A GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT
By Joy Avery
When it comes to love, all deals are off!Blake Farrington knows exactly who to call when he finds himself needing crisis management. Yes, this task is outside Eunice Howard’s usual realm of responsibilities, but he’s willing to make it worth her time. Plus, she’s ideal for the role. Who better to play his pretend lover than the one woman who knows him almost better than he knows himself?
The last thing Eunice Howard expects when summoned to her boss’s office is a request to play the role of his new love interest to appease his mother, restless to marry him off. Foolishly agreeing, she ventures with him to Farrington Estates for the Thanksgiving holiday. She thought she’d seen all sides of Blake Farrington, but the man who emerges is a man she could easily love.
Their agreement blossoms into a connection neither expected—nor are willing to admit. When the lines between make-believe and reality blur, something phenomenal occurs.
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: 10-24-2015
ASIN: B0172YH9XM
The second they rounded the corner, Eunice snatched her hand away. “What the hell was that?” she asked in a whisper.
“What?” He wasn’t truly that clueless, but played so.
She released a heavy sigh and hiked up the stairs. Inside the bedroom, he was on her heels—right until the moment she stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door in his face.
Blake leaned against the door jamb. “Are you upset?”
“Yes. No. I mean—” She cursed under her breath.
He couldn’t understand why she’d gotten so distressed. Okay, maybe he’d gone a little overboard, but…
Eunice continued. “I don’t know. Did you—”
She yelped once the door slung open and he was standing there. He flashed one of his award-winning smiles in hopes of lightening the mood. She pushed him out of the way and moved toward the bed. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and she wore a simple white nightgown shirt. It was sexy as hell.
“Did you have to take it that far?” she said.
“We’re supposed to be a believable couple, right?” She narrowed her eyes at him. Had she been a bull, he had a feeling this was the moment she would have charged. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize my words would affect you so…deeply. They were pretty poetic, huh?”
Eunice snatched a pillow from the bed and hurled it at him. What was with him and women with pillows?
“Enjoy the floor, Mr. Poetic.”
Blake barked a laugh.
Eunice climbed in bed.
He sobered.
She pulled the covers to her chin.
Blake pulled his hands to his waist. “Eunice?” When she didn’t answer, he rested his hand on the back of his neck. “Come on. You can’t be serious. You’re really making me sleep on the floor?”
“Goodnight, Prat. Sweet dreams.”
There was a hint of laughter in her tone. Frankly, he didn’t find anything funny. “Seriously, that bed is the size of a small island.”
“In that case, you should feel privileged. You have the entire ocean to yourself.”
Every damn body is a comedian in this house. “Okay. I’ll remember this.” This time, humor played in his tone. “See if you get a Christmas bonus.” He escaped into the bathroom, did his before bed rituals, then returned and made a pallet on the floor. Using the remote, he shut off the lights, then attempted to find a comfortable position.
“Blake?”
Ah-ha. I knew she’d feel sorry for me. “Mmm-hmm,” he hummed.
“Your story… This is going to sound strange, but it actually happened to me in Central Park. Weird, huh?”
Not weird at all. Unlike her story, his had been steeped in truth. All except for the approaching her part. Unbeknownst to Eunice, he’d seen her in the park doing exactly what he’d stated. He’d also wanted to ask her out. But before he could, he discovered she’d recently started working for his company. Imagine his surprise when they’d bumped into each other at the annual Spring Fling he threw for his staff.
“Huh. Yeah. That is weird.”
Joy Avery is a contemporary romance author who loves watching her imaginary friends fall in love. When not crafting her next love story, she enjoys reading, spending time with the family, playing with her two dogs, and cake decorating.She’s the author of the novels Smoke in the Citi, His Until Sunrise (book 1 in the Indigo Falls series), Cupid’s Error-a Valentine’s novella, and His Ultimate Desire (book 2 in the Indigo Falls series).
