Flip the Beat

By Roxanne D. Howard

WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR

Molly Ivers thought she found Prince Charming, but without a devilishly sexy accent, and six months ago she gave into their undeniable attraction. But the swarm of ever-present groupies was so not part of the fairy tale. As much as it hurt her heart, she shut out rocker Evan Castle.

Now, on the verge of finishing her graduate degree and moving to Paris—she even hires a French life coach—Molly begins to realize Evan, who hasn't given up on her, might be the man of her dreams after all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group
• Release date: Jul 10, 2018
• ISBN: 9781948029292

Roxanne D. Howard

Roxanne D. Howard is a U.S. Army veteran, and a Columbia College alumni. She loves to read books in every genre, and she is an avid Star Wars fan, musical theater nut, and marine biology geek. Roxanne resides in the western U.S., and when she's not writing, she enjoys spending quality time with her husband, children, and furry companions. Roxanne loves to hear from her readers, and encourages you to contact her via her website and social media.

Book preview

WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR

Molly Ivers thought she found Prince Charming, but without a devilishly sexy accent, and six months ago she gave into their undeniable attraction. But the swarm of ever-present groupies was so not part of the fairy tale. As much as it hurt her heart, she shut out rocker Evan Castle.

Now, on the verge of finishing her graduate degree and moving to Paris—she even hires a French life coach—Molly begins to realize Evan, who hasn't given up on her, might be the man of her dreams after all.

FLIP THE BEAT

Roxanne D. Howard

www.BOROUGHSPUBLISHINGGROUP.com

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, business establishments or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. Boroughs Publishing Group does not have any control over and does not assume responsibility for author or third-party websites, blogs or critiques or their content.

FLIP THE BEAT

Copyright © 2018 Haley Cavanagh

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved. Unless specifically noted, no part of this publication may be reproduced, scanned, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Boroughs Publishing Group. The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or by any other means without the permission of Boroughs Publishing Group is illegal and punishable by law. Participation in the piracy of copyrighted materials violates the author’s rights.

ISBN 978-1-948029-29-2

E-book formatting by Maureen Cutajar

www.gopublished.com

For Tonya, Amanda and Mindy, who would always let me play Cinderella.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A special thanks to my dear friend, Brandy Dixon for her invaluable beta reading and keen eye.

To the management at Boroughs Publishing, thank you for giving this fun story a home.

I’m especially grateful for Ann Curtis, who as always has a gift for chiseling the shape from the roughly hewn wood.

To my editor, it was a pleasure working with you on this. Thank you for all your insight and waving your magic red wand like a pixie over the manuscript.

CONTENTS

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Epilogue

Prologue

Six months ago

Molly sucked in a breath as the man trailed hot, openmouthed kisses along the length of her neck. He pressed her against the sofa, his hand supporting the small of her back. His hard length nudged the apex of her thighs. She spread her legs, and his cock pressed against her. He’d moved in last week and had come from his apartment downstairs a half hour ago—what had he asked for again? But one thing had led to another, and she was now in her bra and panties.

This is crazy. I barely know you, she whispered.

He lifted his muscular chest off her. Strands of dark blond hair fell into his striking face. He had a smooth, angular jawline, a perfect nose, and full, sensual lips. He hovered naked above her, his clothes discarded on the floor. His hazel eyes met hers with concern.

I know. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help it when I kissed you. You’re so beautiful, Molly. He traced his finger down her cheek. I can stop if you want. But you need to tell me now.

Molly blinked. She knew she should end it. She didn’t make hasty, irrational decisions, and this one would be a doozy. But since she’d met him the other day, her body came alive each time she passed him in the hallway. No one affected her like Evan, and she wanted him. Bad. If it was going to happen, she needed to give in to it. She slid her arms around his shoulders and hooked her ankle around the back of his calf. No, I don’t want you to stop. I just… I need to tell you something.

He took her hand and kissed the top of it reassuringly. Okay.

Evan. She pulled his head down and whispered in his ear, I’m a virgin.

Chapter One

Present day

Ivers, you’re on.

Professor Sullivan’s pleasant English accent pulled Molly from her reverie. She’d tried not to dwell on her breakup with Sean last night. She made her way through the auditorium aisle and kept her eyes glued to the podium. As she passed Professor Sullivan, who headed her thesis committee, she once again regretted all the times she should’ve made a move. Time had passed, though; he had a girlfriend, and Molly was due to get her master’s in anthropology, with a minor in art history, and move to Paris. Sixty-two days, four hours, and thirty-nine minutes, but who’s counting?

