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Friday, May 3, 2019

Taming the Bad Boy by Jolie Moore





Taming the Bad Boy
Jolie Moore
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Moore Digital Media, Inc.
Date of Publication:  April 30, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-944179-93-9
ASIN: B07NKQS6TJ
Number of pages: 295
Word Count: 83,489
Cover Artist:  Najla Qamber Designs
Tagline: Sometimes Good Girls do Bad Things





Book Description:  


From up here on stage, I can see her. Even with her First Lady hair and Sunday school shoes, I can’t take my eyes off of her.

The music starts. I swing my hips to the thumping bass. Oh, so slowly I slip one button through a hole, then another, then another. I ease the black silk from my shoulders and toss it right toward her.

I watch her pale glossy lips form a big ‘O’ before she catches it like a major league baller. The flashing lights blind me. Between beats, I can see her blue eyes zeroed in below my waist.

I know what she wants. I give it to her. With a zip and a tug, the leather pants join the rest of my clothes. In my skin tight briefs, I dance just for her. With the last chord of the song, the stage goes dark.

I know when the lights come up again, another guy will be dancing in my place because this is my last time. I’m not doing this ever again. It’s too bad I didn’t get her name. I really liked that shirt. But not enough to go back and claim it.

If she wants me bad enough, she’ll have to find me.

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Excerpt:




“The shirt sailed toward the table. I dreaded it touching the alcohol that had spilled on the wood. Real silk wouldn’t survive it. So I stood and caught it in mid air. I was rewarded with a broad wink. I pulled the shirt to my chest, and I couldn’t help noticing the heady scent that rose from it. Nari glared at me. After sending a brief apology to the dry cleaner who was going to have to fix it, I balled the shirt up and pushed it deep into my lap.


Lyrics got suggestive. The tight ribbed black tank Rafe was wearing close to his skin, came off as well. I didn’t try to grab for it this time. I was already in for a stiff lecture.


Bumping and grinding, Rafe was butt down on the platform undulating to the beat, the tight leather pants obscuring nothing. The names of movie and sports stars blasted from the speakers. The top two buttons of his pants came undone. Hollywood’s female icons thumped with the bass. The zipper came down.


I knew what was coming. How could I not? I couldn’t look away. I could look all day. Looking was okay. Like the black and white video of the song, lights pulsed, throwing the club into black and white relief.


A quick black out, and the pants were gone. I must have missed the shoes and socks, because Rafe was gyrating on the platform almost as naked as the day he was born, save for some black boxer briefs shot through with silver threads.


Those threads were only on the front center, and back of the shorts, highlighting what was underneath. Before I knew it, he was letting his body go with the flow. It was a nice flow. His skin was golden, and bathed in a sheen of sweat. The lights cast blue, red, and ended in gold on him. Silence. A single beat. And it went dark again.


I didn’t care if Nari thought I was crazy. I clapped and hooted as loudly as his friends and those around me. The lights and music started again, but Rafe was gone.”

About the Author:


Jolie Moore writes crazy, beautiful love stories because she believes storytelling is magic. She loves complicated heroines with secrets, strong heroes who fall hard, and a long winding road to happily ever after. When she’s not writing, she loves to travel to witness the diverse tapestry of humanity, photograph the beauty of the world, visit museums, and watch live theater. She lives in West Hollywood, California ten miles from the nearest airport.

She hasn’t found her own happily ever after, but she’s not done trying. This year she’s going to go on fifty first dates. Join her as she tries to find her Mr. Right or maybe Mr. Right Now.


