Chloe Morgan's Blog, page 4

Touch Me Again Chapter 1

FAN PRICING ONLY 99¢ (ENDS MIDNIGHT MARCH 3RD) Chapter OneRiley

I slid my finger up my phone, over and over. I was bored. Scanning Instagram seemed like a good way to pass the time while I waited for my flight to board. It wasn’t. I felt like I was losing brain cells by the second with every stupid selfie and picture of food. 

“So dumb,” I muttered. 

Social media confused me. Who in the hell cared what someone was eating for lunch or dinner? Not me. No one did. The stupid little designs that were on the tops of some stupid eight-dollar coffee also confused me. I didn’t understand the desire to share every aspect of one’s life. I rarely checked social media except in times like these when there was almost little else for me to do. 

I stopped scrolling when I came upon a picture posted by my sister. “Spring Break bound,” I muttered to myself as I read her hashtag. She was wearing a bikini and standing in front of a mirror. Again, nothing but a vanity post. “Everyone look at me and my perfect model body.”

It seemed like everyone from the age of eighteen to twenty-five was headed somewhere warm for spring break. Including me. But I didn’t want to go. I wasn’t bragging about my trip, and I sure as hell wasn’t stripping down almost naked to get my message across. I didn’t want to go somewhere warm and drink too much and hook up with random guys. That was not my thing. That was Hannah’s thing. My older-by-a-year sister had some very strange ideas about what fun was. 

“Heading out for some wild adventure?” a female about my age asked as she flopped down in the seat next to mine. 

I glanced around the gate seating area. There were plenty of available seats, but she chose the one next to me. “I’m meeting up with my sister,” I said. 

I was embarrassed to admit I was one of them. I was a spring breaker. Not by choice. If I kept telling myself that, it had to make it true. I felt so, so cliché. I hated feeling like I was one of the crowd of lemmings. I supposed that was my own arrogance.

“I’m meeting my boyfriend,” she sighed. “I’m lame.”

“That’s not lame.”

“My friends think so.”

I looked out the window. A late spring snowstorm had covered the area in a light blanket of white. The snow was causing some delays. I secretly hoped my flight would get canceled altogether. “My sister thinks I’m lame,” I admitted. 

“Why?”

“Because I would rather stay in Boston and study.”

“What’s your major?”

“Law. I need to finalize some of my law school applications. She said I was lame and boring, and I was going to regret it if I didn’t go out and have some fun at least once before I went on to law school.”

She smiled and nodded. “Law school is no joke. Are you at Northeastern?”

“Yes, you?”

“Yep. I graduate next year. Computer science.”

I grimaced just thinking about the math. “That sounds brutal.”

She shrugged one shoulder. “It’s not that bad.”

“Does your boyfriend go to Northeastern?”

“No. He’s a little older. I’m from Chicago, and that’s where he lives. We don’t get to see each other all that often. We’ve been planning this vacation for months. My friends are all going to Mexico, and I’m headed for Florida.”

“I’m Riley,” I said and extended my hand. I could use more friends at school, even if it was only for a few more months. 

“I’m Megan.”

“Is the thing with your boyfriend serious?” I asked. I didn’t think that was too forward. I hoped it wasn’t. I had been told more than once I interrogated everyone. I didn’t mean to. It was the future lawyer in me. I was an inquisitive person. 

“It is. We’re going to get married after I graduate. He’s four years older than I am. He asked me to marry him my senior year in high school. We agreed I needed to get my education before we got married.”

“Good for you.”

She laughed. “What about you? Do you have a boyfriend?”

I rolled my eyes. “Nope. I have not had the time this year. I wanted to make sure I focused on my education and then my career before I got mixed up with romance. I did it once, and I’m not interested in doing it again. Too messy.”

“It can be, but it’s also super rewarding.”

I wasn’t sure I bought that. I just smiled and nodded. That was a trick I learned in one of my criminal justice classes. Smile and nod. Never openly agree or disagree with what a suspect was saying. I was saved from having to get into the awkward conversation about boys when our flight was called for boarding. 

After the initial shuffle onto the plane and the very polite fight to get space in the overhead bin, I sat down and buckled up. I looked out the tiny window and thought about the coming week. I was dreading it and looking forward to it at the same time. 

The thought of wearing a bathing suit and drinking all day and into the night did not thrill me. But the allure of getting to hang out with my sister, who I really did love, and my two best friends from high school did get me a little excited. I closed my eyes and settled into the seat. I didn’t want to be negative. Hannah, the consummate cheerleader—literally, she’d been a cheerleader since she was twelve and hoped to cheer professionally for the Texans—was always telling me to be positive. “Rah, rah,” I muttered under my breath. 

