Ringing in new years, p.1
Ringing In New Years, page 1
Ringing In New Years
C. Morgan
Contents
Description
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Epilogue
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About the Author
Description
The girl was mine since the first time she smiled at me.
The catch? Love hasn’t been on my radar for a long time.
My career—my dream—won’t allow for such luxuries.
So, when I moved to New York City to pursue my dream and prove my father wrong, I never expected it. Love.
Her heart is as wild and full as her figure and I can’t get enough.
Can I get the girl, even if it means abandoning my dreams?
She’s worth the price.
And I always get what I want.
Chapter 1
Liam
The day after Christmas, I sat in my usual booth at Dutch’s Coffee House, typing my heart out. The small and quaint dive was nestled in the heart of Publisher’s Triangle, where good writers go to die and the great go to be discovered.
Dutch’s had been an establishment and a legend long before I ever came to New York City, and even though newer coffeehouses and trendy drinks had nearly put him under, Dutch Kirk, the coffee shop owner, had managed to keep it alive.
The atmosphere of the place was quiet, nothing but slurps and the clicking of keys for minutes on end, with the occasional “Aha” or growl of frustration interrupting someone’s flow. Day in and day out, writers gathered, working on whatever dreams they were chasing.
I finished a paragraph and was about to get up for more of Dutch’s dark roast when I looked up to see the prettiest girl ever approaching the counter. She had hair that was deep chestnut and a voluptuous figure that nearly brought me to my knees to worship her.
“I see you’re making your usual rounds,” said Dutch, who sat behind the counter, waiting for the next customer with a newspaper in his hands.
The woman smiled and reached into her bag. She pulled out an envelope and passed it over to Dutch, who took it with a big smile on his face. “Yeah, thanks.” He didn’t seem too impressed, and I would have thought she was serving him with some kind of bill or legal subpoena if the envelope hadn’t been black and gold, more of a fancy invite than anything else. “How about a cup for the road?” he offered.
The woman scrunched her nose. “No, thanks, Dutch. Have a good one.” She turned and left without so much as a look in my direction, and I couldn’t help but watch her all the way to the door.
“Who was that?”
“Keep your eyes in your head. That, my friend, was the yearly courtesy call.” He walked over to the trash and was about to drop the invitation inside.
I reached out. “Wait! What is that?”
“This?” He shook the envelope. “This is what you get when you’ve had a business in this neighborhood for thirty-five years. This is an invitation from Griffin Lords for his annual New Year’s Eve party.”
Griffin Lords owned Lords Brothers Publishing, one of the top publishing firms in the city. Even though Dutch wasn’t a writer, at least that I’d ever known, he’d have to be crazy not to want to attend. “A party. Why don’t you go? It’s right down the street.”
Dutch furrowed his bushy gray brows. “No, thanks. I don’t belong up there with those fancy people anymore. An old man like me? My first wife had me drag her there once, and it was such an ordeal. Not my bag.” He waved his hand dismissively as if it were the last thing he’d want to do.
I couldn’t help but think the woman who delivered the invite was going to be there. “Then at least give it to me. I’ll put it to good use.”
Dutch grinned. “You know, that’s a good idea. You belong at this kind of thing, a handsome young man like yourself.” He walked over and handed me the envelope. “Good luck, Liam. Maybe you’ll rub the right elbows to help promote that smut you write.”
“It’s not smut,” I said with a growl of frustration, handing him my cup to be refilled. Dutch had teased me ever since I told him I wrote romance. He had the archaic attitude that all romance needed to be written by desperate housewives and lonely-hearted women. “It’s romance. Women want a little bit of steam, and I like the idea of showing them that romantic alphas still exist.”
Dutch walked over to the coffeepot and poured. “I’m just teasing. Do you know how many of you come through my doors?”
“There’s only one me, Dutch. And I’m going to go to this party and see if I can’t change my destiny. At least meet some new people and get away from this corner table for a night.” Since coming to the city only six months ago, I had only met a handful of people, most of whom were other writers in the same big ocean of undiscovered as me.
When you keep swimming in the same waters with the same fish, you get nowhere. It takes getting into the deep waters before you really get noticed, and then you better hope you don’t get eaten by the sharks. I was willing to step outside of my comfort zone to make things happen, especially if it meant talking to the woman who had come into the shop.
“Well, I wish you the best,” said Dutch, passing me the coffee. “And if you get tossed out, don’t tell anyone I sent you. I’ll say you fished that thing out of the trash and crashed it all on your own. I don’t need Griffin Lords pissed off at me.”
“It almost sounds like you two have a past.” His expressions when he mentioned the man’s name were suspect.
