Page 5 of Purely Novel Intent (Mile High Romance)

Charlie nods and heads toward his office, leaving me alone to collect my things. I’m grateful for the privacy, because the encounter with his brother still has me reeling. Or more accurately, preoccupied with wishing I was the kind of woman he’d want to take on a date.

I’m not mousy or overly shy, but I’m not an extrovert, or curvaceous, so handsome men don't often notice me. I wouldn’t mind getting noticed by Chris, though.

I feel slightly guilty thinking about my boss’s brother in a less-than-professional context, although for me it isn’t entirely unprofessional, since I supplement freelance writing jobs like this one with romance novels.

Romances were never the plan. It was actually a member of my writing group who suggested them. She said the romance industry was great at nurturing new talent, and I needed some nurturing, so I took a chance on romance. Not blindly, if you read enough of them you know the basic formula for success, and since romances have quite a large following, it seemed like they’d be easier to publish. I also figured being published once would make it easier to get published again, even if it was in a different genre. So I gave it a shot. I never expected it to stick. And I definitely never expected to enjoy it so much.

Romances give me the opportunity to explore personalities and character traits that don’t come naturally to me, so I can be whatever I want. Sometimes I’m young and innocent, sometimes I’m older and scarred by life, other times I’m unbearably normal, until love brings out my wild side. Sometimes I’m controlled and sometimes I’m controlling. Sometimes I’m a badass. Sometimes I’m even a man. Actually, I’m a man a lot of the time, because all my books are told from both the woman’s and the man’s perspective. It’s kind of fun to get inside the man’s head, to imagine what he’s thinking or feeling as the story unfolds. To imagine what sex is like for him.

I must have a pretty active imagination, or at least one that resonates with people, because my romance career is doing well. Picking up even. But there are so many more things to write. My fables for one, but the work here at Engage, too. Here I feel like I’m part of something, making a difference. It’s completely the opposite of romance, but it's nice to be part of both worlds. I’m not sure how well those worlds will fit together, though, which is why this attraction to my boss’s brother needs to be kept in check.

Now there’s an interesting plot twist. There can’t be a worse scenario than having the hots for your boss’s brother. Thank goodness Charlie doesn’t have the same effect on me that Chris does, which is beyond hilarious considering how similar they look. But polished guys don’t have the same sex appeal as rugged ones, for me anyway, so with Charlie, my libido is safe. If I’m lucky, he didn’t notice it was primed for Chris. If I’m really lucky, tonight’s episode will be an outlier, since Chris doesn’t even work here. No further embarrassment required on my part.

Crisis averted, I take a calming breath, grab my laptop bag, and head for the parking lot.

Chapter 3

Chris

Charlie ushers me to an empty chair in his office, closing the door before walking behind the desk and taking a seat himself. “Two days in a row,” he says. “I thought we agreed that you’d stop by occasionally and we’d talk off-site?”

“We did,” I agree. “But you said you needed my signature on the investor documents yesterday, and since we didn’t get to talk last night, I wanted to make sure you had everything you needed.”

“Ever hear of email?” Charlie asks.

“You know I like paper.” Though true of late given my concern over Erik’s storage system, it's also a convenient excuse to be back in the office. I’m desperate to smooth over the mess with Lisa before she gets the wrong idea and assumes I’m dating Erin, or that I’m such a douche that I forgot about being on a date. While that’s technically true, it’s not my normal behavior, so I want to head off any misconception. Plus, I need to see if the connection I felt is real or imagined.

“Right. Speaking of last night, how was your date? How was I unaware that Erik’s wife was on a mission to find you a woman? Can’t you find them on your own just fine?” Charlie smirks.

“I can, and I do. Beautiful ones,” I add for effect, unable to ignore the brotherly dig. “But not having a girlfriend means Sarah wants to help me find the right girl. She’s tried to set me up a few times, and it’s easier to go on the date than argue with her. Trust me.”

“And why don’t you have a girlfriend again?” Charlie goads me. “Afraid to settle down or too busy sampling your way through all the single ladies in Denver?”

“Don’t start this again,” I groan. So I dated around in the past. So what? That tends to happen when you’re not sure if people are interested in you or your money. It’s also why I don’t take a woman to my house or to meet my family unless I can tell they want the former, not the latter. Charlie likes to think I’m playing the field, but the reality is I haven’t found anyone worth taking off the field.

“Just because I haven’t had a girlfriend recently doesn’t mean I’m afraid of one. And if I wanted to sample all the single ladies in Denver, I’d have a date every night. As it happens, Erin is the first person I’ve been out with in weeks.” I pin him with a look that says to back off.

Charlie waves his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. So how was your date? It didn’t look like it was off to a good start when you left.”

“It wasn’t.” I sigh. “I probably shouldn’t have brought her by here, but a quick stop on the way to dinner seemed convenient, and if I got to say a brief hello to your staff, even better. But then I got distracted, and you saw the rest.”

“About that,” Charlie starts. “I hope it wasn’t Lisa that got you so distracted. She’s really working out well here, and I don’t need you messing that up.”

“How would I mess that up?” I’m immediately on the defensive.

“She’s beautiful, right?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“And weren’t you just telling me how you can and do find beautiful women on your own just fine?”

“So?”

“And that none of your string of dates has ever amounted to a girlfriend?”

“Again, so?”

“So I’ve seen you attract women just by walking in the door and break their hearts by walking out. If I’m not mistaken, Lisa is one of the former, and I don’t want her to be the latter.”

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