Pretty Little Lies

by Jennifer Miller

  Luke and I spoke recently about moving in together. I am conflicted. I don’t want to bail on Pyper, I enjoy our time together and I know she is just as happy to have me there as I’ve been to be there. While I know she would be thrilled for me if I moved in with Luke, I’m just not sure I can leave just yet. However, the thought of waking up in Luke’s arms every day fills me with warmth. I can’t imagine anything more wonderful. I have been spending a lot of time with him at his place, so maybe I should think about it some more. It does make sense.

  Pyper makes fun of us, saying we are too lovey dovey for her, that it makes her nauseated. I just laugh, because I see her smile secretly at us. When I told her what happened the night of our date at the tree she squealed and hugged me so hard. I started to cry when I was talking about it with her and she started to cry too, so then we laughed and shared ice cream and wine. I love that woman. Not for the first time, I acknowledge how lucky I am to have someone care for me and my happiness so much.

  I pull into my designated parking space when I get to the parking garage and put the car in park, unbuckle my seatbelt and grab my phone. I text Luke a quick reply before exiting my car even though I know he must be here. In case he has a surprise, I suppose it would only be thoughtful of me to give him a heads up of my arrival.

  “Thanks for the roses, handsome. I just pulled in. I love you too and can’t wait to see you in a second.”

  I put my phone back in my jeans pocket, get out of the car after I grab my purse and roses then head to the elevator. I tap my foot impatiently, waiting for it to arrive.

  DING. The sound of the elevator arriving makes me jump. Geesh what is wrong with me? I giggle a little at myself.

  I enter the elevator and wait for it to ascend to my floor. I look up and around feeling impatient. I notice the camera in the corner of the elevator appears to be busted. The glass screen on the front of it looks smashed. Hmm. That’s weird. I will have to report it.

  The elevator arrives at my floor and I step out. I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket as I approach the front door. Ignoring it for a moment I reach in and take out my keys from my purse and put them in the lock, then I grab my phone and see Luke has texted me back.

  “What roses? Where are you, angel?”

  Huh? What does he mean what roses? I stare at his text in confusion. Oh well, I guess I will ask him in a second.

  I turn the key in the lock and open the condo door. Stepping inside, I see red rose petals all over the floor. I smile. Now I know Luke was joking. What romantic encounter has he cooked up now? I place my keys in the bowl, put my phone back in my pocket and drop my purse by the front door too.

  Looking up, I see Pyper’s head. She’s sitting on the couch that faces the view out the window so her back is to me. That’s a bit surprising, given the rose petals and whatever Luke has cooked up. “Hi Pyper.”

  She doesn’t turn to look at me in acknowledgement. “Pyper?” I wonder if she was hoping I wouldn’t notice her and would just follow the rose trail, which looks like it may lead to my room. Or maybe she’s on the phone. Luke won’t mind if I check in with her for a second.

  I approach the couch, “Hey, Pyper. I see you. Luke obviously has something cooked…” I stop because as I’ve rounded the end of the couch and reached Pyper’s side, I realize she isn’t speaking or moving because she can’t. She is tied up from head to toe and has duct tape across her mouth. She looks at me with fear in her eyes. I drop the roses and run to her side, “Pyper! Oh my god! What happened? Are you okay? Did we get robbed?”

  Fear engulfs me – I feel my eyes widen, the hair on the back of my neck stands up, and panic swells my throat. I want to untie her, but am unsure of where or how to actually begin. I may need a knife. She starts shaking her head back and forth over and over. I don’t pay attention and reach for the tape at her mouth so she can talk to me and tell me what happened. Just then, I see movement out of the corner of my eye.

  I look up and over to the right and the fear multiplies when I see Deacon standing there in my condo with blood red roses in one hand and a gun in the other.

  “Hello, princess.”

  riting this feels very surreal. I never thought I would be here; I always dreamed that I would write my own book but just thought it was one of those dreams that are bigger than reality. I’m glad I woke up and realized that my dreams weren’t going to fall into my lap, to make them come true, I had to chase them. Many of you joined me on this journey and I want to say thank you.

