Ambiance
– After discovering her husband had an illegitimate child resulting from a
lengthy affair, her world was torn in two. His untimely passing left her
feeling she had been robbed of the chance to deal with the betrayal. Seeking to
give herself a fresh start, she packs up and moves cross country to the West
Coast. Pursuing her dreams as a business owner, she’s on top of the world,
until the man who caused her to question her marriage comes knocking. Will he
mend her broken heart, or uproot her new life and leave it in further
disrepair?
Naomi
– Dealing with empty nest syndrome, she discovers everything everyone ever said
about her is true. She has no life. Embarking on a journey of self-discovery
and entering the dating world after years of being alone, she’s unprepared for
the games that lie in wait. Juggling her feelings between two very attractive
men, she will soon learn that one is playing a deceptive and dangerous game.
Paige-
Barely escaping a deadly snare created by her own devices, she is searching for
healing and redemption. After two years of therapy, Paige is finally ready to
face her demons. It won’t be as easy as it seems when accusations are
constantly launched at her, and people from her past continue to pop up. A
former lover is not ready to let go, and she soon finds herself making similar
choices from her past. Will she open her heart up to love and be loved, and
will she be convinced to open her life to Christ?
Three best friends search
for healing and deliverance from their emotional wounds, as they come to grips
that the affliction they’ve borne was at the burden of their own hands. They
yearn for the redemption of their sins in the arms of men, the arms of a
Savior, and in the eyes of one another.
When the heart mourns,
redemption is born.
Excerpt:
PAIGE
I had
never been to Nikolai’s before. I was enthralled with the elegance of the
atmosphere from the moment I stepped in. As I was led to the dining area near a
bank of windows, my eyes were instantly drawn to the tasteful light fixtures
hanging overhead. But that paled in comparison to the large windows flaunting a
view of the city; which was magnificent. I thought back to the windows at Legal
and knew they were incomparable.
My
preoccupation with the views, chic white seating, and the ambiance caused me to
miss the flashing red light; the flashing red light that something was wrong.
When I
arrived at my table, Jacob stood and held out my chair for me as the hostess
left. I looked around in confusion, noting that we were the only ones in
attendance from the office and wondering if a “fool” sign had been painted on
my forehead, if anyone else could see my shame. But the other diners in
attendance were engaged in intimate conversations of their own, oblivious to
the trickery I had fallen into. My cheeks flushed red and my eyes narrowed. I
wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, hoping I had not been duped.
“What the
hell is going on?” I whispered harshly.
“Please
have a seat.” One of Jacob’s hands rested lightly on my waist while the other
extended towards my chair.
“No! Not
until you tell me where everyone’s at.”
“Please,
keep your voice down and take a seat. You’re embarrassing yourself.”
“Really?
Mr. Hawthorne, you’ve not seen embarrassment. You have no idea of the type of
embarrassment I have endured over the last couple of years. And you have no
idea of the type I can cause!”
My voice
had risen once more, but to his credit, he refused to back down.
“Please,
Paige. Take a seat.” His hand had moved from my waist to my elbow.
“Not until
you tell me where everyone else is.”
“There’s
no party. I knew that if I invited you alone, you would not come. That’s why I
asked you not to share it with anyone.”
“You lying
ass! Why?”
“I need to
talk to you…away from the office.” His eyes never left my face, although like
me, I’m sure he could feel the stares of the other diners.
The waiter
approached at that moment. “Mr. Hawthorne, does there seem to be a problem?
Something we can help with, perhaps?”
Shaking my
head side to side and sucking my teeth, it took every ounce of control not to
go off on the thin, balding man. I knew he was referring to me as the
“something.” His watery blue eyes pleaded with Jacob’s to allow him to remove
me from the restaurant.
“Ah, no,
Thomas. There’s been a slight mix-up, but I have everything under control.
Thank you.”
“As you
wish, sir.” He bowed slightly before eyeing me once more and disappearing.
I looked
around at the glares we were getting from the other diners and finally gave in.
Refusing to relax in my chair, I kept my posture straight. I wanted him to know
at any moment, I might bolt.
He exhaled
a deep breath before placing his hands on the table and staring into my eyes.
Gone was the light mirth that always danced in the chocolate depths, replaced
by a solemn stare. “First, let me apologize for lying to you. I had no right,
but this was the only way I could think of to get you here.”
“You’re
damned right you had no right!”
The
twinkle returned to his eyes once more, and I could not understand what could
be so amusing to him. It only served to anger me more.
“Paige…I
think we’ve both found ourselves in an odd predicament. The reality is, we have
jobs to do and we have to do them to the best of our ability. The fact that
each time you walk into my office, or past my office, I remember those legs
clasped around my back does not change that. Neither does the fact that I
recall how you moaned my name all night long—”
“Look,
asshole! If you called me here to humiliate me further, I can leave now. I
don’t need your shit, Mr. Hawthorne!”
