She pulled out of his embrace and looked down at her computer. For the first time, he noticed a printout. “Read this,” she said, handing it to him.
He looked at the paper, then into her eyes. “I’m not going to like this, am I?” he asked, bracing himself for a “Dear John” letter. This was the end. She was moving on. For the first time, it mattered. It mattered a hell of a lot!
She couldn’t hold his gaze, which only made his stomach muscles tighten with dread. “Just read it, and please don’t get mad.”
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Can I get a drink while I read through this? I suspect that I’m going to need it.”
She gestured to the other side of the lobby towards the hotel bar and they walked. She walked a few steps ahead of him, and he normally would have watched her cute butt as she walked. Not this time. He was too preoccupied trying to figure out an argument for them to stay together.
Hell, he’d gone out and bought a diamond ring while she was typing up a letter telling him to get lost. What a moron, he thought.
The bartender quickly brought them a beer and a glass of wine and he nodded his head towards a table off in the corner. “We might as well have a bit of privacy for this conversation,” he said and led the way.
“I hope you don’t get angry, Stephen. I tried to be concise, but…”
He held up his hand to stop her. “Let me just get this over with.”
With that, he took a long sip of his beer, and glanced down at the papers in his hand. At first, the words didn’t make any sense. This wasn’t about her breaking up with him and how much she appreciated their time together, but that she needed to move on. This was about…he started over, not sure he’d read the words correctly.
Immigration? This was about immigration policy? He skimmed through the text and realized that the first page was all about the democratic perspective on the current administration’s immigration policy. The next page…the words were his! Hell, he’d argued those viewpoints with her just the other night. He looked up at her, not really understanding.
“You’re quoting me?” he demanded, trying to figure out what was going on. He knew she’d been crying but…about immigration? That didn’t make any sense.
“Did I capture your argument properly? Or is there more to your argument that you think should be included?”
He watched her for a long moment, noticed that she shifted in her chair, almost as if she were uncomfortable somehow. Looking down again, he continued to read, skimming through the rest of the article. Yeah, there was more that he would add, but she’d grasped what he’d already argued with her. The next page was…
“You compromised?” he asked. When she blushed, shrugging one shoulder, he looked down again. Continuing to read, he absorbed the words. The last page was a combination of both of their arguments, mixed together to form a solution to the problem. Probably not the only solution, but…
He looked at her, trying to understand. “I have a lot of questions,” he said.
She smiled warily. “I was hoping that the arguments would spark conversation. It’s sort of a way to get both sides talking again. To compromise. It seems that right now, everyone is so insistent that their own way of getting things resolved is the ONLY way. But if both sides could come together and figure out how to form a viable policy, it might help move things forward.”
He stared at her for a long moment, stunned.
“You don’t like it,” she sighed, her shoulders drooping as she stared at her glass of wine.
“I think it’s brilliant!” he replied with feeling.
She looked back up at him, startled, and she bit her lip. “You do?”
“Absolutely! I would like to add in a few things to my side of the argument, but yeah, I think it’s incredible!”
Her smile brightened and she actually blushed with his effusive compliment. “Well, I was going to submit it to my editor for…”
“No. I have a better idea.”
He stood up and ran a hand through his hair. “I have no idea how to do this but…” he took the ring out of his pocket and stood in front of her. “I know this is sudden but…don’t reject my proposal yet. I really think we can make a relationship work.” He looked uncomfortable, but determined. “I love you, Tallia. I love your spirit and your passion for the wrong side of an argument,” he paused until she stopped laughing. “I love your smile and your intelligence. I love you.” He got down on one knee and lifted the ring up to her. “Just think about it, and…oomph!”
They were on the floor of the bar and she was kissing his face. “Yes!” she gasped. “Yes!”
He immediately rolled over, ever the alpha male, and took control of the kiss. It was only the applause that stopped him from carrying her out of the bar. When they looked up, four waiters and the bartender were standing over them, clapping.
“We’re making a spectacle of ourselves,” she laughed.
