THAT MAN: The Wedding Story

by L'Amour, Nelle

  Brandon

  After the focus group, I drive straight home. Before I dive into the season finale, I need to finish reading the script that’s shooting this week and go over my lines. In just two days, I’ll be on the set again, something that both excites and unnerves me.

  I pull my car into my garage and head into my adjoining house. I step into the kitchen and go straight to the fridge. I swing open the door and pull out a beer. Then, I meander to the living room. The sides that Zoey printed out are still on the coffee table where I left them. Twisting open the bottle cap, I sink into the couch and take a swig.

  I haven’t seen my assistant since the Katrina incident. After coming back from her meeting with her father, she avoided me like the plague and figured out a way to get all my requests done without having to see me. Maybe I should have asked her to undress me, but the smart-mouth would have probably told me: “Taking your clothes off is not part of my contract.” Nah-nah-nah-nah! The truth, disrobing me probably isn’t one of her job requirements. Whoever negotiated this contract should have their ass fired.

  My eyes shift to my sides. An uplifting thought crosses my mind. It’s almost a light bulb moment. I can ask her to rehearse my lines with me. She told me she does that as part of her job. Setting the beer down next to the sides folder, I slip my phone out from my jeans pocket and text her.

  I need u to help me with my lines. I’m home.

  I hit send and wait for a response. Nada. The little tease is playing games with me again. Tick. Tick. Tick. My patience is wearing thin. I text her again.

  COME NOW!

  My cock twitches as I type those two shouty words. And my pulse quickens. Why does this girl affect me? Considering Katrina and the gorgeous women I’ve been associated with in the past, she’s definitely not my type. Plus, she’s got the bristly personality of a porcupine. I’m always waiting for her to shower me with quills. Yet, inexplicably, I’m attracted to her—her lush curves and her sharp wit. Her fine ass and sass trump Katrina’s fine bones and class.

  Once again, she doesn’t respond. From where I’m sitting, I can glimpse her little house and the lights are out. Maybe she’s sleeping and doesn’t hear her phone. Or has it turned off. Or maybe she’s out with her boyfriend again. The unsettling thought rattles me. Mental note: Talk to her tomorrow and make it crystal-clear she must tell me where she is and what she’s doing at all times. Maybe throw in some restrictions. Like you can’t see your boyfriend while working for me.

  It’s late. Taking another chug of beer, I remove my sides from the folder and begin to study my lines. Repeating them over and over. Forget it. I take a deep, frustrated breath. I’ve gone over this scene a dozen times today, and I’m just not feeling it. And it’s shooting in just a couple days. It’s a flashback—a heavy-duty love scene between Kurt and his late wife Alisha. It takes place in their shower. It’s not like there are many lines. More moans and groans than words. But I can’t seem to instill the few lines I have with any real emotion and make them convincing. I sound passive when I should sound passionate. Apathetic when I should sound orgasmic. Have I lost it?

  Rehearsing the lines again, I have a small memory breakthrough. I hear the husky voice of my acting coach, Bella Stadler, telling me to draw from experience. Bring what you’ve lived to every part you play. If you need to feel sad and cry, think about your pet dog or a loved one that died. Thinking about putting down my lab Buddy or my parents’ fatal car crash is not going to help me. This is a love scene, a very sensuous one. From what I’ve read, me-the-player never did love…well, up until Katrina. I’ve loved her enough to ask her to marry me and exchange “until death do us part” vows, but still cannot remember a damn thing about our history or relationship. Thanks to my amnesia, it’s a void in my life. I feel nothing toward her. Dig deep, I tell myself. I try to remember. America’s It Girl doesn’t do it for me. Nothing comes to mind.

  Halfway into my next line, screams for help steal my attention. I listen carefully. A woman’s voice; the cries grow louder. They’re coming from the pool area. It must be Katrina. She told me she loves to take late night swims. My panic button sounds. Something’s wrong. Very wrong. Dropping the pages of the script, I fly out of my house.

  Adrenaline is pumping through my veins. I arrive at the pool in no time. Breathing hard, I need to reset my mental button. Katrina is there, but she’s not the one in trouble. It’s Zoey. Her body is floating across the surface of the water. I brush past my dumb-founded fiancée and, fully clothed, jump in. With a few adrenaline-powered strokes, I reach my assistant and immediately flip her onto her back and then manage to drag her through the water to safety. Cradling her in my arms, I hoist her lifeless body out of the pool onto the cement deck. In a rapid heartbeat, I’m by her side on my knees. All color is drained from her angelic face; she’s as limp as rag doll.

