SWEET AND SASSY VALENTINE
Genre:Mixed Romance (sweet to mild heat)
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SWEET AND SASSY VALENTINE Genre:Mixed Romance (sweet to mild heat)
LOVE TIMES INFINITY The Relinquished Series, Book 1 by K.L. Ramsey
LOVE TIMES INFINITY
The Relinquished Series, Book 1
by K.L. Ramsey
Continue reading “LOVE TIMES INFINITY The Relinquished Series, Book 1 by K.L. Ramsey”
London Spies
Historical Fiction
Date Published: May 2017
London Spies is a book of historical fiction set in London, England at the end of World War II.
Phyllis Bowden, a secretary at the American Embassy, is catapulted into the limelight when the Military Attache, Lt. Col. Ronald Lawrence, is arrested for espionage and her boss, the Assistant Military Attache, assumes the position. The arrest throws suspicion on everyone at the Embassy, particularly Lawrence’s secretary whose attempted suicide convinces Phyllis to be more curious about what really happened. With bombs still falling on a devastated city, Phyllis begins asking questions but she never imagined the dark underbelly of diplomacy. Entering a shadowy world filled with cryptic messages and dangerous men, Phyllis learns quickly that a safety net doesn’t exist and if she wants to survive, she better figure out the game fast.
About the Author
SJ Slagle is a celebrated author of the Sherlock and Me series and the Phyllis Bowden series.
A teacher and nonfiction writer for part of her career, she taught in Florida, California and Nevada. She also writes western romances as Jeanne Harrell including these bestselling series: Rancher, the Westerners and These Nevada Boys with picturesque settings in the wild west of Nevada.
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☆☆☆☆☆ REVIEW
Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome story!!!
BySue Ann Bon February 21, 2018
Format: Kindle Edition
I’ll start by saying that this author – M.C.V. Egan – is a new author for me to read and I was definitely NOT disappointed with the story!!!
The story is about a rich and famous artist who is known for his sculptures. Bruce Jones, age 62, dies unexpectedly. Bruce was loved by all of his exes’ and his current wife (5 in all), his mistress and his seven children. Through his art, he has given each wife a different color of his choosing that best describes each women in his mind. Each chapter of the book tells part of the story through the eyes of one of the characters that he so loved. It wasn’t until the funeral that all the exes’ came together and ended up being friends. Especially when a new color was show during the slide show of his life.
The one question that was brought up after the funeral was – Was this a heart attack or was this murder??? I won’t tell you the answer because you really need to read the book and discover his life for yourself!!!
This was an amazing book and I love love loved it!
Take Back the Memory
Womens Fiction w/ Romantic Suspense Elements
Date Published: December 7, 2017
Publisher: AuthorSuite Books
Paige Lyman, an accomplished psychiatrist, is on the verge of madness but she doesn’t know it yet. The madness begins when she gets it into her head to write her memoirs. As her brilliant mind assembles bits and pieces of her life for the book, ugly skeletons, long forgotten in the closet, begin to rear their heads.
It had all begun with a simple act of love. And love, for her, was a blond-haired Irish boy named Bill, so when Bill abandoned her for priesthood the world around her collapsed. Seized by a different passion—vengeance—she seeks her proverbial pound of flesh in the beds of various priests…
But that is before she meets Stern W, a medical researcher, who sweeps into her life like a hurricane and marries her, and they live happily ever after until he dies in a helicopter crash and she discovers the startling truth about who he really was.
Take Back the Memory is the saga of her compelling backward journey through her own life on a psychotherapist’s couch.
About the Author
Augustine Sam is a journalist by profession, a novelist by choice, and a poet by chance. A bilingual writer and an award-winning poet, he writes, not only hard news but literary works as well.
Fascinated by the written word even as a kid, he fell in love with poetry the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once. He was the winner of the Editors’ Choice Award in the North America Open Poetry Contest & his complete poetry collection, Flashes of Emotion, was a Finalist in the International Book Award Gala. His poems have been published in international anthologies, including “Measures of the Heart” & “Sounds of Silence.”
Augustine is also the author of Black Gold and The Conspiracy of Silence which was awarded a Readers’ Favorite 5-star seal.
