Susan Meier's Blog - Posts Tagged "puppy"
I Find Secrets Fasciating
When I began writing HIRED BY THE UNEXPECTED BILLIONAIRE, the editors and I thought Danny Manelli's story of being a brooding billionaire, who only recently discovered he was a dad...and ADOPTED...would steal the show.
Enter Marnie Olsen.
Some characters come to me full-blown. But rarely do they come with a story. Usually I have to make that up. But not so with Marnie.
She'd been the object of bullying in high school. That's not so unusual. But the reason for it was.
Her mom pulled her out of school, and she began using her mother's maiden name to get her life back. It worked, until she entered college and realized that someday she'd have to get a job. And in Manhattan, her tormenters would be ruling the world.
As a nanny, she found a way to earn a good living and keep all her secrets.
Until she goes to work for Danny Manelli. His life's too big, too public for her to hang around. But his son is adorable, so is his new puppy. And he's...well, he's everything.
Someday she's going to have to leave, probably disappear in the night, but just once she longs to see what it would be like to love someone and have them love her.
Marnie and Danny will make you laugh and cry.
Just the way I like a story. :)
Here's a universal link.
https://books2read.com/u/bwdQE9
Happy Reading
susan meier
Enter Marnie Olsen.
Some characters come to me full-blown. But rarely do they come with a story. Usually I have to make that up. But not so with Marnie.
She'd been the object of bullying in high school. That's not so unusual. But the reason for it was.
Her mom pulled her out of school, and she began using her mother's maiden name to get her life back. It worked, until she entered college and realized that someday she'd have to get a job. And in Manhattan, her tormenters would be ruling the world.
As a nanny, she found a way to earn a good living and keep all her secrets.
Until she goes to work for Danny Manelli. His life's too big, too public for her to hang around. But his son is adorable, so is his new puppy. And he's...well, he's everything.
Someday she's going to have to leave, probably disappear in the night, but just once she longs to see what it would be like to love someone and have them love her.
Marnie and Danny will make you laugh and cry.
Just the way I like a story. :)
Here's a universal link.
https://books2read.com/u/bwdQE9
Happy Reading
susan meier
Excerpt from HIRED BY THE UNEXPECTED BILLIONAIRE
I thought we'd try something different and pulled a passage from the middle of the book.
Enjoy...
The weekend passed quickly. Talking about their feelings seemed to work for Marnie. She was light, happy. Rex made it to Monday despite his sore gums. But at breakfast, Danny felt odd. All day Sunday, he’d reminded himself that his happiness around Marnie was relief. But at a certain point he had to admit that wasn’t true. He liked her and he’d basically warned her off.
He should have kissed her Saturday night.
If she’d quit, he could have asked her for a date.
If she hadn’t quit, they’d have figured something out.
But he’d taken the high road. And now look where he was. Watching the woman who filled his heart with joy play mother to his child. He might have only known her a few weeks, but they fit.
And he’d blown it.
It didn’t help that he spent Monday in court and returned home exhausted and grumpy. Rex spilled his juice. Wiggles peed on the floor. Marnie handled it all like the pro she was.
She retired to her room after putting Rex to bed. Danny walked to the family room, a large room in the back with a big screen TV and enough toys and games to entertain fifty people.
He tuned the television to a baseball game, racked the balls on the pool table and grabbed a cue stick from the holder.
He shot two games, groaning at the ineptitude of his favorite baseball team and trying to unwind.
“Hey.”
His gaze shot up when Marnie entered the room. “I’m sorry if I was too loud. I forgot I’m on your side of the penthouse.”
She meandered a bit closer. “It’s okay. I couldn’t hear you, but…” She bit her lower lip, a habit he’d observed she indulged when she was nervous. “Well, at dinner I noticed you were stressed.”
He straightened, searched for his next shot, then leaned over to take it. “That’s a natural result of spending a day in court. You have two sides who both believe they’re right.” He slid the stick between his fingers and smacked the cue ball into three other balls with a resounding crack. “I handle mostly estates so the only times I enter a courtroom are when relatives are fighting over money.”
He hit the cue ball again. The red ball flew into a pocket. He drew a satisfied breath. “Fighting families are the worst.”
