by Ami LeCoeur
Seducing Sarah
- Book 1 ~ The Shutterbug: Jimmy -
Ami LeCoeur
PUBLISHED BY:
Career Life Press
Copyright © 2017
Ami LeCoeur
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be copied or reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior written consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events, is entirely coincidental. All names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and situations are either the product of the author's imagination, or used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real.
Releases:
Book 1 – The Shutterbug (Jimmy)
US - http://amzn.to/2mtAmqI
UK - http://amzn.to/2mqZDBi
Book 2 – The Body (Tony)
US - http://amzn.to/2mEfmdS
UK - http://amzn.to/2niwoBN
Book 3 – The Educator (Scott) - April 20, 2017
US - http://amzn.to/2ojhSu7
UK - http://amzn.to/2nFlkwo
Book 4 – The Player (Kris) - May 4, 2017
Book 5 – The Advocate (Al) - May 18, 2017
Book 6 – The Cider King (Jonathan) -June 1, 2017
Seducing Sarah - Full Series:
US - http://amzn.to/2n7lFcQ
UK - http://amzn.to/2niHNl3
Connect with me on Facebook: http://facebook.com/AmiLeCoeurBooks
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Book 1 - Summary
Business is booming for Sarah, the successful, young, thirty-something CEO of her own advertising agency. In fact, things are going so well that she’s considering expanding the business even more.
But in the middle of celebrating her success, she gets a wake-up call when her secretary’s fiancé sends a beautiful bouquet of flowers and the entire office goes ga-ga. Sarah can’t help but realize that no matter how successful she is by herself, her love-life sucks.
Determined to change her status by her birthday, a mere six months away, she decides to step outside her comfort zone and find someone to help share the celebration of her journey and her life.
When the flirtatious freelance photographer, Jimmy, sets his sights on getting to know her better, she has to decide whether or not it’s time to mix a little pleasure with her business.
Chapter One
I took a deep breath and smiled down at the pile of work needing my attention, refusing to give into the tiny niggle of worry about the upcoming Valentine’s Day campaign that was way behind.
“You got this, Sarah Jean,” I whispered, twisting my blonde hair into a bun, securing it with a pencil at the back. It was my “get-down-to-business” routine when I knew things weren’t going quite the way I wanted. And this campaign wasn’t anything near what it needed to be. In fact, it was a mess. But I was used to messes. I’d have never gotten my business to its current stature otherwise. I just hoped my pep-talk would be enough to keep me going this time.
As I shuffled through the proofs spread out on my desk, I reminded myself that having so many clients was a good thing. That had been my main goal when I first started out, and so far, I’d crushed it. Most entrepreneurs would give their right arm to be as busy—and as successful—as I was.
Still, there were times, like now, when I was under a tight deadline—and the proofs I examined were little more than a hopeless disaster—that I fantasized about sitting on a beach somewhere, oblivious to everything, trashy novel in one hand, umbrella drink in the other.
The more I poured over the proofs, the tighter the knot in my stomach became. Try as I might, there was next to nothing we’d be able to use or even salvage.
“Rhonda, can you come in here?” I threw my hands up in disgust, calling my assistant into my office. “What in the world happened with the ad for Chandler’s Chocolates? It’s one of the biggest campaigns we have on the schedule right now.” I took off my glasses and rubbed the bridge of my nose. A full-page Valentine’s ad for an artisan chocolatier, and the proofs looked like something a third-grader had conceived.
“This can’t be right,” Rhonda said, frowning. “This wasn’t the composition you chose for the ad, is it?”
“Are you kidding?” I pulled the proof from her hands. It featured a man and woman, in a supposedly “romantic” setting. He was feeding her chocolates. The original idea had been to have something that was sexy, fun, evocative. But the look of confusion-bordering-on-horror across the poor woman’s face not only detracted from the message, it looked like something from a really bad movie.
“I was never thrilled with this guy’s work, but he’s got to be the worst of the bunch. This was a tired concept to begin with, and it’s poorly executed.” I dropped the proof on my desk and closed my eyes. “Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise. Can you give Eric a call, see if he can squeeze in a shoot? Like, yesterday?”
“No can do, boss,” Rhonda said, lips pressed together as she shook her head. “Remember? He’s on his honeymoon.”
“Why the hell would a photographer get married at this time of year, when there’s so much pre-Valentine’s work to be done?”
Rhonda’s mouth twisted into a wry smile. “Maybe because he has even more work to shoot over Valentine’s weekend? If I remember correctly, he said he has three weddings booked.”
I rubbed my suddenly clammy hands down my thighs—a nervous tick Mom had tried unsuccessfully to break me from over the years. “All right. Take a look through the local freelancers. I need somebody on this ASAP. The proofs have to go to the printer at the end of this week, at the latest.”
“You got it.” Rhonda hurried out, probably glad for the chance to get away from me before I twisted into a tight ball and exploded.
