Once on location in East Africa, Chris and Julia work long hours together to meet their looming deadline. The attraction between them is palpable but Julia sticks to her no-men resolve and to her secrets.
Release Date: December 13th, 2019
Cover Designer: Diana Carlile
Chris Summers needs purpose to come to grips with his new disability and save his own sanity.
A friend's offer to get involved in an architectural photobook as the professional photographer is the only solution. The project allows him to work with his friend's sister, Julia Carlevaro, a luxury hotel heiress, who has sworn off men, love, and some other things she prefers to keep to herself.
Once on location in East Africa, Chris and Julia work long hours together to meet their looming deadline. The attraction between them is palpable but Julia sticks to her no-men resolve and to her secrets.
After a shooting accident that leaves Chris unhinged, he is forced to reveal the true nature of the incident that led to his disability. His cards are on the table, and Julia will need to show hers, or let go of their one chance for love.
EXCERPT
Chapter 1
Chris Summers shifted in the taxi’s leather seat and
bumped his knee against his cane. The elegant bit of wood slipped down to the
floor, and he cursed the thing for the umpteenth time that day. It had been months
now, and he still hadn’t quite gotten used to having it as his constant
companion. He bent to pick up the cane and settled it next to him on the seat.
He’d arrived in Italy forty minutes ago, and he
could tell that it was at least six degrees warmer in Rome than in London. The
warmer temperature soothed his leg—maybe moving to a warmer climate would save
his sanity.
Had bloody Heathrow always been so big? Traipsing
from London to Rome had been more taxing than he’d expected. His leg pulsed a
consistent beat of pain, reminding him that his doctors hadn’t exactly approved
this trip. But he’d no longer cared. His fleet of doctors, therapists and
family were competing to see who could drive him up the wall first. The best
cure for him was to get out and away, as it had always been.
What he really needed was to get back on the job, in
whichever form it was going to take. He gazed out of the taxi’s window,
catching glimpses of Rome’s antiquities. The drive to the Carlevaro estate on
the Appia Antica was riddled with photo opportunities, yet the familiar need to
get out his camera and take photos was glaringly absent. What was the point?
His lack of enthusiasm was his biggest worry and one
of the reasons he’d considered his friend Carlo Carlevaro’s offer. It wasn’t
quite an offer yet, but after the weekend something might be on the cards.
Carlo had spoken about a hotel book, and the Carlevaros didn’t own just any
hotels. It sounded like a prestigious project and would put his name back in
print. But it was really the complete change of subject matter, environment,
and function as photographer that he was after. He needed a burst of sunlight
on his clouded soul. Something to revive the passion that had bled out of him
that godforsaken day he got shot in Syria.
As they turned into the driveway to the estate, he
swallowed the two painkillers he took three times a day ever since he’d gotten
off the stronger injections. Today of all days they didn’t seem enough, but it
was because he’d overexerted himself. Or was it?
He shrugged off the thought as the taxi pulled up
under the portico. A tall blonde in jeans and a gray cashmere jersey came out
of the double doors of the house; a little girl with spiral curls skipped in
her wake.
He couldn’t help grinning on seeing Carlo’s wife,
Simone, and four-year-old daughter, Sarah, for the first time.
“Chris?” Simone smiled as he got out of the taxi.
“I’ll have you know that I’m starved for English conversation!”
They shook hands. “The lovely Simone, lost in Rome?”
Carlo’s description of Simone fitted her perfectly...a Venus who didn’t suffer
from goddess syndrome.
“That can only be Carlo’s one-liner.” Simone laughed
as she swung his laptop bag over her shoulder and took his carry-on cabin bag.
“Say hello to Chris, Sarah.”
Sarah gave him a cheeky stare before hiding behind
her mother’s legs. He winked at her, feeling lighter. Here, at least, life had
allowed everything to fall perfectly into place.
“It’s nice to finally meet you,” he said, wanting to
take his bags from her, but she shook her head.
“Likewise.” She gave his shoulder a soft squeeze.
“Come on, there’s a fire going inside, and I’ve made hot chocolate.”
“With marshmallows,” Sarah chirped.
