Having doesn't always live up to the hype of wanting. That's what Lisa Reynolds, the heroine in my recently reissued contemporary, TOTALLY YOURS (written under my pen name, Dana Ransom) discovers when all her hard work to reshape her future (and herself!) doesn't measure up to her expectations. Instead of living the dream with the man she desires on a promotional cruise as the new spokesmodel for a self-improvement program, she finds herself drowning in old doubts, and in today's excerpt, she reaches out of habit for an old life preserver . . .
Lisa was all the way to her room before her sensibilities cleared, and then there she was, alone with four helpings of sheer bliss, stepping out of her high heels to sit on the foot of the bed, plate cradled on her lap, not turning on the lamp because sneak eating, like forbidden sex, was best if done in the dark.
One small taste and she heaved a pampered sigh, continuing to nibble, telling herself she had control because she didn’t devour it in one gulp. She refused to let even the smallest amount of shame encroach upon the
moment, not her disappointment over Chuck or her confused emotions concerning Harlan, not when immediate gratification was its own reward...just like this trip, a temporary fantasy while reality waited back in the icy winds of Michigan. Reality was Chuck Webb’s womanizing, Maggie on Harlan’s arm, only a book of business and a fat gray cat to come home to, with no man’s embrace to keep her warm, and now, not even have the comfort of her own personal insulation to guard against the chill of loneliness.
A sudden tap on her door sent Lisa rocketing off the bed, clutching her goodies defensively, furtive instincts making her shove the half-emptied plate beneath her bed and brush at the brownie crumbs that dotted the front of her skirt before answering the door.
Harlan.
“I got worried when you didn’t show up for dinner so I came to offer
Dramamine and sympathy if you needed it.”
Lisa smiled, positive he could see those calories settling about her hips as she insisted, “I’m fine, just a little overwhelmed by all the socializing.”
“How ‘bout we share a little moonlight together, or have you got something better lined up for this evening?” he asked, touching the corner of her mouth, coming away with a telltale glob of whipping cream as Lisa cringed, waiting for his lecture.
Instead, Harlan sucked the goo off his thumb before offering his arm, and miraculously, the lure of cream puffs disappeared.
Man, now I want to go on another cruise . . . or grab a cream puff. As I weigh those options, take a look at TOTALLY YOURS, on sale through the 31st for just $.99 (a lot cheaper than the trip or the calorie guilt!).
When a popular self-improvement program gives Lisa Reynolds a smoking hot body, she wins an unexpected prize: a Caribbean cruise as the club's corporate spokesmodel. Lisa, a hardworking insurance sales rep who prides herself on her brains, hesitantly accepts the siren call of being admired for her figure, too.
But suddenly this new glamour girl faces magnetic CEO Harlan Jameson, whose interest in her matches her attraction to him, except . . . the "real" Lisa isn't this workout babe he created. And old self-doubts about being loved for herself resurface.
Harlan's not what she thinks. A self-made success, lonely, and isolated by a busy schedule . . . he's drawn to Lisa's honesty and warmth. When he understands her fears, he sets out to prove there's only one thing he wants her to change for him: her last name.
But suddenly this new glamour girl faces magnetic CEO Harlan Jameson, whose interest in her matches her attraction to him, except . . . the "real" Lisa isn't this workout babe he created. And old self-doubts about being loved for herself resurface.
Harlan's not what she thinks. A self-made success, lonely, and isolated by a busy schedule . . . he's drawn to Lisa's honesty and warmth. When he understands her fears, he sets out to prove there's only one thing he wants her to change for him: her last name.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
I'll be in final revisions for PRINCE OF DREAMS next week, after spending this weekend rerouting all my contacts from @msn, which suddenly closed my e-mail account when I couldn't prove I was me even after jumping through three days of their hoops with all the requested info and no way to contact a human to address my problems (grrrrr). Now Microsoft wants to kiss and make up, but I ain't feeling the love after ten years of saved e-mails with contact information disappeared. That ship has sailed. I'm an @gmail girl now. So "H.o.T" shape-shifter princes, carry me away! How's your summer shaping up, fellow Warriors?
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