I dug my phone out of my purse and checked messages, and then I couldn’t resist checking Instagram. He’d taken a bunch of goofy pictures of me this morning, despite my protests and many a pillow thrown at his head.
Sure enough, there was one of me, but I was sleeping soundly, my dark hair a bedraggled mess on the white pillowcase, but my expression serene. He must have snuck it this morning, because the light was soft and pale.
My breath caught as I read the caption: You know I will.
Nothing else, no silly hashtags or jokes, just four simple words from the song we’d danced to last night, his childhood lullaby. I smiled.
Someone else might have wanted a more obvious declaration for the world to see, or maybe have wondered, you will what? But he knew me. And I knew I could finish it a million ways…love you, respect you, tease you, support you, laugh with you, talk to you, listen to you, stay with you. Always.
I will, too, Quinn.
I will too.
Acknowledgments
To my husband and daughters, for making it possible for me to do what I love, for understanding my silences and distraction, and for reminding me how beautiful real life is.
To Jenn Watson, publicist, therapist, and so much more. I love you. Thank you for hatching me out of that egg.
To Melissa Gaston, PA/admin extraordinaire, you make my life so much easier in so many ways! You’re the best!
To everyone at Social Butterfly PR, especially Hillary Suppes (congrats, new mama!) and Candi Kane (thanks for pizza, shoes, and all you do). I appreciate you!
To Rebecca Friedman, agent and friend. You are truly lovely.
To my beta readers, thank you for the feedback and encouragement.
To my proof readers, Laura Foster Franks, Amanda Maria, Angie Owens…love your eagle eyes!
To Lauren Blakely, for generous advice, always.
To Carly Phillips, Erika Wilde, and RS Grey. Thank you so much!
To book bloggers, who do so much for indie authors. I am so grateful—thank you, thank you, thank you, especially Give me Books for organizing Man Candy events!
To Lauren Luman (welcome to Team Harlow!) and all my Harlots for love, laughs, and lots of inspiration.
To all my readers, who know that man candy might not be nutritious, but it sure can make you feel ambitious.
Meet the Muse
Meet Dima Gornovskyi, the MAN CANDY cover model and muse for Quinn Rusek! After seeing a gorgeous photograph of Dima on Facebook, I thought he’d make the perfect Quinn, and I reached out. What a delight to discover he’s as sweet and smart as he is beautiful! His enthusiasm and support for MAN CANDY has been a thrill right from the start. Want to get to know him better? Read on for our Q and A!
Melanie: Hi Dima! I get so many questions about you, I thought it might be fun to put a short Q and A in the back of the book.
Dima: This is such an honor for me! Thank you :)
You were born in the Ukraine, raised in Tunisia, and now you live in LA. What feels most like home to you?
Living in L.A. is a conscious choice and so here I feel most at home more than anywhere else in the world, but I'm very grateful to have grown up in Tunisia & Ukraine for introducing me to completely different cultures and experiences that taught me so much.
What languages do you speak?
English, Russian, Ukrainian, French, Italian and Arabic (but not all of them are good anymore) :)
Don’t worry, I’m sure your Italian beats my Ukrainian by several thousand chilometros. You obviously work very hard to stay so fit. How do you do it?
For work, I need to be in the gym almost every day. I used to be a dancer so I love stretching and all kinds of exercises. I am also pretty strict about my diet and I have a very active life, I'm always on the go.
I love that you have dance training! OK so for a splurge, what’s your favorite meal, and what would you drink with it?
I'm a huge fan of braised short ribs with a nice glass of red Zinfandel.
(Note to self, learn how to braise short ribs.) What's your favorite candy or dessert?
English Toffee.
What do you notice first about someone when you meet them?
How organic they are. I love when people are relaxed and natural no matter who they are or what they're doing.
What's your dream vacation?
At home with my family (I travel a lot and live far from my family so these moments are always the best).
Do you enjoy modeling? (You make it look easy, but it isn't! When I had my author photos taken, I gained new respect for people who have their picture taken constantly!)
I absolutely love it! It can be challenging at times because we are not used to seeing ourselves from different angles and perspectives, but it helps me to get out of my comfort zone.
I’m pretty sure you have no bad angles! But if you were not a model, what would you be doing?
I would be a pianist or own an advertising agency.
You play the piano too?
I used to play piano for years but when I realized that I probably wouldn't become a professional performer, I had to put it aside to develop other things. I'm absolutely in love with the piano though and I hope to come back to it when I get a little older and have more time to practice. :)
What's the craziest thing you've ever done?
I dropped my university two months after the beginning of my studies. I was supposed to become French / Chinese translator. I turned out well eventually. :)
Haha, I agree! Do you have any tattoos?
