Seven Day Fiance Tour: Author Interview + Giveaway

Rachel Harris' SEVEN DAY FIANCE is finally here! 

You can get it in your hands (well, on your ereader) right now! You don't want to miss this fantastic Contemporary Romance from Rachel Harris. Book 2 in the Love and Game Series, SEVEN DAY FIANCE can be read as a standalone. Check out all of the information regarding this fantastic novel and Rachel Harris below! Then, see what we have in store for you on this blog tour stop and enter to win an awesome SEVEN DAY FIANCE Swag Basket!

Isn't that cover pretty?? Read on and find out everything you need to know below! 

SEVEN DAY FIANCE Synopsis:

Angelle Prejean is in a pickle. Her family is expecting her to come home with a fiancé—a fiancé who doesn’t exist. Well, he exists, but he definitely has no idea Angelle told her mama they were engaged. Tattooed, muscled, and hotter than sin, Cane can reduce Angelle to a hot mess with one look—and leave her heart a mess if she falls for him. But when she ends up winning Cane at a charity bachelor auction, she knows just how to solve her fiancé problem.

Cane Robicheaux is no one’s prince. He doesn’t do relationships and he doesn’t fall in love. When sweet, sultry-voiced Angelle propositions him, he hopes their little game can finally get her out of his head. He doesn’t expect her to break through all his barriers. But even as Angelle burrows deeper into his heart, he knows once their seven days are up, so is their ruse.

Rachel Harris Bio:

Rachel Harris grew up in New Orleans, where she watched soap operas with her grandmother and stayed up late sneak reading her mama’s favorite romance novels. Now a Cajun cowgirl living in Houston, she still stays up way too late reading her favorite romances, only now, she can do so openly. She firmly believes life’s problems can be solved with a hot, powdered-sugar-coated beignet or a thick slice of king cake, and that screaming at strangers for cheap, plastic beads is acceptable behavior in certain situations.

When not typing furiously or flipping pages in an enthralling romance, she homeschools her two beautiful girls and watches reality television with her amazing husband. Taste The Heat is her adult romance debut. She’s the author of MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY and A TALE OF TWO CENTURIES. She loves hearing from readers! Find her atwww.RachelHarrisWrites.com.

Buy Links:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Links:

Website: www.RachelHarrisWrites.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/RachelHarrisYA

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RachelHarrisYA

Goodreads Author: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5347676.Rachel_Harris

SEVEN DAY FIANCE Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17926005-seven-day-fianc?ac=1

Entangled Website: http://www.entangledpublishing.com/

Author Interview:

1.    What is your favorite part about being an author and least favorite part. 

My favorite part of being an author is being an example for my girls. We homeschool, so my writing comes up all the time in different ways, and my girls get so tickled whenever I have an event or they see my book on a shelf. They talk about their dreams, and I think seeing me go after mine has shown them that nothing is impossible. That if they try hard and go after it, who knows where it can lead. The second best part is definitely talking with readers and other authors. The friendships I’ve made on this journey have been amazing—I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. Bookish people are the best people ;)

My least favorite part…hmm. Maybe the stress I put on myself. I don’t really get the stress from anyone else, it’s all me,but wanting to make each book better, hoping that readers will love the next one as much as they love my current one. Getting ALL THE BOOKS done on deadline. Keeping up with emails, promo, editing, critiquing, writing, homeschooling, housework, and sleep—that’s an ongoing battle. But, it’s all worth it!

2. I loved Jason's story in Taste The Heat, and so far I'm loving Cane's story in Seven Day Fiance what is your favorite characteristic of both Jason and Cane.

For Jason, I loved that he was a good guy from start to finish. Yeah, he was closed off in some ways, protecting his heart, but he loved his daughter, he cared deeply about his community, and he was a protector. He made women feel safe, and I think that’s sexy.

For Cane, my favorite characteristic is his quirk. His inner nerd-flag that he doesn’t let people see, that he hides behind all the tattoos, the leather, and the bad boy charm.I just that he’s a motorcycle riding math geek (he he). But second to that is definitely how fiercely protective he is of women, of all ages. That’s hot.

