Saturday, February 7, 2015

Sex on the Beach

coverreveal
Today is the big cover reveal for the next books in the SEX ON THE BEACH series! This series includes the novellas FINDING YOU by Jenna Bennett, LOSING US by Jen McLaughlin, and CHASING ME by Jennifer Probst.
the next installments in the SEX ON THE BEACH series
coming MARCH 3rd
 
 
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CHASING ME by Jennifer Probst

BOOK SUMMARY:

Quinn and James' Story Continues in Chasing Me... It was supposed to be a love story.... I knew she was out of my league but I didn’t care. Looking back, I wonder if I hadn’t pursued her, would things have turned out differently? Is it Fate that determines our choices in life? God? Free will? Or just plain old innate selfishness? I got her, of course. There hadn’t been a girl I wasn’t able to seduce. Problem was she seduced me right back, body, mind, and soul. She possessed me, tormented me, and showed me a world that was so bright and pure I was almost blinded. Didn’t she know after such a drug I could never settle for less? Didn’t she realize no matter how many times I screwed up, or broke her heart, or bent her to my will, I’d never be able to let her go? If I hadn’t known such intensity existed, would it have been better for both of us? True love, the real kind, isn’t nice and sweet and pure. No, it’s dirty, and sinful, and messy. It’s like ripping a chunk of flesh from your body and watching yourself bleed out in slow, helpless intervals until you thankfully pass out. This isn’t a love story. But it’s the only story I got.

LosingUs Amazon

LOSING US by Jen McLaughlin

BOOK SUMMARY:

When it all comes crashing down...

Everything I thought I had with Austin Murphy—safety, stability, the normalcy I crave but my celebrity lifestyle rarely allows—was ripped away in one night. I wanted to surprise him, but the joke was on me. Now I don't know if I ever really knew him at all.

Someone has to pick up the pieces...

Mackenzie Forbes was everything I ever wanted and the one person I didn't deserve. When a past mistake costs me the girl I love, I'll do everything I can to get her back. We both have demanding careers and family secrets darkening our pasts, but I need Mackenzie in my future.

Sometimes everything you have to give just isn't enough...

FindingYou

FINDING YOU by Jenna Bennett

BOOK SUMMARY:

Sex on the Beach, the do-over. I had a simple plan for what to do in Key West the second time around. Testify at the trial of the rapist I helped catch last year. Make sure he gets locked away for the rest of his natural life, so he can never, ever hurt another girl. Wait for my BFFs to get to town, so we can celebrate. And stay far away from Ty Connor, because three months after breaking up with him, I still don’t know whether being with him is worse than being without him. Spring Break, take two. All of the above? Out the window. Turns out testifying is a lot harder than I thought it would be. Not only is the rapist I helped catch last year not locked away for the rest of his life, he’s on the loose and looking for me. Oh yeah, and it’s definitely harder being without Ty than being with him, especially when I have to watch him with someone else. Welcome to my world.
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preorder

LOSING US by Jen McLaughlin Links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1DCF4RG

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1ufej5V

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CHASING ME by Jennifer Probst Links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1xrPrTw Kobo: http://bit.ly/1uf6jlA

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FINDING YOU by Jenna Bennett Links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1DixYUx

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1Kjb01B

  goodreads GOODREADS CONTEST For each book that gets to 500 adds, 5 pages of that novella will be released! 10 pages will be released after 1000 adds, and 15 pages after 1500 adds! So, spread the word and be sure to add each book to your goodreads list. LINKS: LOSING US - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24280033-losing-us CHASING ME - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24748839-chasing-me FINDING YOU - Goodreads link coming soon!  
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PURCHASE THE PREVIOUS BOOKS IN THE SERIES

BUY LINKS:

BEYOND ME BY JENNIFER PROBST Amazon: http://amzn.to/1luEuzN B&N: http://bit.ly/1i6kw9v

BETWEEN US BY JEN MCLAUGHLIN Amazon: http://amzn.to/1i72kku B&N: http://bit.ly/1hFWiEj

