and a half. This should give you time to shower and get ready. We also promised you’d stick around to sign autographs and take pictures. I have an outfit set aside. Amy and John stayed behind to help get you ready.”
Abby sighed in resignation. “I thought you were just saying that to Gina to rescue me. Who signed me up for this little get together?” But she already suspected the answer to the question before Sophie responded.
“Your mom.”
“I knew it. I thought we talked about doing shit like this before shows. Is she coming, too?”
“No, she told me she was going back to the hotel.”
“Well, I guess I should be thankful for small favors.” Abby got up off the sofa. “I’ll shower in a bit.” She went back into the crowd still in the common area of her dressing suite. She wanted to talk to Sean. He always helped her with the stressful “make nice” aftermath of a show. She worked her way around the room, smiling and greeting people as appropriate, then saw Sean tucked in a corner talking a bit too closely to a scantily dressed blonde with her tits hanging halfway out of what little dress she had. Not again. His tall frame leaned over the blonde, and he was running his fingers up and down her arm.
Abby stared, shocked, then headed right for them, ignoring people who were trying to get her attention. She approached the couple from behind so Sean couldn’t see her.
“Am I interrupting anything here?” she snapped.
Sean immediately backed away. “Baby, I was just talking to--”
“Brandi,” the woman said, sounding offended.
“Yeah, Brandi.” Sean smiled nervously. “She was telling me about a club we should check out.”
“Oh, really?” Abby used extra sarcasm in her tone. “Too bad we have no time.” She smiled back, extra sweet. A small group of onlookers had inched closer. “Can I talk with you for a moment, baby?” She continued to smile. With a room full of reporters, she had to keep up appearances. She took his hand and pulled him toward her private dressing area.
Once inside, she shut the door. “What the fuck was that? I can’t leave you alone for more than five fucking minutes without you trying to get into some random skank’s pants? Really?” She kept her voice low, but her tone had an effect. He frowned.
“I was just being nice. She came up to me and wanted to talk. What was I supposed to do? Be rude?” He ran his finger along the seam of Abby’s shirt and looked down at her with a smile.
She always had a hard time resisting him, especially his damn blue eyes. She ran her hand through his longish brown unruly hair that was still sweaty from being on stage.
“Mmm. There,” he said. “See? It’s cool, right?”
“Fuck you, Sean. I see that shit again and you can say goodbye to me, this tour and your fucking career.”
Sean stared at her. “I’m sorry.”
“Fine,” she said with a sigh. “I have to get ready.”
He stepped back to let her pass but grabbed her hand. “Where are you going?”
“I have a fucking meet and greet that my dearest mother set up.”
“I was hoping we could spend some time by ourselves tonight.” He looked down into her eyes and brushed her bangs off her forehead. “I mean it. I’m sorry and we really don’t get time to ourselves. I just thought--”
Abby sighed again but this time she let go of some of her anger. “I wish I could get out of it.”
“Um, sorry to break things up here, but you have to start to get ready if you want to be able to get back at a decent time.” Sophie smiled, apologetic, and Abby wondered how much she had seen.
“Wait up for me?” Abby whispered after giving him a quick kiss.
“Absolutely. How long are you gonna be? I’ll have a bath waiting for you.”
“That sounds nice. A couple of hours, I guess.” She looked over at Sophie, who shrugged.
“Give or take,” she guessed. “The sooner you get ready, the sooner you can finish up.”
Abby smiled. “All right. See you later.” She blew Sean a kiss and headed for the bathroom.
***
Abby walked into the elevator and leaned against the wall, completely exhausted from her long day. All she wanted now was the long hot bath she was promised. Sophie, Danny and Ron followed Abby into the elevator.
“That wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been,” Sophie said as she stood next to Abby.
“Danny was lucky enough to get cornered by the little girl’s mother.” Ron chuckled and pressed the buttons for their floors. “Left me to hold back all the squealing teenagers.”
“You could’ve given me some help. She was disgusting.” He shook himself free of the horrible memory.
“She was quite fond of you.” Abby giggled.
