Only The Beginning

Chapter Seven

I hope you're enjoying these sample chapters! I have a giveaway for a paperback copy of ONLY THE BEGNING. Link is in the comments.

Melissa paused at the door to the office and turned in time to see Brooke sashay down the hallway toward the elevator, her designer purse over her shoulder with the silk scarf fluttering from the strap. She was on her way to meet Dex to finalize wedding plans—a wedding Melissa had been dreading.

Claire, the other receptionist, watched until Brooke disappeared around the corner, then she rolled her eyes and let out a huff. When she turned and met Melissa's gaze, she dropped her chin and started typing on the keyboard, but a bloom rose high in her cheeks betraying her aloof manner.

Without acknowledging the awkward moment, Melissa simply turned and followed Jared into the office. The small thrill of knowing that Brooke's coworker couldn't stand her was short lived and the usual guilt set in. I should be grateful, she told herself. If Brooke hadn't kept trying to reach me I would have missed this chance. I'd still be...

Still be in his arms, a small voice echoed in her brain. She hadn't planned on falling asleep, it was the natural progression of the afternoon's activities. Once their heart rates had calmed and the energy had ebbed from the room—the cooling down period you could say—he'd reached for her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. Without hesitating, Melissa languidly tucked into his side, still glowing.

Her head rested on his chest, right above his heart. The sound of his even breathing coupled with his calm heartbeat lulled her to sleep as well. And if she was being completely honest with herself, in that moment she'd felt something more—a comfortable trust in another person, or at least the beginnings of letting go of her fear. It was a connection she'd never had with anyone...until today.

And it was bliss.

Then reality set in. A twinge of regret tugged at Melissa's heart, picturing him waking to find her gone.

She'd reasoned that it was best to make a clean break— he thought she was Brooke, after all—but now, part of her wanted the chance to see him again to explain herself.

The sound of the heavy door closing behind her shoved Melissa out of her day dream. She and Jared were inside the office and at once she wished she'd stayed in bed at the hotel after all. The warmth and tenderness she'd felt there was a stark contrast to the hardened atmosphere in the office. Tendrils of the recent angry phone call charged the air around them.

Mr. Donaghy stood staunchly in front of them, like a colonel about to inspect his guards. She hoped the run in her stockings was hidden by her skirt. He was medium height, and even though well into his sixties, his physique was lean, strong.

After a quick hand shake with both of them, he sat in his leather chair, regarding them over the tops of his tortoise shell eyeglasses. Melissa started the presentation while Jared prepared the visual aids and interjected the key phrases—the one or two liners that penetrated the presentation, the theme that stayed with the buyer.

They were five minutes into their 'dog and pony show' and Melissa was amazed at how well things were going. The Jasmin account had been their best work and their most profitable. It was the first time Melissa and Jared thought their little boutique advertising agency might actually be a viable business. Something they could visualize growing and building on instead of being stepping stones of experience to accumulate on their resume before a larger firm determined they'd learned enough to be hired.

When they finished, Mr. Donaghy actually smiled, reminding Melissa of a movie star. She thought of all the young women working on this floor and began to wonder if all the secretaries had crushes on him.