A funny thing happened on the way to publishing this book . . . Everything happened. Including a global pandemic. Now it’s almost release day and I can’t believe I’ve almost got this book baby out into the world.
Dating Little Miss Perfect is my quirky take on You’ve Got Mail, with anonymous online dating, workplace romance of the rivals to lovers variety, banter, cupcakes, and a spark of science! I can’t wait for everyone to meet my spunky scientist heroine, Doctor Eden, and the gorgeous Aussie marketing manager hero, Finn (who may possibly look like a Hemsworth).
I hope you enjoy reading this excerpt of Dating Little Miss Perfect, releasing on 24 May 2023 in ebook and paperback.
Excerpt of Chapter One
HotAussie007: Hi stranger. Talk dirty to me!
Eden heard her smartphone ding and knew who it was before she looked. She grabbed her phone. Yes, it was her anonymous almost boyfriend. Hardly anyone messaged her. And that tingly anticipation in her lower belly, no one else had that effect.
She shouldn’t be doing this at work. It seemed naughty. A little dirty. But she was addicted to messaging him. As with any addiction, she couldn’t help herself. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her pristine white lab coat and smoothed back a lock of hair escaping her high ponytail. Silly, considering they couldn’t see each other, but she wanted to look her best.
Eden tapped out her response… No. Delete! She wouldn’t go all the way totally sexy. Not at work.
LittleMissPerfect: Hey big boy, what’s up?
HotAussie007: That’s it? Nice dirty talk. You’re a real bad girl LOL
LittleMissPerfect: I’m at work. Covert messaging in progress *side eyes*
She scanned the lab. Her fellow science geeks were absorbed in their work, some plugged into earbuds as they conducted experiments or typed up reports. Felicity, her research assistant, was focused on analyzing the drug assay.
All clear.
HotAussie007: I’m working too. Coffee break. What are you wearing?
LittleMissPerfect: Not telling. You have to guess. Some men fantasize about my prim and proper outfit. And what’s underneath…
HotAussie007: Gah! Librarian? School teacher? Am I close? Stern, bossy, smart as a whip. I like this train of thought *daydreams*
LittleMissPerfect: I’m picturing you in underwear over tights. I’ve got this whole Clark Kent/Superman fantasy going on…
HotAussie007: *choke* Standard office gear today. Sorry to disappoint. But you can be my Lois Lane any day.
LittleMissPerfect: You’re making me shy *blushes*
HotAussie007: Don’t be shy. I like you.
Her belly flipped. Likey like.
HotAussie007: Will you meet me IRL?
Meet him? In real life? Her skin tingled, heat rising up her throat and across her cheeks. Oh God.
It could go spectacularly wrong, but she wanted to meet him. She wanted. Bad. All this online flirting had her mind intrigued and her body set to explode at the merest hint of a sexual fantasy. It was weeks since they’d ditched the dating site for one-on-one chats. But they’d kept things casual. And anonymous.
She’d chickened out of meeting him once already. Maybe she’d been smart. What if he took one look at her and bolted out the door? What if he didn’t go for geek girls? What if she couldn’t be sexy and funny in real life?
Eden loved the banter they shared online. But it was way easier to sex it up virtually with a faceless man than to flirt with a real, live, hot and sweaty human. Oh, but she wanted hot and sweaty.
Time to bite the bullet, to see if he was as funny and sexy as he seemed in their chats. She was dying to know what he looked like. Perhaps she’d indulge his librarian fantasy.
LittleMissPerfect: You’re on. Sweep me off my feet, big shot. Get back to me with a time and place. I’ll wear something strict.
HotAussie007: *dies* Will message later
Eden stared into space, indulging in her superhero fantasy. But Superman was too boring. This situation called for Thor. Lois Lane morphed into the spunky scientist Jane. With her long dark hair and subtle curves hidden under a lab coat, she did look a little like Eden. She’d help Thor save the world and hold on to his hammer… She’d happily oblige her hero. Strong, powerful, built like a pro wrestler but with a caring side. He’d do anything to protect her and save humanity.
As she was stroking her bare thigh near the edge of her summer skirt, a looming presence materialized behind her, sparking warning tingles across her nape, making the tiny hairs stand on end. Eden knew who it was. The man had timing. Bad timing. And he’d snuck up behind her bench in the open-plan lab. Was he trying to make her uncomfortable?
A few words rose to the front of her mind and they weren’t polite. Eden tried to keep it cordial with the bane of her professional existence. “Donohue. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
She swiveled on her stool to face her work rival, and not for the first time, she wished Finn Donohue’s looks matched his unpleasant personality. Instead, he had stunning sea-green eyes, tousled caramel hair, and over six feet of hunky height. All the muscles. None of it made him more appealing. It just didn’t. Okay, his Aussie accent made him a tad more attractive. But only a little.