3. What inspires you to write?

Readers. Honestly, giggling with them, discussing our favorite scenes, sharing the inner workings of my brain and the voices that crowd it, it’s fun. I also love settings, and losing myself in description, researching different places, and then bringing them to life on page is an exciting challenge.

4. What is one piece of advice you would give to aspiring writers?

Read, read, and read some more. Pay attention while you read, and make note of what speaks to you. What youenjoy, and what you don’t like. Certain images that jump out at you, write them down. You’ll probably see a pattern emerge that can clue you into the kind of writer you are and the types of stories you’d most like to tell. This works best if you are reading widely, too.

5. Something I'm DYING to know, you might not be able to answer but is there another book after A Tale of Two Centuries? 

Yep! I’m writing it now—My Not So Super Sweet Life. It’s contemporary and dual POV, and releases as a special digital edition January 2014. That will be followed by book three in my adult Love and Games series. It’s a busy time 

And now for the Giveaway! Go enter to win! 

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Review: The Paradox of Vertical Flight by Emil Ostrovski

The Paradox of Vertical Flight
Publisher: Greenwilliow Books
Publication Date: September 24, 2013
Book Format: ARC
Number of Pages: 272
Synopsis: On the morning of his eighteenth birthday, philosophy student and high school senior Jack Polovsky is somewhat seriously thinking of suicide when his cell phone rings. Jack's ex-girlfriend, Jess, has given birth, and Jack is the father. Jack hasn't spoken with Jess in about nine months—and she wants him to see the baby before he is adopted. The new teenage father kidnaps the baby, names him Socrates, stocks up on baby supplies at Wal-Mart, and hits the road with his best friend, Tommy, and the ex-girlfriend. As they head to Grandma's house (eluding the police at every turn), Jack tells baby Socrates about Homer, Troy, Aristotle, the real Socrates, and the Greek myths—because all stories spring from those stories, really. Even this one. Funny, heart-wrenching, and wholly original, this debut novel by Emil Ostrovski explores the nature of family, love, friendship, fate, fatherhood, and myth.

My Review:

I received The Paradox of Vertical Flight by Emil Ostrovski from the publisher, and this is my honest review.

The Paradox of Vertical Flight is a pretty intense road trip. From the beginning we meet Jack who finds out he is a father, not sure he’s ready to give up his rights to being a father he walks out of the hospital with his newborn son in tow. He enlists the help of his best friend Tommy, and eventually the newborn baby’s mother Jess jumps on ship too. Get ready for this entertaining adventure.

I really felt for Jack’s character as soon as I met him. He was seemingly lonely and ready to kill himself but the second he found out he had a son things completely changed. He went from suicidal teenager to caring dad in a matter of a day and I thought that was really sweet. Jess I wasn’t too fond of and I think most people would be on her side because Jack left. But I feel like if she really new Jack and she gave him more of a chance then she did she would have realized that he wanted to be there he was just really scared, which is understandable. If I was in Jess’ shoes things would have gone down differently.

Tommy is my all time favorite character in the whole book, he’s such a loyal friend and he is so funny. There were so many lines in the book where I was so mad that I didn’t have sticky notes to mark my place, and also there were a bunch of times when I laughed out loud like a crazy person this book really was amazing.

The only thing that I didn’t quite understand was all the gibberish when Jack was having his private talks with Socrates, I mean one or two of them  would have been okay but I constantly had no clue what they were talking about which made things a little boring but I got past them and the rest of the book definitely made up for it.

I’m really hoping that Ostrovski writes many many more books because after reading this one I so want to dive into more of his work in hopes that it will be just as amazing or even better than this book!

Reckless Tour: Excerpt + Giveaway

Reckless by Danielle Weiler
Release Date: August 9, 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult
Synopsis: Are you going to ask me in?’ he replied, a cheeky smile forming on the edges of his lips. Then he leaned towards me conspiratorially. ‘We aren’t strangers, you know.’

Milly Benton wants it all to go away. Wants to flip the bird to the nightmares and her parent’s grief and the incessant questions about when she’s going to make something of herself.

But when her parents exile her to the country, Milly has to cope with her annoyingly helpful aunt and three cousins instead. Bitter at the hand she’s been dealt, Milly has stopped dreaming of a future.

