Loving Miss Sassy, page 1
LOVING MISS SASSY
Copyright ©2019 A.M. Madden & Joanne Schwehm
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
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
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About A.M. Madden & Joanne Schwehm
To the Reader
Chapter 1
Gianna
The cars zigged and zagged through the city, blaring their horns and barely stopping for red lights, making me feel as though I was taking my life in my own hands just to cross the street. I’ve heard all about the craziness New York City had to offer from my brothers, Dante and Luca, but finally arriving in the City That Never Sleeps almost felt surreal.
Living in Italy my entire life, being the only female in the family and the last Benedetto child in the house, meant my parents weren’t exactly thrilled I’d be heading to the States. The only thing that kept them sane was that I’d be living in the same city as my brothers. Of course, everything happened so fast that neither knew I’d be arriving today, but once I got settled, I’d tell them.
Although, once they heard I didn’t have the sense to bring extra backup charger packs for my phone, my brothers would be all over my case, telling me how I was in a big city now and needed to be prepared. I rolled my eyes at the thought of their words. Not that they’d be wrong, but I’m also not dead in a gutter because of it. If my family had their way, I’d be safely tucked away in an office building right around the corner from my parents’ home.
Thankfully, I’d written down the address, because as soon as I got into the car, my phone died. Considering I spent my life using my phone, you’d think I would have been smart enough to realize that I’d need more than one backup pack. Staring at a darkened screen drove me crazy.
When my car rolled up to the brownstone I’d be staying in courtesy of Elite Motors, I couldn’t wait to get started on the best advertising pitch of my life—the one that would show my versatility.
I dragged my suitcases up the steps, unlocked the heavy wood door, and let out a whoosh of relieved air as soon as I closed off the noise of the city. The modern-yet-classic home I’d be staying in made me smile.
Before looking around, I reached into my bag and grabbed my phone charger. While I waited for the phone to spark to life, I scanned the room. From what I understood about New York City, real estate wasn’t cheap. Since the home I’d be staying in wasn’t small by city standards, it had to be costing Elite Motors a pretty penny.
The plush sofa, love seat, and wingback chair surrounded a dark wood coffee table that matched the planks that made up the gleaming floor. A small dining table sat under a delicate crystal chandelier outside the kitchen.
Just as I was about to go explore upstairs, my phone began dinging. Walking over to it, I saw a slew of texts from my agent, Miranda.
We need to talk
I know your plane landed. Where are you?
Why isn’t your phone on?
Gianna this is important!
Releasing a huff, I flopped down on the couch, sinking into the cushion, and called Miranda.
“It’s about time. Where have you been?” she said in her British accent. We’d met at a conference in Rome, and ever since we’d been friends and business associates. Lucky for me, because Miranda happened to be one of the best agents in Europe.
“My phone died, and before you scold me, I know, it won’t happen again. Now care to tell me what happened? Are you okay?”
Her breathing regulated, and she paused before going into work mode. “Gianna, it has come to my attention that Colton Teller is also pitching Elite Motors.”
“Okay, well, we knew I wouldn’t be the only one in the running.”
“No, you don’t understand. Colton Teller happens to be the most sought after ad executive in all of Chicago. He’s young, keeps his nose clean, and stays away from social media. The only time he’s online is if he’s photographed somewhere. Even though he’s in his late twenties, he’s old school when it comes to advertising.”
“Oh, well, then I’m not worried. We offer two different perspectives.” Maybe I was being naive, but if I started to let my nerves get the better of me, I might as well head back to Italy.
“He’s hungry, Gianna. From what I understand, if he lands Elite, he’s going to get a major promotion. I know your approach is better, but as your agent, I needed to let you know what you’re up against.”
Competition in the workplace did little to diminish my determination to succeed. If anything, it fueled it like gas on a flame. After I hung up with Miranda, assuring her I’d be on my toes and kick ass, I headed into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water out of the fully stocked refrigerator. The executive assistant at Elite Motors had told Miranda I wouldn’t need anything when I arrived at the brownstone—and they were right. From what I could tell at first glance, it’d be two weeks before I needed to go to a grocery store.
I grabbed my bags and headed upstairs to check out the rest of the place. Two bedrooms and a bathroom flanked the small hallway. Both rooms looked to be the same size, much smaller than the one I had back home. Deciding on the one with the better view, I opened my bag and began to unpack.
