Release Date: June 11, 2014

 
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Penny moves back to Miami to start her a job with a list of things to accomplish.

• Find a place to live.
• Avoid her gold-digging mother.
• Reconnect with old high school friends: her best friend Sandra, the dramatic Eva, the dark Michael, her half-brother Wyatt, and her former crush Jay.

Jay may have kept her firmly in the “friend zone”, but that didn’t stop her from wanting more. Her five friends have stood by her through some difficult times and she’ll need their help now to accomplish her first two goals.

As soon as Jay sees Penny, he puts his plan into motion. His investors need to see him with a stable woman, one who isn’t all flash and no brains; Penny fits the bill perfectly. There’s just one hitch—he wants more.

Their pretend date sets off a whirlwind of plots. From mothers who want to control their children’s lives to the loss of her exciting new job, Penny’s world turns upside down. She knows she can overcome all obstacles except one—she’s falling for Jay all over again.

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“Home, sweet, err...coffee.”

Getting out of her car, Penelope brushed her worn jeans to get out a small wrinkle. Not that it mattered. She smelled the coffee drawing her to the door. The delicious aroma of freshly brewed java that could wake her up waited inside. Gainesville had coffee shops, but nothing that held her heart like this place. In high school, this place was her Mecca. Her stomach grumbled for the familiar drink.

The coffee shop looked almost the same as it had years ago, except for the aluminum tables and wooden chairs with red cushions. She remembered the plaid chairs and brown tables, but the place still calmed her, like she was coming home.

She stepped up to the counter. “I’ll have a cinnamon dulce non-fat latte, please.”

Leaving Gainesville after college had always been the plan. Just never back to Miami, but she’d changed. She could live here now.

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Victoria Pinder grew up in Irish Catholic Boston before moving to the Miami sun. She’s worked in engineering, after passing many tests proving how easy Math came to her. Then hating her life at the age of twenty four, she decided to go to law school. Four years later, after passing the bar and practicing very little, she realized that she hates the practice of law. She refused to one day turn 50 and realize she had nothing but her career and hours at a desk. After realizing she needed change, she became a high school teacher. Teaching is rewarding, but writing is a passion.

During all this time, she always wrote stories to entertain herself or calm down. Her parents are practical minded people demanding a job, and Victoria spent too many years living other people’s dreams, but when she sat down to see what skill she had that matched what she enjoyed doing, writing became so obvious. The middle school year book when someone wrote in it that one day she’d be a writer made sense when she turned thirty.

Besides her full time job of teaching, in 2013 and 2014, she sold on her own sold books to three different publishers. The Zoastra Affair, Chaperoning Paris, Borrowing the Doctor, and Electing Love will be published from Soul mate Publishing. Mything the Throne will be published with Double Dragon Ebooks. Favorite Coffee, Favorite Crush will be published with Jupiter Press.

Now she is represented by Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency and she hopes to continue selling her novels that she writes. Moving up to the next level from hard work and determination is rewarding, and partnerships bring new opportunities.

Also she’s the Vice President of Programs for the Florida Romance Writers. She’s gone to multiple conferences and intends to continue. She learns and meets so many people at conferences. Her website is www.victoriapinder.com, and she’ll continue to grow my web presence. She is working hard on other projects and found the time to plan her wedding this year.

Before writing, her father had taken her to many star trek conventions and on her own she grew up as the only girl in the 90s at the comic book store. Science Fiction was her first love, but contemporary romance was her second. She’s sticking with contemporaries for the near future.

Member of Florida Romance Writers, Contemporary Romance, Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal chapter of RWA, Celtic Hearts and Savvy Authors.

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$5 Amazon Giftcard

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Gigi Dumont never forgot how she walked away from the only man she ever loved.

She’s a teacher who has led her students to the finals of an international French competition to be help in Paris. The night before the trip, the Principal tries to cancel the trip before he, in turn, loses his job to her high school boyfriend, Sean Collins.

Sean Collins has survived cancer, a divorce , and Gigi having aborted their child back in high school. He assumed he’d hate her, if they ever crossed paths again. But he discovers she’s exactly what he wants.

When Gigi and Sean are stuck together for a week in Paris, Gigi feels she has lost all her control. How can she survive her attraction to Sean? The man’s sexier now than he was back in the day, and once upon a time, he’d had her heart. She finds herself falling for him, even knowing forever is impossible.

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Payback time. Standing in his mother’s kitchen, Sean Collins smiled as he hung up the phone.

He hovered at the phone for a moment, then charged along the carpeted hallway to his bedroom. In a flash, he changed from his T-shirt and jeans into his black pin stripe king-of-the-business-world suit complete with black tie and shiny black shoes.