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DRAGON LORE AND LOVE: Isis and Osiris by N.D. Jones
Genre: Paranormal Romance
A century ago, the Dragon Kingdom of Nebty was lost to dark-ness. Invaded by demon hordes hellbent on stealing two powerful scepters, the Demon King claimed the preternatural realm as his own. To survive, the dragons fled their beloved home and sought refuge in the human realm.
Having lived most of their lives in human form, Queen Isis and Rock Dragon Osiris, mere children during the Great Exodus, find themselves clinging to their culture and the ties that bind what’s left of Dragonkind. Safe and assured that they are free from the threat of demons, their love flourishes. Yet, on one horrific night, their lives are shattered by tragedy and betrayal. They learn that no realm is beyond the brutal reach of the Demon King.
Scores must be settled.
Love must be remembered.
And a lost nation must be reclaimed.
Life, death, and rebirth, Isis’s and Osiris’s future hinges on all three.
PROLOGUE
The Dragon Kingdom of Nebty
Forests burned, dragons roared, and wings flapped in a deadly cacophony of violence and war.
Dragons of all sizes and colors were in the air and on the ground, battling to the death over who would control the twin deity scepters of Wadget and Nekhbet.
Nut, a blue-and-white sky dragon with a long snout, curled tail, and two horns on her head that curved back at the tip, stared up at her mate with frosty eyes of rebuttal.
Geb, a powerful green-and brown two-headed earth dragon with red eyes, spikey armored scales, and a whipping tail that ended with a flat arrowhead perfect for cutting and impaling, glared down at her. At the height of one hundred twenty-eight feet, Nut, half her mate’s size, growled at him when he used his massive head to shove her to the mouth of the Cave of Dep.
“You stay here and protect the hatchlings,” he ordered, as if the twin goddesses had left the earth dragon as the sole ruler of Nebty and guardian of the Gateway of the Two Ladies. They hadn’t. Nut and Geb ruled together. Some days, like today, when the inevitable war for power and dominance erupted, Geb’s protective nature made him high-handed and unyielding.
Glancing behind her at the cracked white shell and to the baby dragons huddled behind the fragments, Nut understood Geb’s position, although the thought of leaving her mate set the fire in her belly to boiling.
“If I fall in battle, your sky magic and ferocity will be all that stands between the foolish among us from getting their claws on the scepters.”
“I know.” Nut stepped closer to her mate, her snout going to one of his thick necks and rubbing. “It’s not just our dragon betrayers who want the power of the scepters that you must defeat, but the Demon Kingdom who seeks unfettered access to the human realm.”
That was as close as Nut would get to acknowledging the very real possibility that her mate may not survive this dark and dangerous night. For years, the Demon Kingdom, led by King Sansabonsom, had sought to undermine the rules set forth by the goddesses after they’d sought eternal rest within the scepters, leaving Nut and Geb as the gatekeepers between the preternatural and human realms.
Even as they spoke of Nut fleeing with their daughters and Geb remaining behind, sounds of warfare permeated the cold winter air, echoed by bodies crashing from the sky in flaming scales of defeat.
“Not all want the scepters. The strongest of our allies will stay and fight.” Geb lowered his heads and licked Nut’s face, an affectionate gesture she feared would be their last. “I need you to lead the others to safety, especially the young ones. If they stay, I can’t guarantee their safety.”
A stream of fire emerged from the darkness and behind Geb. The spray of molten heat slammed into the earth dragon. His wings, instinctively, snapped out and up to shield Nut and their hatchlings. With a bellow of fury, Geb leaped into the air, his wings taking him on a collision course with a lava dragon who possessed none of the earth dragon’s size or might.
In a matter of seconds, Geb had one of his mouths locked around the dragon’s reddish-black neck, and the other jaw clamped onto a black wing. With a hard tug, the wing and head disconnected from the dragon’s body. Magma spurted and oozed. The dead lava dragon smashed to the charred ground with a resounding thud.
Spitting out the wing and head, Geb turned to Nut, who still stood at the mouth of the cave. As they stared at each other, dragons not involved in the war began to move toward her. Most of them were dragon mothers with their hatchlings or dragons too young, old, or small to fight on either side but old enough to help tend to the youngest in their party.