BEFORE YOU BY JENNA BENNETT Amazon: http://amzn.to/1jMeX1U B&N: http://bit.ly/1hYqcCA

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FOLLOW THE AUTHORS

Website: www.jennabennett.com Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenna-Bennett-Jennie-Bentley/192400104127600 Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bennett_Jenna Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1549070.Jenna_Bennett

JenM

Reckless Wager by Christy Carlyle


Reckless Wager
by Christy Carlyle
Series: Whitechapel Wagers, #3
Genre: Historical Romance (Victorian)
Release Date: December 29, 2014



Unlucky in love and estranged from his family, Detective Sergeant Benjamin Quinn is obsessed with solving the Ripper crimes. When he’s suspended from the Metropolitan Police, it’s another failure in a long line of disappointments. But a new mystery arises when a beautiful widow shows up at the most infamous pub in Whitechapel seeking his help. He’s determined to assist Kate Guthrie, and equally determined to quell his growing attraction to her.

Kate Guthrie hides painful secrets from her first marriage and has avoided matrimony for nearly ten years. Now she’s finally decided it’s time to remarry and move on with her life, even if it means giving up the charity clinic work in Whitechapel that makes her days worthwhile. But when a battered young woman turns up at the clinic claiming to have been attacked by Jack the Ripper, Kate seeks out Detective Sergeant Benjamin Quinn, a man who sparks feelings in her too potent to deny.



Kate watched Detective Sergeant Quinn walk away. His tall, broad form and black coat were easy to spot, even in the early morning mist. His strides were long, his gait hurried, as if he wished to escape her as swiftly as he was able.

He would find Rose. Kate was certain of it. Even on short acquaintance, Kate sensed a deep vein of tenacity in Detective Quinn. It was something in his eyes. A hunger, a craving—a look she wouldn't soon forget.

She squinted. His dark form faded, becoming harder to see. The streets filled quickly with carts and carriages and pedestrians buying or selling goods. The fog still clung in corners and soon the detective, the first man who had kissed her on the mouth in nearly ten years, would merge with the London haze.

She started after him. In her practical boots, her stride was sure, and she caught up to Detective Quinn quickly.

She couldn't just let him disappear into the crush of Whitechapel. That figure, hunched against the wind, unmistakable with those wide warrior shoulders and hair that only revealed its true auburn color when a slice of sunlight broke through the haze. That less-than-a-gentleman detective sergeant who'd kissed her quite inappropriately and more deliciously than any man ever had.

If she let him go, how would she ever learn what happened to Rose? And then another thought—foolish, improper, bone deep. If she let him go, would any man ever kiss her that way again?

"Detective!"

The news that the fellow pushing his way through the throngs on Whitechapel Roadwas a police detective caused a bit of consternation among the crowd. Kate saw a group of men move away from Detective Quinn and a woman selling rags shouted something no lady would dare repeat. The man himself stopped his progress and watched her approach.

Kate slowed to a more ladylike pace and took a deep breath before she paused in front of Detective Quinn. He'd crossed his arms, and she could see the muscle in his jaw ticking where he clenched it. He was so tall; she took a step back to gaze up at him properly. Clear-eyed and clean-shaven, he exuded an air of confidence she hadn't seen in him the night before. The bluish shadow of a bruise marred the skin near his right eye and cheek, and Kate wondered again about how he'd been wounded. His eyes appeared darker in the daylight than they had in his dim lodging room, but perhaps it was just irritation that turned them a deeper blue. And he was irritated. She expected him to say so, but he simply gazed down at her so intently she was certain he would divine every secret she had ever stashed away.

"I would like to come with you to find Rose."

He moved, his chest heaving up and down, and Kate thought he might be on the verge of a coughing fit. Then she heard laughter bubbling up, a rich, deep chuckle that shook his whole body. His smile took her breath away. She felt dizzy, on the verge of giggling, but stopped herself. He was laughing at her, after all.

"I fail to see what is so amusing, Detective."

Kate took a step back when he reached for her, but he wouldn't be deterred. Detective Quinn moved closer, grasped her shoulders, and turned her around. He pulled her flush against his body, embracing her in his arms, surrounding her with his heat.

