ROMANCE: Romantic Comedy: Love in 30 Days - The Best Plans Don't Always Work! (Plus 19 FREE Books Book 13)

by Jane Keeler

  The temptation to throw it into the fire was high but she had to read it, she just had to.

  She pulled the crisply folded parchment out and began to read.

  Dearest Annalise,

  I intend to approach your uncle tomorrow and ask for your hand. I fell in love with you, I believe, the moment I saw you climbing that apple tree and laughing down at me.

  I know you likely don’t want marriage, and fear it too. I don’t blame you if that is how you feel but at the risk of sounding like a dowager spouting out her charge’s assets, I love you. I think people do better when they have no secrets, no matter how deep those secrets might be or for what reason they are kept and I think we have no secrets now.

  I shall cherish you and be patient. I shall never try to hinder you from being yourself, because it is you that I love. Your reading and tendency to talk politics and your love of horses and rescuing kittens all appeal to me more than I can say.

  But more than that, I love you for your bravery, your incredible and immense courage in the face of adversity so great.

  Please say I might talk to your uncle tomorrow.

  Forever yours,

  Henry.

  Happy tears ran down her face and her back gave off a powerful ache that made her gasp. Lucy, standing nearby said, “It’s nearing time Miss.”

  “I know. Quick, fetch me a quill and paper!”

  Lucy went to the ask and came back with the little writing box. Annalise pulled a sheet of parchment out and wrote one single word.

  Yes.

  “Take this to him Lucy,” she said.

  Lucy shook her head. “No I must stay.”

  Annalise laughed. “I shall be right here when you return. Hurry before the man I love changes his mind!”

  Lucy said, “He knows, doesn’t he? And loves you anyway?”

  Annalise could barely speak. “Aye he does.”

  Lucy took the paper and ran.

  *** THE END ***

  Back to Contents

  Book Fifteen

  Back to Contents

  LUST FOR THE WRONG LOVER

  By Sarah Styler

  The day that I met Kennedy had been an exhausting day for me. I was a PR agent and had back to back client sessions that had made me want to pull my hair out. Hollywood stars seemed to be getting more and more needy lately. I was stunned when I first saw him, though.

  I was at a stockholder's meeting with a date. A man my mom had set me up with. It was our second date and we hadn't really hit it off at the first.

  We met there, while my date was at the bar and I was left alone at a table for four. He sat down, smoothly, and proceeded to put his hand over the chair next to him.

  "May I sit?" he asked.

  "It looks like you already have."

  "Well I would be amiss if I sat somewhere where I was unwanted."

  "No, you are not unwanted," I said, eying him up and down. There was an immediate attraction to him. He looked like he was well-built underneath his tuxedo and had a dashingly handsome smile. I loved the look of his hair and beautiful, crisp eyes. He was stunning and I couldn't take my eyes off of him. His eyes did not waver, either. He was looking my tiny frame up and down. Then he settled on my face, or perhaps was looking at my brunette hair.

  "I'm Kennedy Miller, a CEO over at Goldman Fischer," he told me. "I live in the city. How about you?"

  "I live outside of the city," I said.

  "You're a beautiful young woman," he said.

  "Well, thank you, but why do you say that?" I asked.

  "Because your date is coming back right now," he finished.

  Kennedy put his hand forward and shook mine over the tale as he stood a little, saying, "It's nice to meet you."

  "The same to you," I said in reply quietly. I wasn't a very shy or quiet person normally, but there was something about him that made me want to be a bit more reserved. He relaxed me, already and I could feel it. I wasn't even concerned over who my date thought this man might be.

  My date, Glenn, said, "No, stay a bit. Are you leaving?"

  He said, "Not if you don't want me to."

  "No, sit," Glenn replied.

  "Oh, alright," he said, sitting fully and easing back into his chair as he did.

  "I'm Glen and this is Corinne. She works as a PR agent and I'm a stockholder here."

  Kennedy said, with a nod, "That's something else."

  "Now, where are you from?" Glenn asked.

  "Me?" he asked, looking directly at me, now. He then looked away and said, "Norway, then I came here."

  "At what age?"

  "Six," he said.

  "That's why you don't have an accent," Glenn said.

  Kennedy nodded.

  "Do you ave fond memories of Norway?" I asked.

  "I hate the snow, that's for sure."

  Glenn laughed and I smiled, then said, "Then you're never going back?"

  "Never going back," he said.

  "That's too bad, I heard it's nice once you're a grown-up," I said.

  "I heard it'll be worse," he said with a bright smile on his face.

  "Where did you grow up?" Kennedy asked me.

  "I grew up here my entire life," I said.

  "I moved here and haven't lived anywhere else," he said.

  "I like asking funny questions, are you okay with that?"

  "I am."

  I said, "Let's start with a normal one."

  "Go ahead and ask me a normal one," he said with a nod.

  "Okay, then what's your favorite animal?" I asked.

  "I would have to say, the otter."

  "The otter, huh?"

  "Uh-huh," he said. "Yours?"

  "I like the wombat," I said.

  "A nice animal from down-under."

  "So, what's your least favorite animal?"

