скачать книгу бесплатно
Non-Refundable Groom
Patty Salier
THE GROOM CANDIDATE Elena Martin thought she'd hit the jackpot when a computer dating service that guaranteed marriage paired her with darkly handsome businessman Garrett Sims. No man had ever made Elena feel so protected, and his bone-melting kisses ignited unknown passions. So, after their three prearranged dates, she was ready to say "I do."But Garrett was saying "Oh, no!" Seems Garrett had no intention of setting foot near any altar. But thanks to a favor for a family member, he was up to his irresistibly broad shoulders in trouble. Trouble in the form of a warmhearted woman who set his hormones racing and whose blue eyes spelled forever. Now what was a nonmarrying kind of man to do?
“Your Date Will Be Here Any Moment.” (#ueafdecba-2948-5aab-ab26-24d7cb570fdd)Letter to Reader (#u23170513-d413-50d3-a1f3-622345568cab)Title Page (#u727175d3-84d3-5722-9502-fd4c566dde7b)PATTY SALIER (#u3c2c6d02-f625-5ee3-aaec-c65d47f23167)Dedication (#u1b51ea56-439e-5f63-83b1-66936c5eb217)Chapter One (#u428b59e2-28ec-57c6-821e-82aecba72539)Chapter Two (#ub24a3e8e-7105-55ed-9f67-796eba3198f9)Chapter Three (#u89acffc2-a8d6-57c3-a1b3-04a8912d85e1)Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
“Your Date Will Be Here Any Moment.”
Elena turned around to meet the man the dating service had picked for her. Her eyes widened when she saw Garrett standing there!
“Garrett, I can’t believe—” She was so thrilled that she could barely speak. “This is so incredible!”
He looked incredible. He was starkly handsome in a black tuxedo that stretched across his broad shoulders and solid chest.
She wanted to ask him a zillion questions about his signing up with the dating service, but she was so flustered being with him that she couldn’t remember the name of the service.
Garrett slipped his hand in hers and led her to the dinner table. As he sat across from her, her heartbeat raced when she felt his knees touch hers.
“To us,” he said, tapping her sparkling glass with his.
She nodded, unable to believe that her dream of being with him had come true.
Dear Reader,
This month, Silhouette Desire celebrates sensuality. All six steamy novels perfectly describe those unique pleasures that gratify our senses, like seeing the lean body of a cowboy at work, smelling his earthy scent, tasting his kiss...and hearing him say, “I love you.”
Feast your eyes on June’s MAN OF THE MONTH, the tall, dark and incredibly handsome single father of four in beloved author Barbara Boswell’s That Marriageable Man! In bestselling author Lass Small’s continuing series, THE KEEPERS OF TEXAS, a feisty lady does her best to tame a reckless cowboy and he winds up unleashing her wild side in The Hard-To-Tame Texan. And a dating service guarantees delivery of a husband-to-be in Non-Refundable Groom by ultrasexy writer Patty Salier.
Plus, Modean Moon unfolds the rags-to-riches story of an honorable lawman who fulfills a sudden socialite’s deepest secret desire in Overnight Heiress. In Catherine Lanigan’s Montana Bride, a bachelor hero introduces love and passion to a beautiful virgin. And a rugged cowboy saves a jilted lady in The Cowboy Who Came in From the Cold by Pamela Macaluso.
These six passionate stories are sure to leave you tingling... and anticipating next month’s sensuous selections. Enjoy!
Regards,
Melissa Senate
Senior Editor
Silhouette Books
Please address questions and book requests to:
Silhouette Reader Service
U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269
Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3
Non-Refundable Groom
Patty Salier
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
PATTY SALIER
Born and raised in Gravesend, Brooklyn, in New York, Patty credits her mother for her keen logic and her father for her curious, creative mind. She has been a published writer for many years. To Patty, her wonderful husband and two great children are everything she could want in life. “I’ve got so much to be thankful for.”
To my wonderful children,
Diana and Jeff
One
At Grant Property Management in Santa Monica, Elena Martin took a deep breath of courage as she stood up from her desk behind her office partition.