It was one week. One week in West Palm Beach would do me some good. I could use a break from the pressure of trying to get into law school. Correction, a good law school. I had options, but I wanted to be the best from the best school. That familiar voice in the back of my mind stepped forward. It was the voice of reason. 

“I should be writing essays,” I whispered under my breath. 

Florida would be there after I got accepted. That’s what I had told Hannah. Repeatedly. She refused to take no for an answer, and now I was on a plane and headed south. My laptop was stowed in the overhead cargo bin. I could get up and get it once we took off and work on fine-tuning my essay. Then I wouldn’t feel nearly as guilty about taking a week off.

Or I could take the nap I had been promising myself for the last several years. Four years in college with me burning the candle at both ends was slowly wearing me down. Hannah saw it. She claimed this trip was necessary for my mental health. A few more months of busting my ass wouldn’t kill me, would it?

The plane took off. I told myself I would just close my eyes for a few minutes, and then I would get my laptop. The next thing I knew, my head bounced on the seat as the plane touched down. I sat forward and rubbed my eyes. 

I looked to my left and saw a man dressed in a suit giving me the side-eye. “Have a nice nap?” he asked in a dry tone.

I wiped my mouth. “Uh, yeah. Did I snore?”

“Not terribly.”

I felt my cheeks burning. “Sorry.”

He didn’t say anything more. I couldn’t believe I slept the whole flight. I was like a little kid being lulled to sleep in the car. The moment the wheels were up, my lights went out. I didn’t want to admit I felt better. Rested and recharged. I turned on my phone as we taxied up to the gate. I quickly sent Hannah a text and let her know I’d landed. She was supposed to be meeting me at the airport, and then we would go to the rental together. 

I wedged myself into the crowd to get off the plane and headed for baggage claim where Hannah was supposed to be waiting for me. I was glad I opted to freeze my ass off in Boston this morning with the expectation of the warm Florida weather. I was hot. I was not used to the humidity. I could practically feel my hair frizzing as I walked. 

I subconsciously reached up and slid my hand down my dark blonde hair, light brown to some, and made sure it wasn’t giving me a do that belonged in the seventies. No perms for me. My hair was naturally curly, something I hated most days. Everyone always said they loved it, but not me. It was a pain in the ass to manage, and the tangles were ridiculous. I brought extra product to help keep it tamed in the Florida humidity, but I had a feeling my usual straightener was no match for this place. 

“Riley!” I heard my name. 

I looked ahead and smiled. My sister was rushing toward me with her arms wide. I accepted her exuberant hug, nearly falling backward under the weight of my backpack, and her slim figure plastered to my front. 

“You’re here!” Petra, my best friend from high school rushed me. I wouldn’t have recognized her if she hadn’t called my name. Her hair was a strange, albeit pretty rainbow color. Like all the colors of the rainbow. 

Hannah stepped to the side and made room for Petra. “It’s so good to see you,” she squealed. “I thought I was never gonna see you again.”

Her Texas drawl always came out when she was excited. “I’ve missed you,” I told her. 

“We have so much to catch up on.”

“I can’t wait to hear all the gossip from home.”

Cara, my other friend from home, smiled and patiently waited for Petra to release me. “Hey, you,” she greeted with a smile. 

“Hi,” I said and gave her a warm hug. “This is quite the airport welcome.”

“I’m so excited!” Hannah said and clapped her hands together. She was ever the cheerleader. 

“We are going to have so much fun,” Petra agreed as we made our way to the baggage carousel. 

I was having a hard time feeling the same enthusiasm, but I was certain another hour with them and I was going to be doing cartwheels. “Have you guys been outside yet?” I asked. 

“Nope,” Petra answered. “We wanted to wait for you. We are going to experience this together. I’ve always wanted to have a girls’ trip. I’m so glad we get to do this. Finally.”

“We had to do it now, otherwise we’d never get Riley away from law school,” Hannah said. “She’s going to be a big, fancy lawyer one day, and we’ll never see her.”

“Hey, when I’m a big, fancy lawyer, I’ll be able to pay for all of us to go on a tropical getaway,” I said with a laugh. “At least that’s the plan.”

“But you’re coming back to Texas, right?” Petra asked. “You said you weren’t going to leave me forever.”

“I’m exploring my options.”

They all groaned. “She’s turning into one of those city girls.”

