The Dating List
Jean C. Joachim
Mainstream Romance
Moonlight Books
Smashwords Edition
ISBN: 9781301008360
Copyright © 2012 Jean C. Joachim
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A Moonlight Books novel
Mainstream Romance
The Dating List
Copyright © 2012 Jean C. Joachim
First E-book Publication: October 2012
Cover design by Jean C. Joachim
Edited by Katherine Tate
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
Other Books by Jean Joachim
The Marriage List
The Love List
The Moonlight Series
(Sweet romance)
Moonlight and Roses
Sunny Days, Moonlit Nights
April's Kiss in the Moonlight
Under the Midnight Moon (coming February, 2013)
The Now and Forever Series
Now and Forever, Callie's Story
Now and Forever 1, a Love Story
Now and Forever 2, the Book of Danny
Now and Forever 3, Blind Love
Now and Forever 4 (coming in 2013)
The Renovated Heart
The Lost & Found Series
Love Lost & Found
(book 2 coming 2013)
Website: www.jeanjoachimbooks.com
Blog: http://jeanjoachim.blogspot.com
Dedication:
To Marilyn Reisse Lee
A woman who knows a lot about love as a loving wife, mother and my dearest friend for many years.
Acknowledgement: With many thanks to my supportive friends, especially Sandy Sullivan, Dawne Prochilo, and Lisa George, my family, Larry Joachim and Sally Joachim Gallagher, my editor, Kate Tate and most of all to my readers, who urged me to write this book.
The Dating List
Jean C. Joachim
Copyright © 2012
Author's Forward
The Dating List is the third book in The List series of New York Nights novels. In the first book, The Marriage List, the reader met Grey Andrews, a man who has worked hard, invested well and is now independently wealthy. He has achieved his financial goals so it's on to the next goal, finding a super-special woman to share his lifestyle with.
While drinking beer with his three closest friends from college, he discovers that they all lack one different but major factor in their married lives. This one factor missing in each man's wife is something Grey wants to avoid in his future mate. During dinner with his younger sister, the apple of his eye, he shares his worry he'll end up unhappily hitched to the wrong woman. His sister helps him compose a marriage "list" – comprised of the three qualities he refuses to compromise on in a future wife.
After three years of endless, fruitless searching, he stumbles upon Carrie, a beautiful woman, at a writer's conference. Although she starts off annoyed at him, he presses forward to explore her suitability as a wife. She fits his marriage list to a tee. The only problem, she has a life of her own and though he's a seductive suitor, she will have to make a choice — her career or Grey.
The second book in the series, The Love List, details Grey's love journey further. Having never had a serious relationship before, Grey is ignorant of the give-and-take involved when living with a woman. He doesn't know what he can expect from Carrie and what he should offer of himself in return. A huge blow-up alerts Carrie to Grey's inexperience as part of a couple. He needs instruction on how to be in love. Thus she creates a love list.
While Grey is learning how to love, he attempts the next step: bringing her into his family. Though his sisters married without any apparent difficulty, it seems acceptance of Grey's plans by his parents and siblings is not as quickly forthcoming.
To heal little brother, Colin's, feelings of neglect, Grey and Carrie invite him to stay with them for the second half of Christmas vacation. That is where our story begins.
Welcome to The Dating List, Colin's story and the next chapter in the love story of Carrie and Grey.
Chapter One
New York City, the last week of December
Colin Andrews whipped open the front door of his brother's townhouse in Manhattan, revealing the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen on the other side.
"Do you always answer the door half naked in winter?" she asked.
Her beauty robbed him of words. All he could do was emit a low whistle. Where did this angel come from?
"I'd know those hazel eyes anywhere. You must be Grey's brother." She said, stepping closer.
His eyes widened as he stared. Clothed in a soft, rose-colored, quilted jacket the lovely, petite woman took his breath away. The white ermine trim on the hood emphasized the rich mahogany of her hair, framing her delicate oval face. Her eyes, the color of honey, glowed as they looked up at him. His lips parted but no sound came out.
Finally he squeaked out a response that he hoped sounded like yes while his gaze wandered over her face, settling on her luscious, kissable pink lips. Glowing skin with an attractive blush and the hint of tiny laugh lines topped off her perfection. She was, without a doubt, the most stunning woman ever to walk into his life.
"Name?" She asked. Merriment danced in eyes highlighted by artfully smudged black liner and fringed with black lashes.
"Colin," he breathed.
"It's cold out here, Colin. Do you think I could come in?" She raised her eyebrows as a small smile played with her lips.
Her words snapped him out of his reverie. He looked down to see a large red suitcase standing next to the diminutive woman. From male instinct, he picked up the suitcase, placed it inside next to the door and stepped back.
