Author A.E. Via
Title:
The Secrets in My Scowl
M/M GAY
CONTEMPORARY / STANDALONE
Edited by: Tina
Adamski
Cover Artist – Jay
Aheer
PAGE COUNT – 312
Release Date:
October 28, 2016
Synopsis
Sparks ignite and tempers flare when a sexy,
optimistic wedding planner moves his business in across the hall from a jilted,
divorce lawyer’s practice.
“Look smart ass. This is the last time I’m going to remind you about breaking sections of the lease. If there’s a next time, I won’t stop until you and your frilly, white wedding shit is thrown out of here. Do you got it?!”
Wylde looked in Jacob’s pained eyes and answered in his deep voice. “Yeah, counselor. I got it.”
From high school, up until he became a successful attorney Jacob Snowden was convinced that love had it out for him. “Everyone left,” were the words he lived by. His mother, his high school sweetheart, his father, and his fiancé, all left Jacob just when he felt it was safe to let down his guard. Not any longer. Jacob was a determined man, set at keeping people at a distance. If his six foot one, military-made body didn’t scare people off, his permanent scowl surely did. At almost forty, Jacob’s social life was non-existent, but he told himself his work fulfilled him. He helped people get out of their loveless marriages. Jacob Snowden was one of the best divorce lawyers on the east coast and was damn proud of it. So, imagine his disdain when a wedding planner moves into the suite directly adjacent to his… an insanely masculine, male wedding planner.
Wylde Sterling had made quite a name for himself in his hometown of Roanoke, Virginia, working for a wedding planner that catered to the elite. He was known for his charm and impeccable taste. Yep, he was incredible at giving couples the wedding of their dreams. But he wanted nothing more than to plan his own. After striking out in love more times than he cared to admit, Wylde decided to start his own business in a new city, hoping Richmond would give him a fresh start. Things started out wonderfully – until he started to piss off the angry divorce attorney next door.
Wylde could see past Jacob’s mean scowl, knowing there was a reason for it. It was the man’s defense mechanism, his means of keeping people away. Everything in Wylde told him to stay away, but he believed Jacob just needed to meet a man who had been hurt as badly as he had.
“Look smart ass. This is the last time I’m going to remind you about breaking sections of the lease. If there’s a next time, I won’t stop until you and your frilly, white wedding shit is thrown out of here. Do you got it?!”
Wylde looked in Jacob’s pained eyes and answered in his deep voice. “Yeah, counselor. I got it.”
From high school, up until he became a successful attorney Jacob Snowden was convinced that love had it out for him. “Everyone left,” were the words he lived by. His mother, his high school sweetheart, his father, and his fiancé, all left Jacob just when he felt it was safe to let down his guard. Not any longer. Jacob was a determined man, set at keeping people at a distance. If his six foot one, military-made body didn’t scare people off, his permanent scowl surely did. At almost forty, Jacob’s social life was non-existent, but he told himself his work fulfilled him. He helped people get out of their loveless marriages. Jacob Snowden was one of the best divorce lawyers on the east coast and was damn proud of it. So, imagine his disdain when a wedding planner moves into the suite directly adjacent to his… an insanely masculine, male wedding planner.
Wylde Sterling had made quite a name for himself in his hometown of Roanoke, Virginia, working for a wedding planner that catered to the elite. He was known for his charm and impeccable taste. Yep, he was incredible at giving couples the wedding of their dreams. But he wanted nothing more than to plan his own. After striking out in love more times than he cared to admit, Wylde decided to start his own business in a new city, hoping Richmond would give him a fresh start. Things started out wonderfully – until he started to piss off the angry divorce attorney next door.
Wylde could see past Jacob’s mean scowl, knowing there was a reason for it. It was the man’s defense mechanism, his means of keeping people away. Everything in Wylde told him to stay away, but he believed Jacob just needed to meet a man who had been hurt as badly as he had.
This story ends in an HEA and does not end on a
cliffhanger.
