Impetuous Designs (7 page)
Authors: Laura Major
While she was still angry, she sensed that Nate genuinely wanted to make things right.
I should have seen this coming. I’ve been taking credit for his work for weeks.
Remembering that the paint was purchased before they had blessed the master suite, Mia’s heart began to warm at how sweet Nate looked as he worked to convince her that her project could be saved.
It’s time I made things right too.
“Congratulations Mia. You really are a shrewd woman. I don’t know how you pulled it off.”
“Oh Sandy, I’ve learned a lot from watching you and let’s just say that my experience on all those reality dating shows didn’t go to waste either.” Mia laughed as she ran her fingers along the black lacquer desktop.
“Well, let me know if there’s anything you need, I mean it.”
“Thanks Sandy, I will.” Mia hung up the phone and swiveled the back of her chair toward the office door.
Upon entering the reception area, Nate’s heart was thumping so hard, he could feel it between his ears. He came up to the little blond receptionist and only paused briefly before deciding to by-pass her entirely.
“Nate, you can’t just walk in there.” The receptionist darted for the executive’s office door but Nate was faster.
“Other than your rear-view, nothing good has ever come out of walking behind you.” Nate twisted the knob and stomped up to the black lacquer desk.
“I’m sorry. I tried to stop him.” The receptionist called out.
After a long pause that made it apparent that no reply was forthcoming, Nate saw his chance. “It’s obvious your boss has no intention of throwing me out, so why don’t you do us the honors and close the door behind you when you leave?” When the door was safely closed, he turned back to stare at the back of the leather chair sitting behind the executive desk.
“Look Jimmy, I’ve been doing your job and mine for weeks now. I’ve arranged the projects and I let Mia take credit for all my interior design work. Karma has come to collect.” Nate waited for a response. When his words were halted by the chilly silence in the room, his chest began to tighten and he quickly squeezed and released his fists. “So you have nothing to say about that? What do you have to say about me going to the media with the story that U-Design has been making money off the broken dreams of families in foreclosure and violent crime scene victims?”
“I’d say that’s a major PR issue for the show and you’d better figure out how to fix it sense
Eye Design
has named you the winner of its design-off and the new host of the show.”
Nate shook his head knowing he didn’t hear what just emanated from that black overstuffed chair back. Even Jimmy’s voice sounded familiar but different. Just as he began to recognize the voice as Mia’s, the chair glided around to reveal her sitting before him. “What are you doing here? Where’s Jimmy?”
“Jimbo, as you so affectionately call him, has been relieved of his duties. You’re threatening the new executive director of programming and owner of the U-Design Television Network.”
“How? I don’t understand.” Nate collapsed into the visitor’s chair that stood behind him.
His eyes rose with her as Mia stood from the chair and walked around to Nate’s side of the desk. “A few tosses of these waves and a flash of my own version of the mesmerizing Long smile, I learned all I needed to know from your buddy Sam and your brother Mitch. Then I had a very productive working lunch with Jimmy, Sandy and the owners of the network, which resulted in Jimmy being sent to camp out at the unemployment line in some Midwestern town somewhere?”
“Why the Midwest?” Nate couldn’t take his eyes off her silhouette underneath the thin black halter dress Mia was wearing.
“It’s the only region of the country where he has yet to make any enemies.” Mia moved closer to perch herself on the arm of Nate’s chair.
“Ok, but how did you become owner?”
“The owners aren’t capable of handling the bad publicity that was sure to rain down on the network when you finally set off your info bomb. Nor did they want to, they’d lost so much money as a result of Jimmy’s dealings and lawsuits, they were ready to claim their losses and move on.” Mia slipped right into Nate’s lap and began kissing and sucking on those lips that have been tempting her for weeks since they last kissed.
“I’d hate to cut your celebration short, but how are you going to fix the publicity issue?” Nate asked not taking his eyes off Mia’s lips.
“I was thinking we could give the challenge house away to a underprivileged family, mortgage paid. Then we can raffle the other homes off and donate the proceeds to charity. After that, no one will care how we attained those questionable properties we redesigned.” Mia turned in Nate’s lap, dropping her legs between his before slowly swerving her hips in a semi-circular motion.
“What are you doing?” Nate asked breathlessly.
“This is my way of asking you for forgiveness. So, tell me Nate, am I forgiven?”
“Not so fast, Mia. You’ve got a lot of deceit and deception to atone for,” Nate replied as he wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her neck.
The End
Mismatched
By Laura Major
Meet Tessa Dennison, an early-thirties finance professional, who resolves to define love on her own terms after a series of busted blind dates.
Justin Martin, her best friend, has secretly loved Tessa since childhood. However, risking their friendship and their differing ethnic backgrounds holds him back. But it's now or never when she convinces him to screen Internet bachelors for a love match.
Will Justin continue to let societal forces dictate his happiness or will he opt for full disclosure before Tessa finds a cyber match?
Is Justin too firmly planted in the 'friend zone' to advance into Tessa’s dating portfolio? Read to find out if Justin is Tessa’s true match in
Mismatched
.
Early Withdrawal
By Laura Major
Early Withdrawal
tells the story of Sonia Squires, an African American marketing executive who is 18 months shy of her 35th birthday, the age by which she hopes to start a family. After a routine wellness exam and an equally habitual argument with her long-time boyfriend, Sonia realizes that having a baby is more important to her and may be more realistic than having the marriage and the white picket fence.
Jacob Rhodes is a 35-year-old language analyst, working for the National Security Agency. He is battling with a loss of faith in his abilities after superiors ignored his foreign intelligence report, which resulted in a U.S. terrorist attack several years ago.
A man of many secrets, Jacob allows a sperm bank to use contributions to make families whole again. Will a secret contribution to his Ex and her unknowing new husband who also happens to be his best friend, unleash all of his secrets?
Meanwhile, Sonia’s on a mission to have a baby even if it means using a sperm donor with an ethnic heritage different from her own.
When Sonia's Ex resurfaces and her donor falls from sight, what choices will Sonia make?
Find out in Early Withdrawal, where fighting your obstacles and claiming the right to your dreams will lead you to a path of the unexpected!
From the start, Laura Major managed her creative impulses by drawing, writing songs, poems, and short stories. While her interests in drawing and writing songs have waned, her love affair with the written word only grew stronger.
It was the recurring memories of encouragement from an eighth-grade English teacher, a fellow classmate who said during a critical writing class, “I’m going to see your name on bookshelves,” and a destined encounter with Romance Writers of America at a chocolate fair that put her on track to fulfill her purpose.
Multicultural fiction is close to Laura’s heart, so the opportunity to share these stories is not taken lightly. Please feel free to look Laura up at
http://www.lauramajor.com
.
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