Heaven In Hedonism
A Sinful Novel Book 3
by Emma Nichols
Available here:
***Blurb***
For ten years, Sin and Jolie were inseparable. Now, with Sin happily married and pregnant with twins, Jolie is feeling lost and restless. She knows something is missing, but the closest she comes up with is a desire for her own baby. Maybe, if she could just get past her issue with men, she could find a proper sperm donor.
For the past ten months, she's been working with Mac. Other than being male, he's younger, her complete opposite, and pretty much wrong in every way. Soon, he instructs Jolie to take a vacation and decides to join her. It's only a week, but by now Jolie should know that someone who seems wrong can be oh so right, and a week can change the course of a life.
***Excerpt***
The chair on the other side of my desk creaked. Immediately, I stiffened and swiped at my eyes before meeting the face of the only other person in the office tonight. Fuck. It was Mac. His face was the picture of concern. His mannerisms, the quiet way he moved, the gentleness of his touch when he laid a hand on my arm, the slight pout to his lips made me cry harder.
“Have I told you how much I hate you?” I asked him in frustration. “Could I not have a minute?”
Shaking his head, his grasp on my arm tightened. “Why are you crying? You should never cry alone.”
“Well, my boss,” I began in an effort to joke and deflect. It was my way. Mac saw through it.
“Really. What’s bothering you, not Just Jolie?” A smile played at the corner of his lips at what was obviously his attempt at lightening the mood.
“Not just?” I asked, brightening some, even if I wanted to fight it.
“Yeah. There is so much more to you. And I want to know all of it.” Even if he meant it in the most innocent of ways, his words had the opposite effect.
“Time to call it a night, I think,” I mumbled as I pushed back my chair and stood.
“You’ve just got here,” he said exasperated. “How am I supposed to calculate your pay for this?” He stood across from me, arms in the air as though he was genuinely confused.
“Let me make it easy for you. Don’t pay me for today. Hell, you can charge me for the cocoa, if you want. I don’t need the money. I don’t need the job.” I headed toward the exit.
Shaking his head, his grasp on my arm tightened. “Why are you crying? You should never cry alone.”
“Well, my boss,” I began in an effort to joke and deflect. It was my way. Mac saw through it.
“Really. What’s bothering you, not Just Jolie?” A smile played at the corner of his lips at what was obviously his attempt at lightening the mood.
“Not just?” I asked, brightening some, even if I wanted to fight it.
“Yeah. There is so much more to you. And I want to know all of it.” Even if he meant it in the most innocent of ways, his words had the opposite effect.
“Time to call it a night, I think,” I mumbled as I pushed back my chair and stood.
“You’ve just got here,” he said exasperated. “How am I supposed to calculate your pay for this?” He stood across from me, arms in the air as though he was genuinely confused.
“Let me make it easy for you. Don’t pay me for today. Hell, you can charge me for the cocoa, if you want. I don’t need the money. I don’t need the job.” I headed toward the exit.
“Jolie, don’t quit on me,” he said shrilly. He caught up to me once more and placed a hand on my shoulder.
Whipping around, my natural response was to throw my hands up and get in a fighting stance. When he stepped back, I dropped my hands and one lone tear made its way down my cheek. “Why not? I’m completely miserable.”
Slowly he closed the distance between us. “I don’t think it’s the job,” he said quietly. “I think this is just a symptom of a bigger problem. What do you normally do in a situation like this, when you are this unhappy?”
A mirthless laugh escaped my lips. “Simple. I move.”
“Okay, so not that. Do you want to take a few days off? A week? You tell me.” There was a desperate edge to his voice. “I need you on this project, Jolie, but I need you happy even more.”
Shaking my head, I looked at him. “When have you ever known me to be happy?”
His eyes darted back and forth. Apparently he was thinking on that. “There have been times, at the beginning.”
“Eh, this place was all shiny and new. It doesn’t count. And I was mostly happy for Sin anyway.”
“So, what’s the next best thing to quitting? How can we get you happy again?” His blue green eyes pierced through my very best shields. Powerless to look away, I met his gaze and shrugged. “There has to be something. Think,” he urged.
So, I did. One thought kept recurring in my mind.My whole life had become a case of what would Sin do? Then it hit me. “I need to go away for a week, or two.” The idea took hold, the merit growing. “I’ll get my head right.” Then I frowned.
Whipping around, my natural response was to throw my hands up and get in a fighting stance. When he stepped back, I dropped my hands and one lone tear made its way down my cheek. “Why not? I’m completely miserable.”
Slowly he closed the distance between us. “I don’t think it’s the job,” he said quietly. “I think this is just a symptom of a bigger problem. What do you normally do in a situation like this, when you are this unhappy?”
A mirthless laugh escaped my lips. “Simple. I move.”
“Okay, so not that. Do you want to take a few days off? A week? You tell me.” There was a desperate edge to his voice. “I need you on this project, Jolie, but I need you happy even more.”
Shaking my head, I looked at him. “When have you ever known me to be happy?”
His eyes darted back and forth. Apparently he was thinking on that. “There have been times, at the beginning.”
“Eh, this place was all shiny and new. It doesn’t count. And I was mostly happy for Sin anyway.”
“So, what’s the next best thing to quitting? How can we get you happy again?” His blue green eyes pierced through my very best shields. Powerless to look away, I met his gaze and shrugged. “There has to be something. Think,” he urged.
So, I did. One thought kept recurring in my mind.My whole life had become a case of what would Sin do? Then it hit me. “I need to go away for a week, or two.” The idea took hold, the merit growing. “I’ll get my head right.” Then I frowned.
“What’s wrong now?” he asked, sounding more than a little exasperated.
His tone made me smile. Why do I derive such pleasure from upsetting him? “I’ve never traveled alone,” I whispered, looking down at the floor. When I met his eyes once more, mine were glassy with tears threatening to spill over. This must be PMS. I never got this emotional.
“Okay, how about this. You take two weeks off,” he said. From the way he was running his hand through his hair, I could tell he was making this up as he went along. From the look on his face, whatever he was about to pull out of his butt was a doozy. “This first week, you’re on your own. The second week, however, we’ll travel together.”
Opening my mouth, I prepared a series of objections. “Why would I travel with you?” I spluttered. Yet even as I asked, I realized I kind of really wanted to. I didn’t want to go away all by myself. Sure, that last cruise, I might as well have been on my own, but always in the back of my mind, I knew Sin was there, knew I could find her if I needed her. For ten years, that had been our way. I wasn’t ready to be alone, to travel without a companion. Ah, but the fighter in me wasn’t going to just tap out. He’d have to work for this.
***Author's Bio***
What made her decide to be an erotica author?
Simple.
How else was she going to parlay her two favorite past times into a career?
Emma is single and loving it. Like her first character, Alysin, Sin for short, she doesn't believe in settling or in settling down. She loves to indulge in her passions whenever the mood strikes and enjoys keeping all of life's cliche moments spicy.
Known for her sense of humor, Emma surrounds herself with friends whose antics often become the source of book fodder. Her ideal situation would be to explore the Caribbean while writing. She pursues that dream daily.
Simple.
How else was she going to parlay her two favorite past times into a career?
Emma is single and loving it. Like her first character, Alysin, Sin for short, she doesn't believe in settling or in settling down. She loves to indulge in her passions whenever the mood strikes and enjoys keeping all of life's cliche moments spicy.
Known for her sense of humor, Emma surrounds herself with friends whose antics often become the source of book fodder. Her ideal situation would be to explore the Caribbean while writing. She pursues that dream daily.