"Carrie's friend, Leah," she said, offering her small, white leather-gloved hand to him after she stepped across the threshold of the house, closing the door behind her.
He took her hand, squeezed it a touch too hard, causing her to wince, then let go. He watched her gaze move down from his dark brown hair to his hazel eyes, and lower until it rested on his bare chest. The deepening of the blush on her cheeks made him aware he had not finished dressing before answering the door. He crossed his arms over his chest.
"Excuse me," he mumbled as he made a hasty exit, taking the stairs two at a time to the second floor landing. The last sound to reach his ears before he closed the door to his room was the tinkle of Leah's laugh.
A few minutes later, Colin left his r
oom sporting a red plaid flannel shirt, jeans, Grey's piney aftershave and freshly combed hair. As he descended the last two steps, he saw Leah settled into a corner of the sofa; her slim legs encased in black suede boots were crossed. He stopped in the kitchen to grab a beer. After popping the top he plopped down on the sofa next to her. His older brother, Grey, dumped another log on the fire in the fireplace, sending sparks flying out to smash against the black mesh screen then disintegrate.
Carrie, Grey's slim fiancée, bounced into the room carrying a small pile of folded laundry.
"Housekeeper's day off?" Colin asked.
"You're looking at him," Grey said, closing the screen across the fireplace.
"You do the laundry?" Colin raised his eyebrows.
"Yep. Carrie cooks, our housekeeper cleans, so I have to do something besides shovel snow."
"Wait till I tell Jenna," Colin teased.
"I'll bust your head! I'll never hear the end of it. Our sister, Jenna, is the most awful tease and I'm her favorite victim," Grey said, turning toward Leah.
"Homus domesticus…Carrie you tamed the wild beast."
"Oh?" She tossed her streaked, shoulder-length blonde hair. "Was he a wild beast? Tell me all about it."
Colin blushed and shook his head.
"No way. I like living."
"Good answer, Punk," his older brother said.
Carrie put on a pot of coffee. Grey joined her in the kitchen, stopping to grab four mugs. Before long the sweet smell of brewing coffee filled the first floor of the elegant townhouse.
"Are you staying with us this visit Leah?"
"I'm bunking in at Nina and Clint's place again. They're upstate for the holiday."
"Coffee?"
"Thanks. It's cold out. By the way…I've got good news."
"Oh? Give," Carrie said as she put the top down on the coffeemaker and turned to face her friend.
Leah got up to retrieve a small portfolio from the outside pocket of her suitcase. Colin's gaze followed her, traveling up her leggings. When she bent slightly to unzip the pocket his eyes traced the outline of her behind, nicely rounded but not out of proportion to the rest of her slim frame. His tongue felt thick, his fingers twitched slightly at the mental image of running them along the smooth skin of her bare bottom.
"Remember I told you I did some drawings of lingerie…" She flopped the portfolio on the kitchen island countertop. Colin left the sofa to join the others. He placed his empty beer bottle in the kitchen sink then wandered over to see what the women were fussing over.
"This is our cue to leave, Colin. Two women, the word lingerie…"
"Stayin'."
"Your funeral. I'm going to see if there is a game on. Any game," Grey said, disappearing through the den door that opened onto the kitchen.
Leah flashed Colin a warm smile before unzipping the small case. A small zing flew across his nerve endings.
"Hurry! I'm dying to see these," Carrie said, shifting her weight from foot to foot.
Her friend took out three single sheets of drawing paper with sketches on them. "I made these from the historical romance I was reading. What do you think?"
Carrie picked up the first sheet and examined the first sheet but Colin kept his gaze on Leah, who stood, chewing her lip. He wanted to do a lot more to that lip. Colin moved back. Being six foot two made it easy to look over Carrie's shoulder as she was only five foot six. He saw a stylized drawing of a woman with long legs, wearing a lacy number that looked like a corset.
"The material is soft…it just looks like a corset but it isn't hard, no whalebone. Silk and lace and it hangs down a whisker below her…" Leah looked over at Colin, then back at Carrie.
"Low enough," Carrie piped up.
Leah nodded, licking her lower lip, her eyebrows knitted.
"Do you like it?" She asked Carrie. "Do you think it's sexy?" She glanced at Colin.
"I think it's amazing…so original, Leah. It's beautiful. I've never seen anything like it. But as for sexy, let's get a man's opinion." Carrie turned to face Colin then raised her eyebrows.