I do not. But I think tattoos are super cool. If had one, it would probably be a deer head.
You model all kinds of clothing. When you're not working, what's your favorite thing to wear?
I love the combination of navy blue and white. A good fitting pair of jeans and a T with a cool baseball hat in the daytime, and I prefer all black for a night look. Three of my favorite things in my wardrobe are: My sherpa denim jacket, Detroit baseball hat (because my name also starts with D) and my Nike sneakers.
Your Detroit baseball hat was one of the first things I noticed in your pictures! I love it—but I’m from Detroit, so I’m a little biased. ;) Quinn loves the Tigers and wears a hat like that too. This was fate! OK, so what's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten, in any language?
To never stop dreaming. I'm a dreamer and I dream big. I have all of my dreams written down in multiple places. So many of my dreams have become a reality. Another great piece of advice was to make a to-do list. I can't tell you how effective that is for me.
YOU LOVE LISTS?! Wow, we have a lot in common! Other than the fact that you are much younger and better looking and speak seven languages, I’d say we were separated at birth…yeah, maybe not. OK, I’m going to get mushy for a moment. In MAN CANDY, Quinn teases Jaime by calling her "love bug" because he knows it bothers her. What's your favorite term of endearment to call someone you love?
Cuddle bear, but if I wanted to bother someone in a flirtatious way, I would call them a weirdo.
Hahaha, cuddle bear! That’s one I didn’t think of for Quinn and Jaime! Now the lightning round…
Favorite color?
Navy blue
Favorite song?
Madonna - Secret
Favorite movie?
Blue Jasmine by Woody Allen
You really do love blue! It’s my favorite color, too. :) Dima, thank you so much for doing this--I truly appreciate it!
Of course, this is so much fun for me!!
You can keep up with Dima here:
https://www.facebook.com/dimagornovskyi/
https://www.instagram.com/dimagornovskyi/
http://dimagornovskyi.com/
Thanks for reading!
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About the Author
Melanie Harlow likes her heels high, her hair pink, and her history with the naughty bits left in. In addition to MAN CANDY, she’s the author of the HAPPY CRAZY LOVE series (contemporary romance), the FRENCHED series (contemporary romance) and the SPEAK EASY duet (historical romance). She writes from her home outside of Detroit, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and one insane rabbit.
Connect with Melanie online:
Website: www.melanieharlow.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorMelanieHarlow
The Harlots: https://www.facebook.com/groups/351191341756563/
Twitter: @MelanieHarlow2
Email: [email protected]
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Tumblr: melanieharlow.tumblr.com/
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/melanieharlow
Also by Melanie Harlow
The Frenched Series
Frenched
Yanked (a Frenched novella)
Forked
Floored
The Happy Crazy Love Series
Some Sort of Happy
Some Sort of Crazy
Some Sort of Love
The Speak Easy Duet
The Tango Lesson (a standalone novella)
Sneak peek of PLAY MAKER, by Katie McCoy!
James Martin aka The Play Maker: international soccer sensation, owner of a drool-worthy body, and panty-dropping man whore.
He's the perfect one night stand.
And by one night stand I mean two night stand.
And by two night stand I mean three night stand.
Nicole Grant is living every girl's fantasy: a rendezvous with the sexiest Brit on either side of the pond. It's just one night, and that's fine with her. With her busy work schedule and a brother she's devoted to, flings are all Nicole has time for. No complicated feelings and no strings attached. Just hot sex.
James Martin is used to scoring -- on and off the field. His prowess in the game is rivaled only by his reputation in the tabloids. But after Nicole gives him the best hookup of his life, he experiences something new: a woman who isn't throwing herself at his feet, who knows all he has to offer and is still keeping her distance. Apparently there's a first time for everything.
James can't get Nicole out of his head. She's funny and she's irresistible. Nicole can't James off her mind. He's good hearted and he's sexy. Will their standoff end in a draw, or can this one night stand kick off something real?
AVAILABLE NOW!
* * *
Chapter One
Nicole
All it took was one look and I knew exactly what he wanted. It was a gift, really. He crossed the crowded room, coming straight towards me, just like they all did, his gaze saying everything I needed to know. He stopped in front of me and licked his lips.
“Let me guess.” I leaned forward, watching his pupils dilate as he watched my deft hands do their magic. “Gin and tonic.” I slid the glass across the bar.
His eyes widened. “How did you know?”
