New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter introduces the Original Heartbreakersâabout sexy bad boys each meeting their matchâwith a special prequel novella!
In small-town Oklahoma, reputation is everything, and Kenna Starr will do anything to overcome hers. The supposed bad girl is determined to walk the straight and narrow, a seemingly impossible task when Tall, Dark and Sexy shows up...
Rich and powerful, Dane Michaelson is every womanâs dream. When he returns to Strawberry Valley after a sixteen-year absence, he is unprepared for the redheaded girl heâs never been able to forget. Sheâs all woman nowâand heâs never wanted anyone more. But to have her, heâll have to break through her defenses...and surrender his own.
Look for the next books in the Original HeartbreakersâThe Closer You Come, The Hotter You BurnandThe Harder You Fallâfrom Mills & Boon Books!
CHAPTER ONE
âYOUâRE LATE.â A harried man wearing a suit that could have graced the cover of a high-fashion magazine stepped into Kenna Starrâs path, stopping her. âAll staff enters at the back. Be a good girl and hurry.â
Humiliation burned her cheeks as his identity clicked into place. Timothy Calbert Jr. Sheâd practically grown up with the guy, and though heâd left town years ago and must have returned only for this special event, the fact that he was her bossâs son meant she couldnât correct him the way she had as a child: a slap to the back of the head.
âIâm not staff,â she muttered. Not tonight, at least. Usually she did work events just like this one. And, granted, she was wearing a dress similar to the one gracing every female serving hors dâoeuvres to the engagement party guests.
By âsimilar,â of course, she meant âthe exact same.â
But every cent she made went to bills and there was never anything left over for extras. So sheâd gone with Plan ABG. All Babyâs Got. Her uniform.
Sure, it was far too short and so tight breathing was nothing more than a pipe dream, but it had one redeeming featureâit cost zero dollars.
Resourceful gal that she was, Kenna had tried to set herself apart by tying a sheer white scarf around her neck, letting the ends hang between her cleavage and fall all the way to the dressâs hem.
Clearly#WardrobeFail.
No! Bad Kenna!No mentally using Twitter tonight. âIâm a guest,â she added. âAn honored guest.â Kind of. Maybe.
Okay, probably not.
Juniorâs lips pursed with irritation. âName?â
Seriously? She told him, trying not to be further humiliated.
He checked his clipboard. After a blink of surprise, he gave her a disapproving once-over. âThrough there.â He pointed to the left, but made no effort to move out of her way.
Head high, she skirted around him and came to the foyerâs edge. The party was already in full swing, the spacious sitting room crowded. Her heart hammered against her ribs as she studied face after face she didnât recognize. With the glitter and shine radiating from flawless skin and perfectly made-up features, these people had âcityâ written all over them.
And she was just supposed to mingle with them? The cream of Oklahoman society? With Dane Michaelson, who was expected to be here?
#ThisSucks!
Heâd moved away from Strawberry Valley sixteen years ago. Though his parents had kept their home, heâd never returned. Not even for a short visit. But the town had never forgotten him and, according to gossip, heâd recently taken over his fatherâs crude oil and natural gas business.
Natural gas, she thought, snickering.
I am not a child. She quickly smoothed her features into a prim-and-proper expression. I am a good little robot.
She scanned the crowd again, but found no sign of Dane. A man rumored to go through supermodel-like beauties as if they entered his bedroom on a conveyor beltâand exited that way, too. In his spare time, he raced fast cars, played golf and sailed, and attended the occasional charity gala. Rich-boy luxuries a country girl like her would never experience.
Did he spend any time thinking about her? Remembering herâhating her?
Canât worry about stupid Dane Michaelson and his stupid feelings. Iâm going to have fun. For once.
#LiesITellMyself.
Desperate for a distraction, she took a step forward. Finally she spotted a few locals. In Strawberry Valley, everyone knew everyone else, so it was only a matter of time before someone noticed her and waved her over....
Andy fetch me a scotch and this time donât be stingy Teegle skipped his gaze right over her. Caroline Iâll know if you spit in my food Walloby pointed to her empty champagne glass, expecting a refill.