Vibrizzio
by Nicki
Elson
Published by: Swoon Romance
Publication date: April 21st 2015
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Synopsis:
Lyssa
Bates doesn’t need a man. Not when the world is fully-stocked with double A
batteries and a wide array of options in Amazon’s health and sexual wellness
category. After yet another failed relationship, the twenty-six-year-old
investment analyst is convinced that real guys aren’t ever going to live up to
her expectations—so why should she bother with them? She’s determined to keep
her dating life purely electronic…though she occasionally fantasizes about
Hayden King, the delicious new associate she just got partnered with at work.
While
Lyssa manages her romantic risks by deleting men from of the equation, the
ever-charming Hayden protects his heart by diversifying his love life across
multiple women. As the two young professionals travel together around the
country for business, their flirty working relationship develops into a close
friendship that hurtles toward something more. Between hot tub confessions in
Baltimore, an accidental kiss in Dallas, and an all-nighter in Chicago, Hayden
proves himself to be better than any fantasy.
Excerpt
New York City was warm, but the ocean
breeze cut the humidity. During a pit stop in a public restroom after the
eight-block walk between the first and second meeting, Lyssa was able to easily
blot off her thin layer of sweat with just a few squares of institutional
toilet paper. When she stepped back into the worn lobby, she didn’t see Hayden
and wondered if he’d proceeded to the investment manager’s fourth-floor suite without her. Her mind eased
when the men’s room door creaked open.
Her partner had removed his jacket and
loosened his tie during the walk, but now every thread was back in place. He
once again looked like the poster boy for “The Hottest Men on Wall Street.”
They traversed the cracked and yellowing tile
to the bank of ancient elevators, and as he reached to push the brass button,
he said, “I think you should take the lead on this one.”
“What? Me?”
“Yeah, you.” His steely blues fixed on
her. If he hadn’t been holding his briefcase, Lyssa was sure he’d have been
folding his arms across his chest in a dare.
“Think you can handle it?”
Lyssa nodded with a confidence she didn’t entirely feel. She’d
led a few brief, introductory meetings with investment managers before, but
nothing as in-depth as what they were doing that day and never on the manager’s
home turf. But her experience in the business world had taught her that the
ability to pretend she knew what she was doing was often more valuable than
actually knowing. So when the ding
sounded, she slid on a smile. “No problem. Follow my lead and try to keep up.”
Winking, she resisted the urge to condescendingly slap Hayden’s rear as she
moved past him into the elevator.
He gave her a few helpful pointers on
the way up, but three steps before the entrance to Ardent Capital’s suite, he
added, “Also, watch the um’s and stop
biting your erasers.”
She halted and turned to glare at him.
Why would he throw her off like that right before walking in?
“Sorry,” he said, “But it’s never a
good idea to start out too cocky.” Side-stepping around her, he crossed to the
door and pulled it open, gesturing her through. She was too irritated—and
nervous—to even glance toward him as she brushed past. She wished she’d have
thought to hold her breath too so she wouldn’t have taken in the provokingly
yummy scent of his now familiar cologne.
During the meeting, Hayden pulled back
like he said he would, and Lyssa dug into the investment process and depth of
professionals while also assessing Ardent’s intentions for future growth. On
the tour of the facilities that followed, Hayden’s natural tendency to lead
took over, and Lyssa didn’t mind the opportunity to let him do the work of
questioning while she sat back and observed.
When she and her partner were once
again alone, side-by-side as the elevator lowered to the ground floor, he
nudged her shoulder with his. “You did a good job in there.” Tiny sparks
snapped inside her … and she hated herself a little bit for feeling as elated
as she did by his compliment.
AUTHOR BIO:
Writing
wasn't something Nicki set out to do; it just sort of happened when she
realized writing reports was by far her favorite part of her
investment consulting position. She traded stock allocation and
diversification for story arcs and dialogue and now weaves her creative writing
time in with the other activities of her busy life with her family in
the Chicago suburbs.
Nicki writes with two goals in mind: #1 to keep the characters realistic, even when their circumstances are anything but, and #2 to make the reader feel. Watch for her new title Vibrizzio, coming in 2015 from Swoon Romance. Her published works include Three Daves, a light-hearted romantic romp through a 1980s college campus, Divine Temptation, a romantic novel of angelic proportions, and Hans & Greta: a Twisted Fairy Tale Novella. Her published short stories include “Sway” (available as a single), “I Don’t Do Valentine’s Day” (part of A Valentine Anthology), and “Impressionism 101” (included in the debut issue of Insatiable: The Magazine of Paranormal Desire
Nicki writes with two goals in mind: #1 to keep the characters realistic, even when their circumstances are anything but, and #2 to make the reader feel. Watch for her new title Vibrizzio, coming in 2015 from Swoon Romance. Her published works include Three Daves, a light-hearted romantic romp through a 1980s college campus, Divine Temptation, a romantic novel of angelic proportions, and Hans & Greta: a Twisted Fairy Tale Novella. Her published short stories include “Sway” (available as a single), “I Don’t Do Valentine’s Day” (part of A Valentine Anthology), and “Impressionism 101” (included in the debut issue of Insatiable: The Magazine of Paranormal Desire
Author Links
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