by Judi Fennell
Which posed a whole new set of problems for this job. How was she supposed to focus if she kept getting sidetracked by the physical?
But she would.
She could.
Heck, if she could outwit social workers and manage to keep her teenaged self out of the gutter, not to mention, actually make something of her life, she could certainly keep her own libido in check.
She had to. Her job, her livelihood, and all her dreams depended on it.
***
Each step up the goddamned grandiose stairway reverberated through Todd’s skull, setting his teeth on edge and his stomach roiling. Why the hell hadn’t the builder put carpet on these stairs?
Todd grabbed his head with one hand, keeping the other one hovering above his groin with the damned kitchen towel. It’d be funny if it weren’t so ungodly pitiful.
He, a grown man, hiding his modesty behind a piece of eight-by-twelve cotton because he didn’t have enough sense to pass out in his own bed.
He kicked open the bedroom door and grimaced. Bare, tan walls, minimal furniture, and the fucking king-sized bed mocked him.
He knew exactly why he’d chosen the couch.
And he wasn’t about to dwell on it. He’d done enough dwelling last night. More than enough, apparently.
He barreled through to the bathroom, his refusal to dwell on the reason just one more part of the person he’d become in the past two years.
And the poor woman downstairs who’d had to witness the person he’d become last night… God, wasn’t it just perfect she’d shown up this morning?
Todd grabbed the shower handle and turned the water full force to hot. He’d burn the alcohol out of his system if he had to. No one deserved that greeting her first day on the job. Even if it was his house.
Todd sucked in a breath as he stepped beneath the pelting liquid fire and realized he wasn’t as tough as he pretended. He turned the spigot back to warm and leaned his forehead against the cool ivory tile, and listened to the phone ring in his bedroom. Let the machine get the fucking thing. He couldn’t deal with the calls and the goddamned hounding.
Not today.
The water ran into his eyes and he wiped it away with the heels of his hands. Why today? Why’d she have to start today?
Why’d she have to start at all?
Why wouldn’t they all just leave him alone?
***
“You see what you’re up against, Jonathan?” The archangel, Raphael, waved his hand in front of the computer monitor in the executive office of Domestic Gods & Goddesses and the split-screen images of Todd and Jolie faded to a serene, heavenly blue screen saver. “Todd doesn’t think he’s ready to let go of his wife’s memory and Jolie is still a work in progress. Getting these two together could be difficult.”
Jonathan Griff took a seat on one of the burgundy chairs opposite the mahogany desk and sipped the lemonade Raphael had given him. Well, perhaps he gulped it. This was a big assignment. Todd was front-page news. Still. After two years out of the public eye, the man could have media coverage in an instant. He was high profile. He was hot.
What if Jonathan failed? Not only would Todd and Jolie, his Charges, suffer, but it’d be public. Then he’d never earn his wings.
Of course, personal aggrandizement was not what a Guardian should worry about. His Charges’ happiness should be his sole focus.
He’d had some success in the past, but there always seemed to be something he never got quite right. Could he take that risk with such a prominent case?
“You can do this, Jonathan.”
The archangel’s words reverberated inside his mind—another talent Jonathan hadn’t yet mastered. Why was Raphael offering him this assignment? The archangel had no malice in him so he couldn’t want to see him fail. Perhaps he had an overabundance of Hope?
Jonathan, left eye twitching, touched the keypad and the close-up of Todd’s face reappeared. The poor man was in so much pain and, while The Boss had a Plan for Todd, Jonathan couldn’t bear to see someone hurting.
And then there was Jolie. No one should have to endure what she had as a child. She was trying so hard to be all right that she’d almost convinced herself she was.
But she wasn’t. Not really. She played a good game, but she craved acceptance so much that she’d do anything to get it.
Well, almost anything.
Jonathan smiled, the twitch subsiding. He’d read her dossier. The girl had a fine moral character, as did Todd.
Character and a run of bad luck; that’s what the two of them shared. Not to mention the wellspring of love in their souls. That’s why the request for their happiness had been selected for fulfillment.
Now it was up to him to help them along.
Jonathan set the lemonade on an antique walnut-inlay table beside him and hopped off the chair to stand before the archangel. If Raphael thought he was capable of this job, then he owed it to his Charges to be the best Guardian possible.
“Yes, sir. I believe I can help them.”
~ * ~
More to Read From Judi
ROYALLY SUNK
In Over Her Head
Reel’s a merman without a tail, and Erica’s terrified of the ocean. Only one thing could get her into the water: a gun. And only one thing could keep her there: the sexy merman who saves her life, only to risk his own.
Wild Blue Under
Valerie’s a mer princess landlocked in the middle of the country. Rod is the prince who sets out to rescue her. But can they dodge a usurper’s plot and make it back to the ocean before his tail—and his claim to the throne—disappear forever?
Catch of a Lifetime
Logan ran away from the circus; all he wants is for his life to be normal. The naked woman who shows up on his boat is anything but normal. Especially when Angel turns out to be a mermaid—with an angry sea monstress after her.
Making Waves ~ outtakes
Read about The Incident that made Erica terrified of the ocean, the reason Valerie, the lost princess, was found, and how Logan’s young son Michael found a mermaid The stories before the stories.
BOTTLED MAGIC
I Dream of Genies
Matt’s luck has finally changed when genie Eden escapes her bottle and lands in his lap. Literally. And she vows never to go back in. Unfortunately for both of them, the guy who put her in there wants her back and he’ll stop at nothing to get her.