In steps Jerome with his tormented blue eyes. Familiar from her childhood and as broken as she. They need each other. But how can they forget?

Book Links:

Goodreads

Purchase:

Amazon

 

Meet The Author:

Danielle Weiler loves all things written. She has her best story ideas in the middle of the night when there’s no chance to remember them the next day. Her first YA novel, Friendship on Fire, was published in 2011. Reckless is Danielle’s first novel for new adults. She has lived and taught high school in New South Wales and Victoria but prefers the sunny weather in Perth. She is kept company by her husband, son and naughty cat, Ginger.

 

Author Links:

Website

Goodreads

Twitter

Facebook

 

Excerpt:

‘Yoga? Really?’ I complained to Ava as we pulled up out the front of Yoga Central. ‘I thought it was going to be indoor netball or cricket.’

‘Told you it was something different.’ Ava beamed and tugged my ponytail. ‘Let’s get going. You can’t be late or they shut the doors on you.’

‘Great. Sounds like jail.’

‘Come on. How do you think you’re going to keep up appearances if you don’t exercise?’ She slapped my thigh.

‘I was planning to exercise. This isn’t exercising. It’s stretching and bending over.’

‘Sook.’ ‘Bitch.’

The instructor was squat, kind of like a butch hobbit. ‘Who is that I hear talking?’ she asked in a shrill voice.

I pulled a face at Ava, but she was drinking it all in. Great.

After twenty minutes of repetitive postures that were breaking my back, (‘stretch your arm over your head, push your hip out, until you can’t push it any further, until it’s going to dislocate. Then push further,’ she said) I lay down and felt my head spin. I lumbered to my feet and, stum- bling, made my way toward the exit sign, dripping with sweat. I’d never been so excited to see an escape route in my life.

There was a gym next door with some guys doing bench presses. I perved on them until the yoga class finally finished.

‘How awesome was that!’ gushed Ava as we collapsed into my car.

‘Don’t sweat on my seats, traitor.’

‘Come on,’ she needled. ‘Don’t be a whinger. After a few goes you’ll be loving it!’ She was on one of her exercise highs again. Exercise made me tired.

‘Oh no,’ I said, ‘I’m never going back. I’ll de-friend you. Don’t think I won’t, ’cos I will.’ I put the car into reverse and screeched out of the car park.

‘What’s up your arse?’


‘I don’t like being told what to do.’

She moved her head so that I could see her out of the corner of my eye. ‘No, no, it’s more than that. I can tell. Spill.’

She knew me too well, so I stared at the road ahead until

I could sense her eyes weren’t on me anymore. Because she seemed to have settled down a little, I let it slip.

‘Rose.’


‘I knew it was something else! What about her?’


‘She brought up Christian again.’


‘So what? Is it a crime?’


‘I don’t want to,’ I snapped. ‘And no one talks about him except her.’


‘Maybe you should?’ She’d know she was treading on thin ice, but Ava always spoke her mind.


‘Aren’t you hearing me? I don’t want to think about him, at all.’


‘It’s not like he was a horrible person, Mill. It was an accident,’ she said quietly. ‘So you’re going to have to talk about it some time.’

‘I’m living in “now”, not “some time”.’ 


Her voice was annoyingly soothing. ‘It’s almost two years since it happened, Mill.’


‘Can we go out for a drink?’ I said. ‘I need one.’

‘Sure.’

I was very good at distracting her. One drink in her hand and she’d stop asking questions about me.

Giveaway:

 

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Cover Reveal: With Every Heartbeat by Melody Grace

Today we have the beautiful cover for Melody Grace's upcoming New Adult novel, WITH EVERY HEARTBEAT! 

Set to be released November 8th, WITH EVERY HEARTBEAT is a New Adult Contemporary Romance and is the 1st book in the Cities of Love Series. 

About WITH EVERY HEARTBEAT:

Rome. The city of young lovers, old secrets, and intoxicating new desire…

I thought I knew what I wanted in life. I thought my destiny was set. Then I met him, and everything changed.