“Just like all democrats,” he teased, and stood up. He lifted her with both hands, pulling her right into his arms. “So, you’ll marry me?” he asked. Thankfully, the bartender and waiters disappeared and it was too early in the afternoon for the other hotel guests to be filtering into the bar.
“Yes!” she gushed. “I didn’t think you felt that way, but I love you, Stephen! I love your stupid, conservative, irresponsible opinions. And I love the way you make me think through the solutions. And yes, I think we can make a relationship work between us. There’s always a solution.”
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. The bartender clearing his throat was the only reason they stopped and Stephen lifted his head up to glare at him. Quickly, the bartender lifted a bottle of chilled champagne up. “Congratulations. Mr. Beauchamp expresses his best wishes.”
Stephen looked at the label and grinned. “Alex is a pain in the ass, but he has good taste in champagne.” He took the bottle in one hand and Tallia’s hand in his other as he pulled her out of the bar.
The bartender grinned as the couple made their way towards the elevators. Turning, he prepared to clean the table for the next guests, but the papers caught his eye. He was just about to call out to them when the title captured his attention. Without remorse, he read through the article, nodding his head in agreement when he came to the last page. “Not a bad idea,” he said to no one in particular. He then made his way to the front desk and asked them to put the paper into an envelope for their room.
Tallia and Stephen’s Wedding
The candles glittered as they hung from the trees overhead. Twilight was the perfect time to get married, Tallia thought.
“Are you ready?” Becca asked.
Tallia looked over at her friends and smiled. “I’m ready,” she whispered.
They all hugged, their diamond rings glittering in the candlelight. Lillian was the last to join their hug and they shared a secret smile. Who could have anticipated the events that had occurred over the week of Lillian’s wedding several months ago? Certainly not her!
“You look beautiful,” Lillian whispered as she handed Tallia the bridal bouquet. All of the bouquets had been made from white roses and green sprigs of evergreen, but Tallia’s was a bit bigger. She smiled in anticipation as she waited for the wedding coordinator to give her the signal. She was marrying Stephen today! Finally! They were getting married in Santa Fe before moving everything to Austin where they would live. At least for now. She loved his ranch, loved riding horses with him, and loved him more than anything.
The music swelled and everyone stood up. When she stepped out, she saw her friends beam as she started her walk towards Stephen. She couldn’t believe that the man who had made her so angry now made her heart heat up with love and anticipation. It was going to be a wonderful life. Not a smooth one, she knew. They still argued about everything. But Tallia also knew that every time they argued, it turned him on. Sometimes, she picked an argument just to get him going.
Yeah, it was going to be a good life!
&n
bsp; She smiled up at him as he took her hands and Tallia paused a moment to admire the man. He wasn’t wearing a suit. Just a dark pair of slacks and a snowy white shirt. She hadn’t cared what he wore, so he chose whatever he wanted. She wore a lace slip dress that perfectly reflected her hippy style. Liberal and conservative, republican and democrat. Both figuring out how to win in the end.
Yeah, it was going to be a great life!
Tofu Mousse Recipe
My editor commented on the possibility of tofu fudge, not realizing that it was possible. So I’m adding the recipe here. It’s super simple and extremely delicious! If you’ve never tried tofu before, then this is your starting recipe. You won’t know that it is made from tofu at all!
Ingredients:
Soft Tofu
Chocolate Chips – any kind you prefer. I usually go for milk chocolate
Melt chocolate chips in a double broiler. Take tofu out of container and pat dry. When chips are melted, crumble the tofu (about half or more, depending on preference) into the melted chips and mix at high speed with hand-held electric beaters until smooth (just a couple of minutes).
Done! That’s it! You can dress up the mousse with a bit of whipped cream or raspberry sauce or whatever. But the mousse is rich and creamy and amazingly delicious! In college, my roommate and I used to make this as a special dessert whenever we were stressed about tests or men or whatever. It was our decadent treat.
