It might be
because I worked in an office for a number of years, and so the environment
feels real to me. I’ve experienced how people can fall in love from being side
by side every day, how the gossip mill works for and against people, and how
people’s career goals and relationships can clash!
There’s
something about the forced proximity of people who work together that intrigues
me because you can’t run away from that pesky attraction when you have to see
each other every day. This situation increases the push and pull, forcing the
attraction to be addressed. (Side note: this always makes me think of Jim and
Pam from The Office, which might just be my favourite office romance of all
time.)
That’s the
reason I decided to write an office romance to kick off my Scandalous Wentworth
series with Entangled Indulgence. But, an office romance alone wasn’t enough.
So I added to the boss/employee dynamic. The CEO and a HR Officer who hates
office gossip.
And, since I
love putting my characters in the most awkward spots possible, I threw in a
little mistaken identity. The hero and heroine sleep together and have no idea they
work for the same company. Oops! (This is another favourite trope of mine – so
much opportunity for an awkward and hilarious ‘second meeting’ scene.)
Add to all
that an evil Chihuahua, a rogue olive, a pair of impossibly sexy blue heels and
a healthy dose of family drama, and you’ve got Taken By The CEO in a nutshell.
I truly hope you enjoy the start of this new series! I’ve had a blast writing
it.
Here’s a scene
from before Emmaline and Parker have discovered one another’s true identities:
Excerpt from Taken by the CEO
“What did you
order?” Sarah tried to lift the lid of the white cake box in his hands. “They
do the best cannoli here.” He’d ordered the dessert to go while Sarah had gone
to
“freshen up,”
as she’d put it. “You’ll have to wait and see.” “Do you have a sweet tooth?”
she asked, her heels
clicking
against the pavement.
“Depends on my
mood.” It also depended on what else
he’d eaten
that day. Parker wasn’t the type of guy to indulge without rst knowing how it
would affect him on a macro nutrient level—but that sounded a little too Type-A
to say aloud.“I’m partial to the occasional piece of chocolate cake.”
“I make this
chocolate cake with caramel buttercream frosting between the layers. My sister
calls it the Better Than Sex cake.” She snapped her mouth shut for a moment,
and
a delicate
pink ush fanned out across her cheeks. “Well, it’s pretty good, anyway...if you
like that kind of thing.”
“Better than
sex?” He chuckled. “That’d have to be some damn good cake.”
“I guess it
depends on the kind of sex you compare it to,” she said, the ush deepening to
an attractive shade of bright pink. “What I mean is, not all sex is like
chocolate cake. Sometimes it’s more like...”
“Pizza?” he
offered.
“I was going
to say kale.” She wrinkled her nose. “I know it’s good for me on some level,
but it’s just kind of unappealing. And weird.”
“Right.” He
held back a laugh.
“I’m not
saying you’ll be the kale kind of sex. I know you de nitely won’t be. I can
tell that already...” She sucked on her lower lip and sighed. “Can we just
forget I said anything?”
“Oh no, you
don’t get out of it that easily.” He shook his head. “What type of sex do you
think I’ll be?”
“Better than
cake.” Her lower lip glistened, tempting as ripe fruit. “Better than champagne
and macarons and let mignon.”
“That’s some
pedestal you’ve put me on.”
TAKEN BY THE CEO
TAKEN BY THE CEO
It
was only supposed to be a little white lie. When Emmaline Greene pretends to be
Sarah, the confident, sexy woman she wishes she could be, she figures no harm,
no foul. Her one-night stand will never find out. Wrong. The gorgeous guy she
slept with isn’t just amazing in bed…he’s also her new boss.
Parker
Wentworth has a lot to prove. He’s just been appointed CEO of his family’s
company and is tasked with repairing its scandalous reputation. He can’t afford
any distractions or complications. Too bad the attractive blonde he takes to
bed turns out to be both. So why can’t he forget the incredible night they
spent together and move on?
And
why does he have this need to know the real Emmaline?
Buy links:
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33976107
About the author:
Stefanie London is the USA Today
bestselling author of over ten contemporary romances with humour, heat and
heart.
Growing up,
Stefanie came from a family of women who loved to read. Thus, it was no
surprise Stefanie was the sort of student who would read her English books
before the semester started. After sneaking several literature subjects into
her ‘very practical’ Business degree, she got a job in Communications. When
writing emails and newsletters didn’t fulfil her creative urges, she turned to
fiction and was finally able to write the stories that kept her mind busy at
night.
Originally
from Australia, she now lives in Toronto with her very own hero and is
currently in the process of doing her best to travel the world. She frequently
indulges in her passions for good coffee, lipstick, romance novels and zombie
movies.
Connect:
Author Website: www.stefanie-london.com
Author Blog: http://stefanie-london.com/blog/
Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/Stefanie_London
Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StefanieLondonAuthor
Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8138287.Stefanie_London
Newsletter: http://stefanie-london.com/newsletter/
Sounds fun. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis was a great book! A forbidden office romance at it's best. :)
ReplyDelete