Sophie's Playboy

by Natalie J. Damschroder

  Sophie's Playboy

  Natalie J. Damschroder

  CreateSpace (2005)

  * * *

  * * *

  Sophie Macgregor should be satisfied with her life, but her high-paying job and country-club social life aren’t quite fulfilling enough. She wants a family and refuses to consider a relationship with a playboy, even if he is as attractive as Parker Cornwall.

  Parker’s reputation is well-earned, and he uses it to keep women at a distance. Though deep down he, too, craves a family, his own has a legacy of pain, a legacy he won’t continue. But he can’t seem to stay away from Sophie.

  When they end up working together, love takes over. Sophie realizes the right playboy can be a good risk. But Parker can’t get over his fear of hurting Sophie--and of being hurt--and reverts to old habits. She can’t convince him that the past can be overcome. Only when tragedy strikes does Parker understand that having and losing is better than never having at all...

  About the Author

  Natalie J. Damschroder became a writer the hard way—by avoiding it. Though she wrote her first book at age five (appropriately titled, My Very First Book) and received accolades for her academic writing (Ruth Davies Award for Excellence in Writing for a paper on deforestation her senior year in college), she hated doing it. Colonial food and the habits of the European Starling just weren't her thing. Shortly after graduating from college, however, she found her niche—romantic fiction. After an internship with the National Geographic Society, customer service for a phone company just wasn't that exciting. So she began learning how to write the books she'd loved to read all her life. Four books and six years later, she finally sold. Now she struggles to balance her frenetic writing life (how else can she get all the stories in her head on paper?) with her family, the most supportive husband in the world and two beautiful, intelligent, stubborn, independent daughters (one of whom has already declared her desire to be a writer, too). She somehow also fits in a day job and various volunteer positions in and out of the writing industry. More can be found at www.nataliedamschroder.com.

  Sophie's Playboy

  by Natalie Damschroder

  Amber Quill Press

  www.amberquill.com

  Copyright ©2005 by Natalie J. Damschroder NOTICE: This eBook is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution to any person via email, floppy disk, network, print out, or any other means is a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines and/or imprisonment. This notice overrides the Adobe Reader permissions which are erroneous. This eBook cannot be legally lent or given to others.

  This eBook is displayed using 100% recycled electrons.

  Distributed by Fictionwise.com

  2

  Sophie's Playboy

  by Natalie Damschroder

  Sophie's Playboy

  by

  NATALIE J. DAMSCHRODER

  * * * *

  ISBN 1-59279-456-4

  Amber Quill Press, LLC

  www.amberquill.com

  3

  Sophie's Playboy

  by Natalie Damschroder

  Also By Natalie J. Damschroder

  Cat's Claw

  Elemental Passion

  Institutional Sex

  Kira's Best Friend

  The Passion Of Tanner Black

  The TreeKeeper

  4

  Sophie's Playboy

  by Natalie Damschroder

  DEDICATION

  For Nelson Damschroder, who has been my biggest supporter and has gone far too long without recognition. Every woman should be lucky enough to have a father-in-law as wonderful as you.

  5

  Sophie's Playboy

  by Natalie Damschroder

  CHAPTER 1

  "Of course, Mr. Monroe. Your order will be there tomorrow, if I have to bring it personally."

  Sophie Macgregor listened to the old letch's response and trilled a laugh. That laugh, and the politely soothing tone she used, were at direct odds with her posture. She'd started the conversation propped on her hand, elbow on her desk.

  Monroe Electronics was her fifth customer complaint this morning. By the time she was done, her arm was stretched out and she half sprawled in a puddle on her desk. Her lovely solid mahogany desk with a big scratch across the middle.

  Funny, she'd never noticed the scratch before. She was rubbing at the mark when she wound up the call several minutes later.

  "Goodbye, Mr. Monroe. Thank you for using MultiMicroTech." She punched the disconnect button and sighed.

  "The top of the heap is dealing with the mulch, now?"