Raphael is bold, passionate, and seductive. He sees something in me I never dreamed possible, and now he's determined to show me a world beyond rules -- a dance without limits. I want to trust him, but I'm scared. Because I know once I fall, there'll be no going back.

An innocent dancer. A mysterious stranger. As Annalise is drawn deeper into the romantic delights of Rome, she'll question everything she believed about her future. But with opening night looming, can she find the strength to risk it all? And will she be forced to choose between her one true love, ballet, and the new passion in her heart?

Find out in this enchanting new series from Melody Grace.

ABOUT MELODY GRACE:

Melody Grace is the USA Today bestselling author of UNBROKEN and UNTOUCHED. A small-town girl turned SoCal beach-lover, she spent years with her nose in a book before deciding it was time to write them for herself. She loves bad boys, good books, and pistachio-flavored ice-cream.

Links:

Website: http://melodygracebooks.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Melody-Grace/329573187160227

Twitter: http://twitter.com/melody_grace_

WITH EVERY HEARTBEAT Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18518814-with-every-heartbeat?ac=1 Melody Grace Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6926290.Melody_Grace

Something Wicked by Angela Campbell Cover Reveal

Something Wicked by Angel Campbell

Release Date: October 31, 2013

Publisher: Harper Impulse

Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romantic Suspense

Synopsis: Psychic medium Alexandra King is sick of being pestered by her boss’s dead mother demanding help to reunite her two estranged sons. Determined to get some peace and quiet again, Alexandra follows a lead in finding the younger Collins brother to Charleston, South Carolina, where she immediately meets the hottest man she’s ever laid eyes on and finds herself a willing participant in seduction. Of course, her one-night-stand turns out to be none other than Dylan Collins — her boss’s younger brother and a homicide detective who believes psychics are a complete waste of time.

All Dylan wants is a few hours of pleasure to take his mind off of the case haunting him. A serial killer is stalking the streets of The Holy City — a killer who calls himself The Grim Reaper. When the woman he’d just spent the night with turns up and offers her services as a psychic consultant on the case, his ardor quickly cools. Last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a con artist.It doesn’t take long for Dylan to realize Alexandra is the real deal – and the killer’s next target. Dylan’s protective instincts battle his reluctance to get too involved with a woman he isn’t sure he can trust. As they get closer to finding the killer, they also grow closer to one another, but will Alexandra’s secret agenda destroy their chance at happiness — if the killer doesn’t strike first?

Release Day: Seven Day Fiance by Rachel Harris

Rachel Harris' SEVEN DAY FIANCE is finally here! 

You can get it in your hands (well, on your ereader) right now! You don't want to miss this fantastic Contemporary Romance from Rachel Harris. Book 2 in the Love and Game Series, SEVEN DAY FIANCE can be read as a standalone. Check out all of the information regarding this fantastic novel and Rachel Harris below! Then, celebrate Rachel's Book Birthday by entering the giveaway for an ecopy of Book 1, TASTE THE HEAT!

Isn't that cover pretty?? Read on and find out everything you need to know below! 

SEVEN DAY FIANCE Synopsis:

Angelle Prejean is in a pickle. Her family is expecting her to come home with a fiancé—a fiancé who doesn’t exist. Well, he exists, but he definitely has no idea Angelle told her mama they were engaged. Tattooed, muscled, and hotter than sin, Cane can reduce Angelle to a hot mess with one look—and leave her heart a mess if she falls for him. But when she ends up winning Cane at a charity bachelor auction, she knows just how to solve her fiancé problem.

Cane Robicheaux is no one’s prince. He doesn’t do relationships and he doesn’t fall in love. When sweet, sultry-voiced Angelle propositions him, he hopes their little game can finally get her out of his head. He doesn’t expect her to break through all his barriers. But even as Angelle burrows deeper into his heart, he knows once their seven days are up, so is their ruse.

Rachel Harris Bio:

Rachel Harris grew up in New Orleans, where she watched soap operas with her grandmother and stayed up late sneak reading her mama’s favorite romance novels. Now a Cajun cowgirl living in Houston, she still stays up way too late reading her favorite romances, only now, she can do so openly. She firmly believes life’s problems can be solved with a hot, powdered-sugar-coated beignet or a thick slice of king cake, and that screaming at strangers for cheap, plastic beads is acceptable behavior in certain situations.

