Floor Time
The Stewart Realty Series
Book 1
Liz Crowe
Genre: Romance / Family Saga
Publisher: Tri Destiny Publishing
Book
Description:
Jack
Gordon is Ann Arbor's most delectable bachelor. At age thirty-five, he's made
millions as a top-selling Ann Arbor real estate broker and has the right
connections to close a deal by any means necessary. With his rugged good looks
and compelling personality, he has a virtual black book most men would kill for
and he uses it often, never settling for one woman for very long.
While
his D/s past remains buried, exactly where he wants it, an undercurrent of
boredom and dissatisfaction runs through his life now. A disastrous experience
years earlier made him swear off the whole scene, but the more Jack suppresses
his natural Dom, the more his frustration grows.
Sara
Thornton, a rookie in the real estate game, has fast-tracked herself to the top
of the Ann Arbor market. Her life reflects a disciplined and focused routine,
exactly the way she wants it. However, as her career takes off, the fulfillment
she seeks remains inexplicably out of reach. The one thing she knows for sure,
she will not join the Jack Gordon groupies in her company, no matter how
tempting that might seem.
A
chance encounter and a difficult transaction throw Jack and Sara together and
the sparks fly high and hot and often. Forced to confront the compulsions that
gain momentum with each sizzling hookup, their relationship seems to spiral out
of control until Jack finally admits what he needs, and shows Sara what she's
been missing.
Floor Time Excerpt:
Two o’clock
became two forty-five with no guests. No big surprise. She made it through half
of her water and a few chapters of the latest hot vampire novel she’d brought
with her to pass the time. Bored, she got up to walk around when she saw a car
pull into the long gravel drive.
She watched as
Jack unfolded his tall frame out of the Corvette and walked around to reach
into the passenger’s seat. It struck her that she had never seen him in
anything but a suit, or at least dress pants, shirt, and tie, as she admired
his ass in the dark jeans. He looked good enough to eat. But panic replaced her
blooming desire.
What was he
doing at her open house? Was there a problem with their deal?
She glimpsed a
shopping bag from the local organic chain grocery in one hand. He grinned at
her, lighting up his arresting eyes. Her breath caught in her throat.
Shit.
She had made a
vow to herself she would not get caught up in the Jack Gordon whirlwind.
However, here she was, high and mighty, and yet about to explode with need for
his lips on hers.
Double shit.
“I thought you
might be lonely all the way out here and we should have a picnic. What do you
say?” He made his way to the front door. He wore a plain burgundy t-shirt,
jeans that hugged his front as nicely as his rear, and driving shoes.
Momentarily blinded by lust, she fought the impulse to pull him into the foyer
and make him fuck her until she was spent.
Nice, very nice.
The guy brings you a picnic and you want to skip right to the after-play?
Turning on her
heel she headed back into the house without even responding to his suggestion,
assuming he would follow her. Sara realized she had to get control of herself
before talking or her voice would surely betray her. She glanced at her watch.
Three p.m. – she had to focus on her job for one more hour. Let him wait.
“Don’t you have
an open house of your own?” She sounded a tad more irritable than she intended.
“Nope.” He
walked right into her personal space, brushed her hair out of her face and
kissed her. His firm lips remained noncommittal. She shivered as he kept his
hand on her neck under her hair. He caressed her almost absentmindedly as he
looked around at the house.
“Well, the view is
great,” he admitted as he strode into the front bedroom suite. Sara watched as
he walked out of that room and took in at the high cathedral ceilings made of
light ash wood. Then he whistled, picked up his grocery bag, and walked into
the kitchen complete with new gleaming stainless steel appliances and white
tile floor.
“Nice, but it’s
sort of cold in here, isn’t it? Maybe some color, flowers or something, would
help?”
“Fuck off, Jack.
I don’t need your help. Why are you here, anyway?”
“Easy, tiger,
easy.” He leaned on the countertop. “I know you know what to do. I can’t help
it. It’s second nature for me to say something about the house first.” Sara
caught herself clenching and unclenching her fists, and stopped.
