Ninety-Eight (Contemporary Romance)

  PRAISE FOR NINTEY EIGHT

  “Shannon Mayer has the unique ability to pen novels in any genre and continually keep you on the edge of your seat in suspense. Unexpected twists and turns, memorable characters and distinctive plotlines are her well-known forte’. Ninety Eight is no exception and will keep you guessing right until the very last words. Sensational!”

  -Just My Opinion Book Blog

  “This was one of the best love stories I’ve ever read. I never cry when I read books but this one did a number on me…I laughed and I cried. I was happy, angry and sad. I stayed up until 4:30am because I couldn’t put this book down.”

  -Books4Me

  “This book was so emotionally gut wrenching. It took me through the whole spectrum of emotions. I laughed and cried. I think I even threw my kindle at one point. It is just so captivating and beautiful I could not put it down! You think you know what’s going to happen but there is just so much to this story. This one just grips you and sticks with you for days.”

  -Amber

  “Let me just say that I read this book from start to finish, only taking a break to wipe tears from eyes. Emotional highs and lows, laughter and tears. A tale that I identified with, characters that I want to meet. I love to read, but Ninety-Eight is a story that will draw you and then stay with you long after the last page. What an incredible journey this story took me on.”

  -Jennifer

  “I was torn up with this book – I laughed and cried and cursed it until I finished it! I totally loved the story line and I could relate to how we are told how to act and how to not follow our dreams and childhood fantasies of love and the future… I love Darwin and Briele and Micah… Love is never easy and this story puts it out there for you to grab a hold of and just go for it!”

  -Tami

  “This was the best book I have ever read! This book took me on a roller coaster ride and I don’t think I will ever get off! This book has been branded on my heart and soul. This book made me laugh, cry, made me angry, sad, happy and just about any emotion you can think of. Definitely be sure you clear out a block time to read it as you will literally NOT be able to put it down. It has twists and turns that will leave you breathless!”

  -Corey

  Contemporary Romance

  High Risk Love

  Paranormal Romance

  The Rylee Adamson Series

  Priceless (Book 1)

  Immune (Book 2)

  Raising Innocence (Book 3)

  Shadowed Threads (Book 4)

  Romantic Suspense

  The Nevermore Trilogy

  Sundered

  Bound

  Dauntless

  Urban Fantasy

  Celtic Legacy Series

  Dark Waters

  Dark Isle

  Dark Fae

  Ninety Eight

  Copyright © Shannon Mayer 2013

  All rights reserved

  Published by HiJinks Ink Publishing, Ltd

  www.shannonmayer.com

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a database and retrieval system or transmitted in any form or any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the owner of the copyright and the above publishers.

  Please do not participate in or encourage the piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. Or deliberately on purpose, depending on whether or not you have been nice to the author.

  Original illustrations by damonza.com

  Mayer, Shannon

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Praise for Ninety Eight

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  About the Author

  Full List of Shannon’s Books

  High Risk Love

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Ninety Eight is a story that showed up out of nowhere and demanded that I write it, and I am so glad that I listened to my muse and did as she asked. I couldn’t have written this story without the help of so many people. My beta readers Creig Lessieur and Jean Faganello (both of who read the book more than once). The blitzing amazing editing team of Melissa Breau and NL “Jinxie” Gervasio who helped me find just the right way to tweak the story (okay, there were more than a few tweaks).

  To my cover artist, Damon Za who puts up with all the revisions and always produces the most amazing cover art.

  There is one gal who shall not be named, but who I can’t not mention, she is one of my dearest friends and a true blessing in my life. Without her constant encouragement I don’t think I would have made it through this story. You know who you are, and yes, you can pat yourself on the back at least once.

  Last but not least, for my guy. Cheesy as all hell this might be, you are the reason I know the strength of love, and what it can pull you through, how it can hold you tight and keep you from flying apart at the seams. Thank you for who you are, and for that truth you’ve helped me see.

  1

  HELL YEAH, MY friend!” Penny’s voice danced over her words, and I had to hold my cell phone away from my ear. “Happy damn birthday, Brielle. Are you going to let me take you out to celebrate this year?”

  I cleared my throat and lowered my voice. “No, Victor is taking me out.” He and Penny didn’t exactly see eye to eye. Okay, Victor really didn’t like her, but I would never tell her that.

  “When are you going to dump that asshat anyway? He sucks. And not in the way a man should, unless things have changed in that department?”

  I smiled and shook my head, though she couldn’t see me. “Sex isn’t everything, and I’m not going to dump him. He’s a good guy, you know that; he’s way better than those losers we dated in college.”

  “Whatever. He hates me almost as much as your parents do.” She grumbled and then in the background I heard a pan hit the floor with a clang.