Finished dressing, Sean jittered at the door and listened to his son talking nonstop to his mother upstairs. His skin tingled and he closed his eyes. At least moving to his parents’ country estate where he had grown up on Cape Cod had been good for everyone.

Breakfast could wait. He grabbed the keys on the counter downstairs, and he called upstairs, “I’m leaving. I won’t be gone long.”

Last year, the school principal had fired him with bogus charges. Sean had sworn on every holy book that he’d been fired because his doctors had discovered cancer in a routine physical exam.

The sickness sucked. But he’d survived. And now he used his vast wealth to get what he wanted. No teacher should be treated so callously. He had taken the job at the time to prove to himself he had more choices than being the chief financial officer of his father’s corporation.

He set his jaw and walked outside to his car, where the smell of freshly cut grass hit his senses.

The moment he stepped outside and headed toward the garage, Sean stared at the vast forested area on the property for a moment and pressed his lips together. Trees made sense. Women never had. His luck with women had been bad from the start. His first girlfriend, Gigi Dumont, had left him for parts unknown, and then later his wife, now his ex, Jennifer, had also left. She’d played with a whole set of loose scruples. But Jennifer hadn’t hurt him, not like Gigi had. Sean rolled his shoulders. Why did everything in his life always seem to go back to Gigi leaving?

He fished out his keys from his pocket. And now Gigi had moved back into the house next door.

Sean opened the garage door. A quick click of a button and the gate lifted.

Last night he hadn’t slept. Today his shoulders were straight. This moment had nothing to do with women and everything to do with justice. His fingers traced the shiny finish of his brother Gerard’s Aston Martin. Without blinking, he opted to borrow the car. He’d be early and outshine everyone else. Gerard had offered to loan it to him specifically for today. Sean licked his lips and turned the key, igniting the engine, and took off.

A daydream flashed in his eyes. Principal Murray’s jaw dropped to the ground in shock the second Sean stepped inside the office with the papers.

Sean clutched the wheel. He intended to twist the knife even further. People like Mr. Murray gave businessmen around the world the reputation of cold, heartless automatons, especially when he claimed the firing had been over “job performance.” Every one of Sean’s students had passed the state assessments.

Now, Sean ran the finances for his parents, his father’s company, and his brothers. The support of his family to get him through cancer treatments had been phenomenal, but what if he hadn’t had that support? What if he’d had no money to pay for treatments? He’d be dead because the principal had fired him due to the insurance increases. Well, now Sean had a better solution.

He sped down the country road for the half-hour trip. During his horrible marriage to Jennifer, he’d worked as a teacher, and his students had achieved both academic and social successes. Jennifer had been the nightmare that drove Sean away from Collins Industries, Collins Enterprises, Collins Investments, and Collins Mutual, to list a few of his father’s multiple companies. Post divorce and cancer, Sean had made the decision to offer employees packages in cases of sickness. Anyone who worked for him would now receive a payoff equal to the job performance done over the years as part of a settlement. Money paid hospital bills.

Sean’s stomach clenched as he gazed at the sign for the Barnstable Charter High School parking lot. Sean parked Gerard’s fancy lawyer wheels that screamed “out to impress” right next to the about-to-be-sacked principal’s BMW sedan. The Aston Martin made the perfect goodbye gesture. Murray had been outclassed.

Sean leaned forward in his seat, refusing to feel guilty. He waited for the school bell to ring and watched students bounding outside.

Unlike most people, his family had money, and normally he wouldn’t like flaunting wealth. His Jeep Wrangler suited him just fine, but today he needed to look like the elite businessman he was. He stepped out a minute later, and in a fast walk, he strode down the halls. Sean winked the second he saw the school guard’s shocked face.

“You had cancer?” asked the older African American lady who coached the wrestling team.

“Yes, I did. I’m better now,” Sean said, smiling.

He inclined his head and passed the security desk then Sean turned right toward the principal’s office.

In his briefcase he carried the school board’s ruling and the proof of sale of the school to Collins Enterprises. Barnstable was a private school that followed school board law. The sale to his company had been finalized, but Sean had insisted on telling Murray in person. The minutes of the meeting would be posted at one that day. Victory waited for him, and justice tasted better than homemade chocolate chip cookies.

In the office, the overqualified secretary, Mattie, dropped her pencil on the floor. Sean made eye contact with her and the older woman smiled back. Then he picked up the pencil in stride, and handed it back to her. She opened her mouth to speak, and he shook his head, placing his finger over his lips to silently request her silence.

She smiled her response and swiveled her chair back to her computer.

He had seen Mattie in action and understood the older woman had known how to treat people more than anyone else in the office.

Outside the principal’s door, Sean straightened his tie into perfect alignment. His heart rate sped up and his entire body became alert then he heard her voice.