“I’ll bet.” She plopped down on the sofa, tucking one leg under her butt and laying one arm along the back pillows. It was sweet that she wanted to talk him out of his stress, but she had no idea that the more he saw her, the more he wanted her, and right now she was playing with fire.
“But, honestly, I don’t have much family. My mom was an orphan. My dad single-minded. We didn’t host relatives for Thanksgiving. Our guests were his clients.”
He longed to talk about his day, hear about her life. But wasn’t that part of the problem? The connection they were making lured him in to want more.
He took another shot. “That sounds lovely.”
“It wasn’t.” She paused a beat. “What about you?”
He looked up. Her eyes were warm, her gaze friendly. If he didn’t answer, she’d know something was wrong.
“Before I met Leni and Charlotte, I didn’t have any brothers and sisters. My parents were never chosen by another birth mother. I did have oodles of cousins though.”
She came to attention. “Really? What’s that like?”
A memory of a week at the lake popped into his head, and—amazingly—he laughed. “Chaotic. There was only one girl cousin and we terrorized her.”
“You didn’t!”
“Hey, we were boys in the woods. If we found a snake, it wasn’t our fault that we wanted to show it off.”
She laughed.
Finished with his game, he should have gone to his room. Instead, with his muscles loosening and the stress of the day slipping away, he motioned to the table. Just like always, being with her did something to him. Something he liked. Something he needed.
“Do you play?”
She looked at her fingernails. “A bit.”
“Don’t tell me you’re a ringer.”
She pushed off the sofa. “No. But I have my days.”
She chose a stick and he let her break. She ended up with the striped balls and had four put away before he got his first turn.
Focused, he worked to get three in the pockets. Then she bent across the table to shoot and her yoga pants outlined her butt.
He took a quick breath and blew it out slowly.
She only sank one ball before she lost her turn. As he studied the table, she said, “What else happens in court?”
She had a good idea keeping the conversation neutral, but it didn’t work when she used that breathless voice.
“Lawyers try to trip up witnesses from the opposing side.” He took a shot, missed and wasn’t the slightest surprised.
She leaned across the table again. He looked at the ceiling. “Your job is essentially tripping people up?”
“No. My job is looking for loopholes, mistakes in thinking, and law, precedents, that support my position.”
“You’re a trickster.”
“No!” He thought of his dad and fought the urge to ball his hands into fists. “I’m the one who uncovers tricksters.”
“Much more interesting.”
The breathless voice was back. Most of the balls were in the pocket. Both would shoot for the eight. He suddenly wished he could stand back and just watch her. Her movements were easy, fluid. Her proficiency at the game a total turn-on.
She tried for the eight, missed. He ambled to her side of the table as she walked to his. They met at a corner that she’d taken too sharply and suddenly they were in front of each other, almost brushing, both breathing funny.
They’d had the talk about how they weren’t going to pursue anything romantic, but after a day in court with his nerves strung tight, his defenses worn down… He couldn’t for the life of him remember why he’d agreed to that—
No. He couldn’t remember why he’d suggested that.
Familiar feelings rumbled through him. Primal. Quiet. Resurrecting an instinct so deep it merged body and soul.
He was suddenly the man he’d been before he’d met his dad and discovered he had a child. For thirty seconds, he was just a guy with needs. A hunger for the pretty girl in front of him.
“I thought we weren’t going to do this.”
His voice came out rough as he said, “I can’t for the life of me remember why.”
“Neither one of us wants to be a cliché.”
“If that’s our only reason, it’s not a good one.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
MARNIE’S HEART POUNDED, making her chest tight enough she worried it would burst. They were so close she swore she could hear his heart beating. Everything had been good over the weekend, then he’d come home tired and out of sorts and something inside her had yearned to make him feel better.
She whispered, “You’re sure it’s not a good one?”
His head began to lower. “Very.”
When their lips met, a symphony of longing sang through her blood. Almost powerful enough to drown out her fears, it filled her heart, wove through her soul. Their connection was strong, but their attraction was stronger. She didn’t know how to fight it. Even when she reminded herself that he lived in a different world, part of her scoffed that he was a simple billionaire. Not one of the guys who attracted attention. And any private time she got with him would be worth it.
He deepened the kiss, his tongue delving into the recesses of her mouth. The longing intensified, whooshing through her, stealing her breath. Thoughts of where this was going, what they were doing should have terrified her. Instead, they stoked the flames of the fire.