“That was the plan,” I reminded them. 

“You can take the girl out of Texas, but you can’t take the Texas out of the girl.” Hannah repeated the same phrase I had heard no less than a thousand times in my life. 

“Okay, dad,” I teased. 

“He’s right. You’ll be back.”

“Maybe, if that’s where I find a job.”

“You miss Texas,” she insisted. 

I did a little but not like she wanted me to. I was enjoying my life in Boston. Mostly. I didn’t necessarily have an active social life, and the weather was rough on a Texas girl, but I did like the diversity and the culture. 

“I miss it a little, but I don’t miss the dirt.”

Petra threw her head back and laughed. “Who knew they didn’t have dirt in Boston?”

“You know what I mean. There’s a lot less of it.” My eyes scanned the carousel. “That’s mine,” I said and stepped forward to grab it. 

I dragged it behind me as the four of us walked toward the exit. “The first thing I’m going to do is put on a bikini,” Hannah declared. “I am so ready to play! I hope you girls all brought your sexiest and skimpiest bikinis.”

Cara and I exchanged a look. Hannah was a perfect size two. We were not. Never had been. When the four of us were together, we always felt like the big girls. Petra was just as skinny as Hannah. Cara and I enjoyed the proverbial cake. I didn’t mind my curves, but I wasn’t going to parade around in a skimpy bikini. That was just not my style. 

Touch Me Again Cover Reveal

BLURB REVEAL:

The man made my life pure hell in high school.

But that was years ago. And we���re both all grown up now.

He���s hotter than sin and has a smile that leaves me and my friends panting for his attention.

It���s spring break and I need time with the girls on the beach. Florida should do the trick.

Never in a million years did I expect Hudson Philips to be there.

Memories of him bullying and teasing me mercilessly roll through me in waves, but we���re not kids anymore, and those aren���t the only waves he���s making.

He���s damned determined to get back into my good graces, and he���s working every angle possible to make sure it happens.

As hard as I try to deny him, he quickly becomes the only thing I can think about.

But the minute I let down my guard, he puts his up again. He���s not looking for a long-term love affair.

I wish he were, but for now, I simply want him to touch me again.

99¢ Fan Pricing ends tonight for My Second Chance Secret Baby

Love your reviews for My Second Chance Secret Baby! 99¢ FAN PRICING ENDS AT MIDNIGHT!

Check out some of the  reviews below and don't forget, FAN PRICING ends at midnight!

"My Second Chance Secret Baby by C.Morgan is an entertaining, interesting, steamy, and a bit emotional romance story of Grady and Delaney."

“I really enjoyed this second chance story. This book has the right about of chemistry and a great storyline. I would definitely recommend this read.”

“The chemistry is on fire between Grady and Delaney, even when he doesn’t understand why she hurt him as she did. Pick up this book and read it. It’s a good one! This is a 5-star read.”

“Oh my. Such a great finish to the Vegas series. Grady the Playboy, love it! This book was so good! Secret baby, ex girlfriend and the playboy. This story was one of my favorites of the series!”

"I've loved this series of books about college friends that stood the test of time and were still there for each other."

99�� Fan Pricing ends tonight for My Second Chance Secret Baby

Love your reviews for My Second Chance Secret Baby! 99�� FAN PRICING ENDS AT MIDNIGHT!

Check out some of the ��reviews below and don't forget, FAN PRICING ends at midnight!

"My Second Chance Secret Baby by C.Morgan is an entertaining, interesting, steamy, and a bit emotional romance story of Grady and Delaney."

���I really enjoyed this second chance story. This book has the right about of chemistry and a great storyline. I would definitely recommend this read.���

���The chemistry is on fire between Grady and Delaney, even when he doesn���t understand why she hurt him as she did. Pick up this book and read it. It���s a good one! This is a 5-star read.���

���Oh my. Such a great finish to the Vegas series. Grady the Playboy, love it! This book was so good! Secret baby, ex girlfriend and the playboy. This story was one of my favorites of the series!���

"I've loved this series of books about college friends that stood the test of time and were still there for each other."

Read Chapter 1 of My Second Chance Secret Baby…

99�� FAN PRICING UNTIL FEBRUARY 3RD AT MIDNIGHT Chapter One Delaney

���Shoot,��� I growled into the depths of my makeup bag. It was one of my favorites, an old tried and true zip-up bag with a stiff lid and a zipper that had broken several dozen times over. I had every reason to throw away the bag. It used to be pink and now it was more of a ruddy rose color and the zipper tab was long gone, and in its place, I used a paperclip, but I couldn���t bring myself to replace it. All of my products fit perfectly and were easy to find when I was in a rush���like tonight.