  “He doesn’t hate you.” I ignored the noises of what I knew would be her morbidly bad attempt at cooking. “And they aren’t my parents. Frank is the man my mother married.” I didn’t even try to keep the bitterness out of my voice, not with Penny.

  “Sorry. Manner of speaking. Anyway, ditch the stiff—I’ll even make you dinner.” There was another clatter of pots to punctuate her words.

  I sat on the edge of the bed, the taupe material stiff under my fingers as I ran my hand over it. “Ahh, no. I’ve eaten your cooking before. I would rather not get food poisoning on my birthday, thank you very much.”

  “Oh ye of little faith. I’d order out and tell you I’d cooked it.”

  I laughed, flinging my body back on the bed. Yeah, that was Penny through and through.

  “Baby, are you ready? We’re going to be late for dinner.” Victor called from the hallway, not even bothering to open
the door.

  “Crap, I’ve got to go, Penny. I’ll take a rain check on the dinner. And maybe I should cook.”

  “You’ve got a deal. And if that douche makes you pay for your own dinner again I’m going to personally kick his ass.”

  The smile slipped from my face. “Deal.”

  I pressed the end button and stood, facing the mirror. I smoothed the red satin dress down my body, then rolled the gold and silver ring on my left thumb three times. I’d splurged on the dress, making it my first purchase on my credit card, and even though I knew it would take me a couple of pay checks to pay it off, I didn’t care. The dress was perfect, a strapless number that hugged my upper body and flared over my hips, swirling down to just above my knees. Finding a dress that looked good on my body was a plus with so many clothes designed for women with no hips.

  I leaned closer to the mirror to make sure my make-up was still intact. I grabbed a handful of my long blonde hair and held it up, then changed my mind, and let it fall to brush against my bare shoulders. After adding a touch of blue eyeliner to bring out the deeper blue of my eyes, I headed out of the bedroom.

  Victor waited for me in the kitchen. Blond hair the color of pale wheat, trim body and good looking to boot, Vic was one of those men who had it all together. An accountant, he had a well-paying, steady job, and his family was extremely supportive of him. He’d gone to college right out of high school, and was rapidly working his way up the ranks in a large accounting firm. He was only a few inches taller than me—just enough so I could still wear heels next to him when we went out. With all that he had going for him, I was lucky to have him as my boyfriend. He was a good man.

  “Baby, you have outdone yourself tonight. You look fantastic. Give me a twirl.” His dark brown eyes lit up as he wiggled one finger in a circle, and I obliged, spinning around once, the red dress swirling out around my legs.

  “You are a stunning gal. How did I get so lucky?” His arms circled around me and I smiled up at him. My heart didn’t thump wildly, my panties didn’t get all tied up in knots. But I was happy. Victor loved me. He was good to me.

  I smiled up at him, wondering if I was ever going to feel the jitters Penny talked about with each of her beaus. There wasn’t anything wrong with Victor; hell, there was nothing I could point at that would have turned me off from dating him, or for not staying with him as long as I had; almost two years now. The issue was far simpler than that. There was no passion of the Harlequin kind between us, but I’d known going in that that was okay. He was far from perfect, but I would say, being modest, that he was close to 65% right for me. Better than what I’d ever thought was possible, especially after my first few experiences with men. Cheats, liars, users. Everything my nana had ever warned me about. I’d ignored the advice she’d given to me, and gotten burned in the process.

  Badly.

  After my last failed relationship, I’d met Victor and realized I’d hit the veritable jackpot.

  Nana had been my rock growing up. My father had died right after my sixteenth birthday, and my mother had remarried a man who wanted nothing to do with children. Certainly nothing to do with me, except to spend the money my father had left for me. If it hadn’t been for Nana, I’m not sure where I’d have ended up. Nana would have loved Victor, she would have approved. He was a good man—no, he wasn’t perfect, but a good man, solid through and through.

  What more could I ask for?

  “Who said luck had anything to do with it? Just make sure to take me out for dinner now and again. A good meal is always welcome.” I went up on my tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. Nope, still no panty twisting. What was wrong with me? How could I not be crazy about Victor, knowing what I knew about men?

  He chuckled. “So as long as I take you out from time to time, you’ll stick around?”

  I gave him a wink, and twisted my thumb ring. “Pretty much.”

  Laughing, we headed out of the mid-sized apartment we’d rented together six months ago. Middle of the road, we had planned on painting it, adding some color. But the painting party had yet to happen—all of my friends had drifted away except for Penny (who I really did think Victor hated) and Victor was too busy—so we’d left the walls as they were. Beige.

  The restaurant Victor had decided on was one of the best in Lexington. Maybe even the best in Kentucky, depending on whom you asked.