Interview with Jolie Moore
Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?
Daisy and Raphael totally took over this story. For a really long time, they stymied me. Daisy has a job that she can’t talk about. Raphael has a job that gets him into all kinds of trouble. If *I* were in charge, Daisy would have figured out how to get out of the online p*rn business years ago and Raphael would have figured out how to keep it in his pants and keep is butt out of jail. But they didn’t listen to me—*raises fist*—they did whatever they wanted and ignored all of my suggestions. I’m slightly older than them and they should have listened to all my life experience and wisdom. But did they? Noooo.
Convince us why you feel your book is a must read.
What I love about Taming the Bad Boy is that this is a story of redemption. No one is beyond saving. Everyone deserves a second chance, no matter how big the screw up. And trust me when I tell you, these screw ups are BIG. This book is a must read for anyone who has ever known what it’s like to deserve a second…or third go at life.
Have you written any other books that are not published?
My next book, What Was Perfect, is the first in my upcoming trilogy. It will be followed by What Was Lost and What Was True. The three books follow the twenty plus year relationship between Jake Wu and Isabella Aconi. They meet when she’s twelve and he’s thirteen and they’re instantly best friends. What comes next are years when two people who love each other and hate each other are never in love with each other at the same time…
Pen or type writer or computer?
Rymek Retro Bluetooth Keyboard. Haven’t heard of it? It’s the best of all worlds…the satisfying click of mechanical keys, but it works with my Mac. https://www.knewkey.com/
Anything you would like to say to your readers and fans?
Always, always, I want to thank readers for their support. It’s a true joy to write stories for a living. It’s truly magic that readers get to enjoy those stories that spend many months and years running around in my brain.






























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Thursday, May 2, 2019

VBT SOUP The Future Is Past and Present by Travis Haugen



SOUP The Future Is Past and Present
by Travis Haugen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Adventure/Mystery

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Scott Yonge exploded onto the national consciousness at the 2001 Garrett Awards and quickly rose to legendary status on the wings of his music and his whirlwind romance with independent film actress Michelle Zoe. What should have been a perfect life was interrupted by an ultra-right wing militant group called the American Freedom Force and its leader, Colonel Randall, who forces Scott to choose between his life and that of his son. After his heroic sacrifice, his family is left to pick up the pieces and forge ahead to a future in the vacuum he left behind.
Now, in 2021, his son Hedley inherits music for himself, becoming a star in his own right as technology gives new life to the medium. Scott's daughter, affectionately known as Soup, throws herself into unravelling the mysteries of her family's history. Michelle commits herself to keeping them all together and trying to make sense of life without the one she loves. Through it all, the AFF looms in the shadows, threatening to resurrect the pain they have just begun to overcome.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt Two:

“I wish Brian could have come with us,” Carolyn says. “Mom, how could this be? How could we have not known about the interconnections all these years?”

“We were not supposed to know,” Margret says. “The links run long and deep, too deep for coincidence. It’s beyond me, but we’re learning what we need to know when we need to know it.”

“But why St. Louis?” Marki asks. “What brings us all together on this day in this living room?”

“I believe I have the answer,” June says. “It pains me to tell my story, but I understand now that it needs to be told.

“I grew up in Kansas City, in a house not far from the Petersons’. I’ve known Duke and Harold all my life. We went to school together, played together. Harold was the younger, a most serious young man, but I could always make him laugh. Maybe that’s why he married me. Duke was quite the opposite, more my type in many ways. He had a wild streak, what we used to call a free spirit. They were both too young to fight, but Harold felt he was part of the war while Duke despised everything about it. Harold loved Duke, but they never quite saw eye to eye on anything. Everything, all the kind things you said about Duke, are true. Take it from me, I know, I dated Duke back around 1952, long before I married Harold, God bless his soul.

“I loved Duke, but I was eighteen and impatient. He had the wanderlust. He joined up with the carnivals when times were tight, and I hardly saw him. I ended it before we got started really, and he settled in Canada a few years later. I moved to St. Louis chasing work, that’s when I again crossed trails with Harold, back in ’62. Duke was out in 1964 for the wedding; that was the last I saw of him. Harold and Duke came to blows over something and Duke just disappeared from our life. That’s a shame. His influence might have changed things for our Hughie, but who can say for sure.