When not typing furiously or flipping pages in an enthralling romance, she homeschools her two beautiful girls and watches reality television with her amazing husband. Taste The Heat is her adult romance debut. She’s the author of MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY and A TALE OF TWO CENTURIES. She loves hearing from readers! Find her atwww.RachelHarrisWrites.com.

Buy Links:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Links:

Website

Twitter

Facebook

Goodreads Author

SEVEN DAY FIANCE Goodreads

Entangled Website

And now for the Giveaway! Go enter to win! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: The Lake House by Marci Nault

The Lake House by Marci Nault
Publisher: Gallery Books
Release Date: May 7, 2013
Book Format: ARC
Number of Pages: 400
Synopsis: Achingly tender, yet filled with laughter, The Lake Housebrings to life the wide range of human emotions and the difficult journey from heartbreak to healing. 

VICTORIA ROSE. Fifty years before, a group of teenage friends promised each other never to leave their idyllic lakeside town. But the call of Hollywood and a bigger life was too strong for Victoria . . . and she alone broke that pledge. Now she has come home, intent on making peace with her demons, even if her former friends shut her out. Haunted by tragedy, she longs to find solace with her childhood sweetheart, but even this tender man may be unable to forgive and forget. 

HEATHER BREGMAN. At twenty-eight, after years as a globe-trotting columnist, she's abandoned her controlling fiance, and their glamorous city life to build one on her own terms. Lulled by a Victorian house and a gorgeous locale, she's determined to make the little community her home. But the residents, fearful of change and outsiders, will stop at nothing to sabotage her dreams of lakeside tranquility. 

As Victoria and Heather become unlikely friends, their mutual struggle to find acceptance with their neighbors and in their own hearts, and explores the chance events that shape a community and offer the opportunity to start again.

My Review: 

I received The Lake House by Marci Nault for review from the publishers and this is my honest review.

The Lake House was a breath of fresh air that I really really needed. Lately I’ve been reading crazy action packed young adult books, so to take a break and read a not so fast paced story of love and friendship was absolutely amazing and I’m glad I chose to pick this book up when I did because it is exactly what I needed.

In this novel we meet two women struggling to figure out their lives and make everything right. Do they do it? Well you’re just going to have to read to find out won’t you? First we meet an older women Victoria, who has finally come home to Nagog after a lifetime of fulfilling her dreams all over the world. But she is not met with kindness and open arms as you would expect, she’s met with coldness and is forced to face her closet full of skeletons.

Our other main character is 28 year old Heather who is a young woman, engaged to a beautiful man but she’s just not happy. So she breaks it off with her fiance Charlie and moves next door to our Victoria in the Nagog community. But she also is met with nothing other than ferocity and anger from her older neighbors. Heather has trouble dealing with this but she’s made it her mission to make her new community like her.

I totally loved every second of this book, it didn’t cease to amaze me. Every page had me either giggling or crying. I loved Naults ability to make the characters come alive, I felt like I’ve known these characters my whole life. Even though some of, well most of the other characters were cold to the main characters they had their reasons and everything was understandable.

I waited awhile before writing this review so I could get all my thoughts together so I could remember any of the things I didn’t like about the book as well as the things I loved. But all I thought of was everything I loved. There was not a single thing I could think of that I didn’t like.

A few other things I liked about the novel was first, the flashbacks. Some books like the one I finished before this book have trouble with flashbacks. They happen so quickly and you don’t realise you're in one or that one has ended. But Nault did a wonderful job with the flashbacks. You knew when you were entering one and you knew when you were leaving one, and all of them were just so beautiful.

I feel like before I end this review I need to talk about the setting, I loved reading about the beach and the little community and the town surrounding the community. It all seemed so cute and peaceful and it was just awesome! Overall the novel was breathtaking and I would not hesitate to read anything by Marci Nault in the future!

