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Reformed party girl
and Chief Cosmetics Officer for rising star Swirl Cosmetics, Sabrina Calihan
has sworn off men. But when she meets beauty industry colleague Max March, new
head of the Christina Max beauty empire, she finds herself struggling to keep
him at arm’s length.
Max is determined to
have the sexy woman he first met on the red-eye from Los Angeles. Unconcerned
about her professed vow of celibacy, he is ruthlessly determined to show her
just how good things can be between them.
He wines and dines
her despite her assurances that Prince Charming need not apply. But, as love
begins to blossom on a personal level corporate issues bubble to the surface
and threaten a happy ending. Now Sabrina must discover if she can win her
prince charming back, or if all is lost.
Excerpt:
Alone but for the
music, they sat and sipped their wine. Despite knowing intellectually that Max
would turn on the charm tonight, she could never have been prepared for this
onslaught. His full court press was powerful. Seductive.
“So tell me, Sabrina.
Why have you sworn off men?” Max threaded his fingers through hers and relaxed
back in his chair.
She listened to the instrumental version of Unforgettable and weighed how much to share. “It’s a
long story.”
“We have all night.”
“Longer even.” Her
mouth dried up which left her tongue stuck inside it like a strip of beef
jerky.
“I won’t be
distracted. We’ll come back to that comment.”
“You are tenacious.
Very well, you should hear the truth at some point.” She took a sip of her wine
in need of both the moisture and the fortification. “I got tired of settling
for Mr. Wrong-But-Very-Convenient. After a string of horribly shallow and often
incredibly dumb men I had to bring it all to a halt. I called a hiatus to give
myself some practice at being alone.”
The first course
arrived.
“And that was six
months ago?”
“Yes. I’ve been
working on figuring out what I want.”
“What conclusions have you come to?” He ate his amuse-bouche.
“Abstinence is easy
when you aren’t actually tempted.” And that made having dinner with him either
the most courageous thing she’d ever done, or the absolute dumbest.
“No list of character
traits you’re looking for in a future mate?” His throat worked up and down as
he took a swallow of wine. She couldn’t have peeled her gaze from the
tantalizing sight if her dress had caught fire.
“I’m a bit more fluid
than that. I leave the strategies and obsessive list making to Elle. I’m more
of the I’ll-know-it-when-I-see-it type.”
“Hhmm…doesn’t give a
man much to go on.”
“I don’t need a man
who is trying to conform to a detailed list of requirements. I need a man who
knows who he is and is willing to learn who I am. I need a man who can live
with the realities those truths entail. Prince Charming need not apply.”
“Duly noted. So, what
time do you turn into a pumpkin, Cinderella?”
“Midnight.”
About Dara Young
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I was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, one of two children and grew
up in Florida and Alabama. I later graduated from Auburn University Montgomery
with a BS in Political Science and a minor in History.
My mother once asked me what I would do with a poly sci degree. At
that moment I happened to have a romance novel in my hand, the author of which
was a poly sci major. I quickly held it up and said, “Well, I can write romance
novels!” How prophetic!
I specialize in configuration management, and I pursue my love of
writing romance in my spare time. I dream of one day commuting to my living
room in my bathrobe for work.
I met my husband my first week living in New York City. While he
does not share my love of books, he does support my writing wholeheartedly! We
were married in November 2000, and now share a beautiful home in Southern California.
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