Genie Knows Best
Samantha inherits her father’s estate, complete with a genie who has one last master to serve before his indentured servitude is up. Sam’s more than willing to set Kal free—until her greedy ex has decided that if he can’t have Sam, no one can.
My Fair Genie
Zane’s inherited the family mansion which he can’t rid of quick enough to put the rumors of his family’s crazy history to rest. Too bad the genie who’s been the cause of those rumors has been set free to run amok once more. Only this time, it’s his heart she’s messing with.
Your Wish Is His Command ~ outtake
Find out how Kal came to be imprisoned in his lantern and why he needs to serve 1001 masters. It’s the story before the story..
ONCE-UPON-A-ROMANCE
Beauty and The Best
Jolie is a personal chef by day and a romance writer by night. So when she gets a gig for the hot reclusive artist, Todd, she has the perfect hero for her book. Until Todd finds out and kicks her out of his kitchen, his home, and his heart.
If The Shoe Fits
Once upon a time, a long time ago, in a land far, far away, there lived a girl by the name of Cinderella. This is not her story. This is the story of Lucinda Isabella Casteleoni, who, like her namesake, has a wicked stepmother, two tacky stepsisters, and countless hours of hard work to (not) look forward to. But unlike that fairy tale princess, Bella’s Prince Charming is nowhere to be found. Until a little old man with sparkling green eyes opens a shoe store down the street. Then the magic begins...
Through The
Leaded Glass ~ prequel
An accidental trip to medieval England has ad exec Kate scrambling for a way home… But can she bring the hot knight in shining armor she’s fallen in love with back with her?
Fairest of Them All
BEEFCAKE, INC.
Beefcake & Cupcakes
Lara wants her cupcakes to be a success. Exotic dancer Gage wouldn’t mind sampling them, but his work schedule to pay off his nephew’s hospital bills doesn’t leave him time to do so. Until a party where beefcake meets cupcakes and, oh, is it delicious!
Beefcake & Mistakes
When Bryan mistakes Jenna for a hooker and she realizes he’s her adopted son’s father, the mistakes and misunderstandings start to grow. But something else is growing between them, too. Sometimes, one wrong turn can be oh so right…
Beefcake & Retakes
Tanner his ex-wife to be out of his life forever, but when her grandmother has a stroke and he has to pretend to still be in love with Juliet, can he risk a retake on the one woman who never stopped loving him?
Beefcake & Snowflakes
Gina’s had a crush on Darien since forever—until the day he humiliated her in school. Fifteen years later, he leaves her cold. Exotic dancer Darien has come back to town to set a few things to rights. One is the mess he made for Gina years ago… and maybe rekindle the flames they’d once had. But the only way to melt the snow around Gina’s heart is to turn up the heat, both on the job… and off.
MANLEY MAIDS
What happens when three irresistibly sexy brothers lose a poker bet to their enterprising sister? They get hired out for her housecleaning venture. Now, the Manley Maids are at your service. Satisfaction guaranteed.
What a Woman Wants
Resort owner Sean plans to buy an historic estate, making a name for himself and making millions, so he moves in under the guise of cleaning the place to thwart the one condition of the inheritance. But heir Olivia and her menagerie get under his skin, and he finds that the poker bet that got him into this mess isn’t the only game-changer.
What a Woman Needs
Movie star Bryan wants fame and fortune, not a repeat of his penny-pinching “normal” childhood. After the publicity surrounding of her husband’s death, Beth needs is a normal life for herself and her children, and the movie star who lost a bet to clean her house—with paparazzi in tow—isn’t it. But as flirtation turns into seduction, Bryan needs to convince Beth he’s more man than a maid. Or actor. Because he’s playing the lead in a reverse Cinderella story, and it might just be the role of a lifetime.
What a Woman Gets
Liam has no patience for women who spend a man’s money without giving a thought to any actual work. But to make good on his bet, Liam must not only tolerate socialite, Cassidy, he’ll have to clean up after her when her father cuts her off. With no money and no home for Liam to clean, Cassidy has no choice but to accept a job offer—as Liam’s new maid. But when sparks fly between them, will it be true love or just another messy affair?
What a Woman
MaryAlice Catherine is all set to clean her grand-mother's friend's house, only to find the woman's cocky grandson whom she'd had a crush on growing up—and he'd known all along—is living there and she's mortified. Jared remembers it differently; Mac was always a bossy little thing, but he's not going to let her call the shots now. But with the two of them living in one house, there's no telling who's going to come out swinging.
What A Man Wants
www.JudiFennell.com
Here’s Judi!
Judi Fennell has had her nose in a book and her head in some celestial realm all her life, including those early years when her mom would exhort her to “get outside!” instead of watching Bewitched or I Dream of Jeannie on television. So she did—right into Dad’s hammock with her Nancy Drew books.
A PRISM Award and Golden Leaf Award winner, among others, Judi is the author of tongue-in-cheek romantic comedies about mermen off the Jersey shore, male strippers a la Magic Mike, and manly maids whose motto is… Satisfaction Guaranteed.
Check out her on social media to see the menagerie that shares her office, and check out her website at www.JudiFennell.com for excerpts, deleted scenes, reviews, and contests, as well as the chance to discover a whole new world!