  "You like funny questions, don't you?" he said. After a moment's pause, he said, "The wombat."

  "What about you, Glenn?" I asked my date.

  Glenn looked at me, then back at his phone.

  He said, after a moment's hesitation, "I have to go, Corinne. I fee so bad. But something's come up."

  "That's fine," I said. "That's fine."

  "I'm so sorry I have to go, I am. I really liked our date."

  "It's fine," I repeated.

  "Would you like a ride back?"

  "That won't be necessary, I'll see my own way out."

  Kennedy said, "If I may--would you like me to keep you company for the rest of the party?"

  Glenn looked dejected, but I was ready to take Kennedy up on the offer.

  "Sure!" I said.

  "Then, I'll be seeing you," Glenn said and I got up and gave him a stiff, awkward hug. Soon, he was gone and I was sitting across from Kennedy.

  "So, more questions for me?" he asked.

  "I wish, Glen was the good one at questions."

  "Oh, Glen, I miss him already," he said with a tone of whimsy to his voice.

  "Oh, Glen."

  "Did you know him well?"

  "Second date," I said.

  "And yet you stayed with me to spend the evening with. I am flattered. Glen was a standup guy but you make me feel like even more of one. Thank you."

  I said, "Well, then you are welcome, though I didn't know that was what I was doing when I did it."

  "It was thoughtful, nonetheless."

  "It was," I agreed. "I'm happy to be of service."

  He chuckled and I moved my hands on the table, looking down at him. I looked back up at him to see a handsome man that I had a strong attraction to.

  "What does Goldman Fischer, where you work, do?"

  "A conglomerate of a few name brands. Not very interesting work, really. It's a lot of moving money around. What is it about being a PR agent that you like?"

  "Moving people around, I guess. I have to make sure they're going to their events and usually get to go to them myself. I like that about it."

  "Is it that you like the glamor?"

 
"There isn't much glamor to it. Oh, okay, I see. There is some. I see where you would get that. It is a bit glamorous, yes, and I suppose I like it."

  "I like big events like this one. I like people watching them."

  "Like that couple over there, not getting along well."

  "And those behind you, look," I did and he said, "they guys are closing a deal and their spouses are bored next to them. It's quite funny."

  "You can gain a lot from watching other people."

  "It tells you about yourself."

  "Exactly, exactly," he said.

  "What would you tell me about yourself right now if you had the chance?" I said to him with a soft, encouraging tone to my voice.

  "Well, I'm a multi-millionaire, but that's probably not what you meant," he said.

  "Not at all. Something deeper than that."

  "Deeper than that?"

  "Yes, that you don't like to share with the world. Is that too intimate of a question? If it is, I am sorry."

  "I thought you meant something deeper than that, anyways. Let's see... I watched a lot of anime as a kid and I totally regret it now. I should have done better things with my time. Plus, anime is trash."

  "You watched anime? What, as a kid-kid or older?"

  "A little older. Early teen."

  "Then that's not so bad," I said.

  "Really? I used to think I should hide that."

  I said, "Not anymore?"

  "Well, I might still hide it, even if you think it is fine, other people might think it's a little weird."

  "And you can't be even a little weird at your job?"

  He said, "Well, it's hard to if I want to have the respect of everybody that works for me."

  "That's true, I can see that."

  "Yeah, it is exhausting being someone else for meetings everyday, but--" he stopped, then said, "Why am I telling you all of this?"

  "Why?" I said. "I think you're comfortable with me."

  "I think I'm comfortable, too."

  "I like that," I said.

  He nodded and said, "I like it, too. I like a lot about tonight. You make me feel.... very amazing."

  "Well, if I make you feel amazing then I'm happy. It means the world to me , for some strange reason. I mean, you're a near stranger but, but--"

  He cut me off, "You just feel this way?"

  "I just feel this certain way..." I said, not saying enough.

  "I feel it, too," he said. We held one another's hands briefly. His hand had found mine and I opened my fingers for him to put his palm against mine. We held hands for a few silent moments and then I looked at him, smiling.

  "You remind me of someone I know," I said. "I just don't know who."

  "I would hope that I wouldn't remind you of anyone. I want to be unique in your special eyes."

  "Oh, don't worry about that. You certainly are."

  We released one another's hands and enjoyed one another's quiet presence for a moment before I broke our silence.

  "So, I know your favorite and least favorite animals."

  "Correct."

  "I'll question you again if that's alright."

  "That's alright."

  "When did you become CEO?"

  "Thirty, I've been at it for four years."

  "You don't look your age," I said.

  "What?" he asked. "Older?"

  "Younger, younger," I said with a laugh.

  "When did you become a PR agent?"

  "Twenty-two. I'm thirty, now."

  "And you don't look your age, either."

  "Ah, thank you," I said.

  "So, what do you think about all of the things you learned in school and never use in day to day life," he said. "I doubt your job has much of that stuff."

  "I've never really thought about the stuff I learned in high school, you're right."

  "I like to think about the things that we get taught but don't use, a lot. Sorry."

  "No, no sorry needed. It's a cool observation. Sometimes I wonder things like that."

  "Like what?"