“Hot chocolate sounds great. And I love
marshmallows.” Chris smiled and followed them into the house.
“Carlo should have been here already, but something
came up at the office.” Simone walked toward the elegant staircase that curved
to the second floor. Sarah was halfway up the stairs already. “Let me show you
your room, and you can get comfortable. It’s up here.”
Looking at the stairs, he stifled a disheartened
groan. It was a two-story building but of old-fashioned proportions. The
staircase followed suit. Simone stopped short of the first step, turning to
him.
He hesitated. “This might take time.”
Her eyes dropped to his cane, and she raised a hand
to her lips. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize.”
“No problem. I can do them slowly.”
She worried her bottom lip. “Carlo didn’t say
anything.”
“He...I—” Chris looked away. Making a fuss was the
last thing he wanted. He hadn’t seen Carlo since the incident and the
operations which followed. Carlo knew what had happened but had no idea of the
exact state of his leg. There was no way Simone could have a clue.
“Julia’s cottage in the garden will work better.
It’s mostly level, and there’s ample space.” Simone nodded, seeming pleased
with this idea. “Carlo’s sister won’t mind.”
His gut tightened. The last thing he wanted to do
was to impose on someone he didn’t know, even if she was Carlo’s sister. At
this rate, he’d prefer a hotel with a lift. “Don’t worry about it, please,
Simone. I’ll manage.”
She shook her head as she pulled her mobile from her
jeans pocket. “You’ll be going up and down these stairs the whole weekend and
wish you’d never visited. Come down, Sarah!”
Simone stepped away as she made a call. He politely
turned his back to give her privacy and studied an old Italian painting on the
wall closest to him, trying to suppress the budding frustration at the
situation he had no control over.
Simone spoke quietly for a minute then returned to
him. “Yes, yes...See you soon. Love you too.” As she wrapped up the call she
smiled at him, her embarrassment gone. “It’s all arranged. Carlo will talk to
Julia, and he’ll be home soon.”
This time he got hold of his cabin bag before she
could reach for it again.
“Come on, out to the cold again, I’m afraid.” She
led them out of the front door. The pavement of the driveway continued on a
path which disappeared into a sculpted garden. The path was wide enough for
them to walk abreast, and Simone slowed her long strides to his pace, with
Sarah twirling ahead of them. Statues hid in topiary alcoves of evergreen
shrubs, and even in February, the garden was vibrant. About a hundred meters
from the main house, the pathway opened to a modern building, which could
hardly be described as a cottage.
The stark architectural design was in such contrast
to his expectations that Chris laughed. “When you said cottage, I expected
something different.”
“I know. They got me the first time around as well.”
Simone chuckled as she took her daughter’s hand. “Carlo’s brother designed it.
It’s Angelo’s dream house, but he’s in Tanzania managing the business there.”
Chris stopped for a moment to take it in. It was a
single-story building, with the exception of a room which protruded over an
outside sitting area, supported by nothing, floating in space. A glass-fenced
swimming pool stretched the length of the house, catching the last
of the afternoon light. Outside lighting illuminated
the house’s exterior, casting a warm glow over the concrete walls and veranda.
“It’s impressive. Julia lives here alone?”
“Yes.” Pausing, Simone took a deep breath and sighed
out a cloud of warm fog into the winter air. “She used to live with Carlo in
the main house, but when we got married, she moved here.”
“Sounds fair enough.”
“She said she’ll look after Angelo’s place for him,
but she could’ve stayed on with us. It’s not as if there is a lack of space
around here.”
He sensed her hesitation, as if she wanted to tell
him more, but at the last moment she swallowed her thoughts before they could
slip off her tongue. The cold crept into his bones, and his muscles protested.
Chris shifted all his weight to his good leg, a subtle movement which caught
Simone’s attention.
“I’m sorry, here I ramble on and it’s so cold today.
The main entrance is on the other side, but this is quicker.”
They navigated the enclosed swimming pool and Simone
pulled open a sliding door to let him in.
The interior of the house was equally stark and
rigid. A staircase was suspended off the wall, leading to the room which hung
over the outside veranda.
