Kindle Edition
Amazon
Amazon
Category:
Romance
Type: Fiction
Price: $2.99 (eBook)
What happens when things seem too good to be true?
Alex has got this one in the bag. An admitted control freak, she has planned every move that has led her to this moment. She has worked her tail off for several years as a stockbroker at one of Chicago's most prestigious investment firms and her sacrifice is just about to pay off. She’s about to break the chained hands of the Old Boys Club and join the ranks of senior management. All she is waiting for is confirmation from the board. They invite her to a meeting to hear her ideas on what direction she would like to see the company head in. She welcomes the one last opportunity to dazzle them. Her presentation is all set, she's ready to make the pitch. Piece of cake…
And in walks Daniel. Tall, dark, and handsome. Her heart is captured from the moment their eyes meet, but something about the new hire doesn’t feel right. As time goes on she finds herself reluctantly falling for him and going against every belief that has gotten her to where she is today. Will she surrender to love and plunge head first into the abyss or will she listen to the voice inside that is telling her that if something looks too good to be true, it usually is?
Excerpt
The day had begun like any other day. Alex was jolted awake by her alarm clock. She intentionally kept the buzzer loud for fear that if she didn’t she might sleep right through it. Her caramel-colored, French-manicured hand reached over and batted it quiet. She grabbed her silk floral robe from the foot of the bed where she had neatly laid it the night before and stepped into her slippers, which could always be found on the side of the bed, facing east. With a yawn, she headed for the bathroom and eased into the rhythm of her day.
At 6:15 AM, she exited the shower, walked over to her closet and retrieved her new black suit, a purchase she had made just for today and laid it on the bed. She eyed the suit, made of the finest wool crepe, knowing she had offered a king’s ransom for it, but satisfied the payoff would be worth every penny spent.
As she moved about her bedroom, continuing to perform the customary tasks of her morning, an odd feeling enveloped her, an uneasiness. She briefly pondered the sensation, but when a logical reason failed to present itself, she continued with her morning routine. A few seconds later, it was gone.
At 6:30, she styled her hair and applied her make-up; all neutral, of course, and not too loud. Being a female stockbroker in her male-dominated field, she couldn’t afford to not be taken seriously. The last thing she needed was to give one of the Good Old Boys the excuse to label her a Bimbo, she had fought too hard to earn their respect.
At 6:45, she sat at her kitchen table with a cinnamon bagel she had freshly toasted and a glass of orange juice and studied the Wall Street Journal. Her entire morning had gone off without a hitch. She performed every task at the appropriate time, just as she did every morning.
Coincidentally, Alex’s life had played out much like her morning routine. She craved structure and order. She demanded predictability. Without it, she was lost. It was the foundation of her very existence. And like an architect, she had successfully built a career on that foundation. She had painstakingly planned and executed every move that led her to today.
At 7:00, she grabbed her keys and briefcase and headed for the door. As she reached for the doorknob, she stopped in her tracks. She stood in the foyer momentarily, dropping her briefcase to the floor. The Italian marble intensified the sound. There was that feeling, again. What was it?
Last night on the phone, she had an argument with her mother, but in her opinion it was small—more like a disagreement. Her mother had challenged her lifestyle, again. When are you having children? she pressed and then accused Alex of working too much. Alex’s nerves were wearing thin on the subject, her patience even thinner. Heated discussions over trivial things seemed to be happening more frequently between them since her father died, almost two years ago, but they always moved past it with no lingering grudges. She was certain that wasn’t it.
Could she, self proclaimed master of her destiny, possibly be nervous? Today was the day of her presentation. The big one. She had made presentations to the board countless times, but if she was successful today, she’d be one step closer to her coveted promotion as senior vice president and one of the highest paid African-American females in Chicago. That definitely raised the stakes.
She drew in a breath through her nose and exhaled slowly through her mouth. That was better, she thought. In effort to soothe herself, she conjured up the feeling of satisfaction she would have once she got her promotion. A smile rose up from deep within her. With that, she picked up her briefcase and rushed out the door, headed for one of the largest investment firms in the city.
|
