Harlequin Desire January 2021--Box Set 1 of 2 by Maisey Yates (inspirational books .TXT) 📗

They were leaving Miami to spend the night at her tiny New York apartment. When Julian had offered to fly her home and back, she’d said yes before she had a chance to think it through. Her place lacked the comforts he was accustomed to—specifically, room service, fluffy white towels and housekeeping. Her apartment was a mess. Her plants had likely withered in her absence, and there was a high chance that leftover takeout was rotting in her fridge.

There was no time to worry about it during the drive into the city. She and Julian read lines in the back seat of the town car as the driver zipped through tunnels only to slow to a crawl as traffic picked up.

“‘Day. Pool. Amanda floats on her back,’” Julian said, reading from his copy of the script. “‘The man who spent the night approaches, fully dressed, and tells her that he’s leaving. Amanda swims to the pool’s edge.

“‘Man says, “This was fun, babe. Let’s do this again soon.”

“‘Amanda says, “Sure. You have my number.”’”

Nina shook her head. “No…”

“You don’t like it?”

“I hate it.” Not every one of Amanda’s lines had to be a zinger, but they couldn’t fall flat, either. She jotted a few notes before reading aloud to him.

“‘Man says, “Gotta go, babe. Let’s do this again soon.” Amanda, flirting, splashes him with water, and says, “But not too soon. Okay?”’”

Nina checked Julian’s reaction. He stared down at the words on the page, his jaw tight. “It’s a small change that does two things,” she said. “This is the opening scene, and it ought to show Amanda’s cocky playfulness. Plus, it wraps up this story. The audience won’t expect to see this guy again.”

“Brilliant,” Julian murmured. “You’re such a natural, Nina.”

Nina thought of all the hours she’d spent at the breakfast table, spooning cereal into her mouth and reading her mother’s scripts. It was paying off.

“I should have asked for more money.”

“Too late. The contract is signed,” he said. “Come here and I’ll make up the difference.”

She released her seat belt and would have climbed onto his lap if the driver hadn’t pulled up to her building.

* * *

Julian was looking out the window, assessing her tidy redbrick building on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Nina didn’t wait for the driver. She pushed open the door and climbed out. The sounds of the city swirled around her. No loud, drunken tourists or reggaeton blasting from convertibles here—only the sounds of the punishing pursuit of ambition. However temporary, it was good to be home.

Nina froze at the sight of a pink upholstered couch sitting on the curb. She recognized it instantly, having spent many evenings curled up on it, drinking wine and binge-watching nineties-era sitcoms. It belonged to her friend and neighbor, decor fanatic Laetitia. What was it doing on the curb? If her friend had grown tired of it, Nina would have gladly taken it off her hands.

As Julian tipped the driver, Nina pulled out her phone, snapped a photo of the couch and sent it to Laetitia. Within seconds, her friend called, shouting, “What in the world?”

“You tell me.”

“Freaking Ted! He’s moving out and being a colossal jerk about it.”

Ted was moving out? Hell yeah! He’d always been a colossal jerk. It had taken Laetitia this long to figure it out. But still, what was the couch doing on the curb? “Is he tossing out your stuff?”

“He bought it for me as a birthday gift,” Laetitia whispered. She was at work and probably hiding in a bathroom stall for some privacy. “He knows how much I love it.”

A woman walking a dog tore off her earbuds and lunged toward the couch. Before she could thank her lucky stars, Nina chased her away. “Back away from the couch, lady!” Both the woman and her cocker spaniel growled at Nina and pranced off.

On the phone Laetitia was freaking out. “Don’t let anyone take my Jonathan Adler!”

“Okay, Laeti, but I can’t watch over it all day.”

In her frustration, Nina turned to Julian. He stood leaning against the town car, arms folded, watching her with eyes sparkling with amusement. Nina lowered the phone and got him up to speed. “It’s a Jonathan Adler, and it’s beautiful.”

He laughed and looked up at the hazy sky. “I appreciate the irony of my having to point this out, but this is a classic example of first-world problems.”

“Julian! We don’t have time for your musings.”

“What do you want to do? Take it to your apartment?” He walked over to the couch, grabbed an armrest and lifted it with one hand. “It’s not too heavy. I could use some help, though.”

Nina swooned. Her very own action hero! Calm and composed and proposing solutions that actually made sense.

The driver offered his assistance. “I used to be a mover back in the day.”

“Good,” Julian said. “I’ll make it worth your while.”

Nina raised the phone to her ear. “Don’t worry, Laeti. We have a plan.”

“Who’s the man with the voice like honey?” Laetitia asked.

“That’s not important. We’ll take it up to my place and—”

“No! Take it straight to mine! Ted is still there. I’ll call him and straighten this out.”

Nina was grateful. Her apartment would be cramped enough with Julian in it. She didn’t need a large pink couch clogging up the foyer. Only this meant she’d have to confront the rabid ex-boyfriend. Anything for a friend, right? She would do it out of the kindness of her heart. “Hey, Laeti? You owe me big-time.”

“Anything. I’ll do your laundry if you want me to.”

“I’m thinking dinner and drinks when I get back.”

“Get back from where? You just got back.”

“Can’t get into it now! I’ll fill you in later.”

Nina ended the call and addressed her troops. “Okay, guys. We’re taking it up to the third floor, apartment 3C. I’ll hold the service elevator.”

* * *

“Nice building,” Julian observed as he carried his end of the couch through the lobby.

Holding the elevator as promised, Nina tried to see the space through the