"Do you see that man across the way? Near the pub entrance?"

"Y-yes." Kate spoke through the shivers sparked by his nearness.

"He steals the lives of girls like Rose. Forces them onto the streets and then takes their earnings. Beats them, or worse, if they refuse to pay."

Kate tried to look back at the detective, but he'd bent his head close to hers. He whispered in her ear, warming her skin with his breath.

"And the woman over there, sitting on the pavement?"

Kate nodded, her hair brushing against his cheek.

"She's fresh out of Newgate. Though she looks old and broken, she's the nimblest thief I've ever known. Take care not to pass her on the street. She'll cut your purse from your skirt and you'll be none the wiser."

"I—" Kate opened her mouth to protest. She'd learned her lesson about Whitechapel early on and took care never to bring valuables with her when she volunteered at the clinic. She certainly wasn't fool enough to carry coin loose in her skirt pocket.

"See the boy. He's just under the stairwell, covered in grime. Rather blends in with the bricks and muck, doesn't he? Young Tommy Lark looks and listens. He listens to the streets for the King of Thieves and then he sings just like his namesake when he finds a likely mark. Be careful not to let him hear your address when you call it up to the cabbie. Especially if you've any valuables at home you'd care to keep."

Leaning to the right, he placed a finger under her chin, tilting her head toward him.

"You have no idea of the dangers all around you. If you did, you wouldn't walk these streets so blithely."



Buy the other books in the Whitechapel Wagers Series:

Scandalous Wager

Wanton Wager


Christy Carlyle writes sensual, and sometimes downright steamy, historical romance, usually set in the Victorian era or Regency period. She loves heroes who struggle against all odds and heroines that are ahead of their time. A former teacher with a degree in history, she finds there is nothing better than being able to combine her love of the past with her die-hard belief in happy endings.


 

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Thursday, February 5, 2015

Stone Walls by AM Madden

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Stone Walls ebook cover

Title: Stone Walls

Author: A.M. Madden

Anticipated Release Date: March 2015

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Synopsis

Benjamin Stone has an unrealistic determination to rid the streets of New York from any and all drug dealing scum. That determination quickly moves him and his partner, Rob Withers, up the ranks to Senior Narcotics Agents within their precinct. A new case assisting the FBI has Ben facing the ghosts of his past. Those same ghosts are the very reason he moved to New York to become a cop. Ella Parker is bright, beautiful, kind, and severely damaged as a result of one tragic night in her past. Having lived an idealistic life, that horrific night sent her pretty castle of cards crumbling down. Forced to start over, she leans on her best friend, Andrea Hensen, to help her move on. With Andrea’s help, Ella quickly settles into her new life in New York City. It’s a safe and comfortable existence, albeit very boring. Their paths may have never crossed, if it hadn’t been for their meddling best friends. Rob and Andrea believe that Ben and Ella are soul mates that were meant to be together, a perfect match. There’s one slight problem. Ben and Ella want no part of this matchmaking scheme. Funny thing about fate, it’s inevitable. Or is it? Can a truth cause the possibility of a happily ever after to crash and burn? Ben and Ella learn that sometimes truth isn’t the best answer. Sometimes ignorance is most definitely bliss.

Stone Walls full cover

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About the Author

AM 

Madden

Amazon Best Selling Author ~ A.M. Madden's debut series is The Back-Up Series, which includes Back- Up, Front & Center, Encore, Backstage, and The Devil's Lair. They are all available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords. A.M. Madden is a wife, a mother, an avid reader of romance novels and now an author. In The Back-Up Series she aspired to create a fun, sexy, realistic romantic story. She wanted to create characters that the reader could relate to and feel as if they knew personally. A self-proclaimed hopeless romantic, she loves getting lost in a good book. She also uses every free moment of her time writing, while raising teenage boys.

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Website ~ Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ tsu

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Purchase Her Other Books Today

The Back-Up Series

Amazon ~ B&N ~ Smashwords

Intercepted by Emma Hart


Release Day April 13


Four people. Four goals. Four endings.

