The Mistaken Escort's Pleasure: A Liaison Novel by Valerie Ullmer #Contemporary Romance

The Mistaken Escort’s Pleasure:  A Liaison Novel

Valerie Ullmer 

Genre:  Contemporary Romance 

Lucian Cole was the exact copy of a successful businessman. From his custom-tailored suits to his dedication to his tech company, he lived for work. But lately, a restlessness had come over him, and it had been driving him to find someone to share his life with. 

Easier said than done. 

The women he dated were more interested in his money and his position in life than getting to know him, and he started to think that he would never find the right woman. Seeing his sister’s happiness with his best friend had given him hope that something might change, but after years of choosing work over dating, he might had to admit to himself that he missed the one woman he was meant to be with. 

Ellie Roth loved color, art, and design, and it permeated every part of her life. She had settled into her career over the years, finding that she managed projects more than she designed, and each day she found that she missed letting her creative side shine through. Although her life hadn’t gone exactly the way she planned, she’s stunned when she receives a wedding invitation from her ex-boyfriend and her old roommate. And now she needs a date, the sooner the better. 

At her friend Nina's suggestion, Ellie made an appointment with Rebecca Kane at Liaison to ask for the slim chance that one of her escorts could pretend to be her boyfriend. What she hadn’t counted on was meeting Lucian Cole and her instant attraction to the man. But with his expensive suit, his perfectly combed hair, and his gorgeous face, she knew that he wasn’t meant for her. 

After presenting her request to Rebecca, Lucian quickly offers to pose as her boyfriend. Pushing aside her attraction, she knew that nothing could come from her interest to Lucian and scoffed at the idea. They were complete opposites. But the more she refused, the more he charmed his way into her life, until she found herself agreeing to the preposterous plan.

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Ellie moaned aloud as the edges of her dream faded away at the sound of light knocking on her front door.  She threw an arm over her eyes and ignored whoever wanted her attention so early on a Saturday morning.

She wanted the vivid dream to continue, where Lucian took his time running his hands over her body as he kissed her breathless.  Her body felt like a raw nerve exposed as she squirmed on the sheets of her queen-sized bed.  She tried to hold onto the images for a while longer.

Another knock came, louder this time, and her dream faded into blackness.  Her eyes popped open, and she turned her head to glance at her alarm clock.

She growled and whipped the blankets aside.  As she sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, she wondered whether she could ignore the intrusion.  But her mind reached for all the possibilities of catastrophe that could have happened last night after her friends headed home, and she rushed to the door, fumbling with the locks.  Another knock jolted her as she tried to get her fingers to respond to her brain’s command to open the door.

“Hold on a minute,” she grumbled.

A triumphant smile broke across her face as she unlocked the fourth, and final, lock.  As she opened the door, she wondered whether she was still dreaming, because on the other side of her door stood Lucian.

“Holy crap, I’m still dreaming,” she mumbled.

His eyes crinkled in amusement; when he smiled at her, her breath hitched in her throat.  She clenched her fists to stop herself from reaching for him and rolled her shoulders instead.  Several moments later, she was relaxed and drew a few deep breaths as her eyes wandered over him.

He was dressed in jeans and a sweater; a white collar of a dress shirt peeked up from his neck.  Even in casual clothes, he looked extraordinary.

“No, love, not a dream.”

She gazed down as the aroma of coffee assailed her, and smiled when she spotted the handles of the bag in his hand.  She opened her mouth to ask him what was in the bag, but a strangled sound came from his throat.  She noticed that his eyes widened and traveled down her body, taking his time, but when he realized the front door was wide open for all to see in, his mouth drew into a straight line and his face was a mask of anger.

When he lifted his head and glanced at her, his moss-green eyes flared to life.  She could have sworn she heard a growl erupt from deep in his chest.  Before she could figure out why, he stalked toward her as she scrambled back into her apartment.  She stopped a few feet away from the door, and watched him in surprise as he slammed the door and locked it before he set the bag and coffee on the side table by the door.

“Why are you mad at me?” she asked.

“What are you wearing?” he growled.

She looked down at herself and blushed.  When she went to bed the night before, she had on a pair of pajama bottoms along with the white tank top she was wearing.  Sometime in the middle of the night, she must have shed the bottoms, because she stood in front of Lucian in a pair of boy shorts and a tank top that left little to the imagination.

Her head jerked up at the sound of his loud steps on her hardwood floor.  Her first reaction was to back away from him, but as her mind replayed the conversation with her friends last night, and remembered the vivid dreams that she had awoken from, she tensed her body and waited to see what he would do.  When he reached her, his hands cupped her shoulders and squeezed for a moment before he rubbed his hands up and down her arms.

“I won’t hurt you, love.  You surprised me when you answered the door wearing practically nothing.”  His growl was back.

Valerie writes paranormal and contemporary romances with strong alpha males and brilliant, beautiful heroines. She lives in Denver, Colorado with her wonderfully supportive husband and their funny and wise black lab. She's addicted to coffee, crime shows, and reading and writing character driven romances.

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