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EXCERPT<\/b><\/p>\n
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\u201cYOU HAVE A BOARD MEETING later today, and also dinner with the mayor tonight,\u201d Bianca said, trailing me out of the office. The vanilla scent of her perfume wafted around me as she tried to keep in line with my steps. \u201cI already sent for your dry cleaning. It will be hung up by the time you return home.\u201d She stopped, which in turn caused me to pause and lift an eyebrow. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She was frantically scrolling through her iPad.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cB?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNothing. Just had to make sure your spot was reserved for tonight.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The pleased expression on her face made me smile. Bianca was my lifeline. She\u2019d been with me since the beginning, always by my side, picking up every piece I dropped. And never in all that time did the lines between boss and employee ever blur. I had too much respect for her to pursue anything, and she had a fianc\u00e9 at home that would probably gut me if I ever tried.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThank you, B. Please, send it to my calendar.\u201d I was already running late.<\/span><\/p>\n By the time I made it, Dennis was sitting at our usual table where we met once a week to eat and catch up. He\u2019d taken me under his wing when I first came to the city, working under him fresh out of college. He was a rounded man with white hair. A soft smile that could easily be mistaken for a pushover. Those who knew him, though, knew better. He might have been kind, but he was the devil when it came to making deals. <\/span><\/p>\n I couldn\u2019t pinpoint the exact moment our relationship changed from business to family. Maybe it was after my parents passed. Those were the darkest moments of my life. Moments I still woke up drenched in sweat from. He\u2019d been there with me through it all. Helped me make the hardest decisions a child never wanted to have to make. <\/span><\/p>\n He and his wife couldn\u2019t have kids. Maybe it was out of pity, but they took me in and sort of claimed me as their own after that.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSorry I\u2019m late,\u201d I said as I sat, setting my briefcase beside me. A spread of pretzels and cheese was already on the table, alongside our favorite beers. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNo worries. I\u2019m just an old man with little time left on his hands, but who\u2019s counting?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n I flattened my smile. He loved to goad me. <\/span><\/p>\n His chuckle was warm as he reached for a pretzel. \u201cHow\u2019s business?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n I took a sip from my beer, the foamy chill welcomed down my throat. Summers in New York were brutal for men like me who ran on the hotter side. Any cold beverage was a blessing. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe usual. You? Any new deals?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n His eyes twinkled. \u201cI\u2019d have to shoot you if I told you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n I flashed a grin. \u201cThat\u2019s what I love to hear, Dennis. A sure sign I need to get my people to dig a little deeper because you and I both know once I figure out who you\u2019re in bed with, they\u2019ll be taken right out from under you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He gave a bark of laughter, clutching his stomach. He loved the competition as much as I did, and our companies were at the top of them all, trying to one up each other.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou know it\u2019s true. I learned from the best.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOh, my boy. This old bastard still has plenty of tricks up his sleeve. Just you wait.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m counting on it,\u201d I said seriously. Dennis wasn\u2019t in the best condition health wise. Just as he went big with his business deals, he did the same with booze and good food.<\/span><\/p>\n We spent the next hour bullshitting, before I had to head out for my board meeting. Every day it was the same. Meetings. Phone calls. Paper work. Deals. More meetings. My life was orderly. Predictable. Dull. <\/span><\/p>\n Most days, I didn\u2019t mind it. There was enough thrill in making deals that it kept things interesting, but I found myself growing bored lately. Maybe that was why I\u2019d used Tinder more often than not. Searching for the next fix that chased away the loneliness.<\/span><\/p>\n After the day was over, I rode the elevator down to the lobby, about to head out to meet the mayor. My nose was stuck in my phone when the elevator doors opened.<\/span><\/p>\n And there she was. <\/span><\/p>\n Corinne. <\/span><\/p>\n Her big, chocolate-colored eyes were wide when they landed on me. She was wearing a one-piece bathing suit, a towel wrapped around her waist. Her dark hair was slicked back, droplets of water dripping from the ends, curving over the sweet swell of her breasts. She must have just come from the pool.<\/span><\/p>\n Damn, she was beautiful. Achingly so.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d she asked, every muscle in her body tense as she wrapped her arms around herself. <\/span><\/p>\n I chuckled. Tucked my phone into my pocket. \u201cI live here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOh. Right. Sorry.\u201d She fidgeted, refusing to give me another dose of those puppy eyes. <\/span><\/p>\n The doors began to close, so I reached out, holding them open for her.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSorry,\u201d she said again as she moved to the other side of the tiny cubicle. I knew I should get out. Leave. But I couldn\u2019t make my feet move. My entire day\u2026 hell\u2026 my whole week had been dull. She was bright, bringing color back to the world.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat floor?\u201d I asked as we sort of just stood there.