In the third and final book of the USA Today bestselling By His Game series, the rules of the game no one knew they’d have to play are blurring, and when the past becomes the opposing team, hearts aren’t the only thing at stake of being lost…

Finding naked pictures of her best friend on her boyfriend’s phone wasn’t in Everleigh White’s five year plan. Neither was moving back to Los Angeles, the city of dreams that never managed to make hers come true. There’s only so many years you can be in love with your best friend before you realize he’s never going to love you back, after all. If only her ex would stop showing up at the gym where she works, she’d be much happier.
Being a father at nineteen wasn’t how Reid North, the Vipers’ wide receiver, imagined his life going, but when his ex-girlfriend tricked him into parenthood, he accepted it. Eventually. Now, with his ex on the verge of being released from prison, he’s holding onto full custody of his seven year old son, Leo. Football and Leo have left Reid no time for dating… Until Everleigh comes back.
His best friend his whole life, Everleigh never knew Reid loved her. She left before he could tell her. Now she’s back in front of him, and he’s not letting go. Even if all he gets is her friendship again. But in a city like L.A., dreams come true when you’re least expecting it.

So do nightmares.
With their exes beating down their doors with demands and explanations, their hesitant and building relationship is threatened at every corner. They’re at serious risk of being intercepted by the past, and that’s a ball Reid is determined to catch.

Except desperation can lead to stupidity—and Reid soon realizes he can’t catch every ball, no matter how perfectly it’s thrown to him. This time a fumble could cost more than a few points.
It could cost him everything.

(INTERCEPTED is the third and final book in the By His Game series and can be read as a standalone, although it is advised to read BLINDSIDED and SIDELINED before, in this order.)




EXCERPT


I follow him down the sidewalk, feeling a little antsy. I mean, he looks like Reid. Okay, an older Reid, but still Reid. He sounds like Reid, he acts like Reid, but he… feels like someone else. He doesn’t feel like the guy who dragged me out from behind curtains at parties and forced me to the dance, or the guy who begged me to go to his high school and college football games because he insisted he always caught better when I was there.
He feels… rawer. Realer. Rougher.
And I’m terrified.
He was always the one person I struggled to say no to. It was his eyes, and his smile, and the fact that I was crazy fucking in love with him. I’m afraid that now, although four years have passed, that I won’t be able to say no, either
That much is obvious by the fact I’m standing outside a sandwich shop I’ve never seen in my life.
“Trust me,” Reid says, smiling as he pushes the door open.
I stare at him flatly. Still, I follow him in like a little puppy because I’m always game for a good sandwich.
“Two meatball subs,” Reid orders. “Both toasted with cheese, but one with extra cheese. No salad or sauces on either.” Order done, he looks back at me and winks.
God. He even remembers the sandwich.
“This isn’t good for my diet,” I mutter, following him along the counter to the register.
“Or mine.” He smirks, glancing at me and running his eyes over my body. “And for what it’s worth, you could probably have another cheat day without it making a difference.”
I hit his arm again. “Shut up. You can’t perve on me. It’s wrong.”
“That’s what you think.” He hands over twenty bucks and raise his eyebrow at me. Then, leaning in, he whispers, “My cock thinks different, Ever.”
I swallow. Well, shit. How am I supposed to respond to that?
I’m not. That’s right. I’m not.
I take my warm sandwich from the counter and grip it tightly, heading toward a table in the corner. I slide into the seat against the wall and unwrap my sandwich at a snail’s pace. Each crinkle of the paper surrounding it seems ten times louder than normal as I studiously ignore Reid’s bulky, muscular form sitting opposite me.
Dammit. I shouldn’t be attracted to him. I shouldn’t consider being attracted to him.
Sure, I was before. In the ‘you’re handsome, be my Prince Charming’ kinda way. Now, though? Now it’s a, ‘holy crap, rip off my clothes and ravish me on your backseat!’ kinda attracted.
I’m not saying either way is bad. I’m just saying that I would prefer for the first type of attracted.
Maybe.
I bite into the sandwich so I don’t have to talk to him. But, apparently, he doesn’t get the message.
“I didn’t know you worked at the gym.”
I swallow. “You say it like it’s the only gym in Los Angeles.”
“It’s just... the gym.” He smirks. He studies me for a second before the curve turns downward. “Why’d you leave, Ev?”
“You knew I was going.”
“Sure I did. I just didn’t know you were going Casper on my ass and fucking off without a word.”
My eyes fall and I focus on my sandwich. Carelessly, I pick at the top of the bread. “I had my reasons, okay? It was easier for me if the media didn’t follow me so intently. You know they thought I was going to star on Broadway instead of college.”
“God, you’re a damn shit liar, Everleigh White.”
“It’s the truth, Reid, okay? They were all up in Dad’s business because of the Hartman movie, and when those Broadway rumors started it was bullshit. I ran without anyone knowing so they wouldn’t follow me. It lasted a week, but I didn’t have them timing my pees on the plane so there we go.” I glance up. “Believe me, okay? I’m not lying.” Not entirely, anyway.
“Whenever you’ve told me you’re not lying, you’ve been lying.” The force of his gaze makes me look up. “I still fucking know you, Ever. You haven’t changed a single damn bit.”
“And you still can’t control your f-bomb,” I shoot back.
“Says the girl who drops it like she drops the word ‘hi’ at a high school reunion.”
“Kiss my ass.”
“You offerin’, firecracker?”
“You taking me up on it?”
“I could flip you over this table in a second and you know it.”
I narrow my eyes and grab my half-eaten sandwich. Standing, I reach toward the trashcan and slam the screwed-up package into it, leaving the lid to slam down as I turn on my heel and head for the door.
Reid says nothing. But he follows me. I hear his footsteps against the tiled floor of the sandwich place, and he grabs the door the second I let it go, stopping it from slamming.
My feet pound against the sidewalk. Jesus, I don’t remember him being this so fucking infuriating before. Was he this demanding? Or frustrating? Or goddamned annoying?
Hell to it all. Was he this fucking sexy?
No, siree. No, he was not.