“Hugh was born in 1968. I was getting on in years, so we thought we’d best do it while we still could. He was an only child, so naturally, we spoiled him. If I could go back and do things over, I would, but that’s not the way of the world is it? I’m so sorry about what happened to you, Hedley, that awful business with Robert Carlson—Colonel Randall to most of the world. You and your sister lost your father. Your mother lost her husband. I don’t know if I could have changed any of that, but I would have tried if I’d known how. You see . . . Hughie was AFF.”

The room goes cold at the words, a light gasp involuntarily escaping Michelle’s lips as she fights for air.

“Let me get this straight,” Michelle says. “You’re saying your son, essentially related to us, was involved in that mess?” She tries to suppress her fury “Hughie was a good boy for most of his life,” June says. “But he never quite found himself, never quite figured himself out. I was ecstatic when he was offered a high paying job with E-Lok. Finally, he would settle down and get his life together. But that man, Robert Carlson, he fed on people like my Hughie, people unsure of themselves, directionless people ripe for the plucking. How could I have known? How could any of us have known?” She breaks down then, sobbing uncontrollably as the others look on.

Michelle walks to her, crouching down to her level in the wraparound arm chair. She hands the elderly lady some tissues from a small box sitting idly on a nearby end table. “You are as much a victim of the AFF as the rest of us in this room,” Michelle says. “I have no idea the level of involvement your son had in the scheme of things, nor do I wish to know. But the knowledge would change nothing. I have no misgivings towards you. You’re one of us, not one of them.”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Travis was born and raised in the prairies of Saskatchewan, lived in Calgary for over 25 years and presently lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Travis Haugen has spent forty years of his life touring on the road as a musician and has spent hundreds of hours in recording studios. Travis spends much of his time writing songs, writing stories, playing music and spending valuable time with his family and close group of friends.


Links:





Where Soup Is Sold:










~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION:

Travis Haugen will be awarding a $30 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.




Follow the tour and comment; the more they comment, the better their chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: 



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The Scorpion's Lullaby Luminous Lands Book 1 by Juliet Vane


The
Scorpion's Lullaby
Luminous
Lands Book 1
by
Juliet Vane


Genre:
YA Fantasy

Be
ruthless. Be rich. Live like gods.


Joella’s
band of thieves lives deep in the jungle. Riding on giant scorpion
dragons, they search the beautiful landscape for villages and
caravans to rob.

But
dangerous mists thread through the jungle’s undergrowth. One touch
transforms its victims into mindless, murderous shells of their
former selves.

When
the mists interrupt a routine raid, Joella becomes separated from her
people. She’s alone except for a stolen book of legends and Marc, a
religious disciple dedicated to pacifism and preserving the ways of
the old goddess.

Searching
for their tribes, Joella and Marc brave mist-infected beasts,
deceitful clans, and the sweltering days and freezing nights of their
beloved jungle.

An
uneasy alliance grows between them as they read from the book and
uncover in its pages the truth of why the jungle has been fraught
with evil. They must trust each other to right the wrongs of the past
and save themselves, or risk the very landscape they hold so
dear.

The
Scorpion’s Lullaby is
a fast-paced, lyrical fantasy filled with creatures and characters
who will take your breath away.



Get your copy of The
Scorpion’s Lullaby today
to discover the legends propelling the unforgettable tale in this
luminous, unique world.











The
Scorpion's Daughter
Luminous
Lands Prequel 

Ruthlessness
comes with a price.
The
Scorpion Raiders are a ruthless clan, traveling through the jungle
and raiding villages and caravans. As the only child of their leader,
Claire has lived a safe, comfortable life tucked away from their
violence. Her one desire is to join her father, but he refuses to
allow it.
Her
safe life has one major perk—her best friend, Gavin. But just when
their friendship builds into something deeper, Claire finally gets
the chance she’s been waiting for—a chance to join the Scorpion
Raiders and win her father’s affection.
Will
she choose love with Gavin, or will she choose the quality her father
treasures above all others—ruthlessness?