  First, thank you to you, the reader, for picking up this book and giving it a chance. I hope this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship between us!

  Georgia Cranston, our weekly writing dates were our best idea ever! The hours we’ve spent brain-storming, laughing and plotting have been amazing and I always look forward to each and every one. Now I only have one thing to say, “Boy! Get Georgia a new computer stat! She needs to get her ass writing!”

  Jen Cola, I still don’t know what possessed me to reach out to you that day, but boy am I glad that I did. I never expected to gain such a wonderful friend as a result. Thank you for believing in me.

  Heidi McLaughlin, your encouragement, support and advice has been invaluable. You prove over and over again that you mean what you say and I don’t even know how to find the words to thank you. Forever My Girl will always hold a special place in my heart, because it brought me to you.

  Ang Corbett, I have sent you so many messages asking you questions, seeking your advice, or flat out freaking out. You never hesitate to respond to each and every one and you give the best advice. Thank you for being a true friend and we will share our love of Jax and the MC forever!

  Mary Ting, you never hesitate to help me whether it is by sharing my facebook posts, or offering encouragement and advice. I appreciate it more than you know. Thanks for being my friend.

  It takes a team of people to make me look good and I appreciate them all. Robin at Wicked by Design, thank you for my gorgeous book cover. You were so patient enduring my constant tweaking and trying to explain what I saw in my head. Thank you for your patience and I can’t wait to work together again. Kassi Cooper, thanks for saying yes when I asked your help with formatting my paperback and Julie with JT Formatting for formatting my ebooks. Espe at Second Gaze Editing – thank you for your meticulous work, your wonderful suggestions, encouragement and for not making fun of me for my lack of commas!

  Patricia, Jen J., Kim, Brandi, Heidi Mae, - you are awesome. Your love of my book, its characters, your honesty, enthusiasm and advice were invaluable to me. I can’t wait to plot out book two with you. Here’s to horizontal running and mermaid dancing!

  Beth, I was completely honored when you asked me if you could make a trailer for my book. The time, energy and art you put into making it means so much to me and I thank you.

  My family has been a constant support to me, even when I was likely very annoying at times with my never-ending book talk. Mom, thank you for being one of my biggest fans. Your love, support, advice, encouragement, editing, plotting, excitement and pure joy I’ve shared with you over this process, has been one of my favorite parts. I can’t imagine doing this without you. Thank you for helping me work out those sexy parts too! I will never forget our desk test. Dad, Lauren and Michael – your enthusiasm, texts asking how things are going and your unfailing love and support is something that I know I can always depend on and I never take it for granted.

  Hannah and Grace, thank you for helping me come up with character names and book title ideas. You two are my biggest little fans. Telling everyone, from your music teacher to random grocery store attendants about your Mommy’s book in excitement, makes my heart swell. I love being your Mommy, I hope I make you both proud.

  Jake, I don’t know if I even have the words to express how thankful I am for you. The nights you’ve spent being the only parent because I was lost in Olivia’s world, did not go unnoticed. I love how you want to be involved in every bit of this proce
ss with me, every step of the way. You’ve spent so much time encouraging me, asking how it was going, wiping my tears of frustration, telling me I was absolutely not going to give up, celebrating my victories, bragging to your friends and family and just loving me the whole way. You are the best part of me, my true soul mate and I love you more than I can ever express.

  Author Jennifer Miller was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois but now calls Arizona home. Her love of reading began when she was a small child, and only continued to grow as she entered adulthood. Ever since winning a writing contest at the young age of nine, when she wrote a book about a girl with a pet unicorn, she’s dreamed of writing a book of her own. The important lesson she learned about dreams is that they don’t just fall into your lap – you have to chase them yourself. Most importantly, she is a wife and mother, and is very lucky to have a family that loves and supports her in all things. She also has an unhealthy addiction to handbags and chocolate covered strawberries, neither of which she cares to work on.

