All's Fair in Lust & War
Read All's Fair in Lust & War Online
Authors: Amber Page
What happens in Vegas…is even hotter in New York!
After a fling in Vegas that was so wild even she can’t
believe it happened, copywriter Becky has finally gotten her mojo back. Time to
get back to New York and win that promotion!
But things veer catastrophically off course when her new
coworker Mark saunters in…and he’s
much
too familiar. Even worse, Mark and Becky
will be competing for the promotion—and he’s just as good in the boardroom as he
was in bed! So what’s a girl to do when Mr. One Night becomes Mr. One-Desk-Away?
Stand her ground, of course—if there’s going to be a war, she’s going to make
sure she enjoys it!
SNEAK PEEK EXCERPT FROM
All’s Fair in Lust & War
“Let’s get one thing clear,” she said. “What happened was
supposed to stay in Vegas. It will
never
happen
again.”
“Never, huh? That’s a long time.”
“I’m
serious.
I’ve worked too
hard to get where I am to let some man screw up my life.”
He pulled her into his arms and tilted her face up to
his.
“I think you know I’m not just ‘some man,’” he said as he
brushed his lips across hers. “I’m magic.”
With that, he deepened the kiss. Their tongues darted and
danced, and he pulled her closer, wanting more.
He was reaching for the buttons on her blouse when the sharp
whistle that signaled the arrival of a text message on his phone blared.
Becky jumped back, staring at him with undisguised
horror.
“I’m not sure if you’re magic,” she whispered. “But I
am
beginning to think you might be the devil.”
“I’ve been called worse by my competition,” he said. “But
usually not until after I beat them.”
Dear Reader,
I’ve worked in the world of advertising for far longer than is healthy. It’s a wild and woolly world filled with beautiful people, strong personalities and lots and lots of drama.
It is, in other words, the perfect place to set a romance novel.
For a really long time I was too busy living in it to find time to write about it. When inspiration finally did strike it was National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo, as those of us insane enough to participate like to call it), and I had thirty days to pound out a fifty-thousand-word novel.
For twenty of those days the words flew through my fingers and onto my computer screen faster than I could speak them. Unfortunately, on day twenty-one I discovered I was telling the wrong story. The words stopped, the story stalled, and Mark and Becky took up residence in my head.
They stayed there for almost four years. And let me tell you, they were obnoxious houseguests—always whispering in my ear, trying to get me to write the right story and set them free.
I finally did it last fall, during the
So You Think You Can Write
contest. I didn’t win, but Mark and Becky caught the right editor’s attention. And now, less than five months later, I’m writing you this letter.
It’s been the adventure of a lifetime. A dream come true. And one heck of a relief—Mark and Becky have finally vacated my head.
If you enjoy this story one-tenth as much as I enjoyed writing it, you’re in for a treat. They’re delightful people, living in a delightfully insane world.
Thanks for reading!
Amber
All’s Fair in
Lust & War
Amber Page
About Amber Page
Amber Page has been writing stories since—well, since she
could write, and still counts the pinning of her “Bubble People” tale to the
classroom bulletin board in the third grade as one of her happiest childhood
memories.
She’s also an avid reader and has been addicted to romances
since she first discovered them on the dusty shelves of her favorite library as
a young teen. The nerdy little bookworm she was is still pinching herself to
make sure that this whole “getting published by Harlequin®” thing is real.
When not penning happily-ever-afters, Amber works as an
advertising writer in the heart of Indiana, where she lives with the love of her
life, their daughter and a menagerie of furry animals. She also blogs, gardens
and sometimes even manages to sneak in a few hours of sleep.
Don’t ask her how she does it all. She’s too tired to
remember.
All’s Fair in Lust & War
is Amber Page’s debut book for Harlequin®
KISS™
and is also available in ebook format
from
www.Harlequin.com
.
To my husband, my biggest cheerleader and occasional butt-kicker. Thank you for refusing to let me give up.
To Allison, Amanda, Christina, Meagan, Rhonda and Tanya, whose speed-reading skills and smart critiques helped make this book what it is.
And to everyone else who cheered me along the way (you know who you are).
PROLOGUE
Mark awoke slowly,
his mouth fuzzy and his limbs strangely heavy. He rolled over, expecting to see...who? Certainly not the empty pillow that greeted him.