**Only
.99 cents!!**








Juliet
grew up in northern California, where she spent her free time staring
at spooky lakes and making up stories about the old buildings
surrounding them. Years later, she still lives in California and she
still makes up spooky stories...about lakes and the old buildings
surrounding them. Like April in April's Ghosts, she's terrified of
spiders and she's obsessed with Hamilton. Like Lissa in June's Blood,
she plays the piano...but not very well.






Follow
the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!







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North to Nara by Amanda Marin


North to Nara
Amanda Marin
(Crimson Sash, #1)
Published by: Inkspell Publishing
Publication date: March 20th 2019
Genres: Dystopian, Romance, Young Adult

Neve Hall has always admired the good works of the civil servants who brought prosperity back to the Nation. She especially respects the Sufferers—empaths who, with the help of technology, anonymously bear others’ troubles for them. But when her assigned empath is abruptly retired, she uncovers certain secrets. Like the identity of her new Sufferer, Micah Ward… and the fact that behind his kind smile is a life filled with loneliness and pain.

The closer Neve grows to Micah, the more desperate she becomes to protect him from a cruel and gruesome fate. But in a world where only a few are allowed the luxury of love, saving Micah comes with a price: Neve must choose between her loyalty to the Nation or her heart—a decision that will take them both on a race for their freedom, and their lives.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

—

EXCERPT:

“It’s you,” he murmurs, studying my face. “I thought it was you—on the trolley, when you looked at me.”

A wave of panic begins to drown me. He must think I’m stalking him—that I’m strange, maybe even dangerous. I bite my lip and struggle for words. Then, I decide to claim innocence. It’s my only defense at this point.

“I don’t understand,” I say. “What do you mean?”

“You’re Neve.”

He says my name, and I can only gape in disbelief. It’s not just me knowing his identity after all—somehow, Micah Ward also knows mine. He grasps my arm, gently but firmly, and he pulls me aside, out of the view of passersby and into a quiet corner behind a founder’s statue. I follow him willingly, without question—I’d follow him just about anywhere, I find myself thinking.

“You know who I am, don’t you?” he asks. “And I recognize you from your pain. I saw you—just in an abstract—but I saw you when you transferred your sadness about what happened to Levi at the Center.”

I squirm uncomfortably. He knows everything. He knows how I feel about him—that I admire him and am attracted to him. I’ve heard before that abstract images sometimes transfer, along with the feelings, while Suffering. They’re said to be like reflections of our self-image, buried in our thoughts. But I never expected the scenes to be clear enough that my Sufferer might recognize me.

“Yes, it’s me—I’m one of your Sieves,” I admit. “You don’t have to worry about the anonymity laws, though—I’m on my way to tell Isla that I broke the rules and need to be reassigned again.”

But Micah’s eyes flash with sudden urgency and desperation. “No, please don’t tell Isla—not yet, at least.”



Author Bio:

When Amanda was a child, her father traveled frequently for business, always bringing her back a book as a present. Whether she was getting lost in the pages of a tale about far-away knights, girls with supernatural powers, or kindly giants, she was quickly hooked on stories.

Over the years, Amanda has followed her own yellow brick road of reading and writing, and although her adventures haven't involved sword fights or saving the planet from certain annihilation, they have involved jobs in scholarly publishing and marketing, a modest amount of travel, and a lifelong love of novels.

Amanda holds degrees in English from Salve Regina University and Boston College. She lives in southern New Hampshire with her family and pet poodle, Snickers. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and several of its subchapters.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram


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Kings of Mayhem The Kings of Mayhem MC Book 1 by Penny Dee


Kings
of Mayhem
The
Kings of Mayhem MC Book 1
by
Penny Dee


Genre:
MC Romantic Suspense

When
a King loves

He
loves hard

CADE
I’ve
loved her since we were five years old.
We
grew up side by side.
Two
kids tied together by the Kings of Mayhem Motorcycle Club.
But
I broke us.
I
broke her.
So,
she fled.
Now
she’s back after twelve long years.
And
I’m going to show her all the reasons why we should be together and
make her forget all the reasons why we shouldn’t.