“Not one of you threw out a lifeline. I think I’m gonna need to shower for a week before I get her perfume out of my nose. She reeked.”
“Yeah you do smell pretty.” She goaded and they all laughed.
“I’ll remember this. Just wait.” Danny declared as the elevator door opened to Sophie’s floor.
“Night,” Sophie gave Abby a quick peck on the cheek and waved to the boys.
“Night,” Abby said, waiting inside the elevator with Danny holding the door open, while Ron walked Sophie to her door.
“So, what are your plans for the rest of the night? A late night rendezvous with the smelly cougar?” Abby continued teasing Danny as Ron walked back into the elevator.
“Aren’t you just the funny one this evening. Well, baby doll, it’s two-thirty in the morning, so I’m thinking sleep. Why? Did you have something in mind?”
She got lost for a minute in his deep brown eyes. She’d always thought he was cute, but for some reason, tonight she really wanted to touch his dimples and five o’ clock shadow.
“Um, you still with me, Abby?”
She snapped back to the elevator. “Oh, you want me to answer you?” she said with a little touch of sarcasm. She didn’t want him to think she’d been ogling him. “I told you how I feel about your stupid nicknames.” She tried to sound pissed but didn’t pull it off.
Danny tried to hide his laugh, but didn’t succeed.
Abby changed the subject. Much safer that way. “So, what time are we heading out in the morning?”
“Oh, nine hundred hours,” Danny replied.
“Okay Sarg, I’ll be ready.” She looked at Danny and smiled. The elevator dinged and the doors opened onto the semi-private floor, which held only two suites. One of them for Abby and Sean, and the other was for her personal security guards.
“Well, military man, it’s been a pleasure. I’m gonna go pass the hell out before I have to get up. Have a good night. ’Night Ron.” She smiled at them both while they waited for her to enter her suite.
She slipped the keycard in the slot and walked into the foyer. She strolled into the large sunken living room that was semi-dark, the muted lights from the Vegas strip was the only light that guided her. She made it halfway through the living room before she stopped to remove her shoes from her aching feet. Clearly, some sadistic man created high-heeled shoes.
“Sean?” She called out and continued her journey into the bedroom. Abby opened the door and threw her shoes down next to the dresser.
Sean wasn’t in the bedroom, and a twinge of anger gripped her throat. He said he’d be here when she got back. Even if he decided to go out with the band, he was supposed to be here. She turned the light on then dug into her bag for her phone. It wasn’t there. “Fuck,” she muttered as she walked to the phone next to the bed and dialed Sophie’s room.
“Hey, sorry to bother you, but do you have my phone?”
“No, I don’t think so, but let me look. Hold on.”
Abby chewed her lip, thinking about Sean. Where the hell was he? Worse, who was he with? Her stomach started to ache with stress.
“Hey,” Sophie said. “I don’t have it.”
“Fuck. I must’ve left it in my dressing room.” Typical, considering the way her luck had been tonight. “It makes me nervous not to have it. I’ll go back and look.”
“You can’t go alone.”
“It’ll only be twenty minutes. I’ll just run downstairs and ask management to let me check my room.”
“Bad idea to go by yourself. Ask one of the boys to go.”
“They’re probably already in bed. I won’t be long. You know where I am. When I find my phone I’ll call you.”
“I’m still dressed. I’ll go with you. I’ll meet you at the elevator.”
“You sure?” The last thing Abby wanted to do was take advantage of Sophie, who already had to jump through millions of hoops for her mother.
“Yes. Positive. By the time you reach my floor I’ll be there.”
“Okay, thanks.” Abby hung up and slipped on a pair of flats before she left her room. At the elevator, she hesitated. Should she tell security? She stabbed the button but let guilt lead her the few paces to the other suite where she knocked on the door. A ding sounded behind her and she decided to grab the elevator and call her team when she got her phone. She hurried in before the doors closed.
She had just spent the last two hours tearing down the house with an elaborate show that included dances, pyrotechnics, jugglers, acrobats, and fucking circus animals. She hated all the glitz and glamour but she was just a pawn in a game much bigger than her.
