This week, I'm offering a tantalizing excerpt from one of my favorite books. Shhh. Don't tell the others. This book was a challenge to write in a different way. Gunther Quill had been a bad guy two books ahead of this one. But I promised to write his story and when it was done, it had become one I adored. Still do.
So I'm happy to share this piece of Lovers & Liars with you. Here you go:
For
her new job, Erica was being forced to live with one of the biggest lies of her
life, and she was damned uncomfortable about it. Amy, her roommate and Quill’s
former assistant, had convinced Erica to lie on her resume, claiming she had
graduated from an Ivy League college. In the interview, Erica had convinced
Gunther that she had no interest in acting, even though a career as an actress
was her heart’s desire, and she had talent.
He
was adamant about not hiring someone who would use him as a stepping stone. Which is exactly what I plan to do. She
remembered Amy quoting him—‘I’m not paying someone to use my contacts to build
their career. I’m paying them to be my assistant. That’s all!’
Amy
had convinced Erica that Quill was a bad guy, a mean slave driver who deserved
to be duped. Erica had no cash, no connections, and no way to get her foot in
the door. Until now.
Lying
wasn’t her style. Her late mother had often said her daughter was too truthful
for her own good. But her inability to find work had made her desperate. Amy
was moving out soon. Erica had to earn money fast or be thrown out on the street.
Gunther Quill was her only chance. When she got the job, humiliation and shame had
filled her heart, along with relief. Thank
God Mom isn’t here to see this.
Amy
gloated over her plan to trick Quill, saying Erica could pull it off because
she was such a good actress. But on her first day, the butterflies in her
stomach felt more like snakes, and her underarms grew damp. What’s the difference between acting and
lying? Acting is lying on the stage, right? Then this is just lying?
Unlike
a little white lie about liking a friend’s ugly new dress, this was big time
lying that could have serious consequences. What
if he catches on? I’m fired. If I lose this job... Erica couldn’t bear to
think about what might happen. Maybe if I
work really hard, I can keep the job. I just need one break.
The
sound of her sensible shoes on the pavement
beat a rhythm. Take it, take it, take
it. This is your chance. Your one chance to make it. You have to take it. Work
hard. I can’t go home. She took a deep breath as she pushed through the
doors of the office building, entered the elevator, and hit the button for the
tenth floor. Now to face Amy’s monster,
Gunther Quill.
But
he hadn’t appeared to be a monster to Erica when she’d interviewed with him.
One look at the man had sent a sizzle through her body. Dark hair with a few
gray ones at his temples, and dark eyes that left a burn wherever they stared,
took her breath away. He was tall, lean, and sexy as hell.
She
had been expecting a hulking figure of a man, with giant eyebrows, a fierce
scowl, and dirty fingernails. Maybe drooling. She had been taken off guard by
the gorgeous, impatient man firing questions at her.
Erica
gritted her teeth, preparing herself to deceive the devastatingly attractive
Gunther Quill and make a connection with a casting director to secure herself a
movie role. Her breath hitched in her throat when she eyed the door. The sign
read Gunther Quill Productions in
large brass letters. She gripped the handle, took one more deep breath, and pulled
it open.
If you want to read more, you'll find it in ebook and paperback here, just click on the name of the site to go to the link:
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