Damn the man,
anyway.
She couldn’t
even stay mad at him. She slumped against the doorframe.
“It’s a shit
listing. I don’t get any showings and hardly any new buyers from these open
houses. The sellers couldn’t care less that it sits here and gets stale.” She
sighed, then relaxed, only to have her desire for him rush over her like a
tidal wave. He attended to his grocery bag and began setting stuff on the
counter.
“What the hell
am I going to do when a guest shows up, Jack? Put that crap away.”
“It’s okay,
babe, we’ll just say we rolled out the red carpet for your potential buyers
with these nice strawberries and this cream.” He pulled the last container from
the bag with a flourish.
“You are insane,
you know that?” She stared at the array of stuff on the counter.
“You won’t think
that when I show you this amazing bottle of wine I found. I forgot I had it.”
He pulled out a green bottle with a French label of some sort, two wine
glasses, and a corkscrew.
“Um, yeah, well,
I’m not really comfortable doing this here. I mean, it’s not my kitchen.” Sara
gulped as she took another step away from him to get his smell out of her nose.
“Sure it is.” He
worked the cork out, allowing her to admire the amazing definition of his arms.
“I’ll bet you’ve spent more time in this fucked-up house with its
million-dollar view than you have in your own house since you listed it. I
mean, you do opens, you refill sales brochures, you check on the lawn – what
else? Tell me I’m wrong.” He pulled the cork free, splashed some golden liquid
into each glass, and handed one to her. By the time he’d completed the task,
Sara had made her way nearly six feet away from him.
“Baby, I don’t
bite,” he said, holding out the glass to her.
She surged
forward, as if to prove she wasn’t afraid, grabbing the glass as she passed.
“Thanks. Never had
a happy hour at an open house.”
Sweat Equity
The Stewart Realty Series
Book 2
Liz Crowe
Genre: Romance / Family Saga
Publisher: Tri Destiny Publishing
Book
Description:
Jack
Gordon thought he’d finally made it. He had a wildly successful career, money
in the bank and even returned to his life as Dom, putting an end to a string of
unfulfilling sexual encounters. Now that he's made the ultimate commitment to
Sara Thornton, he believes all is right in their world. However, a series of
misunderstandings and a dose of self-fulfilling prophesy bring his perfectly
crafted house of cards tumbling down around him, forcing him to confront
lingering misgivings about marriage and trust. Could those be the only two
things he can never achieve?
Sara
struggles with her intense need for Jack and her desire for less volatility in
her busy life, two goals which appear to be mutually exclusive. Although
willing to put in the time and emotional effort to make their relationship
work, she finds it futile and frustrating, littered with clashes thanks to
near-identical personalities and temperaments. Given Sara’s history, easing
back into the comfortable status quo becomes easier than fighting a war with
the one person who should be her safe haven. But will the easier choice satisfy
her the way only Jack can? Is her "war" one that comes from without
or within?
Buffeted
by circumstance, temptation and distraction, Jack and Sara’s tenuous
relationship crumbles, sparking a continuous quest for the ever elusive: trust,
love and acceptance. By the time they rebuild a foundation for renewal, fate
has other plans. This leaves them both reeling, once again questioning their
destiny.
Sweat Equity Excerpt:
Jack watched his
now ex-fiancée screech out onto the quiet street, sipped his bourbon and
relished its slow lubrication of the horror at what had just happened. He sank
back into the chair and glared at the fucked up still life of the condom and
ring together on the table.
“Happiness
Thwarted” he could call it, or even better, “In Which Jack Is a Dumb Ass.” The
purple foil packets stacked next to the nearly twenty-thousand-dollar hunk of
metal and compressed coal he’d put so much faith in just a few months ago.
“Goddamnit.” He
swept the whole mess onto the floor. His usual method of instant spin control
had abandoned him. He had nothing, remained a hollow shell, scraped clean, raw
and pulsing like a six-foot five-inch exposed nerve ending.
