My Charming Rival Read online

  “I believe we are all set, Jess.”

  It was my turn to smile. A satisfied client was the only kind I wanted to have. “Great. I’m glad you’re happy.”

  He tucked the prints back in their home as the waiter brought my iced tea and his seltzer water. He opened his tablet case, removed an envelope, and handed me the rest of the bills. I said a quick thanks out loud, then a silent hallelujah in my head, before I tucked the money into my backpack. I emailed him the link to the rest of the photos.

  “Any idea where I’ll see them later?” I asked. “I’m always curious where the photos wind up.”

  Keats’s mouth hung open for a few seconds, and when he finally spoke, he talked slowly, like he’d been caught off guard. “Um. Yeah. No. I don’t know yet. But I’ll let you know for sure.” Then he sped up. “Definitely tonight. I’m gonna get these babies out soon. Actually, scratch that. This afternoon.”

  “I’ll just keep my eyes open. And keep me in mind for other assignments,” I said, because I’d happily work for Keats Wharton again. Turned out, he hadn’t been lying when he’d said the job was relatively easy. Almost too easy, but it paid easy money, too, and that was my favorite kind.

  “You are at the top of my Rolodex at A Thousand Words, Jess.”

  His salad arrived shortly, and we made painful small talk for the next thirty minutes. I feigned interest in the health benefits of chia seeds and the fine details of his workout regimen. When the check arrived, I offered to pay, but he waved me off. I excused myself for the ladies’ room. Grabbing a toothbrush from the front pocket of my backpack and a small travel-size tube of toothpaste, I proceeded to brush my teeth for the third time that day. When I finished I pressed my teeth together, and considered my pearly whites in the mirror. Nice and straight and clean, just the way a set of teeth should be. Everything was good in the world of dental care. At least one thing was under control and in order.

  Plus, it wouldn’t hurt to have minty breath when I met William after my volunteer hour.

  I left the ladies’ room, and Keats was still seated, though the bill had been paid. “I’m just going to stay here, get a coffee, make some calls, get these pictures out. But thanks for coming by, and don’t feel like you have to stay.”

  After I said goodbye, I walked a few blocks past the midday promenade crowds and the gold robot guy who never said a word as he moved his body in jerky, mechanical motions, then the movie theater full of posters for the latest new releases including Just Another Night, about a magazine assistant who falls for an advertising executive and sleeps with him on the first date. It had released two weeks ago, sputtering to a fourth-place showing at the box office because, as Anaka and I had discussed, the love interests should never hook up in the first act of a romantic comedy.

  I pushed open the door to the bank, deposited my ten thousand dollars in cash, and left. On the way to unlock my scooter, I remembered I’d forgotten my toothpaste and toothbrush in the bathroom at Rosanna’s Hideout. I doubled back two blocks to the restaurant, then froze before I reached the entryway. Keats wasn’t alone. He’d been joined by two other guys. One looked a lot like Keats and was probably his older brother.

  But the other guy was the one who caught my attention. He looked exactly like someone I knew.

  Someone I knew well.

  * * *

  ***

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  William and Jess’ story continues in MY SEXY RIVAL, available everywhere!

  Also by Lauren Blakely

  FULL PACKAGE, the #1 New York Times Bestselling romantic comedy!

  * * *

  BIG ROCK, the hit New York Times Bestselling standalone romantic comedy!

  * * *

  MISTER O, also a New York Times Bestselling standalone romantic comedy!

  * * *

  WELL HUNG, a New York Times Bestselling standalone romantic comedy!

  * * *

  JOY RIDE, a USA Today Bestselling standalone romantic comedy!

  * * *

  HARD WOOD, a USA Today Bestselling standalone romantic comedy!

  * * *

  THE SEXY ONE, a New York Times Bestselling bestselling standalone romance!

  * * *

  THE HOT ONE, a USA Today Bestselling bestselling standalone romance!

  * * *

  THE KNOCKED UP PLAN, a multi-week USA Today and Amazon Charts Bestselling bestselling standalone romance!

  * * *

  MOST VALUABLE PLAYBOY, a sexy multi-week USA Today Bestselling sports romance! And its companion sports romance, MOST LIKELY TO SCORE!

  * * *

  THE V CARD, a USA Today Bestselling sinfully sexy romantic comedy!

  * * *

  WANDERLUST, a USA Today Bestselling contemporary romance!

  * * *

  COME AS YOU ARE, a Wall Street Journal and multi-week USA Today Bestselling contemporary romance!

  * * *

  PART-TIME LOVER, a multi-week USA Today Bestselling contemporary romance!

  * * *

  UNBREAK MY HEART, an emotional second chance contemporary romance!

  * * *

  The Heartbreakers! The USA Today and WSJ Bestselling rock star series of standalone!

  * * *

  The New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Seductive Nights series including Night After Night, After This Night, and One More Night

  * * *

  And the two standalone romance novels in the Joy Delivered Duet, Nights With Him and Forbidden Nights, both New York Times and USA Today Bestsellers!

  * * *

  Sweet Sinful Nights, Sinful Desire, Sinful Longing and Sinful Love, the complete New York Times Bestselling high-heat romantic suspense series that spins off from Seductive Nights!

  * * *

  Playing With Her Heart, a USA Today bestseller, and a sexy Seductive Nights spin-off standalone! (Davis and Jill’s romance)

  * * *

  21 Stolen Kisses, the USA Today Bestselling forbidden new adult romance!

  * * *

  Caught Up In Us, a New York Times and USA Today Bestseller! (Kat and Bryan’s romance!)

  * * *

  Pretending He’s Mine, a Barnes & Noble and iBooks Bestseller! (Reeve & Sutton’s romance)

  * * *

  Trophy Husband, a New York Times and USA Today Bestseller! (Chris & McKenna’s romance)

  * * *

  Far Too Tempting, the USA Today Bestselling standalone romance! (Matthew and Jane’s romance)

  * * *

  Stars in Their Eyes, an iBooks bestseller! (William and Jess’ romance)

  * * *

  My USA Today bestselling No Regrets series that includes

  The Thrill of It (Meet Harley and Trey)

  and its sequel

  Every Second With You

  * * *

  My New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Fighting Fire series that includes

  Burn For Me (Smith and Jamie’s romance!)

  Melt for Him (Megan and Becker’s romance!)

  and Consumed by You (Travis and Cara’s romance!)

  * * *

  The Sapphire Affair series...

  The Sapphire Affair

  The Sapphire Heist

  * * *

  Out of Bounds

  A New York Times Bestselling sexy sports romance

  * * *

  The Only One

  A second chance love story!

  * * *

  Stud Finder

  A sexy, flirty romance!

  Contact

  I love hearing from readers! You can find me on Twitter at LaurenBlakely3, Instagram at LaurenBlakelyBooks, Facebook at LaurenBlakelyBooks, or online at LaurenBlakely.com. You can also email me at [email protected]

 

 

 
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