“I know him. We used to talk now and then when he owned this building. He finally got out from under it, and thankfully, I like my new landlord better. Anyway,” he said, glancing down at the invite. “You have a good time and try to find a pretty girl to kiss at midnight.”
I grabbed my cup and carefully walked it back to my table. As I tried to focus on my story, all I could think about was that gorgeous woman, her curves demanding attention. I was just the man for her. She just didn’t know it yet.
A fleeting thought entered my mind. What if she already had a man in her life? There hadn’t been a ring on her finger, had there? It didn’t do me any good to sit there thinking. I’d find out everything I needed to know soon enough. I wasn’t going to the party to further my career as much as I was going to find that woman—the girl my fantasies were made of.
Chapter 2
Lila
By the time I got back to the building where I not only lived but worked, I found my friend Kendra waiting in the lobby. “Have you been here long?” I asked, giving her a hug.
Kendra, who was holding her heavy coat that was as black as her hair, looked at me with big brown eyes. “Long enough to know that your receptionist is having an affair,” she said.
“She’s single,” I said. “Her divorce was final three weeks ago.”
“Oh, well, scratch that. I don’t have any good gossip. How about you?” She followed me to the stairs, where I led her up to the second-floor landing. There was an elevator, which would take us nearly to the top of the twelve-story building.
I lived on the eleventh floor, in one of three guest suites owned by Griffin Lords, owner of Lords Brothers Publishing.
We entered the lift, and when the door shut, I leaned against the railing, my feet tired from all the walking. “Other than the New Year’s Eve party that Mr. Lords has tasked me with, and my upcoming business trip two days later, I can’t think of any.” I was bitter, but being the top literary agent for one of the top literary firms in the city, who had been reduced to the boss’s errand girl, I had good reason.
“Oh, boo-hoo,” said Kendra. “You’ll pull it off. Luck always finds you.”
“That’s not true,” I said, rolling my eyes. I knew where this conversation was leading, and sure enough, my best friend didn’t disappoint.
“Please, when we went our separate ways as roommates, I was the one supposed to be going on to the good life with marriage and a family, and instead that fell apart. Meanwhile, you thought you’d never make it without me, and you landed ass up into the best apartment in the city.”
“It’s a guest suite. I barely have a full kitchen. Not to mention, I rarely get away from my job, since I live in the same building where I work.”
“Which saves you so much of that money you’re making with that fancy job of yours.”
When the elevator door opened, we walked into the long hallway and stopped at the first door on the left. There were only three large suites on this level, and no one was inhabiting the other two. I had the largest, and while I could easily complain about my small kitchen, which wasn’t much bigger than the kitchenette I had in my college dorm. It was a great place. I just didn’t like to rub it in.
Kendra, who had been through a lot since our days of being roommates in our old one-bedroom, one-bath apartment, gave a sigh as I opened the door. “Oh yeah, you have it bad.” She walked over to the living area and plopped down on my couch, which was not a personal choice but a permanent installation of the suite’s design, cozy and comfortable. “I could sleep on this thing.”
“And this party is going to be just as epic.”
“I hope. The pressure is on. Mr. Lords has never tasked me with such an endeavor before. I think I have it all worked out—the catering, the decorations, the favors, the alcohol—but I keep thinking there’s something I’m forgetting.”
“A man? Do you have a date?”
“Seriously? If I ever met someone, I’d tell you about him first thing. If he was worth mentioning.” I was beginning to think that no man was. Most who met me only wanted one thing: a publishing contract.
“You’re too picky. And you have this complex about men using you.”
“Can you blame me? After what happened with the last one? Thank God I didn’t sleep with that asshole.” I hadn’t ever slept with anyone. I wanted my first time to be with someone special. Someone who loved me and was in it for the long haul.
“I just think that you need to get back out there, Lila. With your luck, I’m sure you’ll meet the man of your dreams.”
I had to laugh. “I have pretty imaginative dreams, and I’m not sure someone that hot even exists. If he does, he’s not going to be interested in me.”
“Don’t sell yourself short. You’re gorgeous, smart, and funny. And you have the perfect life and wardrobe. You’ll end up with Mr. Right long before me.”
She had been saying that since her proposal fell through, and it hadn’t happened yet. “Well, we’ll see. You’re coming to the party, right? I’m sure there will be lots of men there. All ripe for your picking.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. But there you go again, making it out like there’s not going to be anyone for you.”
“They’re all going to be writers or in the business, Kendra. I can’t date a writer. Do you know how many dinner dates I’ve been on where they stick their manuscripts in my face before the main course is served? The last man whipped his out in the car.”
She smiled slyly, wagging her brows. “His penis or his manuscript?”
I gave her a sideward look. “His manuscript, of course.”
