Seducing Sarah - Book 4: The Player - Kris Read online

  Seducing Sarah

  - Book 4 ~ The Player: Kris -

  Ami LeCoeur

  PUBLISHED BY:

  Career Life Press

  Copyright © 2017

  Ami LeCoeur

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be copied or reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior written consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events, is entirely coincidental. All names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and situations are either the product of the author's imagination, or used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real.

  Releases:

  Book 1 – The Shutterbug (Jimmy)

  US - http://amzn.to/2mtAmqI

  UK - http://amzn.to/2mqZDBi

  Book 2 – The Body (Tony)

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  UK - http://amzn.to/2niwoBN

  Book 3 – The Educator (Scott)

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  UK - http://amzn.to/2nFlkwo

  Book 4 – The Player (Kris)

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  UK - http://amzn.to/2n6EApe

  Book 5 – The Advocate (Al)

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  UK - http://amzn.to/2n6EApe

  Book 6 – The Cider King (Jonathan)

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  UK - http://amzn.to/2ooQhZk

  Seducing Sarah - Full Series:

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  UK - http://amzn.to/2niHNl3

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  Book 4 - Summary

  Sarah Pilsner has a lot to celebrate. Results are in for her very successful Easter advertising campaigns, right on the heels of the equally successful Valentine's promotions. When she gets a call from her attorney telling her someone is interested in partnering with her, she realizes her dreams for expansion might just come more quickly than she'd hoped for.

  On her way home that night, she passes her favorite cider bar, noticing the headliner is a musician she's heard and enjoyed before. Deciding to treat herself, she steps inside.

  Kris Morton is a blues guitarist who's taken with the lovely woman sitting by herself at the bar. They hit it off, and he invites Sarah to an upcoming gig. She likes his music, and even though she doesn't know him very well, what harm could there be in meeting in a public venue? Challenging herself to remember her promise, and step outside her normal comfort zone, she agrees to join him the following week.

  While juggling meet-and-greets with a high-powered local businessman interested in a potential partnership and with the Board of Directors of the local woman’s shelter, she's looking forward to kicking up her heels a little.

  But the music scene is a lot different than even she expects, with its public personae and behind the scenes drama. Ultimately, Sarah has to ask herself if she's really up to this new challenge she's jumped into.

  Chapter One

  “Reports on the Easter campaigns, Boss.”

  My secretary, Rhonda, slid a handful of files across my desk. I took them, grateful she’d completed everything so quickly and eager to see how we’d done. I already knew things had gone well for our clients—I’d have heard some kind of squawking otherwise—but it was always gratifying to see hard numbers.

  After an end-of-the-day chat with Rhonda, summing up the day’s business and what we needed to settle by the end of the week, I took the time to look more closely at the numbers. When I compared them to the previous year’s statistics, I was more than a little pleased and gratified by what I found. There had been a huge jump in sales for our clients. Plus, as a company, we’d completed twice as much work as the same time last year. I’d check everything again in the morning just to be sure I was right, but numbers don’t lie.

  I couldn’t help smiling. Who wouldn’t? I was glad I’d spent the extra time this past year focusing on innovation and expansion. These results gave me a lot more to consider too, including my recent thoughts about whether it was finally time to expand the business. My stomach clenched a little with queasiness at the idea, just as it usually did when I started something new, but there was no denying how attractive the idea was. It would take time to implement my new ideas, and undoubtedly meant a lot more work for me as well as the rest of the staff. But I was no stranger to work. In fact, I relished it.

  Even as I considered how many additional hours I’d need to put in, I thought about my recent promise to myself—that I wouldn’t be such a workaholic, with my nose to the grindstone and no personal life to speak of. Yeah, a lot of good that decision had been so far. I sighed and leaned back in my chair, closing my eyes for a moment as I rubbed the spot between my eyes. I couldn’t shake the conviction that it had been a good idea, even if my results in that area were turning out to be less than stellar.

  And I wasn’t ready to give up yet. I still wanted and needed the satisfaction of a social life. Hell, after this last year of working my ass off, I deserved a life outside the office. And something told me that if I decided to move forward with the expansion, it would be even more important, especially if I wanted to keep any of my sanity at all.

  Well, there was Rhonda. I liked the eagerness with which she’d recently been taking on more responsibility around the office. She’d done excellent work and gotten stellar results. She’d taken things in a direction I wouldn’t have immediately considered, and I liked that too. Some of her ideas were even better than anything I could have designed myself.

  Maybe it was time to move her up, let her start managing more projects. I knew she’d be thrilled with the opportunity. But would I be? Was I ready to hand over management of the day-to-day work to my assistant, even if she was highly competent?

  God. Would I ever get over being such a control freak?

  These last couple of projects had been a stretch for me, handing over the reins to somebody else for a change. Luckily, it had worked, and worked beautifully. If I could groom her a little more, it might mean being able to expand the company without everything resting solely on my shoulders. Now that was becoming even more of a thrilling idea the longer I thought about it.