He pulled away unexpectedly. She blinked up at him. Something wild and wonderful shivered between them. For a breath, she considered springing to her tiptoes and getting them back to kissing…but something serious had settled in his eyes.
“I think we both know where this was going and we both need to think about it some more.”
Drowsy, confused, she stepped back. After a second for his words to sink in, to remind her of consequences and ramifications, she said, “Yeah.”
He ran his hand through his hair. “I’m going to my room now.”
“Me too.”
As if he couldn’t take his eyes off her, he started backing toward the door. “See you in the morning.”
She nodded.
He left, and she stared at the door, her arousal subsiding, her needs mixing and mingling then breaking apart when she added her past and everything didn’t exactly mesh. Not only was he sexy and amazing, but he was a good person. Genuinely good. And she should be thankful he’d been levelheaded.
Even thoughts of his control sent warmth cascading through her. He could have taken advantage of her. She’d had that happen too many times to count, when the hole in her life left by her missing father had caused her to go looking for love all the wrong ways. His respect for her filled her eyes with tears and her soul with yearning.
For something she couldn’t have. Because she’d made a mistake. And that mistake followed her.
Enjoy...
The weekend passed quickly. Talking about their feelings seemed to work for Marnie. She was light, happy. Rex made it to Monday despite his sore gums. But at breakfast, Danny felt odd. All day Sunday, he’d reminded himself that his happiness around Marnie was relief. But at a certain point he had to admit that wasn’t true. He liked her and he’d basically warned her off.
He should have kissed her Saturday night.
If she’d quit, he could have asked her for a date.
If she hadn’t quit, they’d have figured something out.
But he’d taken the high road. And now look where he was. Watching the woman who filled his heart with joy play mother to his child. He might have only known her a few weeks, but they fit.
And he’d blown it.
It didn’t help that he spent Monday in court and returned home exhausted and grumpy. Rex spilled his juice. Wiggles peed on the floor. Marnie handled it all like the pro she was.
She retired to her room after putting Rex to bed. Danny walked to the family room, a large room in the back with a big screen TV and enough toys and games to entertain fifty people.
He tuned the television to a baseball game, racked the balls on the pool table and grabbed a cue stick from the holder.
He shot two games, groaning at the ineptitude of his favorite baseball team and trying to unwind.
“Hey.”
His gaze shot up when Marnie entered the room. “I’m sorry if I was too loud. I forgot I’m on your side of the penthouse.”
She meandered a bit closer. “It’s okay. I couldn’t hear you, but…” She bit her lower lip, a habit he’d observed she indulged when she was nervous. “Well, at dinner I noticed you were stressed.”
He straightened, searched for his next shot, then leaned over to take it. “That’s a natural result of spending a day in court. You have two sides who both believe they’re right.” He slid the stick between his fingers and smacked the cue ball into three other balls with a resounding crack. “I handle mostly estates so the only times I enter a courtroom are when relatives are fighting over money.”
He hit the cue ball again. The red ball flew into a pocket. He drew a satisfied breath. “Fighting families are the worst.”
“I’ll bet.” She plopped down on the sofa, tucking one leg under her butt and laying one arm along the back pillows. It was sweet that she wanted to talk him out of his stress, but she had no idea that the more he saw her, the more he wanted her, and right now she was playing with fire.
“But, honestly, I don’t have much family. My mom was an orphan. My dad single-minded. We didn’t host relatives for Thanksgiving. Our guests were his clients.”
He longed to talk about his day, hear about her life. But wasn’t that part of the problem? The connection they were making lured him in to want more.
He took another shot. “That sounds lovely.”
“It wasn’t.” She paused a beat. “What about you?”
He looked up. Her eyes were warm, her gaze friendly. If he didn’t answer, she’d know something was wrong.
“Before I met Leni and Charlotte, I didn’t have any brothers and sisters. My parents were never chosen by another birth mother. I did have oodles of cousins though.”
She came to attention. “Really? What’s that like?”
A memory of a week at the lake popped into his head, and—amazingly—he laughed. “Chaotic. There was only one girl cousin and we terrorized her.”
“You didn’t!”
“Hey, we were boys in the woods. If we found a snake, it wasn’t our fault that we wanted to show it off.”
She laughed.