  Sophie sat up and smiled at her sister, Kira, who stood in the doorway holding her son Joseph. The baby beamed back and gurgled adorably.

  "Rescue!" Sophie flung her arms in the air, dumped her headset, and sprang to her feet. She swung around the desk and paused, pressing her intercom button. "Ren, I'm at lunch."

  "Gotcha."

  6

  Sophie's Playboy

  by Natalie Damschroder

  "Quick. Before they send me another one." She ushered Kira and her nephew out the door and onto the sunny streets of Boston.

  "Ah, freedom!" Sophie inhaled the unique scent of the city on a good day—bus exhaust, flowers, and a hint of salt air—

  and they began strolling toward their favorite outdoor café.

  "Since when do you handle customer complaints?" Kira asked. "Here, take him."

  Sophie cuddled Joey against her shoulder. "Since always."

  She yawned. "Dave and Chuck believe the customer is the most important spoke of the wheel. After the investor, of course. Oh, I don't want to talk about work."

  Kira paused in front of a boutique and Sophie frowned at the window. Her euphoria at escaping prison had faded quickly, replaced by the pervasive ennui she'd been suffering from for weeks.

  "That dress would be stunning on you," Kira said.

  Sophie stared at the five hundred dollar cocktail gown. It was a good country club gown, effective at drawing investments from playboys with too much money who hung out at The Club. She could afford the dress. MultiMicroTech, where she was a vice president, was hugely successful even after the stock market slowdown, and her bosses were quick to reward their employees for that success. She had a good salary and excellent benefits, and a restlessness that grew by the hour.

  "Nah."

  7

  Sophie's Playboy

  by Natalie Damschroder

  They continued on a few blocks and settled at their usual table. Sophie caught up on the Brook Hollow gossip and told Kira this outing was just what she needed.

  Sophie nibbled a spinach leaf and eyed the couple across from her. At seven months Joey McKenna was the most darling baby Sophie had ever seen. Kira—Sophie's older sister—had married her own best friend the year before and looked like a paid endorsement for happiness. They only served to show Sophie exactly why she was restless.

  Kira tossed her napkin to the table. "Okay, what's wrong?"

  Sophie popped a mangled mandarin orange into her mouth. "What do you mean? What could be wrong?" She didn't have to work to inject any sarcasm into her voice.

  Kira studied her, handing Joey the rattle he'd dropped without turning her head. "It hasn't been that long since I felt like you, you know," she said quietly.

  "How is that?"

  "Dissatisfied. Confused. Like my world was tilting and everything was shifting out of place."

  "No. It's not the same." Sophie interrupted Kira as she started to protest. "It's not. You had what you wanted right under your nose. It wasn't that big a step to get there."

  Kira barked a laugh. The baby jerked and stared at his mother w
ith wide eyes. She didn't do anything else strange, so he crossed them back to his rattle.

  "Sophie, don't you remember what we went through?

  Darcy's fake pregnancy, the rumors, Jake's career going down the toilet? Not to mention my own confusion. It wasn't easy, by any means."

  8

  Sophie's Playboy

  by Natalie Damschroder

  Sophie sighed. "I know all that, Keer. I meant, your obstacles were clear. You knew what was on the other side.

  You had choices. I don't even know where to look to find what I want."

  Kira wasn't looking at her and didn't seem to be listening.

  Sophie frowned in annoyance. "Where am I gonna find a great guy who isn't already attached? A job that's more fun than squeezing investors and soothing clients? Something to jog me out of this canyon-deep rut I'm in? Are you listening to me?"

  Kira pointed at something in the street. "There's a good start. Something to shake up your dull existence."

  Sophie twisted. A city bus idled at the curb across the street. The billboard on its side advertised a local talk radio station and their latest promotion, inviting listeners to do their own one-hour show.

  "Yeah, right. That'll change my life."

  "It would be fun, anyway. You love to talk."

  Sophie glared. Kira grinned. "Just what is wrong with your life?" she prodded. "Exactly." She took a huge bite of her hamburger.