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSorry\u2026 umm\u2026 eighteen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n I knew that. I just liked hearing her speak. The curve of her words. The way her tongue pressed against the roof of her mouth. How her lips took on different shapes.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou say sorry a lot,\u201d I observed.<\/span><\/p>\n The side of her cheek brightened with pink. With the cold distance between us, no one would guess that I\u2019d gotten her off. That she wanted to do the same for me. It made me smile to myself. <\/span><\/p>\n She risked a small glance in my direction. \u201cSorry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n I was grinning. \u201cYou know\u2026 you shouldn\u2019t apologize for being you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She tucked her hair behind her ear. Managed somewhat of a smile. \u201cIt\u2019s just a nervous habit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n I couldn\u2019t stop watching her. She was cute in a quirky way. Judging her tiny frame, no one would suspect the fire brewing within her, desperately waiting for someone to breathe life into. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAre you enjoying the building?\u201d I asked, trying to break the ice.<\/span><\/p>\n Her gaze stared straight ahead. \u201cIt\u2019s nice.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHow about the view? The condo has the best view of Central Park.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI like it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n There was a charge building in the air, buzzing between us. I was afraid of what would happen should we touch.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSo you\u2026 you like to swim?\u201d I asked, staring at the goose bumps building along her skin. \u201cI do, too. Usually try to do laps on the weekends. It\u2019s refr\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She spun so fast on me that I tensed up. \u201cI want to repay you. For the other night, I mean. I\u2019m available on Thursday\u2026 if you are.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n A smirk broke out on my face, spreading like a vine. She was awkwardly forward. There was something refreshing in it. An inexperienced assertion that was begging for a chance to learn. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNext time, you should try looking me in the eyes.\u201d I paused as her face reddened, loving every bit of control I had over her. She was like a gazelle, waiting for me to sink my teeth into her. \u201cAnd\u2026 I\u2019m not in the habit of sleeping with my employee\u2019s wives.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOh, I\u2026 um\u2026 I\u2019m sorry.\u201d She was flustered, turning her body away from me. <\/span><\/p>\n I meant what I said, but there was something about Corinne I couldn\u2019t ignore. Something I\u2019d never tasted before.<\/span><\/p>\n The doors opened to her floor. She stepped out, not bothering with goodbye.<\/span><\/p>\n Just before the doors closed, I said, \u201cHow about dinner at my place? Meet me here. Thursday. Eight PM. We can talk.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She swiveled, slightly shocked, and nodded as the doors closed.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Candace Knoebel<\/strong> is a hopeless romantic with an affinity for whiskey and good music. Her love of words began when she met the boy who lived in the cupboard under the stairs. She’s a self-proclaimed Lost Girl<\/strong>. Words are her mirror.<\/p>\n With two completed series, her work ranges from paranormal to contemporary, all centered heavily around romance. Currently she lives in Florida with her husband and two children, and has just completed her thirteenth novel, The Taste of Her Words.<\/em><\/p>\n Website<\/a> \/ Facebook<\/a> \/ Twitter<\/a> \/ Goodreads<\/a> \/ Amazon<\/a> \/ Instagram<\/a> \/ BookBub<\/a> \/ Reader Group<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sinopse\/Synopsis EXCERPT \u201cYOU HAVE A BOARD MEETING later today, and also dinner with the mayor tonight,\u201d Bianca said, trailing me out of the office. The vanilla scent of her perfume wafted around me as she tried to keep in line with my steps. \u201cI already sent for your dry cleaning. It will be…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.twobooksinashelf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/450","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.twobooksinashelf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.twobooksinashelf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.twobooksinashelf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.twobooksinashelf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=450"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.twobooksinashelf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/450\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":451,"href":"https:\/\/www.twobooksinashelf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/450\/revisions\/451"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.twobooksinashelf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=450"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.twobooksinashelf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=450"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.twobooksinashelf.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Add TEN REASONS TO STAY to your Goodreads TBR here!<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
Get your copy of TEN REASONS TO STAY today!<\/strong>
\nAmazon US<\/a> \/ Amazon UK<\/a> \/ Amazon CA<\/a> \/ Amazon AU<\/a><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.inkslingerpr.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Aug23-Moments-1-1024x1024.jpg\")
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Don’t miss FIVE REASONS TO GO<\/strong>, book two of the Risky Hearts duet, out October 25th!<\/h2>\n
Add it to your Goodreads TBR today!<\/a><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.inkslingerpr.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Candace-Knoebel-Headshot.png\")
About <\/strong>CANDACE KNOEBEL<\/strong><\/h3>\n