All the Wrong Places (excerpt)

Prologue

Julianne Arabella Sanders walked the streets of the city she loved the most—Paris.

Her family owned a glass factory here and her father often came. Sometimes, he took them with him. And every time she went, she would fall in love with the city over and over again.

But this particular visit to Paris was special. This time she was all by herself. She was free to be who she wanted to be and do whatever she wanted.

She only had two weeks left of life as she knew it. She could have an adventure, assume a different identity, make mistakes, fall in love and make her dreams come true.

But once her time was up, she would no longer be free to decide her own fate. She would pledge all her days, all her tomorrows—her present and her future—to a man she had only met twice, and didn't really like. She would follow her stupid family tradition of arranged marriages and be miserable for all eternity.

She tried to fight her fate, but her father had always been known to be a stubborn man. When he made up his mind, that was it. No turning back, no reasoning with him, no changing his mind. Not even her twin brother, Gian, heir of their business empire and future head of the family could do anything about it.

This vacation was the most that Gian could do for her. He had a long discussion with their father and he managed to bargain for her temporary freedom.

She remembered the day before she left for her vacation. She received a strange and annoying phone call from Patrick McAllister, her would-be fiancé.

"I don't really agree with this adventure of yours," he told her.

"Well, unfortunately, you have no say in the matter," she replied dryly.

"Yet," he emphasized.

'This guy has some nerve,' she thought angrily, but she managed to keep her voice cool.

"Is there a real purpose for this call?"

"Well, yes," he replied. "I called to say that while you're on this little adventure of yours, you must mind your actions."

"What the hell do you mean?"

"I mean, you always have to remember that you will soon be a McAllister. Whatever you do in this little trip of yours may catch up with you in the future. And whatever happens to you affects me and my name. Whatever affects my name, affects my family. I think you know where I'm going with this."

"I think I do. Luckily, I'm still my own person. And I will do whatever I want. Because as far as I know, I'm still Julianne Sanders. Not Julianne McAllister."

"Whatever. Just make sure that you do not drag my name through the mud if you screw up. Or better yet, think about your family name too. I order you to use a different name, assume a different identity. As any other person you're free to do whatever you want. As Julianne Sanders and soon to be Julianne McAllister, you know the society has rules, darling. Be mindful of who you are and who you are about to marry. I hope I'm making myself clear."

"Well, you don't..."

He hung up before she could even finish that sentence.

"What a despicable creature!" She fumed.

She couldn't even begin to imagine how the rest of her life was going to be, married to that man. But no matter how much she hated that Patrick McAllister was already dictating her life, she still did as he asked. When she travelled, she used a different name.

Arabella Adams.

In a way, using a different name and assuming a different identity had an appeal to it. For the next three months, she could be whoever she wanted to be. She was truly free.