INDY
I’m
back in town but only because I have to be.
I’m
here to help my mom bury my father.
And
the sooner we get it done, the better.
Because
I want to see Cade as much as I want a hole in the head.
He
broke me once—no, he broke my everything— and I’ll be damned if
I’ll let him do it again.
Get
in and get out. That is the plan.
But
you know what they say about best-laid plans.

For
readers 18+. May contain triggers.














Brothers
In Arms
The
Kings of Mayhem MC Book 2

Someone
is going to pay.

But who?

CADE
They took someone from
me.
And I’m going to make them pay.
In blood.
But before I
can do that, I have to make sure my girl is safe.
And I will do
whatever I have to, even break my own heart, to make sure she
survives.
Because she is my queen.
My everything.

INDY
He’s
changed.
His grief is overwhelming and I can feel the gap widening
between us.
Someone is coming after the Kings of Mayhem MC.
And
we are trapped as they play out their evil scheme.
Because under
the cover of darkness, they are coming for each of us, one by one, to
play out their own twisted vendetta.
And no one is safe.


For
readers 18+. This book contains profanity, explicit sex, and violence
including murder and one madman’s psychopathic tendencies. It also
contains two people destined for one another and how they keep it
together when everything else around them is falling apart.








Biker
Baby
The
Kings of Mayhem MC Book 3

I
was about to make a huge mistake.

And when I say huge, I mean,
approximately ten inches’ worth of mistake.
But after the week
I’d had, this was just what I needed. A night of big bad mistakes
with a big bad biker.

Honey
Scott
Finding
out your boyfriend is a cheating loser is a real buzz kill. Finding
out you’re actually the other woman, is devastating. Call it
temporary insanity, but I decide the best way to get over the loser
I’d dated for two years is to get under a biker with tattoos,
dimples and a hard body he knows how to use.
He’s going to make
everything better with numerous mind-blowing orgasms. But just for
one night.
Except one faulty condom means my one-night stand isn’t
so one-night after all.

Caleb
Calley
After
a night of insane sex, the beautiful blue-eyed brunette gave me the
slip. And even with all the women on offer afterwards, I can’t get
her off my mind. So when she turns up at the Kings of Mayhem MC
compound I’m quick to give her a second night of amazing sex and
crazy orgasms. But this time, I’m not ready to let her go.
There’s
just one problem— she’s not interested.
But if she thinks
she’s going to give me the slip again, then she’s got another
thing coming. I know she is keeping a secret from me but I don’t
care what it is. I want her and I’m going to make her mine.

Biker
Baby, book three in the Kings of Mayhem MC series.


Please
note: you must be 18+ to read and due to the content there may be
triggers.












Penny
Dee writes contemporary romance about rockstars, bikers, hockey
players and everyone in-between. She believes true love never runs
smoothly, and her characters realize this too, with a boatload of
drama and a whole lot of steam.


She
found her happily ever after in Australia where she lives with her
husband, daughter and a dog named Bindi.









Follow
the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!














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Taming the Bad Boy by Jolie Moore


Taming the Bad Boy
Jolie Moore
Publication date: April 30th 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

From up here on stage, I can see her. Even with her First Lady hair and Sunday school shoes, I can’t take my eyes off of her.

The music starts. I swing my hips to the thumping bass. Oh-so-slowly I slip one button through a hole, then another, then another. I ease the black silk from my shoulders and toss it right toward her.

I watch her pale glossy lips form a big ‘O’ before she catches it like a major league baller. The flashing lights blind me. Between beats I can see her blue eyes zeroed in below my waist.