However, she never liked disappointing her fans. She smiled and waved and the volume in the arena increased tenfold.
“You want more?” she asked her audience and the crowd went crazy. She signaled to the drummer and he started the intro to a song that was recently pegged as her next single to be released by her record company, “Beg Me.” Seemed fitting, since that was what the crowd was doing. Dancers launched from the bottom of the stage and Abby picked it up from there, and sang her guts out and danced like it was her last night at a club. As the last note faded, fireworks lit up the stage.
“Thank you, Vegas” she shouted into the mic. “I love you. Good night.”
The crowd cheered and screamed for her. With one last wave, Abby went backstage, but stopped by her guitarist and latched onto him before she gave him a quick kiss and ran off the stage. The crowd continued to scream and shout her name and she could hear it, even as security whisked her to her dressing room.
Once there, Abby sighed. As she suspected, it was completely packed with staff, media and random groupies all vying for attention. She hated this part of a show, and immediately lost the high from the stage. Her one request for her tours was to have a private area so that she could escape for a little bit. Looked like that wasn’t going to be an option, yet again.
She thought of her mother, who always took that request to the extreme, when all Abby needed was four walls, a door, and maybe a humidifier to keep her vocal cords healthy. But no. Her mother insisted on a “pop star life,” so Abby was met at every venue with a private, completely over-the-top dressing suite filled with unnecessary things and usually unnecessary people.
This one had light lavender walls and soft lighting to help “set the mood.” The floors were cappuccino-colored hardwood, and a lavender area rug had been placed in the center of the room. A deep purple sofa with accent pillows stood on the rug, while two slim lined cream-colored side chairs with brown piping had been placed to the right and left of it. A square glass coffee and a sofa table held freshly cut roses in various shades of pink. A humidifier was placed discreetly behind the sofa, because Abby’s mother thought such things were ugly and didn’t match the décor. No matter that it was the only necessary thing in the room for her.
Lavender-scented candles in various sizes had been lit at least one hour prior to an arrival at a performance location and the dressing room also contained high-speed wireless Internet connection. All things Abby didn’t want or need at the moment. But she had stopped trying to change her mother’s mind. Some days, she just wanted to run away, to some place where no one knew who she was.
Abby scanned the room and found the friendly face of her assistant Sophie. She knew once she could make it to Sophie she’d be in the clear from all the bad stuff.
“You killed it tonight.” Sophie gave Abby a quick hug and handed her a bottled water.
“Thanks, where’s the evil one?” Abby asked as she took a quick sip of the cool drink.
“Bailed as usual.” She gave Abby a warm smile, which took a bit of Abby’s annoyance away.
“Thank God. She knows just how to ruin a good night.” She smiled at Sophie but Sophie didn’t look very happy.
“Don’t get too excited. We might’ve dodged one bitch but there’s one waiting for you. Gina’s looking for ‘a few minutes of your time.’ Don’t worry I’ll save you.” She patted Abby on the back.
“Ugh, fuck. What does that lady want from me? She’s a fuckin’ nosy-ass bitch.” She sighed, knowing there’s no way she could get out of talking to her.
“Well she is a gossip columnist. It’s kinda her job to be nosey.” Sophie giggled.
“Not funny. You were my favorite assistant five minutes ago but now you’re just mean,” Abby said as she stuck her tongue out at Sophie.
“What if I promise to rescue your ass after five minutes?” She playfully poked Abby in the arm.
“I’d say you’d quickly become my best assistant in the world again.”
“Here she comes,” Sophie warned.
“Don’t go far,” Abby pleaded.
“I’ll be over here, keeping a close watch, if she gets too personal use our signal.” She scratched her arm and smiled at Abby. “Five minutes and you’ll be able to get some quiet.”
“Yeah right.”
“Abby, sweetie! Wonderful show tonight.” Gina placed her hands on Abby’s arms and gave her an air kiss on either side of her face.
“Gina, lovely to see you,” Abby said with her best fake smile.