Come As You Are Book Blitz

Come As You Are by Theresa Weir
Release Date: September 20, 2013
Genres: New Adult, Romance
Synopsis: New Adult Romance by RITA winner and New York Times author Theresa Weir

Molly Young has a secret. To keep it she holds the world at a distance. Behind her lies a trail of dumped boyfriends who came too close to discovering what no one can know. When her estranged father dies of an unexpected heart attack he leaves an even deeper secret, one tied to Molly’s.

At the funeral repast Molly is unable to tolerate the shoulder-to-shoulder mourners and runs out the door and down the street to the nearest bar. Come dawn, with no memory of the past ten hours, she finds herself in bed with a beautiful stranger. She slips away before he wakes up, unaware of the role he’s about to play in her life. Is he the one guy who can convince Molly to face her painful secret and become the person she’s meant to be?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18464111-come-as-you-are?ac=1

Purchase:

--Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Come-As-You-Are-ebook/dp/B00FAPCESQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380814804&sr=8-1&keywords=come+as+you+are+weir

--B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/come-as-you-are-theresa-weir/1116948147?ean=9781492729815

Meet The Author:

Theresa Weir (a.k.a. Anne Frasier) is an award-winning NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR of twenty-three books and numerous short stories that have spanned the genres of suspense, mystery, thriller, romantic suspense, paranormal, and memoir. Her titles have been printed in both hardcover and paperback and translated into twenty languages. Her memoir, The Orchard, was a 2011 Oprah Magazine Fall Pick, Number Two on the Indie Next list, a featured B+ review in Entertainment Weekly, and a Librarians’ Best Books of 2011. Going back to 1988, Weir’s debut title was the cult phenomenon AMAZON LILY, initially published by Pocket Books and later reissued by Bantam Books. Writing as Theresa Weir she won a RITA for romantic suspense (COOL SHADE), and a year later the Daphne du Maurier for paranormal romance (BAD KARMA). In her more recent Anne Frasier career, her thriller and suspense titles hit the USA Today list (HUSH, SLEEP TIGHT, PLAY DEAD) and were featured in Mystery Guild, Literary Guild, and Book of the Month Club. HUSH was both a RITA and Daphne du Maurier finalist. Well-known in the mystery community, she served as hardcover judge for the Thriller presented by International Thriller Writers, and was guest of honor at the Diversicon 16 mystery/science fiction conference held in Minneapolis in 2008. Frasier books have received high praise from print publications such as Publishers Weekly, Minneapolis Star Tribune, and Crimespree, as well as online praise from Spinetingler, Book Loons, Armchair Interviews, Sarah Weinman’s Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind, and Ali Karim’s Shots Magazine. Her books have featured cover quotes from Lisa Gardner, Jane Ann Krentz, Linda Howard, Kay Hooper, and J.A. Konrath. Her short stories and poetry can be found in DISCOUNT NOIR, ONCE UPON A CRIME, and THE LINEUP, POEMS ON CRIME. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and International Thriller Writers.

Author links:

Website: http://www.theresaweir.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/163327.Theresa_Weir

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Anne_Frasier

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Theresa-Weir-Author-of-New-Adult-Romance/342662699199692?ref=hl

Excerpt:

Chapter 3

A shaft of sunlight cut through dark drapes and fell across my face, drilling into my retina. I groaned and slung an arm across my eyes, trying to make the sun stop it.

The bed dipped, and an arm around my waist tightened. That's when I became aware of a soft breath against the back of my neck, and a solid body curved against my side, a leg across my leg.

What the hell?

I uncovered my face and unsquinted my eyes. Dark hotel room. Dark except for that sliver of light. And a body in bed next to me. I held my breath, listening, waiting to see if the person moved or made any indication that he knew I was awake. And I say he because there was no mistaking the body part that was pressed against my hip. I guess I was now somebody's wet dream. But whose?

My thoughts raced backward as I tried to piece together last night. I remembered the funeral. And I remembered all the strangers in our house. My house, not ours. Just me now. And I remembered the lawyer saying I should meet him today. And I remembered running.

A bar.

I ended up at a bar.

I've never blacked out in my life, but I had no memory of anything past those first few drinks. Had somebody slipped me something? Or had I just drunk myself into oblivion?

Through this entire rewind, the stranger in bed had kept up a steady, light breathing with an occasional contraction of the arm that held me.

