IRRESISTIBLY YOURS
Oxford #1
Lauren Layne
Released Oct 6th, 2015
Loveswept
Hotshot sports editor Cole Sharpe has been freelancing for Oxford for years, so when he hears about a staff position opening up, he figures he’s got the inside track. Then his boss drops a bombshell: Cole has competition. Female competition, in the form of a fresh-faced tomboy who can hang with the dudes—and write circles around them, too. Cole usually likes his women flirty and curvy, but he takes a special interest in his skinny, sassy rival, if only to keep an eye on her. And soon, he can’t take his eyes off her.
Penelope Pope knows all too well that she comes off as just one of the guys. Since she’s learned that wanting more usually leads to disappointment, Penelope’s resigned to sitting on the sidelines when it comes to love. So why does Cole make her want to get back in the game? The man is as arrogant as he is handsome. He probably sees her as nothing more than a barrier to his dream job. But when an unexpected kiss turns into a night of irresistible passion, Penelope has to figure out whether they’re just fooling around—or starting something real.
Oxford was
the country’s top selling men’s magazine where Lincoln—and most of Cole’s other
closest friends—worked.
But
more important, it was also where Cole worked.
Well,
sort of.
He
would
work there. Just as soon as he found the asshole who was after his job.
Cole
wasn’t going to pretend that he didn’t have a competitive streak. It was a
prerequisite for someone whose bread and butter came from knowing the nuances
of professional sports.
And
it was rare that Cole felt a personal investment in a competition. But tonight?
Tonight, it was definitely personal. Cole was the competitor.
The
prize?
The
title of Senior Sports Editor at Oxford.
The
magazine was finally getting a real sports section. Their token two-page spread
on fantasy football squeezed in between cologne reviews and the proper way to
wear a tie clip was being expanded to a multipage, multitopic sports section.
A
section that needed an editor.
Cole
was the right man for the job. The only man for the job. Not only had he
been writing for Oxford as a freelancer for years, but
the editor in chief, Alex Cassidy, was one of his closest friends.
When
Cassidy had come to Cole and explained that he wanted to make Oxford a
serious contender for the Sports Illustrated readers, Cole had
been damn sure that Cassidy was offering him the job.
Hell,
Cassidy had been begging him for months to join the team, and Cole was finally
ready—ready for a steady paycheck.
Ready
to belong to something.
Because,
although Cole wasn’t exactly dying to buy a house in the ’burbs and settle down
with a nice girl, it wasn’t just about Cole.
It
was about Bobby, and the fact that Bobby’s care was getting more and more
expensive. His brother needed more than Cole’s occasional freelance checks
could provide.
Cole
wasn’t just ready for this job. He needed it.
And
that’s when Alex Cassidy had dropped his bomb.
The
job wasn’t Cole’s for the taking.
So,
goodbye to Easygoing Cole. Hello, Gladiator Cole.
Because,
really, what the fuck?
Cole
hadn’t minded that they’d had to publicly post the position. He understood
there were HR boxes that had to be checked. But never had Cole thought there’d actually
be competition. Not only were the Oxford guys practically his family,
but Cole was the best damn sportswriter in the city.
His
application should have been a formality. Their request that he update his résumé
and submit a portfolio should have been just a matter of documentation.
The
position was his, damn it. Cole was the Oxford
sports section.
Except
he wasn’t. Not yet anyway.
Cassidy
had called him yesterday to inform Cole that he was a finalist. A fucking finalist.
Pissing
Cole off even further, Cassidy wouldn’t tell him who his competition was. Cole
had named every worthwhile sportswriter in the city, but Cassidy wouldn’t so
much as grunt in confirmation.
Damn
Cassidy and his unshakable professionalism.
His
friend hadn’t left him completely in the lurch, though.
Cassidy
had pointedly mentioned to Lincoln that the other candidate had been invited to
the suite reserved by Berkin’s Hospitality Group for tonight’s Yankees game.
Lincoln
had, of course, told Cole.
So
here they were, trying to sniff out the competition.
It
was the only reason Cole would be caught dead in the luxury suite. Cole hated
luxury suites.
This
wasn’t what baseball—or any game—was about. Baseball was about the peanuts, the
rowdy crowds, the overpriced beer. It was about the sound of a fastball
smacking against the catcher’s glove, the satisfying crack of a wooden bat when
a rookie pinch hitter really got hold of one.
For
Cole, watching baseball was about sitting with his brother in the stands,
watching Bobby’s face go positively ecstatic every time they did the wave, and
the way his brother never, ever got tired of the seventh-inning stretch.
That was
baseball.
And
Cole wanted nothing more than to be an anonymous part of the rowdy crowd, preferably
on the third baseline, watching the Yankees hopefully trounce the Blue Jays.
Instead,
he was stuck here with a bunch of fools who wouldn’t recognize a line drive if
it hit them in the ass.
Adding
insult to injury, it was all for nothing. There was no sign of his competition.
Cole knew every decent sportswriter in the city, and none were here tonight.
It
was possible, he supposed, that Cassidy was considering some out-of-town jock
for the position, but a quick scan of the room showed only familiar faces, all
corporate bigwigs.
“Let’s
get out of here,” Cole said to Lincoln, downing the rest of his beer in three
gulps.
“You
don’t want to wait for Cassidy?”
“Nah,
I’ll catch him tomorrow.”
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Prior to becoming an author, Lauren worked in e-commerce and web-marketing. A year after moving from Seattle to NYC to pursue a writing career, she had a fabulous agent and multiple New York publishing deals.
Lauren currently lives in Manhattan with her husband and plus-sized Pomeranian. When not writing, you'll likely find her running (rarely), reading (sometimes), or at happy hour (often).
Pre-Order I WISH YOU WERE MINE,
Book Two in the Oxford Series
Don't miss the Sex, Love & Stiletto Series
where the Men of Oxford first appeared!
AFTER THE
KISS (Book One)
LOVE THE
ONE YOU'RE WITH (Book Two)
JUST ONE
NIGHT (Book Three)
THE TROUBLE WITH LOVE (Book Four)