  “Vic, this is too much,” I said as we pulled into the restaurant parking lot. Sure, it was my birthday, but we had a standing agreement that we always paid for ourselves when we went out. I didn’t have the money for a restaurant like this. He knew that.

  “No way. We’re celebrating tonight, so this is my treat. It’s not only your birthday. I got the partnership in the firm.” He grinned over at me, holding his arms out wide.

  I gave him the appropriate girlfriend response. With a squeal, I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him soundly. “I’m so happy for you. That’s what you’ve been working for. I’m proud of you, Vic. Really, that’s great.”

  Dinner was good. Even though Victor was paying, I was reluctant to order anything fancy. Not that he couldn’t afford it, but Vic had made it very clear when we moved in that we weren’t to take advantage of each other when it came to stuff like this. So I stuck with an appetizer, nothing too fancy.

  “You want dessert, Baby?” Victor leaned across, capturing both my hands with his.

  “No, I think I’ll pass.”

  “I think you should at least try some of the mousse. It’s famous here, you know.”

  I stifled the urge to tell him if he wanted it, to get it himself. This was a classic Victor move; he wanted dessert, but didn’t want to be seen ordering it for some reason. Maybe he was worried people would think he was being piggy, or maybe he really didn’t want the dessert until he saw me eating it. Either way, he’d badger me until I would order it, I would take one bite and he would finish it off. Irritating as hell, but really only a small quirk, especially from such a good man.

  It didn’t normally bother me so much, but tonight it just felt obnoxious. Mentally, I took 2% off the top of Victor’s scorecard right there. Maybe even 5%. Tonight, he was dropping closer to the 60% mark. I reminded myself that, at best, my previous relationships had been 40% right for me, a long way away from where Victor stood on the podium in my mind.

  Without waiting for me, Victor waved at our waiter, who was at my side with a small dish of mousse. A dollop of whip cream on top of the mousse was topped off with a shimmering sparkly that was most definitely not edible.

  “Victor … .” I stared at the ring, shock filtering through me. I could feel the blood draining from my face. This wasn’t for real. It couldn’t be. We hadn’t even talked about marriage yet. Was he serious, or was he just feeling good about the promotion and so, was making an impulsive move? I slowly lifted my eyes to his.

  He slid his chair back and went to one knee, taking my hand in his. My palms were clammy, but his were warm and dry. Victor stared up at me, his gaze full of confidence that I would say yes. The restaurant went quiet with a hushed expectation, broken only by a sniffle here and there.

  “I love you, Baby. We’re so good together. You understand me and my work, and I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone else. Will you marry me?”

  But … was this it? Victor and me, forever and ever? Did it matter that I felt nothing more than friendship for him?

  Summoning a smile that clung to my lips like a dying man clings to his last breaths of life, I answered him, knowing Nana was smiling down on me. Knowing she would be happy that I’d done the right thing in order to stay safe and keep my life going in the direction she would have wanted.

  I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his, then pulled back just enough to look him in the eye.

  “Yes, I will.”

  2

  DR. WINSTON, SANDY and Ron would like to talk to you about Brandy Wine’s treatments.” I pointed at the clients standing at the far end of the sma
ll barn peering into their horse’s stall. They were long standing clients with Dr. Winston’s veterinary practice so they were used to him.

  I was still getting used to him. Even after working with him for over a year, I couldn’t call him anything but Dr. Winston. Not that I ever heard anyone else he worked with call him by his first name. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure I knew what his first name was.

  “What the hell,” Dr. Winston grumbled. “They can’t damn well read? I gave them instructions, two whole sheets of them.” He slammed the door of his truck shut and stomped down the alleyway, muttering the whole way.

  I worked with him four days a week as his personal vet tech/assistant, and in the last year I’d learned a lot from him. He should have retired years ago, according to his only other employee—his receptionist, Darlene, who’d worked for him close to twenty years— and the other local veterinarians. He had some serious quirks, but he was an excellent veterinarian and I’d learned more than enough to make it worth my while to put up with him. Even though half the time I wasn’t sure if he was being serious or not. And all the clients seemed to tolerate his muttering, insults and swearing. Well, not all of them, but most.

  I packed the rest of the equipment into the truck and slid into the passenger seat. The schedule for the day was packed, as always. We still had four more appointments, but as I skimmed the book, it was the final appointment of the day that caught my eye. Last on the list happened to be the worst client Dr. Winston had. At least, in my opinion.

  I couldn’t stop the groan that slipped out of me, and Dr. Winston caught me as he jerked the door open on his side of the truck.

  “What the hell are you moping about now, girl? Auntie Flow making her monthly visit?” He raised an eyebrow at me.

  I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. Only Dr. Winston would say that. “No, I was just looking at the schedule and I saw who the last appointment is.”