“Take care of them, Nut. Fighting is easy, living and building from the ash of ruin are hard. Be well, my queen. And be safe. Tell my daughters I love the—”
Six dragons attacked Geb. Claws, tails, and fire sent him flying backward but not down and definitely not out of the battle. With an ear-piercing roar of rage, the two-headed earth dragon counterattacked. Fire, wings, and scales collided in the morbid, dark sky, the dragon battle epic in its savagery and sacrilege.
Dragons weren’t created to fight each other or intended to use the goddesses’ magic for personal gain and short-sighted goals of power and privilege. Yet, anarchy reigned. Her beloved Geb would fight the dragon traitors who would steal the scepters, rule the preternatural realm, and turn a blind eye while the Demon Kingdom invaded the human realm and feasted on the flesh of children.
With a heavy heart, Nut looked away from her heroic mate and to the dragons awaiting her directive. She would lead them to safety, as Geb had ordered. He and his most trusted allies were fighting to give Nut time to get as many dragons through the gateway and into the realm of humans.
With a low rumble, she called her daughters to her. On young, unsteady legs, they came, and she used her tail to lift them onto her back. She took to the sky, leading a caravan of dragons away from the only home they’ve known and toward the Gateway of the Two Ladies.
DRAGON LORE AND LOVE: Isis and Osiris is part of the…
20 Shades of Shifter: A Paramormal Romance Collection
20 Shades of Shifter is a limited edition collection of new and exclusive paranormal romance novels guaranteed to suck you in from page one.
A shape-shifting dragon must win over his reluctant mate and stop Jack the Ripper. A Fae trucker becomes allies with an MC member when trying to deliver magical motorcycles to the Fae Queen. A wolf shifter is held captive in a human research lab where he is tortured until he meets one sexy scientist. An angel risked it all to steal the elixir of life and save his mortal love’s life and over two millennia later must get her to remember she once loved an angel. These stories and many more are included in this steamy, hot collection.
Don’t wait to read this set. It is only out for a short time before it will be gone forever!
Demelza Carlton, Evelyn Lederman, ML Guida, Aidy Award, Carmen Fox, David Adams, Sascha Illyvich, Lynn Best, Lilly Cain, Emma Alisyn, Vonnie Davis, Brenda Trim and Tami Julka, Nina Croft, K.L. Bone, N.D. Jones, Kailin Gow, & Moxie North
N.D. Jones, a USA Today Best Selling author, lives in Maryland with her husband and two children. She is the founder of Kuumba Publishing, an art, audiobook, eBook, and paperback company. Kuumba Publishing is a forum for creativity, with a special commitment to promoting and encouraging creative works of authors and artists of African descent.A desire to see more novels with positive, sexy, and three-dimensional African American characters as soul mates, friends, and lovers, inspired the author to take on the challenge of penning such romantic reads. She is the author of two paranormal romance series: Winged Warriors and Death and Destiny. N.D. likes to read historical and paranormal romance novels, as well as comics and manga.
A Whole New Life #TeaserTuesday
Sweet Romance
Date Published: 2/24/2018
A Whole New Life is a sweet romance combined with the dangers of the underground crime world. Find out what happens when a beautiful mafia princess goes to a small town in Iowa to start over but quickly becomes intrigued with a hunky deputy.
Can romance ensue when she is always looking over her shoulder and worrying that her past will catch up to her? Check out A Whole New Life to find out if love can really conquer all, or if the past is always doomed to repeat itself.
Excerpt
As two o’clock approached, the officers started throwing cash on the table and getting ready to leave. Of course, it was Deputy Hotstuff who brought everything up to Jenna at the cash register. “It was nice to meet you, Jenna. Welcome to Pella. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around. Anna send you up to the Bakker place?”
Jenna made change and nodded, trying not to look at those pretty blue eyes that were clearly checking her out. “Yes, she and Adam have been so welcoming, giving me a job and helping me find a place to stay.” She handed his change back. “Have a great day, Deputy.” She tried to smile professionally, but felt like she was grinning like a schoolgirl with a crush, heat rushing to her cheeks.
“You have a great day as well. And watch out for those ghosts up at the bed-and-breakfast.” He winked at her.
“What ghosts?” she asked, confused.
“Didn’t anyone tell you? The Bakker place is supposed to be haunted. Stories have been circulating about that for over a hundred years.” Henri smiled at her.
