THE WHOLE PACKAGE SWEEPSTAKES
If there's one thing that we can all agree on, it's that moving SUCKS. It seems like everyone's got a moving gone wrong story—did your car break down halfway across the country? Or all of your dishes broke in transit? Or you get there and the place is infested with bugs? No matter what happened to you, we want to hear it!
We're celebrating the release of the first book in Marie Harte's new Movin On series, The Whole Package, with a sweepstakes! Learn how to participate below, and you'll be entered to win an awesome gift package!
We're celebrating the release of the first book in Marie Harte's new Movin On series, The Whole Package, with a sweepstakes! Learn how to participate below, and you'll be entered to win an awesome gift package!
They didn’t plan to become heroes…
When former Marine Reid Griffith started his moving company, hiring only veterans, he just wanted to help his brother Cash adjust to civilian life. But when Cash is caught taking down a thief mid-robbery, the video goes viral. Suddenly Vets on the Go! are local heroes…and Reid’s phone explodes. He needs help handling the deluge of interest—fast.
When PR expert Naomi Starr sees the news spot of a muscular vet expertly apprehending a bad guy with duct tape, she knows Vets on the Go! is just the thing to revive her career. There’s just one problem. Naomi has vowed to never mix business with pleasure. Ever. Again. And tall, dark and brawny Reid Griffith is a whole package of temptation.
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Excerpt:
No way in
hell his body should be so keyed up at eight-thirty in the morning sitting
across from Naomi Starr.
Two days
after first meeting the woman, Reid swore under his breath and subtly uncrossed
his legs, growing uncomfortable. Sitting across from Naomi at her desk in her tidy little office, he took
a moment to glance around.
The place
fit her. Frames of local businesses accented the slate blue walls of her
office. Bold, clean lines in her furniture and in the way the small room seemed
to be so much bigger than it actually was indicated a woman who knew how to
show her best side. And that was to say nothing of the woman herself.
Naomi sat in
a navy jacket and form-fitting skirt that reached her knees. Personally, Reid
wouldn’t have minded if she’d hiked the thing higher, because damn, but she had
some nice legs. The understated blouse she wore under the jacket covered her
from the neck down while giving tantalizing impressions of the full breasts
beneath.
Sadly, Reid
had always been a breast and leg man, and Naomi continued to tick off all the
boxes on his “ideal woman” list.
A knock at
the door interrupted them, fortunately before Reid got caught staring.
“Sorry,” her
assistant apologized. “Naomi, I need your help with something that’s urgent. It
won’t take long.”
Naomi frowned.
“Take care
of whatever you need to,” Reid said to her and held up the decadent coffee
she’d offered him. “I’m just going to nurse this for a while.” Because he
needed the caffeine. Who the hell voluntarily scheduled appointments before
nine if they didn’t have to?
She gave him
a tight smile. “I’m sorry about this. I’ll be right back, and while I’m gone,
take a look at my proposal.” She pushed a blue folder toward him.
He looked
through her ideas, agreeing with the direction she intended. Yet his concentration
remained on the woman who’d left, as well as the amazing cup of coffee he’d
been given upon arrival.
In his
office, when Reid had asked if he could get her something to drink, he would
have offered her bottled water or some crap coffee from the tiny refreshment
station he’d insisted they add to the office. It was a step up from car dealer
coffee but several steps down from Storyville, one of his favorite coffee bars
in the city. Naomi could give them a run for their money with her gourmet
coffee, served in a fancy ceramic mug. He’d also noticed the spring water in
the hallway in a water cooler she no doubt paid through the nose for.
Probably why
her fees were a little on the high side. To him, at least. According to Evan,
she had more than reasonable prices for what she offered. Her clients couldn’t
say enough about all she’d done to help their businesses. The woman was a
workhorse, no doubt about it. They had that in common. And, if he wasn’t
mistaken, a mutual attraction.
Or that
could just be wishful thinking.
She
returned, appearing as poised and put-together as she’d been before the
interruption. “I’m so sorry for that. A new client panicked about something
we’d already agreed upon then wouldn’t speak to anyone but me about it.” Naomi
shrugged. “But it’s no big deal. Now, back to you.”
