Today on First Sight Saturday I welcome Alisa Anderson, author of Give & Receive, a 53 page erotic romance novella. (Don’t worry, Alisa has kept her excerpt PG!) Alisa has written a great first meeting between a strong woman and a man who sounds like he needed one. Take it away, Alisa!
SCENE SETUP: Ty Malone, Lead singer of the band, Retribution, is remembering the first time he met his best friend, club owner and pr tycoon Lena Roman. As an unsigned act at the time, Lena, who was senior editor at Rollingstone magazine, gave their band a feature spot on her main page. She is also none too thrilled he shows up late.EXCERPT: As he walked up to her at the local coffee shop, all those years ago, she barely spared him a glance and continued typing on her laptop.
“You’re late.”
Thirty-three minutes late, to be exact. Because he got hung over the night before and just simply didn’t feel like getting out of bed.
Not really an excuse, but then he never had to make one.
Went with the territory.
“Traffic?” He gave a shrug and smiled, trying to use his usual charm, charisma and various forms of other bullshit, but she stood and interrupted him, leaning forward with a finger to his lips effectively silencing him.
“First. There’s not a single, solitary rat’s ass that I give if traffic made you late, which I highly doubt, since I can smell last night’s alcohol on your nasty, stale morning breath. I suspect you’re lying to me, but I’ll get back to that. Professional courtesy dictates you at least call, email or text. Carrier pigeon where available.”
Ty knew she was only just getting started.
“Second. You either want this interview or you don’t. But let me tell you what I’m not here for. I’m not here to be so enamored by all that is you, I overlook you wasting my time and disrespecting me, showing up over thirty minutes late without calling. I’m not here ready to listen to the superficial, fake crap you give all the other reporters. I want you. The real you. The aching, lonely, gaping rawness I see on stage when you perform. No more, no less. Third, and you’re going to want to pay attention to this one because it’s the most important third you’re ever going to hear, you feel me? Nod if you do.”
Ty arched his right eyebrow but didn’t say a word. He felt the prick of his temper, but let it simmer. He gave a brief, barely perceptible nod.
“That’s good, Malone. You might not be as stupid as you look with that hair. Third. Don’t think for a minute to ever lie to me again, because I will always know. Like I know you lied to me just now. Don’t wonder why. It’s magic. For all intents and purposes, think of me as a human lie detector.”
She smiled at him then. A genuine, beautiful smile. And it was then Ty knew she was never actually truly angry at him, because whatever angry was where she was concerned, he only got off with just a warning.
“Lastly, my name is Lena Roman. It might be nice to meet you, I’m not sure. You, on the other hand, are thrilled to meet me. You’re so thrilled, you’re going to tell me it is fanfreakingtastic to bask in the wonder that is me and you’re going to be sincere and you know why? No, no. Don’t answer. I’m going to tell you why. Because if you’re very nice to me and convince me you are worth more than the dirt underneath my hamster Rodney’s nutsack, I’m going to make your band the biggest group on the planet. Yes, I have a hamster named Rodney.”
As she removed her finger from his mouth, Ty clasped her hand between his and instinctively brought it to his chest.
“Hi Lena Roman. I’m Tyler Malone. It is fanfreakingtastic to meet you.”
His tone was a shade mocking.
And then, he felt it.
Something so brief and fleeting he almost missed it. Almost.
He remembered at that moment feeling like someone had punched him in the gut with a massive fist.
Like it was the first day of the rest of his life. Like nothing else before that moment had ever really mattered.
Seconds became eons as everything around them stilled and all he felt was her hand and the rapid beat of his heart.
He would have bet money she felt something too, but as their eyes met and held, someone cleared their throat.
“Would either of you like some coffee or tea?” The waitress had stood there long enough. If she didn’t get their order soon Frankie, her boss, was going to bitch.
He blinked, the spell broken.
Lena’s eyes flickered, briefly before becoming neutral as she pulled her hand away. After he quietly put his ego in check and apologized, for real that time, they finished the interview, and talked, long after it was over.
They were pretty much inseparable ever since.
To this day they never spoke about what happened.
He never lied to her again, and Lena kept her word.
When she eventually quit her job at the magazine to help manage their career, she made Retribution the best-selling band in recent history.
Perhaps their talent helped, but not the way Lena told it.
It was her way.
END OF EXCERPT
It looks like Lena knows how to manage Mr. Ty Malone in more ways than one. Thanks for visiting and sharing, Alisa! Readers, below are a list of links where you can find Give & Receive and Alisa Anderson.
Alisa on Twitter It is worth visiting this just to see Alisa’s very hip handle.
During the week, I will be updating the Zombie Santa project, and next Saturday I’ll be visited by Jamie Lee Scott who will introduce us to her mystery Let Us Prey.
thanks for hosting me today jill!!! hopefully i can return the favor sometime soon! =O)