Crashing into Love Read online

  Contents

  Copyright

  The Written in the Stars Series

  Other Titles in the Series

  Dedication

  Blurb

  Horoscope

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Mr. Boring

  Chapter 3

  The Mikes

  Chapter 4

  Open Eyes

  Chapter 5

  TriMikes

  Chapter 6

  Pilot Mike

  Chapter 7

  Control Freak Mike

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Just Say No

  Chapter 10

  Running Around

  Chapter 11

  Sweet Nothings

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  The Golden Girl

  Chapter 14

  Why, Oh Why?

  Chapter 15

  Smut Club

  Chapter 16

  Batman vs. Superman

  Chapter 17

  Where Have all the manners gone?

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Mrs. B

  Sneak Peek - Bent

  Also by Hollis Wynn

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2020 by Hollis Wynn

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the authors’ imaginations. Any resemblance to actual persons, things, living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

  Editor: Missy Borucki

  Proofreader: Becca Manuel

  Photographer: Eric Battershell

  Formatting: Bibliophile Productions

  The Written in the Stars Series

  Dear readers,

  Do you believe in destiny? Or do you believe you drive your own fate when it comes to matters of the heart?

  The idea for the Written in the Stars series came about one afternoon as I was thinking about how intertwined we are with the universe and the cosmos—we’re made of stardust, after all. It got me thinking about astrology and whether something as celestial as our zodiac signs influence how we behave in love. Some may call it pseudoscience, while others use their horoscopes daily to make major life, love, and career decisions.

  That’s how this series was born!

  Twelve months. Twelve wickedly talented romance authors. All coming together to answer the age-old question—Does your horoscope decide your fate in love?

  You’ll have to decide for yourself as you binge-read your way through twelve deliciously sexy and deeply romantic stand-alone novellas—one for each zodiac sign. I can’t wait to start this journey with you. Personally? I think it was written in the stars!

  XO,

  C.M. Albert

  P.S. Please join us in our fun and interactive Written in the Stars readers’ group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/writteninthestarsbooks where we discuss all things horoscope and love related!

  Other Titles in the Series

  Reluctant to Love by Rebecca Gallo #1

  https://amzn.to/2NZCz9O

  Bittersweet Love by QB Tyler #2

  https://amzn.to/30ViZRC

  Daring to Love by Karen Ferry #3

  https://amzn.to/2RSMOhz

  Price of Love by Erica Marsales #4

  https://amzn.to/37vHd7a

  Intrigued by Love by Sienna Snow #5

  https://amzn.to/2TY5C1A

  Drowning in Love by Kelsie Rae #6

  https://amzn.to/30Y5twy

  Fearless in Love by Harlow Lane #7

  https://amzn.to/2RrM4ks

  Jaded by Love by AJ Alexander #8

  https://amzn.to/2RSEnmj

  Balanced in Love by Jennifer Woodhull #9

  https://amzn.to/39RdmtS

  Consumed by Love by CM Albert #10

  https://amzn.to/36oSmFK

  Wandering in Love by And Jaxon #11

  https://amzn.to/2GkbIB8

  Crashing into Love by Hollis Wynn #12

  https://amzn.to/2JzKwnn

  Dedication

  To Colleen and Deena

  Life changes in an instant and I’m beyond grateful that you were brought into mine.

  Blurb

  Sutton Sterling is a Capricorn through and through. A stubborn workaholic some may call pessimistic, Sutton doesn’t have time to search for the roses between the thorns of potential relationships. Besides, her horoscopes never point her in the direction of love anyway. Until the day, she reads one with a fresh perspective and decides to take a chance at romance and her future.

  Baker Hayes has one cardinal rule—no interoffice dating. When he started working with Sutton, he considered disregarding his own boundaries. Baker accepted his role in the friend-zone, but the day he happened upon Sutton’s online dating blog, he’s ready to start breaking some rules.

  Does Sutton’s horoscope decide her fate, or will she and Baker go crashing into love?

  Horoscope

  If you’re on the quest for love, you must step outside your comfort zone. This is the time to break free from your protective armor and embrace your ability to love with authenticity. You should no longer allow anyone to discredit you or convince you that you’re on the wrong path. When your detractors notice you living a bold life, enjoying an openness you’ve never had before, they’ll question their own limited visions of love. Drawing on your ethical code will make you more fearless. You’ll be motivated to take a personal risk that has intimidated you in the past—including pursue romantic pleasures. This suggests a sudden love connection is on the horizon for you, Capricorn.