I know what she wants. I give it to her. With a zip and a tug, the leather pants join the rest of my clothes. In my skin tight briefs, I dance just for her. With the last chord of the song the stage goes dark.

I know when the lights come up, another guy will be dancing in my place because this is my last time. I’m not doing this ever again. It’s too bad I didn’t get her name. I really liked that shirt. But not enough to go back and claim it.

If she wants me bad enough, she’ll have to find me.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

—

EXCERPT:

“The shirt sailed toward the table. I dreaded it touching the alcohol that had spilled on the wood. Real silk wouldn’t survive it. So I stood and caught it in mid-air. I was rewarded with a broad wink. I pulled the shirt to my chest, and I couldn’t help noticing the heady scent that rose from it. Nari glared at me. After sending a brief apology to the dry cleaner who was going to have to fix it, I balled the shirt up and pushed it deep into my lap.

Lyrics got suggestive. The tight ribbed black tank Rafe was wearing close to his skin, came off as well. I didn’t try to grab for it this time. I was already in for a stiff lecture.

Bumping and grinding, Rafe was butt down on the platform undulating to the beat, the tight leather pants obscuring nothing. The names of movie and sports stars blasted from the speakers. The top two buttons of his pants came undone. Hollywood’s female icons thumped with the bass. The zipper came down.

I knew what was coming. How could I not? I couldn’t look away. I could look all day. Looking was okay. Like the black and white video of the song, lights pulsed, throwing the club into black and white relief.

A quick black out, and the pants were gone. I must have missed the shoes and socks, because Rafe was gyrating on the platform almost as naked as the day he was born, save for some black boxer briefs shot through with silver threads.

Those threads were only on the front center, and back of the shorts, highlighting what was underneath. Before I knew it, he was letting his body go with the flow. It was a nice flow. His skin was golden, and bathed in a sheen of sweat. The lights cast blue, red, and ended in gold on him. Silence. A single beat. And it went dark again.

I didn’t care if Nari thought I was crazy. I clapped and hooted as loudly as his friends and those around me. The lights and music started again, but Rafe was gone.”



Author Bio:

I write crazy, beautiful love stories because I believe storytelling is magic. I love complicated heroines with secrets, strong heroes who fall hard, and a long winding road to happily ever after. When I'm not writing, I love to travel to witness the diverse tapestry of humanity, photograph the beauty of the world, visit museums, and watch live theater. I live in West Hollywood, California ten miles from the nearest airport.

I haven't found my own happily ever after, but I'm not done trying. This year I'm going to go on fifty first dates. Join me as I try to find my Mr. Right or maybe Mr. Right Now. #50firstdates #joliemoore #crazybeautifullove

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram


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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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In Other Words by Jennifer Woodhull


In Other Words
Jennifer Woodhull
Publication date: April 30th 2019
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Dexter

We became close friends in college. When Sinclair returns home to Dallas after two years in New York, I introduce her to my best friend Cole. The good-looking playboy ballplayer is the perfect kind of guy for the woman I’m sure would never be interested in me…even if seeing them together breaks my heart.

Sinclair.

He was the nerdy PhD candidate. I was the cheerleader. We made unlikely friends. Moving back home after two years away, he looks hotter than ever. When I start dating his ballplayer best friend, things get complicated. He doesn’t see me as girlfriend material…but I can’t get him, or my feelings for him, out of my head.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

—

EXCERPT:

There are not enough words. I don’t mean that in a dramatic way as if there are not enough words to express something with which I’m momentarily frustrated. I mean there are often times when the optimum word for something simply does not exist.

Fernweh is a German word that describes a feeling of homesickness for a place you’ve never visited before. The Swedish word, lagom, describes taking not too much nor too little, but just the right amount of something. To wear or use something for the very first time is expressed in Spanish by the word estrenar.