  "I can't eat hamburgers," Sophie grumped.

  "Don't pout. I'm nursing." Kira nodded at Sophie's wilted salad. "It was your choice."

  She was right. It was all her choice. She sighed and shoved the plate away. "I'm so bored in my job, I can't stand to be there. Buying stuff used to be fun, now it's empty because I don't have anyone to share it with. I want a family.

  I want a partner, and a sweet little baby—" She waved a hand 9

  Sophie's Playboy

  by Natalie Damschroder

  at Joey, who was red-faced and grunting. "I want what you have. I want Jake."

  Kira shook her head, but her smile wouldn't go away, even as she began a diaper change without removing the baby from his carrier. "You can't have Jake. Or Joey. But you don't really want Jake. You want something fulfilling. Okay. Look for it."

  "Where? At the country club?"

  Kira laughed. "Sure. Don't you remember what I told you last year?"

  "No."

  "That you would fall for a playboy."

  Biff Cornwall, one of those playboys, flashed into her mind.

  Fluffy men who played empty games with cotton-headed women and spent more money each day than Sophie made in a year. Ridiculous. "If I wanted a playboy, I'd have one by now. I don't want a playboy. Besides, you predicted Brianna would fall for a Navy SEAL. I don't see any of those around here." She wrinkled her nose as Kira dumped the tiny diaper into a plastic bag and wiped her hands with a moist wipe.

  "Brie's younger than you. She has plenty of time."

  "Oh, and I don't?" The whole conversation was stupid.

  Sophie wasn't even twenty-eight. Yet.

  But Kira was so unperturbed, so at peace as she lifted Joey from his seat and prepared to nurse him, that Sophie felt an unprecedented surge of envy. She watched her sister settle the baby at her breast and the ache in her own chest sharpened.

  10

  Sophie's Playboy

  by Natalie Damschroder

  "It's been a while since you've come home for a visit," Kira said. "Why don't you spend the weekend with us?"

  Sophie shook her head. There was a reason she hadn't been home. Last year she'd spent as much time as possible in Brook Hollow, soaking up her family's energy, watching the soap opera that had become Kira's life, maintaining her connections to the hometown grapevine. Now, it hurt more than it helped.

  Another bus went by with one of those stupid billboards on the side. Kira aimed her thumb over her shoulder. "It can't hurt, sis. It's right up your alley."

  Sophie ignored her.

  * * * *

  Parker Cornwall loved to golf. Some found that absurd.

  Golfing, especially at The Club, was supposed to be a business activity. If he was part of the foursome, it was often a "get Parker's money" activity. He didn't mind that. He'd made an awful lot of it by giving it away. Or investing it, anyway.

  But every once in a while Parker was able to golf for fun.

  To join a couple of his closer friends, soak in the sunshine and the smell of freshly cut grass, and whack the hell out of a little white ball.

  He lifted his driver over his head and stretched. "Who's joining us?" he asked his friend, Jason Wenrick. The pharmaceutical heir took a couple of practice swings before answering.

  "Some friend of Darlene's."

  11

  Sophie's Playboy

  by Natalie Damschroder

  Parker grunted. Jason's fiancée was a certified socialite, but a sweet girl. Whatever fluff-pot friend she brought would keep her occupied and let Parker concentrate on the purity of golf. He hoped. The Club insisted on foursomes to get maximum use of the course, or he'd golf by himself.

  "Here they come."

  Parker turned and saw the two women coming down the walk. Darlene, bless her pretty little blond-to-the-roots head, was unmistakable in her hot pink golf skirt and white shirt.

  Her visor matched the skirt. Her friend was more reasonably dressed in loose khaki pants and a yellow golf shirt. She had sleek, dark blond hair pulled back out of her way and a white visor with The Club logo clear even at this distance.

  They drew closer and he recognized the curves under the conservative clothes. His left hand slipped and the driver fell, bonking him on the head.

  Sophie Macgregor.