Thirty minutes later, I was sitting on the couch in my comfy clothes, snacking on pretzels while I brought my laptop to life. The first thing on my agenda… check out Colton Teller. I typed his name in the search bar, and a picture of a gorgeous, light-haired, blue-eyed man was the first result to populate. Well, let’s hope that’s not him, I thought to myself. But when I clicked on the link under his name, my hope went down the drain as I stared at the headline: COLTON TELLER WINS AD EXEC OF THE YEAR AWARD.
Great. I continued to read about the clients he’d amassed since joining Mainstay Advertising. Some called him their golden boy. I couldn’t help but wonder why landing Elite Motors would put him over the top and earn him a promotion when he’d clearly excelled at his job. Scanning the article, I realized all the partners at the agency were related. Breaking into that hierarchy would take something major. Too bad for Mr. Teller he’d need to figure out another way and find a different client to propel him to the top, because Elite Motors’ business would be mine.
Before posting anything on social media, I grabbed my phone and opened my group text app to let my doting older brothers know I was in the city. I had told my parents not to tell them, since I wanted it to be a surprise.
Hi.
It didn’t take long for Luca to reply—or, in his case, overreact.
Luca: What’s wrong? It’s late there. Is everything okay?
Granted, it was almost one a.m. in Italy, and maybe his reaction was justified, but it was typical for my brothers to be ready to pounce at the mere thought of something being wrong. At times I didn’t mind their overprotectiveness, but in some cases it got old quick.
Dante: I’m finishing up a shoot. What’s going on?
Me: I’m fine, relax. I wanted to tell you, I’m in NYC… surprise!
In an instant, my phone lit up with Luca’s picture, and as soon as I answered Dante beeped in. “Hold on, Luca.” I accepted Dante’s call, and before I said anything I clicked a button to merge the three of us. “Can you guys hear me?”
“Yes,” they said in unison.
“Gianna,” Luca said with concern in his voice. “What do you mean you’re in the city? Where and why didn’t we know?”
“First of all, I’m twenty-three, and I wanted to surprise you both. I’m here for work.”
&nbs
“Or me,” Luca added.
I let out a sigh. “Guys, like I said, this is a business trip. The company I’m pitching has a lovely brownstone that I’m staying in… I only had to fight off two muggers, a purse snatcher, and a mime with oddly large hands.” When they both remained silent, I laughed. “I’m kidding. Geez, relax. And for your information I took self-defense classes and can take care of myself.”
“Gianna…” Luca started lecturing me in Italian about the dangers of the city, sounding more like my father than my brother. “You’re a beautiful girl, and there are crazy people out there.”
Dante huffed. “Listen to your brothers, Gianna. I need to go; my client is getting antsy. Welcome to the city, and text me where you’re staying. Love you.”
“Okay, love you too.”
“Gianna,” Luca said in a softer, more appealing tone. “I’m very happy you’re here and would like to see you. If I would’ve known you were coming to town, I would have cleared my schedule. How about this weekend we get together for drinks? You can meet the rest of the gang. Where are you in the city?” When I told him my address, he sounded relieved. “Good, not far from us. Mikey has a sleepover this weekend, so we can all meet then. I’ll call you after I talk to Sabrina.”
Both of my brothers were happily married. Luca to Sabrina, who had the cutest little boy, Mikey. I’d only met him once, when they got married, but we would video chat often. The sweet boy put my brother on a pedestal. Not that he shouldn’t be there, because Luca was an amazing man, husband, and father.
“Okay, sounds good. You might want to check with Dante and Cassie too.”
Dante and his wife, Cassie, had spent time in Italy while Dante worked there, so I was looking forward to seeing her again. In truth, I was looking forward to seeing everyone, and as long as it didn’t turn into a lecture-fest of brothers know best, I’d be fine.
“Will do. I’m sure Jude and Kyle would like to see you. The last time they did you were just a kid.”
Yeah, a kid who drooled over both of them at their college graduation, because that wasn’t embarrassing. “That’d be nice. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Jet lag started to seep into my bones. I closed my laptop, headed upstairs, and crawled into bed. It didn’t take long for sleep to claim my body. I knew I’d be up at the crack of dawn, but that was fine with me. It’d give me a chance to work on my pitch.
A blaring siren pulled me out of a deep sleep. Blinking my eyes open, I had to take a minute to recall my surroundings. My stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten dinner, and clearly the pretzels I’d snacked on hadn’t been enough to sustain me until morning. When I glanced at my phone, sitting on the nightstand beside me, I saw it was barely past midnight.
Rolling out of bed, I stretched my arms, reaching toward the ceiling and awakening my muscles beneath my short pajama set. Needing to satisfy my hunger, I used the glow from the city street, mingled with that of the moon, and made my way downstairs to the kitchen.
