by Emma Lea
“I have the perfect outfit!” Peyton exclaimed, turning around to spy the discarded garment bag.
“One of your party costumes?” Mia asked, her tone unsure.
“It's perfect,” Peyton said, picking up the bag and unzipping it to reveal the stunning blue dress. It looked just like the one from the live action film that had come out a few years ago. “It's exactly what every guy expects us to be. They expect us to look pretty at the ball so they can preen in front of their friends and yet when we're at home, they expect us to be on our knees.”
Mia snorted laughter and wine through her nose. “Excuse me?”
“Not like that!” Peyton rolled her eyes. “I mean they expect us to be like Cinderella and on our knees scrubbing the kitchen floors and cooking for them and shit.”
“Um, I don't know what century you're living in,” Mia said, “but there's a little thing called women’s lib—”
“And just exactly what has women's lib done for me?” Peyton asked, exasperated. “Now I'm expected to work and take care of the house and make sure I look pretty and not be too bossy in case I come across as a ball buster, but not be too meek so that I act like a doormat. I'm so sick of the contradictions! I just want to be me!”
“Preach it sister!” Mia said, aiming her phone at Peyton.
“So here it is. My solemn vow. I am no longer going to try and please men! I'm going to dress for me. I'm going to eat for me. I'm going to go to the gym because I want to and not because I think I need to look hot to snag a man. If I want to go to the bar in sweats, then I will. If I want to leave the house without makeup or doing my hair, then god help me I will. I am done with living my life so that I can attract a man and then keep him happy. I did everything for that cocksucker Dale and what did he do to me? Married some god dammed showgirl. For fucks sake! He wasn't even that great of a boyfriend. What the hell do I need a man for anyway? I'm a single, independent, self-sufficient woman and I can do whatever the hell I want. The only thing men are good for is in the bedroom and even Dale wasn't that good at that. I haven't had an orgasm that wasn’t self-assisted in three fucking years, so I don't even need a man for that! And what about the whole double standard thing? Huh? Why is it okay, not even okay but encouraged, for men to sleep around and make total man whores of themselves but when a woman does it she's labelled as a crazy nymphomaniac slut? The whole fucking thing is a rort. We no longer live in the days when men had to spread their seed around willy-nilly in order to ensure the survival of the species. And in fact some of those idiots should never reproduce! N-E-V-E-R.”
“Woo-hoo!” Mia cat-called.
“But I digress. To all the men of the world,” Peyton said looking straight down the barrel of the phone’s camera. “I am done trying to please you. I am done with the whole love and marriage trap! That’s it!” Peyton stopped. The light bulb moment crystallised in her mind. “I am done with love. Love makes you stupid. Love makes you do things and say things that you would never do otherwise. Love makes you change into a different person just so you can get someone else to love you back. Well, I’m done with it. The only person I’m going to love is myself. You want this?” She dropped the garment bag and posed, showing off nothing in her baggy shirt and stained yoga pants. “Then you are going to have to prove to me you're worth it. It's about time a guy got down on his knees for me.”
In Like Flynn.
Available now.
Acknowledgments
Merry Christmas!
I just had to write a Christmas story this year and I really wanted it to reflect what a Christmas in Australia is really like. I used a lot of inspiration from my own life.
When I was a kid we used to drive to my grandparents’ place—they lived about two and a half hours away up a long, windy, car-sick-inducing road (the Putty Road if anyone is familiar with it)—and we would go to the annual Bush Dance. It was pretty much exactly how I described it (as far as my memory could recall) complete with the ‘fast’ floor and Santa arriving on the back of a Landcruiser ute.
As for Julia’s Christmas tree obsession, I have to admit that the inspiration for that came directly from me. I really, really don’t like tinsel and I’m a little pedantic about how it’s decorated.
I hope you felt the heat of an Aussie Summer Christmas (and not just the weather *wink wink*) and I wish you all a very Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and a fabulous New Year!
Thank you to Kathryn for fitting your beta-reading around moving house and all the crap that goes on when you move house! You are an absolute gem and I love you to bits.
Thanks to you too, Brooke! Oh my goodness! Editing barely a week after having a tonsillectomy! You are amazing, incredible, fantastic, and my hero!
Of course none of this would be possible without my family and especially my husband who is and will always be the hero of my story. I love you so much, babe. You’re my favourite!
About the Author
Emma Lea is a business owner, artist, cook, mother and wife. She lives on the beautiful Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia with her wonderful husband, two beautiful sons, her dog and cat (both of which are female because, hey, we needed to balance all that testosterone!)
She is a ferocious reader with eclectic tastes and has always wanted to write, but never had the opportunity due to one reason or another (excuses, really) until finally taking the bullet between her teeth in 2014 and just making herself do it.
She loves to write stories with heart and a message and believes in strong female characters who do not necessarily have to be aggressive to show their strength.
If you enjoyed reading this book, please share the love by leaving a review and telling your friends!
To connect with Emma
www.emmaleaauthor.com
Thanks
Thank you for reviewing this book and recommending it to your friends and family.
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Other books by Emma Lea
This is Emma Lea’s complete book library at time of publication, but more books are coming out all the time. Find out every time Emma releases something by clicking here and signing up for her New Release Alerts.
SWEET ROMANCES
These are romantic tales without the bedroom scenes and the swearing, but that doesn’t mean they’re boring!
The Young Royals
A Royal Engagement
Lord Darkly
A Royal Entanglement
A Royal Entrapment
A Royal Expectation
A Royal Elopement
A Royal Embarrassment
A Very Royal Christmas
Bookish Book Club Novellas
Meeting Prince Charming
Meeting the Wizard of Oz (coming soon)
Broken Arrow Trilogy
Broken
Cursed
Eternal
SWEET & SEXY ROMANCES
In my Sweet & Sexy Romances I turn up the heat with a little bit of sexy. No swearing, or very minimal swearing, and brief, tasteful and not too graphic bedroom scenes.
Love, Money & Shoes Series
Walk of Shame
Strictly Business
Skin Deep
In The Money
All At Sea
Love, Money & Shoes Novellas
The Five Year Plan
Summer Fling
Standalone Novels
Amnesia
HOT & SEXY ROMANCES
Hot & Spicy Romances turn the heat way up. They contain swearing and sexy scenes and the characters get hot under the collar.
Recommended for 18+ readers
TGIF Series
Girl Friday
Black Friday
Good Friday
&nb
sp; Twelve Days
Twelve Days of Christmas - Her Side of the Story
Twelve Days of Christmas - His Side of the Story
Quickies (Collins Bay Novellas)
Last Call
Standalone Novels
Learning to Breathe
TOO HOT TO HANDLE ROMANCES
These are definitely 18+ reads and contain graphic sex scenes and high level swearing – not for the faint of heart
The Young Billionaires
The Billionaire Stepbrother
The Billionaire Daddy
The Billionaire Muse
The Billionaire Replacement
The Billionaire Trap
Christmas with the Billionaire
The Playbook
In Like Flynn
Music & Lyrics
Rock Star
Songbird
Strings
Sticks
Symphony (coming soon)
