by Isabel Jolie
It all goes to show, it’s a bumpy journey.
Thanks so much for reading.
Xoxo,
Izzy
P.S. If you enjoyed Jason and Maggie’s story, please feel free to leave a glowing review of awesomeness. Reviews mean everything to an Indie author, especially one just starting out.
The McLoughlin Charity
Curious about the McLoughlin Charity? It’s under FBI investigation, and you can read all about it in Chasing Frost, the fifth and final book in the West Side Series. Read on for a Sneak Peek.
Sneak Peek - Chasing Frost
Chapter 1
Chase
The mammoth diamond on her ring finger disperses rays of light, spinning magenta and yellow flecks of color across the marble ballroom floor. She alternates between patting and fondling my forearm, while her ring-bearing hand lifts the champagne glass unnaturally high. My bow tie feels too tight, and my feet ache in these stiff dress shoes. If I get my way, these overpriced oxfords will never be broken in.
I search the crowd for my boss, and the arm patter’s husband, Tom Bennett. My boss, the CEO of the accounting firm I work for, is the whole reason I’m here at this charity event. It’s a good cause, and I remind myself of that every time Tom buys several tables at these fundraising events and fills them up with BB&E employees.
Senator McLoughlin is his buddy. I get it. They went to college together. Someone McLoughlin loved died from cancer. I get all of it. Support your friends. But does every charity event require participants to dress like dolled up penguins?
Bennett’s wife continues on, pausing to adjust her dress before she has a wardrobe malfunction of the Janet Jackson variety. My buddy Cal looks over and I raise my glass to him, sending silent pleas for him to rescue me.
This is cocktail hour. In an estimated ten minutes, the oversized oak banquet room doors will open, and I’ll get a chance to see how I’m faring in my boss’s eyes. Today, I’m hoping he’s thinking I’m doing a shit job and I get the table with the company peons. Bennett’s wife is too touchy-feely for my taste. I doubt he cares what she does, based on how he acts when he’s out with his buddies, and the fact he stands nowhere near her at events like this, but there’s no reason to test his hypocrisy.
Cal walks up and Bennett’s wife shines a commercial-worthy white smile his way. Multiple sparkling tennis bracelets slide down her arm as she reaches out for him. Thank fuck for the diversion. As Cal engages her in conversation, I tabulate the estimated value of the diamonds dripping on Mrs. Bennett. I know how much one of those tennis bracelets cost because my dad bought my mom one for their fortieth. She’s got large diamonds on her ears, around her neck, fingers, and wrists. For Tom’s sake, I hope some of that shit’s fake, cause if it isn’t, the dude’s either going broke or he’s into something illegal. But, then again, maybe our CEO fares better at bonus time than I realize.
If all that’s real, the woman must give a damn good blow job. Plump and glistening in gloss.
Mrs. Bennett lightly squeezes my bicep, “What do you think Chase?”
I have absolutely no idea what she’s talking about. Cal saves me, and his shit-eating smirk tells me he knows he’s doing me a solid.
“Maitlin, didn’t you try the keto diet once? You weren’t a fan, were you?”
“Years ago. I tried it. Very difficult to keep up. But, what are you talking to us about diets for?” I flash her my charming, but purposefully not flirty, smile. “You’re lovely. You keep eating healthy and exercising, as you obviously do, and you’ll keep making all the ladies jealous.” She smothers a giggle and tilts her head while batting her extremely long eyelashes, and the save is complete. Only, she inches closer and we have at least six more minutes before the doors open and the dinner portion of the evening begins, when the sentimental videos play and the tears and checkbooks follow.
“So, I’ve been asking all the men, doing my own sort of survey. Do you use those dating apps? It’s been so long since I’ve been single, I’m so curious about the dating world these days.”
“Yeah, I use a few.” I dutifully answer. Cal smirks.
“Oh, can I see your profile? I’m just so curious.”
The answer to her question would be a hell to the no, but I’m saved when Evan Mitchell, our CFO, walks up with a twenty-something femme fatale in a sleek form-fitting long gown. She is not his wife, and she just made this boring charity event worth attending.
“Good evening.” I nod to Evan. I reach my hand out to the hot commodity at his side. “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure. Chase Maitlin.”
