I have another free read for you, in my meager attempt to provide some distraction during this difficult time. Hard and Fast is available to download as a freebie. I'm posting the first chapter below and just a tease from the second to whet your appetite. I hope you enjoy it.
I have several books on special and free to download, check out the deets HERE!
Take extra good care, my friends. 💜
Younger Man / Older Woman, Erotic Romance
About the Book:
She’s looking for a forever kind of thing, not just some meaningless fling.
An overly hot and humid summer season has kept repairman Billy Maas more than busy. But when he attends a routine service call, he doesn’t expect the most beautiful woman in the universe to answer the door, let alone allow him to service more than just her air-con unit.
But Joss isn’t looking for a simple fling. After seeing how happy her sister, Pasha, is with her new husband, Lot, she wants some of that. Billy is fun and exciting, but their lives and interests are very different. So when Joss begins to have real feelings for the adorable Billy, she sees no alternative but to distance herself from the younger party boy—leaving the bewildered and lovelorn repairman with a crisis he can’t fix.
Hard and Fast
Chapter One
Josslynn Rossdale stood in line at the bank. Another scorching day with the humidity so high that one perspired just standing still. Most of the other customers appeared to be melting, each with that fine layer of sheen and flushed complexion. In a lightweight cotton blouse, beige short shorts and sandals, Joss attempted to beat the heat.
“Next,” the first vacant teller drawled.
Joss stepped forward.
“Hey, Joss, how are you?” She’d been in the savings and loan so often lately that the employees knew her by name.
“Good, Tracey, and you?”
“It’s so much better in here now that they’ve got the air conditioning back up and running.”
Joss noted the serviceman in the standard blue work shirt, placing his tools back into his box. “Mmm, should suggest him for my building. AC’s on the fritz at my apartment too. I put in a call to the building manager but I’m still waiting.”
The repairman was tall, with short dark hair and nice broad shoulders. Snug, navy work pants showcased his well-toned glutes. As if he knew that he was being scrutinized he turned and zeroed right in on Joss. He had the most piercing blue eyes. Too cute, and too young. He couldn’t be more than twenty-five, she guessed. Somewhat used to a certain amount of healthy male attention herself, she smiled, totally aware that he was checking her out too. He grinned in return and the action brought out a charming dimple in his left cheek. He sported a fine layer of stubble as if he hadn’t had time to shave that morning. Joss liked it. It gave him a rugged appearance. Yes, he was a very attractive guy.
“What can I help you with, Joss?” Tracey snagged Joss’ attention back. “He’s really freakin’ hawt, right?” Tracey said under her breath, just as the young workman set down his toolbox on the counter-top next to her work-space.
“Actually, I was hoping to catch Tom,” Joss answered. “I’m not sure if he’s in, but he said he’d leave some paperwork for me at the customer service wicket. But your man Tech Co here is using it to store his tools at the moment.” Joss read the company name off the guy’s shirt.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I just need a signature and then I can get out of the way.” He said this to Tracey but kept his gaze trained on Joss, grinning, the corner of his mouth curling adorably.
“I’ll get the manager. I’m not taking responsibility for anything,” Tracey scoffed, leaving her post.
“Hi,” Tall, Dark and Handsome said simply. He had a pleasant, deep baritone voice.
“Hi,” she responded.
“It’s another hot one, huh?”
“Sweltering,” Joss agreed.
He peered directly into her eyes. She liked it but it was also a little disarming.
“I hear it’s supposed to be this way all weekend,” he added.
“That’s what I hear.”
His lips were nicely shaped, the bottom one nice and full.
“I guess I shouldn’t complain. It keeps me busy.”
“I imagine.”
On even closer examination, under that dark and grainy stubble was a slight cleft. Joss was a sucker for a man with a dent in his chin.
“Here we go. The manager is on the way,” Tracey said to the repairman. “And, Joss, here’s the portfolio Tom put together for you to go over.”
“Thanks, Tracey. I’ll probably see you again in the next week then.”
“Yep, see ya then. Next!”
Joss glanced back at TD&H. “Have a good day then,” she said lamely.
“Yeah, you too.” He nodded as the manager joined him.
Joss began to walk out when one of the other financial managers stopped her to make sure she’d been waited on. She assured him that she had, thanked him kindly then continued to the exit, arriving as the rugged repairman did. It just so happened his hands were full— toolbox in one and a ladder in the other. Joss held the first door open for him.