He watched
her saunter back to her seat, enjoying the sight. When she sat and faced him,
he kept his gaze above her chin at all times.
She nodded
to the folder open in front of him. “This is the proposal I’ve outlined for
you. Like I said, we’ll do three months and revisit the terms. But I think this
is what you need to get started.”
He glanced
back down at it. “Looks solid. I wanted to ask what you thought about TV ads,
too.”
“They can be
expensive but worth it. I’d definitely like to see your people on television.
Cash and Hector stood out on the news, because they sure as heck grabbed my
attention. If I needed movers, I’d hire them from that segment alone.”
Of course
she would. Cash had that kind of presence about him. Competent, protective,
mission-oriented… So long as he kept his big mouth shut, they might make things
work.
“Yeah, about
that. I’ve had a request for an interview, a spotlight on our company.”
She grabbed
a pen and pad of paper. “When did you schedule it for?”
“I didn’t,
not yet. Thought I’d see what you thought.”
“Do it.” She
stared at him. “From the small group I saw at your office, you’ll represent
well. Now, if you’re all photogenic too, we’re golden. We know Hector and Cash
look great on camera. Hector is much more charming than your brother. As
appealing as your brother may be as the strong type, he’s not exactly silent. A
lot of censoring in that piece the news ran on your company.”
“Tell me
something I don’t know.”
Her
continuous stare made him a little uncomfortable. “Something wrong?”
“Hmm. I
think we need to brand you as a family company first. You and your brother,
together, would really work to sell Vets on the Go!.”
“My cousin’s
also a partner. We all kind of look alike, so you’d see the family
resemblance.”
“Even
better.” She made a few notes. “So we highlight you three, then pepper the
interview with your brawny, good-looking employees. And bam, you’ve already
made an impression on the hundreds and thousands of single women needing to move.”
“Now we’re
targeting women?”
“Yes. And
families, and veterans themselves. You have an original appeal, and not just
because you’re handsome.” She flushed and hurried to add, “And by you, I mean
your team and your business.”
“So I’m not
handsome, then?” he asked to tease her, loving that blush.
Naomi
cleared her throat and said dryly, “I think you’re well aware of your looks. My
point is we use every weapon in your arsenal. You have fit, appealing employees
who’ve served our country. That’s three for three. Now looking at your rates…”
She swiveled
her computer monitor so he could see it. “Leo, our data guru, sent me a
comparison to see who your major competitors are.”
“We went
through this before we started the company,” he said.
“Bear with
me.” They went over more numbers, enough to make his head spin. In certain
demographics, they seemed to hit the mark, while missing entirely in others.
“So you see, if you raise this rate but drop this fee, you’ll still come out
even.”
“That’s if
this marketing works.”
She gave him
another of those penetrating looks that caused the sparks in his belly to start
up and dance. “Oh, it’ll work.”
“Confident
in your abilities, huh?”
“You know
what, Reid? I am. Now, I’ve got the same issues as most women.” Her charming
smile disarmed him. “I often wonder, does this outfit make me look fat? Is my
hair the mess I think it is? Will he call like he said he would?” She smiled
then turned uber professional between one breath and the next. “But one thing
I’m not is deluded about my professional abilities. I won’t promise what we
can’t deliver. I know how to help businesses grow and flourish, and yes, I’m damn
good at what I do.”
He believed
her a hundred percent. “Okay then.” He studied her right back, noticing the
plump curve of her lips. The sparkle in her blue eyes.
He took his
pen and signed the contract, then pushed the folder back to her, irritated that
he had to work to maintain control, aware of his racing pulse. Reid was man
enough to handle being attracted to a beautiful woman. Didn’t mean he had to
follow his dick where it led. “But for the record, the outfit is flattering,
your hair is beautiful, and if he’s dumb enough not to call back, he doesn’t
deserve you.” He stood before he made a bigger fool of himself. “I’ll set up
the interview with the news station and let you know.”
