Journal

Thursday, September 01, 2005

Writing!

I am writing...Writing writing. My agent is on vacation and I have finally accepted that now that she will be back soon lol! And for some reason, the writers block LEFT THE HOUSE!! YEAH!! Anyway, here is a peek at THE PRICE OF BEING ON TOP..book two of the OFFICE GAMES SERIES. Book one, RED HOT SECRETS is out at EC the 27th ............................................................................................................ Reese Winter hit her proverbial “hot spot” in a wicked way.
Not many men got that rating in her book. Of course, she wasn’t alone in her assessment. Reese made a lot of women hot. The high priced defense attorney drew plenty of attention. For one thing, he had a knack for getting really bad people off some pretty nasty charges. It gave him a power. An air of success and confidence. He smiled and women swooned. No one really considered what kind of ethical lines he crossed to win his cases. Not with his movie star good looks and suave way with words.
Catherine Maxwell knew the type well. After all, her father was both CEO and founder of Maxwell Beverages. In other words, one of the corporate types who bent the rules to meet his needs. Someone like Reese. What she hadn’t learned from that venue, she’d learned from her hound-dog twin brothers who were too good looking for their own good. They’d taught her much about the psyche of men. Then, of course, her job as entertainment reporter for the New York Review had added even more clarity to the world of the down and dirty. Money. Power. They corrupted and controlled the world. And then there was sex…Sex was a weapon. She’d seen others use it and she had learned how to profit from its rewards as well.
From across the bar, Catherine let her gaze roam towards the object of this evening’s obsession and found him looking at her as well. For a good hour, and the better part of an extra large frozen margarita, they’d been doing a sultry exchange of heated glances. She, killing time before an interview with a new Broadway sensation. He, having some meeting with an older, stuffy looking man in a suit.
Her eyes locked with Reese’s and awareness charged the air. Her attraction to this man was crazy, considering he wasn’t her type. Not at all. She liked artists and creative types who had no agenda but feeling good. Yet with each contact, the looks with Reese grew less subtle. More charged.
Damn the man was sexy.
That dark hair that fell over his brow with a bit of wildness to it begged for her fingers. Those eyes…She couldn’t see the color now, but she’d seen them on television and in photos. They were blue. A vivid color that made people do a double take. And finally his full bottom lip. Oh yeah. She could already imagine kissing him.
If only she didn’t have this interview…
Truth be told, it had been months since she’d had a man. Watching her best friend and her fiancé play house had gotten to her. She’d never admit it but she felt a pinch of jealousy. Happy jealousy. If anyone deserved happiness it was Lauren. Her best friend shared one of those unique bonds with her man that few had. This was one of the few times Catherine thought maybe, just maybe, a couple had a real shot at happily ever after.
But in her real world, Catherine knew there would be none of that for her. She also knew a good dose of the human touch would get her past her weird mood. What chocolate didn’t cure, she’d found sex did. And judging from the way Reese was staring at her, he needed a little under the cover action himself. After another sizzling moment, Reese looked away, obviously drawn by something the man he was meeting with had said. She watched as they stood and shook hands. Catherine knew what to do next. A man like Reese had to be handled just right. In other words, Catherine knew she needed him to come to her. With a hint of a smile on her lips, she turned away from him, ensuring no further eye contact. With her bare legs crossed, black silky dress hiked just above the knee she took a sip from the straw sitting in her strawberry margarita. And she waited. Knowing it was only a matter of time.
“Hello.”
The sultry male voice made Catherine smile to herself. She looked up to find him leaning on the bar, facing her. The dim lighting of the trendy club nestled inside the Manhattan hotel set a perfect stage for seduction. If only she had the time to see it through to completion. With a deep breath she inhaled his warm, masculine scent. There was a spicy quality to his cologne that made her all warm inside.
“Hello,” she said finally, having made him wait for her response with intent. It was all part of a game. The one she controlled, not him. He would have to work for what she wanted. She loved that. He worked. She wanted. The prize was hers.
“I’ve seen you here before,” he said.
“Have you now?” she asked, one dark blond brow inching upward. Interesting. He’d noticed her before this night.
He smiled. A sexy, one sided smile, that she’d seen him use for the camera. “I’m Reese Winter.”
She gave him a tiny nod and then reached up and slid her long, blond hair over her shoulder, exposing her neck. Testing him to see if he would follow the action. And he did. “Catherine,” she said. Life had taught her to leave her last name out of things. Maxwell made men get a hard on and it had nothing to do with her and everything to do with money. “But call me Cat.”
“Okay, Cat it is. I’d buy you a drink,” he said, “but it looks like you have that covered. Perhaps your next one?”
“Buy you one,” she said. “This is my last. Everything is better in color. By drink three it’s a blur for me.”
He laughed. “Lightweight, huh?” Reese raised a hand at the bartender.
“Only when it comes to alcohol.”
After ordering a Scotch on the Rocks, he studied her a moment. “What does a beautiful woman like you do for a living?”
She tilted her head slightly. “Compliments will get you everywhere, Reese Winter.”
He laughed. “Good to know. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“As for what I do for a living, are you sure you want to know?”
His eyes narrowed. “I’m brave man. Tell me.”
“Brave,” she said. “Hmm. I guess we’re about to find out just how brave.” She paused and then dropped her bomb. “I’m a reporter.”
A slow nod of his head. “Ahhh,” he said, and stepped closer rather than distance himself as she half expected. So close, his hand went to the back of her chair and she could feel the warmth of his body. A slight lean forward and their legs would touch. She tilted her head upward to make eye contact. If he was trying to scare her off, it wasn’t working. She wanted him. Sexual intimacy didn’t frighten her. There was no little girl waiting to run, hidden beneath her shell.
“Thinking you might seduce me for a story, are you?” he half whispered, his voice soft and husky. Seductive. He leaned down near her ear so that his breath tickled her lobe.
“You came to me, not the opposite,” she reminded him. “Who’s seducing who?”
For a long moment, he said nothing, leaning back to study her expression. Then he laughed. “I guess that’s still up for debate.” His drink appeared, and he turned away to deal with the bartender. Then, attention back on Cat, he lifted his glass in a mock toast before taking a drink. He set his drink back down and casually leaned against the railing, elbow on the surface. “So what game are we playing, Cat?”
“Game?” she asked, brow inching upward. “If this were a game I wouldn’t have told you I’m a reporter.”
“Maybe,” he said, his tone said he wasn’t so sure.
“Disappointed? Maybe you’d prefer a little Cat and mouse action?”
He laughed and leaned towards her again. “We both know I’m no mouse.”
“You wouldn’t be interesting if you were.”
“Unless I was a mouse who could make headlines,” he said. It wasn’t a question.
“Are we talking professional or personal?”
He studied her. “Is there a difference?”
She nodded. “There’s a difference.”
“So you don’t want to seduce me for a story?” There was amusement not irritation in his voice.
She slid her hand to his thigh, enjoying the flex of muscle beneath her palm. “Not for a story.”

Posted by Lisa Renee Jones :: 3:42 PM :: 0 comments