Excerpt from “Doing The Right Thing”
Author’s Note: I struggled with the morality of this story. I don’t approve of couples cheating on their spouses, so I hope that I “worked” this story properly. By now, you know that Lillian was only marrying Phillip because it was expected of her by her family. So let me know if I got this plot right. I don’t want to offend anyone, but I wanted to make a statement about following one’s heart AND not hurting anyone (such as Phillip) in the process.
Having said that, this excerpt jumps right into the tension between George and Lillian – there is a good deal of buildup and explanation prior to this scene.
I hope you enjoy it!
“You’re such a jerk!” she spat out, standing up and coming over to him. “Why can’t you just…do what everyone else does and wish me good luck?!”
George spun around just in time to see her hand come up, about to smack his shoulder but he grabbed her wrist in his hands, holding her arm out to the side. “Why would I do that?” he asked, his voice soft and low.
She stared at him and those damn lips of hers opened and closed. Her eyes, her pretty, blue eyes that were smarter than she’d let on to anyone else, looked at him with…desire? No, he was only imagining that.
“Because…” she whispered, her mouth softening.
The moment stretched out. It had been a long time since he’d touched her even casually. Months ago, before she’d announced her engagement to The Ass, he’d touched her a few times, amazed at how soft her skin felt under his fingers. But that time was over. He’d waited too long and lost his chance.
Back then, he’d fallen head over heels in love with Lillian, amazed at her spirit and her soft, southern charm. She had a wicked sense of humor and a way of looking at life that intrigued him. It was no wonder he’d fallen so hard for the beauty. But he’d held off on acting on the growing attraction between them, thinking that she might assume he was only after her for her money. He’d been building their friendship, forming connections with her before making his move.
Then she’d come in with that damn diamond engagement ring on her finger and…well, he’d been livid. He suspected that he’d said some things that day that he should apologize for, but every time he saw her, that damn diamond glinted at him. Mocking him.
But now…now she was staring at him with that look in her eyes. It seemed as if she was feeling the same things, the same frustration and the same desperate need he felt every time he looked at her. Silence. The tension increased and those powder blue eyes dilated. Her lips fell open as he watched and every subtle nuance of her arousal caused his own body to react. He was always semi-aroused whenever she walked into a room but with all of those signs, his body viciously moved from semi to fully aroused.
He moved closer. So did she. George looked into her blue eyes, wanting to kiss her. Everything inside of him wanted to kiss her, to feel those soft lips moving under his mouth, devour her and taste her. He wanted to…
“Because why, Lillian?” he demanded, his voice husky.
Her lips opened and closed slightly, as if she were having trouble finding the words. “Because that’s what you should do. It’s what polite society expects of us.” Her blue eyes lowered, looking at his mouth and George accepted that he was only a man. Only human. If he was going out, he should do it spectacularly. She was only engaged right now. She was signing over the hedge fund to another man as soon as she married. That meant he was out of a job. That meant…he wouldn’t see her again after this weekend.
Deciding that he had nothing to lose and…hell, he wanted just a taste of Lillian before she married some other ass and George had to disappear, he slid one hand around her waist, pulling her closer. Closer. With every millimeter, he waited for her to pull back, to give him a signal that he was wrong. But she didn’t pull back. No resistance at all. In fact, he felt her moving on her own, coming closer. He felt her sweet breath against his skin, watching her carefully, waiting for any indication that she didn’t want this kiss just as intensely as he did.
So much more!
A Christmas Wedding
And now we’re down to two! $0.99 Each
Doing the Right Thing – December 9, 2017
Click Here to PreOrder
Making Her Smile – December 16, 2017
Click Here to PreOrder
Friends Forever Series
A Difficult Man to Love – December 25, 2017
Click Here to PreOrder
Spanish Passions – January 2018
Click Here to PreOrder
The Russian’s Proposal– February 14, 2018
Click Here to PreOrder
The Sheik’s Redemption – March 16, 2018
(Pre Order Links coming soon!)
Also in the queue:
Lottery Winners
Four friends win $1.6 billion dollars in the lottery.
Navy SEALs
Five men team together for five special missions. (Loosely linked with Lottery Winners series.)
The Seductive Truth Page 7