And since everything was so easy to find, I knew for certain that I���d forgotten my red lipstick at home.

���Shoot.���

How could I make such a rookie mistake? I couldn���t start my set decked out in my fishnet stockings, sparkly black bodysuit, sky-high heels, vampy makeup, and no lipstick. My lips were the same shade as my skin. That simply wouldn���t do. In a club like this, a girl had to make every effort to stand out if she wanted to make money, and I most definitely wanted to make money.

I���d worked here at the club for the past eight months. Prior to coming here to be a dancer, I���d worked at another club in my hometown, Spring Valley, Nevada. Mom and Dad hadn���t been impressed to find out how I was affording car insurance or baby formula, but I was, and that was what mattered to me. After moving out here to Las Vegas, my income tripled. The clientele had more money, plain and simple.

But I needed lipstick.

I looked up from my makeup bag and glanced around the green room. It wasn���t green, but that was what the girls called it because most of us came from dance or theater backgrounds where ���green rooms��� were located down a hallway backstage. We all had a personal vanity to sit at and do our makeup and hair. Sometimes on busy Saturday nights, we���d have to share. Some girls were more likely to shimmy to one side of their bench and let another girl use their mirror. Others were more likely to tilt their head back while they applied their mascara and let the late-comers fend for themselves.

I was the former, and as I looked around at my fellow dancers, I hoped one would show me mercy and share her lipstick.

I cleared my throat. ���Girls, does anyone have some lipstick I could borrow? Mine must have fallen out of my bag and my set starts in three.���

Nobody said a word.

I liked the money I made here but I resented the attitude of the other dancers. They were only ever looking out for themselves. One girl���s misfortune was another���s girl���s gain. If I forgot my lipstick, that might mean the attention of a customer would fall on someone else, and nobody could deny I had a way of drawing the male gaze unlike any of the other girls during sets.

���Please?��� I pleaded.

Of the fifteen other girls in the green room, only one looked away from her own reflection to cast me a glance full of pity. She rose smoothly from her bench and walked on long, gazelle-like legs toward me. She held out one hand and offered me a tube of dark purple lip stain.

���Here,��� the gazelle said. I couldn���t remember her name. Nobody here really bothered to get to know each other. The turnover was too high and new blood came in nearly every weekend.

It wasn���t the shade I wanted, but beggars couldn���t be choosers, and I was more than desperate.

���Thank you.��� I accepted the lip stain, leaned toward the mirror, and painted it on while the gazelle hovered over my right shoulder and watched my technique.

���The color suits you,��� she said.

It was the first time someone in this place had paid me a compliment.

I glanced at her in the mirror. ���Thank you.���

She held out her hand when I was done. ���This is a dog-eat-dog business, sweetheart,��� she said. ���You need to have backups. Most girls would have left you for the wolves.���

���But you didn���t.���

The gazelle shrugged one elegant shoulder and let her blue gaze fall on my makeup bag. ���I was feeling charitable.���

Oh. So she pitied me. Wonderful.

The gazelle smiled like a lion before walking languidly back to her vanity, where she settled on her bench with grace I could only dream of possessing, and began applying highlighter to her collarbones, shoulders, and the high points of her face.

If I made good money tonight, maybe that was a product worth investing in. It made her skin so glowy and supple looking. I could do with a bit of a glow. Exhaustion was my permanent state since I worked this job and the afternoon shift at a diner a couple of blocks from my apartment, which I shared with my cousin and my daughter, Rosie.

I sighed.

I missed my little girl.

Working two jobs stole too much precious time from us both. I���d have given an arm and a leg not to have to work two jobs to provide for us but being a single mom wasn���t easy. I had my business degree but no relevant work experience. I���d tried for months���years even���to break into a real career but every recruiter turned me down and told me to come back when I had at least two years of experience.

How was I supposed to get experience when nobody was willing to take a chance on me?

With a tired sigh, I packed up the remnants of my makeup and hairstyling tools. I packed them all up in my old beat-up Puma gym bag. A lot of my personal belongings were in need of upgrades. I pretended not to notice the way the other girls looked at my bag and the scuffs on my heels as I shoved the bag under my vanity, got to my feet, fluffed my hair up one more time for good measure, and turned to the door.

It was show time.

When I left the green room, I became her.