  For more information about Jennifer and her books, visit:

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  Or e-mail her at jennifermillerwrites@gmail.com

  I answer the ringing phone on my desk without checking the caller id. “Ava Milano speaking,” I say.

  “Ava Milano,” the woman’s voice repeats. I realize it sounds very familiar to me. “I have some information you might be interested in.”

  “Who is this?”

  “Who is this? Come on, Ava, you know me. We go way back,” she says.

  A feeling of discontent settles over me. It can’t be who I think it is. It just can’t be. I stay silent, deciding my best bet is to wait for her to speak again.

  “I think you should know that your darling husband Enzo has been quite the scoundrel. The minute you left him alone he couldn’t wait to see me again. You think you’ve got him wrapped around your finger but I’ve got proof that you don’t.”

  With a sinking feeling, I realize exactly who it is. Fucking Anna.

  “How did you get this number?” I demand.

  “It’s a public number.”

  “You’re not supposed to be contacting me or Enzo. I’ll have you arrested for violating your parole.”

  She laughs bitterly into the phone. “How are you going to do that? You don’t even know where I am. Did you hear what I said, Mrs. Milano?” she sneers. “I’ve already seen Enzo. It was divine too. You’re so smug thinking you’ve got him. I thought you’d like to know he’s not the faithful husband you think he is.”

  My whole body shakes with anger. “Oh please. Do you really expect me to believe that Enzo cheated on me with you? That’s ludicrous, you insane bitch.”

  “Are you sure about that? Maybe you should ask him about me and the charity event he attended two months ago. You weren’t with him, remember?"

  My head spins. I’m smart enough to know this is some kind of ploy. There is no fucking way Enzo did anything with this whore. He hates her. We both do. To think I actually felt sorry for this pathetic bitch.

  “I don’t have time for your nonsense, Anna. You are completely insignificant to me and my life with Enzo. Whatever you’re trying to do, you’re wasting your time. I don’t give a fuck about you.”

  She laughs again. “You will. I’m going to take everything you have. It’s already started. You think things are so great but you have no idea I’m about to ruin your perfect little existence. You’ll give a fuck by the time it’s all over with.”

  Anna’s words scare the shit out of me. I already know she’s crazy enough to attempt murder, what else will she do? She’s not even supposed to be near me much less calling me or seeing Enzo. If he did see her, why didn’t he tell me?

  I do my best to maintain my composure. “Are you done now? I have work to do, and I still don’t give a fuck about you and your ridiculous threats. I will say this though, so you better listen.” I take a deep breath. “You stay the fuck away from me and my husband. If I ever see your sorry face again or hear that you came anywhere near us, you won’t have to worry about the police, Anna. I’ll kill you with my bare hands. Believe it.”

  Sneak Peek of

  I was just about to head in that direction when someone spoke to me from behind in a deep, manly voice that sent shivers down my back.

  “I’m your prescription. Let me be your new addiction.” His words glided like butter, smooth and cool.

  Startled, I twitched, and turned my body to his voice. There he was, all six feet of him, peering down on me with that smile that could make me do just about anything. Though there was nothing to laugh about, especially seeing this hottie in front of me, I couldn’t help but giggle from his words.

  He wore beige casual pants and a black sweater that fit perfectly to the tone of his body. His hair was brushed to the side, showing his nice forehead. Whatever kind of cologne he had on made me want to dive right into his arms…maybe it wasn’t the cologne, but just him.

  “Pretty cheesy, huh?” he chuckled.

  I shyly giggled as I stared down at my shoes. What is wrong with me? Answer him. “Umm…kind of,” I smiled as I peered up, only to have him take my breath away again.

  “Sorry. I just had to say that. You looked so lost and vulnerable. Did you need some help?”

  Great! To him I was just a lost puppy…lost and vulnerable. “I actually found what I was looking for.” I was staring into his eyes, melting, feeling myself sinking into him. Snap out of it!