“You and Sean looked cozy up on stage. Things going well?” She asked, totally fishing for something and Abby knew it.
“Yes, perfect. Sean’s amazing. I’m very lucky to have him.” Abby gave her best smile.
“Oh, that’s so good to hear because you know the rumors are flying that he was seen in a very compromising position with a young woman with bright red hair. But I’m glad you think things are good.” She smiled at Abby with a wicked little smirk. Abby knew exactly who she was talking about but she also knew they were just friends. Kelly had introduced Abby to Sean. There was no way anything romantic was going on between them.
“Well you can’t believe everything you hear now, can you?” Abby smiled as she scratched her arm.
“I suppose.” Gina answered and gave Abby a ‘yeah right’ look.
“Excuse me ladies,” Sophie interrupted. “Abby, you need to get ready for your meet and greet. Gina, if you’d like to sit down and do a formal interview with Abby just give me a call and I’ll set it up.” She smiled.
“Sorry Gina, gotta go meet my fans.” Abby gave Gina a quick hug and air kiss. Sophie ushered Abby away.
“Thank God that’s over,” Abby said and sighed with relief.
“By the way, that dress is hot on you, girl.” Abby scanned Sophie’s outfit, a black shift dress with a thick white band down the middle and a square-cut neckline. She sported a pair of black sparkly four-inch platform shoes and had pulled her reddish-brown hair back in a bun. “That’s the other reason I hired you. Our fashionista sensibilities.”
“Learned it from you. Now come on. The inner sanctum awaits!”
Abby followed her into the other room of the dressing area and sank down onto a sofa. She closed her eyes, savoring the quiet.
Always a pillar of efficiency, Sophie retrieved her binder from the coffee table and took a seat across from her. She opened it.
“Okay, tonight we have a meet and greet with a bunch of radio station winners. It starts in about an hour and a half. This should give you time to shower and get ready. We also promised you’d stick around to sign autographs and take pictures. I have an outfit set aside. Amy and John stayed behind to help get you ready.”
Abby sighed in resignation. “I thought you were just saying that to Gina to rescue me. Who signed me up for this little get together?” But she already suspected the answer to the question before Sophie responded.
“Your mom.”
“I knew it. I thought we talked about doing shit like this before shows. Is she coming, too?”
“No, she told me she was going back to the hotel.”
“Well, I guess I should be thankful for small favors.” Abby got up off the sofa. “I’ll shower in a bit.” She went back into the crowd still in the common area of her dressing suite. She wanted to talk to Sean. He always helped her with the stressful “make nice” aftermath of a show. She worked her way around the room, smiling and greeting people as appropriate, then saw Sean tucked in a corner talking a bit too closely to a scantily dressed blonde with her tits hanging halfway out of what little dress she had. Not again. His tall frame leaned over the blonde, and he was running his fingers up and down her arm.
Abby stared, shocked, then headed right for them, ignoring people who were trying to get her attention. She approached the couple from behind so Sean couldn’t see her.
“Am I interrupting anything here?” she snapped.
Sean immediately backed away. “Baby, I was just talking to--”
“Brandi,” the woman said, sounding offended.
“Yeah, Brandi.” Sean smiled nervously. “She was telling me about a club we should check out.”
“Oh, really?” Abby used extra sarcasm in her tone. “Too bad we have no time.” She smiled back, extra sweet. A small group of onlookers had inched closer. “Can I talk with you for a moment, baby?” She continued to smile. With a room full of reporters, she had to keep up appearances. She took his hand and pulled him toward her private dressing area.
Once inside, she shut the door. “What the fuck was that? I can’t leave you alone for more than five fucking minutes without you trying to get into some random skank’s pants? Really?” She kept her voice low, but her tone had an effect. He frowned.
“I was just being nice. She came up to me and wanted to talk. What was I supposed to do? Be rude?” He ran his finger along the seam of Abby’s shirt and looked down at her with a smile.
She always had a hard time resisting him, especially his damn blue eyes. She ran her hand through his longish brown unruly hair that was still sweaty from being on stage.