Goose bumps pricked my skin as I pulled open the stainless steel door to retrieve a bottle of water. The sound of something near the front door and the brass knob jiggling had me sprinting barefoot toward the sound. Armed with only a recycled plastic water bottle and my fists, I braced myself against the wall behind the door.
Like lasers, my eyes were trained on the door handle, and watching it turn made me feel like a star in my own horror movie. A dark figure broached the entryway. I needed to think fast. He had a bag in his hand, most likely filled with weapons to kill me, and the bag might even be used later to hide the evidence—in other words, my dead body.
Not giving him the chance to harm me, I kicked the door closed, startling the intruder enough to turn toward me. He was tall, probably about six foot two—almost a foot taller than me. A wave of urgency washed over me. Using what I’d learned in class, I stepped forward, whirled around, and connected my foot with his midsection, which felt more like a rock than a body. He bent over and in the dim light angled his face upward, giving me the opportunity to ball my right fist and deliver a resounding right hook.
Chapter 2
Colton
“Jesus Christ!” I looked up to see the shadowy figure of my assailant staring down at me in shock, her fists poised and ready to go another round. What in the actual fuck?
“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay where you are. I’m calling the police.” If I hadn’t already been on my knees, her sexy-as-fuck accent and hot little body would have brought me there.
Stumbling to my feet and bracing myself for her to unleash more unearned violence, I put my hand up. “Look, you psycho, I don’t know who you are, but you need to relax. I’m staying here.” She flipped the light switch next to the door. My pupils contracted at the bright intrusion.
My nemesis was a gorgeous little thing. Her raven locks draped over her shoulders as she drilled into me with mesmerizing dark-brown eyes. It took a second or two for me to place the face with a name.
“I’m Colton Teller.” She tilted her head like a cute puppy trying to understand its master. Eyes that were narrowed slits widened into saucers. “And my guess is you’re Gianna Benedetto. I’d say it’s a pleasure, but…” At the sight of me pressing my palm to the spot she’d clocked, a tiny bit of remorse flitted through her expression.
The beauty in front of me had been my research project on the plane ride to New York. Young and sassy would be the perfect way to describe her. She used social media to gain followers and sponsorships for products. Although not much older than her, I was old school and took the standard advertising approach, which had little or nothing to do with social media. In fact, I despised it, where Gianna apparently lived for it.
Rather than flip out, she cracked open the bottle of water in her left hand and took a healthy swig, ignoring the fact that my left cheek felt like it had grown to twice its normal size. The crazy ninja who’d attacked me disappeared, and in her place was a calm, beautiful brunette who wanted nothing to do with me. Couldn’t say that I blamed her. We were vying for the same client, and if she knew anything about me, she didn’t stand a chance.
After a weighted pause she straightened her spine. “I know who you are, and you’re most certainly not staying here.”
Beautiful and headstrong… two of my favorite qualities in a woman.
“Listen, Gianna. May I call you that?” I asked, earning me a silent nod. “It appears that Elite Motors put us both up in the same place, making us roommates. You’re welcome to change locations. Unless, of course, you’d like to bail out of the pitch session altogether, because it’s most likely a waste of your time anyway.”
Gianna gave me a smile that almost knocked me back onto the hardwood floor. “Look, Mr. Teller,” she said, emphasizing my last name enough to earn her a crooked smirk. “The only person who will be wasting their time is you. You and I will not be staying in the same home. I suggest you call yourself a cab and go to a hotel.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Where I’m going is upstairs. Now…” I grabbed the handle of my suitcase. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve had a long day, and I’d like to go to my room. Either you can tell me which one is yours or I’ll take my best guess.”
Her sexy-as-fuck mouth dropped open, and before I could tell her what she could do with those perfectly plump lips, she said, “The first room on the right is mine.”
“See, that wasn’t too difficult. I’ll see you in the morning.” That glare she favored appeared again. “Sweet dreams, Gianna.”
As I took the steps up to my room, the sassy Italian beauty mumbled something in her native tongue, bringing a smile to my face. Something told me having Gianna Benedetto not only as an adversary but also as a roommate would prove to be very interesting.
Once I’d closed the door behind me, I unpacked my necessities, stripped down to my black boxer briefs, and climbed beneath the soft duvet covering the king-size bed. The sound of stomping on the stairs, a door opening and slamming shut, and more banging from behind the wall we shared forced me to chuckle.
Soon enough, exhaustion began to seep into every cell of my body as I closed my eyes and let sleep claim me.