I winked. “A good bartender can always tell.” And I was a good bartender. Hell, I was a great bartender. I could figure out someone’s drink of choice in an instant. You just had to know what to look for. He was wearing a slim fitting J Crew suit. That said he was young, modern, the kind of person that might be interested in the more artisanal style cocktails. But he didn’t have any of the patterns or flourishes that some men his age were embracing. So he still liked to keep things traditional. Something that Don Draper might have felt comfortable ordering. Gin and tonic was a drink that seemed to be gaining popularity, but still maintained an old-fashioned feel. And once you see it, you couldn’t unsee it. Mr. Gin-and-Tonic, through and through.
And now he was mine for the whole evening. He wouldn’t try ordering at the other end of the bar. Nope. He thought that I knew him. Which he liked. Because everyone liked feeling that way. Everyone wanted to be known, to be seen. All it took was a simple observation and I had him in the palm of my hand.
He tipped well and returned to the group he had come in with. But he kept looking back. The men always did. Because not only could I make a killer cocktail – the exact one they wanted before they even knew they wanted it – but I wore my uniform extremely well. The same curves that had gotten me teased in middle school were bringing grown men to their knees over ten years later.
Maya liked to call me the blonde Jessica Rabbit. All boobs and butt, both which strained against the black shirt, black pants and little black vest I had to wear for work. Even though I was completely covered up, I couldn’t change the way I always seemed to be on the verge of spilling out of my clothes. Not that I’d want to. Because if I couldn’t get a guy with a drink, I could always get him with a well deployed “bend and snap”, just like Elle Woods. But that was only used as a last resort.
The guy wasn’t bad looking – though a little on the skinny side for me – but unfortunately for him I just wasn’t in the mood tonight. I pulled my gaze away from that side of the room and pulled out a stick of gum from my purse. It was a bad habit of mine, but since barely anyone was in the bar, I popped a piece of doublemint gum into my mouth and started chewing. When the gum was soft enough, I started blowing bubbles. I could make them pretty big if I concentrated, but I mostly just loved the soft poof they let out when they deflated. Or the crackly pop they made when they burst.
My first bubble popped, causing Maya to glance over at me. She rolled her eyes. She didn’t understand my gum addiction, but I didn’t understand her love of juicing basically everything. Every day she came in with some new mixture she had made up in her juicer. She was convinced there was a tonic out there for any ailment. I didn’t have the heart to tell her it all basically tasted the same. Like liquid grass.
She sidled over to me now with today’s concoction. It smelled like old carrots, but she was sipping it like a martini.
“You are so weird,” I informed her.
“It’s good for the skin,” she insisted. “Not that you have a problem with that, you zit-less bitch.” It was said with love.
“Hey, I’d kill for your hair and you know that.” I told her. She did have beautiful hair.
She flipped it over her shoulder. “Juice, baby.”
I rolled my eyes. “Juice did not make your hair that way. That’s all genetics.”
But Maya wasn’t listening. “Love me, love my juice,” she said, heading back to her end of the bar.
“That’s why you’re still single,” I teased.
She gave me the finger. And a smile. Best friend ever.
We had just opened, so the bar was practically empty. Slow nights were pretty much the only time Maya and I could talk on the job.
I loved being a bartender, but weeknights were the absolute worst. Barely anyone came to the hotel bar during the week. We got a few guests, but most of the clientele worked nearby, so it was large groups coming for our Happy Hour deals. That meant a rush of people ordering before seven and then standing around nursing their $5 beers while they caught up on work gossip. Drinking was more perfunctory during the week, which didn’t really equal a flowing tap or chatting up the bartender. Everyone would be driving home afterwards and no one wanted to stay downtown too late. For me, that equaled a lot of time alone at the bar, standing on my feet and waiting for them to leave.
I lived for weekends, the bar filled with the crush of crowds from the hotel, convention center and all the nearby date joints. The air was always filled with excitement and sex, and the adrenaline could carry me all the way past closing and beyond. On a night like that, I might have held
eye contact with Mr. Gin-and-Tonic for a few seconds longer. Direct eye contact was usually all it took to get him to book a room in the hotel.
And all my relationships were one night stands. I wasn’t interested in relationships and even if I was, my life just wasn’t set up for them. There were too many other things in my life that were way more important than coddling some man’s ego. Because that’s what relationships seemed to be. I had learned that the hard way. Some guy who had found my sexuality and sex appeal exciting until we started dating – then it had become a liability. Something to be guarded and monitored. And if that wasn’t bad enough, I found there was no room in those relationships for the person that mattered the most to me – my brother.
Not a lot of people understood that Mikey needed stability and routine. That he wasn’t your average twenty-year old. My brother had a form of Down syndrome, which manifested in a lot of obsessive behaviors, most of which centered around his favorite show, Doctor Who. There weren’t a lot of people who could tolerate his single-minded focus on the Doctor and his companions. So there weren’t a lot of people that I allowed to participate in that part of my life.
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