  “You certainly did,” he said with a playful tone.

  Arching my brows in confusion, I thought about what I’d said. From his perspective, my words had been about him.

  “We meet again, for the third time.”

  He was counting?

  “You left so abruptly at Café Express, I didn’t get to ask you for your name.”

  “Umm…my name? Oh…my name is Jeanella Mefferd, but you can call me Jenna.”

  Extending his hand, he waited for me. “I’m Maxwell. But you can call me Max.”

  Nervously, I placed my hand in his to shake. It was strong, yet gentle…just right, and heat blazed through me from his touch.

  “Are you here with someone?”

  “Yes.” I looked away shyly.

  “Are you lost? Do you need some help?”

  “Actually, I was looking for the restroom. Since I didn’t know where it was I thought I’d ask the bartender, but I guess there isn’t one, and I’m on my way to the restroom.” I rambled nervously as I slowly pulled my hand back to point in the direction I meant to go. I had just realized we were holding hands during our short conversation. “So…I’d better go.”

  “I’ll walk you there.”

  What? “Oh…no need. I’m sure I won’t get lost.” Feeling the heat on my face again, I turned before he could say another word, but it didn’t matter what I had said. His hand was gently placed on my back, guiding me to the women’s room. I turned my back to the bathroom door to thank him, but he spoke first.

  “I think this is my stop,” he muttered, looking straight at me. “I’m not wanted in there. What do you think?” He arched his brows, and his tone held a note of challenge.

  Huh? He wants to go in with me? I gasped silently, as I was still lost in his eyes. “I think the women in there will throw themselves at you.” I couldn’t believe I’d said those words. I couldn’t take it back. What was I doing, flirting with him?

  He seemed to like what he heard. His arms reached out, his muscles flexing as he placed one on each side of me on the wall. With nowhere to go, I was trapped inside the bubble of his arms. He leaned down toward the left side of my face and brushed my hair with his cheek. “You smell…delicious,” he whispered. His hot breath shot tingles to places I hadn’t expected them.

  Out of nervousness and habit, my left index finger flew inside my mouth. Max gave a crooked, naughty grin and slowly took my hand out of
my mouth. “Did you know that biting one’s finger is an indication one is sexually deprived?” His words came out slowly, playfully, but hot. “I can fix that for you, if you’d like.”

  He did not just say that to me! I parted my lips for a good comeback, but I couldn’t find one. Feeling my chest rise and fall quickly, I tried to control the heated desire. Sure, he’d helped me once, but that didn’t mean we were friends, or flirting buddies, or that I would allow him to fix my sexual deprivation. Oh God…can guys tell if you haven’t done it in a very long time? This had to stop or else…oh dear…I wanted to take him with me into the restroom.

  Needing to put a stop to the heat, I placed my hand on his chest… big mistake. Touching him made the heat worse, and tingles that were already intensifying burst through every inch of me. I had to push him away.

  As if he knew what I meant to do, he pulled back, but his eyes did the talking instead. There was no need for words; I felt his hard stare on my body, as if he was undressing me with his gorgeous eyes. His gaze was powerful, as if his eyes were hands; I felt them all over me, completely unraveling me.

  Just when I thought I was going to faint, his eyes shifted to mine again. “It was really nice to meet you, Jenna. I’m sure we’ll see each other again, real soon. I better let you go. Your someone must be waiting for you. By the way….” There was a pause as he charmed me with his eyes again. “You…took my breath away. If I were your someone, I wouldn’t let you out of my sight for even a second, because someone like me will surely try to whisk you away.” He winked and left.

  Chapter Two of

  by USA Today Best Selling Author

  Heidi McLaughlin

  I SET THE PHONE DOWN, resting my head in my hands. I know I can do this. I just have to convince myself that Liam didn’t make a mistake in hiring me. What was I thinking when I opened my mouth at Christmas saying I could be their manager? I fear I’ve bitten off more than I can chew, but Liam has confidence in me, even if I’m only booking 4225 West in small bars.