~Not everyone plays by the rules~
Kade Dennon tried to stay away from his brother’s girlfriend and remain loyal to the only family he’s ever known but Kathleen Turner is his forbidden fruit. Eventually temptation drags Kade back to Indianapolis and the one woman who feels like home.
~The players changed but the game remains the same~
Kathleen Turner knows what she wants and who she desires. She seizes a new job and an opportunity unfolds. Soon, she’s working with her boyfriend’s brother and nothing will ever be the same again when Kade stakes a claim and aims for Kathleen’s heart.
~It's impossible to break a player who refuses to lose~
Blane Kirk needs his brother Kade to keep his girlfriend safe but when Blane sends Kathleen out of Indianapolis to protect her, he has no idea what kind of danger Kade and Kathleen will find while testing a new Las Vegas casino loyalty program. When an old enemy resurfaces with threats and an agenda, Blane goes to Sin City to warn his brother and discovers a few unwanted surprises of his own.
~A house of cards now destined to fall~
Working side by side, Kathleen’s and Kade’s relationship quickly changes, a fact they can’t deny. Seduction and passion lead them to a night that will scorch the sand right off the Mohave Desert and this time, foreplay won’t sustain them. With no one to stop them, Kade and Kathleen tread into the realms of unforgivable betrayal. And when Blane arrives in Vegas, he realizes too late that his brother is now playing for keeps.
“I’m Kathleen Turner, the new tramp…I mean
temp.” Certain her expression revealed her absolute horror, Kathleen cleared
her throat and tried again. “Get to Work
Indianapolis sent me.”
“Perfect.” The sharply dressed receptionist
tucked a phone between her ear and shoulder before leveling a cool glare at
Kathleen. “Let’s hope your Freudian slip isn’t a sign of things to come.” The
older woman looked like she’d taken a plunge off the backside of sixty-five and
wasn’t too happy about it. She grabbed a clipboard full of forms and shoved it
forward. “Looks like we get what we pay for.”
Instead of adding a dash of smartass to a
heaping cup of embarrassment, compliments of a lousy first impression, Kathleen
said, “Thank you. I’ll get to work on these.”
“You do that,” the receptionist said, pasting
on a smile.
Kathleen claimed her spot in a comfortable
oversized chair. She took a minute and scanned the spacious lobby, admiring the
tasteful dΓ©cor. The walls, filled with mosaic artwork, brought out the gold and
royal blue hues in the circular sofas. At least Galloway and Associates made their first impression count. The
waiting area was like a welcoming hug, a greeting that more or less assured
visitors of a nice environment. The mid-wall oval windows provided good
lighting and the versatile rugs with various patterns gave the office instant
appeal.
“What’d I tell you?” The older woman hissed.
“This temp agency leaves a lot to be desired. Third time is anything but a
charm.”
So
much for the welcoming hug.
As the receptionist gossiped on the phone,
the scent of hazelnut coffee filled the air with a hypnotic blend. A proud java
connoisseur, Kathleen often drove several miles out of her way just to visit a
new coffee shop or try a new blend.
Realizing she probably shouldn’t make a
beeline for the refreshment station so soon after her arrival, she quickly
filled out her employee paperwork. Minutes later, the receptionist made her way
to the nearby coffee bar and filled a Styrofoam cup. Over her shoulder, she
snapped, “Mr. Galloway is waiting. Let me know when you’re finished.”
“Sure thing,” said Kathleen, taking a deep
breath.
Too bad she couldn’t reap the aromatic
coffee’s benefits by inhaling the air. Smelling warm caffeine held as much
appeal as watching a steamy rated-R movie. The hot scenes might awaken the
senses, but in the end, the viewer didn’t get anything out of it.
Kathleen set aside pen and clipboard. With
full intentions of pursuing that coffee carafe, she jumped when the blue-haired
lady asked, “Done already?”
“Um…almost,” Kathleen replied, picking up
where she left off. She glanced over her shoulder and decided not to chance it
since Mr. Galloway was “waiting” and she hadn’t exactly dropped by for
refreshments.
The receptionist smirked. “I’ll let Mr.
Galloway know you’ll be a few more minutes.”
“That isn’t necessary. All done here.” Whatever
she’d scribbled down would soon become part of her permanent employee file so
she hurriedly read over her answers a final time.
She’d told the truth about where she lived.
She’d skipped the part about why she’d left her last job. She was honest about
her education, but fudged about her career aspirations. Kathleen needed a job but she wanted this job.
According to a recent press release, Galloway
and Associates had been retained by Worldwide Entertainment Software, a
China-based company often commended for their innovative slots. Galloway’s
programmers would conduct initial tests on upgraded player loyalty cards in
Nevada-based casinos. While Kathleen didn’t know squat about gambling, she
wanted the job at Galloway for personal reasons. She’d recognized someone in
one of their press release photos. That ‘someone’ would lead her to CJ, her
former neighbor.
