Romance Author Cherie Amour's Website

Cover Art by Jinger Heaston

Publisher: Siren Publishing

HARD AT WORK
ISBN: 1-60601-193-6
E-book $3.50

http://www.bookstrand.com/product-hardatwork-13851-192.html

Just when James Colfield wants to get away to mend his broken heart, a gorgeous brunette literally falls into his lap. Before he knows it, he's smitten with Miss Amazon. The problem is she's his new supervisor who has a huge chip on her shoulder and an extreme hatred for men.

Elizabeth Rivers can't believe her boss hired a new senior editor behind her back. What's more, she can't seem to take her eyes off the new dashingly handsome and smug employee.

The attraction between these two is scorching hot and they find it hard to concentrate on their jobs and promising careers. When they get stuck in an elevator alone together, whatever inhibitions they have seem to disappear. Will they give in to their wanton desires?

Sensuality Rating: SCORCHING
Genre: Erotic Contemporary Romance
Length: 25,600 words

Review Snippets:

"...HARD AT WORK is a sweet romance of heartbreak, insecurity and trust. Throw in a little work place angst and you end up with a book that's good from the first page to the last.

Elizabeth and James are magic together ... they are at such different places and phases of their lives, that it uncanny how well they fit together ... give or take a few skirmishes. High level of sexual tension and funny moment make Ms Amour's HARD AT WORK a pleasure to have read."

Blue Ribbon Rating: 4.5
jhayboy
Romance Junkies Reviewer

"...Cherie Amour does an excellent job developing her characters, considering the length of the novel. The plot is interesting. Fans of romantica will enjoy Hard At Work."

-- 4 Stars

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for ReviewYourBook.com

To read the full review, go to: http://reviewyourbook.com/review.cfm?reviewid=1231&k=1

"...The author makes this romance so close to what often happens in real life that it's almost scary."
-- 4 Hearts, Reviewed by Dee Dailey, The Romance Studio

Excerpt:

Miss Amazon huffed and walked back toward him muttering to herself while she tucked the ticket into her purse and lugged her onboard luggage and briefcase behind her. When she stopped, she opened the overhead compartment and tried to get her bulky piece of baggage into it.

As she stretched and struggled, her tight blouse lifted and he could see her flat tummy and the diamond piercing she had in her belly button. He could also see the blouse stretched open where her bosom was and her lacy red bra peeked through, along with her enticing cleavage. James lifted his brow and admired the view.

But after a minute's struggle, he stood. "Excuse me, madam, may I offer my assistance?" Standing fully erect, he could tell she was only a few inches shorter than he, maybe five feet eleven, or possibly even six feet tall.

When she turned and looked at him, his heart jumped. She had the most gorgeous green eyes he'd ever seen with long dark brown eyelashes. "It's 'Miss.' Thanks, but no thanks." She pushed harder and in a strained voice added, "I can handle it."

Within a few seconds, the bag popped into the compartment and she lost her equilibrium, falling into James's arms. Her right breast rubbed against his forearm as they made eye contact. Her perfume was intoxicating. His body reacted, naturally. "Are you all right?"

She broke eye contact first by pushing away. "Yeah, sorry about that."

"It's perfectly all right." He grinned.

But she didn't reciprocate his smile. Instead, she sat in the seat next to his and took out her laptop. The rush of cold air hit him from her brush off. Okay, this is going to be fun. He sat down as well and couldn't help but notice her short skirt rode up her leg, giving him a better view.

The woman definitely had a body to die for. He wondered how she looked without the dressy suit skirt and blouse. She certainly would be a handful in bed if her behavior today were any measure of her true character. He smirked, then took a deep breath and turned his attention to the view outside.

Within a few minutes, the 'Buckle seatbelts' light came on and the pilot and stationed stewardess both addressed the passengers on procedures and their plane's ETA. James continued to stare out the window as the plane took off and gained altitude. When he left that morning, it had been snowing lightly and although the wind was strong, it wasn't too bad.

The weather had changed. The wind blew fiercely and the snow made visibility impossible. Feeling bored, he turned to his neighbor. She looked busy reading a file on her laptop. He tried to lean in to see what was on the Word document.

Most probably sensing his efforts, she turned her laptop to the side. Strike Two.

Checking his watch and seeing he had quite a lot of time to kill, he decided to take his laptop out as well and finish the chapter of his mystery novel. He worked slowly at first since it always took him time to warm up and get into the story. He caught her, too, dipping subtly to see what he typed, but he leaned his back on the side, lifted his left knee, resting it on the seat, and turned the screen so he faced her and she couldn't see what he wrote.

James didn't glance up to see her reaction. He ignored her. Within five minutes, the words flowed through his fingers at incredible speed. He felt the occasional jerk and heave the plane made as it passed through turbulence, but he hardly took notice. Being totally oblivious to everything, except his story, he completed the chapter in record time. Checking his watch again, he realized they'd be landing soon, so he put his laptop away.

Miss Amazon had already put hers away. She leaned her head on the headrest and secured her seatbelt. She looked awfully pale and worried. He turned to her. "Is everything all right, miss?"

She stiffly nodded. "Yeah, it's just I hate turbulence. I usually sit near the window and for some reason that helps me, but the secretary at my company screwed up."

Feeling sympathetic, he leaned forward. "If you'd like my seat, I don't mind."

She stared at him with big eyes and stood. "Yes, please. That would help."

He got up and took her seat, moving his feet to the side, so she could pass him and sit in his seat. He peered at her ass as she wiggled past him. It indeed was a nice view, far better than the window. Before she could move further, her shoe seemed to catch on something and she tripped suddenly, falling into his lap.

For some warped reason, his hand ended up cupping her full breast in reflex to catch her. He saw her take a deep breath and stare at him. His cheeks heated up and he let go of her voluptuous breast in lightening speed. "Sorry."

She got up quickly, straightened her blouse, and sat in his seat. Still feeling extremely awkward, James decided to break the tension with some casual talk. "So, is this your first time to Toronto?"

She avoided his gaze and just stared out the window. "No, I live here. I'm coming back from vacation and a convention. I stopped in Montreal to visit family and friends."

"Oh, I see." He waited for her reciprocal question if this was his first time to Toronto, but it never came. He decided to force feed her the information anyway. "I'm moving to Toronto. Actually, I just got a job and am looking forward to—"

"Look, mister, I'm sorry, but I'm not in the mood for idle chit chat. I have too much on my mind, okay?"

He lifted his hand in surrender. "Sure, whatever. Sorry."

He zipped his mouth and stared at the chair in front of him, counting the minutes until the plane landed. It was the longest half hour of his life, and also, the most excruciatingly uncomfortable.

You must be 18 years or older to view these pages. © 2010, Cherie Amour. All Rights Reserved.

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