  “Zoey!” I shout out. No response. “Zoey!” Then it hits me.

  Panic grips me by the balls. “She’s not breathing!” I say aloud while a half-amused Katrina with her arms folded casually looks on.

  “Puh-lease. It’s just an attention-seeking act,” she snips.

  I think my fiancée is wrong. Not wasting a second, I begin to administer CPR. Having been a lifeguard before I was an actor, it’s something I know and remember how to do. Parting Zoey’s bowed, bluish lips, I immediately cover them with mine and breathe into her mouth. Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The kiss of life.

  “C’mon Zoey, breathe,” I plead as I take a brief reprieve to catch my own breath. Renewed with oxygen, my mouth goes back down on her hers. I resume breathing into it. My sinking heart almost beats out of my chest.

  “C’mon, Zoey,” I pray silently.

  Nada.

  Zoey

  “Zoey.”

  It’s God. His warm lips are breathing life back into me. His strong hands pump my heart rhythmically.

  “Breathe, Zoey, breathe!” The heavenly voice is louder, more desperate. He pumps me harder, faster, his soft lips touching down on mine once again.

  “C’mon, Zoey!

  All life is ebbing out of me. I’ve gone to a higher place.

  “Jesus Christ!”

  He’s called out his name. I’m with Mama. I’m His.

  ***END OF PREVIEW***

  UNFORGETTABLE

  NELLE L’AMOUR’S BESTSELLING NEW SERIES

  FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED

  (CLICK ON THE COVERS)

  FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE BESTSELLING THAT MAN SERIES, A NEW STEAMY COMEDY ROMANCE THAT WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH, CRY, AND SWOON!

  Brandon: I’ve just woken up from a life or death coma. And learned that not only am I Hollywood’s number one heartthrob, but I’m also engaged to America’s It Girl, Katrina Moore. She may be a blond goddess, but my mind can’t remember shit. And my cock doesn’t give a shit. Because my heart started beating for another the minute she came through the door.

  Zoey: Screw Brandon Taylor. Recovering from his hit and run accident, my demanding, egotistical boss is more of a jerk than ever. And with those violet eyes, more ridiculously panty-melting beautiful. As his personal assistant, I have to attend to his every whim and need as well as contend with his stuck-up fiancée. Life isn’t easy for me. Despite my visible size, I’ve always been invisible. Maybe, the amnesiac is beginning to remember. A girl can dream. No man is more unforgettable…in every way.

  Join Brandon and Zoey as their unlikely Hollywood fairy tale unfolds in three full-length books, all available now and FREE! on Kindle Unlimited. From Los Angeles to the South of France, their love story has it all—romance, passion, steamy hot sex, glitz and glamour, plus an adorable little dog and a murder that could unravel everything.

  GLORIA’S SECRET

  THE STEAMY AND SUSPENSEFUL USA TODAY BESTSELLING TRILOGY.

  GLORIA’S SECRET, Book 1, is FREE at all retailers.

  (CLICK ON THE COVERS)

  Gloria Long is the beautiful, self-made CEO of Gloria’s Secret, the world’s large
st retailer of lingerie. While her global emporium is famed for selling erotic fantasies, Gloria’s emotional scars inhibit her own sexual desires. Her powerful defenses melt when she meets Jaime Zander, the devastatingly gorgeous advertising guru, who is determined to win not only her account but also her heart by awakening her sexuality.

  A man who has never heard the word “no,” Jaime takes his creativity to the limit to make Gloria fall apart and fall for him. But major obstacles stand in the way—Gloria’s Secret’s ruthless Chairman, who covets Gloria and is out to destroy Jaime, as well as his manipulative sexpot daughter, who wants both Gloria’s job and her hot, new love. Complicating matters further, Gloria harbors a dark, horrific secret, that when exposed, will shatter both her empire and her life. Will she be able to have it all or will the walls come tumbling down?

  Don’t miss out on this steamy, suspenseful page-turner trilogy that will have you on the edge of your seat! An excerpt follows.

