Read Chapter 1 of Ringing in the New Years
Chapter 1
Liam
The day after Christmas, I sat in my usual booth at Dutch���s Coffee House, typing my heart out. The small and quaint dive was nestled in the heart of Publisher���s Triangle, where good writers go to die and the great go to be discovered.
Dutch���s had been an establishment and a legend long before I ever came to New York City, and even though newer coffeehouses and trendy drinks had nearly put him under, Dutch Kirk, the coffee shop owner, had managed to keep it alive.
The atmosphere of the place was quiet, nothing but slurps and the clicking of keys for minutes on end, with the occasional ���Aha��� or growl of frustration interrupting someone���s flow. Day in and day out, writers gathered, working on whatever dreams they were chasing.
I finished a paragraph and was about to get up for more of Dutch���s dark roast when I looked up to see the prettiest girl ever approaching the counter. She had hair that was deep chestnut and a voluptuous figure that nearly brought me to my knees to worship her.
���I see you���re making your usual rounds,��� said Dutch, who sat behind the counter, waiting for the next customer with a newspaper in his hands.
The woman smiled and reached into her bag. She pulled out an envelope and passed it over to Dutch, who took it with a big smile on his face. ���Yeah, thanks.��� He didn���t seem too impressed, and I would have thought she was serving him with some kind of bill or legal subpoena if the envelope hadn���t been black and gold, more of a fancy invite than anything else. ���How about a cup for the road?��� he offered.
The woman scrunched her nose. ���No, thanks, Dutch. Have a good one.��� She turned and left without so much as a look in my direction, and I couldn���t help but watch her all the way to the door.
���Who was that?���
���Keep your eyes in your head. That, my friend, was the yearly courtesy call.��� He walked over to the trash and was about to drop the invitation inside.
I reached out. ���Wait! What is that?���
���This?��� He shook the envelope. ���This is what you get when you���ve had a business in this neighborhood for thirty-five years. This is an invitation from Griffin Lords for his annual New Year���s Eve party.���
Griffin Lords owned Lords Brothers Publishing, one of the top publishing firms in the city. Even though Dutch wasn���t a writer, at least that I���d ever known, he���d have to be crazy not to want to attend. ���A party. Why don���t you go? It���s right down the street.���
Dutch furrowed his bushy gray brows. ���No, thanks. I don���t belong up there with those fancy people anymore. An old man like me? My first wife had me drag her there once, and it was such an ordeal. Not my bag.��� He waved his hand dismissively as if it were the last thing he���d want to do.
I couldn���t help but think the woman who delivered the invite was going to be there. ���Then at least give it to me. I���ll put it to good use.���
Dutch grinned. ���You know, that���s a good idea. You belong at this kind of thing, a handsome young man like yourself.��� He walked over and handed me the envelope. ���Good luck, Liam. Maybe you���ll rub the right elbows to help promote that smut you write.���
���It���s not smut,��� I said with a growl of frustration, handing him my cup to be refilled. Dutch had teased me ever since I told him I wrote romance. He had the archaic attitude that all romance needed to be written by desperate housewives and lonely-hearted women. ���It���s romance. Women want a little bit of steam, and I like the idea of showing them that romantic alphas still exist.���
Dutch walked over to the coffeepot and poured. ���I���m just teasing. Do you know how many of you come through my doors?���
���There���s only one me, Dutch. And I���m going to go to this party and see if I can���t change my destiny. At least meet some new people and get away from this corner table for a night.��� Since coming to the city only six months ago, I had only met a handful of people, most of whom were other writers in the same big ocean of undiscovered as me.
When you keep swimming in the same waters with the same fish, you get nowhere. It takes getting into the deep waters before you really get noticed, and then you better hope you don���t get eaten by the sharks. I was willing to step outside of my comfort zone to make things happen, especially if it meant talking to the woman who had come into the shop.
���Well, I wish you the best,��� said Dutch, passing me the coffee. ���And if you get tossed out, don���t tell anyone I sent you. I���ll say you fished that thing out of the trash and crashed it all on your own. I don���t need Griffin Lords pissed off at me.���
���It almost sounds like you two have a past.��� His expressions when he mentioned the man���s name were suspect.
���I know him. We used to talk now and then when he owned this building. He finally got out from under it, and thankfully, I like my new landlord better. Anyway,��� he said, glancing down at the invite. ���You have a good time and try to find a pretty girl to kiss at midnight.���
I grabbed my cup and carefully walked it back to my table. As I tried to focus on my story, all I could think about was that gorgeous woman, her curves demanding attention. I was just the man for her. She just didn���t know it yet.
A fleeting thought entered my mind. What if she already had a man in her life? There hadn���t been a ring on her finger, had there? It didn���t do me any good to sit there thinking. I���d find out everything I needed to know soon enough. I wasn���t going to the party to further my career as much as I was going to find that woman���the girl my fantasies were made of.