The fucking
condoms.
He’d left them
there from over a year ago. From when he’d taken that crazy-ass blonde bitch of
a client away for a weekend. The weekend she tried to convince him to marry
her. But he’d already met Sara by then. So, he had fucked the woman six ways to
Sunday then dropped her at her house, his mind and heart elsewhere.
Oh, the bitter
irony of the situation did not escape him. Vegas had been fun, sure. He’d
flirted like crazy and let some ladies buy him drinks but he went to bed alone
every single night without a single qualm or regret. He hadn’t talked to Sara that
week, but he’d been busy, serving on countless panels and attending dozens of
stupid glad-handing receptions. When he wasn’t doing that he’d played Texas
Hold ’em and lost his ass with gleeful abandon. He’d had his mind firmly fixed
on the future. With Sara. He’d even entertained a pretty out-there fantasy of
her beautiful body, swollen and full with their child.
“Oh fuck.” His
face and eyes burned. His throat closed up. The room spun. He had to get her
back.
How? Was he even
worthy?
No, he wasn’t.
But he didn’t care.
Jack got up,
retrieved the expensive ring from the floor and set it on the front hall table
with his other stuff. His heartbeat pounded at the sight of it. Anger followed
close on the heels of despair. The house echoed with silence. He knew what he
needed. Picking up his smart phone he quick dialed his friend, Suzanne.
“Hey, Jack,
what’s up?”
“I need to
talk.”
“Where are you?”
The noise of her beer bar receded, so he assumed she must have walked into the
brewery.
“Home. But I’m
coming over. You gonna be there?”
“Well, I wasn’t,
but I’ll stick around.” Silence spun out between them before she spoke again.
“You did it, didn’t you?”
Jack dragged a
hand through his hair. He knew exactly what she meant. “Yeah. I did.”
“Oh hell.” The
ensuing silence deafened him. He trusted Suzanne more than he trusted just
about anyone, except her business partner, who was currently on the West Coast
at some beer conference. “C’mon over, you fucking idiot. I’ll buy you a beer.”
Jack slumped against the wall, relieved to have somewhere to go, sick to his
stomach and emptier than he’d ever felt in his entire life.
Closing Costs
The Stewart Realty Series
Book 3
Liz Crowe
Genre: Romance / Family Saga
Publisher: Tri Destiny Publishing
Book
Description:
Love
conquers all? Not likely, according to Sara Thornton. She's spent eight years
coming to terms with the new parameters of her life while resigning herself to
the idea that “happily ever afters” are best left to fairytales. Sales manager
for her successful real estate office and juggling an added element of
responsibility she never thought she'd face, Sara continues to struggle with
the men in her life. Love, for her, has only meant hurt, broken trust and
anger; all of which she’s completely banished from her life, so she claims.
Jack
Gordon has come a long way since his early days of obsession with Sara. As the
general manager of Stewart Realty, his own level of responsibility for the
well-being of others has ramped up. He’s even honed his caretaking skills, now
that he has someone who loves him unconditionally.
Continuing
to invest effort and rebuild their relationship, he and Sara grow close as
friends. Despite this, his ultimate question remains unanswered; the one he
keeps asking, no matter how many times she says no. Sara isn't prepared for the
keen focus of his need--to have her back, once and for all. Her stubborn
resistance nearly rips both lives apart
The
epic conclusion to The Realtors series, Closing Costs brings Jack and Sara
truly full circle. Proving that the heat of lust and obsession; the need for
control and to be mastered in many areas of life can lead to love —surprising
you when you least expect it – if you will only allow it.
Closing Costs Excerpt:
Once Jack and
Sara had eased back into a wary friendship, the entire Stewart Real Estate
Company rejoiced because it meant fewer fraught upper management meetings. Jack
Gordon was a hard-ass leader, tough, firm, driven and with high expectations of
everyone around him. He had turned the brokerage around. But for almost a year
he’d been impossible to work with – antsy, quick tempered, never seeming to
leave the office even to sleep or eat except on Tuesdays and Thursdays – the
days he had Kate at his house.