“The stairs go to the master bedroom where Julia
sleeps,” Simone said. “Angelo designed the house with the views in mind, and
from up there they’re truly spectacular.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” Chris eyed the stairs,
which had no railing. He’d never suffered from vertigo, but the possibility of
stumbling was a new reality he didn’t want to toy with.
“I’ll put your things in the first bedroom,” Simone
said as she took his bag. “Don’t touch anything on the tables, Sarah. Julia is
busy with a project which has taken over the lounge.”
He followed Sarah’s patter to the lounge. It was
incongruous with the rest of the architectural splendor of the house. A
shocking pink plastic doll’s house stood in one corner, next to a box
overflowing with toys. Makeshift tables lined the walls, and cartons were
stacked in alphabetical order on them. The lounge set was crammed into the
window corner and the coffee table was piled high with glossy books.
He crossed to the tables where photos were laid out.
The photos were older, taken in the seventies, early eighties. He idly fingered
one of the photos; it was of a bull elephant with the longest tusks he’d ever
seen.
“Don’t touch nothing,” a little voice peeped.
It came from under the table and he suppressed a
chuckle. “I’m not touching anything, Sarah.” He kept his tone serious but
wanted to laugh. “Promise.”
He cruised along the tables and paused at a photo
layout of two men. They looked like brothers, smiling in several photos—in one
leaning against a Land Rover, in another one of the men stood by a small
aircraft with a bottle of champagne in his hand. A pile of typed notes was
stacked next to it. He picked it up and started to read, when a sudden cold
draft swept through the room, sending photos and notes aflutter.
“Good grief, where did that come from?” Simone came
rushing from the corridor. “Don’t get anything mixed up, Julia has been working
on this for months.”
He covered the quivering photos which threatened to
take flight again with his hands and glanced to where Simone was closing the
sliding door.
For the first time, he noticed the life-size black
and white framed photograph of a dancer on the double volume wall in his
peripheral. His breath caught as he took in the image. The dancer was dressed
only in a heavy, long and voluminous black skirt, holding a pose with her back
to the photographer, arms and hands poised in ballerina grace above her head,
her left leg raised to shoulder height, balancing en pointe on the right. Her
dark hair was curled into a loose bun, leaving her back naked. She was topless,
the muscles of her arms and back flexed in equal grace and strength.
The visual was strikingly beautiful and utterly
erotic, making his heart beat in double pace. The idea that she could turn and
reveal the fullness of her breasts stirred him to his core, and his groin
responded. His body pulsed with desire. God, he wished he had taken that photo.
It had been ages since he’d experienced such an intense reaction to an image.
This was what every photographer wanted to
create—emotions—whether the emotion was desire or something else. In an
instant, all inspiration flooded back to him, and his hands itched empty without
a camera.
He wanted to photograph that dancer, every inch of
her. And keep the photos to himself.
****
Julia stared at the brochure of their
picture-perfect tropical island resort and suppressed the nausea churning in
her stomach. It was a lovely brochure, but the photos were dated.
Refurbishments had changed many things at their lodges in the past year. She
was responsible for the new marketing campaign, which included an updated
website and
coffee table photo book. Capturing the beauty of
Carlevaro’s East Africa lodges on paper wouldn’t be easy, and the thought of
the task ahead twisted her stomach in a knot of stress.
The photo shoots were due to begin in two weeks, and
she still hadn’t signed up a photographer. The contract for Matthias Schmidt had
been burning a hole in her desk the past week. Schmidt was the perfect fit for
Carlevaro International, but Carlo still hadn’t approved the contract.
Carlo was half the problem.
In frustration, she tossed the Carlevaro Private
Island brochure to the corner of her desk, where it missed a line of empty
espresso cups by an inch and slid to the floor. Her older brother ruled
Carlevaro and had vetoed every photographer she’d proposed.