Valentine’s Day. It was impossible for me to forget it, being one of the busiest seasons of the year for an advertising company. Every business wanted to get on the gravy train when it came time to guilt men into buying their women jewelry, candy, flowers, and even more.
Unfortunately, it was also more than a little depressing for me. Still, I was glad to have plenty of work to throw myself into, or else I’d have to think about my own lame personal life. In most ways, Valentine’s was just another day for me, as lonely and uneventful as any other.
Oh Stop It Sarah!
I reminded myself there was no point in obsessing over something I couldn’t control or even change. There was too much work to do in way too short a time frame for me to be following useless tangents where I didn’t need to go.
“I found him!” Rhonda crowed, marching back into the office a few minutes later with a portfolio in hand. “He’s perfect.”
“Great, let’s see what you’ve got.” I was glad she’d found someone so quickly. If indeed this new photographer could meet our requirements, it would certainly take my mind off my own woeful existence. “Who is he, this ‘perfect man?’”
“Jimmy Spencer. I think he’s ideal for this job.”
While I’d learned to trust Rhonda’s opinion over the years, there was no chance I’d hire someone for a job like this without first going over his work with a fine-tooth comb, especially with the deadline so close. She handed me his folio.
Glancing through the images, the knot in my stomach eased a little. Rhonda was right, as always. This guy was good. Especially his wedding-related work.
There was an intimacy to the photos that almost made me feel as though I was intruding on someone else’s speci
al moment—but also as though I belonged there. This was the feeling I wanted the chocolatier ads to have. The photos definitely evoked the kinds of feelings that would sell products.
“I love these,” I announced, smiling up at my assistant. Rhonda grinned back, gratified that I agreed with her choice. “Give him a call. Be sure to remind him of the tight timeline. This ad goes into newspapers the first week in February. Let’s cross our fingers he has the time.”
She nodded and turned away.
“Oh, and Rhonda,” I said before she stepped through the door. “Please remove this guy from our rolodex. I never want to use him again.” I tossed the other photographer’s images into the trash.
Rhonda nodded again, then hurried back to her desk. It seemed she was always hurrying, but that was a quality I appreciated. I smiled at my good fortune in having such a competent employee.
Then my eyes fell back on Jimmy Spencer’s work. I picked up the wedding pictures and wondered what it might be like to find that perfect someone you wanted to share your life with. To put everything on the line, announce it to the world, and shift your entire life from single to couple—changing everything about how you’d lived until that moment.
I sighed, and my heart hurt a little as I set the photograph back on top of the stack of images. Everyone wanted a ‘happily ever after.’ But, how could anyone ever know… for sure?
Chapter Two
I walked into the shoot, thanking God for small favors—and for freelancers. Not only was Jimmy available, but he was already hard at work by the time I arrived. He had his back to me, talking with the models.
“Do you like chocolate?” he asked the girl.
“Who doesn’t?” she said, laughing up at him.
“Have you tried any of these before?” He pointed to the chocolates on the table.
“Sure. I like them, they’re really good.”
“And what about this guy?” He jerked his thumb towards the young man standing next to her. “What do you think about him?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. We just met.”
Jimmy crouched between them. “Sorry. Wrong answer.”
She wrinkled her forehead in confusion as she looked up at the other model.
“You’re crazy about him,” Jimmy continued. “He lights you up inside, gets you hot just by entering the room. It’s Valentine’s Day, and you’ve spent weeks wondering what this night will be like. He’s taken you to a secluded mountain retreat. The room is perfect. He’s perfect. Your heart is racing. You just want to get dinner over with so you can go to bed.”
I watched the girl. She had started to squirm, her lower lip between her teeth as Jimmy pulled her into another world.
“The way he looks at you, there’s so much tension, you could scream. And he’s feeding you chocolate. One piece at a time. Slowly. Sensually. You know this is leading somewhere wonderful. Where will it take you?”
The girl’s eyes darted from Jimmy to the model standing behind him. A flush stole up her cheeks by the time the photographer had finished speaking. Truth be told, I was feeling a little flushed myself.
“And you.” He turned to the man. “You’re intent on seducing her. But it’s fun, playful. You have all night to do the things you’ve been fantasizing about. Right now, you want to wake up all of her senses. When she opens her mouth, you wonder what else she can do with it.”
I swear my own cheeks went red at that, and I was glad to be standing in the background, unnoticed. Meanwhile, my models looked at each other like they were ready to go at it right there.
Jimmy stood. “Now, I want you to think about all that as I shoot you. Think about where this night is leading the two of you. Now, look at each other. Really look. Feed your lover a piece of chocolate.” The shoot started, and I heard the camera whirring.
“Come to watch me work?” I jumped, not realizing he knew I was in the room. When I didn’t answer right away, he chuckled. “No worries. When the client has the shoot set up at their own agency, I expect them to look over my shoulder.”
I flushed again. There was a teasing quality to his voice. He had his back to me still, but I heard the smile in his voice. “I had to make sure this was perfect.”