Her slender fingers slip into mine and hot damn. I’m not even sure where to look first. She’s all-natural, with glossy pale pink lips and a rosy blush to her cheeks. Her sleek, dark hair is pulled back, revealing an elongated neck and demure solitaire diamond earrings. Her arms are lightly sculpted. Not in a weightlifter kind of way, but a way that says this girl can do some push-ups and pull-ups and probably run a marathon too. As a fellow gym rat, color me intrigued.
“Sydney Frost.” Her hand leaves mine and she places those dark eyes on the others in our group. Frosty. I like it.
“Sydney will be joining our firm, filling Tad’s role.”
“Welcome.” I grin. Excellent. She’s gorgeous. Probably out of my league. But, as my main man Michael Jordan says, you lose one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take. I’ll need to play it right. Working together will be a great opportunity to get to know her. Get in the best position for the free-throw line. Of course, these days, working together can also be a highly sensitive situation, and makes it easier to foul.
Cal extends his hand. He’s got a gold ring on his finger, that omnipresent ball and chain, so he’s no competition, no matter how much Frosty here seems to prefer him right now. Evan excuses himself, saying something about needing to find his wife and to please introduce Sydney to any other BB&E employees we run across.
Unfortunately, when Evan leaves our little group, Mrs. Bennett takes a step closer, almost separating us from Cal and my newfound shiny object.
“So, your phone? Can I see?” she says softly as if the other two can’t hear her if she lowers her voice.
Frosty raises one dark, thick, perfectly shaped eyebrow.
“Mrs. Bennett is curious about the online dating scene,” I explain. “She’s taking a survey, trying to ascertain how today’s singles meet.”
“Oh, I’m sure someone like Sydney must have a boyfriend waiting in the wings.” Mrs. Bennett’s words are gracious, but there’s something about her stance that’s reminiscent of a feral lioness.
“No.” A barely-there smile graces those pale, pink shapely lips. “I just moved here. No boyfriend.”
“Oh.” Mrs. Bennett’s response has a hard edge to it.
Cal breaks the tension. “Can I get either of you ladies something to drink from the bar? We should be sitting soon.”
Both of the women smile graciously, declining his offer while sizing each other up.
“So, what about you Sydney? Does a single woman like you resort to dating apps? Are you one of those girls desperately seeking a husband?”
Sydney’s shoulders shift back and her breasts rise. Cal turns his head, seeming to scan the crowd searching for someone as the two women glare at each other like opponents before the whistle blows.
“A husband? No, I can’t say that’s something I want.”
“Probably for the best. So, no dating apps? No desire to meet a partner of any sort, for any activity?” Mrs. Bennett rests her fingers along my forearm and inches closer to me. My collar tightens around my neck when it hits me she’s insinuating some kind of activity with me.
“Me? No. If I want sex, then I have sex. No app required.”
I almost spit out my gin and tonic as Sydney twists and walks away, her tight ass swaying beneath her silk slip gown, sans panty lines.
It’s official. I’m in lust.
Chapter 2
Sadi
e
Sunday afternoon, I ring the buzzer on a nondescript Park Avenue office building. The basement row is filled with small offices for a variety of medical practices, such as physical therapy and chiropractor services. A small index card taped on the outside touts the therapeutic benefits of massage and the hours for unit 6A. Above the offices, condos reside.
The buzzer rings and I look into the camera above the panel. A man’s voice comes through the speaker.
“Yes?”
“Frost here.”
The buzzer sounds and I lift the stainless steel handle and push on the door with one last glance down the wide city street. At the end of the hall, towards the back of the building, is the small office the FBI occasionally uses for meeting up with undercover operatives. I won’t return to the NYC field office until after I’m off this case, to ensure my cover isn’t blown.
Agent Hopkins opens the door before I reach it. He holds his hand out. “Agent Keating.”
His voice is low, and no one is in the hall, probably even in any of these offices given it’s a Sunday, but all the same, I’d prefer he not use my real name. But, what do I know? This is my first undercover case.
I step past him into the small room. There’s a square faux wood table, four black standard office chairs, and several cabinets along two walls. The office has no window, and I happen to know it has reinforced soundproof walls. It’s a small, protected meeting place. A door to a bathroom is in the far corner, near the small hotel-like kitchenette, with a microwave, Keurig, and mini-fridge.