Gone was the tired single mother. I replaced her with the power-walking, hip-swaying, eye-fucking gypsy I pretended to be as I strutted down the hallway from the green room to the doors that led to the second floor of the club. The thumping of the rave music grew louder as I approached until I could feel it vibrating in the soles of my shoes. I matched my steps to the beat, braced my hands against the swinging doors, and pushed through like I owned the damn place.

A powerful entry was crucial to a successful evening.

Men���s gazes found me quickly as I walked the long way around to the stairs. There was reason to my madness. Every time I started a shift, I made sure as many people in the club saw me as possible. I���d prick their curiosity with a well-rehearsed smile, a flirty wink, or a gentle touch on the shoulder, and when they found me later dancing under the shimmering lights on my own personal stage, I���d have them right where I wanted them, hook, line, and sinker.

And they would give me their money.

I descended the stairs with a hand hovering an inch above the rail. There were eyes on my back from those on the balcony overhead and eyes on my front from those down on the first floor. They watched me ravenously, like I was a new meat being served on the dinner table, and I soaked in their depravity and pretended it made me stronger.

By the time I reached my platform, I was a changed woman. I climbed the six stairs up the back of the base until I stood above all the patrons of the club. The music changed tempo. The lights shifted.

I started to dance.

My body became one with the music. It had always been this way for me. Dancing never felt like work. To me, it felt like a reprieve. I performed for myself and no one else. I moved for me. Every hip sway, leg extension, hair toss, and stroked thigh was to make me feel more in tune with my body and the music. The men gathered around my platform merely reaped the benefits.

It took less than a minute for cash to show up on my platform.

Men slapped bills down on the stage and beckoned me to bend over and pick them up in front of them, showing them a glance down the front of my bodysuit at my cleavage. I indulged and let them tuck more money between my tits. Anyone who thought poorly of a girl making money like this was seriously out of touch. I had all the control in this situation. Right now, the men gathered around my feet as I danced were my puppets.

And I would pull their strings until they gave me whatever they had in their wallets.

By the time my set ended, my thighs burned and my skin was slick with sweat. My dark curly hair was sticking to the back of my neck and I longed to get the bodysuit off. I���d had a wedgie for almost fifteen straight minutes and it was in serious need of picking.

I left my platform and made for the stairs.

Halfway up them, I found my way blocked by a gentleman in a full black suit, sans the tie. The top two buttons of his shirt were popped open, revealing a freckled chest, and he gave me a somewhat goofy and charming smile under a mop of copper hair.

���Hey,��� he said as he held something out to me that he���d retrieved from his pocket. When I didn���t take it, he flicked it up in front of my eyes, flashing the gold-embossed letters on the front of a matte black business card which read ���The Spire.��� That was the newest casino on the Strip. ���I saw your set. You were incredible out there.���

I didn���t take the card and tucked my hair behind my ears. ���Thank you.���

���Listen, I���m sure you get a lot of people approaching you like this, but I was wondering if you were free tomorrow night to come to an audition? The Spire is opening a new nightclub and I want you on the roster.���

I stepped to the right to go around him. ���I���m sorry, I can���t tomorrow. I dance here.���

I wasn���t in a position to take risks. I needed guaranteed income, and my set tomorrow night provided that. Rosie was too important for me to jeopardize this job on a chance audition. I didn���t make nearly enough money at the diner to make ends meet if my gig here fell through.

���Please?��� His smile remained as he cocked his head to the side and stuck a hand in his pocket. He pulled out two hundred-dollar bills and pressed them into my hand. ���Listen, I���ve been frequenting clubs for two weeks looking for the right talent. My boss is a particular man and he knows what he wants. He also knows what sells. And so do you. If I can get you into that audition, I���ll be in his good books for months.���

I arched an eyebrow. ���I don���t think it���s my responsibility to put you in your boss���s good books.���

He winced. ���True. Does the money help at all?���

I looked down at the two hundred dollars in my hand. I had more than that tucked into various places of my bodysuit from my set. However, a new club in a city like Vegas promised VIP clientele with big money and bigger appetites.

���Can I think about it?��� I asked, handing him back the cash.

���Keep it. You earned it tonight. Hopefully, I���ll see you tomorrow. Eight o���clock. Top floor. You know where it is?���

I smiled. ���Do I know where the nine hundred foot gothic inspired hotel is? Yes, I do.���

He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. ���All right. Yes. Good. I hope to see you tomorrow then, uh���?���

���Dee,��� I said. I never gave people my full name when I was inquiring about or discussing dancing jobs. Delaney was the name I wrote on resumes for all my business applications, even the resume I���d brought to the diner six months ago when they hired me. But here, I was Dee.

