by: Terra Weiss
Genre: Holiday Romance
Release Date: November 16, 2022
Publisher: Autumn Sky Books
Stripper. Work Nemesis. My fake holi-date?
The scorching hot stripper is my new co-worker? Yes, I drooled over Finn Hayes last weekend as he gyrated in a sparkly fuchsia thong. So what?
But Lacy Callahan, the unflappable career woman, does not let her hair down, does not blab her secrets, and certainly does not try to kiss a stripper!
Except last weekend. I flapped.
And now, I have to make senior editor at Sutton & Sutton Publishing by getting my author's children's Christmas novel on bookshelves everywhere. It's also how I plan to rekindle the spark between me and my ex, Joshua, who just got promoted at Sutton.
My roadblock? Finn—the new interim assistant editor who came up with the concept for a competing children's Christmas novel. The one Joshua's fighting to get selected over mine.
Instead of working late nights with Joshua like the old days, it's Finn. Which isn’t so bad. He’s witty, quirky, and honestly, hilarious. Plus, he brings me chip-infused sandwiches. Surprisingly divine.
But there's something Finn's hiding, and it's not his ridiculous body. Why is he editing by day and stripping by night?
*Storybook Christmas is a witty, heartfelt romcom novella with swoony chemistry that will have you rooting for a happily-ever-after while keeping the romance closed-door.
1
The Hurricane
A FREAKING CHIPPENDALE. My sixty-two-year-old bestie from work, Bertha, hired one, and right now, he’s shaking his baby-oiled buns of steel in my face. I put up a palm. “No, thank you.”
“They don’t call me The Hurricane for nothing.” He flips around and presents his pelvis to me, which is currently adorned in a sparkly fuchsia thong.
I gasp, going bug-eyed. All my girlfriends are squealing as the scene around me disappears because there’s a pink, sequined banana hammock blocking my view.
The company where I work—the distinguished Sutton & Sutton Publishing—cannot find out about this. I’m already having a hard enough time clawing my way up the ladder at the old school, male-dominated company.
I’m going to kill Bertha. I know her all too well, and I can guess her agenda—she’s trying to help me get over Joshua. Up until two months ago, he and I both were associate editors at Sutton. However, when he got promoted to senior editor, he dumped me. He said he needed time away to focus on work. Plus, the break would get us out of the rut we’d found ourselves in.
Maybe I’m being naive, but I get it. Joshua is over his head at work, and we’d been together since college. He was like my favorite hoodie—comfortable, perfect for all types of weather.
Anyway, I can hear Bertha’s voice in my head. What better way to bounce back from Joshua than one night of gawking at The Hurricane?
And as I stare at his shimmering statuesque body, I realize she’s not wrong.
But what Bertha doesn’t realize is that I don’t need to get over Joshua. The competitive spark that brought us together in college is long gone, but if I make sure I get promoted to senior editor too, he and I will get that back. And I have just the children’s Christmas novel that’s going to make me our company’s next star. Joshua never said it, but I could feel it—his admiration for me vanished the day he moved up the ranks and I didn’t.
All that’s about to change. In fact, when my upcoming book is awarded The Sutty, Sutton & Sutton’s highest annual honor, Joshua and I will be reunited—just in time for our regularly scheduled New Year’s Eve kiss.
Logical thoughts vanish as The Hurricane whisks my brain into a whirlwind. He’s doing this thing with his muscles that I didn’t even know the human body had. And through his Lone Ranger-style mask, he’s staring me down with jade eyes. I can’t see his face, but he has to be hot. With a perfect square jaw and silky black hair, he’s got too much going on for him not to be gorgeous without the mask.
“Lacy, dance with him!” Bertha screams, approaching me from my kitchen and handing me another margarita. “And take your hair out of that damn bun.” With one swift tug, she pulls off my scrunchy, releasing my hair onto my shoulders and back.
Since Bertha hired herself as my life coach, she’s gotten bolder, which is really saying something. Before Bertha was the person who, for Halloween, dared show up at the stuffy Sutton & Sutton offices dressed up as a plus-sized Wonder Woman.
And it was fabulous.
The Hurricane’s shimmering muscles flex as he pulls me off my couch. He spins me around before gyrating along my back. I shuffle my feet in an attempt to move. I used to be a great dancer, but I haven’t done it since college because Joshua refused. He didn’t even want to do the traditional first dance at our wedding reception. Which is now canceled—or on hold—because he dumped me before we got engaged, which was about to happen because Joshua had the ring. I accidentally saw it—a princess-cut full carat diamond, set in a double-halo white gold band. It was gorgeous.
“You’ve got this,” The Hurricane whispers.
I turn and flash him a nervous glance. His friendly smile disarms me, and I can’t believe I’m having a sincere moment with a man hired to get almost naked in front of me. I remind myself that it’s his job to make women feel special. He does this with everyone.
He’s a professional.
Purchase Storybook Christmas from:
Coffee addict.
Inactive activewear wearer.
Terra Weiss is a romcom author with a knack for witty banter and gift for capturing authentic family dynamics. Readers love how her stories steer away from typical romcom cookie-cutter formulas and show how real-life people find real-life love.
When Terra's not spilling the tea on what happens in the big and small towns that live in her heart, you'll find her with her spunky daughter, mad scientist husband, wacky and wonderful mother, and the two six-pound dogs that run her house. She enjoys jogging at a snail's pace, reading from her iPhone, and piling bright orange mountains of squeezy cheese on her crackers.
Places to find Terra Weiss:
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