I’m going to get that promotion, she silently repeated like a mantra. I’ve got to get that job!
As she blindly grabbed the folders of the accounts she handled as a property manager, she anxiously thought of ways to convince her boss, Stanley Grant, that she was the perfect person to fill the now-empty seat of vice president.
Glancing down, Elena noticed that a button of her white silk blouse was open, revealing a peek of lacy white bra. She quickly tried to button her blouse and realized that the button hole had stretched too large to hold the button closed.
Everything’s going wrong! she silently screamed.
Ever since she woke up that morning, her emotions had been in an uproar about getting the promotion. She’d left her wallet at home. She didn’t even have her credit card to put gas in the near-empty tank of her car when she drove to work.
Realizing she was a couple of minutes late for her appointment with Stanley, Elena held the files in front of her chest, trying to hide the blouse button in case of another reopening. Then she headed toward his office, walking past the three junior property managers.
“Elena, wait,” called out Grace, a woman in her early sixties who was the receptionist. “Stanley stepped out of his office for a few minutes.”
Elena was too revved up with nervous energy to return to her desk. “He won’t mind if I wait for him inside.”
“But there’s someone else—” Grace’s voice trailed off.
The moment Elena entered Stanley’s office, she came to a sudden halt.
“Stan, I—” a deep male voice began and then stopped.
He was standing by the window with a brown calf leather briefcase in hand. She instantly took in his curly black hair and six-foot, solid frame dressed in a gray suit, pressed white shirt and pale blue print tie.
“You’re definitely not Stanley,” the man said, his twinkling gaze appreciatively taking her all in.
His visual caress sent a tingle straight down to her toes. “I’m Elena Martin,” she stammered, caught off guard by her sensual reaction to him. “I’m a property manager here at the Santa Monica branch.”
His warm charcoal eyes held hers. “I’ve heard Stanley mention your name, but I can’t believe I’ve never met you before,” he said. “I’m Garrett Sims, a property manager at the Sherman Oaks branch.” He stepped closer and extended his hand to her. She noticed that he wasn’t wearing a wedding band.
His large hand covered hers, and she felt a jolt of electricity that completely overwhelmed her. She hadn’t allowed herself to feel close to a man since what happened with her ex-boyfriend, Ted.
She quickly released her hand from his, trying to focus on her promotion goal. “I have a meeting with Stanley.”
“So do I.”
“Right now?”
“Well, yeah.”
“That can’t be,” she said. “You must have your appointment time mixed up.”
“I don’t think so.”
“I’m sure Stanley will explain your time confusion,” she said.
“My time confusion?” he repeated with a warm twinkle in his eyes.
“That’s right,” she said, trying to ignore her strong attraction to him. She unconsciously set down her files on the coffee table. “You’ll need to reschedule.”
When Garrett didn’t immediately respond, she noticed his gaze drift to her blouse. She looked down and saw that her button had reopened, and her bra was showing slightly.
She quickly grabbed the folders to her chest, feeling heat rise to her cheeks, not only from embarrassment, but from the spark of playfulness in his eyes that instantly turned her on.
Just then, Stanley walked in, rushed and preoccupied as usual. In his early sixties, he was stocky, graying and his face was always in a frown.
“I’ve got a lunch meeting right after this,” Stanley said, sitting behind his desk, motioning them onto the sofa.
Superaware of Garrett beside her, Elena tried to ignore her ignited reaction to him.
“Stanley, could I talk to you alone?” she asked.
“Elena, I purposely scheduled you and Garrett together,” her boss went on. “You want to be promoted to vice president, and so does Garrett. The problem is that I’ve only got one opening.”
Elena’s stomach tensed as she glanced at Garrett. She had to get that job. She desperately needed the salary raise to financially help out her younger sister, Jan, and Jan’s two school-aged sons. Ever since Jan’s husband had died of a sudden heart attack six months ago, her sister’s job as a caregiver of elderly women had barely covered the bills. Jan’s husband’s small insurance policy had only covered the funeral costs and some unpaid bills.