“I’m just saying, it could be worse. I think you should lighten up. If you find the right man, give him a chance. But just for the record, I call dibs on the first hottie.”
“Deal.” I wasn’t going to get my hopes up for anything. I had learned to keep my guard up and my expectations low. I just never thought I’d ever meet anyone who could make me change my mind.
Chapter 3
Liam
I didn’t know what I expected walking into Lords Brothers Publishing. It looked like a gothic nightmare on the outside and a mansion on the inside. The entry was decorated with large black, gold, and silver balloons, and the floor was adorned with a long gold carpet that led into the main ballroom where there were lots of twinkling lights and a huge indoor clock tower that looked like it might produce 1.21 gigawatts if struck by lightning.
People were smiling and drinking, huddled up in casual groupings of some of the biggest and brightest stars in the literary world.
I tried not to get too excited, knowing I wasn’t going to do myself any favors by acting like a starstruck buffoon. I was Liam Jericho, the next big thing. And if I kept that attitude, who knew, I might just be. Most things were about attitude, and I was going to try and keep my cool.
It didn’t take me long to spot the girl of my dreams, the one from Dutch’s. She was standing just feet from the entrance, wearing a deep plum dress that showed off her curves and just enough of her bust but not too much. It was the kind of dress that made me want to go around gouging the eyes out of anyone who dared to look at her.
Her genuine smile was warm, and she seemed a bit on edge, despite it.
It was as if time stood still, and all I could see was her. She was a goddess, a true vision of timeless beauty. She nodded and laughed with the other guests, and just that simple gesture had me craving her. The desire inside me bloomed, as did other parts of me.
I had to know this woman. I was going to make that my night’s mission, my New Year’s resolution. Just as I was about to approach her, a man came to her left and took her by the arm. He pulled her aside, but when she saw who he was, she jerked her arm away. I could tell by the look in her gorgeous green eyes that she didn’t like him, whoever he was.
Maybe they had a past, and maybe they didn’t. But I wasn’t going to stand by and watch her squirm away from him.
I had to do something. I could feel the anger inside, knowing he’d put his hands on her. “You need to step back from the lady.”
“Who are you?”
“Someone who thinks you need to take your hands off of her, that’s who. Hasn’t anyone ever told you it’s not polite to grab a lady like that? Can’t you tell that she’s not that into you?”
She tugged away, and the man stepped up to look me in the eye. “I just wanted to get her attention, but I can see that she’s moved on to the next sucker. Do yourself a favor and don’t let her promise you anything. She’s a lying bitch, this one.” He pointed his finger a little too close to her face, and she turned her head to keep from being touched.
That was the final straw. I had tried to use my words, but this asshole, he just wasn’t backing down.
I reared back my fist, and security walked up about that time, grabbing me by the arm. Another large man had the stranger pulling him back, but the woman intervened on my behalf.
“Not him,” she said, pointing her finger in my direction. “He was helping me. Throw this one out.” She glared at the man. “Don’t come back here.”
“You heard the lady,” said the guard as he dragged the man away. “Don’t bother coming back to this establishment, day or night, or any other time of the year.”
As they disappeared into the crowd, she gave me a sideward look. “Thanks, but I could have handled him.” She squared her shoulders and held her head up.
“I’m sure you could. I just get so angry when men posture over women like that.” I stuck out my hand. “I’m Liam Jericho.”
Her eyes widened as if she’d heard of me. “Is that your real name or a pen name?” she asked, giving me a suspicious look. Her smile said she liked me, yet I could still see that hint of hesitation in her eyes.
“My mother gave me the first, my father the last. I haven’t ever wanted another.” I couldn’t help but look at those perfect lips as she smiled. They weren’t pouty or too big, just nice, full lips that were made for kissing. I couldn’t help but wonder what else they were good for.
She took my hand and gave it a shake. “Well, thank you, Liam. I’m Lila. Lila Vance.” She cocked her eyes as if I was supposed to know it. And oh, how I wish I had.
“What a beautiful name. I assume it’s your given as well?”
“You assume correctly.” She rolled her eyes, and I had to chuckle to myself, knowing she probably thought she’d had a chance to elude me. But I was damned certain I was going to have her before the year’s end.
“Well, thanks again for saving me,” she said, pushing her hair back over her shoulder. She had a neck made for kissing too. I could smell the sweet perfume in the air. She was intoxicating. “That could have turned into a rather embarrassing situation.” She took a sip of her drink and then put the empty glass on one of the passing trays, thanking the staff.
“It’s my pleasure to help. A beautiful lady like yourself should be treated right.” I meant every word, but she gave me a look over and then rocked on her heels. I could tell she wasn’t convinced. Maybe I was just going to have to convince her.
Chapter 4
