FRIDAY FIVE FAST FACTS ABOUT CHRISTMAS!

Five fast facts about Christmas. I know it's early but before you're bombarded with holiday stuff, check these out and a first chapter today on First Chapter Friday. First, the facts:

1. The first commercial Christmas card was produced and sold in London in 1843.
 2. The song "Jingle Bells" was copyrighted in 1857.   
3. The practice of Christmas gift giving was once banned by the Catholic Church.  It was suspected that this tradition had roots in Paganism.
4. There are two towns in the United States with the name of Santa Claus but only one named North Pole.  They are located in Georgia, Indiana and Alaska.
5. Americans send about 1.5 billion Christmas cards each year. 

F I R S T  C H A P T E R  F R I D A Y 

First, a few words people are saying about THE DATING LIST:

"Smart, witty, sexy and fun. This novel has it all...The playful love between the characters made me wistful. Plenty of steamy scenes and a well written story. Her characters have depth and I enjoy the series. I love having my favorite characters from the other books take part in this one. It's like revisiting old friends."

"I read all three books in the "list" series and really enjoyed them! I was looking forward to The Dating List to see how the series got wrapped up and Jean Joachim did not disappoint. I especially liked that this story had some unexpected twists to it! A great read."

Read it here, free: FIRST CHAPTER

Buy links:

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

SMASHWORDS

KOBO

 

 

TUESDAY TALES - PROMPT "WINE"

 Welcome! Thanks for stopping by. This is the beginning of the prequel to my new series, Hollywood Hearts, releasing in January. A little longer than my usual posts, I apologize but I couldn't stop!

“I’d better get laid tonight, Reid,” Darvin Sweetwater, star quarterback for the Nevada Gamblers called to his teammate, Tom Reid.

“Joanna said these two are hot,” Reid called, drying himself with a towel.
"Come on, Davis," Darvin pulled newbie second-string QB, Mark Davis, by the arm. Before they pushed through the locker room door, Sweetwater said, “I’m expecting some sweet lip action tonight. Woo hoo!” He crowed. “You take the one with the big rack. Usually I’d take her. I love big racks, but the other one is an actress on that show, Murphy Lane. I’ve been jacking to her for the past month and tonight’s gonna be the real thing. After she does me, I’m gonna fuck her nice and slow.”

Mark had a crush on Penny Thrasher, a beautiful young woman in a supporting role on the program. Couldn’t be her. Her part’s too small. He wondered if Darvin's crude attitude would turn the women off.

“You go first, Davis. I hate blind dates.”

Darvin gave Mark a little shove and he entered the parking lot slightly ahead of his teammate. Two women moved toward them. Holy Shit! It is Penny Thrasher! Mark gulped, his mouth suddenly as dry as the desert surrounding them.

“Hi, honey, I’m Tiffany  Barker.” The woman with the big rack pushed ahead of Penny and extended a hand with huge, fancy nails. He’d never been into super-sized breasts, preferring something he could get a hold of with only one hand, but her chest was so huge, he couldn’t take his eyes off it. Her eyelashes looked to be two inches long.Her rack, red lipstick and white-blonde hair made her appear vulgar, cheap to him. Mark took her hand and shook it gently. 

“Are you Sweetwater?” She asked in a sharp voice.

“Just the second string, Mark Davis.”

Tiffany’s eyes spied Sweetwater not far behind Mark and they lit up. When she made a beeline for Darvin, Mark turned to face Penny. A slender young woman with ample, but much smaller breasts than Tiffany, she wore almost no makeup and looked so beautiful, Mark couldn’t speak. She flashed him a broad smile, her blue eyes clear, lashes all her own and a soft coral lipstick on her lips stopped him cold. She extended her hand.

“Penny Thrasher.”

“I know who you are. I’m a big fan,” he gushed. Shut up, Davis! Don’t you hate when people say that to you?

She blushed and cast her gaze to the ground. A humble hottie actress. Imagine that.

Darvin Sweetwater shoved Mark aside and introduced himself to both ladies. They divided up into two cars, Mark and Tiffany in one and Darvin and Penny in another. Tiffany made her annoyance at ending up with Mark obvious. But if she was hoping he’d be upset, she was wrong. He immediately knew he had no interest in Tiffany. But Penny was another story. The only thought bothering him was Sweetwater’s plan to seduce her before the night was over.
 They went to Steak On the House, Darvin’s favorite restaurant. Drinks were served quickly as Darvin demanded excellent service and since he was a big spender, most restaurants were happy to comply. Tiffany couldn’t keep her eyes off Darvin, so Mark didn’t feel any compunction about turning toward Penny when he raised his wine glass and said,“To be in the company of a beautiful woman is a rare treasure.”

 Penny blushed and clinked her glass with his. Darvin stared darts at Mark. Yeah, Darvin, I’m no genius, but I’m smarter than you, asshole. Mark smiled at Penny. He watched Darvin struggle to come up with a better toast and chuckled to himself when he saw he'd outclassed his teammate, the big star. A legend in his own mind. Uh oh. Suddenly Mark envisioned Darvin taking revenge on the practice field. Tough shit. I’m just as good as you...maybe better. Bring it on. Mark tried to keep the hostility out of his eyes but wasn’t sure if he succeeded.

When the food arrived, Darvin dug into his steak with enthusiasm. He kept making raunchy comments, comparing consuming food to sex. He put his hand on Penny’s leg several times and leered at her. She tried to laugh but Mark saw her furrowed brow and noticed her pushing his hand away repeatedly. Anger rose in his chest. She’s a lady, you asswipe. Not a piece of meat, like a steak, for you to manhandle and throw away.   
"Back off, Darvin. Can't you see she's not interested?" 
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