  I was off to a strong start. Just focus on the race. I forced myself not to take any breaths—a means of keeping him out of my field of vision and not letting him distract me. Kicking and stroking at torpedo speed, I flipped around at the other end of the pool and finally came up for a much-needed gulp of air. To my horror, there he was…several lengths ahead of me. Calling upon every muscle in my body, I caught up to him only for him to swim ahead of me one more time. He shot me a cocky smile on a breath as he passed me by. Damn him! I couldn’t let him win! Furiously, I propelled myself forward, stroking and kicking harder than I’d ever had. We were neck to neck. Breath to breath. Splash to splash. Every muscle in my body stung as I took my last stroke. My head shot out of the water. Clinging to the edge of the pool, I was panting like a dog. I couldn’t catch my breath. My waterlogged eyes fluttered. He was in my face. At the finish before me.

  “Get over here, you,” he rasped. Breathing heavy, he took me in his powerful arms and drew me against him. I was too exhausted to resist. My heart pounded against his; I hadn’t been this close to someone else’s heartbeat in years. Before I could say a word, he tilted back my head by the tail of my braid and crushed his mouth upon mine. The warmth of his breath heated mine. His kiss was passionate and fierce. I was panting into his mouth. Once again, I was losing control to this outrageous man. I don’t know why but I just let him do it. Even deepen the kiss as his tongue parted my lips. Inside my mouth, it did a synchronized swim with mine. Swirling and twirling. It was as if we had practiced these moves for years. He broke away, leaving me breathless for more.

  “Wrap your legs and arms around me and just relax.”

  Without questioning myself, I complied, folding my limbs around his broad shoulders and bum of steel. The buoyancy of the water helped hold me up.

  His glistening wet skin brushed against mine. I longed for his mouth. He read my mind. “Ms. Long, you obviously need to be kissed. And kissed often by a man who knows how.”

  In a heartbeat, he consumed my mouth again, sending carnal waves of desire to my core. I could feel his erection digging into me as I squeezed my legs around him. My hand fisted his slick wet hair. He moaned and I moaned back.

  I don’t know how long we stayed in this position, when a crotchety voice brought us abruptly to our senses.

  “I wish I could do that.”

  We had company. A slight, elderly, balding man, who was wearing swim trunks two sizes too big for him, was hunched over above us. My face flushed with embarrassment.

  “Don’t let age stop you,” chuckled my companion, not the least bit embarrassed.

  “Can you find me one as pretty as her?” cackled the octogenarian and then plowed into the pool with a loud splash-worthy belly flop. He swam away, in quite good form for a man his age.

  “Guess I won’t be able to fuck you here.”

  The F-word resounded in my head. Now what was I getting myself into? And why wasn’t I running away?

  Jaime hauled himself out of the pool and then helped me out. He wrapped me up in my fluffy white robe and then slipped on his. He held me against him, and again I was unable to resist. It felt so good to lay my head on his strong chest against the soft terry cloth.

  “Come on, let’s take a hot shower together,” he said softly in my ear.

  “In your suite?” I gasped.

  “No, here. There’s a great handicapped steam shower in the men’s room.” He pressed his heavy erection against me. “And right now, I’d say I’m handicapped.”

  Other Books by Nelle L’Amour

  (CLICK ON THE COVERS)

  Seduced by the Park Avenue Billionaire

  An Erotic Love Story

  Writing as E.L. Sarnoff

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  As I wrote the two little words, “The End,” tears filled my eyes. It was so hard to say good-bye to THAT MAN—Blake Burns. What a journey this has been! I have so many people to thank.

  Deep breath! This is going to be long and I hope don’t forget anyone.

  Usually, I thank them last, but this time they’re going first. My family. Thank you for putting up with me while I wrote and edited this epic story over the past year. My sweet girls, I’m sorry for all the crappy meals, the number of times I growled, “Leave me alone,” and all the times I told you to Uber home. A special shout out goes to my husband—my very own that man who picked up much of the mommy slack while I slaved at my computer. By the way, he’s convinced he’s Blake. I say wishful thinking, or should I say I wish. Regardless, thank you, babe, for your love and support—and for admittedly giving me some of my best Blake lines.

  My second heartfelt round of thanks goes to my amazing beta readers. Across the series, they include in alphabetical order: Kelly Butterfield, Michelle Coddington, Amber Lynn Escalera, Kashunna Fly, Kellie Fox, Alma Garcia, Tracy “Sunshine” Graver, Gloria Herrera, Wanda Kather, Cindy Meyer, Kim Pinard Newsome, Jen Oreto, Sheena Reid, Jasmine Roman, Jenn Moshe, Karen Silverstein, and Jeanette Sinfield. I’m blessed to have the best betas in the whole wide world. You are all so smart, funny, and insightful, and didn’t hold back for better or for worse. You have become more than betas; you have become my friends.