���Dee,��� he said with a satisfied nod. ���Nice to meet you.���

I shook his hand and brushed past him to continue my way up the stairs and around the balcony. This time, I took the shortest route to the doors and made my way to the green room. Nobody paid me any attention as I settled back down at my vanity and touched up some of my makeup. I had two more sets tonight and plenty to think about.

Maybe it was time for a change.

My Second Chance Secret Baby Cover Reveal

Get ready for another sexy book from the Vegas Bad Boys.

 

Blurb Reveal:

It���s no secret that every woman wants me.

Charming, wealthy, and I have an empire for my legacy.

Unfortunately for most, I���m not the family kind of man.

You might call me a lone wolf. The guy who stands alone and loves it.

Late nights, good booze, and a hot woman on my arm are all I���m after.

Until a hot number from my past resurfaces.

She used to be the one I dreamt of growing old with, back when I wasted my time on hope, dreams, and the lies they offer.

Crazy enough, the chemistry between us is off the charts.

It���s been a long time since a woman has left my heart racing, my hands sweaty, and my body aching for a simple touch.

So I do what any gentleman might do to get around a lady he���s interested in���I offer her a job.

But something���s off. She���s got a little girl, and the angel looks a little too much like my side of the family.

Surely not.

I���m not looking for a long-term relationship, just a rekindling between the sheets.

Or so I tell myself. When the nagging truth is that maybe this is my second chance with the only girl I���ve ever loved.

Not sure if fate is offering me a dream or a nightmare, but either way, I���m taking it.

This woman is mine.

Forever Friend Zoned fan pricing ends at midnight!

You guys have loved Forever Friend Zoned! 99�� FAN PRICING ENDS AT MIDNIGHT!

Check out some of the ��reviews below and don't forget, FAN PRICING ends at midnight!

"It was fun seeing if these two could get together as more than just friends. The epilogue was a great ending for their story."

���Forever Friend Zoned by C.Morgan is an interesting, intriguing, enjoyable, steamy love story, with twists and turns. The ending is fantastic. I highly recommend this feel-good book."

���Wow!! I loved reading the storyline on this one! You definitely need to grab Forever Friend Zoned by C. Morgan and come journey with Jefferson and Alora as they fall in love with each other. It���s definitely well written, has interesting characters, plenty of chemistry and drama. Would I recommend it: Yes!���

"Wow!! I loved reading the storyline on this one!"

���Forever Friend Zoned is definitely well written, has interesting characters, plenty of chemistry and drama."

Read Chapter 1 of Forever Friend Zoned

FAN PRICING ONLY 99¢ - JAN. 13 AT WEDNESDAY AT MIDNIGHT







Chapter One
Jeff

I loved the heat, but it had been a long time since I’d been back to Arizona. When people asked, I said I was from Phoenix, but really, I was born and raised in Buckeye, a Phoenix suburb. I didn’t consider the place my home anymore. Dallas was home now. 

Buckeye had changed a lot since I was fourteen. The walk down memory lane had been fun, but my hometown was not for me. 

“What do you think?” the pretty redhead I was following asked. Fran was the manager of the gym. She was one of those go-getter types. I had a feeling she would step on small children if that was what it took for her to get ahead. 

I looked around the massive gym that was a ridiculous three stories high. “It’s nice.”

She smiled, flashing a set of perfectly white teeth. “Nice? Is that really the appropriate word?”

I shrugged and looked around at the state-of-the-art equipment in the huge open gym. “I’m still trying to get my head around the idea there is a gym sitting in the middle of the place I played baseball with my friends when I was younger.”

“Uh oh, are you one of those sentimental types?” she teased. 

“Not at all.”

“Why don’t we go up to the mats?” she offered. 

“Do I look like the gymnastic type?” I asked.

She winked, her eyes raking over me. “It’s never a bad time to work on your flexibility.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“What do you think?” she asked. The way she said it made me wonder if she was talking about the gym or her. 

“I think this is a massive gym.”

“It’s the biggest in town.” She grinned. “Best equipment. Best juice bar. Best of everything. We’re still new and working on increasing our membership, but we are going to be the biggest gym in the state once we get going.”

“It’s a great gym, but I live in Dallas. I’m not looking to leave.”

“Oh, come on now, Jefferson. Look at this place.”

“Please, call me Jeff,” I corrected her for at least the fifth time. When she called me Jefferson, I was certain my mother was about to rip me a new one for doing something wrong. 

