Friends and Lovers Trilogy 03 - Seduced
Page 26
“She’d want to know.”
“She’s already put out with me. Absolutely not.”
“All right then. You’ll stay with Viv and me while we figure this out.”
“Thank you, but no.” She turned her back on both men. Stepping onto the manicured lawn, she circled the rose bed in a liquor-fogged daze. “I’m poor.” She’d been born into money. Married money. Now she couldn’t afford a bubble bath let alone a day at the spa.
“You’re staying with me,” Harmon insisted.
She was tempted. Harmon would take care of her. Somehow, some way, he’d make everything all right. Rudy’s self-help preaching rang in her ears. The sooner you stop looking to others to fix your problems, the sooner your problems will disappear. “I couldn’t impose,” she heard herself saying.
“I’m your godfather.”
“I’m in between roommates,” Rudy said.
“You need someone to share the rent,” Afia said, still circling. “I can’t do that. I don’t have any money. Or credit.” She swept aside her blunt-cut bangs to massage a dull throb at the center of her forehead. “What about my charities?”
Harmon spread his hands wide. “If you’re that concerned—”
“Of course, I’m concerned!”
“You could donate your time instead of money,” Rudy suggested.
“She already donates her time,” Harmon said, clearly annoyed.
Intoxicated as she was, Afia knew what Rudy meant. Serving on a committee was all well and good but there were other ways to help. Still, the thought of not being able to make her usual monetary contributions made her nauseous. Thanks to Henry Glick she was not only unable to provide for others but she was also unable to provide for herself. “How am I going to pay off my shopping debts?” The furniture, the paintings, the clothes.
Rudy shrugged. “You could get a job.”
Harmon snorted. “That’s just crazy.”
Afia frowned, rebellion rumbling in her belly. Or maybe it was the champagne. She threw back her shoulders and on second try successfully crossed her arms over her insignificant chest. “Why is that crazy?” She freed one hand and smacked Rudy’s impressive pecs. “That’s an excellent idea. I’ll get a job.” Definitely the champagne.
Harmon gawked. “You haven’t worked a day in your life. What would you do?”
Afia nudged Rudy, and together they collected her designer shopping bags. “I have skills,” she informed her godfather. “Now come inside and help me figure out what they are. You too, Rudy.”
“This could take all night,” the older man mumbled, reaching out to steady her as she staggered toward the mansion’s front door.
She shrugged off Harmon’s help along with the hurt of his lack of faith. Something had snapped inside of her on the tense ride home. She’d spent her entire life being sheltered and maneuvered. Being told that others knew what was best for her. She’d believed them, too. Right up until today. When a man she’d trusted implicitly because her mother had told her to, stole her every cent.
Her life was out of control because she had no control in her life. At least that’s what Rudy had said midway down the Garden State Parkway. “I’m going to track down Henry Glick and get my money back,” she declared as she struggled to punch the security code into the keypad. “Starting tomorrow I’m taking responsibility for my life.”
The door swung open. Miscalculating the foyer steps, she tripped and tumbled flat out on the polished Italian marble. Heart pounding with determination, Afia pushed herself up on her elbows, blew her bangs off of her forehead, and hiccupped. “Tomorrow I’m getting a job.”
ISBN# 0-9743639-4-4
Available Now: $6.99
Jewel Imprint: Ruby
www.bethciotta.com
Also by Beth Ciotta:
Charmed
by Beth Ciotta
The Princess is in danger …
Beloved storyteller to hundreds of children, Lulu Ross champions non-violence. Just her luck, she’s tiara over glass slippers for a man who carries a gun.
Professional bodyguard Colin Murphy is s-e-x-y. Too bad he’s delusional. Who would want to hurt Princess Charming—a low-profile, goody-two-shoes who performs as a storybook character at children’s birthday parties? Surely the sexy gifts from a secret admirer are meant for her sister, a bombshell wannabe action-star. Or are they?
Murphy is determined to protect Lulu … whether she likes it or not. Perpetually cheerful and absurdly trusting, the locally famous kiddy-heroine refuses to believe she’s in danger.
Tipped off by the FBI, Murphy knows otherwise, but convincing Lulu that she’s the fantasy target of a mobster’s fixation is like trying to hang shades on the sun. Contending with a woman who favors bubblegum lip gloss and a pink poodle purse becomes an exercise in fascination and frustration for the world-weary protection specialist; almost as frustrating as resisting her whimsical charm.
ISBN# 1-932815-04-X
Available Now: $6.99
Jewel Imprint: Ruby
“(CHARMED is) Ciotta’s enchanting contemporary romance, the sequel to JINXED… after reading this madcap romance, Ciotta’s fans will undoubtedly look forward to that next installment.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A wonderful, savvy, sexy and suspenseful romp. Ciotta has woven a terrific tale with characters to die for. This book will definitely leave you “charmed”!”
—Jan Coffey
FOUR STARS!
“Beth Ciotta has created outstanding, likeable characters and a fun plot that is by turns poignant and whimsical. Charmed is utterly charming.”
—Affaire de Couer
FOUR STARS!
“…Charmed gives readers a full quotient of fun and sexy excitement.”
—Romantic Times BOOKclub Magazine
10! The Blether Gold Award
This romantic suspense grips the audience from the moment a bewildered Colin arrives in Margate to protect the Princess from what he assumes is the mob based on the vague say so of his “brother”. The story line never slows down as Lulu realizes that Colin is there for her and not her sister though she wonders why her. Though the stalker comes out of left field, fans will feel CHARMED by this fine contemporary tale of love between the Princess and her knight as Beth Ciotta avoids the second book jinx.
—Harriet Klausner, Blether, The Book Review Site rating: 10 out of 10
“This book is sizzlingly sexy and just plain fun. Full of equal parts action and humor, I guarantee you will be utterly CHARMED”
—Romance Reviews Today
Be in the know on the latest
Medallion Press news by becoming a Medallion Press Insider!
As an Insider you’ll receive:
• Our FREE expanded monthly newsletter, giving you more insight into Medallion Press
• Advanced press releases and breaking news
• Greater access to all your favorite Medallion authors
Joining is easy. Just visit our Web site at www.medallionpress.com and click on the Medallion Press Insider tab.
medallionpress.com
Want to know what’s going on with
your favorite author or what new releases
are coming from Medallion Press?
Now you can receive breaking news,
updates, and more from Medallion Press
straight to your cell phone, e-mail, instant messenger, or Facebook!
Sign up now at www.twitter.com/MedallionPress to stay on top of all the happenings in and around Medallion Press.
For more information
about other great titles from
Medallion Press, visit
medallionpress.com
= " -webkit-filter: grayscale(100%); -moz-filter: grayscale(100%); -o-filter: grayscale(100%); -ms-filter: grayscale(100%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share