Odd how she was surrounded by Australians, online and at work. A little alarm went off in her brain but she ignored it. This particular Aussie was definitely annoying.
Finn heaved a long-suffering sigh. “You know why I’m here, at least you should. The final clinical trial report. It’s three days overdue, Eden.”
He leaned over her, drumming his fingertips on the bench, invading her personal space. She crossed her arms under her breasts, and his gaze tracked down to her V-neck for a second. Eden stared at him without speaking until he slowly blinked and met her eyes.
Her lips stretched in a mock-friendly smile. “It’s Doctor Robinson. And as I said in my email, I’m still waiting on the blood test results from the LA lab. I can’t magically make them appear on my desk here in San Diego.”
Finn straightened. “Well, keep me updated. We need to get this drug to market ASAP, and I won’t be held accountable if you don’t deliver your end of the project.”
Eden waved him away. “I get it. Now, shoo!” She must have scared him because he took a step backward. Smoothing down her skirt, she sighed. “Go back to your marketing cubicle. Relax in a beanbag chair and sip your hipster coffee. Send some tweets or whatever it is you do, and let the smart people do their jobs.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Right. Wouldn’t want to interrupt all that important texting, Doctor Eden.” Finn shot her a glimmer-of-death glare, then turned and strode from the lab.
She did not admire his retreating form in his sharp suit. Broad shoulders, slim waist… firm butt. Nope, she scarcely noticed him.
He’d caught her slacking. She had to be careful. Her future at Magna Smart was precarious. From now on, she’d be the consummate professional to ensure her team received the special projects funding. Patients depended on her, on the heart medication that could save their lives. Years of research had gone into Magna Smart’s new drug.
She’d built up a team of good people who deserved a chance to prove themselves. They wanted to see the project through to completion and have their achievements recognized. She deserved recognition too. Plus, she needed the job. A big-ass mortgage didn’t pay itself. If she lost the project, she’d be downsized faster than you could say, ‘you’re fired.’ And finding another job at her level would take months, not weeks.
The funding would not be wasted on Finn Donohue’s marketing team. Again. The amount of funding his team received last year versus the paltry amount for her scientific research team was appalling. Eden’s gaze snagged on the memo from a few months ago, stuck to the partition behind her workspace. She reread it, her fists clenched in her lap.
Memo
To: All Staff, Heads of Department
From: Dr. McTavish, CEO Magna Smart Operations, USA
All departments now have the opportunity to compete for the current round of Future Smart Special Projects Funding recently announced by our parent company, Magna Smart Pharma (Europe). As part of this outstanding initiative, I am pleased to announce I have been appointed the arbiter of project suitability and likelihood of success, i.e., commercialization potential, revenue generation, and talent recognition for the United States arm of the company. A total of US$10 million in new funding is available for approved projects.
Department heads are to compile detailed proposals on their special projects for my initial input and approval by 1 March. As this opportunity was conceived as a ‘Best of Breed’ initiative for ideas that will impact the consumer business, proposals are sought from consumer-facing units, including Marketing and Business Development, Research and Innovation Commercialization, Information Technology, and Medical Science Partnerships.
If relevant teams choose not to take up this excellent opportunity to submit Future Smart Project proposals, management will, of course, carefully consider resource reallocation in future endeavors. The US Operation will aim to put its best foot, or feet, forward as the case may be.
Signed,
Dr. McTavish
Eden shook her head, dismissing the urge to throw tacks at the stupid memo with its implied threats.
She pushed Finn Donohue to the back of her mind too. She needed to concentrate on this potential thing with HotAussie007. Soon she’d meet him. In. The. Flesh. That was fantasy and a half — enough to stop her heart *dead*.
***
Finn had finally escaped his painful conversation with that woman. Thank you, Jesus, or Odin. Whoever’s listening. He stomped down the corridor, his feet beating a rhythm like a call to war.
Doctor Eden could suck it, in his humble opinion.
If only that thought didn’t make his blood run as hot and thick as the chocolate sauce on his favorite banana split. Eden’s lips, that petulant pout and the tempting curve of her mouth when telling him off, nearly had him saying, or doing, something stupid.
The way she talked down to him, as if he wasn’t worthy of breathing the same air as her and the other snooty scientists in her lab, as if he was something she’d scrape off her surprisingly purple Doc Martens and shove in a doggy-do baggie. But it wasn’t worth spending any more time thinking about. Not how she spoke, not the words, and especially not her hot little mouth.
