I am chuffed to tell you that my second book in the Geary series has been released and it is called Charming Olivia. I know I shouldn’t have favouites but this book has a special place in my heart and I smile fondly when I see the cover.I have written about the Geary brothers before in Loving Lilly, this time it is Jack’s story.I am going to confuse you a little. Each book is a standalone but can be read in order. Charming Olivia is first and then Loving Lilly.
Jack has been courting Olivia via email, text, phone and any manner of ways except face to face. He knows she is hiding something that is preventing her from meeting face to face and he wants to know why. She has a problem and he can fix it. With a little help from Olivia’s best friend he finally gets his wish. It’s up to him to persuade her to open up.
Excerpt from Charming Olivia – Out Now in eBook and Paperback everywhere
I mock saluted Cecily as I followed her out of the flat and down to the pavement to flag down a taxi to the gallery. The journey didn’t take long and before we had time to argue about my mobile phone usage again, we had arrived. After paying the taxi driver, we stood outside the art gallery showing Cecily’s work.
I held her hand and squeezed hard until she winced with pain.
“Look at me Cecily.” I demanded she turned and looked me straight in the eye. “You look beautiful in that dress, you’re an amazing photographer and you have the longest legs I’ve ever seen. You’re going to be a sensation and I would be very surprised if you don’t get laid tonight. So get your shit together and go and kick some arse.”
“Interesting pep talk Olivia, I appreciate that. Now, you look fabulous in that purple dress. Your arse looks edible and if I wanted to bed a woman, you would definitely be her. Let me take a picture of you, give me your phone.” Cecily held out her hand to me, I looked down at my phone and didn’t want to let it go. What if she didn’t give it back? It would be my comfort blanket while I was left alone.
“I promise to give it back, now hand it over.” Cecily asked again. I passed the phone over and she took a full-length photo of me and then gave the phone back. “See, I can play nicely, now let’s go in.”
Linking arms we walked into a glass fronted building and were greeted by the owner.
“Where the hell have you been? I thought that you were never going to turn up. There are a lot of people who want to meet you. There is one gentleman that has been waiting over an hour and you need to talk to him first.”
The manager was a glorious vision of red and left us no room to talk. Everything she said was rhetorical and she made no apology for it. I loved her. I’d spent many evenings with her looking through Cecily’s portfolio deciding which ones were going to be exhibited before she sent a letter to Cecily.
Cecily was whisked from me immediately and was out of sight in seconds. I wandered over to the make-shift bar and took a glass of white wine. Walking over to the other side of the room, my heels clicking on the wooden floor I took out my phone. I checked where Cecily had disappeared to and opened my phone to see if Jack had sent me a message. He had.
Jack: How is the exhibition?
Me: We have just arrived. Cecily has already deserted me so I’m wandering around the room checking out the other artists’ work. She has warned me that I’m not allowed to use my phone when I’m here. I need to be wary because she’s threatened to throw my phone out of the window and I know she will. What are you doing?
Jack: I’m hard at work, socialising and selling knickers.
Me: Have you sold any yet?
Jack: No, but then I’m checking out the hot women that are here. One of them has caught my eye, I can only see her back and I’m telepathically willing her to turn around, but she is not complying. She looks stunning and I want to grope her bottom.
Me: Why don’t you go and talk to her, wow her with your witty charm. If she has stunning shoes then just tell her which company you own and she will be yours for the night.
Jack: Would that work with you? What should I do to wow you?
Me: You know you can’t wow me. I’m not available to be wowed.
Jack: I wish you were available. I still don’t understand why you won’t meet me? I’ve offered to help you with your little problem. I don’t see what the issue is?
My little problem. At times, I wished I hadn’t told him about it. I was about to answer him when my phone was snatched from my hands. I looked up to see Cecily’s back disappearing away, my phone in her hand. She was walking towards the open window at the end of the room and I started to jog after her. My tight dress and high heels were not aiding my efforts and I heard someone chuckle as I passed them. Managing to catch up with her I tried to take my phone back but she held it away from me.
“What did I say Olivia?” She asked with a huge grin on her face.
“I was talking to Jack, you left me on my own, what was I supposed to do?” I whined and pouted.
Cecily looked at my phone and grinned evilly at me and started typing and then handed it back to me.
“That is your punishment for not staying by my side and for entering me into this exhibition without my permission.” Cecily said and waited for me to read what she’d sent.
Me: I’ve no real reason to keep turning down meeting you so I will. Name the time and place and I’ll be there. Oh and check out my dress this evening.
“Oh my God Cecily, why did you say that? Why did you send the picture of me?”
“You have a problem and he has offered to fix it. You need to do this, so I made the first step. You look hot and sending him a picture will do no harm. You will thank me for it later, I promise. It’s no different to what you did to get me here this evening.” She said and winked and walked away.
I checked my phone to see if Jack had replied, he hadn’t. I chewed on my thumbnail and waited for a long time, which in reality was two and a half minutes.
Jack: Tomorrow, 9pm, Blue’s Bar on South Street, Edinburgh. You look stunning.
Shit, double shit, how was I going to get out of this? I stared at the screen silently cursing Cecily. Looking up to locate my so called friend, I found her and glared at her from across the room. Cecily didn’t notice me throwing daggers at her, she looked perfectly fine on her own and she didn’t need me here at all, which meant I didn’t need to be punished. I couldn’t believe that she told him I would come and now he wanted me to meet him tomorrow. I could drop everything and go tomorrow, but he didn’t know that.
Jack: Cold feet?
Me: I don’t know what came over me. I can’t arrive tomorrow, I’ve a busy week next week.
Jack: Liar
Damn, that was the problem when you talked to someone every day, they got to know your schedule.
Jack: What is the worst that can happen? Your husband can do without you for a week, you have told me that he is not there next week, so get on a plane and come and see me.
Me: You want me to come for a week?
Jack: When we discussed your little problem you gave me the scenarios you wanted to see and we agreed it would take a week. We have talked about this for months, we have even planned out how we’ll do it so why not now? I’ll show you my lifestyle so that you can sort out that the problem of yours and then you can go back to your ordinary life. I promise I won’t fuck you unless you ask me to.
I gasped out loud, I don’t know why I did, his forwardness shouldn’t shock me after this long but it did. I heard a man laugh from across the room and I saw Cecily laughing with a client she was standing with. She didn’t need me here, I wondered if I could slip away without her knowing.
Jack: Well?
Me: I’m not staying with you, I’ll book a hotel and you need to keep your hands to yourself the entire time.
Jack: Deal. I’ll see your beautiful face tomorrow sweetheart.
I sighed at my phone and put it away without answering. I looked around the room to find Cecily to tell her what damage she’d done with her comment and mentally made a list of what I needed to do to go to Edinburgh tomorrow.
Thanks for reading
Grace
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Harper’s Motto: You will not be everybody’s favourite flavour, but that’s ok, because they will not always be your favourite flavour. Be who you want to be and you will attract the people who will support you no matter what.
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