“You don’t really believe such things, do you?” Jenna scoffed. She’d lived through real hell; ghost stories weren’t going to scare her.
Deputy Hotty kept smiling and handed her his card. “My cell number is on there. You never know when you might want a deputy to come save you from the big bad ghosts. Of course, you can feel free to call me for anything else you might need as well.”
Oh my God, he really is flirting with me, Jenna thought to herself. Outwardly she tried to remain cool as she took his card. “Thank you, Deputy, but I stopped believing in ghosts a long time ago.”
“Why is that?” he asked.
“The living people around me turned out to be scarier,” Jenna answered before thinking. Damn her too-honest mouth sometimes, it always had gotten her into trouble.
Henri’s eyes seemed to focus a little more after her response. “I’m sorry. Still, keep my card and give me a call sometime. I’m good at all sorts of things, not just protecting people from ghosts.” With one final smile and wink, he walked out to join his fellow officers.
PRE-ORDER LINKS
The Wingman
Jack Sharpe, Book 2
Political Thriller
Date Published: February 2018
Publisher: St. Helena Press
In The Wingman, veteran Midwestern reporter Jack Sharpe has made it big thanks to the deep-rooted voter-fraud conspiracy he uncovered in The People’s House (the first of the series). At his new perch at Republic, one of America’s flashiest and fastest growing news networks, life is good—until it’s not. Following his beat reporter’s gut, he catches a whiff something rotten is taking place in the Democratic Presidential primary, and ultimately discovers an elaborate scheme to put a corrupt and dangerous politician in the nation’s highest office by any means necessary. Dark money, drone technology, paramilitary government contractors, neglected veterans, kompromat—we see these issues in the news every day. But in The Wingman David Pepper shows that if shadowy entities with enough incentive and resources were to connect and exploit these issues, the American people would be largely powerless to stop them. Jack must risk his life and reputation to get to the bottom of the story before the disturbing plot he and his team have uncovered becomes reality.
Early Praise for The Wingman:
“A labyrinthine political thriller that details a plot to steal the American presidency. …Energetically paced…A cinematic and dramatic story full of delightful twists.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Another tour de force…Like The People’s House, I loved this book. Pepper is a phenomenal writer, with great dialogue, intricate plot, subplots, and characters. And with his unique perch, Pepper deftly wraps the real issues and frustrations of modern-day politics into captivating story lines. I can hardly wait for the next one.” —Jennifer Granholm, former Governor, Michigan
“Pepper does it again! Believable and entertaining—just like the real news these days. What’s fake and what’s real?” —Jack Markell, former Governor, Delaware
“The Wingman by David Pepper takes readers on a rollicking ride…There are the kinds of surprises readers long for and characters they will remember long after the last page is turned.
Well-researched and beautifully crafted, The Wingman is a thrilling read, a story that brilliantly depicts the political atmosphere leading up to the primaries….The characters are superbly conceived and developed to appear like people in real life….David Pepper is a master storyteller.…”
The Wingman by David Pepper is an exceptional political thriller…The book is well-written, interesting and, above all, suspenseful, and is therefore recommended to any reader, not just fans of political thrillers.” —Readers’ Favorites, Reviews
Other Books in the Jack Sharpe Series:
The People’s House
Jack Sharpe, Book 1
Publisher: St. Helena Press
Release Date: October 2017
It doesn’t take long to discover why the Wall Street Journal crowned “The People’s House” the “sleeper for political thriller of the year,” or why a former Governor said she almost missed her connecting flight because she couldn’t put it down.
Youngstown political reporter Jack Sharpe is logging time at the tail end of a disappointing career — jaded about politics and stung by personal hard knocks in a struggling part of Ohio. But after an odd election result in the Ohio Congressional district he covers, Sharpe stumbles across voting irregularities that spur him to dig deeper. The story takes him far beyond his corner of Ohio as he discovers an international plot that strikes at the heart of American democracy. His reporting leads to a showdown with a philandering Congressman and Presidential contender, and an eccentric but deadly Russian mogul. In order to save himself and the country, Sharpe must rekindle his old fire to navigate a treacherous journey through danger, betrayal, and atonement.
And yes, it was all written before eerily similar events occurred in the 2016 election.