“Mmm. There,” he said. “See? It’s cool, right?”
“Fuck you, Sean. I see that shit again and you can say goodbye to me, this tour and your fucking career.”
Sean stared at her. “I’m sorry.”
“Fine,” she said with a sigh. “I have to get ready.”
He stepped back to let her pass but grabbed her hand. “Where are you going?”
“I have a fucking meet and greet that my dearest mother set up.”
“I was hoping we could spend some time by ourselves tonight.” He looked down into her eyes and brushed her bangs off her forehead. “I mean it. I’m sorry and we really don’t get time to ourselves. I just thought--”
Abby sighed again but this time she let go of some of her anger. “I wish I could get out of it.”
“Um, sorry to break things up here, but you have to start to get ready if you want to be able to get back at a decent time.” Sophie smiled, apologetic, and Abby wondered how much she had seen.
“Wait up for me?” Abby whispered after giving him a quick kiss.
“Absolutely. How long are you gonna be? I’ll have a bath waiting for you.”
“That sounds nice. A couple of hours, I guess.” She looked over at Sophie, who shrugged.
“Give or take,” she guessed. “The sooner you get ready, the sooner you can finish up.”
Abby smiled. “All right. See you later.” She blew Sean a kiss and headed for the bathroom.
***
Abby walked into the elevator and leaned against the wall, completely exhausted from her long day. All she wanted now was the long hot bath she was promised. Sophie, Danny and Ron followed Abby into the elevator.
“That wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been,” Sophie said as she stood next to Abby.
“Danny was lucky enough to get cornered by the little girl’s mother.” Ron chuckled and pressed the buttons for their floors. “Left me to hold back all the squealing teenagers.”
“You could’ve given me some help. She was disgusting.” He shook himself free of the horrible memory.
“She was quite fond of you.” Abby giggled.
“Not one of you threw out a lifeline. I think I’m gonna need to shower for a week before I get her perfume out of my nose. She reeked.”
“Yeah you do smell pretty.” She goaded and they all laughed.
“I’ll remember this. Just wait.” Danny declared as the elevator door opened to Sophie’s floor.
“Night,” Sophie gave Abby a quick peck on the cheek and waved to the boys.
“Night,” Abby said, waiting inside the elevator with Danny holding the door open, while Ron walked Sophie to her door.
“So, what are your plans for the rest of the night? A late night rendezvous with the smelly cougar?” Abby continued teasing Danny as Ron walked back into the elevator.
“Aren’t you just the funny one this evening. Well, baby doll, it’s two-thirty in the morning, so I’m thinking sleep. Why? Did you have something in mind?”
She got lost for a minute in his deep brown eyes. She’d always thought he was cute, but for some reason, tonight she really wanted to touch his dimples and five o’ clock shadow.
“Um, you still with me, Abby?”
She snapped back to the elevator. “Oh, you want me to answer you?” she said with a little touch of sarcasm. She didn’t want him to think she’d been ogling him. “I told you how I feel about your stupid nicknames.” She tried to sound pissed but didn’t pull it off.
Danny tried to hide his laugh, but didn’t succeed.
Abby changed the subject. Much safer that way. “So, what time are we heading out in the morning?”
“Oh, nine hundred hours,” Danny replied.
“Okay Sarg, I’ll be ready.” She looked at Danny and smiled. The elevator dinged and the doors opened onto the semi-private floor, which held only two suites. One of them for Abby and Sean, and the other was for her personal security guards.
“Well, military man, it’s been a pleasure. I’m gonna go pass the hell out before I have to get up. Have a good night. ’Night Ron.” She smiled at them both while they waited for her to enter her suite.
She slipped the keycard in the slot and walked into the foyer. She strolled into the large sunken living room that was semi-dark, the muted lights from the Vegas strip was the only light that guided her. She made it halfway through the living room before she stopped to remove her shoes from her aching feet. Clearly, some sadistic man created high-heeled shoes.
“Sean?” She called out and continued her journey into the bedroom. Abby opened the door and threw her shoes down next to the dresser.