Head spinning slightly, he lifted himself up on his elbow to look around the room. He was in his hotel room, right? Seeing his laptop on the desk, he decided it was probably safe to assume he was still in Vegas and hadn’t hopped on a plane to Bangladesh or something.
He kept his gaze moving, noting two wine glasses, a knocked-over bottle of red wine—damn, he hoped they didn’t charge him for that stain on the carpet—and there, by the heavy hotel room door, a pair of cheetah-print stilettos.
Suddenly memory came rushing back.
Walking down to the AdWorld closing party. Seeing the pretty blonde in the tight red dress giggling into her phone. Feeling compelled to talk to her. And then—
wham!
Being hit in the gut by a lightning bolt of lust when she turned to grin up at him with her sparkling green eyes.
He would have done anything to get closer to her. To get to know her.
Which was probably why he’d found himself doing something totally out of character.
“I’m Mark,” he’d said, taking her hand in his and grazing her knuckles with his lips. “May I have the honor of escorting you this evening, my lady?”
She’d swallowed loudly, and he’d seen the desire sparking in her eyes.
Nonetheless, she’d been as cool as ice when she’d answered him. “I’d love that. Shall we?”
He’d held out his arm for her to take and together they stepped through the ballroom doors into the strobe-lit party beyond.
That had been followed by copious drinking, he was sure. His mind showed him an image of her gazing at him uncertainly before raising a tequila glass.
“Let’s toast,” she’d said. “To one wild night.”
“To one wild, scandalous night,” he’d answered.
And there’d been dancing. He remembered how she’d laughed as she spun away, then melted when he drew her close again. And how sweet her lips had tasted when he’d pulled her in for a kiss...
The first of many kisses.
Eventually she’d clung to him and said, “Mark, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I
need
you. Take me back to your room?”
What had followed had been one of the most...no,
the
hottest night of his life.
She’d been so hot, so willing to do anything... And when they’d finished she’d rolled over and said, “Wanna do it again?”
His answer had been, “Hell, yes.”
But what was her name again?
Just then the bathroom door opened and she stepped out, engulfed in the hotel-issue robe, her long blond hair dripping down her back. She looked at him and smiled, green eyes sparkling.
The lightning bolt hit home again.
“Becky,” he said. Her name was Becky.
“Hey, gorgeous,” she said.
“Hey, yourself. What are you doing up so early?”
“Oh,” she said, a momentary frown crossing her small face. “My flight leaves in a few hours, and I’ve got some work to do this morning. I figured I should probably get a move on.”
“Ah,” he said, overcome with an inexplicable sense of disappointment. “I thought maybe we could go get some breakfast. Or, you know, have breakfast in bed.” Which, honestly, had been the last thing on his mind until she’d emerged from the bathroom. But once he’d seen her he’d been able to think of nothing he’d rather do other than peel that giant robe off her tiny frame.
She gave him a pained smile and perched on the edge of the bed.
“I’d love to, but you know how it goes. Duty calls.”
Reading her tense body language, Mark realized it was no use. He also knew he wasn’t ready to let her go yet. “All right. I understand,” he said slowly, seeking a conversational gambit that would keep her talking. “You know, we never even talked about our jobs. What do you do?”
“I’m a copywriter. For an agency in New York—SBD,” she said slowly.
“Really? What a coincidence. I’m starting a new gig—”
Gently, she placed her hand over his mouth. “You know what? Don’t tell me about you. Last night was—well, it was magical, but I’m not looking to start a relationship. Even a casual one. If you don’t mind, I’d just like to think of you as Mark the Magic Man from Las Vegas...not a real person I might run into at the supermarket.”
Wow. That was a first. Usually it was
him
trying to duck out while a girl tried to pry information out of him. He wasn’t so sure he liked being on this end of things. But his pride wouldn’t allow him to admit that to her.
“Hmm,” he said. “I kind of like being a Magic Man. Maybe I should go into business.”
She threw her head back and laughed, and suddenly the tension eased. Then she leaned forward and kissed him. Hard.
“Thank you for last night. Believe me when I tell you it’s one I’ll never forget.”
He smiled. “Me neither,” he said. And he meant it.
Moments later Becky finished getting dressed and, holding her heels in one hand, she blew him a kiss.
“Bye, Magic Man.”
“Bye, Gorgeous Girl.”
And then she was gone.
“Until tomorrow, then,” he said to himself.
Reaching for his iPad, he loaded up the search engine. It was time to look up his gorgeous new coworker.