Kathleen was prepared to do whatever necessary
to land the job at Galloway. If things didn’t go well, she could always return
to her old job at Gage, Kirk, and Trent.
At the thought, she sighed in resignation.
She didn’t want to work for her boyfriend—if she could even call him that—but
Blane Kirk had assured her that she had job security regardless of what their
future held.
Sometimes she wondered if that was a warning
in itself.
“Hmm,” the receptionist muttered, reviewing
Kathleen’s paperwork. “Interesting.”
While Kathleen waited, she revisited her
reasons for avoiding further employment at Gage, Kirk, and Trent. Blane
typically didn’t keep a steady girlfriend for longer than a season. Spring was
right around the corner and based on Blane’s relationship history, she’d begun
to dread the expensive parting gift, a classy but predictable MO that he used
to cut ties.
In Blane’s defense, he had tried to convince
her to remain at the firm. He’d kicked in perks, a raise, and an office with a
view. His generous offers tempted her, but she stuck to her guns. She didn’t want to be known as the woman who
slept with her boss.
“Are you willing to work out of town when the
job requires it?”
The question startled Kathleen. Would Blane
want a girlfriend who traveled? And since when had she begun to think of
herself as ‘his’ girlfriend? They were more like friends-with-benefits than a
couple heading for the committed relationship discussion.
Clearing her throat, she said, “Yes, of course.”
The “requires it” phrase insinuated only one right answer existed.
“Perfect. I’ll fax these upstairs. Take the
elevator to the fourth floor. You’ll find Mr. Galloway there.”
“Thank you.”
“Yes, well, you might.” After a final
head-to-toe appraisal, she squinted and quickly added, “If you don’t, he probably
will.”
Boarding the elevator, Kathleen recalled the
last time she had worked for a temp agency. It had been disastrous from the
get-go. She worked briefly for a monster—Stephen Avery. It didn’t end well. She
still shuddered at the memory.
Kathleen had landed face-down on a bed and
Avery, thanks to putting her in that position in the first place, wound up
dead. If it hadn’t been for Kade Dennon, Blane’s half-brother, she might have
been—would’ve been—damaged for life, maybe even killed.
Jolted from her thoughts when the loud ding
announced her top floor arrival, Kathleen stepped off the elevator. Instead of
finding a suite arrangement with closed office doors and a receptionist to
handle the business going on behind them, she walked straight into an open
floor plan without cubicles or walls. It reminded her of a loft apartment rather
than a business office.
To the left, a wall of windows offered enough
light to make her feel as if she were standing outside in the warm sun. To the
right, she spotted a spacious living room arrangement, complete with leather
sofas, a glass coffee table, packed bookshelves, and a wet bar.
“Mr. Galloway?” She walked toward the large
desk in the room’s center. “Your receptionist told me it was okay to come on
up.”
Seated in an executive chair, Galloway faced
the window. At first Kathleen thought he might have been on the phone, but
after noticing it was cradled on its stand, she asked, “Um…should I come back?”
“No.” Galloway’s deep baritone voice was
somewhat recognizable but she couldn’t place it by the simple one-word
response. The leatherback chair slowly swiveled around. It was as if the man
seated there had thought out this moment and wanted to set up the right scene. Almost
cobalt-blue in color, his eyes twinkled as he tucked steepled fingers under his
chin.
Kathleen’s heart raced as soon as she saw him.
Her next breath caught in her chest. What was he doing here?
Full lips twitched before a slow smile crept
across them, but the grin contradicted the tight expression on his face, the
coolness in his hypnotic gaze.
Kathleen stared back at the man who had saved
her from what could’ve been the worst night of her life. Given the look on his
face, he may have been revisiting recent memories, too. His recollections were
probably in line with what happened after
he saved her.
She fidgeted. Smoothing her hands across her
ordinary black skirt, she looked at him spot-on and waited for him to speak. At
that moment, his blue-hot gaze dipped and his tongue swept across a
too-noticeable mouth.
“Hello, princess.” This time his smile lit up
the room. “I’ve been expecting you.”
In 2015, Destiny will release more than 22 novels and novellas. She still takes on the occasional ghostwriting project and is represented by Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency.
Married for almost 25 years, Destiny and her husband have two grown children and love their empty nest. They spend a lot of time with their granddoll in Connecticut and Virginia Beach.
When Destiny isn't writing, she can be found watching a football game, attending music festivals and book events, or playing casino craps and poker at one of her favorite casinos.
Author’s Social Media links
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/destinyblaine/
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