he's a mega-rich 💰 philanthropist & she's his 💜 younger protégé
Apr 24, 2023 11:01 am
Hello, and welcome to another day to make a fresh start! Thank you for welcoming Luca into the Home Wreckers Construction world last week. I'm blown away by the response Luca and Penelope's love story have gotten. These two characters whispered in my ear, telling me their story as it unfolded. I fell in love with them, crying and laughing all the way. I hope you felt their love as much as I did.
My big ask...when you finish reading Luca, please leave a review. Reviews don't have to be long or witty, just honest. Tell me what you liked about the characters or how their story made you feel. That's all it takes. Reviews are accepted on Amazon from ARC readers, KU readers, and verified purchases. -- THANK YOU! 💜💜💜
Bad boy, friends to lovers, small town, blue collar, virgin romance
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INSTALOVE SPOTLIGHT
Crushing on the Boss: short and steamy office romance with a younger woman, her older billionaire boss, and a game show escape room that's a little too close for comfort.
Why did I write it? To stick it to the man! I'm partly kidding, but...In a perfect world, wouldn't it be wonderful if big corporations used their wealth to help those who are struggling instead of only lining their own pockets? What if old dilapidated neighborhoods were restored and made affordable for those that might otherwise be displaced? Instead of more shopping centers, build more affordable homes, more safe neighborhoods, and help others instead of consuming things.
That's the premise and motivation behind Ezra in Crushing on the Boss. Ezra Langford is the philanthropist who buys up property the big-boy corporations want to turn into shopping malls and highrises. Though this book is not listed in the Home Wreckers Construction series, it plays an integral part in the lives of the Home Wreckers and the surrounding towns of Rolling Hills, Cranberry Corner, Kindlewood, and Snowflake Falls. 👀😮 (Did you see what I did there? A Snowflake Falls holiday series is in the works!)
Love interest, Harper Knowles, is also Jonas' sister and Parker's cousin.
Crushing on the Boss is one of those books that wrote itself...twice! I started writing it and got about halfway through and scrapped it to start over. That second stab at it flew by faster than I've ever written a book. So, what happened to the story I started and didn't finish? It's patiently waiting for me to pick it back up to bring you Flynn's story (Play Time Productions' former owner and dad in Hot Forbidden Summer) and the details of what happens to the sniveling Tyson character from the early Home Wrecker Construction books.
Scroll to read the first chapter. Hit the button above to read more.
Crushing on the Boss contains copyright material.
Chapter 1
Harper
My boss is the kind of man who refuses to ask for personal favors and avoids unnecessary attention. It's why we planned his Boss's Day surprise party a week before the actual day. He's already tried to thwart our plans with an out-of-office team-building activity today. But he hired us for a reason. We're smart and we think on our feet. He's in for the surprise of his life today.
So, what do you give your boss for Boss’s Day when he already has everything he could possibly need? I’m currently trying to figure that one out. I should know the answer already, considering I've been crushing on him for as long as I can remember. I watch his every move, discreetly of course. I'm not a stalker. Just an employee with a wild crush on a clearly off-limits man. Maybe that's what I like about him. He's what I can't have.
Ezra Langford’s success in the real estate business is legendary. He’s a business tycoon and philanthropist. He’s down to earth and ready to roll up his sleeves for the little guy. But he’s also business savvy and ready to take cutthroat big business to task. Some conglomerates scoop up run-down areas of the city and turn them into playgrounds only the wealthy can afford to enjoy. Not Ezra. He’s taken a more balanced approach to urban development, balancing the needs of the most vulnerable of the community with the desire to grow and attract young professionals to the area.
It’s part of what draws me to him. I love his laid-back style and how he can put everyone in the room at ease. Sure, we have deadlines and quotas to make, but he's never harsh when we screw something up. He encourages and mentors.
Except for me, that is. He avoids me like the plague. I’d think he doesn’t like me, but he hired me for pity’s sake. I’ve never been so nervous in my life as the day I met Ezra. I did my due diligence learning everything I could about him and Langford Enterprises before my interview. But nothing prepared me for meeting him in person.