“How’d last night go?”
I pull the nearest black chair out and set my folder and notepad on the table.
“No issues. McLoughlin raised over three million. Impressive haul.” Hopkin’s blank expression tells me he already knew that. “Evan Mitchell introduced me to several key players. He had me seated at a table with many of the accountants.” The balding middle-aged Chief Financial Officer had been nice enough.
“Anyone of interest yet?”
“No one not already on our radar. None of the employees I met said anything of relevance to the case. I got the feeling Tom Bennett’s wife might be having an affair with Chase Maitlin.” The tall, skinny Chief Executive had barely acknowledged my existence, so any conversation hadn’t been possible.
“Really?” This seems to amuse Agent Hopkins as much as anything, based on the smirk on his face. Men.
“I don’t have any evidence. But she acted like a woman defending her lover when I came around. She couldn’t keep her hands off Maitlin, and her husband was in the room. I never noticed Bennett watching them though, so either he doesn’t care or I might be off track. All of Bennett’s attention centered on Senator McLoughlin.” The Illinois senator starred as the biggest celebrity in the room. Bennett was hardly the only attendee clamoring for the charismatic Senator’s attention. “I didn’t get a good read on Maitlin. He sat at the table with all the executives, including Bennett and Mitchell. I found that interesting because when looking at the org chart, I wouldn’t have expected he’d be seated with all the big wigs.” It wasn’t difficult to see why Mrs. Bennett would seek Maitlin out. He was a good looking guy. He didn’t seem to be returning her interest, but doing so at an event with her husband present would be the height of stupidity. And, he even though he didn’t appear to be attracted to her, he gave her more attention than her spouse.
“Who all was at Maitlin’s table?”
I push my note’s summary to him. He’s also got it uploaded on the intranet.
“Cooper Grayson, John Fisher, and their wives. All Chicago business executives. There was another guy I hadn’t seen before who was there without a date. His name is Elijah Mason.”
“Yeah, we’re looking into him. He owns a medical supply business.”
“Did you check to see if he’s a Stanford alum? That seems to be a connection between all of them.”
Operation Quagmire initially started as a public corruption investigation into Senator McLoughlin. The Senator is a rising political star and a Chicago big wig with ties far and wide. As the Chicago public corruption team uncovered more about his business dealings, the operation expanded to include investigating an additional business, a real estate development group. Coincidentally, that business is also owned by a Stanford alum, and close friend of the senators.
“Elijah Mason’s name didn’t come up in the alumni directory. His business is a major contributor to the McLoughlin Charity, and the charity is one of their big clients. One more circular business. McLoughlin remembers his friends. You set in your new apartment?”
“Yes.” I transferred to the New York field office one week ago. I’d been tempted to use my real apartment during this operation. This is a white-collar crime case, and it’s unlikely anyone’s going to be following me home to ensure I am who I say I am. But, it turns out the FBI apartment is somewhat close to Maitlin’s place, and he’s our prime suspect. Being in close proximity could allow for some impromptu run-ins.
When I met Chase last night, he didn’t strike me as a criminal. However, dating his boss’s wife would be indicative of low integrity and poor judgment. And, as we all know, criminals don’t have a look. They come in all shapes and sizes.
*To be continued*
Chasing Frost to be released January 2021
About the Author
Isabel Jolie, aka Izzy, lives on a lake, loves dogs of all stripes, and if she’s not working, she can be found reading, often with a glass of wine in hand. In prior lives, Izzie worked in marketing and advertising, in a variety of industries, such as financial services, entertainment, and technology. In this life, she loves daydreaming and writing contemporary romances with strong heroines.
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Also by Isabel Jolie
The West Side series shares the love stories of a group of friends living on the west side of Manhattan.
When the Stars Align
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/when-the-stars-align-3
The first book in the West Side Series, When the Stars Align is a second chance, friends to lovers romance, and shares Jackson and Anna’s love story.
Trust Me
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?query=trust+me+isabel+jolie
The second book in the West Side Series, Trust Me is a billionaire romance with a touch of romantic suspense, and shares Sam and Olivia’s love story.
Walk the Dog
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/walk-the-dog-1
The third book in the West Side Series, Walk the Dog is a single dad romance, and shares Mason and Delilah’s love story.