Sean wasn’t in the bedroom, and a twinge of anger gripped her throat. He said he’d be here when she got back. Even if he decided to go out with the band, he was supposed to be here. She turned the light on then dug into her bag for her phone. It wasn’t there. “Fuck,” she muttered as she walked to the phone next to the bed and dialed Sophie’s room.
“Hey, sorry to bother you, but do you have my phone?”
“No, I don’t think so, but let me look. Hold on.”
Abby chewed her lip, thinking about Sean. Where the hell was he? Worse, who was he with? Her stomach started to ache with stress.
“Hey,” Sophie said. “I don’t have it.”
“Fuck. I must’ve left it in my dressing room.” Typical, considering the way her luck had been tonight. “It makes me nervous not to have it. I’ll go back and look.”
“You can’t go alone.”
“It’ll only be twenty minutes. I’ll just run downstairs and ask management to let me check my room.”
“Bad idea to go by yourself. Ask one of the boys to go.”
“They’re probably already in bed. I won’t be long. You know where I am. When I find my phone I’ll call you.”
“I’m still dressed. I’ll go with you. I’ll meet you at the elevator.”
“You sure?” The last thing Abby wanted to do was take advantage of Sophie, who already had to jump through millions of hoops for her mother.
“Yes. Positive. By the time you reach my floor I’ll be there.”
“Okay, thanks.” Abby hung up and slipped on a pair of flats before she left her room. At the elevator, she hesitated. Should she tell security? She stabbed the button but let guilt lead her the few paces to the other suite where she knocked on the door. A ding sounded behind her and she decided to grab the elevator and call her team when she got her phone. She hurried in before the doors closed.
© 2015 Debra Presley
Trailer:
Author:
Debra is a native New Yorker who made her escape to the suburbs. She often visits her hometown to enjoy a bagel with butter from her favorite deli, because there’s no better bagel than a New York bagel. When not in search of bagels, Debra spends her time running Book Enthusiast Promotions, an online promotions company that helps indie authors spread the word about their books. She’s also the owner of The Book Enthusiast blog.She started writing lyrics in her wall-to-wall NKOTB bedroom at the tender age of thirteen while dreaming of the day she’d become Mrs. Jordan Knight. That dream never came to fruition, but she has continued to write. Now she’s working on her first novel.
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Saturday, December 27, 2014
Sneak Peek: Loyalties and Lies by L.A. Cotton
About The Book:
Title: Loyalty and Lies
Series: Chastity Falls #1
Author: LA Cotton
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 2015
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions
Chastity Falls Academy is supposed to be her fresh start; her salvation. And when Ana meets mysterious Jackson, she begins to think it is. She hasn’t smiled in almost sixteen months; not since the night her life changed forever, and despite her guilt…her loyalty, Ana can’t deny that Jackson is breathing life back into her. With Jackson by her side, Ana wants to believe she can heal and move on. But she isn’t the only one living a lie, and the small private Academy has secrets of its own. All is not what it seems, and Ana is about to find herself in a tangled web of lies; fighting for survival, again.
Loyalties will be tested, lies will be told. Welcome to Chastity Falls
Trailer:
Excerpt:
Gardner's class was nothing compared to the torture of sitting so close to Jackson in Shakespeare. After his warning to stay away from him, I thought he might pick an alternative seat, but that didn't happen. Instead, he brushed straight passed me, dropped into his usual chair and acted as if nothing had happened. I had to fight back the urge to ask him why he had told me to stay away from me. I mean, it wasn't like we hung out. There had been coffee at the shifty sea front hut…once, and then the embarrassing sprained-ankle-in-the-storm incident.
“Today, class, I want us to look at the character Iago…” Professor Shacks’ voice echoed around the small room. “Iago is the voice whispering in Othello’s ear, playing to Othello’s own paranoia and insecurities around his relationship with Desdemona. Of course, Othello trusts Iago implicitly, why wouldn’t he trust his long serving friend and lieutenant? A fact that Iago uses to his own advantage…”
Jackson shuffled next to me, and then quickly dropped a white note onto my desk. What now? I sighed, feeling frustrated at his mixed signals.