Heat pooled in his chest as the two women trained their eyes on him. Suddenly his throat went dry. His gaze dropped down to the picture. The model had hair the color of Leah's. In the drawing, the soft garment in pink and cream, draped gently around the model's curves. Colin narrowed his eyes to picture it on Leah. He stole a glance at her hips and legs, outlined perfectly by her leggings. He could visualize the edge of the lace on the garment Leah designed barely covering her luscious rear end. Her long-sleeved aqua tunic was cut low enough to reveal a nice helping of inviting cleavage, especially when she leaned slightly in his direction folding her arms under her breasts. For the neckline of the garment, again he stole a peek, figuring, with quick male calculation, Leah's breasts would fill his hands as well as the bustier. Mentally, he made the switch from the tunic to the bustier top. His breathing snagged for a moment.
The heat of the mental image of Leah in the skimpy garment brought warmth to his cheeks and between his legs. He shifted his weight, trying to readjust his jeans which had suddenly become tight. Not only could he picture her in the garment but he'd have given his right arm to see her in it at that very moment.
"So…what's the verdict? Sexy?" Leah asked, biting a fingernail.
"That's an understatement." Colin said when he managed to control his breath.
Leah clapped her hands together, jumping up and down like an eight-year-old who was told she was going to Disney World. Grey appeared in the den doorway.
"Did I hear someone say 'sexy'?"
"Mister One-Track-Mind has returned!" Carrie teased.
Grey moved over to the counter, resting one hand on Carrie's shoulder.
"So what's sexy, besides my fiancée?"
Carrie handed the sketch to Grey.
"Whoa! What's this?" Grey stared at the paper.
"It's one of Leah's lingerie designs," Carrie explained.
"Can I buy this for Carrie?"
"It's only a drawing now but…" Her eyes glistened as she paused.
"Give!" Carrie demanded.
"Lady Jeanne wants it. She wants to buy the design and three more of my Wild West lingerie designs. You should see my saloon gal one…it's…well…"
"Hot, I'll bet," Carrie finished. "You're selling these to Lady Jeanne?"
"Better than that. She's invited me to come to Paris for six months and design for her."
"Ohmigod! Leah! You're going to Paris?" Carrie clapped her hands together.
Leah hopped on tiptoe and grinned, nodding her head vigorously.
"Wow…you're going to be a Paris designer? That's the woman who designed the…uh… special Christmas present I bought for Carrie," Grey said.
"A Paris designer…" muttered Colin, staring at Leah, "I've never met a Paris designer before."
"You have now," she said with a giggle.
"This calls for a celebration! Dinner out," Grey announced.
"Someplace French?" Carrie suggested, brushing Grey's sandy-colored hair off his forehead.
"Madame et Monsieur?" Grey asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"That's so fancy…" Leah protested.
"So what? It's a celebration." Grey raised his fist in the air. "Can you ladies be ready in half an hour?"
"That's enough time."
Leah wheeled her suitcase into the den. Carrie joined her, closing the door to the men.
Colin put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "I don't have any fancy clothes, Grey."
"You didn't bring a sport jacket and some nice slacks? This is Manhattan, Punk."
"I figured we'd hang out and drink beer."
"Some of us aren't twenty-nine anymore..." Grey ruffled his brother's hair.
Colin looked at the floor as he felt heat seep into his face. "I don't own a decent sport jacket, let alone a suit. Don't need 'em teaching Phys. Ed. in Pine Grove."
"Leah can fix this."
"Leah?"
"Hold on,"
Grey knocked on the den door. "Leah! Can you come out?"
She stuck her head out.
"One minute."
Grey went to the coffeemaker to refill his and his brother's mugs. Colin rooted around in the refrigerator for milk.
When the women opened the door, Leah entered the kitchen wearing a low-cut, silver beaded dress and black patent leather pumps. Colin choked on his coffee when she appeared. Carrie attended to him while Grey took Leah by the elbow.
"This guy has no dress clothes. I can lend him something for tonight, but we have theater tickets, there's the New Year's party, we'll go out to dinner again…he needs the proper clothes. Would you mind taking him shopping? I'll give you my charges at Paul Stewart, Brooks and Lord & Taylor. You're better at this than I am."
"It would be my pleasure, we can go tomorrow morning," she said before turning to face Colin. "Okay, country boy. I'll get you fixed up fine." She motioned for him to turn around in a circle, casting her most discerning gaze up and down his fine form. "We have a lot to work with here."
"Now I know how those prize pigs auctioned off at the state fair feel."
"Sweetheart, I'm not buying…but I might borrow…" she wrapped her fingers around his bicep. "hmmm…larger suit size. Forty-two regular?"
"Don't know. Haven't bought a suit in a while."
"Don't worry, Sweetie, I'll take good care of you. Need to buy everything in time to have it tailored and ready before the party. And you will need some tailoring…shoulders a mile wide."
"Tailoring?"
"With your body? No off-the-rack suit is going to be wide enough for your shoulders and narrow enough for your waist." She placed her hands lightly on his waist, sending a little shock up his spine.
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