I love words more than anything. I love hearing someone intelligent use the absolutely perfect, most fitting word at exactly the right moment. I love anagrams, crossword puzzles, and riddles. I love how they make me think about language and how people use it. Perhaps most of all though, I love awful puns—even dad-level terrible ones. I only know one person who loves language as much as I do, and he also happens to be the very person I can hardly wait to see.

The Portuguese have a word for the sensation of nostalgia and longing for someone who is far away. Saudade. That’s what I’ve been experiencing since I moved to New York. I have saudade for Dexter Flynn, but that’s about to come to an end.

***

I walk into The Tipsy Alchemist, an upscale hipster place Dexter chose to start our reunion evening. I visually scour the space, and am disappointed when I don’t see him. I walk the length of the bar and just as I’m about to turn and head back toward the front, a man leans in close behind me and says, “Excuse me, miss, but might I buy your first libation of the evening?”

I turn, ready to tell the guy to get lost so I can call the person I want most in the world to see. When I turn around, though, I’m met with a pair of sweet, soulful brown eyes hiding behind tortoiseshell frames. My heart darts around my chest. I throw my arms around him so hard, I nearly send us both tumbling to the floor.

“Dex!” I squeal, squeezing his neck. His arms wrap around me, and they’re far stronger than I remember.

“It’s about time you came back,” he whispers into the side of my neck as he squeezes me tightly. “I’ve missed you, Clair.”

I feel an instant wash of relief, being here in his arms. The feel of his cheek against mine and the smell of his aftershave trigger an eruption of happy memories. My brain floods with late night talks and board game marathons. My circuits overload with shared stories and supporting each other through tough times—with gushing over books and documentaries at the independent theatre. He has been such a huge part of my life for so long, and now, with him, I finally feel like I’m really home.

When we finally break from our embrace, we both realize we’re standing in the highest traffic area of the bar, and the place is so packed we might be physically in danger from rowdy patrons clamoring for beer.

“Come on,” he says, grabbing my hand. “I reserved us a booth.”

He leads me through the trendy, dark-paneled space to the back where tiny, high-walled booths, are situated. This area of the bar is quieter than the rest, and the high walls of our booth offer some much-appreciated privacy.

The booth to our immediate right houses what I can only assume is a bachelorette party judging by the volume and frequency of the word woo, coming from their direction.

When the server arrives, I order a cocktail, and Dex orders a beer. “Miss, can I ask, the group of ladies in the booth next to us…is one of them a bachelorette, by chance?” He smirks in my direction.

“Actually, yeah. Are they being too rowdy?”

“Not at all. I was just curious,” he replies. I snicker and he winks in response.

“It’s a cool story, actually,” the server pauses to tell us more detail. “She just got out of the military. She met her fiancé while they were stationed together. He was injured, and she’s a nurse.” She puts her hand to her chest. “They fell in love while he recovered in her hospital.”

Dex and I look at each other, and each make the universal face that any red-blooded human with feelings makes when seeing a baby, or a puppy, or hearing a sweet love story. “Aww,” we say in unison, laughing.

“Would you please take them a bottle of Dom Perignon and put it on my tab? Anonymous, though, please…with thanks for her service, and her fiancé’s,” Dex adds.

“Wow, that’s really nice of you! Absolutely, I’ll take care of it,” the server replies.

When she walks out of Dexter’s line of sight, she catches my eye and mouths the words, “Lucky you,” with a wink. It makes me smile unreasonably wide.

Lucky me that such a kind, thoughtful, generous man is in my life and cares so much for me. Lucky me that he’s my friend. Unlucky me that he’s not more than just a friend.

“That was very generous of you,” I tell him.

“I had the good luck to meet an inventor whose work I really admire once at a party. Knowing I was new to success, he told me, “I always say, if you’ve got it, spread it around. Nobody likes a successful, stingy asshole.” I’ve always tried to remember that,” he says with a shrug. We toast to successful good guys.

“You look amazing, Sinclair.” Dex is grinning at me, his brown eyes sparkling.

