Playing for Keeps
by Rebecca Norinne Caudill
Her Confessional #3
Publication Date: September 30, 2015
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Serial
Synopsis: After months of hiding their engagement to promote a farcical PR relationship tied to Cameron’s new movie, Sarah is struggling to remind herself of the benefits of the plan – if only she can make it that long. Having just about reached their breaking point, Cameron proposes a romantic weekend away to re-connect with one another but their boss has a better idea: a two-week trip away from the prying eyes of Hollywood and the PR team’s aggressive gossip machine.
Once out of the Hollywood spotlight, Cameron reverts back to the loving, attentive man Sarah first fell in love with and idyllic days spent hiking, biking, and surfing lead to sensual nights wrapped in each other’s arms. But when a gossip columnist viciously pegs Sarah as “the other woman,” they’re forced to acknowledge the reality of their situation. Vowing to beat the studio at its own game, Sarah and Cameron openly flaunt their relationship, knowing their actions may mean giving up the careers they both love.
With help from some new friends along the way, Cameron and Sarah re-discover what matters most as they work to find their happily ever after.
*NOTE* This is the third and final part in the Her Confessional serial. Parts 1 & 2 must be read first before reading Part 3.
Excerpt:
I wanted to be happy again. I wanted him to be happy again. Not for the first time I feared we’d never find that happiness together. Not true happiness, at least.
I couldn’t say how long we stared at one another, and who knew what was going through Cameron’s mind since he’d been using that blank mask more and more in my presence – the one that allowed him to go through life with no one knowing what he was feeling – but I knew what I was feeling and I was tired as hell of keeping it locked up inside, where I feared my love for him would wither and die if something didn’t change, and soon.
I reached up and laid my hand on his forearm, bared to my touch, long sleeves haphazardly pushed up to his elbows. “I’ve missed you.”
There, I’d said it. No more polite utterances in in the morning, no more cordial but cold hellos and goodbyes as we passed one another in the hallway en route to our next meeting – or increasingly often, off to spend time with Jillian. I was willing to lay all of my cards on the table, make him talk about the distance that had grown between us, make him confront his feelings. If it turned out the aloofness that had cropped up between us had made him question his love for me, his commitment to us – if it meant that I was going to lose him – then I’d have to face that truth sooner or later.
With these thoughts rattling through my brain I came to the realization I’d been fearing the worst for awhile, that I had lost faith in our love for one another. It broke my heart, a physical pain taking root in my chest. I dragged my hand from Cameron’s arm to rub at the sore spot in the middle of my sternum where that tight hard knot had made itself known more and more frequently. I recognized that the pain was only the physical manifestation of my stress, but I couldn’t help but think that lately I’d only had them when I looked too closely at our relationship.
“I’ve missed you too baby,” he uttered as he suddenly smiled down at me. When he dropped that mask of indifference he’d taken to wearing and showed me this small bit of emotion, it was like the sun had parted the clouds after several days of rain and gloom and I felt the grip on my chest lessen just a little bit. “So, I was thinking I’ve got a few days off coming up and if you can swing it, we should get away. We don’t see nearly enough of each other since production got under way and it feels wrong.”
His words were a soothing balm. The chance to spend some uninterrupted time together was exactly what we needed.
“I can definitely swing it,” I replied without stopping to consider my schedule or the ramifications of taking time off even if it turned out not to be a convenient time.
I stood up from my chair and wrapped my arms around him, something I hadn’t been able to do in many days. I felt his arms flex against my body and soon he had wrapped his arms around me as well. I leaned my head against his chest and just savored the feel of being in his arms again after what had felt like such a long absence.
“I was thinking we could drive up the coast next weekend, get a room somewhere, and just spend a few days reading, relaxing … doing other things.” I heard the smile in his voice when he spoke that last part and I had to smile right along with him.
“Having you all to myself for more than a couple of hours at a time is going to be such a luxury that I have no intention of spending that time reading or relaxing. I was thinking of a much more physical sort of getaway, one with lots of … hmm … riding,” I said into the center of his chest, a secret naughty smile shaping my lips. When he took in my meaning I felt his laugh rumble underneath my cheek and he squeezed me just a little bit tighter.
* * * * *
Other Books in the Her Confessional series…
Synopsis: Sarah Travers has had a really bad month. First, a drunken night of sex with her best friend – and the secret love of her life – Cameron Scott resulted in him freaking out on her and going MIA. That would have been bad enough but then her boss, a high-powered Hollywood director, cast Cameron as the lead in his new movie and put Sarah in charge of his publicity. On the bright side, it turns out she’s rather good at it – much to the chagrin of the studio’s PR team. Cameron’s back in the picture and he’s made some surprising confessions of his own, taking their relationship from the friend zone to so much more.
Now Sarah and Cameron are forced to deal with how their love for one another impacts their circle of friends and what it means for his career. With pressure from the studio to keep their relationship a secret, the two must figure out how to navigate not only the stresses of any new relationship, but also one under such a strong spotlight.
Our Little Secret, a 23,000-word novella, is installment two in the Her Confessional series.
Synopsis: Sarah Travers is a happy, self-confident plus-size woman living in Hollywood and working as the personal assistant to a major Hollywood director. Her best friend? His name is Cameron Scott. Her secret, something she’s never told anyone before? She’s in love with him. Truly, madly, deeply. Sarah knows it’s a bad idea to fall in love with your best friend, but that’s not her biggest problem. Nope. You see, Cameron just landed the role of a lifetime and now millions of other women are in love with him too.
Her Confessional is a sexy new romance series told from the point of view of Sarah Travers, a smart, happy, plus-size heroine who explores – through a series of written confessions – what happens when the best friend she’s secretly in love with becomes the world’s most famous actor overnight.
THE MAKING OF A STAR, an 18,0000+ word novella, is the first installment in the series.
About Rebecca Norinne Caudill
Rebecca Caudill read her first novel when she was just four years old and has been hooked on books ever since. When she wasn’t writing her own stories, she was sneaking copies of her mom’s romance paperbacks to read late into the night.
After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in Journalism, she embarked on a career in technology public relations representing some of the world’s hottest start-ups and publicly traded companies. After twelve years in the business, with the unwavering support of her husband, she quit her job to pursue writing full time.
Rebecca lives in Oakland, California, with her husband and cat. When not creating fictional worlds inhabited by strong women, and dashing heroes, she is planning her next vacation, trying out new recipes, or drinking Islay scotch.
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