Stevie was alone in George's office. He leaned against the d
"Sophie, we're concerned about your ratings. You need more s
"Stevie," she protested, "there have been no ratings release
"But they're coming up and we're afraid they won't be as goo
Sophie sighed. "And?"
"We've got another way to add spark to the show. But I don't
Sophie threw up her hands. "Another on-air surprise. Maybe w
Stevie smiled and grabbed a legal pad. "Yeah, maybe. I'll jo
"Just dandy." Sophie grabbed her stuff and stalked to the st
"What was that? Today's topic is hippos?"
Sophie frowned at Gene. Sometimes his distraction affected h
He handed her the public service announcements and sponsor m
Sophie missed Melina's signals. She missed Melina.
She missed Parker.
She settled into her seat and adjusted her headphones and mi
"Welcome to WNRK's Rant and Rave. The show that gives you a
The door opened. Sophie figured an engineer needed to adjust
"Actually, Sophie, I think we need to start with Rave today.
Sophie jerked her head up. "Parker?" He sat across from her,
"We need to today. I feel like being positive." He glanced a
"Desiree, from Boston." Sophie noticed the producer seemed u
"Desiree, go ahead."
"About time you returned, Parker. Sophie told us you were go
"Thanks, Desiree. You're one of my favorite listeners." He l
"Hey, man. Whatcha doin' to my Sophie-girl? Breakin' hearts
"What's this, Sophie? A rival?"
Sophie couldn't pretend nothing had happened. "What do you c
The apprehension on his face deepened. "I was stupid."
"No argument there."
"Ouch. How can I convince you I changed?"
Mare's words drifted back to her. "...People like Parker. Wi
"I believe you could change. But it would take some convinci
"I spoke to my father. We're cool. And he and Fawn are back
"Good for them." She was happy for them. And if she dug deep
"Sophie," Gene broke in, "there's a caller here who has a go
"Okay." She glanced at the computer screen. "Mary, go ahead.
"I think Parker should propose to you. Then you'd be convinc
Since Mare made no attempt to disguise her voice, the setup
But she was going to make him do the whole thing.
Parker grinned, but his fear was still visible. "That's an e
"Sophie, I've done a lot with my life professionally. I've l
"You liar," she managed to choke out. "You were terrified be
"Well, yeah, but I was happy underneath that."
Sophie heard laughter and saw the whole station staff gather
"When I lost you—"
"When you pushed me out of your life."
"When you weren't there any more, I knew what a fool I was.
She waited long enough to build suspense in the listeners—th
"I love you, too." He kissed her, then pulled her to her fee
Stevie opened the door again and confiscated the microphone.
Natalie J. Damschroder
Natalie J. Damschroder became a writer the hard way—by avoid
Shortly after graduating from college, however, she found he
More can be found at www.nataliedamschroder.com.
* * * *
Don't miss Kira's Best Friend, by Natalie J. Damschroder,
Available from Amber Quill Press, LLC
Kira MacGregor left the boredom of Brook Hollow for the exci
Jake has loved Kira all his life, and has waited in vain for
Or so she thinks.
Drawn home for what she intends to be a temporary extended s
AMBER QUILL PRESS, LLC
Quality Books, Print And Electronic
Horror
Romance
Fantasy
Mainstream
Young Adult
Science Fiction
Suspense/Thriller
Action/Adventure
Non-Fiction
Paranormal
Historical
Western
Mystery
Erotica
Buy Direct And Earn Free Books!
www.amberquill.com
If you are connected to the Internet, take a moment to rate
Table of Contents
Amber Quill Press
Sophie's Playboy
Also By Natalie J. Damschroder
DEDICATION
CHAPTER 1
"Quick. Before they send me another one." She ushered Kira a
They continued on a few blocks and settled at their usual ta
Sophie sighed. "I know all that, Keer. I meant, your obstacl
Kira shook her head, but her smile wouldn't go away, even as
"It's been a while since you've come home for a visit," Kira
Parker grunted. Jason's fiancée was a certified socialite, b
"Shooters!" Darlene stomped her foot and pouted. Jason comfo
Sophie also played great golf, and was smart enough not to m
Biff moved ahead of her to find his ball, which had rolled o
"This promotion has been a disaster," Stevie was saying over
Melina aimed a finger at her and Sophie recognized it as "ta
"You've got a point there, Bruce. On the other hand, I get r
"I don't think your callers understand the purity of golf, S
Stevie and Melina entered the room through opposite doors.
CHAPTER 2
The instant vanished under the proprietary gleam of Vanessa'
"We got an overwhelming response to your show," Stevie expla
She and her lawyer attended another meeting at the station a
Once she was done at MMT, she immediately went to work at WN
"A little of both, I think. We'll set a theme, but it might
Sophie transferred her chewing from her tender lip to her ov
"That's fascinating stuff, Kyle, and information we did not
"Can you be more specific? Rick just told us about all the t
Sophie grinned at his flirtatious tone. "This isn't dial-a-d
"Are you a playboy, Parker?" She grimaced as soon as the wor
Sophie stood and stretched. "No, energized. How do you guys
* * * *
Parker set his wine glass on the table and zapped the TV wit
When she didn't respond, he could almost hear her eyes narro
CHAPTER 3
"Sure. Biff gets approached for money all the time, now it's
That was like an invitation to open the floodgates. A couple
Still, she understood what he was getting at. "Chuck, you ma
That was odd.
Biff stood near the front of the room and raised his hands f
Geez, she couldn't believe she was thinking like that! The f
"I know who you are. I mean, I know who I know you are. But
"Why?" But she sat.
"Which is why you now Rant and Rave," he finished for her, m
"You're welcome." He took the jacket, but didn't stand. "So,
"Hello, Joe, what's your rant?"
Sophie laughed. "That's between you and your wife. Thanks fo
"Well, good. I was having a hard time coming up with a compl
"Depends on the woman. And the circumstances. Are there pets
CHAPTER 4
grayscale(100%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share
Sophie's Playboy Page 33