Dawn's Reading Nook: Welcome Guest Author Liz Crowe

The Moment of Truth

You know the one I mean.

When you glance up from your newspaper at the coffee shop (Oh, ok your “e reader” or “laptop”) and lock eyes with the guy you’ve been secretly admiring for weeks.

Or that split second across the conference room table when you sense a foot touch yours, and the deep gaze of a colleague melts your fillings.

Or even the twinkle in the eye of the bartender, and the way his hand lingers over yours as he hands you your craft brewed beer (yeah, I own a brewery).

These moments are ones that remain seared into our nerve endings and many times signal the start of something Really Great or at least something pretty darn hot.

Nearly 4 years ago I dreamed up a “moment” between a couple of highly strung professional Realtors. That moment of “first look” leading to long term action was the foundation for my popular Realtors Series. To be perfectly honest, my craft habits include coming up with That One Hot Moment for every single book I have written. I use it to grow characters, to show as much as I can about them through one scene. It’s fun really.

Here is that set up:

Jack had a hot date, one that was going to yield him a kick-ass listing, but due to the unwarranted dawdling of the condo-shopping couple he had been dragging around, he’d be lucky to make it in time. The empty lock box on the door of the penthouse unit provided the real icing on the cake. He leaned on the doorbell, hoping they could skip this one and stop wasting his time while mouthing platitudes to his clients. He had hoped that the relocating, executive couple like the ones he was courting at that moment wouldn’t spend so much of his valuable time arguing over granite colors and the relative benefits of central vacuum cleaners. God, he hated this job sometimes. He smiled, and turned, hearing the click of the deadbolt. Finally.

When the heavy door swung open, the vision standing there froze him mid-sentence. Sara Thornton, one of the newer, and more successful, realtors at Stewart Realty, stared at him, eyes blazing in a strange combination of aggravation and satisfaction. Jack clenched his jaw at the sight of her smoking hot body encased in skintight short black skirt, creamy silk blouse and four-inch patent leather heels.

As one of the ones chosen to populate the downtown, storefront office, based on good looks and the ability to rope in new buyers and sellers off the streets of Ann Arbor, Sara had serious sales skills. He’d studied the branch’s numbers as part of a management decision-making process, ultimately turning down the offer to handle that stable of prima donnas. But at that moment Jack couldn’t believe he’d never noticed her before—really noticed her. Where had she been hiding? And what was that amazing sexy aura that permeated the air? Jack’s heart jumped in his chest.

“Um, hi Jack,” her voice was hoarse, making him blink. He made a conscious effort to wipe the idiotic look off his face, aware of the annoying clients still standing at his elbow. He held out a hand, needing to confirm that her skin felt as hot as it looked. Surprised no one else saw the sparks pass between them, he couldn't suppress a grin at the look on her flustered face.

So, she sensed it too. This could get interesting.

“Sara,” he heard his own voice, sounding a hell of a lot more confident than he felt at that moment. And he did not rattle easily. “Sorry to barge in but,” Struck dumb once again by the sight of Adam Donovan, mortgage broker tool, at Sara's shoulder Jack gave himself a mental shake. The sudden realization of what had undoubtedly happened, in the same condo he was about to show, made his head pound. Reluctant admiration mixed with something resembling jealousy fogged his brain. He raised his eyebrows at the tall blond man whom he could have sworn was engaged to someone else.

“Jack,” Adam moved around the beautiful woman who still blocked the doorway. “Good to see you.”

Jack shook the guy’s hand, never taking his gaze from Sara, reserving his smile for her. His brain engaged, focus locked on Sara Thornton, and the world shifted under his expensively shod feet.

And then, the same moment from HER perspective:

Sara had never been more embarrassed. No, that was too weak of a word—mortified was better. Jack Gordon, king of the Ann Arbor real estate universe wanted to show the condo where she’d just let Adam Donovan mercy fuck her. As she tried not to drown in Jack’s deep blue gaze, Sara clenched her thighs, already imagining how he might have done it differently, and likely better.

“Um, hi Jack,” she croaked out. Her face flooded with heat; even more so when she put the keys in his outstretched hand, and yanked herself back at the intensity of their instant connection.. Tall, ruggedly handsome with coal-black hair and a shimmering blue gaze, the man boasted a personality that bested all other males within a fifty-mile radius. Sara only knew of him, of course. They'd never actually met. However, she’d swear right then he seemed happy to see her. The realization made her zing from scalp to toes.

She watched his full lips form words but remained deafened by the roaring in her ears. His gaze never left hers, even when Adam nudged her aside and shook his hand. Her whole universe suddenly shrank to two people. Looking back, she’d pinpoint that as the instant she fell hopelessly in love with an impossible man.

Floor Time: recipient of multiple 5-star reviews including from Just Erotic Romance Reviews and trending up on all romance books on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Floor-Time-The-Realtors-ebook/dp/B0071MH634/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336138523&sr=8-1