Gigi, or should he say, Giovanna Dumont. Her quiet, sweet voice unmanned him, making his palms sweat. Why would she be here? And how could she still steal his breath away?

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Victoria Pinder grew up in Irish Catholic Boston before moving to the Miami sun. She’s worked in engineering, after passing many tests proving how easy Math came to her. Then hating her life at the age of twenty four, she decided to go to law school. Four years later, after passing the bar and practicing very little, she realized that she hates the practice of law. She refused to one day turn 50 and realize she had nothing but her career and hours at a desk. After realizing she needed change, she became a high school teacher. Teaching is rewarding, but writing is a passion.

During all this time, she always wrote stories to entertain herself or calm down. Her parents are practical minded people demanding a job, and Victoria spent too many years living other people’s dreams, but when she sat down to see what skill she had that matched what she enjoyed doing, writing became so obvious. The middle school year book when someone wrote in it that one day she’d be a writer made sense when she turned thirty.

Besides her full time job of teaching, in 2013 and 2014, she sold on her own sold books to three different publishers. The Zoastra Affair, Chaperoning Paris, Borrowing the Doctor, and Electing Love will be published from Soul mate Publishing. Mything the Throne will be published with Double Dragon Ebooks. Favorite Coffee, Favorite Crush will be published with Jupiter Press.

Now she is represented by Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency and she hopes to continue selling her novels that she writes. Moving up to the next level from hard work and determination is rewarding, and partnerships bring new opportunities.

Also she’s the Vice President of Programs for the Florida Romance Writers. She’s gone to multiple conferences and intends to continue. She learns and meets so many people at conferences. Her website is www.victoriapinder.com, and she’ll continue to grow my web presence. She is working hard on other projects and found the time to plan her wedding this year.

Before writing, her father had taken her to many star trek conventions and on her own she grew up as the only girl in the 90s at the comic book store. Science Fiction was her first love, but contemporary romance was her second. She’s sticking with contemporaries for the near future.

Member of Florida Romance Writers, Contemporary Romance, Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal chapter of RWA, Celtic Hearts and Savvy Authors.

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Her love of Michael Kors might be her downfall.

Callie Cartwright is a college senior on the verge of graduating and getting the job of her dreams. But her illustrious shopping habit and expensive tastes backfire when her future employer gives her an ultimatum. She has less than six months to lower her debt or she’ll lose the job she’s worked so hard for.

His secret crush may be his undoing.

Dean Michaels has everything going for him. He’s a manager at the local coffee shop, a sophomore in college, star of the university basketball team, and don’t forget, gorgeous. The only thing he needs is the girl of his dreams to make his world complete. And he’s finally ready to go after her. The only problem: it’s his sister’s best friend he’s crushing on. And all she sees in him is the love for a brother.

But desperate times call for desperate measures.

When Callie concocts a crazy plan as a way to make quick money and pay down her debt, Dean’s feelings go into overdrive. It’s time to show her how he feels.

And the plan he proposes, just might be the one to finally catch the girl.

*Claiming Callie is part one of a series of four serial novellas and is approximately 28,000 words in length (about half the length of a full novel).*

*Contains adult language.

 

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Callie Cartwright sweeps her golden locks off the side of her face and cocks her head. “Wha-what?”

Did I hear him right?

Mr. Bucek leans back in his chair, forehead wrinkled. His gaze focuses on her and he scratches his jaw, where his five o’clock shadow is already making its presence known. He resembles her father far more than she likes, and the memory of her dad pierces deep inside her like jagged glass.

“I’m sorry, but you heard me. You could be a real asset to us here, but we can’t hire you with your current financial situation.”

Callie closes her eyes. Inhale. Exhale.

“Okay,” she says, drawing out the word, her mind scrambling to come up with a solution. “I understand to an extent why you may not want an employee with a healthy spending habit, but—”

“Healthy?” Mr. Bucek raises a brow. “You’ve got four credit cards, all completely maxed out. The total debt is more than enough to pay for a year’s worth of tuition. Not to mention, some of the accounts have been delinquent over the past year. Add to that the student loans you’re going to have after graduation, your car loan, and living expenses, and you’ve got yourself one hell of a rap sheet of bills for a fresh grad. And according to your credit report, your cards are like the revolving door at Macy’s.”

Raising a finger, she says, “I resent that. I much prefer Nordstrom.”

“I’m serious, Callie.”

Sighing, she shrinks back into her chair. Crap. That new Michael Kors handbag was a mistake. Damn all end-of-season sales to hell. She supposes she didn’t need that new pair of BCBG boots either, but they were so cute, with the mock zipper under the laces and…

Focus.

Her entire livelihood, her whole post-graduation plan, depends on getting this job with GG Financial. If she loses her spot here, she’s screwed.