Set aside the fact Langford Enterprises takes up an entire downtown city block with security guards, metal detectors, and an atrium surrounded by twenty-eight floors filled with number crunchers, marketing gurus, and talking heads. Ezra's presence is even more daunting. He's a full head taller than I am, with broad shoulders, a no-nonsense haircut, and a trimmed beard. When he reached out to shake my hand, he not only dwarfed mine in size, but that single touch sent my lady parts into estrogen overdrive. My toes tingled, and I felt a heady buzz, the kind that leaves a person feeling cloud nine kind of happy.
He’s taken up space in my heart and head ever since.
I stare at the two white boxes with matching black and gold ribbons sitting atop my desk. One practical, an engraved pen to add to his growing collection. A real boss-like present.
The other is whimsical and too racy for an employee-boss exchange. But it's a spur-of-the-moment gift I bought in an act of bravado. What made me think I'd have the nerve to sneak it into his office is beyond me. I'm tired of twiddling my thumbs with Ezra. If he won't make a move, I will. At least that's what I had in mind when I bought the adult-only I.O.U. tokens. Each handmade wooden token is engraved with sensual promises and innuendos. You know the kind, good for one sensual massage, good for one blow job, good for a game of naked Twister, and so on.
I don’t know what I was thinking. Now that the day is here, I’ve lost my nerve. He’ll never use them. At least not with me.
I toss the adult-only present on top of my carry-all bag to take home, then tuck a card into the ribbon of the engraved pen box and leave it on top of my desk for Krystal. She’s picking up gifts on the sly for later today. So far, Ezra doesn’t suspect a thing.
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Ezra
My employees are a good bunch, doing the hard work day after day. They make me and Langford Enterprises look good. I caught wind of the Boss’s Day party they’re planning when Krystal accidentally booked it on my calendar. She thinks I didn’t see it before she erased it, but calendar alerts come in handy for more reasons than getting me to appointments on time.
I countered their little Boss's Day shindig by planning a special day out of the office for my immediate staff. Well, Krystal did all the planning. We're headed to Play Time Productions for the day for team-building exercises. It should be a lot of fun. The studio customized several game show formats for us that include prizes and one-on-one interaction. I get to slip out of boss mode for a while and the focus remains on the team instead of me.
The one thing I need to make sure of is no one-on-one team pairings with Harper Knowles. She’s my Kryptonite. The one woman I’ve wanted with a craving so primal I can feel her in my bones. I’ve wanted her long before she set foot in my office.
When the headhunter firm we hired sent me her resume, I knew she was the one. The one for the job, that is. It wasn’t until I looked deeper into her private life that I knew she was the one for me.
We come from similar backgrounds. Broken homes, poor neighborhoods, and nothing but a bleak future ahead of us. But we both scraped and clawed our way out of what could’ve been a nasty circle of repeating the past. I racked up an overwhelming amount of college debt and then built an empire on it with some lucky breaks and a lot of hard work.
Harper scrimped and saved while working multiple jobs fresh out of high school to support her mom and younger siblings. She started college a few years late but climbed her way to the top of her class with dedication and an eye toward achieving what might have seemed impossible, a better life.
She’s quite the firecracker. Never balks at an assignment, always follows through on her word, and lends a hand to anyone who’s struggling personally or professionally. She’s the needle in the haystack. We’re kindred spirits.
But I’m her boss, and she’s eight years my junior, making it impossible to pursue anything beyond a professional relationship.
“Ezra, the car service is here.” Krystal pops her head into the office. “I’m going ahead in my car to make sure everything is ready when you get there. See you at the studio.”
"Thanks, Krystal. I'll make sure everyone's accounted for before I head that way.”
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Continue reading Harper and Ezra's story. Don't forget to pick up the super steamy, NSFW bonus scene linked at the back of the book.
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Thanks for letting me join you today! I'll be back in your inbox Thursday this week to share more inside information about Luca and Penelope. Check your email for that. In the meantime, enjoy your week!
XOX Piper