Excerpt
That’s when I noticed. With the cameras still pulled back to the wider shot, and the studio audience sitting well behind me, my guess was that I was the only one seeing it.
Bravo’s eyes. His dark brown eyes.
They widened, then darted ever so slightly.
Left.
Right.
Then he looked at me. Directly. Impatiently. In a way no one else could have seen.
He was eager to move on. Desperate to move on.
His words may have been moving, his delivery powerful. But those eyes told the real story—they always did. As my high school coach had drilled into me as a young quarterback, “It’s all about your eyes, Jack. The best players are watching your eyes, and if you’re not careful, they’ll betray you every time.” I’d long ago learned that Coach’s lesson applied way beyond football. A man could mouth whatever words he wanted, lie or tell the truth. He could smile or frown, gesture wildly or sit perfectly still. But his eyes told the real story. If he wasn’t careful, and if you paid attention, the eyes told all.
Now, Bravo’s eyes signaled that something was off. Discomfort, at a time when discomfort made no sense. Maybe it was a painful memory. Or maybe something about the story was not quite right. Or maybe there was more to it. Whatever it was, Bravo wanted to change topics.
And since he had saved my debut, I returned the favor, moving onto the final question of the night. But because of those eyes, I also jotted down a simple reminder on the notepad in front of me: “Check out Bravo war story.”
About the Author
David Pepper has served as Chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party since January 2015. He was first elected to public office in 2001 when he served on the Cincinnati City Council, and was reelected for a second term in 2003. In 2006 he was elected to the three-member Hamilton County Commission, serving there from 2007-2010. David earned his B.A. from Yale, and later his J.D. from Yale Law School. In 1999, he clerked for the Honorable Nathaniel Jones of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He also has taught election and voting rights law at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. Born and raised in Cincinnati, David is a fifth-generation Cincinnatian. He and his wife Alana have two sons, Jack, 3, and Charlie, 1.
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Overweight to Fighting Weight Blitz
Non-fiction. Weight loss and health
Date Published: 8 December 2017
Looking to lose weight but everything has failed? Discover the physical and mental aspects of becoming a much healthier you, written by someone that dropped 80kg!
Get the weight loss system written by someone that went from zero exercise and over 175kg, to a multiple time Australian and Pan Pacific martial arts Champion.
AJ Watson has shed 80kg in his journey and for the first time shares how he did it, and what needed to change mentally and physically to achieve his goals.
This book will teach you how to:
· understand weight loss issues
· figure out nutrition labels
· learn how to set goals
· improve your motivation
· boost your willpower
· structure your exercise
· become a better version of you.
AJ Watson’s approach tackles the issues from multiple angles giving a much greater level of success than diet alone. Treat yourself to a wealth of knowledge and kick those extra kilos goodbye.
AJ discusses his physical and mental states throughout his journey, and how he combated multiple challenges to attain results. Because he has been there, AJ understands the thought process of overeating, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle and low self-esteem. His successes as a martial artist, coach and author are traced back to the struggle out of his lowest point.
Now you can benefit from that struggle as well.
Grab your copy today.
Excerpt
Introduction
My name is Tony and I started this journey at 175kgs.
Today I am 95kgs and hold multiple titles in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
This book details how I accomplished that, my mental outlook and changes, my failures and successes. It will show you a way to duplicate this yourself, breaking it into multiple small actions. Depending on where you are on your trek, you may have already accomplished some of the early steps; if so, fantastic. Congratulations on getting that far. This book will help you understand what you have already achieved, and show you how to take it further.
Chances are if you are reading this book then you have struggled with losing weight, or want to see a boost to your motivation in other areas of your life. As someone that has been where you are, and cut a path through the tangled mess that is the weight loss industry, I understand you. This is where my book is different than a lot of others out there. Many programs are great at using weight loss science, but are usually written by people already fit and healthy that have never been more than a few kilos overweight.
They don’t understand the mental state many people start with, especially when severely overweight as I was. They have never been fat, never been ridiculed for their obesity. Never avoided pools or the beach because they’d have to take off t-shirts and reveal the true extent of their girth. I am thankful that these health professionals spent time with their research so I could learn. But how could they help address my mental and social issues that contributed to my weight gain, when they couldn’t understand them?