  Arianne Richmonde and Adriane Leigh, my two best writer friends (my BWFs) also deserve big hugs. Thank you for reading THAT MAN and for all your great suggestions. Most of all, thank you for keeping me sane and getting me through the many times I thought I could never write another word or finish. Trust me, only fellow authors understand the formidable challenge of writing a book, let alone a five-part series. I don’t know what I would have done without my besties, who listened to my rants as well as shared many laughs and glasses of wine.

  Many of you may remember that THAT MAN 1 first appeared in Love and Laughter, a romantic comedy anthology. I want to thank Zirconia Publishing and all the wonderful, hardworking authors who participated in that anthology and worked painstakingly together to make it a USA Today bestseller. These amazing ladies and a gent include Abi Aiken, Harper Ashe, Dez Burke, Adriana Hunter, Arianne Richmonde, Aubrey Rose, Marian Tee, and Terry Towers. Love to you all.

  The success of the THAT MAN series can also be attributed to the many hardworking bloggers who embraced Blake Burns and wrote wonderful reviews that helped spread the word. A special thanks to Mary Tatar of Love Between the Sheets Promotions who spearheaded my blog tours as well as wrote some of my favorite reviews. There are so many bloggers to thank, but I want to single out a few who have been with me throughout my writing career and who have gone out of their way to put THAT MAN in front of readers. They include in no particular order: Jen Oreto/Book Avenue Reviews, Becky Barney/The Fairest of All, Ellen Widom/The Book Bellas, Selene Cabadas/Sassy Girl Reviews, Gloria Herrera/As You Like it Reviews, Desirae Shie/Books, Chocolate, and Lipgloss, Jennifer Noe/The Book Blog, Mags Pereira and Jewelz Fowler/SMI Book Club, Lynn Booth/Chasing Orion’s Rouge Odyssey, Sheeba Ellison/Bedtime Reviews, Lorraine Masterson/Rusty’s Reading, Gillian Gybras/A is for Alpha B is for Books, Cindy Meyer and Deborah Presley /T
he Book Enthusiast, Jennifer McCoy/SubClub Books, Lisa Pantano Kane and Jennifer Skewes/ Three Chicks and Their Books, and Nicole Scott/My Book Filled Life. I also want to thank the wonderful Kylie McDermott and George Turney/Give me Book Promotions for hosting the Cover Release and Release Blitz for both the THAT MAN TRILOGY (Boxed Set) and THAT MAN: WEDDING STORY (Boxed Set).

  In addition to being one of my favorite bloggers, Gloria Herrera is also my incredible assistant. She is responsible for all those amazing graphics you see on Facebook and does so many other things for me. She keeps me organized and sane, and makes me laugh with her wicked sense of humor. If it it weren’t for her, I seriously don’t know how I’d find the time to write. She deserves more than a thanks…a hug! I adore her!

  I would be remiss not to thank one other entity—the amazing newsletter, Book Bub. I feel so blessed that you chose THAT MAN 1 as one of your “Free Books of the Day.” Thanks to that promotion, the story of Blake and his tiger touched the hearts of countless readers and made THAT MAN an international bestseller.

  The team that ultimately brings my books to fruition merits a big shout out. Thank you, Paul Salvette/BB eBooks for flawlessly formatting both my e-books and paperbacks and putting up with all my crazy revisions; Arijana Karcic /Cover It! Designs for all the glorious covers. and Karen Lawson for proofing my manuscripts and for making me laugh with your snarky comments. A big kiss goes to Robert Reider, my gorgeous cover model, and to his delightful mother Klara, who reached out to me and has become a lovely friend.

  Almost last but not least, I want to thank all my readers who have embraced THAT MAN and fallen in love, like me, with Blake Burns. Had it not been for your support and encouragement, I wouldn’t have written Blake and Jen’s wedding story. A special shout-out goes to those who have written heartfelt reviews, sent me heartwarming emails, and commented or PM’d me on Facebook. Your kind, often beautiful words always brighten my day and make me persevere. My love to all of you; you are the reason I write.