Cleaning Up Love
A sweet novella (closed door sex scenes)
Genre: Sweet Romance
Length: 27,000
Heat level: 1
Penny Watson has run away from her past, hoping to never return to it again. She spends her days being the housekeeper to celebrity Brock Foxx. Things change when photos are snapped by the paparazzi when he treats her to a friendly dinner.
Brock Foxx has been acting for as long as he can remember, but with a nasty scandal in the headlines, he isn’t sure what’s left of his career. After one photo is taken of him and his gorgeous housekeeper Penny looking smitten with one another, a new web of lies is started. Only these lies he wants to become the truth.
Before long, Penny is swept up in the spotlight as Brock Foxx’s latest fling. While she should be loving it, she’d also worried that the men she’s running from will find her.
What readers are saying:
"What an amazing story. The characters and storyline just hook you in from the beginning. " - Shelly Small (Amazon)
"A sweet romance that has a touch of suspense and the life of a movie star added in for some additional intrigue. You will love Penny and Brock and be rooting for them and their HEA." - (ajk) avid reader (Amazon)
Length: 27,000
Heat level: 1
Penny Watson has run away from her past, hoping to never return to it again. She spends her days being the housekeeper to celebrity Brock Foxx. Things change when photos are snapped by the paparazzi when he treats her to a friendly dinner.
Brock Foxx has been acting for as long as he can remember, but with a nasty scandal in the headlines, he isn’t sure what’s left of his career. After one photo is taken of him and his gorgeous housekeeper Penny looking smitten with one another, a new web of lies is started. Only these lies he wants to become the truth.
Before long, Penny is swept up in the spotlight as Brock Foxx’s latest fling. While she should be loving it, she’d also worried that the men she’s running from will find her.
What readers are saying:
"What an amazing story. The characters and storyline just hook you in from the beginning. " - Shelly Small (Amazon)
"A sweet romance that has a touch of suspense and the life of a movie star added in for some additional intrigue. You will love Penny and Brock and be rooting for them and their HEA." - (ajk) avid reader (Amazon)
Available at
Get Cleaning Up Love in the Spring Into Romance boxed set for 99 cents!!!
Amazon - Nook - iTunes - KOBO
Amazon - Nook - iTunes - KOBO
Excerpt
“You’re always so quiet. Why?” he asked.
This was a question she was familiar with. Even as a child, people always asked if there was something wrong with her or if she was mute. She learned at an early age to shut her mouth, unlike her older sister who argued, even as their father beat her. Melinda never stopped, which made it that much worse.
“I don’t have much to say.”
“I think you do, and I’d love to hear it. You have a beautiful voice.”
No one had ever said that before. She wasn’t used to compliments; she was used to being told everything she did was wrong. “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me.” He scooped up eggs onto his fork. “Tell me about you.”
She tore a piece of bacon in half. “I really don’t want to talk about me. Anything else but me.”
“Don’t deny me the one conversation I want to have. You’re a mystery, Penny. A gorgeous one.”
Her cheeks warmed. Brock was a smooth talker and called every woman beautiful—or she hoped. There was no way he’d pay her any attention. Especially not now. Her hair was in a messy bun, and she was still her pajamas.
Oh God!
She was wearing a T-shirt that had seen better days.
“Since you won’t give me what I want, I guess I should jump to the reason I wanted to butter you up with this breakfast.”
“You need me to clean it up?”
“It’s your day off. This is my mess today.” He winked.
“I don’t mind.”
He groaned. “I’m capable of cleaning up. Now eat and listen.”
Listening she was good at.
“I don’t know if you’ve seen today’s headlines.” He set his fork down. Something in her gut knew she’d been in it. “I want to apologize our dinner was interrupted last night. I was having a great time with you. It’s been so long since I went out with someone who wanted to be there for the companionship and not because of my status. Anyway.” He cleared his throat. “One reporter—several got our photos—did a different spin on us being out. Other than the main one about me being a creep. She caught just the right image.”
Brock pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped away on it before handing it to her.
She stared at a photo of him with an expression that said ‘love’. The photo under it was her, with a similar look. Did someone Photoshop these? She scrolled down reading a short article about wanting to know who the mystery woman was that had Brock Foxx falling head over heels in love.
In love?