“Well, thank you,” he said with a wide smile. He had excellent teeth too.
Joss rushed ahead and opened the second door.
“Thanks again.” He squinted up at the sky. “Whoa, it is hot out here. Being in there, in the cool, makes you forget for a while.”
“I know. It’s nasty, isn’t it?” Joss let the door swing closed and she turned in the direction of her car.
“Take care,” he said then continued on his way.
For shits, Joss peeked over her shoulder, and to her delight, he was doing the same thing. How sad had her life become that she was now thrilled by such a little thing?
* * * *
Fuck, that woman is gorgeous, Billy thought as he tossed his gear into the service van. He found himself straining to see over the seats to catch a glimpse of what she was driving. He’d keep an eye out for her in future. Everyone else in town reminded him of sweat soaked marathon runners. But not her, she looked like the heat didn’t even affect her—fresh faced and radiant.
The strawberry blonde, shoulder-length hair was what had caught his eye first. Expecting blue eyes, he’d been pleasantly surprised when she’d returned his level stare and he’d discovered they were dark—smoky and warm. The minute she’d held his gaze, his cock had flexed. He was pretty sure she’d been checking him out too. But then again, the bank tellers had been doing it all morning. Billy knew he was a pretty good-looking guy. He did all right with the ladies. But this one was a little older than the chicks he was usually interested in. Maybe thirty, he approximated. That coupled with the fact that she was drop dead stunning, a guy might find striking up a conversation with her intimidating. But he thought he’d held his own.
After slamming the rear doors, he hopped into his service truck, as a bronze-colored Lexus drove slowly past. With a big wave, Billy added an even larger grin to the lovely woman driving by. She nodded in acknowledgment and gave a vague wave in return. No doubt she was thinking he was an overeager idiot. But damn, what he’d give to run into her again. Or spend a few minutes of real conversation so that she’d know he wasn’t a complete loser. He could practically imagine his buddies’ faces if he showed up at some party or backyard barbecue with her on his arm. His friends would go nuts.
Billy tried to get his mind focused on work. Calling into dispatch, he then jotted down the address of the next work-order as it was read off to him. He then went back to the grind, but all afternoon his mind kept drifting back to the bank. This time his thoughts fixated on those gorgeous legs that went on forever—they’d wrap nicely around his waist.
Quitting time and an ice cold beer couldn’t come soon enough.
* * * *
Joss and three of her girlfriends sat around their regular table in one of her favorite restaurants. They’d been meeting for lunch every Friday since Joss had moved home. It had been a weekly thing for them back in the day. The only difference was Joss’ twin sister Pasha was missing from their little custom. With their orders placed and drinks served, they started to catch up.
“So, how are things going with the financing, Joss? Any word from my brother yet?” Lara asked.
“I picked up another proposal this afternoon, but I haven’t had a chance to read it through yet.” Actually she’d tossed it aside in disgust when she’d noticed that Tom had labeled the document with Pasha’s name. These documents would have to be reworked, because this guy couldn’t seem to get his shit together or put his obsession with Pash aside long enough to do his job. Another delay just put Joss’ plans that much further behind.
“Did he leave his card inside with all of his numbers on it?” Bryn teased.
“Proposal, you say? If Tom made it up you can bet it has nothing to do with finances. Has he found his balls and asked you out yet?” Leave it to Della to get to the heart of the matter.
“Oh, don’t be so hard on Tom,” Lara defended her sibling. “He’s had a crush on Joss and Pash since high school. Just them moving away to launch Pasha’s modeling career broke his heart.”
“Tom’s interest was in Pasha. Not me. And now that she’s off the market, he is free to move on to someone else. Preferably a woman who doesn’t look anything like Pash. That’s what he needs, a fresh start.”
“How was Hawaii, Joss?” Bryn asked.
“Beautiful,” she sighed, thinking of her sister and her new husband. “It was perfect. The ceremony, the setting, the couple. Lot and Pasha are so in love with each other it’s ridiculous.”
“You sound a little jealous there, Joss,” Della commented, watching her.
“Not so much jealous, but envious. Seeing them together kind of made me want it too. Not Lot, he’s a bit on the arrogant side for my taste, but that type of relationship. I want someone to be that crazy over me.”