I reach across the table and take both his hands in mine, giving them a squeeze. “You look amazing too. By the way,” I say, stifling a giggle. “I didn’t know I’d need tickets.”

“Tickets? For…what, exactly?” He cocks an eyebrow up in question.

“The gun show,” I reply, pointing to what I can see is a pronounced bicep on each arm.

His cheeks flush with crimson as he looks down and away. The expression belongs to the shy, gangly guy I met in school, not the hunky, successful entrepreneur sitting across from me.

“So, have you been hitting the gym, or did you invent some magical neurotransmitter that passively enhances muscle tissue?” I tease. “Because if you have, please sign me up as a test subject. Pilates is torture, but I like to eat far too much to ever give it up without some sort of alternative.”

He chuckles. “I like to think of the fitness thing as my transformation to Dexter two-dot-oh. I have to say, I don’t hate that my efforts are producing noticeable results. I told you about my business partner Cole, right?” He asks sheepishly.

“Your friend Cole, yes,” I reply, rolling my eyes.

I think he still has a little trouble wrapping the high school part of his brain around being friends with a jock.

“Yeah. Anyway, since he pitches for the Frontiersmen he knows all the best personal trainers. He convinced me to start working out with one he recommended. I go to the gym almost every day now. Turns out I’m not as unathletic as I thought I was.” He grins wide, pride evident on his face.

“You certainly seem like you’re feeling pretty good,” I reply. I stand up enough to reach across and squeeze his bicep. “Yep, feeling pretty darn good to me.”

He smiles, then he shakes his head and chuckles. “I really do feel good…and even better now.” Something flashes briefly in his chocolate-brown eyes, then he smirks. “I’m just so happy you’re back, Clair.”

Clair. No one but him calls me that. The way he says it is familiar and makes me feel special that he has a nickname just for me. It’s the same way I call him Dex. Those terms of endearment are just for us, like they’re special words all our own.

By the time we finish the drinks the server brings over my stomach is growling, so we head down the street to a Mexican place that has always been one of my favorites.

As we walk the four or five blocks to the restaurant, a group of girls walking the opposite direction toward us are all checking Dex out as they pass. I turn to look over my shoulder and see them all looking back, whispering and giggling. When I look over at him, he seems oblivious.

And this is why he has trouble finding the right girl. He has no clue when a woman is into him.

I bump his shoulder with mine.

“They were checking you out,” I say with a smirk.

“Who?”

“That group of girls that walked by. They were cute, too.”

He rolls his eyes.

“So, not seeing anyone?” I ask.

“Not at the moment.” He lets out a sigh. “Maybe I’m too picky.”

“Maybe you are,” I agree.

And that’s the other reason he can’t find the right girl. He has never fully explained the criteria with me, but he seems never to have found a girl that checks all the boxes on the list of Dex requirements for the perfect girl.

Someone as genuine and kind, as smart and as funny as Dex deserves someone wonderful, though—someone who can see him for everything he is. I have tried to resign myself to the fact that I’m not that girl in his eyes. I only hope that one day he finds her, and she deserves him.

That brings me to another word that should exist, but doesn’t. There should be a word for enjoying something you have, but still wishing it was much, much more.



Author Bio:

Jennifer Woodhull is based in the Southern United States, spending time in her second home of England, and traveling as often as she can. Her love of travel permeates her work, and her characters often find themselves exploring new and foreign surroundings.

A keen observer of human behavior, Jennifer often draws inspiration from something as simple as a fleeting connection, or the glimpse of a unique trait or characteristic. Her favorite place to write is on airplanes.

"The drone of the engine, the scores of people, all traveling to something or from something, and being disconnected from digital distractions are a combination that provide the perfect place to write," she says. "If you see a woman in seat 9F who is balancing her Macbook on her lap because it's time to close your tray table, please have patience. I'm just trying to finish one more sentence."

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