  "Hey, Biff!" Darlene leaned up to kiss his cheek and Parker tried not to let her see his grimace. He hated the nickname with a passion, but it had been handed down from his father and everyone used it, no matter what he tried to do. He looked at Sophie and saw the smirk on her face. It made him want to kiss her.

  Most of what she did made him want to kiss her.

  He stepped back as Darlene set up her first drive. Sophie stood on Jason's other side, appropriately quiet while the other woman swung. It didn't help. Darlene's drive sliced into the woods.

  12

  Sophie's Playboy

  by Natalie Damschroder

  "Shooters!" Darlene stomped her foot and pouted. Jason comforted her. Sophie smiled in commiseration.

  Parker lusted after Sophie.

  He still hadn't unstuck his tongue to say anything to her.

  When Jason rejoined him and Sophie stepped up to drive, Parker leaned close to his friend and murmured, "Sophie Macgregor and Darlene are friends?"

  "Yeah, who'd have thought it? Sophie the Shark and Darlene the Dimwit." Jason laughed at his own joke, but Parker only shook his head. Jason would learn. Darlene the Dimwit wasn't deaf, and the glare she shot him promised retribution later.

  If Sophie had heard the jab, though, she ignored it and them as she set up for her shot. Her movements were efficient, practiced, much like her business moves. Parker had never golfed with her before, but had seen her on the course and was familiar with her company. So he wasn't surprised when her drive was long and straight. He was surprised, though, when he realized she'd driven from the rear tee. Even more surprised a moment later when his ball landed a good three yards behind hers.

  Her first flaw.

  The foursome made small talk as they walked. Parker watched Sophie choose her iron, admired the long line of her body when she stroked, and tried not to feel like a junior high geek as they moved ahead to the putting green.

  He didn't know why he was so obsessed with Sophie. He didn't know her at all, except what he witnessed at The Club.

  She was a complex woman, not the type he was used to. He'd 13

  Sophie's Playboy

  by Natalie Damschroder

  seen her talk business like the most seasoned Wall-Streeter, act coy
as a kitten, and discuss with intelligence topics as wide-ranging as oil drilling, auto mechanics, and the latest formal line by Valentino. He hadn't made a move on her, uncertain what would work to pique her interest rather than her defense mechanisms. He'd been unsurprised when she'd courted him the other day on her bosses' behalf.

  Disappointed, but unsurprised.

  Sophie also played great golf, and was smart enough not to mention MultiMicroTech until Parker pulled even with her at the fourth hole.

  "Have you had a chance to look at the proposal I sent over?" she asked.

  He shrugged. "I glanced at it. It's not that enticing."

  She bristled and he hid a smile. "Not enticing? If we can get this component on the market within the next three months, we'll corner it."

  And she was off. Parker was actually grateful as they approached the next tee. Maybe if she kept her mouth running about business, he could tune her out and focus on his golf game.

  * * * *

  Sophie couldn't keep her mouth shut. She didn't know what prompted the facts and figures and assertions and promises to keep spewing, but as long as her feet were moving, her mouth was flapping. She did manage to pause it when they golfed, but as soon as they were done it started again.

  14

  Sophie's Playboy

  by Natalie Damschroder

  Biff moved ahead of her to find his ball, which had rolled off the fairway. She hung back and cursed herself six ways from Sunday.

  "Honey, you won't catch Biff Cornwall that way."

  Sophie frowned at Darlene. "What are you talking about?"

  The younger woman took a practice swing. "You're yammerin' on like a hungry Pekingese. Biff likes his women to be a bit more ... reserved."

  Sophie laughed, but it pained her that Darlene the Dimwit could see something she herself couldn't.

  "I'm not interested in Biff Cornwall," she assured Darlene.

  "I'm only interested in his money. And only," she continued when Darlene's fuchsia lips parted, "for business."

  "O-kay-ee." Darlene shrugged. "Your loss." She moved ahead. Sophie followed slowly and tried not to ask Darlene for advice. She was not interested in Biff Cornwall.

  Just like she wasn't interested in that radio promotion, right?