Their
conversations lasted long into the night nearly three or four times a week and
between sorting through work issues and discussing theories of raising a
successful future woman, they’d drifted into more personal details.
“So…” she’d
asked at one point, needing to know but dreading the answer at the same time.
“Have you, um, moved on, like I told you to?”
“Since when do I
do what you tell me?”
She’d shivered
at the sound of his voice. It had compelled her in so many ways, for good and
bad. She needed to hear it, like she needed to drink water.
“Never mind.”
“And you? Find a
new boyfriend yet?”
“Yeah, in all my
spare time, I’m out clubbing, picking up guys.”
“Well, there is
the internet.”
“That’s sick.
You gonna answer me?”
He sighed. “I’ve
been down at the club again. Playing.” Sara shut her eyes.
“Why didn’t you
ever take me there? I would’ve…”
He cut her off.
“You weren’t ready and every time I thought you were, you’d scream at me to get
the hell out of your life, if memory serves.”
“Yeah, I guess
so. We sure are good at bad timing, aren’t we?”
“Uh huh. You, my
dear, are the queen of overreaction. But I still love you.”
Her scalp had tingled
and she snuggled down in the covers. “Don’t know why. I’m a real bitch, I
hear.”
He chuckled and
her thighs tightened at the sound. “You horny, baby? That what this is about?”
She’d bitten her
lip. “You psychic?”
“Only as relates
to you.”
“Good night
Jack. See you tomorrow.”
“Wait – let’s
have phone sex. It’ll be fun.”
It had been her
turn to chuckle. “You are so…”
“Blue-balled?
Seriously Sara. I may be messing around downtown but I don’t…I can’t…oh hell
why am I telling you anyway. You’ll just gloat.”
“No, I won’t.
Tell me.”
“Another time.
When you’re on your knees, begging me.”
“Dream on.”
“No, you will
be.”
She’d shuddered,
her whole body on fire now with need for his hands, his lips, his voice. “Stop
it.”
“I’m not doing
anything.”
She’d sighed, realizing
the hopelessness of her whole relationship with him.
About the Author:
Amazon
best-selling author, mom of three, Realtor, beer blogger, brewery marketing
expert, and soccer fan, Liz Crowe is a Kentucky native and graduate of the
University of Louisville currently living in Ann Arbor. She has decades of
experience in sales and fund raising, plus an eight-year stint as a
three-continent, ex-pat trailing spouse.
Her
early forays into the publishing world led to a groundbreaking fiction
subgenre, “Romance for Real Life,” which has gained thousands of fans and
followers interested less in the “HEA” and more in the “WHA” (“What Happens
After?”). More recently she is garnering even more fans across genres with her
latest novels, which are more character-driven fiction, while remaining very
much “real life.”
With
stories set in the not-so-common worlds of breweries, on the soccer pitch, in
successful real estate offices and at times in exotic locales like Istanbul,
Turkey, her books are unique and told with a fresh voice. The Liz Crowe
backlist has something for any reader seeking complex storylines with humor and
complete casts of characters that will delight, frustrate and linger in the
imagination long after the book is finished.
Don’t
ever ask her for anything “like a Budweiser” or risk bodily injury.
PRAISE FOR THE
ORIGINAL STEWART REALTY TRILOGY
“The
sizzling power of attraction and the sexiness of a take charge Alpha male
attitude is incredibly written by this talented author.”-- Romancing The Book
“The
chemistry felt between the characters is nothing short of electrifying. I was struck by a range of emotions while
reading this novel, I love a read that can toy with my emotions but not leave
me feeling emotionally devastated!”-- Flirty and Dirty Book Blog
“This
series, especially Sweat Equity, is emotional, hot and realistic. There are
lots of break-ups and A LOT of make-ups. I urge readers to pick this book up,
but only after reading the first book, Floor Times, in this amazing series. The
cliffhanger in this book will make you want to throw your Kindle or paperback.