A psychologist is needed in many cases. I don’t pretend to be one and I’ve never felt the need to utilise their services. I have known many people that have, and can see the positive impact it made on their lives. I have however researched psychology and as I’ve lived through it I know a lot about the thought process that goes with obesity. That insight drives many parts of this book.
I am also a certified life coach, a field of study that assists people moving their lives from point A to point B. Even if they are unaware of how to do so, or that point B is even within their reach. Many steps in this book work in unison with the tools and techniques utilised in coaching. They will work without it, though will be greatly enhanced with a life coach by your side.
What I aim to do here is not only show you my meal changes and exercise regime, but also show how my mental state altered. I’ll share how I overcame my negative thoughts and barrelled through plateaus.
I gained all of this knowledge through a thirst for understanding. As my wife will attest, I absolutely must know everything even if it doesn’t concern me. It’s my nature. I can blame and thank my parents for this. As a child I hungered for understanding and often asked questions of how and why. Before long I was asking things they didn’t know the answer to. Instead of dismissing it or making something up, my parents instilled in me a simple mantra: look it up.
This was long before the Internet became popular and ubiquitous so all I had was a dictionary, an odd assortment of encyclopaedias and the school library. The skills and knowledge gained were invaluable and formed my love of words and reading.
The Internet exploded my world and now the guys I train with often refer to me as Google, as I generally have the answer or insight required for the topic at hand.
So when I turned this skill to weight loss my bull-crap detector worked overtime. I tried several diets that I fully understood the science of, but ultimately they failed because they didn’t take into account the psychological impact. They also failed to understand the starting point that a lot of overweight people find themselves in.
My meals consisted of mostly eating take-out, snacking on chocolate and washing it down with litres of soft drinks and tubs of ice-cream. You can’t instantly go from that to fresh fruit and veggies, healthy snacks and controlled portions. That is why the majority of diets fail and are a waste of your time.
I want to mention right off the bat that this is not a diet book. To me, a diet is a short-term change to reach a desired goal in less than two months. This journey took me nearly a decade and I am still changing things to get better results. It took that long because of all the trial and error, the research required and figuring how to alter the mental conditioning I’d spent nearly three decades building.
I can guide you into doing this far quicker, though I expect it to take years, not months. Lasting change takes time but if you follow the ideas and plans in this book, then you will see some quick results.
I am not a medical professional so I implore you, if you have any conditions or food intolerances then seek their expert advice first. Everything in here works for me, but my body is not the same as yours. I am living proof that the process works, and should work for the majority, however your life is unique and nothing can take everything into account. Even so, everyone can gain some benefit from a lot of these pages.
I’m looking forward to helping you achieve your goals.
About the Author
AJ Watson (Tony to his friends) lives with his wife Barbara in the great state of Victoria, Australia.
AJ is a certified Life Coach and continues to expand his skills to assist others not only duplicate his successes but to clear any mental barriers people place upon themselves.
Tony has obtained a Bachelor of Computing and although he has a love of technology, he can’t help dreaming of worlds with vicious creatures and powerful metaphysics. He uses this imagination to write sci fi/fantasy novels.
Tony is an experienced martial artist competitor and instructor, having won multiple national gold medals and assisting others to do the same.
In his spare time, among other things, Tony dabbles in computer graphics and GMs many role play games with his family and friends.
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a
WORKING THE COUNT by Jeanine Binder
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Working the count (definition) – When a batter is patient in his at-bats and tries to get “ahead in the count” or to get a pitch that he can hit hard.
Montero Salazaar was a master of this in his private life. He was always looking for the home run and never the strike out; contrary to how he wanted things to go when he was in a game. Being a major league pitcher only helped to enhance the number of girls wanting him in their bed and he knew how to lay down the smooth line at the exact right time. His life was an open book – at thirty-two years old, he had all the time in the world to play and have fun, making his presence known on every tabloid imaginable. Each day brought the promise of a new encounter, leaving him sated and satisfied without having to look in the rearview mirror.
But then came Casey and his aunt, Annie. Being with her, he felt like he had been doused with a vat of ice water and now wide awake – looking at life (and love) so differently. Montero wasn’t used to women who weren’t throwing themselves at him and how could Annie be changing him so dramatically? And why was he suddenly more interested in spending an afternoon coaching an eight-year-old with baseball tips than finding someone to spend a sexy night with?