“Well, Tom’s all over that,” Della said, only loud enough for Joss to hear. “At least the crazy part.” Della lifted her glass to Joss then took a long sip.
“Arrogant? Well, then Lot must be the perfect match for Pasha!” Lara sniped under her breath, but the nasty crack was loud enough for the entire table to hear.
Joss chose to ignore it.
“I think for Pash, though, it helps having him around to calm the withdrawals of us being apart. She’s not as sad that we’re not living together anymore. But I’m still kind of lost without her. I miss her so much sometimes it hurts. But seeing her so happy makes me feel less guilty about leaving.”
“Well, you sacrificed a good decade to get her where she is, I don’t think it’s selfish of you to want a life of your own, separate,” Della commiserated.
“It wasn’t really sacrifice—I enjoyed it. I was good at it. And it kept us together for a lot longer than either one of us had thought we’d be. But I need more.”
“I think we should set both Tom and Joss up with somebody new, but definitely not each other,” Bryn, always the mediator, suggested smoothly. “They don’t suit at all. Don’t you, Lara? I mean, Joss isn’t Pash. They are not the same person. Not interchangeable.”
“I know that,” Lara snapped.
Joss, Della and Bryn all turned to stare at her.
Joss picked up a glass of white wine and surveyed the restaurant, bored of the conversation already and sick to death of the Tom subject. She didn’t want to have to get rude about it either. Joss hoped he never found his jewels. That way, she wouldn’t be forced to turn him down. But she did have the old reliable excuse—I wouldn’t feel right about it while we’re working together—at the ready if she ever needed a quick way out. But she was convinced he was dragging his feet where business was concerned, to keep Joss coming around, because he wanted to see Pash. Besides, she didn’t want to hurt Lara’s feelings. They’d almost quit being friends back in secondary school because Pasha had finally let Tom have it. Though Pash and Lara still didn’t speak.
A bunch of guys had started to collect at the bar, all of them wearing the same colored shirt as the incomparable Tech-Co, from the bank. For the ‘nth time Joss wished she’d caught his name. He was someone she could see herself spending time with, even if he was a little younger.
Just then, one of the wait-staff placed another glass of wine in front Joss.
“I didn’t order—” she began.
“The gentleman at the bar sends his regards.”
Joss grinned and glanced around the table at all her girlfriends, then as one, they turned to see who’d sent the drink. Joss started at one end of the bar and scanned the blue work shirts once again, but this time the repairman that she’d been hoping to see was there. He had his mug of beer raised in salute accompanied by a devastating grin on his ruggedly handsome face.
“Oh my God!” Joss breathed, grinning back like an idiot. Excitement built in her stomach, the likes of which she hadn’t known in a very long while.
“Who the fuck is that hot piece of man and where have you been hiding him, Josslynn?” Della asked.
“I don’t know his name, I ran into him at the bank. We had one of those conversations that was completely benign but it was like we connected and said a whole lot more with our eyes.”
“By the way that the two of you are devouring each other right now, I’d say you just had your second conversation.” Bryn giggled.
“How old would you say he is?”
“Hmm, I’d put him about twenty-five,” Della replied.
“That’s what I thought too.” Joss was disappointed. He was a bit young for her. She and Pasha had recently celebrated her thirty-second birthday.
“Go over there!” Della suggested, grinning from ear to ear.
“No,” Joss said. But she really did want to. “All his work buddies are there.”
“Yes! Go. You’ll have every one of those men wishing they were him. He’ll be a freakin’ God to them. Go.”
Joss took another sip of the wine that she’d been working on then stood, picking up the full glass that had just been delivered.
While trying to tune out the snickering and rude comments that her girlfriends were making, Joss toned down a runway walk and sexily made her way over to the handsome man at the bar. He watched her every step. Ignoring all the other men seated on either side, Joss concentrated only on him.
“Well, hey there, Tech-Co,” Joss said, taking hold of his lapel, near the company logo. She gave it a little jiggle then let go.
His pals chuckled at her nickname for him. He’d undone the top four or so buttons, baring an expanse of his bronzed chest. The damn shirt had been concealing some major muscle mass under it. Joss also detected a tattoo but couldn’t make out what it was.
“We meet again.”
“Of all the bars…” He grinned.
“You had to walk into mine,” she finished.
“No, baby, you’re in mine.”
