I want to share a little secret...

A sneak peek of my upcoming book

Jun 10, 2022

I want to share a little secret. I hate talking about my work-in-progress because there's a voice in the back of my mind warning me that I might never finish it, and I shouldn't promise something I can't deliver.

Time to get over that fear. I'm a decent chunk through this book now and it feels right to finally drop a few details. It might even push me to work harder and finish it sooner (fingers crossed!).

So, here are a few little tidbits about my upcoming book. Make sure to read until the end for a free excerpt.

Tropes:

age gap romance
office romance
slow burn romance
CEO x secretary
grumpy boss
enemies to lovers

Blurb:

In the office, I'm known as the resident neat freak and the file management nazi. Outside of the office, my life is a mess. I've got money problems, I'm drifting apart from my best friend, and I only seem to date arseholes. My sister—my only family member—is on the other side of the world and I can't afford to visit her no matter how much I want to.

When a new CEO arrives at the company with the threat of a massive restructure in his wake, it's the last thing I need. Worst of all, I accidentally flirted with him before I knew he was an evil CEO.

One step out of line and I'm suddenly on the chopping block. I hate his guts, and he seems to hate mine, so why does he rehire me as his secretary? And why do I start to like working with him, even when he tells me off for making mistakes? No. Especially when he tells me off for making mistakes...

The more I get to know him, the more I start to see his sweet side, but a whirlwind of office politics threatens to rip us apart.

Heat level:

Haven't written those scenes yet, but I expect to go to at least medium heat level. Definitely spicier than what I’ve written before.

Title:

I'm not sure yet! If you have some ideas, send them through. I always struggle with titles.

Will it be part of a series?

Yes! It will either be a series of standalone novels (one book per couple) or a series of duets (two books per couple). I haven't decided yet. They will all have similar tropes.

Is this related to my K-drama book series?

No. This is a fresh series, set in Auckland, NZ. But I'm still an avid K-drama watcher and I'm influenced by them, so this will probably have a few K-drama tropes sprinkled in, especially of the workplace drama variety.

Excerpt from chapter 2

That jerk!
I stormed through the double doors of Luxmore’s head office, blood boiling. My block heels thudded on the glossy, marble-patterned floor as I marched past reception to the elevators. I punched the up button with more force than necessary. Anger turned to determination as I waited, my arms folded across my chest.
I can do much better than him. I’m an intelligent, attractive young woman. I have a decent job. Any straight, single man would find me desirable. I bet the next available man I see wouldn’t turn me down if I gave him a chance.
Right on cue, the elevator door opened. Its occupant: one man.
Startled, I looked away, blushing. The man didn’t exit, and I was the only person waiting to get on. Reaffirming my little bet with myself, I gave him a once-over as I stepped inside. What I saw made me pause.
Is life playing a trick on me?
This man wasn’t my type at all. He looked much older than me, and he wasn’t handsome. A far cry from pretty-boy Leon and the usual young guys I dated. The man’s black hair was immaculately groomed, and he had shrewd, dark eyes. A defined jawline led to stern lips and down his throat to a prominent Adam’s apple peeking from his crisp shirt collar. He wore a suit which screamed tailor-made and expensive, not to mention the Rolex on his wrist. He exuded an aura of power.
Must be in upper-management.
I looked at the keypad. Sure enough, he had selected the twelfth floor. All the top executives had their offices on the twelfth floor—the highest level of the building. He either worked there, or he was a visiting businessman from another company.
As I pressed the button for the fifth floor, I could feel the man’s intense eyes boring holes into me.
Maybe he really is interested in me?
I didn’t know what to make of it. He was too old for me and he wasn’t my type. Then again, he was far from decrepit—early forties at most. He looked fit and well-groomed, and he was probably intelligent and ambitious if he held a high position. Maybe it was time I broadened my horizons. Besides, I could use the confidence boost.
Mind made up, I turned on my charm offensive and flashed him the sweetest smile I could muster. “Good morning.”
His jaw tightened and his veins flexed. He left me hanging for a long beat, an inscrutable expression on his face.
The corners of my mouth twitched, unable to hold up the smile much longer as awkwardness set in. Our eye contact was on the verge of unbearable when he finally spoke.
“You’re…” His tone was low and deliberate. He had a hint of a posh English accent.
What’s this? All I had expected was a simple “Good morning” in return.
Is he actually going to hit on me? I can’t believe it.
He cleared his throat and continued. “Your top’s inside out.”

So, what do you think of that little meet cute scene? I'd love to know. You can hit reply to email me, or leave a public comment on the post by clicking the button below.

Sara's Notebook