He reached
across the table and boldly pressed a finger against my lips. What the hell was
wrong with me? My legs clenched tightly of their own accord, struggling to no
avail to repress the throbbing sensation.
“I did not
call you here to humiliate you. I actually called you here because I owe you an
apology.”
“I don’t
know what the hell type of apology you think that was—”
“I had no
right to treat you like a paid woman that morning. To be honest, I was
completely caught off guard by your lack of discretion. We didn’t know each
other that well. When I called you over that night, I simply thought we’d get
to know one another a little better, but I didn’t expect what happened to
happen.”
“Is that
right?”
“That’s
absolutely right. Don’t get me wrong. I had planned on trying; I just didn’t
expect it to go so easily. Paige, you have to admit you played yourself like
that. What was I to do? You weren’t who I thought you were. I lost respect for
you.”
His
comment had not quite registered in my head as I sat staring at him. I
contemplated whether I would accept his so-called apology or get up and walk
away with no explanation. That evil tongue of mine won out. “You lost respect
for yourself, too, Mr. Hawthorne. You invited a strange woman into your home,
had sex with her, and treated her coldly. You have no idea what I could have
come back to do.”
“Is that a
threat, Paige?” He lifted his eyebrow and smirked at me.
“No. Just
be duly warned. You shouldn’t make a habit of it, Mr. Hawthorne. You never
know…you just might be sleeping with the enemy.”
He rested
his elbows on the table and pressed his fingers together, staring at me. I
began to squirm underneath his glare. I was quickly rescued by the return of
our waiter.
A part of
me wanted to stay and see what he had to say. What was his motive? And another
part wanted to leave. The shallow part stepped up and took over, as I decided
to enjoy a wonderful dinner in the refined restaurant with a despicable,
mysterious man.
Once our
orders had been placed, we turned our attention back to our issue.
“So, what
are you proposing, Mr. Hawthorne?”
He
chuckled and shook his head at me. “I respect your choice in the office. But
please…here and now there’s just you and me. Can we drop the Mr. Hawthorne for
the night? Let’s quit pretending, Paige.”
“Quit pretending
what?”
“That the
physical attraction between us does not exist.”
He bit his
bottom lip in between his teeth and the light in his eyes brightened. My
heartbeat amplified, blocking out all other sounds around us. There was a
strong desire within me to give in to the cravings I was having. Yet, I knew
better. I knew it would lead to no good, just as I knew I should have turned
and walked out the restaurant when I saw him.
Giving in
to the desires of my flesh would crush me. I began to ponder the discussion my
therapist had with me earlier. She suggested a meditation technique known as
mindfulness to help me stave off my cravings for sex. Supposedly, I would need
to focus on the present, taking note of all the thoughts, feelings, images, and
sensations, I was experiencing. My primary goal was to not react to or judge
them in any way. This would cause those thoughts and feelings to die away on
their own. But there was an internal war between my body and my mind. I feared
which one might win.
“I cannot
speak for you, Mr. Hawthorne, but I can speak for myself. I’m not in the least
bit physically attracted to you.”
“You lie
so well, Paige, among your many other talents.” He winked at me and smiled
before reaching to take my hand into his.
I refused
to let him see me sweat. So, no matter how much I wanted to take a sip of wine
or turn away from him, I stared him down and refused to remove my hand right
away. “What makes you say that?” I counted to twenty in my mind before removing
my hand from his.
“I see how
your heartbeat has increased. I noted the change of your breathing, the way
your hair is plastering to your temples slightly, and the way your eyes keep
jumping while you try to control them.”
This man
had me pegged. But what good would I be if I didn’t refute him?
“I don’t
know what you’re talking about. My heartbeat has increased, because I’m angry
at you for lying to me. For tricking me into this charade of a dinner.”
“You
could’ve left at any moment, but you chose not to. Your breathing changed, because
you were taking deep breaths, trying to control the emotions and not allow your
angst to overwhelm you. Your hair is lying against your temples, because you’re
heated. Yet, it’s cool in here. I know when a woman desires me, Paige. And you…desire me.”
“You’re an
arrogant ass. You know that?”
“No,
Paige, I’m simply confident.
About the Author:
Women's fiction author
and blogger, Chelle Ramsey lives in the metro Atlanta area with her husband and
three children. Chelle wants readers to become empowered to rise above life's
adversities, with faith in the Almighty God, and belief in themselves. She hosts the annual 20 Days of Love
authors’ blogging campaign, March Madness authors’ giveaways campaign, and
showcases other authors on her blog at www.chelleramsey.com/beautifully-inspired-blog. Her novels can be found online at Chelle
Ramsey Amazon.