“Oh no, Tech-Co, my girlfriends and I have been haunting this particular club for at least a decade.” There, that would give him a little heads up to her age.
“I’ve never seen you here before, and I guarantee I would have remembered you.”
She’d have remembered him too. “I just moved back to town recently and we’ve resumed our weekly meetings.”
“Ahh. Lucky me.”
“And why would that be?”
“All you lovely ladies have classed up the joint.”
“Well, I’d better get back. Thanks for the drink.”
“Any time.”
Joss started to walk back when he called, “Hey, beautiful, what’s your name?”
“We’ll save that for next time, Tech-Co.”
Joss made sure to give them the best display of a sexy walkway rear view that she could muster. It must have worked—she got some cat calls and whistles. Pash, her supermodel sister, would be proud.
Bryn and Della were all smiles when Joss sat back down, but Lara didn’t seem too pleased.
“Stop teasing every man you meet, Joss. And he’s way too young for you.”
“Wow, you’re on a roll today, aren’t you!” Joss countered angrily, finally sick of her viciousness.
“I’m no longer hungry. I’m gonna go.”
“Lara…” Joss said.
“Oh, Lara, you’re such a downer,” Della said.
“Lara, it’s all in fun,” Bryn added.
“It’s not amusing for the people that she and her sister string along. Add that poor kid to the list, right behind my brother.”
“Tell us how you really feel,” Della called after her.
The remaining three ladies watched their friend walk out.
“I have never once encouraged Tom,” Joss said.
“We know.” Della sighed, picking up her drink. “I don’t think Tom needs any.”
“And now that he’s in charge of my loan application…”
“Have you considered going somewhere else?”
“That’s what Pasha suggested too. But our parents have always done business there, I automatically went there first, you know. And the wheels are already turning. If I go somewhere else, I have to start from the beginning again. And that puts me that much further behind again. Sooner or later, I am going to need to make some money.”
“So, that’s where you met that guy over there?” Bryn asked, smiling, thankfully changing the subject.
Joss observed the man in question. Not surprisingly, he was watching her too.
“Why don’t you have a fling with him?” Della’s eyes lit as she made the suggestion.
“A fling? What are you trying to push me into, you old married lady?”
“Something I can live vicariously through, of course.”
Joss rolled her eyes and her gaze again strayed to the bar.
“You are really digging him, aren’t you?” Della teased.
There was definitely something about him.
Chapter Two
Joss woke up early the next morning, too sticky and hot to remain in bed and called the superintendent about the air conditioning. She’d been trying to get it to work since she’d returned and now that she needed it, it wouldn’t even turn on.
This apartment had been hers and Pasha’s for years. They’d kept it even while they’d been stationed in LA, so they’d have a place to stay when they were in town—or a place to come back to if things hadn’t worked out.
On the way to the kitchen, Joss paused to open Pasha’s bedroom door. It was bright and beautiful just like Pash. Joss took a deep breath. It even smelled like Pash.
After taking a cool shower, she put on a thin tank top and a pair of sleep shorts as she puttered around, unpacking from the trip to Hawaii and her sister’s wedding that she’d been neglecting.
There was a knock at the door. She expected it to be the super. Her building was a secured one, so folks couldn’t come and go without being buzzed in. But when she opened the door, it was most certainly not the manager. Instead she met the amazing blue eyes of the man that had occupied her thoughts all night long.
His handsomely rugged features showed surprise as well. The corner of his mouth turned up boyishly. His gaze skimmed over her scant clothing, heating her up again. In a smooth, smug gesture he leaned against the doorjamb.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Joss commented, amused.
“Did you call for a service, ma’am…?”
Joss snorted at his choice of words and he turned five shades of red then began to back track and trip all over his tongue to correct himself.
“I meant a service man, ma’am. Er…aw, fer fuck! Oh, shit, again, I’m sorry.”
Finally he just hung his head. Joss waited until he peered up at her through his lashes. He was too cute.
“Did my friends put you up to this? You’re not like a male stripper or something on the side, are you?”
“No. I’m here to repair your AC unit. Your super let me up. I had no idea who lived here.”
Joss shook her head at the impossibility of it all while she stepped back to let him in. “This way,” she said, very aware of him at her back. Visions of him doing the most delicious things to her body invaded her mind...
Can you guess what happens next?