“Isn’t that why you hired me?” Then, lower, “Perfect. You’re wondering if he’ll touch your mouth when he’s finished.” I wondered if he murmured instructions like that to all his subjects.
He turned towards me with a lopsided grin, eyes shining like a ray of sunshine in my dark life. His ice-blue eyes danced as he looked me up and down. “You don’t have to worry. I’ll give you what you need, Miss Pilsner.”
I wrinkled my nose, drawing my eyebrows together involuntarily. Same old story—cavalier freelance photographer, flirting with the client, thinking she’ll swoon over the size of his camera. Still, I liked his confident manner, and he was clearly effective in his work. In some remote part of my mind, I couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to have a sexy man feed me chocolate in a secluded mountain retreat.
My cell rang, and I left the room to take the call. I needed to get away from there, anyway. My thoughts were wandering down a way-too-unproductive road. A road they had no right to be on.
I smiled when I saw Tammy’s name on the screen. This wouldn’t necessarily be so productive either, but she was my best friend and she always made me smile.
“What’s up?” I retraced my steps through the halls of the company, noting with pride the way my employees seemed happy and comfortable while they worked. Company culture was a big priority for me. I believed in keeping my people happy, which made their work all the better.
“Just wondering if your V-Day shoot went all right. You seemed stressed.”
“Aw, Mom, you’re so sweet to call.” I couldn’t help teasing her. We might be the same age, but that didn’t stop her from being overly protective of me. “It’s going great. What a relief.”
“Speaking of Valentine’s…”
I rolled my eyes. I should have known she would bring that up. “What are your plans?”
“Well, first of all, I was planning on a cuddle session with the cat. Then maybe some ice cream. Or wine. But certainly not both, I wouldn’t want the night to get too crazy.”
“Oh, because God forbid you might have an actual date.” I suppressed a sigh. I loved Tammy, had since our early days in high school, but sometimes she drove me more than a little crazy with her nagging—especially when it came to men and dating.
“You know I don’t have time for that,” I muttered, chewing my lip and knowing she wouldn’t let me off the hook.
“Everybody has time for that—but they have to make the time,” Tammy said. Sometimes I wanted to smack her when she got that know-it-all tone in her voice, but that was only because she was usually right. “You’re hot, smart, with a kick-ass business. You need to get yourself out there. Find someone to share it all with.”
I danced around the subject. “What about hot, smart, kick-ass gallery curators? What do they do on Valentine’s Day?”
“Weeellll, funny you should ask…” She launched into a play-by-play of everything she had planned for Chaz, her boyfriend of the moment. I was a good best friend, asking the right questions, oohing and ahhing at the right times. Letting her gush on.
I silently pushed aside the question of whether my life could ever be like hers. My life was good—I liked it the way it was. It was comfortable, it worked for me, and besides, there was a certain amount of satisfaction in knowing exactly what to expect.
Chapter Three
“Sarah? Jimmy Spencer’s here with the proofs.”
I smiled, my spirits lifting, though I had no idea why. I told myself it was because everything seemed to be falling into place again—we’d found a photographer at the last minute, and here he was, already delivering the goods a day earlier than expected.
I was a little nervous about the proofs but looked forward to seeing how they turned out. We were running short on time
and if there were any problems…
I took a quick look in the mirror I kept in my desk, hoping I looked okay, then reminded myself this was a professional meeting—not about me, just about the photographs.
He strolled into my office like he owned the place. I wondered where men like him got their confidence. Every muscle in his lean, lanky body was relaxed. In fact, he almost glided in. I met him halfway, intending to spread the proofs on my work table near the window.
“I knew you’d be in a hurry to get these,” he said, holding a large envelope out to me. “I can’t imagine you’re a lady who likes to be kept waiting.” He winked. Well, that much was true. I chuckled softly, even while I wondered why I was chuckling at such a lame joke.
“I’m not. And I’m dying to see how your verbal foreplay worked.”
“I’m pretty good with my tongue.”
Had somebody raised the thermostat? Or was my flush simply a reaction to how close he stood to me or the way his hand brushed mine as he handed me the prints?
I laughed and shook my head. “Down, boy. We’re not taking any pictures today.” I spread the photos out on the surface of the table, and a smile bubbled all the way through my body and up to my lips.
These were exactly what I needed. I wished I could use them all and wondered how I’d narrow down my choices. But, as impressed and relieved as I was to have something that fit so wonderfully, I certainly couldn’t let him know I was quite so bowled over. No sense in taking a chance on his becoming insufferable because he thought he had the upper hand.
“Hmm… these are good. I especially like these three.” I pointed. “There’s a subtle look of… anticipation… in both their faces. And this time she looks as though she actually likes chocolate. On the previous shoot, she looked like she had some kind of chocolate allergy.”
He laughed. “The right words, used in the right way, can make a woman do just about anything.”