And that’s the frickin’ problem.













From Emma Hart, the New York Times bestselling author of the Game series, comes a brand new series where the game is realer, the tension is tighter, the sex is hotter, and the stakes are the highest of all…

Two people. Two agendas. Two games.
What happens when the out-there It-Boy of football meets the secret It-Girl of fashion?
As the daughter of Hollywood’s sweetheart, Leah Veronica can’t even buy a coffee without finding her face on a magazine stand, so it’s no wonder she’s launching her first fashion line in secret. With it debuting at New York Fashion Week in just under a month, extra time in the spotlight is the last thing she needs.
The son of the best quarterback the league has ever seen, filling legendary shoes as the L.A. Vipers’ quarterback was inevitable for Corey Jackson. So was meeting Leah Veronica—the first girl to hand him his ass without putting a hair out of place.
Getting the handsome, prickly blonde into his bed becomes his number one goal. But getting the sexy, over-confident footballer the hell away from her becomes Leah’s—at least until she realizes the best way to do that is to give him what he wants.
If only it was that simple.
When Corey discovers who she is, and private photos of Hollywood’s finest find their way online, everything they thought they knew is thrown into disarray.
And when secrets are exposed and hearts are shattered, they have to figure out if they’ve been blindsided by love or reality, and if it’s worth running the extra yard to win the game they never meant to play.










Three people. Three motives. Three reasons.
When the game leaves the field in the second book in the USA Today bestselling BY HIS GAME series and mixes with sex, lies, and betrayal, the future isn't the only thing on the line...

Macey Kelly has sworn off men. Unless they’re going to zip in and out of her apartment—and her vagina—quicker than they can give her an orgasm, she’s not interested. Finding out her boyfriend of three years got her cousin pregnant was a total confidence knock. Luckily for Macey, confidence is
something she has in abundance, so all Mitch’s asshole move did was make her pretty cynical toward men.