She handed the phone back.
“My agent has this crazy idea. He thinks you’re my perfect alibi to get out of this mess I am in.”
“Me?” How could she possibly help?
“Yes, and without my permission, he sort of got the ball rolling already.”
She ran her palm along her cheek. “I don’t understand.”
“These photos of us portray love and he wants to use that.”
“Brock, just spit it out.” She had to hear him say it, because she had a really good idea where this was heading.
“You and I need to pretend we’re dating and announce that we’ve been together all along. You’ll counteract Sylvia’s story because I was with you when she claimed I hit her.”
“Oh, I don’t know.” She couldn’t be in the spotlight.
“I told my agent that, but he went ahead and did it anyway.” He lifted his glass. “I might be in the market for a new agent, and you’re about to get fifteen minutes of fame.”
She stood from the stool and walked out of the kitchen. When she got to the back door of his home, she ran toward the guest house.
Once inside her small place, she knew what she had to do, pack her things and quit. That was the only option. There was no way she could do what Brock was asking. Things had been good here. She’d been hiding out, staying safe. But if he thought she had money, he’d find her in a heartbeat and do whatever he had to until she paid him.
This was a question she was familiar with. Even as a child, people always asked if there was something wrong with her or if she was mute. She learned at an early age to shut her mouth, unlike her older sister who argued, even as their father beat her. Melinda never stopped, which made it that much worse.
“I don’t have much to say.”
“I think you do, and I’d love to hear it. You have a beautiful voice.”
No one had ever said that before. She wasn’t used to compliments; she was used to being told everything she did was wrong. “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me.” He scooped up eggs onto his fork. “Tell me about you.”
She tore a piece of bacon in half. “I really don’t want to talk about me. Anything else but me.”
“Don’t deny me the one conversation I want to have. You’re a mystery, Penny. A gorgeous one.”
Her cheeks warmed. Brock was a smooth talker and called every woman beautiful—or she hoped. There was no way he’d pay her any attention. Especially not now. Her hair was in a messy bun, and she was still her pajamas.
Oh God!
She was wearing a T-shirt that had seen better days.
“Since you won’t give me what I want, I guess I should jump to the reason I wanted to butter you up with this breakfast.”
“You need me to clean it up?”
“It’s your day off. This is my mess today.” He winked.
“I don’t mind.”
He groaned. “I’m capable of cleaning up. Now eat and listen.”
Listening she was good at.
“I don’t know if you’ve seen today’s headlines.” He set his fork down. Something in her gut knew she’d been in it. “I want to apologize our dinner was interrupted last night. I was having a great time with you. It’s been so long since I went out with someone who wanted to be there for the companionship and not because of my status. Anyway.” He cleared his throat. “One reporter—several got our photos—did a different spin on us being out. Other than the main one about me being a creep. She caught just the right image.”
Brock pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped away on it before handing it to her.
She stared at a photo of him with an expression that said ‘love’. The photo under it was her, with a similar look. Did someone Photoshop these? She scrolled down reading a short article about wanting to know who the mystery woman was that had Brock Foxx falling head over heels in love.
In love?
She handed the phone back.
“My agent has this crazy idea. He thinks you’re my perfect alibi to get out of this mess I am in.”
“Me?” How could she possibly help?
“Yes, and without my permission, he sort of got the ball rolling already.”
She ran her palm along her cheek. “I don’t understand.”
“These photos of us portray love and he wants to use that.”
“Brock, just spit it out.” She had to hear him say it, because she had a really good idea where this was heading.
“You and I need to pretend we’re dating and announce that we’ve been together all along. You’ll counteract Sylvia’s story because I was with you when she claimed I hit her.”
“Oh, I don’t know.” She couldn’t be in the spotlight.
“I told my agent that, but he went ahead and did it anyway.” He lifted his glass. “I might be in the market for a new agent, and you’re about to get fifteen minutes of fame.”
She stood from the stool and walked out of the kitchen. When she got to the back door of his home, she ran toward the guest house.
Once inside her small place, she knew what she had to do, pack her things and quit. That was the only option. There was no way she could do what Brock was asking. Things had been good here. She’d been hiding out, staying safe. But if he thought she had money, he’d find her in a heartbeat and do whatever he had to until she paid him.