Yes, no ordinary photographer would do for their
book—they needed a name, preferably a famous one. But if they kept on banging
heads over who the photographer should be her project wouldn’t take off, never
mind meet the deadline. As if that was an option—they’d paid a ludicrous
deposit for the book’s launch event: a gala dinner at the annual International
Travel Market in London. Invitations had left the building a month ago. Five
hundred of their top safari agents and the who’s who of the tourism industry
would be there. They would present the new website, and the photo book had to
be there, tangible, beautiful, and doing justice to the Carlevaro founders, her
father and her uncle, and the
heritage they’d left them.
Her stomach settled in a nauseating twist; the
sensation had become a permanent fixture because it was more than that. This
book would make or break her, not only her fragile standing in the family
business but the very essence of her being, which balanced precariously on a
narrow, trembling surface.
For a moment she closed her eyes. Beyond this
project, there was nothing if she didn’t prove herself. She cupped her hands to
her mouth, taking in deep, slow breaths. On each exhale she let her inner voice
calm her, counting, conscious of the number of days,
then repeating that she’d be fine.
A knock on her open office door made her jerk up her
head.
Carlo stood in the door, pulling on his coat. “Come
on, Julia. Call it a day.”
“What?” She glanced at the time on her computer
screen. It was only three in the afternoon, and it might be Friday, but she
still hadn’t sent Schmidt’s contract to him. Her to-do list was longer than her
arm, and she added more things to it daily, while hardly ticking anything off.
“Chris Summers arrived from London and is at the
house.”
The name rang a bell, but she couldn’t place it.
“Who?”
“An old schoolmate of mine from the UK. He’s
visiting for the weekend.”
“And?” She had no idea how this impacted her. She
liked her weekends clean and simple. Firstly, a good few hours of dancing each
morning, and for the rest, she pottered around with Sarah, or worked on the
bane of her existence: The Book Project.
“Come on.” Carlo had finished pulling on his coat
and was playing with his car keys.
She hadn’t stirred. “I still have so much to do—the
contract for Matthias Schmidt, which you still haven’t signed, by the way, must
be sent off today.” Julia rummaged through some papers on her desk to look for
the contract. “Now that you’re here, can we deal with
it?”
“I’m not
signing it now. Let’s go.”
Why did she sense he was never going to sign
Schmidt’s contract? And why did her car need to be in for a service right now?
Since Carlo got married to Simone and she’d moved out of his space, any
dependence on him grated on her. Recalling how she’d leaned on him in the past
made her want to bury her head in shame.
“You need a break, Julia. Burning out is not going
to get this project done.” Carlo walked into her office and hovered. He
probably wanted to pull her physically from her desk by the hand, but he would
never touch her. Since that horrible night five years ago, any physical contact
with Carlo had become the ultimate no-go zone.
“In any case, you need to come and meet Chris. He’s
staying with you.”
What? This was news. “With me? Whatever for?”
The old family house where Carlo lived in Rome’s
Appia Antica had room aplenty. She was in no mental space to share her house
with a male, never mind an unknown one.
“Simone phoned me. Chris can’t do the stairs so I
promised her I’d speak to you about him staying with you instead.” Carlo
sighed. “Now that I’ve spoken to you, can we go?”
She frowned, piqued at both Carlo’s overbearing
attitude and the fact that this Chris “can’t do the stairs.” Why ever not?
But...if Chris couldn’t do the stairs in Carlo’s house, there was no way he’d
be able to take the stairs in her house. He’d be on the ground floor
only. She could live with that. It was only for the
weekend.
Huffing out a sigh, she put the contract for Schmidt
to the side, stood and gathered her handbag and coat. “Is he one of your Eton
cronies?”
“Yes. He didn’t finish school at Eton, but we’ve
always kept in touch.”
Well then.
At least Chris Summers would be acting the
gentleman, if nothing else.
About the author:
Sophia Karlson has lived in France, Germany, Tanzania, Madagascar (not the movie, the country) and now finds herself in Toronto, Canada. As a teenager, she devoured romances with far-flung settings, loving to travel through books. After school, her itchy feet took her around the world, but now she doesn't get much further than the school run and the daily walk with her two demanding beagles. She writes contemporary and erotic romance with the aim of taking readers on a journey of their own.
Author's Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
1 comment:
Thank you for sharing my cover±
Post a Comment