  One

  Variety may be the spice of life, but when you’re the executive assistant at Sterling Enterprises, Inc., spice isn’t on the menu. This job is monotonous. Days filled with reviewing documents and taking notes. And keeping fifteen men under control—which is not as easy as you would think. These men gossip and bitch more than women. They’re competitive, sneaky, and extremely sassy.

  Let’s keep that sassy comment between us, okay—none of them would be happy to hear I think they’re sassy.

  The only thing that breaks up my job’s monotony is when someone drops donuts in the break room, and I get a chocolate frosted one before they’re all gone. But that wasn’t today.

  Rolling my eyes, I growl at the computer. “Ugh.”

  My father, despite his success, has never been concerned about employee morale and job satisfaction. Especially if that means making his daughter happy.

  Reading his most recent email, I frown at the first line: New clients, big-money clients. They need—no, require the best treatment.

  Treating our clients like kings and queens is what I do. One day he’ll learn that he doesn’t need to be short with me or remind me in every email to be professional and represent him well. I’m the world’s greatest assistant, and I have the plaque on my desk to prove it.

  Still, I take his words in stride and prepare the standard briefing we give all our potential c
lients. Leaving the safety of my desk, I straighten my magenta sheath dress and slide my feet into my favorite peep toe heels. Yes, I kick my shoes off every time I sit down. There is no use wearing them under the desk, allowing my feet to turn into giant sausages. Can you say not attractive?

  I check that my hair remains tucked into a tight bun. I don’t want my giant mane of flaming red hair to be the first thing clients notice when they walk in. They need to focus on business, not me.

  I already know which associate I’ll bring into this deal, and judging by what I know so far, I only need one. One knock on his door, and I’m in.

  “Hey, Red,” he says like always.

  Baker Hayes is the charismatic star of every woman’s office romance fantasy. Sandy brown hair, clear blue eyes, and a grin that can charm anyone. Add that to his muscular build hidden under his tailored suits, and he wins everything—everyone. I pretend he can’t win me over because I don’t date co-workers—even if I’ve considered making an exception for him.

  “Baker,” I say, attempting to keep my eye-rolling to a minimum. “One of these days you’ll address me as Sutton. But today isn’t that day apparently.”

  He does a bit of clicking around on the computer and dramatically clears his throat before leaning back in his large leather chair and looking up at me expectantly.

  “We have a new client. Nothing too hard.” I take the file I’m holding and place it onto the desk in front of him. Saying nothing, he just pulls the file toward him and begins flipping through pages.

  “When are they coming in?”

  I check my watch before saying, “About twenty minutes or so.”

  He stands up and puts his jacket on. Standing in front of his panoramic window, he pulls his sleeves tight and straightens his cuff links. I stare at his ass while the mid-day sun streams in and the dust moats float in the air.

  “Good. I still have time to grab a donut.” He winks at me, and I shake my head at his silliness.

  Baker has worked with us almost from the beginning. My parents build SEI from the ground up, and he was one of the first employees. I remember meeting him for the first time. I fell head-over-heels in love with him—and I was only sixteen at the time.

  He’s always had an air about him that draws people to him. Me included. Dad drilled into me how inappropriate it is to date someone you work with, even though that’s where he met Mom.

  “You eat donuts?” I ask as we walk out of his office and into the employee break room.

  “Who doesn’t?” he says, then looks down his nose at me and takes a huge bite.

  I’m five-nine without my standard three-inch heels, and he’s still got a couple of inches on me. I watch him inhale the donut and grab another before walking to the fridge and pulling out a bottle of water. He unexpectedly tosses one at me before I’m ready, and the condensation splashes onto my dress.

  “Baker,” I draw out and huff.

  Amusement flickers in his eyes as I dab at my dress with a napkin. He grabs a hand towel and smiles at me, popping the last bite of the donut into his mouth and moving to help me.

  “All good?” he asks before tossing the towel in the bin and opening the bottle of water.

  It’s hard not to get distracted by his full lips wrapping around the top of the bottle and watching his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows each drink of water. Baker is nice to look at—all the parts of him. His mind is brilliant, and I love watching him read people and anticipate what they’re going to say in meetings. Add that to his beautiful body and kind soul, and he’s the total package.

  “As good as I can be with water splotches down my front,” I mutter.

  “Let’s go,” he says before exiting and heading toward the conference room.

