Written by Erica Rose Jackson I'm back again, y'all! This time, I'm sharing an excerpt from my newest work Swipe for Love. It's about a girl who has no time to date but her friend sets her up on one of the apps anyway. She finds a great guy, but there's more to this story then she bargained for. Enjoy! Chapter 1 Girl’s Night Harlyn got off from a long shift on the ambulance, one where she’d faced life and death more times than she’d like to recount. She sighed as she showered and threw on a pair of skinny jeans with a coral, linen, short-sleeved button-up to meet her best friend, Chloe Collins, for a drink down at Howl at the Moon. Harlyn arrived at the bar to find Chloe already set up in their favorite booth with a bucket of Howl’s famous Fruit Roll-Up drink. “You didn’t take long to settle in, did you?” Harlyn teased as she took a seat across from Chloe while pouring herself a glass. Chloe let out a laugh, “I didn’t want to waste any of our rare time together,” she replied, playfully, poking fun at Harlyn’s busy schedule. “I’m sorry that I’m so busy all the time,” Harlyn whined as she took a large sip of her drink, “I wish I had more time for us to hang out like we used to. What would we do if I actually tried to balance dating into my already insane schedule?” she joked, snorting as she burst into a fit of laughs. A mischievous look crossed Chloe’s lips after Harlyn mentioned dating, a look which made Harlyn more nervous than she’d felt in a very long time. Harlyn raised her brow, “What’s going on in that mind of yours? It’s never a good thing when you make your scheming face.” “I was just thinking that it would be really good for you to start dating,” Chloe replied, feigning innocence, “We could just set up a profile for you and see what happens,” she suggested, causing Harlyn to shake her head. “Chloe, I know you have the best intentions behind your devious plan,” Harlyn began, “But, I barely have time for anything, much less dating. It would be rude for me to put myself out there when I’d just be wasting any man’s time,” she explained. Chloe shook her head, “You don’t know that. Guys are busy too so maybe you need to find one of those. Your schedules will always be clashing but you’ll somehow manage to find time for each other then you’ll fall madly in love. Don’t you, at least, want to try for happily ever after?” she questioned. Harlyn took a deep breath, “Happily ever after is a fantasy and it’s not something any of us will ever have. I’m going to run to the restroom and I hope you’ll be ready to catch up when I get back and stop talking about this craziness,” she playfully warned as she stood and left the table, foolishly leaving her phone behind. Chloe picked up Harlyn’s phone and quickly set her up a dating profile on one of the apps. She listed her job as a paramedic so people would understand how busy Harlyn truly was. Chloe typed in some of her bestie’s interests before picking one of her favorite selfies. Chloe finished just in time as Harlyn re-emerged from the bathroom. “Are you ready to gossip and catch up?” Harlyn inquired, “Or, are you still fixated on my dating life?” Chloe nodded, “I’ll leave you alone when it comes to your love life. So, are there any stories from your job that you can tell me that won’t cause me to pass out?” Harlyn laughed. Her friend was extremely squeamish to the point that even the description of blood could make her faint. Harlyn shook her head, “I wish I did, but there aren’t any you can handle. What’s going on in your world? How are things with Billy? That was pretty new last time we had drinks,” she asked, turning the table on Chloe. It was Chloe’s turn to laugh as she responded, “I like Billy, so far. We’ve been a few dates, but I’m not sure where things are going yet. He and I seem to have a lot of differing opinions on some of the more important issues so that might cause this whole thing to stall out,” she shared, as they each poured another drink from their bucket. Harlyn nodded, “Well; if you two really like each other then you’ll be able to find a way to work around those things. How’s work? Last time we hung out, you weren’t sure you still wanted work in the library archives.” “I was getting a little bored before because it can be really lonely working in the basement of the library, practically alone,” Chloe started explaining, “Now that I’m used to it, though, I really enjoy it. I have plenty of time to work on my thesis for my doctorate and I can’t pass up an opportunity like that.” The friends spent the next few hours laughing and drinking until they each retired to their homes, both knowing the morning was going to come much sooner than either of them would be ready for. Harlyn changed into her pajamas and laid down in her bed, turning on some brainless television, as a notification dinged from her phone. She rolled over onto her side to see what it was. When she saw the words ‘someone’s matched with you’ across her screen, she rolled her eyes. Curiosity got the better of her, though, as she turned back to her phone and unlocked it to see who was crazy enough to try and start a relationship with her. The matching profile belonged to an older man (his bio said he was fifty-two) named Michael Malvo. Harlyn studied the photo first, chastising herself for being superficial as she did so. Michael Malvo was a handsome man with strong features. He had thin grey/white hair, almost a buzz cut, with a matching beard, though it was slightly thicker. Malvo’s eyes were a soft blue which softened his muscular features. His bio said he was a private contractor from South Carolina, originally. His interests included hiking (which Harlyn did not love), trivia, karaoke, movies, and music more specifically live music. Harlyn continued reading over Michael’s information over and over while she tried to decide if she wanted to accept messages from him. She took a sip from her bottle of water and while she was placing it back on her nightstand, her thumb slid over the accept button causing her to gasp. She dropped her phone down onto her nightstand as she placed her face in her hands, overwhelmed and nervous at the same time. What had she done? She didn’t even know if she wanted to talk to this guy but it was too late for that now, wasn’t it? She could delete the app, but part of her was too intrigued for that option to win out in the end. Harlyn sighed deeply to herself as she rolled away from her phone and closed her eyes to fall asleep. She could worry about her romantic future and Chloe’s punishment in the morning before her next shift.
