Total pages in book: 14
Estimated words: 12074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 60(@200wpm)___ 48(@250wpm)___ 40(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 12074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 60(@200wpm)___ 48(@250wpm)___ 40(@300wpm)
“You’ll see.” He glances at me and winks.
As he turns onto Broadmoor, Elmo’s Place's bright neon sign comes into view and I get excited. This is my favorite restaurant. “How did you know?” I look over to him and ask.
He glances at me and shrugs. “I’m not going to divulge all my secrets.”
After Sally seats us in a red vinyl booth along the back wall, I smile and tell her I’ll have my usual. I’ve been coming to Elmo’s Place since I moved to Livingston right out of college. The owners, Sally and Earl, treat all of the Curvy Cuties like daughters. Sally looks over at Wild, and he winks. “I’ll have whatever Jenna is having.”
“Two cheeseburger platters and vanilla milkshakes coming up.” She smiles back before leaning over to whisper in my ear, “He is even hotter than Piper described. Way to go, girlfriend.”
Leave it to my friends to spread rumors around the small town. I’m sure everyone within a hundred miles knows I’m on this date now.
While we wait for our cheeseburgers, Wild tells me about his position at Temptation, Inc. “When my grandfather started the company, it was mainly Ms. Southern Magazine and two newspapers.” He shrugs and explains how he and his partners have expanded the company into television and movies after his father retired. I knew Temptation, Inc. was a large corporation, but I never realized it had so many subsidiaries.
When Sally brings our dinner and interrupts our conversation, I take the opportunity to gather my scattered wits. Wild Templeton is way out of my league. After Sally walks away, he looks over and smiles. “I was at a meeting last week, and one of the film producers was very interested in Curvy Cuties.”
I fiddle with my straw and ask him, “What?”
“The turnaround you’ve made with the magazine is phenomenal.” He shrugs. “This producer had heard about it through the grapevine, and he wanted to know where I found you.”
“Did you tell him you tried to get rid of me?” I blurt out without thinking.
Wild looks shocked for a second, then reaches for my hand. He kisses the back of it and smiles at me. “I know I made a horrible first impression, but I hope you’re going to give me a chance to prove that I’m not a total asshole.”
My breath picks up as my heart pounds in my chest. There’s no way I can resist the pull of him. “I’d like that.” It’s the best response my befuddled brain can come up with.
While we eat, he asks about my friends, and I explain how the positions at Curvy Cuties are perfect for us. Piper was a shoo-in to become my Assistant Editor when Ms. Milly retired. London has a degree in Fashion design, so she was a natural to take the job as our Fashion Editor. Emery’s Marketing degree worked perfectly for the Advertising Executive position, and Maddie fought hard and beat out ten other applicants to win the Feature Editor's job. Working with my four best friends is a dream come true.
I surprise him when I reveal, “You know Ms. Milly didn't give us the magazine for free.” He looks at me and raises an eyebrow as I continue, “We offered to give her twenty percent of our profits, but she turned us down. After discussing our options, the Cuties decided to donate Ms. Millie’s portion to women and children’s charities in her name.” Wild stares at me for a few moments with his mouth hanging open, then leans over to place a small kiss on my nose.
“Every time I think you can’t get any more perfect, you find a way to prove me wrong.” I blink up into his bright blue eyes and realize he just took total possession of my heart.
By the time he drops me off at my apartment, I’m a nervous wreck. Dating isn’t one of my strong points. Do I ask him in? Is he expecting more than a goodnight kiss? My palms are sweating, and dinner is sitting like a rock on my stomach. Wild walks me to the door. “I had a great time,” he tells me before taking my key from my hand and unlocking the door for me. As he wraps his arms around me, I forget my nerves and melt into his yummy body. “I’m going to say goodbye here because you’re too much of a temptation to go any further,” he whispers against my forehead before leaning down to softly kiss my lips.
As he pulls away, I see desire darkening his sapphire blue eyes, and my overheated body urges me to invite him in while my logical brain tells me to take things slow. My senses slowly return, and I blink up at him. “Thank you for a wonderful night.”
“You’re welcome, Baby.” He smiles down at me. “I’d like to see you again.” He runs his finger over my bottom lip, and I’d agree to about anything. “Is tomorrow too soon?”