The last thing Jack Carr needs at the start of the season is for a dark-haired, sexy as sin, gyspyesque beauty to be consuming his thoughts. Football is his life, which leaves no time for girls. Unless they’re the love ‘em and leave ‘em girls. Becoming one of the best running backs the league has ever seen by racking up the yards is his top priority… not bedding Macey Kelly, despite her affinity for blow jobs and total sexual abandon.
Avoiding each other is the perfect solution, but when your best friends are in a serious living together kind of relationship, that isn’t always an option. Sometimes, sex on tap is the easiest option. And the sweetest.

Until Mitch shows up with a bombshell that could shatter Macey’s perfectly carved out life. It’s been a year, but he isn’t giving her up, not now he has a chance at winning her back. And he knows her buttons. Every single one of them.
Unfortunately for him, Jack Carr isn’t a loser. The star running back has his eye on the Vince Lombardi—and on Macey. But seeing her hanging between them both isn’t something he’s down with, not when he discovers why she’s so against anything more-ish, as she puts it.Macey quickly realizes she’s the ball being passed between two desperate yet opposing teams, and that only one of them can score the touchdown. But will the winner be the guy she lived with and loved for three years, or will the winner be the guy who understands her and makes her body come alive?
In this game, someone will be sidelined, and calling the play isn’t always as easy as it seems.


(SIDELINED is a full-length, standalone novel. It's not necessary to read BLINDSIDED before this book, but it is advised.)

RELEASE DAY: MARCH 2, 2015











By day, New York Times and USA Today bestselling New Adult author Emma Hart dons a cape and calls herself Super Mum to two beautiful little monsters. By night, she drops the cape, pours a glass of whatever she fancies - usually wine - and writes books.

Emma is working on Top Secret projects she will share with her followers and fans at every available opportunity. Naturally, all Top Secret projects involve a dashingly hot guy who likes to forget to wear a shirt, a sprinkling (or several) of hold-onto-your-panties hot scenes, and a whole lotta love.
She likes to be busy - unless busy involves doing the dishes, but that seems to be when all the ideas come to life.




Collateral Damage

We're so excited to release the cover for the upcoming release from Elisabeth Grace, COLLATERAL DAMAGE. It releases February 19th - and you do not want to miss meeting Calder!

Check it out below, as well as a giveaway and an excerpt!

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About COLLATERAL DAMAGE

Now trending Hollywood It Girl, Francesca Leon, has just landed the biggest role of her career…one that could clinch an Oscar nomination and open doors. If she’s going to move her career to the next level and work with top directors, she has to nail this part — and keep her sexy, but unreliable leading man from screwing everything up. Team Calder Bad boy Calder Fox is the son of Hollywood royalty and fresh out of rehab after his best friend’s death sent him on a downward spiral of drugs and alcohol. While his fans still love him and the paparazzi stalk him, he’s never taken life, or anything about his career, seriously. He may be charming and drop-dead gorgeous, but if he doesn’t stay sober, he could ruin Frankie’s future and expose her long-hidden family secret to the voracious media. Behind the scenes Things heat up during filming and have the potential to become hotter, deeper, and much more real. But can Frankie trust Calder with her secret? Or is he doomed to sabotage his own happiness yet again? COLLATERAL DAMAGE releases February 19th – add it to your Goodreads list here! Pageflex Persona [document: 

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Giveaway

We'll be giving away one kindle ARC of Collateral Damage - you can enter on the Rafflecopter below! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Newsletter

Be sure to sign up for Elisabeth Grace's newsletter - she's releasing a new chapter of BUILT TO LAST every two weeks, which will be available to newsletter subscribers only as she writes it!

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Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Google+ | Instagram If you're US based and you want to receive a text message when Elisabeth has a new book go LIVE, text ROMANCE to 313131!