Excerpt:
Jacob looked at his watch. It was after six thirty
already. Because he skipped lunch, his stomach had been growling for the past
two hours, but he was ignoring it until he finished the final divorce decree
for the Zabinskys. He wanted to turn that in to the clerk tomorrow after he’d,
hopefully, wrapped up another case. The attorney for the other spouse was persistently
unprepared, motioning for continuance after continuance. At Jacob’s insistence,
the judge finally issued the other counselor a stern warning that he’d better
have a damn good reason if he caused another delay. Jacob prided himself on
being prepared and was irritated by anyone who wasn’t.
He heard some laughter outside on the sidewalk and
pushed his chair back to peek through the vertical blinds covering his large
window. He kept them open during the day so he’d have natural light in his
office instead of turning on the bright fluorescents, and at night, he didn’t
mind watching the foot traffic if he worked late. There was a group of young
people walking past, joking and fooling with each other. He wondered briefly
where they were going, since this street was packed with clubs and many
different types of restaurants for the experienced palette.
He rarely regretted he didn’t have more of a
social life since he had a very fulfilling professional one. It was unfortunate
he hadn’t made any friends during his adult life, but he didn’t trust anyone.
Trying to make a friend or getting involved with a boyfriend would only result
in betrayal, so why bother. He’d only had one constant man since his last year
of college, and that was Patrick, because the guy was too bullheaded to leave
Jacob alone, but he kept even Patrick at a safe distance. When he’d moved the
couple hours away to Richmond, he’d thought it was perfect. Their relationship
could remain what it was… strictly physical. He turned up the side of his
mouth, thinking about the handsome devil. It was about time for them to see
each other again. It’d been about four months.
Jacob turned off his computer and packed his
briefcase with a couple new cases to review. He often had a hard time sleeping
in his king-sized bed, so work was a pleasant distraction. Sometimes he’d run
on his treadmill or lift some weights to take the edge off his loneliness.
Jacob was lonely, although he’d never
admit it to himself. Meeting someone would be fun and entertaining for a short
while, then eventually end in loneliness again.
On his way to the door, he stopped and glanced
down at the expensive chessboard on the cherry wood table positioned between
two mahogany wing-backed chairs. The game was still in progress and it was Patrick’s
move. They would play an hour or so before they left to fuck, liking to leave
the game unfinished. Jacob stared at the board. In just a couple moves, he’d
have Patrick beat and they’d start all over again.
He walked out of his office into the waiting area.
He did a slow turn, making sure the space was spotless. All the magazines
arranged neatly, the wood in the waiting area was polished and gleaming. His
secretary’s and paralegal’s desks both had to be clutter-free and clean at all
times, since they could be seen from the waiting area. The conference room door
was closed but he checked it anyway, ensuring his secretary had returned the
water pitchers and glasses to the proper place. Of course, she did. None of
them risked pissing Jacob off.
His office might be small, but minimal overhead
allowed him to pay his staff well and keep his private detectives well
compensated. It wasn’t easy catching an image at the exact moment that it could
benefit his case. His stomach growled again, so he shut off the dim lights and
walked out the door. He turned and locked it behind him. He looked across the
narrow hall at the recently bought office space, wondering who his new neighbor
was going to be.
AUTHOR BIO:
A.E. Via is an
author in the beautiful gay romance genre and also founder and owner of Via
Star Wings Books. Her writing embodies everything from hopelessly romantic to adventure,
to scandalous. Her stories often include intriguing edges and twists that take
readers to new, thought-provoking depths.
When she’s not
clicking away at her laptop, she devotes herself to her family—a husband and
four children. Adrienne Via has tons of more stories to tell, but she really
would like to hear yours. Via Star Wings Books is currently accepting
submissions for established and aspiring LGBTQ authors.
Visit my site to
learn more! Go to A.E. Via’s official website http://authoraevia.com for more detailed information on how to contact
her, follow her, or a sneak peak on upcoming work, free reads, VSWB
submissions, and where she’ll appear next
Links
Author Official Website: http://authoraevia.com
A.E. Blog: http://authoraevia.com/blogfann.html
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/aeviaauthor
Facebook (Friend me): https://www.facebook.com/authoraevia
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorAEVia
No comments:
Post a Comment