How’s the ankle?
Okay thanks
I balled up the note and tossed it onto his desk, watching him through the corner of my eye. A slight smirk played on his lips, and it was obvious he was aware I was pissed at him. He started scribbling a reply, which landed in front of me seconds later.
I’ve heard coffee (or a banana shake) can work wonders for a sprained ankle… healing properties or something.
I scowled at his slightly scruffy handwriting wondering what game he was trying to play with me.
Thanks. I’ll make sure I have a banana shake before bed
Feeling pleased with myself, I held out the note for him and he plucked it out of my hand, silently laughing when his eyes scanned the words.
How about a shake before bed… with me?
My eyes blinked. And blinked again, feeling the heat of embarrassment wash over my face. Was he flirting with me? I felt thirteen all over again. Mikey Crand used to send me love notes in Biology and me and my friend Lacey would giggle over them. Feeling brave, I handed him my reply.
Are you inviting me for a shake? Or to bed?
Jackson’s eyes widened and he shuffled slightly in his seat. Take that mister confusing, I thought, pleased with myself.
Are you saying yes?
I inwardly groaned. Jackson: one, Ana: zero. I couldn’t keep this up without drifting into territory that terrified me. Jackson was the first guy—the only guy—that made me smile… made my stomach flutter… made me feel anything since Danny. It wasn’t the plan, not what I ran to CFA to find, but somehow I had found it. Found something—someone—that made me feel again. Was that enough to try and get to the bottom of whatever was going on with Jackson? Of why he had warned me to stay away?
To the shake… maybe
Meet me round back five minutes after class
I was heading for a one-way trip into purgatory, because as I discreetly watched Jackson out the corner of my eye I knew. Knew there would be no way I could walk away. Right or wrong, sensible or stupid, he had awoken a part of me that I thought I would never find again…and I couldn’t just give that up. Not for all the warnings in the world.
~
Ninety-minutes later, I was sitting in Black’s suffering some kind of post-Jackson whiplash.
“I’m surprised you asked me for coffee again.” I slurped up the thick banana shake.
Jackson watched me, his eyes were more the color of the bluey-green ocean today, than their usual shade. “Actually, I invited you for a shake.” He quipped back.
I tried broaching the subject during the ride to Black’s, but he just shrugged me off, talking about the weather. The freaking weather. I was done with his evasion techniques. “After you warned me to stay away from you the other night?”
He placed his mug back on its plate and sighed. I watched, captivated, as he ran his hand through his messy dark hair, the longer strands falling back into place, a five ‘o’clock shadow cloaking his jaw. “About that… I may have been a little hasty.”
“Hasty?”
“See the thing is…” His eyes held mine, smoldering at me, pleading with me. “I’m not sure I can stay away from you.”
My lips moved to say something but nothing came out. Jackson watched me intently and I gulped. It felt like he was willing me to agree, to accept that there was a reason we should stay away from each other, but to ignore it. And I got the feeling it was a no questions asked kind of arrangement.
“It’d be better for you… for us, if you stay away from me, Ana. But I don’t want you to. I’m too selfish to walk away.”
“But-”
Jackson cut me off. “No questions. That’s the deal. We spend time together, get to know each other, but you can’t ask any of the questions I know you have swimming round in that pretty little head of yours.”
“Okay, but-”
His hand found mine across the booth, and his fingers grazed my knuckles. “No questions. That’s just the way it has to be for now.”
I nodded. Unsure what I was agreeing to.
“You won’t regret it Ana Parry, I promise.”
“Today, class, I want us to look at the character Iago…” Professor Shacks’ voice echoed around the small room. “Iago is the voice whispering in Othello’s ear, playing to Othello’s own paranoia and insecurities around his relationship with Desdemona. Of course, Othello trusts Iago implicitly, why wouldn’t he trust his long serving friend and lieutenant? A fact that Iago uses to his own advantage…”
Jackson shuffled next to me, and then quickly dropped a white note onto my desk. What now? I sighed, feeling frustrated at his mixed signals.