But you will immediately rush to get the third book in this series.”--
Cocktails and Books
“Once
again, kudos to Liz Crowe's writing on CLOSING COSTS for the happily ever after
that was long coming for Jack and Sara. I found myself frustrated, anger and
also teary-eyed because I just wanted to see them together and start living
their life as a happy family. I truly loved this book even with all the
complications of the lives of the characters but that is the beauty of it: It
is so realistic that you can see it happening, unfolding right in front of your
eyes.”-- The Romance Reviews
“Crowe's
writing is so realistic and enjoyable, I found myself alternating between
extreme frustration, tears and happiness. I literally could not put the book
down and read it all in one sitting. This is a book I will read more than
once.”— *Most Helpful Amazon Rated Review by Amazon User My Book Addiction and
More
“I
positively enjoyed this book, especially the characters, which were appealing
and well-developed–and the writing which impressed me from the first page.”--
Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
“What
Worked
Just.
About. Everything. That’s not to say life was beautiful all the time, but there
wasn’t a single moment where I was upset with this read.”-- All Romance Reviews
“Be
prepared to read non-stop as the adventure continues and leaves your jaw
dropping for more. I 100% recommend this book that has left me anxiously
waiting for the next installment. The characters are so amazing and well
developed and the situations they experience evoke so much emotion. I could not
stop reading this book because it was that addicting!!!”-- *Most Helpful Amazon
Rated Review by Amazon User A_Carve
Read the rest of the series Available on Amazon
-including an anthology that has Floor Time/Sweat Equity/Closing Costs all in
one PLUS “House Rules” the Jack Gordon prequel.
ESSENCE OF TIME (Stand alone novel or book 4)
CONDITIONAL OFFER (book 5)
ESCALATION CLAUSE (book 6)
MUTUAL RELEASE (Stand alone novel or book 7)
GOOD FAITH (Stand alone “final” novel or book 8)
HOUSE RULES (The Jack Gordon Prequel)
***BONUS NEW
COVER LOVE!***
Conditional Offer
The Craig & Suzanne Story
It is
highly recommended that you read book 4 (Essence of Time) before this one.
Book
Description:
Craig
Robinson and Suzanne Baxter had no reason to meet, no real excuse to be
friends. But when heart calls to heart...blood to blood...should two people who
seem destined to be together heed the spin of Fate's wheel?
Craig
spent years floating through life on cruise control, using directionless jobs,
his rock band, swimming, and a string of older women in his bed to smother
feelings of loneliness and loss. He finally thought he had found his true love
in one Sara Thornton -- A sexy, beautiful, fellow real estate agent and mentor.
But his self-doubt and innate sense of failure is only reinforced when he
realizes her heart belongs to another man.
When
Sara introduces him to Suzanne, a woman fighting her own demons from an abusive
marriage and subsequent feelings of inadequacy and deep unhappiness, that
simple, chance moment snaps Craig's hazy existence into crystal-clear focus. A
bond of instant physical attraction, nurtured by time and shared experience,
and plenty of erotic energy, is born.
As
Suzanne's past continues to haunt her, making her push Craig away just as he
thinks he’s getting closer, each of them must come to terms with their true
selves and face their ultimate realities.
Conditional Offer Excerpt:
"Hey,"
Suzanne said, looking up from her laptop. "What's up?"
Craig gulped,
stuck his hands in his suit trouser pockets. His voice seized up, his throat
felt as dry as a bone. He took a look at her, her small frame encased in jeans
and a brewery tee shirt, tendrils of dark red hair curled around her neck. He
was more consumed with nervousness. She looked up at him again, her gaze
neutral and expectant, polite.
"I, uh,
thought I'd take you up on the brewery tour offer. You know if you're not
busy."
He suppressed an
inward groan at how incredibly lame that sounded.
"Never mind." He sank into a bar
stool across from where she stood behind the bar.