She folds her hands in front of her and tries to keep her voice calm. “You’re telling me I may not get the job just because I happen to have an expensive shoe habit?” She forces a smile, but even she can feel it waver as Mr. Bucek’s lips don’t even twitch.

“Listen, you’ve been interning with us for over two years now. I’ve come to think of you like a daughter most of the time—”

Ouch. Callie raises a hand before he can say more. “I totally get it, but let’s cut to the chase here.” Callie takes a deep breath. She can feel the best job prospect for a mathematics major interested in finance slipping through her fingers like fine grains of sand. “I know this business inside and out. I can work any of the other interns—not to mention half your elementary staff—under the table. Who cares about my financial situation if I’m good at my job? What is it they say? ‘Those who can’t do, teach’? That’s what I do. I educate clients and I advise. I send them in the right direction for financial profit and success. I can help turn around distraught companies. I might have a poor financial forecast myself, but I’m damn good at this job. I’ve worked my butt off these last two years. Are you really telling me that at the end of the year, when you go to hire someone, you’re going to pick one of those dorks over me?” Callie nods outside Mr. Bucek’s office where two interns huddle in a cubicle, pretending not to listen. On their computer screen is World of Warcraft.

“Enough said.” Callie crosses her arms in front of her.

“World of Warcraft is like candy to nerds like those guys.” Mr. Bucek says and almost cracks a smile. Almost.

“You get my point,” she says, her voice firm.

She laid it all out on the table. Every bit of what she said is true, and Mr. Bucek knows it. She can see it in his eyes. There is nothing left to say. All she can do now is stare at him, batting her baby blues, in the hopes he might cave and retract his declination to hire her at the end of the semester.

Mr. Bucek sighs and brings a hand up to his face, rubbing away lines of tension in his forehead, then drops his hands and leans forward on his desk. “Okay, here’s the deal…” He clasps his hands together and catches her gaze. “GG Financial is one of the biggest, best advising firms in the nation. We can’t hire you with your current debt. My boss won’t let me, and I can’t say I blame him. How could we defend it to clients if they found out? Prudential Financial has been trying to get ahold of our major accounts and steal a chunk of our business for years. They’ve been nipping at our heels. If they heard of any black spots in our record, even if it’s just the poor credit and debt of a junior advisor, we’d lose our foothold and number-one spot. Our record thus far is spotless, and it’s because of our quality personnel on every level. We can’t have you handling people’s investments and making recommendations when your own spending is out of control and your credit’s a mess.”

Callie’s back dampens with sweat and her throat goes dry. She’s losing. “But—”

Mr. Bucek raises a hand. “But…I’ll give you this last semester before you graduate.”

Her pulse races and her ears prick at the sound of hope.

“At the end of the school year, as you know, we’ll be hiring one intern to join our team. If you can manage to get your spending under control, pay down some of your debt, and raise your credit score by graduation, the position is yours. Otherwise, we’ll probably give it to Steve.” Mr. Bucek’s lips flatten into a thin line as he glances at the two interns behind her.

Callie’s stomach dips as his words sink in. “That’s only five months,” she nearly chokes. It was impossible.

Mr. Bucek nods. “I know. Remember, you don’t have to be debt-free or have an eight-hundred-plus credit score. Just show significant improvement. That means no more credit cards!” He points a finger at her. “No more charging. No delinquencies. Every dime should be devoted to paying down your debt.”

Callie swallows over the knot in her throat. “And if I can’t?”

He shrugs, and his eyes go soft. “I’ll be sad to see you go, but I’ll write you one hell of a letter of recommendation.”

Nausea bubbles in her gut. She has almost twenty-five thousand dollars in credit card debt, a spending habit that would put Kim Kardashian to shame—and five months to fix the situation. But what choice does she have? She can’t lose this opportunity. Not after all the work she has put into it. Not with the starting salary for a junior advisor at GG being twice that of other companies. Not so close to graduation. And especially not to Steve!

She glances out into the office and sees Steve hovering over the computer, now playing Final Fantasy and laughing like a hyena, his thin wire frames falling off his nose. Oh, hell no.

Callie turns her gaze back to Mr. Bucek. She has no idea if she can even do it, and she can feel the new Calvin Klein dress she wanted slip through her grasp as she says, “It’s a deal.”

Five months. Twenty-five thousand dollars. And a lifetime of spending.

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Paige Rion is a contemporary romance author. She's a mother, wife, blogger, hopeless chocoholic, coffee-addicted, wine-lover. Her debut, novel--a new adult romance--Written On Her Heart, is the first in the Callaway Cove series. The next in the series is to be released this summer. She loves connecting with readers on her blog and social media.

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