  There was still so much to figure out, but I didn’t have time at that moment. I set the idea aside for now, so I could focus on finishing the work left before the end of the day. I’d tried to set an absolute daily cut-off time of seven o’clock, in the vain hopes of achieving some semblance of a work/life balance. While I wasn’t always successful, I was doing my darnedest in my attempts to leave the office at a reasonable time, and sometimes even got out of there before my deadline. Tonight was getting uncomfortably close to my self-imposed goal.

  My phone rang, startling me. I seldom got calls on my office line after six. I glanced down at the caller ID. Ah, my attorney, Willard Walters. Why would he be calling me at this time? And out of the blue? While I couldn’t imagine any reason I’d need legal assistance, a random phone call from an attorney was never entirely welcome, and I knew I wouldn’t sleep a wink tonight if I didn’t know what he wanted.

  “Hey, Will. What can I do for you?”

  “How did I know I’d catch you at the office at this time of night?” His deep, grandfatherly laugh made me smile, even if I didn’t enjoy him—accurately—pegging me as a hopeless workaholic.

  I chuckled. “Busy business, busy lady.”

  “That’s why I’m
calling. Your business is growing, right? By leaps and bounds from what I hear.”

  I blushed with pleasure. “We do all right.”

  “Better than all right from what I’m seeing, and people are paying attention. Including a potential partner.”

  “What’s this?” I sat up straight, ears perking up. “You’re not serious.”

  “Well, I’m not entirely sure yet, so don’t quote me on this. But I heard from a colleague of mine that one of their clients might be interested in taking a meeting. I didn’t get any details because it was one of those ‘in-passing’ sort of conversations, but I figured I should alert you to the possibility.”

  “You don’t know what they want? Like if their interest is simply investing, or if they might want to do more, as in an active partnership?”

  “I don’t know anything yet, not even their name. I’m only calling to see if you might be interested in taking a meeting to find out what they’re offering. I wasn’t sure where you are right now in terms of expansion, or if you’re even interested in partnering up. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to stay manageable.”

  I leaned back in my chair. “I swear, the universe works in mysterious ways, Will. Not thirty minutes ago, I sat here considering ways to move forward with an expansion.”

  “I’m glad I called then. What do you say?”

  I chewed the inside of my mouth, mulling it over in only a few seconds. “I say… schedule a meeting when we’re both free. Have your assistant call Rhonda to set something up. And Will, I want you there with me.”

  “That works for me. Sarah, I’m very pleased for you.”

  Yes, and I was enough of a realist to be sure he was just as pleased for his billing, too. We’d known each other a long time, though, so I knew there was sincerity involved. I thanked him before hanging up.

  I couldn’t believe the synchronicity and took it as a sign I was moving in the right direction. It was incredible, the way things seemed to be lining up for my business.

  I was so excited, I had to tell somebody, had to share my news. It was just too good to keep to myself. But my mood soured as I realized there was only one person I could call: my best friend, Tammy. I had nobody else, in spite of everything I’d done in trying to put myself out there. Yeah, and what results did I have to show for my efforts? Nothing but hurt and frustration.

  My professional life was getting better all the time, while my personal life was in shambles and seemed to be swirling in the toilet bowl of life.

  I can’t think about that right now. I’d spent more than enough time already brooding over the failures I’d faced, and it did nothing to make me feel better. I pushed the thoughts aside before they could bring me down any further. I already had a slight headache as it was, and it had been a long and tiring day. I packed up my things, determined to go home and nurse my troubles with a glass of wine and a good movie. I knew I could rely on my own company, if no one else’s.

  It was a beautiful night, and the fresh spring-like air lifted my headache, if not my spirits. A walk home from the office would make me feel better. Exercise always did.

  There were a lot of couples out. It seemed Thursday night had become the new Friday when I wasn’t looking. The restaurants and bars between work and my apartment were packed with patrons, many of them sitting outside at little tables. Everybody seemed happy to enjoy the early breath of spring. I pulled the clip from my blonde hair—removing a pencil as I did—shaking it out, letting the breeze blow through. It felt good, and at that moment, I needed all the little pleasures I could manage.

  The Cellar.

  I shivered a bit when I recognized the bar I’d visited with Jimmy, the freelance photographer I’d had the unfortunate experience of going out with when I’d started my so-far-not-very-successful dating ‘experiment’. It had been two months, and there were still moments when I remembered my embarrassment as clearly as when I’d stood in the middle of the place. What a shame, especially since it was just the sort of bar I liked visiting. Low-key, nice tap-room, good music.

  My eyes caught a familiar name on the marquee. Kris Morton. He was the musician playing that first night I’d been here with Jimmy, and I remembered liking his music. Another bit of synchronicity. Since I didn’t believe much in coincidence, I took it as a sign that I was supposed to go in. Maybe it was time for me to shift my energy about the place. It wasn’t like I had any other plans. Besides, I had a sudden taste for cider.

