Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26499 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 132(@200wpm)___ 106(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26499 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 132(@200wpm)___ 106(@250wpm)___ 88(@300wpm)
“Yes, you’re doing this.”
“What if it’s terrible?”
“Just remember tomorrow we have an underwear shoot you’re coming to with me.”
“How could I forget that?” This one is a big deal. If we land this clothing company, it would be killer for Lauren’s photography career. I’m just not sure why that has anything to do with this date. Except maybe to remind me that I don’t look like a model.
“They're male models.” She wiggles her perfect eyebrows. “You won’t have to Photoshop abs onto them. They already have them. And if today’s date doesn’t work out well, there’s always tomorrow.”
“You know having abs isn’t an actual sign of strength. Have you ever seen any of the world's strongest men with abs? Nope.”
She closes her eyes and shakes her head. “Put the dress on.”
I do as I’m told. At least she doesn't try to make me wear heels. She knows better. She gives me one last glance-over, making me put on lip gloss before shoving me out the door. She barely lets me grab my phone and purse.
It’s not until I’m in the bakery that I realize all I know is I’m meeting a man named John who Lauren swears is handsome. Jean gives me a small wave from behind the counter. She’s been working here since before Lauren and I moved in upstairs a few months ago.
I glance around, seeing a woman at one of the tables alone. There are a few other couples but no single men sitting by themselves. I check the time to see it’s four on the dot.
“Mila, do you want your normal?” Jean asks as the bell over the front door sounds.
“Yes please,” I respond before I turn to see a clearly irritated but handsome man walking into the bakery. “Are you John?” I ask. No way. This cannot be my date. I will kill Lauren. This man is way too hot. The kind of hot you know is going to be a cocky jerk or a straight-up asshole.
“John?” Some of the irritation fades from his handsome face as his brows rise.
“Yeah, my date.” The bell over the door sounds again. This time, a man in all black comes walking in.
“Sir, we got another vehicle. It will be—” John holds out his hand, and the man stops speaking.
“I’ll let you know when I’m ready to leave,” he responds to the man in all black. His eyes bounce between the two of us before he nods and steps back out of the bakery. Does he have a driver? So he’s rich too? I’m guessing it’s his driver by the way he followed him in. I’m going to murder Lauren when I get back upstairs. She’s going to be banned from picking out any more dates for me.
“Mila, your hot chocolate is ready,” Jean calls.
“Thanks.” I reach into my purse to pull out some money, but my date beats me to it. “So you’re John?” He tosses a twenty down before snagging my drink for me. “You want to get something?”
“Actually, I wanted to try this place down the street. I’m hungry.”
“Oh,” I stand there, unsure of what to do.
“Are you not hungry?” he persists.
“I am. I’m just supposed to stay at the bakery.”
“And why is that?”
“It’s Lauren’s rule. You could kidnap me.” His lips twitch, making him even more handsome. Damn it.
“It’s broad daylight out, and we’ll walk.”
“Is it that new Italian place?” It’s a few blocks down. It opened up two weeks ago, but the menu is pricey and it’s always so packed. I think you need reservations or something, but I’m game to try. “Okay, John,” I agree. “I’m going to text my friend real quick.” He nods as I do just that.
“Call me J.”
“All right, J.”
He opens the door, leading me out of the bakery. His hand goes to the small of my back. “Any other rules I need to know about?”
“I’m not supposed to tell you I live above the bakery.” Even as I’m saying the words and I hear myself, I can’t seem to stop. I do, however, stop walking. I drop my head back to look up into J’s handsome face. “Oops.” Did I mention I may also be clumsy when it comes to my words? I tend to blurt things out and ramble on.
I don’t think I have anything to worry about when it comes to John, though. I’m guessing he doesn’t have to kidnap women. They likely throw themselves at him. I think I’m safe on that front. As for his safety, I’m not so sure. In my klutzy moments, I’ve been known to take bystanders down with me.
“Oops?” he repeats.
“Yeah, oops.” I sigh.
He should get used to the word. I tend to say it a lot.
two
JAY
This woman’s a menace—standing in the middle of a bakery in the middle of the day, buying coffee, and wearing a cloud of light purple fabric. She looks like every man’s dream, and she just blurts out everything but her phone number and date of birth. She needs a keeper. Good thing I’m here.