A Friendly Engagement by Christine Warner
Release date: 6/23/15
About the book: Omar Esterly is married to his job. But
when Omar sets his sights on a potential, family-oriented client, his confirmed
bachelorhood becomes a problem. Fortunately, his friend and employee, Devi
Boss, has the perfect plan…
Okay, so it wasn't exactly Devi's
plan to become her friend's fake fiancée. Lies aren't her style. However, Omar
offers her a big, beautiful raise—enough to track down the missing father she's
never known—and Devi reluctantly agrees to the whole engagement hoax…
This was supposed to be a
no-strings-attached win-win for both Devi and Omar, but when they cross the
line between friendship and…well, something more, Devi realizes she’s made a
huge mistake that just might cost her both job and friend—falling for her
fiancé.
About
the author:
Christine Warner is living her dream in rural Michigan along
with her family, one laptop, and a much loved assortment of furry friends.
Besides laughing and a good round of humor, she enjoys spending time with her
family, cooking, reading, writing but no arithmetic. A confessed people
watcher, she finds inspiration for her stories in everyday activities. She
loves to read and write about strong heroes and determined, sometimes sassy,
heroines. A girl gone wild, at least where social media is concerned, she enjoys
meeting other avid readers and writers on facebook, twitter, and her website
at christine-warner.com.
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EXCERPT 1
“You’re game for anything, right?”
Devi compressed her lips and studied Omar through a narrow gaze,
taking in the way his overly bright eyes concentrated on her face as if
memorizing every pore. Her gaze traveled south to the non-existent rise and
fall of his chest and how he pushed his suit jacket aside as he placed his
hands low on his hips. He’d stopped breathing while he waited for her reply.
That made her more nervous than anything. “Normally I am game for anything, but
considering the man asking the question, I’m a little nervous.” She licked her
lips.
Omar shook his head, swallowing her hands in the warmth of his.
“No. This is a great idea. I can’t believe I didn’t see it before.”
“I’ll hold back on saying I’m glad I could help until I know
what you’ve got pinging around your brain.” She tried to pull free of his grip,
but he only grasped her fingers tighter. Her inner voice told her whatever plan
he’d cooked up included her and she wouldn’t be thrilled with the role.
“Bartow wants a family-first firm. He wants a planner who is
married, blah, blah blah.” He dismissed his unfinished words with the thrust of
his chin.
Devi nodded, her mouth going dry. Was he planning to hire a
wife, or about to propose?
“I might not be married, but what if I were engaged?”
She didn’t want to jump to conclusions about the proposal so she
pasted on a tight smile. “Do you have a serious girlfriend hidden away I don’t
know about?” The thought unsettled her, but she pushed aside the heaviness in
her gut. Omar and relationships mixed like fire and ice. Not that women didn’t
find him attractive and vice versa, but his true love would always be work.
Most sane women wanted something more than a workaholic commitment-phobe.
He shook his head a bit too vigorously. “No. No.” His grip
tightened, and she flexed her fingers so he’d loosen his hold. “Hear me out
before you shoot me down.”
“I’m more curious than ever.” Again, she threw sand over that
niggling feeling in her belly. She never jumped to conclusions. Living by the
seat of your pants didn’t allow it, but…
Why start now? She rolled her shoulders in an effort to relax.
Omar pulled her off to the side and out of the crowd moving past them on the
sidewalk. His hands shook with excitement, and he swallowed hard before
clearing his throat. Always calm and collected, his buildup unsettled Devi, and
she tugged one hand from his grip and pressed it against the gurgle growing in
her stomach.
“How about we announce our engagement? I could pull in some
favors and have it in the press Monday morning. That’d still give Bartow enough
time to invite us to the meet and greet. And—”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Devi’s stomach did a nosedive, and she
yanked her other hand from his death grip and stepped back. She twisted one of
the bangle bracelets on her wrist. “Our engagement? First off, I didn’t even
know we were dating. And second, I am not going to help you get ahead by
lying.”