How’s the ankle?
Okay thanks
I balled up the note and tossed it onto his desk, watching him through the corner of my eye. A slight smirk played on his lips, and it was obvious he was aware I was pissed at him. He started scribbling a reply, which landed in front of me seconds later.
I’ve heard coffee (or a banana shake) can work wonders for a sprained ankle… healing properties or something.
I scowled at his slightly scruffy handwriting wondering what game he was trying to play with me.
Thanks. I’ll make sure I have a banana shake before bed
Feeling pleased with myself, I held out the note for him and he plucked it out of my hand, silently laughing when his eyes scanned the words.
How about a shake before bed… with me?
My eyes blinked. And blinked again, feeling the heat of embarrassment wash over my face. Was he flirting with me? I felt thirteen all over again. Mikey Crand used to send me love notes in Biology and me and my friend Lacey would giggle over them. Feeling brave, I handed him my reply.
Are you inviting me for a shake? Or to bed?
Jackson’s eyes widened and he shuffled slightly in his seat. Take that mister confusing, I thought, pleased with myself.
Are you saying yes?
I inwardly groaned. Jackson: one, Ana: zero. I couldn’t keep this up without drifting into territory that terrified me. Jackson was the first guy—the only guy—that made me smile… made my stomach flutter… made me feel anything since Danny. It wasn’t the plan, not what I ran to CFA to find, but somehow I had found it. Found something—someone—that made me feel again. Was that enough to try and get to the bottom of whatever was going on with Jackson? Of why he had warned me to stay away?
To the shake… maybe
Meet me round back five minutes after class
I was heading for a one-way trip into purgatory, because as I discreetly watched Jackson out the corner of my eye I knew. Knew there would be no way I could walk away. Right or wrong, sensible or stupid, he had awoken a part of me that I thought I would never find again…and I couldn’t just give that up. Not for all the warnings in the world.
~
Ninety-minutes later, I was sitting in Black’s suffering some kind of post-Jackson whiplash.
“I’m surprised you asked me for coffee again.” I slurped up the thick banana shake.
Jackson watched me, his eyes were more the color of the bluey-green ocean today, than their usual shade. “Actually, I invited you for a shake.” He quipped back.
I tried broaching the subject during the ride to Black’s, but he just shrugged me off, talking about the weather. The freaking weather. I was done with his evasion techniques. “After you warned me to stay away from you the other night?”
He placed his mug back on its plate and sighed. I watched, captivated, as he ran his hand through his messy dark hair, the longer strands falling back into place, a five ‘o’clock shadow cloaking his jaw. “About that… I may have been a little hasty.”
“Hasty?”
“See the thing is…” His eyes held mine, smoldering at me, pleading with me. “I’m not sure I can stay away from you.”
My lips moved to say something but nothing came out. Jackson watched me intently and I gulped. It felt like he was willing me to agree, to accept that there was a reason we should stay away from each other, but to ignore it. And I got the feeling it was a no questions asked kind of arrangement.
“It’d be better for you… for us, if you stay away from me, Ana. But I don’t want you to. I’m too selfish to walk away.”
“But-”
Jackson cut me off. “No questions. That’s the deal. We spend time together, get to know each other, but you can’t ask any of the questions I know you have swimming round in that pretty little head of yours.”
“Okay, but-”
His hand found mine across the booth, and his fingers grazed my knuckles. “No questions. That’s just the way it has to be for now.”
I nodded. Unsure what I was agreeing to.
“You won’t regret it Ana Parry, I promise.”
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About The Author:
A wearer-of-many-hats, L.A juggles being a full-time mum to two little people with two part-time jobs and college. In her spare time (and when she’s not camped out in front of the laptop) you’ll most likely find her immersed in a book, escaping the chaos that is life.
Loyalty and Lies, is book one in her NA college series: Chastity Falls.
Love’s Spark (Book 2)
Fate’s Love (Book 1)
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