  "Like what life would have been like if I didn't waste my time getting a degree. I got the jobs I've gotten based on what I've done for myself, never from school."

  "You got a degree?"

  "In literature," she said.

  "But I doubt you use that in PR."

  "Nope, not a bit."

  He laughed, "Exactly."

  "So, what other odd things do you wonder about?"

  "Odd things I wonder about? Well, the relationship of the zodiac to science."

  "Yeah, is it connected or what?"

  "Is it real, is what I want to know. I wish science would touch on it."

  "What are you?" I asked.

  "A Leo, you?"

  "Aries."

  "Aries, huh? Two fire signs, very nice."

  "Indeed," I said. "We'll just wreak havoc."

  "No, I think we'll just have more sparks than most people."

  "I think we already have," I said.

  "Do you?" he asked.

  "Oh, yes."

  "So what are your goals with PR?"

  "I don't really have any, I already work for Hollywood stars so I don't need to go higher up in the chain."

  "Do you ever want to use your literary degree?"

  "Oh, yes," I said. "To write a book."

  "You want to do that?"

  "I do."

  "That would be amazing. Would you let me read it?" he asked.

  I said, "First I have to make enough money to get the time off of work. I can't dedicate myself to it just at night. I want to write day in and day out."

  "I want you, too. That would be excellent."

  "It would be," I agreed. I asked, "What are your goals? You're top of the chain, too, it seems."

  "I've got things on the side that I do," he said.

  "Like what?"

  "Things I would like to see become realities. Goals."

  "What are they?"

  "I like to think that being CEO isn't my full-time job, but that being an apprentice sushi chef is."

  "You are?"

  "I am on the weekends."

  "That's quite interesting. So you want to go places with that?"

  "I do," he said. "I don't tell many people about things like that. I don't talk to people the way I talk to you, that's for sure."

  "I like the way you make me feel," I said.

  "I like the way you make me feel," he said.

  I lowered my gaze and his hand reached forward and held mine. It felt warm and unreal to me. I loved it and wanted more. He then moved it back and coughed into his hand. He had been looking at me with a stunning smile that reached his eyes.

  "You like where you live? You said out of the city."

  "Just outside of it, yeah. I don't necessarily like where I live but I like what I can do there. Do you know what I mean? There is just more space than what I would find in the city."

  "You would like my place, then," he said.

  "I would?" I asked.

  He said, "Yeah, it's pretty open. It's a penthouse in the middle of the city."

  "That sound really nice," I said. "I like the idea of that kind of place."

  "I did too, before I got it."

  "So you live there, now and are a CEO. Did you start from the bottom and get here or something else?"

  "I was always well off as a kid and that's partly how I was able to get the job. Because of my job, but I don't often talk about that."

  "It's fine to," I said re-assuringly.

  "I always worried a bit that I wouldn't have gotten some jobs without my dad's help," he told me.

  "You still got to where you are on your own in many ways, I'm sure."

  "I'm sure," he said, "if you are."

  "I am," I said.

  "How did you get into PR?"

  "My parents were photographers for big magazines and I just grew up around models and stars."

  "That's quite a childhood."

  "It was a fun one,"
I said.

  "I like that you had a good childhood, something about it makes me happy. Is that weird?"

  "It could be seen as weird, but I feel the same way."

  "I feel the same," he said.

  "It's good to finally connect with someone," I said, while putting my hand down on the table. His hand met mine and our fingers touched for a second before he retracted his hand.

  "I can only agree," he said.

  "You seem so familiar," I said to him, immediately opening up my feelings as I did.

  He then said, "Then what do you say we go to a better place than this. It's a lounge on the other side of the city, but I have a driver."

  "Well, there's nothing stopping me," I told him.

  We went to a lounge, talking the whole way, and when they looked up his name, they ushered him in. It was full of angular wall designs, partial openings in the ceilings where bauble glass lights hung, and low lighting. It was beautiful inside and comfortable to be in. We got two seats on a low couch with a small table in front of us and talked.

  We talked about ourselves and asked about one another equally, I would say. We were happy to find ways to get closer to one another, too. At one point his hand slipped and landed on mine and for a brief moment, he didn't move it. It felt warm and tender. I liked the feel of it on me and wished for it on my leg or breast. I longed for it immediately and wanted more. He moved it, though, and I stopped feeling the grasp of his fingers or push of his palm.

  Later in the night, though, his hand fell down to rest on my knee. He kept talking then looked surprisedly at his hand and moved it. For me it felt like a boiling sensation was happening within me and I could barely contain my excitement. He was everything I looked for in a man and more. He was exceedingly handsome, kind, and smart. He had quirks and I liked them. He would sometimes tickle his ear or run his hands through his hair when he was answering a difficult question.

  We ordered an assortment of small plates and enjoyed new american dishes like butternut squash ravioli and steak tartars. We enjoyed the food together and commented on its appeal and exquisite taste.

  "Do you like to go out to eat often?"

  "I do," he said. "I like to enjoy the finest things in life, since I can."

  "I like the idea of that," I said.

  He nodded his head, "It is a good notion."

  "I like to eat burritos and call that a meal."

  He said, "There's nothing wrong with that."