“Jeff, with your skills and your reputation in the fitness world, you could pick up new clients here. I’m talking professional athletes. People that will pay you big money to whip their asses into shape.”

“I appreciate that, but I have a solid client list at home.”

“You could be a personal trainer to the top celebrities and football players in the country. Phoenix, Buckeye especially, is growing by leaps and bounds. The secret about this place is out and everyone wants to live here.”

I offered her a smile. “It’s a great place, but I don’t think it’s the place for me.”

“Why did you agree to come out here if you weren’t interested?” she asked, her green eyes flashing. She was growing irritated. 

“I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I figured it couldn’t hurt to visit my old stomping grounds and see what changed. It turns out, a lot has changed.”

“Change is a good thing. Isn’t that how we stay in business? We tell anyone that walks through the door that we can change their life for the better. We promise their bodies will change and their health will improve. I love change.”

“I have to say, the changes I’m seeing in my hometown are a lot. I’ve changed since I’ve been away. I don’t think I fit in here anymore. I’ve built a life and a career in Dallas. I really love Texas. I have a long, loyal client list at the gym I work at now.”

“Ah, but The Zone is going to be the biggest thing since Gold’s Gym. We are building an elite team of trainers that will attract even more members. We are going to be nationwide, but that has to start here.”

“I appreciate your enthusiasm, and I am flattered you want me on board, but I’ve made a home for myself in Texas.”

“I reached out to you because I figured a guy like you would like to return to your roots.”

I raised an eyebrow. “A guy like me?”

Her eyes flashed with mischief. “Yes, I did my research.”

“I’m afraid to ask,” I muttered. 

“You were the chubby kid.”

She made a face. “I bet you used to say you loved Arizona.”

She wasn’t wrong. I did love Arizona, but coming back, it was like revisiting a weird dream. There were bits and pieces of that life, but none of it really felt quite the same as when I was in the dream. I felt out of place in Arizona. I didn’t know anyone, not anymore. The town had changed. Our old house had probably been razed to the ground and some new fancy subdivision was in its place. You could never go back. 

“I did, but—” I stopped midsentence. 

My eyes were drawn to the back of a woman’s head. I cocked my head to the side, staring at the dark blonde hair piled on top of her head. I couldn’t see much of her body at all. She was behind a large piece of equipment. 

“Did I mention how much this job pays?” she asked. 

I blinked and gave myself a mental shake. I couldn’t stare at the members. That was not going to win me any points with my potential boss or the women trying to work out. “Yes, you mentioned that in your email.”

“I know there is no way you are making that kind of money at your gym in Dallas.”

I smirked. “No, I’m not, but sometimes money isn’t everything. My gym has been good to me. They hired me when I was no one. They gave me a chance and I’ve soared because of their faith in me.”

“Great! Just think of what you can achieve here. You’ve hit your ceiling there. Here, the sky is the limit. The owners of the gym have given me free rein to do whatever it takes to get this place to the top of the food chain in the world of gyms. There are going to be bonuses for those that help me make that happen.”

I had to laugh. “You are very aggressive, you know that?”

She wasn’t the least bit offended. “I do know that and so do the owners, which is why they have put me in this position.”

“I bet you just need to put an ad in a local paper, and you will have people lining up to take a job as a personal trainer.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t want just anyone. I want guys like you that are used to busting the asses of rich people. They require a bit of a different approach than other folks. They want you to treat them like they are royalty, but they also want you to make them beautiful. That takes someone that has experience doing just that.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “You’ve been reading my Yelp reviews.”

“Damn straight I have. I’ve already spoken with a few of your clients.”

“How did you really hear about me?” I asked. 

“They say it’s a small world and it is. I just sold a year-long membership to a guy who said he trained with you in Dallas. He couldn’t stop raving about you.”

“Who?”

“His name is Dale, fifty-two, runs marathons.”

I nodded, knowing exactly who she was talking about. “Dale is a good guy. When he told me he was moving to Phoenix, I told him about growing up here.”

She was smiling. “Yes, you did, which is why I thought bringing you back was a great plan.”

It was all starting to make sense now. I was wondering how she found me. Out of all the trainers in all the country, she found me. Now I realized I had Dale to thank. “Again, I really appreciate the offer, but I am just not in a position to pick up and move.”

The moment I said it, the woman with the messy bun walked past the window. I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. It was her. It was Alora. 

Alora fucking Springfield. 

She was staring at a weight machine with a combination of fear and confusion. 