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Written by Erica Rose Jackson My latest novella is a little bit different than what you're used to and it might segue into a few stories like it. Until then, please enjoy an excerpt from 'The Hostage'. Chapter 1 Becoming a Hostage Hadley Ellis, an event planner for a local PR firm in Tampa, FL, stood in line at the bank closest to her office. She was waiting to make the company’s deposits when the unexpected happened. Hadley was off in her own world, imagining how the decorations for her next would even look when she heard a man’s voice consume the bank’s lobby. “Excuse me,” the man’s voice boomed, “No alarms, no calls, please. Just place the cash in these bags and I’ll be out of your way just as quickly as I appeared,” he announced as he moved across the teller line. The man’s eyes caught Hadley’s as she found herself looking at the criminal, unable to look away. She knew she wasn’t quick enough and he’d definitely noticed her staring. She noticed him, almost instantly, even before he announced his intentions. The man had well-kept hair, graying but mostly white, paired with dark hazel eyes. He was in excellent shape and undeniably attractive. He continued his work as the sounds of sirens grew closer before surrounding the building. As he neared the exit, he grabbed Hadley and dragged her with him out of the door. She was a hostage and she truly wasn’t sure if she felt frightened or excited, or a mix of both. She was ashamed of the part of her that felt thrilled by this development. “Don’t make any moves or I’ll be forced to kill this young woman,” the man shared as he backed out of the bank with his arm wrapped tightly around Hadley’s waist as he took over a random car on the street. She noticed how the man tossed a highlighter to the security guard as he moved them out of the main doors. “In case you need to highlight someone,” he’d said. Her mind was racing with thoughts with the primary one being, did this man just rob a bank by simply using a magic marker? Hadley’s thoughts were busy before he chose to take her as a hostage, but once she was on her way out the door with him, it was moving into warp speed or overdrive, she wasn’t sure which. “What are you going to do with me?” she asked as he peeled out of the spot and raced away from the downtown area, of the small town. The man turned to face her, as he replied, “I’m not sure yet. Hold on tight,” he instructed. “Who are you?” Hadley finally asked, once the bank robber stopped the car and forcibly dragged her into a cabin on some lake nearby her home city. Her tone was filled with fear, but a part of her was intrigued, and even a little bit exhilaratedcheck-in, by the prospect of her new circumstances. The man stopped what he was doing and turned to face her, “My name is Joe Quigley,” he began, no longer concerned about how much this woman knew. “I recently broke out of prison and I need money, hence the bank robbery. You were, simply, an added bonus even if I’m not one hundred percent sure what I’m going to do with you yet. What’s your name, sweetheart?” He asked, his New York accent evident as he spoke to her for the first time since the bank robbery. She took a deep breath, trying to suck in all her fear and mask it with bravado as she answered, “I’m Hadley Ellis,” was all she could muster. “What do you do, Hadley Ellis?” Joe asked as he began turning on the grill on the deck while preparing a piece of steak at the same time. Hadley inhaled another deep breath, trying desperately to calm herself, “I’m an event planner for a company downtown. I was at the bank to make our deposits for the month,” she shared as he passed her a glass of wine, which she gratefully accepted. She took a long sip from the glass as she watched Joe place the steak onto the grill before his eyes found hers once again. He had a knack for locking eye contact with her. “What kind of events do you plan?” he asked. His tone gave away his genuine curiosity. Hadley placed her glass on the table before she replied, “All kinds. My firm does everything from birthday parties to weddings. We’ve never done a bank robbery, but if you want, we can try,” she added at the end, in an attempt to lighten the tension weighing her down. Joe couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle at her offer, “I’ll try and keep that in mind for my future endeavors. How do you like your steak?” he questioned, changing the subject. “Medium,” she answered quickly. Joe finished cooking their meal while they sat in silence. Their chemistry couldn’t be denied, though. Each found themselves getting caught staring at the other as the evening passed by, but neither wanted to be the first one to make a statement about it, especially Hadley (she was a hostage, for goodness sake). “Unfortunately,” Joe began, as night fell, “there’s only one bed here. I’m happy to take the couch since you’ve had a difficult day, already,” he offered, with a gentle smile crossing his lips. Hadley shook her head, “Nonsense. I bet we can just put extra pillows between us and share the bed. If that’s alright with you?” she countered, her tone moving quickly from confident to sheepish within the few words she’d shared. “I’m ok with it if you are,” he responded as he stood from the sofa and started building a wall of pillows along the middle of the bed. Once he was done, he gestured for Hadley to inspect his work, “Will this work?” he questioned, a warm smile on his face. Hadley took a look at his handiwork before she responded, “This should work just fine.” She quickly climbed under the covers on side of the bed closest to her, “Good night,” she added as she quickly closed her eyes, not even sure she was ready to sleep. A chuckle rumbled in Joe’s chest as got under the covers on his side, “Night. You’re going to be an adventure all your own,” he added, “I can tell.” |
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