Excerpt from Collateral Damage

Unbelievable. I stared at the screen in front of me displaying the taping going on at The Diane Gayle Show as Calder Fox sauntered onto the set. He was as attractive as ever—of course. He seemed to have lost some of his usual arrogance, but my guess was it was just a PR ploy. God, I couldn’t believe I’d ever fawned over that guy when we’d worked together as teens. I turned to my manager, Brock. “Did we ever find out how Calder got top billing on this instead of me?” “He offered an exclusive to Diane—won’t be taking any more interview requests after his appearance here.” I leaned back against the green room couch and crossed my arms like a petulant child. “Figures. What Calder wants, Calder gets. It doesn’t hurt that he’s the son of Hollywood royalty.” Brock shrugged. “Frankie, you know as well as I do that no one will turn down an exclusive, especially with someone like Calder Fox. Besides, if he doesn’t get his shit together, it’s not going to matter who his parents are—no one will work with him.” I didn’t respond. I’d been taught by my mom and my PR camp that if I didn’t have anything nice to say, to say nothing at all. Calder and I had only worked together once before—both having bit parts in a TV sitcom where we played brother and sister. We’d only been seventeen at the time, but he’d consistently shown up late to the set and always hungover—hell, he had probably still been drunk most of that time. He’d acted like the pompous ass that he was, ordering people around and treating them like shit, like he was better than everyone there because his daddy happened to be a big-time director and his mother, a famous actress. I’d been like most of the other idiot girls in this town at the time, thinking his attitude was cool and wishing he’d pay attention to me. Now I was able to see him for what he really was—extremely entitled. Today I was appearing on The Diane Gayle Show at the tail end of a press junket for my latest indie film. I supposed that wasn’t as interesting as confessions of the rich and famous. Poor little Calder had issues. Boo-freaking- hoo…what else was new? I let out a huff as I settled back in my seat to watch his interview until I had to head to the set. Diane had on her sympathetic face—she must be getting ready to try and pull some heartstrings. “So Calder, you recently left rehab for substance and alcohol abuse. What was your experience there like?” “It was eye opening, that’s for sure,” he responded with a nervous laugh. Diane gave him an encouraging nod and he continued. “I needed to be there. My life had spun out of control. It was difficult, but…it was healing at the same time.” I rolled my eyes as I watched Diane take his hand, fully buying into his apologetic act. “I know this is difficult to talk about, Calder, but I have to ask…the public will want to know. What specifically were you addicted to?” Calder ran his free hand through his shoulder-length, sun-bleached locks. I ignored the way the dark roots peeked out here and there and just how hot it made him look. Hot guys in Hollywood were usually douchebags and Calder was no exception. He sucked in a big breath before answering. “I’ve been drinking since I was about thirteen years old. When you grow up in show biz, there isn’t much that isn’t available to you. Looking back now, I can see that I’d been an alcoholic since the time I was sixteen or seventeen. Back in the day, I used to just drink when I was chillin’ with my friends, but it developed into an everyday thing I needed to feel normal.” Calder used air quotes around the word normal, while Diane nodded her head like she knew exactly what he was going through. “At some point in my early twenties, the booze wasn’t enough and I started dabbling in cocaine and other recreational drugs. I’ve probably tried everything under the sun, but coke was my drug of choice.” Calder’s neck flushed a bit and he played with the collar of his shirt, seemingly embarrassed by his confession. I hated to admit it, but I understood. The limelight was not an easy place to be, even when you were an up-and-coming media darling like myself. I couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to have all your darkest secrets laid bare in front of the world, up for discussion and dissection for anyone with a Wi-Fi connection. I shivered, my hair standing on end as I considered for a moment what the press would say if they ever got hold of my secret. “You cold? I can ask if there’s a blanket or something you can use.” Brock’s voice brought me back from my reverie. “No, I’m fine. Thanks.” I gave him a weak smile and focused my attention back on the monitor. “What’s been the most difficult part about all of this for you?” Diane asked Calder. He answered without hesitation. “Losing my friend in the accident. Being sober allowed me to see all the mistakes I’d made over the past several years with complete clarity…to recognize all the people I’ve hurt along the way.” He swiped at the tears building in his eyes. “That’s hard for me to accept and work through.” Calder looked up to the ceiling and blinked back tears, blowing air from his mouth in