  Before I change my mind, I walked into the bar.

  Chapter Two

  “What’ll you have, hon?”

  I smiled at the bartender, looking over the menu. There were over a dozen ciders on tap, along with another half dozen bottled versions. “It’s impossible to decide,” I confided. “I remember liking your cider so much, but there are too many tasty looking options.”

  She grinned. “Yeah, I know. I can never pick a favorite. Why not do a flight instead of just one? You can sample four of them at once and then make up your mind.”

  “That sounds great.” I watched as she poured short glasses of cider, each a slightly different golden shade. I wondered about the types of apples used for each, and what set each brew apart. I knew there were several varieties and couldn’t imagine the craftsmanship that went into brewing each barrel. Were they brewed in barrels? I didn’t know. Just a guess on my part of another aspect of the process.

  “Ah, a flight of cider. Good choice.” A man to my right smiled, winking at the bartender. I recognized him as the guitarist, Kris Morton. “I’ll have a lager.”

  “Oh, so cider’s a good choice, but you prefer lager?” I chuckled.

  “A good choice for you, I meant.” He grinned, extending a hand. “Kris Morton.”

  “Sarah Pilsner. I’m glad you’re playing tonight. I happened to notice your name outside. I enjoy your music very much.”

  “Oh, you’ve heard me play before?”

  “Yes. Here, actually. You’re part of why I came in tonight.”

  “I’m flattered… and glad.” He lifted his glass in a silent toast before taking a healthy swig of his beer. “I like playing small places like this on Thursday nights. On the weekend, everybody has just one thing in mind when they come out: hooking up. They’re not looking to appreciate an artist, you know? They don’t even listen.”

  Yeah, I could understand that.

  His dark eyes swept down my body. “You gonna be around long?”

  I lifted a shoulder. “I should be. I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

  “My luck.” He winked. “Hang around here. When I come back, we’ll chat some more.” I nodded with a smile, flattered at his attention. I guessed he was used to chatting up single women at his shows and didn’t pay much mind to it. Besides, it was nice to connect with someone, if only for a short while.

  I savored the slightly sweet, slightly spicy ciders, feeling the stress of the day fall away as I sat there. It was impossible not to enjoy myself in such a relaxed, casual atmosphere. The music added to my comfort, and I found myself relaxing even more. I’d always appreciated blues. It was part of our heritage, like country music or growing up on the farm. And Kris had a really nice style. He seemed to feel the music, to let it flow through him and out through the guitar, washing over the audience.

  I sat back, watching the few couples on the dance floor. They were obviously enjoying the music, too. My heart ached a little as I watched them in their own little worlds, smiling as they held each other. The intimacy, so casual, so natural. What I wouldn’t give to feel that way about someone else.

  It might have been the cider going to my head, but I wished more than ever that I could get my act together when it came to dating. Why was it so hard for me to find somebody decent, somebody real? The couples I watched seemed to have it together. Maybe I should ask their advice. I smiled, imagining what I might say, how I could start up that conversation without sounding like a complete idiot. Or completely desperate.

  Watching them da
nce led my thoughts back to Jimmy, unfortunately. The cold, gnawing horror touched my heart again, as it did whenever I thought about that night. The all-consuming embarrassment. My cheeks grew red at the memory as I found myself glancing over at the table that had held the wedding party.

  I lifted a glass of cider, closing my eyes briefly. To solitude, I thought, taking a sip. If most of the available men in the Universe were like Jimmy, I was better off on my own.

  At the same time, even if being at The Cellar brought back these unsavory memories, I was still better off here than moping alone at home.

  Some poor guy sitting on the other side of me tried to start up a conversation but thinking about my previous date at The Cellar made me turn a cold shoulder. I shook my head, I’d thought I was over Jimmy, but here I was, letting him ruin my night.

  I turned back to at least acknowledge the guy, but Kris’ voice grabbed my attention. “What brings you here tonight, anyway?” the guitarist asked. “I know it can’t just be my musical genius.” I’d been so deep in my own thoughts, I hadn’t even noticed the music had stopped until Kris’ voice jolted me back to reality.

  Some part of my mind registered that his Hawaiian-print shirt was even louder than the music he’d just been playing. What was it with guys and Hawaiian shirts, I wondered absently as I thought about his question.

  “Well, actually, it’s a bit of celebration.” I grinned, enjoying his smiling eyes. “I had a pretty great day at work, and it might lead to a possible expansion.”

  “Good for you.” He nodded, his eyes sweeping across my face. “I can’t imagine someone as good looking as you needing an excuse to go out and have fun. I would just go to a bar and wait for men to buy me drinks.”

  “Oh, you’re planning on buying me one?” I laughed.

  “Sure, why not? Barkeep, bring the lady whatever she wants.” He pursed his lips thoughtfully, stroking his clean-shaven chin. “Maybe I’ll play a song for you as well. Do you have any favorites?”