I turned my head and saw a clock. Early. 6:00 a.m.  Slowly, carefully, holding my breath once again, I inched away from the body. His arm tightened, but then he let out a sigh and rolled to his back, releasing me completely.

I slipped from the bed, sliding out from under the white sheet that covered us both until I stood barefoot on the carpet to stare at the man I'd spent the night with. And apparently had sex with, because there were my panties on the floor. I picked them up with curled toes, then slipped them on under my dress as I watched the guy in the bed. Then I found my boots and stuffed my feet inside, not bothering to lace them.

No memory of him. None. Nothing. And really, he was the kind of guy a girl would remember.

Where do I start?

A beautiful boy man. Probably a few years older than me.  Not that muscular. Not like somebody who lifted weights, but he was toned.  More like a swimmer's body, with that kind of smooth skin that felt like satin. Nipples and an almost invisible line of hair that ran from his navel to the sheet that covered the rest of his body. The hair on his head was dark and curly, tousled over his forehead and ears. He wasn't tan. Not like somebody who was outside a lot, but he wasn't really pale either.

Strange that it was so hard to tell much about a person with no clothes. Clothes gave you clues.

Tossed on a chair was a pair of jeans, a worn leather belt that looked like he'd owned it for years, and a vintage plaid shirt.

Was he a hipster? Part of the local music scene? A student? No, a student wouldn't have a hotel room.Unless maybe he got the room for us. Yeah, that might be. Maybe he lived with a bunch of guys and he'd wanted some privacy.

Admiration time over, I slipped from the room and took the elevator to the first floor. It wasn't until I stepped outside that I realized where I was. At a hotel on the West Bank just across the river from the university, a couple of miles from my father's house.

The shock of waking up in a strange room with a strange guy had momentarily separated me from the misery of my headache, churning stomach, and the general feeling of wanting to die. But now that I was on the street, and now that exhaust fumes combined with the smell of rotten food coming from a Dumpster hit me, my stomach took a dive and my head split in two.

I had no money.

I had no credit card.

I wanted nothing more than to drop down on the curb and bury my face in my hands, but I also wanted to put some distance between me and the guyupstairs. What if he woke up? What if he was already awake? What if he came after me?

Why would he do that?

He wouldn't come after me. He'd be glad I was gone.

Later, when Molly runs into the mysterious guy again…

"I have your cell phone," he said.

I stopped mid-flight.

There it was, my iPhone in its pale blue case, looking weird in his hand.  Long fingers. The vintage shirt. Shaggy hair that curled around his ears and over his forehead. He hadn't shaved. He needed to shave. What color were his eyes? Green? Hard to tell in this light.

I snatched the phone from his hand.

Before I could spin away he said, "Be sure to check the photos. I think you'll find some interesting ones." He smiled. The kind of smile I've used when someone I hate steps in a pile of shit.

"Fuck you."

"You've already done that."

* * *

In the bar I took a seat in a dark corner, ordered a beer, and pulled out my phone. I checked my texts first. There were all of the ones from Rose. A string of them asking where I was, telling me she was worried, getting more upset with each one.  A few missed calls, one from the lawyer to remind me of today's appointment, a couple random ones from people at school who didn't know what had happened, asking about some group project that was due in a few days. Why wasn't I there? You need to hold up your end. That was from some girl named Alice who'd named herself project leader.  

Check out the photos, Ian had said.

The beer came. I thanked the girl and ordered another.  I downed the first one, then hit the photo app on my phone.  And there we were.  By we I mean Ian and me.  I'd been worried, thinking they would be nude photos of me, or penis photos of him, or nudes of us both together. But in a weird way these disturbed me just as much or more. There were probably twenty photos in all, most taken in some booth at a bar. Both of us smiling at the camera. Me, feeding him fries. Me, drinking drinks.  A lot of photos of drinks. Me, kissing Ian on the cheek. Ian not seeming to mind. Me. hanging on Ian, wrapping myself around him. The last one? I'd apparently jumped on his back and he was holding me by my legs.

And a fun time was had by all…

I wish I could remember. I especially wish I could remember the sex.

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