Our Valentine’s by S.J. Coles
Book 2 in the Once Upon a Holiday series
General Release Date: 31st January 2023
Word Count: 13,249
Book Length: SHORT STORY
Pages: 61
Genres:
CELEBRITIES,CONTEMPORARY,EROTIC ROMANCE,FAKE RELATIONSHIPSGAY,GLBTQI,HOLIDAYS
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Book Description
We’ll make it our Valentine’s—and the best show on Earth.
Everyone believes movie star Charlie Kearney lives a charmed life, not least because he recently returned to his hometown of Littleton with enigmatic fashion designer Jacques Clement on his arm. Their whirlwind romance and high-profile engagement have kept Charlie trending on the socials for weeks, and his management company couldn’t be happier.
But there’s just one problem. Charlie and Jacques aren’t engaged. They aren’t even in a relationship. Charlie needed someone to bring home for Christmas and had also hoped the news of their ‘engagement’ might tempt an old flame.
Things haven’t quite gone according to plan. Now Charlie feels he has no choice but to ask Jacques to continue with the charade, even though his fake fiancé has a Valentine’s Day fashion show in Paris to prepare for. Jacques agrees to stay, but Charlie is now beginning to wonder if saving face is the only reason he’s so desperate to keep Jacques in Littleton.
By the time Charlie cracked an eye the following morning, his head aching from the champagne, he was alone in the bedroom. He didn’t have time to decide how he felt about that because his phone was buzzing on the dressing table.
He stumbled to it, peering blearily at the screen. He sighed and answered.
“Nancy,” he said, his voice croaking, “it’s Boxing Day. Don’t you ever take a day off?”
“Sure. Yesterday. Now it’s back to business, Charlie boy.” He could hear the grin in his manager’s voice. “So, about the London Strike premiere.”
“I hadn’t forgotten,” he said, scrubbing a hand over his face, “though my suit hasn’t arrived yet.”
“It’ll be there,” she said, and he heard her tapping keys in the background. “I’ll get on to Armani as soon as they open in the morning. I’m guessing there still isn’t any chance of getting Jacques back from Paris for this thing, huh?”
Charlie suddenly found it hard to find the right lie.
“Charlie?” Nancy’s voice had sharpened. “Jacques is still a thing, right? Tell me you and Jacques are still a thing?”
“Yes,” he finally managed to say, slipping his feet into his fleece-lined slipper boots. “Yes, we are. And yes, he’s coming to the premiere.”
A pause. “Don’t be kidding me about stuff like this, Charlie. It’s not fair, especially on a hangover.”
“I’m not kidding,” Charlie said. “His flight was canceled. He’s decided to stay here for a while instead.”
“Wow. Merry fucking Christmas to me. Oh, you know this would be a gold mine with Armani if—”
“He’ll be wearing himself, Nancy.”
“I know he wants to raise his profile. But could you not talk him into matching you? You in black, him in white? I’m telling you it would kill in the trends. And it’s never too early to start softening Armani up ahead of the Christmas cologne adverts…”
“He’s wearing himself,” Charlie insisted again, moving to the door. “It’s about his career, too, remember?”
“Okay, okay,” his manager said with a snort. “Yours is just a bit more important. He must get that.”
Charlie paused with his hand on the door handle to take a moment to control an unfamiliar reaction to this familiar argument. “I gotta go,” he finally said.
“Fine,” Nancy replied. “Just keep your notifications on, you hear? There’s a lot going on with Power Knight. I may need some selfies—”
Charlie hung up before his head started aching even more.
The house was eerily quiet without staff. He followed the sound of voices to the dining salon at the back of the house.
The twenty-seat dining table had been pushed against the wall and the chairs were stacked to the side. Jacques was pulling the curtains back from the wall of patio doors that looked out onto the south-facing terrace, allowing the weak winter sunlight to flood the room. Charlie’s mother was pacing the floor, tapping things into her phone as she spoke without drawing breath.
“And we can screen off this area for hair and makeup,” she was saying. “I’m pretty sure we have mirrors in the attic…and spare lamps. You’ll need all the light you can get, especially on these short winter days. I will have Farfield fetch them down as soon as he is back from the holidays. And, of course, the models can have the parlor next door as a dressing room. And they can all stay on the second floor. It has several bathrooms. Oh, good morning, dear.” She smiled as she caught sight of Charlie in the doorway. “Jacques is going to prepare his Valentine’s show here. The Cupid Collection. Isn’t that wonderful?”
Charlie suddenly realized Jacques was standing with his hand on the curtain, watching intently from across the room.
“Yes, I know,” he said, nodding reassuringly. “It was my idea.”
“And what a good idea it was, darling,” Laura said, coming over, her heels tapping on the hardwood floor. “You are a clever one, aren’t you? Especially where choosing partners is concerned.” She dimpled at Jacques, who smiled in return. “Now I must dash. I have a million things to prepare.”
She swept out of the room, and Charlie turned back to Jacques. He was in a maroon turtleneck jumper and black jeans, everything fitted to give the suggestion of the slim frame underneath but no details revealed.
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S. J. Coles
S. J. Coles is a Romance writer originally from Shropshire, UK. She has been writing stories for as long as she has been able to read them. Her biggest passion is exploring narratives through character relationships.
She finds writing LGBT/paranormal romance provides many unique and fulfilling opportunities to explore many (often neglected or under-represented) aspects of human experience, expectation, emotion and sexuality.
Among her biggest influences are LGBT Romance authors K J Charles and Josh Lanyon and Vampire Chronicles author Anne Rice.
Find S. J. Coles at her website and follow her on Instagram.
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