a rough exhale. He seemed sincere, I’d give him that. But with actors, you never really knew what was genuine and what was not. Diane gave his hand a squeeze and turned her attention to the camera. “We’re going to take a break. We’ll be back in a minute to talk some more to Calder Fox and find out where it all went wrong.” Calder immediately sprang up from his seat and shoved a hand through his long hair, then paced around the set taking deep breaths with his hands on his hips. It genuinely appeared as if his conversation with Diane was affecting him. Could I have been wrong about him? Maybe he had grown up since the last time we worked together. It had been years, after all. Brock rose from the couch and turned to face me. “I’ll be right back. I’m gonna see when you’re up.” I nodded absentmindedly, watching as everyone on set scattered to get out of the camera shot except for Diane and Calder, who had now taken his seat again. Diane flashed her veneers at the camera and began. “We’re back and still talking with Calder Fox, the reigning prince in Hollywood’s royal family and everyone’s favorite bad boy.” She turned to face Calder once again. “Before the break, we were discussing what it was like for you in rehab. What are your plans moving forward now?” He drew in a breath. “Well, I plan to make amends with all the people I’ve wronged in the past and I’m going to continue living the healthy lifestyle I am now. More than anything though, I want to get back to work.” I’ll bet he did. “I know I’ve burned a lot of bridges with my on-set behavior in the past, but I’m determined to show that I can act like the professional I am and get the job done.” “Anything in the works right now?” Diane looked like a pit bull, salivating to get the inside scoop and dig her teeth into him. “Nothing I can talk about at this point.” He flashed her a panty-melting smile that lit up his blue eyes and caused a shiver of need to run through me. I refused to even examine what the hell that was about. Sure, it was no mystery why A- list celebrities dropped their drawers for the ‘Hollywood Fox’, but it pissed me off to know I could be affected by his charm. I didn’t like the guy. Not even a little. He’d basically been blacklisted for the past year so whichever director and studio took him on next deserved whatever they got. “You’re up in six, Frankie.” Brock strolled back into the room with a sheet of paper in his hand. “I’ve cleared the list of questions they’re going to ask you. Take a look for yourself though.” I leaned forward and reached for the paper, giving it a quick once-over. Same shit, different day. That was the thing about doing a press junket. You were asked the same questions a hundred different times but only in ten different ways. By now I’d perfected all of my answers and could do these interviews as drunk and high as Calder on a Saturday night. I mentally scolded myself…that was mean. I didn’t know what it was, but something about Calder brought out my bitchy side. Handing the paper back to Brock, I said, “Got it,” and rose from the couch, smoothing my skirt over my thighs when I was upright. He led me down the hallway until we stood at the side of the stage to wait for my turn. We didn’t have long to wait. Calder came sauntering off stage, appearing completely relaxed and not at all like he’d just been forced to discuss what was supposedly one of the hardest times of his life. His gaze inched slowly up the length of my body before he met my gaze, a small smirk forming on his lips. My traitorous nipples pebbled underneath my silk shirt, and I was sure he could tell given the fact that I wasn’t wearing a bra. Note to self—avoid backless shirts around attractive men. I pressed my teeth together, more irritated than ever that I found him so physically appealing. “Have we met?” Calder asked me with that stupid grin still on his face. I’m sure I looked like I was trying to catch flies with my mouth. Was he shitting me? I schooled my reaction as best I could and responded through clenched teeth. “Francesca Leon.” “Oh, right. You’re that chick that does all the indie films.” Seriously? He was going to act like we’d never met before—like we’d never worked together? Why did that grate on me so much? It’s not like I should care one way or the other what he thought. I gave him a quick nod, not saying anything. He put his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “Well, good luck out there,” he said before walking past me. His cologne wafted by as he passed, a mix of the outdoors and the ocean. I resisted the urge to close my eyes and breathe in deeply. I would not let that idiot’s charm affect me like it did so many other women. I was smarter than that. A production assistant walked up, a frantic expression on his face. “You’re due on set.” “Coming,” I said. I swept all thoughts of Calder from my mind, remembering why I was here. This was the final push for my film that would be releasing next week, after which I’d be starting production on my first mainstream, big-budget studio film. This was is it…the one I was determined would launch my career and make Francesca Leon a household name.