She moved to the edge of the sofa. “Stanley, I’m very qualified for the position.” Straggling to keep one folder against her blouse, she pulled out another folder. “On every expense report for the properties I manage, the budget is balanced. I’ve never exceeded the property owners’ cap on expenses.”
“Fine work, Elena,” Stanley said, glancing at her expense reports, nodding, pleased. “You’re doing an excellent job.” He turned to Garrett. “Can I see your budget figures?”
Garrett glanced at her, and she thought she saw him hesitate before opening his briefcase. “Sure, Stan,” he said, handing him a set of papers.
“Superb, Garrett,” Stanley said, flipping through the sheets. “On every building you manage, the expenses are the lowest I’ve ever seen. You’ve saved our clients substantial sums of money. In fact, just today I received a call from one of our building owners praising your work.”
Elena nervously bit the inside of her mouth. She could see Stanley leaning toward Garrett, and she didn’t know what to do.
Stanley’s telephone rang. “Excuse me.” He took the call, swiveling the chair so his back was to them.
Garrett leaned closer to her. “Elena, if you want to talk separately to Stanley,” he whispered, “I’ll tell him I want that, too.”
She could feel his warm breath against her hair. She could smell his musky aftershave. His sensitivity to her feelings surprised her, but she couldn’t allow herself to focus on him if she wanted that job.
“Garrett, is the pressure of competing with me too much for you?” she daringly asked, needing to feel more in control.
His eyes held hers, almost in an embrace. “As a matter of fact, Elena, I’m thoroughly enjoying it.”
So was she, but she didn’t dare tell him!
“Garrett,” she began, “I really need this job, and I’m going to get it!”
A grin spread across his handsome face. “Are you challenging me?”
“Well, yes,” she replied, trying to keep her voice steady. “Yes, I am!”
His gaze remained steady on her. “I completely accept your challenge.”
Her body grew heated at his words as she fantasized that he meant more than just the promotion.
Stanley hung up the phone. “You’ve both put me in a dilemma,” he said, turning back to them. He pulled out a folder from a file cabinet. “I’ve got your résumés in front of me, and they’re top-notch.” He flipped through the paper. “Elena, your credits are very impressive. Three prior years of experience with Drexler Property Management, two years at my company. Now you’re successfully managing ten properties for me.”
She confidently glanced at Garrett with a silent, I told you! But when he smiled and nodded with genuine appreciation, she felt totally thrown off by him again.
“And you, Garrett,” Stanley went on, sifting through the two-page résumé. “You’ve worked as a property manager for ten years, including three at my company. You’re currently managing sixteen properties. And you’ve won the company award for Top Manager of the Year at the Sherman Oaks branch three times in a row.”
Elena suddenly felt ill. Garrett had tons of advantages over her. Experience, more accounts, company awards. And he was a man.
She knew that Stanley had only once hired a woman as vice president, and it was a disaster. She had learned from Grace that the woman fell in love with one of Stanley’s property managers, abandoned the vice presidency to form a small company with her new husband and took most of Stanley’s clients with her.
She was sure that Stanley wasn’t eager to hire another female again. And Grace had told her that Stanley would never again promote or keep anyone who got romantically involved with a co-worker at his branch offices.
To get that promotion, she had to come up with a way to top Garrett’s credits, and fast.
With a jolt of energy, she stood up and blurted, “Stanley, I can prove I’m the perfect person for the job.”
Her boss’s eyebrows lifted with interest. “What do you propose?”
She could feel Garrett’s eyes on her. She pressed the folder to her chest, trying to keep her mind focused on the job and not him.
“Give me one month, Stanley,” she began. “Besides doing my regular job, I’ll rev up new accounts to increase your business.”
Stanley pulled his chair closer to his desk. “Are you saying that you’ll go out and get me new clients?”
“Absolutely!” she blurted.
She panicked. She’d never gotten a new management account at her job. Elena had always been assigned properties to manage by Stanley. He was the one who got new accounts.
“Fascinating idea, Elena,” Stanley said, pondering her concept.
“It sure is,” Garrett added, looking at her, impressed. “How about if you and I compete for new accounts?”
“What do you mean?” she pushed out.
“The one who gets the most new clients for the company wins the vice presidency.”