Was this his one chance for love rather than being destined for one-nighters? Can he really change and make himself a solid person for Annie to love? Or were his teammates right and this would all blow over like a late-night storm with no true love in sight?
“What’s up?” Montero asked cautiously, setting his phone back down on the locker floor, looking the guys over to make sure they didn’t have anything to spray him with, or dump on him. Practical jokes were a way of life in the locker room and you had to always keep your guard up. All four of these guys were ganging up on him – all bets were off. He knew they had an agenda of some kind.
“Salley,” Mike Robbins, the first baseman started. “Salley” was the nickname his team all called him as a joke, which didn’t bother him. Some of his teammates had worse nicknames and he knew they’d thought they were being cute by giving him a girl’s name. “You’re up to something and we want to know what. You know you can’t keep secrets from us.”
“I have no idea what you guys are talking about,” he retorted, but couldn’t hold back the smile on his face. He knew he should keep a poker face, but something inside wanted to tell his team the truth. He was feeling good about his relationship and he felt he could talk about it openly. Now might be the opening he’d been waiting for.
Mike pointed his finger at him in an accusing manner. “That’s what I’m talking about. Look at that shit-eating grin on your face. Give it up, Sal. What have you done?”
Montero wavered, going over the pros and cons in his mind, whether to tell them about Annie. He was still surprised at the whole relationship himself and he knew he was in for an onslaught of teasing from his teammates once he came clean with them. But he didn’t have a clever way to dodge the situation and figured they’d all have to know sometime. He took a deep breath and blew it out, facing his teammates and swallowed once before starting. “Well, I sort of have… a girlfriend.”
There was silence for a moment then the four guys around him just burst into laughter. The kind that makes your eyes water and your stomach hurt. Montero watched patiently as they all dropped either onto the bench beside him or onto the floor – the hoots of their amusement making him wish he’d just kept his mouth shut. It was inevitable they would find out and he’d figured he’d take the easy way out by telling them, but from the sound of things, that was even going to go south on him. He wasn’t finding their laughter very amusing, trying to be tolerant until they were finished. He knew this was coming but still…
“Not sure what’s so funny,” Montero interrupted.
“That has to be the best thing I have heard all week,” David answered. David Ruston was a reliever – usually brought in at the seventh inning to carry on for the starting pitcher, and had followed Montero on the field more times than he could count. “Montero Salazaar with only one woman – Salley, I can’t get my head around that thought. And I know this has just got to be some whim you’re on. A dare someone made? Or a bet…that’s it. Someone is paying you to do this…”
“No one’s paying me to do anything and it’s not any kind of bet,” Montero said, fixing David with a stare. “This is a whole new world for me. I haven’t been to a club or out with another woman in almost three months. Tell me that isn’t serious, thank you very much.”
Mike nudged David in the ribs. “She must be a hot tamale in bed then.”
The guys all went back off in another fit of laughter. Montero stood up, finishing getting dressed. He was too tired and cranky to continue feeding their amusement. He’d earned every bit of their disbelief and harassment, but he didn’t need to have it all tonight and he wasn’t interested in taking anymore. “Laugh it up guys,” he said, finally. “If you want to see for yourself, get off your asses and come down to Riverside Ball Park at four tomorrow. You can meet her and then you’ll see I’m legit.”
Just as he got to the locker room door, he heard Mike’s voice behind him. “It won’t last, Salley. You don’t have the moxy to commit to just one woman. I give it another couple of weeks at most – things will be back to normal. I’ll even put a C-Note on it.”
I’ll be at the Booking in Biloxi event – March 24th at the IP Casino, Biloxi, Mississippi.
I’ll have signed copies on the table for $7 and you get to meet DeLonn Donovan (the model on the cover).
Jeanine Binder grew up in a small town in California on the outskirts of Palm Springs, where the Hollywood celebrities liked to vacation. After thirty years, she packed up, moved to Arkansas where she still lives today. Her hobbies include her writing, reading good books, and seeing exotic places (loves to go on cruises).
Writing has always been a passion and hoping the next twenty years will bring many enjoyable books for others to read.
M.C.V. EGAN ❧Defining Ways❧ 