She could easily stay in Detroit and use her degree in a cushy job downtown. But she’d much prefer to dig new roots and work as an intern in the research department of the Musée d’Orsay. Her French wasn’t perfect but passable enough. The internship was a two-month stint in Paris—unpaid, but the opportunity of a lifetime. If Molly decided to come back to Detroit after it was over, her apartment and job were secured.

She got comfortable behind the podium and dived into her presentation on Negotiations of Gender, Identity, and Social Space in Modern America and Its Evolution through the Decades. She drifted off mentally somewhere between her introduction with Thomas Paine’s Common Sense and women’s role in the American Revolution before waking up a bit. She tucked her brown hair behind her ear and spent the next forty-five minutes with her gaze on Professor Sullivan. He made it kind of hard not to. Professor Nicholas Sullivan fit the epitome of her ideal man. He was tall and athletic, had wavy dark hair, dreamy, unguarded blue eyes, and a sexy English accent. He was also completely unavailable.

Professor Sullivan led cultural awareness classes that pertained to her degree, but for her entire graduate career, Molly enrolled in his English lit classes. She neither needed them nor had any interest in them, but she’d gone so far as to make it an added minor under her scholarship, just so she could be in his classroom. Yeah, she’d been with Sean, but their relationship was always predictable and stable. The boon in unrequited love for your professor was that you could still carry on your obsession ages after the fact. Professor Sullivan interjected questions throughout her defense, which she countered with ease. She could intellectually match him at any given time of the day, but getting his real attention took a miracle.

Professor Sullivan listened with rapt attention and seemed pleased with her delivery. Molly released a big breath at the close of her defense, happy to be done—though a bit forlorn her time with Prince Charming was coming to an end.

* * * *

Finished with her thesis defense, Molly arrived at the Detroit Historical Museum, where she worked odd hours as a collections and exhibitions archivist. She restored artifacts and prepared special exhibits during different seasons. The job had helped her get the internship at the Musée d’Orsay. She found an inherent mysticism in her work with precious artifacts. Revealing what secrets they hid had become its own reward. When she was young, she’d first visited the museum on a school field trip. She’d been struck by the mystery of preserved objects from thousands of years ago. That had led to her obsession with the Egyptian period.

Molly treated an ancient Chinese clay tea set for a few hours until she was interrupted by a text from Nell, her best friend, asking her to meet at their favorite local club for a drink at seven after her shift.

And now here she was, in the parking lot of the club, giving Nell a hug. She was a pretty girl with smooth, dusky-brown skin, intelligent eyes, and long dark hair. They’d hit it off when they first met and had been roommates for most of their college careers. They had each other’s backs on a constant basis. In preparation for her move to Paris, Molly had looked into roommate ads online near the Musée d’Orsay but hadn’t committed to any of them yet. She’d be lucky to find a roomie half as wonderful as Nell.

The club appeared to be in full swing, the blare of the speakers loud over the crowded entrance line by the doors. The band onstage let loose and rocked out, the large drum with the moniker SERIOUSLY EVAN illuminated by stage lights and computer graphics.

She spotted the familiar dark-blond lead singer, who kept his gaze trained on them when they walked in and headed for a booth. He nodded in recognition and flashed a killer smile at her from behind the mic.

Ah, Evan Castle—the man who’d taken her virginity one fateful night six months ago. The awkwardness had ebbed away between them now. Well, so it seemed. Every time their eyes connected across a roomful of people, her body came alive with the memory. How in the world could she forget? His tongue, his fingers, his teeth—there wasn’t an inch of her he hadn’t explored or mapped out, long before they’d actually had sex. By the time it came down to it, she’d grown so aroused, her first time had hardly hurt.

They’d been neighbors and friends since then. He occupied the apartment right below her and Nell. He sang in his band three times a week and tutored in French to help pay his bills. He was twenty-six and due to graduate alongside them with a master’s in public relations. Okay, and a minor in sexiness. She couldn’t deny he was obviously eye candy at six-foot-three with a rock-star haircut and a ripped body to drive a woman wild. And the man could sing.

He seemed to have a soft spot for her ever since they met. He’d complimented her light blue eyes and heart-shaped face, which she inherited from her mother. He treated her with a reverent kind of tenderness each time their paths crossed, which made their interactions less uncomfortable than they ought

Reviews for Flip the Beat

[n.w.moors-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Molly has her life set; she's about to graduate and has a dream job lined up in Paris. Sure, Evan, the guy who lives downstairs, rocked her world six months ago, but that's in the past - she thinks. Evan has other plans.This is a fun and quick read. Molly and Evan are a nice couple. Evan has hidden depths, and I was glad to see Molly give him a chance. I didn't quite understand the parts about her life coach; to me, Molly was pretty together, and that part seemed superficial. But I loved her roommate and the dance instructor. They deserve their own book.