She shut the
computer, leaned on her elbows and smiled at him. His heart skipped a beat.
Typically, a hot woman would intrigue him, make him want to flirt, impress and
ultimately seduce. Suzanne brought out a completely new feeling in him – one he
didn't understand and that scared him practically shitless. But he’d come here
again, unable to stop himself.
"Here."
She handed him a beer and walked away. He was mesmerized by the sway of her
hips but tried to force his usual A-game down under a layer of chivalry. One
thing he'd never been around women was tongue-tied. Yet, there he was, smiling,
and slamming down half the beer she slid across the bar at him while she talked
with the bar manager and put all her stuff away.
She glanced at
him once, a puzzled look in her eyes. He shrugged, smiled and forced his eyes
up to the television and away from her.
After about
fifteen minutes of messing around behind the bar, chatting with other customers
and other diversions, she was back in front of him, leaning in, way too close
for his comfort. He sat back, sipped and tried to ignore her.
"And so,"
she said, sipping her own beer. "A tour, huh?"
"Yeah,
well, you mentioned it last time and I thought…." He heard his voice trail
off, and started to stand and leave—anything to escape the horror of his
lame-ass behavior. But he couldn't. Not when she leveled that intense gaze at
him. He had to clench his fists to stop himself from touching her hair, from
pressing his lips to that sweet spot just near her ear. He blinked.
"Um sorry?
What did you say?"
She leaned her
head back and laughed, making him tingle all over.
"I said, you adorable thing you, if you
want a tour, then follow me."
She lifted the service arm and came out from
behind the bar. He sat back, unsure what to do now, but wanting more than
anything to follow her wherever she went. Something about her was so
compelling, so tempting and so right. He smiled, and grabbed his glass.
She stepped into
the brewery, holding up the superficial chain barrier between it and the Tap
Room. He ducked under and listened as she launched into what was obviously a
well-practiced spiel. He sipped, looked around, and pointed to a glass jar of
small candies.
"Hey, are those M&Ms?" He walked
over to a tall, makeshift worktable.
She followed him
putting her hand over his when he started to take the lid off the giant
container.
"No, Reese's Pieces." He looked at
her, loving the feel of her palm on his hand. "They're mine. I'm an
addict." She shrugged and stepped away.
"So give me
the real story here Suzanne. I mean, you guys are successful, rolling in dough,
expanding twice inside ten years. All is great?" He lifted the lid and
scooped a handful of the peanut butter candies.
She sighed and
held out her hand. He put one chocolate covered morsel in it. She glared at
him, ate it, and seemed to relax, for the first time since he'd arrived,
dropping her façade of business woman in control. He stood close to her, held
out his hand and gave her a few more candies.
"It sucks
sometimes, but I wouldn't do anything else. I love it."
"It sucks.
And you love it," he repeated, crunching down on the chocolate peanut
butter morsels. "Damn I haven't had these in years. I forgot how good they
are."
"I
know," she said, holding her hand. "So, Craig, why are you here,
really? You obviously don't give a shit about my standard brewery tour."
He seized up a
half a second, then pushed away from the table and grabbed more candy from the
jar.
"How do you work here anyway? With these
damn things around all the time…Jesus." He popped a few more in his mouth.
She joined him,
perched on a backless stool nearly right under his arm. He started to move away
from her, but then didn't. She put the lid back on the jar.
"I have to keep it stocked, that's the
only rule. Because I eat the most of them, I guess. You gonna answer my
question, or what?"
He draped his
arm around her shoulder and they munched on candy like little kids.
"I came to see you," he said
suddenly, needing her to know.
"I
figured," she said, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I'm glad you
did."
Coming soon:
NET WORTH
(Good Faith sequel)
EXCLUSIVE
AGENCY (The Sara/Blake Thornton Prequel)
Tour Giveaway:
1 $25 Amazon gift card
2 audiobook (Audible) downloads of Floor Time
1 set containing one copy of each of the three books in the series (winner’s choice of formats – mobi, ePub, PDF)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