“This—” Fran started to say. 

“Can I tour your gym? Not out here, but in there?” I pointed through the window at the four-thousand-square-foot area with tall windows and every high-tech exercise machine one could imagine. 

“Absolutely!” 

She slid a keycard through a reader and pushed open the doors. Cool air hit me. Hints of sweat and deodorant mingled in the air. Music was pumping through hidden overhead speakers. The space was enormous. My eyes scanned the area. I saw her standing next to an overhead press machine. She slowly walked around the thing before taking a seat. 

We were far enough away and on the move, so she never saw me. I was able to stare at her without openly staring. I pretended to be looking around. She looked the same but different. I would recognize her walk anywhere and the way she always tilted her head when she was trying to figure something out. Fran was carrying on about the amount of money they spent buying all the top machinery in the industry. Some I had never seen before. 

We rounded a corner, walking past a row of treadmills. Alora slapped the machine she’d hopelessly been trying to use and walked toward the wide-open part of the gym that was used for kettle-bell exercises and the battle ropes. I had to hold back my laughter when she bent down and picked up one of the ropes. With both hands, she tried to bounce it. 

She must have realized she was doing something wrong and struggled to pick up the other rope. I wanted to help the poor woman. I noticed a few of the other people working out in the gym watching her as well. She ended up dropping the ropes on the floor and leaving the main gym. I watched her through the glass as she walked up to the juice bar and sat down on one of the stools. 

She’d given up. I wasn’t sure why no one offered to help her or why she wasn’t using a trainer if she was that clueless about how the gym worked. In that moment, watching her and being transported back in time, I made a decision. 

“Fran, I’ll do it.”

She stopped walking. “What?”

“I’ll take the job.”

Her eyes widened. “Really?”

“Yes.”

“I knew you’d be sold once you saw the equipment in here. Meatheads like us can’t resist a good machine.”

I smiled. “Yes, you’re right.”

I didn’t tell her it wasn’t the machines that I couldn’t resist. It was her. The girl who broke my heart twelve years ago.

“Let’s go to my office. We’ll go over the details and get the ball rolling. You will not be disappointed, Jeff. This place is awesome, and I know you will love working here.”

I slowly nodded, following her out of the gym. I took one last look at Alora sitting at the juice bar. She was smiling at the man mixing her smoothie. She had the same features with a more womanly figure, but not much else had changed. I remembered her dark brown eyes framed by beautiful dark lashes. I remembered how her nose crinkled when she smiled and how she laughed. 

Seeing her again was like running smack into my past. It was a chapter of my life I had closed the book on, but now I was back. I was probably making a huge mistake, but I needed to know her again. I wanted to know who she’d become and why she was wandering around a gym she was obviously unfamiliar with. I picked up on a hint of loneliness. 

I wanted to know why the most beautiful woman in the world was lonely. 

 

Forever Friend Zoned Cover Reveal

Happy Friday, so excited to share my first cover reveal of 2021. Check out this sexy romance cover, I love it.

Once the fat kid, but now a personal trainer.

I took all of that crap from the past and turned it into a goldmine.

My body, namely.

And there���s one girl I want that rejected me over and over.

Lucky for me, the beauty is on the heels of a terrible breakup.

Yes. I mean, aww���

Her parents are pushing her to go to the gym to lose some weight. Boy, do I know how that feels. And guess who���s waiting for her when she gets there?

That���s right. Me. The forever friend-zoned guy.

But I have no ill will toward my curvy first love.

I only want what���s best for her. Namely, me. *wink*

So the game begins, and I���m lucky to be in the coach���s shoes this time.

She has no clue who I am, but sparks fly high.

No way in hell I���m telling her I���m the guy she remembered rejecting.

���Cause I���m not out for revenge. I just want what I���ve always wanted���

Her.

Grab Pretend To Be Mine Now! Fan Pricing ends tonight.

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"This adorable story has a ton of family drama, but surprisingly little angst."

"Pretend To Be Mine by C. Morgan is a captivating, sweet story, with a roller coaster ride of emotion and family drama."

"This is a fun, satisfying read by a relatively new, but very talented author C. Morgan. Sit back and enjoy this well written story. This is 5 stars."

"A fake romance, Paris, emotions flying and a captivating storyline that burns up the pages. Rylan and Natalie are gonna knock your socks off. I will definitely be recommending this little gem."

"Another good story about believable and likable characters. I have enjoyed reading this story and I look forward to reading more."

"Another great story in this series. A great story with just the perfect amount of drama to keep you reading."