  Two

  Later that night, I accept the FaceTime call coming through my laptop. When it connects, all I can see is a ceiling, but I hear Wren hollering in the background, “Todd, you’re on duty. It’s cocktails with Sutton time.”

  This makes me laugh and gets Wren’s attention. “Shit, I didn’t realize it connected already.”

  “Cocktails with Sutton time? Love it! And after the day I had, I so need the alcohol,” I chide into my laptop screen.

  FaceTime is great, but I miss being able to see my best friend on the regular. Wren has taken well to domesticated life with her husband Todd and the kids. They have a three-year-old little boy and a one-year-old little girl who keep her running a thousand miles an hour in Texas. They may have met here in Chicago, but when Todd’s father asked him to come back and work for him, it was an easy decision. Miller Creek includes grandparents who were ecstatic to have the grandkids around so they could babysit.

  “Uh-huh. What’s today’s concoction?” Wren asks, holding up something with a lime green frosting.

  “Vanilla and cherry vodka. I’m praying it doesn’t taste like cough syrup.” I smile at the screen and pour a shot of vodka, then hold them both up to the camera.

  “Lime and tequila,” she says, holding her cupcake up. “It’s been a tequila kind of day and I pray my clothes don’t fall off tonight. We don’t need another kid.”

  “That’s the last thing you need,” I laugh, and cupcake particles fly at the screen which causes us to break out in hysterics. Wren nearly falls off her chair as she doubles over. We chat for a little while longer while she regales me of life with small children.

  “Well, I don’t need to exercise after that. All this laughing is going to give me abs of steel.” Wren and I are opposites when it comes to exercise. I run four miles a day—rain, snow, or shine. Her idea of exercise is having sex with her hunky husband or laughing. Those are great exercises, but unless I want to look like eight pounds of sausage in a five-pound casing, I have to run daily.

  I started running in high school to burn off the extra stress of OCD parents who fought as hard as they loved. By the time I graduated, I’d created a routine that helped me deal with anxiety and I even ran cross country in college.

  “I don’t like my mom body,” she says, taking the last bite of her cupcake. “But I’m also not going to do anything about it. Besides, Todd says he likes it. He could be lying, but I’m so tired most nights I fall asleep with my dinner in my lap after the kids are in bed.”

  “Why do you say that? He is a man, after all, and you’ve got giant boobs and a booty that rocks. He didn’t step out on you, did he?” I gasp at the thought. Todd loves her with a devotion I’ve only read about in books.

  “Hell no. He’s obsessed with me. But sometimes I feel guilty for wearing nothing but sweats and dirty T-shirts. He fell in love with the high heel, makeup-wearing Wren. Not the woman who smells like spit up and can’t remember to do her own laundry.”

  “Yeah, I get it . . . well, not exactly.” A sad smile graces my face. I’d love to know one day, but it’s not time yet.

  Marriage, kids . . . I am getting old and my clock is running out of time. At twenty-eight, you’d think there would be dozens of men chasing me. Unfortunately, I am a workaholic who spends most of her time at an office full of married men and grandpas. Plus, dating at this age, I’m either going to get the guy who still lives with his mom and dad in their basement or has an ex-wife and four kids. Not that I’m opposed to kids, I’m not, but those guys don’t have any time or money to spend on me. I take care of my body—regular exercise, facials, and use the best skin products, but I can’t stop the clock.

  “You’ll find someone, I promise. You’re too good of a catch to be single.” With that comment, I pull out the other cupcake that I was going to save for Friday night and lick the icing very suggestively before we fall into a fit of giggles. Again.

  “So, I have an idea,” she says in the middle of a laugh.

  “Is the idea funny or am I missing something?” Reaching for the cup of water next to the screen, I take a long drink.

  “You should try online dating. You’re already sharing your life with the world on your blog. Why not add some online dating sto
ries to the site?”

  Swallow, Sutton. Swallow. Don’t spit the water out.

  I roll my eyes at her. My blog is about my daily life and fashion. It’s where I talk all about the color of my shoes and my lipstick disdain because it requires so much reapplying. Plus all the other craziness that happens to me on a daily basis.

  The blog helps me to omit all the randomness that is in my mind. For a while, I didn’t even check to see if anyone was reading it. Then one day I realized there was an inbox full of comments. I was shocked to see how many people were reading and relating to it.

  Maybe adding some bad date tales would be fun. I’ve had some interesting dates in the past—the far past. Who knows, maybe I could help other women out there—women who are single, working, and dating like me.