Finished with his game, he should have gone to his room. Instead, with his muscles loosening and the stress of the day slipping away, he motioned to the table. Just like always, being with her did something to him. Something he liked. Something he needed.
“Do you play?”
She looked at her fingernails. “A bit.”
“Don’t tell me you’re a ringer.”
She pushed off the sofa. “No. But I have my days.”
She chose a stick and he let her break. She ended up with the striped balls and had four put away before he got his first turn.
Focused, he worked to get three in the pockets. Then she bent across the table to shoot and her yoga pants outlined her butt.
He took a quick breath and blew it out slowly.
She only sank one ball before she lost her turn. As he studied the table, she said, “What else happens in court?”
She had a good idea keeping the conversation neutral, but it didn’t work when she used that breathless voice.
“Lawyers try to trip up witnesses from the opposing side.” He took a shot, missed and wasn’t the slightest surprised.
She leaned across the table again. He looked at the ceiling. “Your job is essentially tripping people up?”
“No. My job is looking for loopholes, mistakes in thinking, and law, precedents, that support my position.”
“You’re a trickster.”
“No!” He thought of his dad and fought the urge to ball his hands into fists. “I’m the one who uncovers tricksters.”
“Much more interesting.”
The breathless voice was back. Most of the balls were in the pocket. Both would shoot for the eight. He suddenly wished he could stand back and just watch her. Her movements were easy, fluid. Her proficiency at the game a total turn-on.
She tried for the eight, missed. He ambled to her side of the table as she walked to his. They met at a corner that she’d taken too sharply and suddenly they were in front of each other, almost brushing, both breathing funny.
They’d had the talk about how they weren’t going to pursue anything romantic, but after a day in court with his nerves strung tight, his defenses worn down… He couldn’t for the life of him remember why he’d agreed to that—
No. He couldn’t remember why he’d suggested that.
Familiar feelings rumbled through him. Primal. Quiet. Resurrecting an instinct so deep it merged body and soul.
He was suddenly the man he’d been before he’d met his dad and discovered he had a child. For thirty seconds, he was just a guy with needs. A hunger for the pretty girl in front of him.
“I thought we weren’t going to do this.”
His voice came out rough as he said, “I can’t for the life of me remember why.”
“Neither one of us wants to be a cliché.”
“If that’s our only reason, it’s not a good one.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
MARNIE’S HEART POUNDED, making her chest tight enough she worried it would burst. They were so close she swore she could hear his heart beating. Everything had been good over the weekend, then he’d come home tired and out of sorts and something inside her had yearned to make him feel better.
She whispered, “You’re sure it’s not a good one?”
His head began to lower. “Very.”
When their lips met, a symphony of longing sang through her blood. Almost powerful enough to drown out her fears, it filled her heart, wove through her soul. Their connection was strong, but their attraction was stronger. She didn’t know how to fight it. Even when she reminded herself that he lived in a different world, part of her scoffed that he was a simple billionaire. Not one of the guys who attracted attention. And any private time she got with him would be worth it.
He deepened the kiss, his tongue delving into the recesses of her mouth. The longing intensified, whooshing through her, stealing her breath. Thoughts of where this was going, what they were doing should have terrified her. Instead, they stoked the flames of the fire.
He pulled away unexpectedly. She blinked up at him. Something wild and wonderful shivered between them. For a breath, she considered springing to her tiptoes and getting them back to kissing…but something serious had settled in his eyes.
“I think we both know where this was going and we both need to think about it some more.”
Drowsy, confused, she stepped back. After a second for his words to sink in, to remind her of consequences and ramifications, she said, “Yeah.”
He ran his hand through his hair. “I’m going to my room now.”
“Me too.”
As if he couldn’t take his eyes off her, he started backing toward the door. “See you in the morning.”
She nodded.
He left, and she stared at the door, her arousal subsiding, her needs mixing and mingling then breaking apart when she added her past and everything didn’t exactly mesh. Not only was he sexy and amazing, but he was a good person. Genuinely good. And she should be thankful he’d been levelheaded.
Even thoughts of his control sent warmth cascading through her. He could have taken advantage of her. She’d had that happen too many times to count, when the hole in her life left by her missing father had caused her to go looking for love all the wrong ways. His respect for her filled her eyes with tears and her soul with yearning.
For something she couldn’t have. Because she’d made a mistake. And that mistake followed her.