No, he needed to focus on his work. He stormed along the polished concrete and glass corridor toward the Marketing and Business Development Department, at the opposite end of the building to Eden’s research lab. His jaw clenched as he recalled her final dig: Let the smart people do their jobs.
He’d show her smart. He had plans, damn it. Big plans. He had so much on his plate it was hurting his brain, but he didn’t deserve her scorn. He’d try to be her ally if he could.
Swerving off route, Finn pushed open the heavy fire door to the spacious courtyard between the two main buildings and sucked in the salty sea air, breathing deep and filling his lungs with oxygen. It was a little humid out there but much better. Not so stifling. Outside, still standing on the concrete paving of the company’s campus but overlooking the Pacific Ocean, he could breathe.
The courtyard boasted an architectural centerpiece—a man-made stream bordered by blocks of granite ran down the sloped ground before dropping off a step into a small water feature. Finn plonked himself on the edge of the polished rock by the clear, running water and rolled his shoulders, shrugging off the tension. He came here whenever he needed to find his calm. Chant some ‘oms.’ Whatever.
He wasn’t the only one catching some rays. Quite a few of the worker bees had escaped the hive to eat lunch or work on their laptops outside. Surveying the scattered geeks and admin staff, he spotted one of his guys: Nate, their new website analytics guru.
Nate caught his eye and nodded once, his long black hair flopping over his eyes. The younger man picked himself up and ambled over, touchscreen laptop in hand. He needed a haircut, big time. No one would take him seriously when he looked like an overgrown student who’d escaped from a frat house.
“Hey, man, you okay? You look stressed out.”
Nate needed a makeover in how he spoke too. Finn was his manager, and as such, he deserved respect. Before he moved to the States, he’d thought Aussies were laid back. But some of these Californian dudes were so laid back that they were almost comatose.
“I’m fine, thanks. Just taking a breather.” Finn held up a hand to shield his eyes from the blinding summer sun. Beautiful day, as always. He’d rather be surfing, for sure. Maybe at Bells Beach back home.
Nate nodded, his head bouncing like one of those bobblehead dashboard ornaments Finn bought for his Chevy. “I want to show you something. Can you spare a few minutes?”
Finn dipped his chin in Nate’s direction. “Sure. What have you got?”
“Weirdness with the website. A whole lot of traffic from Eastern Europe, and considering Magna Smart doesn’t trade there, it stood out. Could just be a blip, but it could be something more.”
Nate pulled up a graph on his screen and showed Finn the data. He talked him through the usual site traffic, mainly from the US and Canada, with some hits from Asia on particular products. The Eastern-European thing did seem odd. The pattern was out of whack compared to previous months, and Finn had read a lot of records lately. There were also large file transfers happening that Nate hadn’t seen before. The younger man shrugged, as if to emphasize his uncertainty. There could be a new partner or a reseller we haven’t heard about, sending traffic our way. Or, not to be too doom and gloom, it could be bad news. A hacker or someone else targeting our site. Do you think we should check with IT?”
“Absolutely. Get your information over to Data Security and see what they reckon.” Finn dragged his hand back through his hair and gazed out across the vast expanse of blue sea and sky. “Great day for surfing.”
“Surfing’s not my thing, but I’d like to try that one day.” Nate pointed to the clifftop to the right of the company’s complex, where a couple was preparing to jump. It wasn’t an emergency. They were strapped into a tandem hang glider.
Finn and Nate watched in silence as the couple launched off the cliff, hovered, and then lifted in an updraft of air. It looked impossible, or at least implausible, but they flew. Amazing. They swooped and glided on invisible trails of wind, rising higher still before tilting downward and skimming across the ocean. After a couple of minutes, they disappeared from view.
Finn sighed, brushed off his weird mood, and stood. “Yeah, I should try hang gliding.” Before I head back home to Australia. The depressing thought popped into Finn’s head, uninvited. He turned to Nate and shrugged. “Guess we should be getting back. Let me know what you find out about that blip.”
“Sure thing, boss man.”
“Don’t call me that. Finn will be fine. Mr. Donohue, if you’re feeling formal or we’re in a meeting with the Establishment.”
“Can do, Finn.” Nate saluted.
With a shake of his head, Finn headed across the courtyard to the opposite building, back toward the concrete bunker housing his team. But before he went inside, he succumbed to the urge to get his own back on Eden. Speaking to his smartphone’s dictation app, he drafted a quick email:
“Doctor Eden,
I greatly appreciated your attitude in our earlier chat. Your reminder of our formal work relationship and the importance of letting ‘smart people do their jobs’ was timely. Please find attached a file you may find of interest.
Your humble servant,
Finn Donohue
Manager, Marketing and Business Development
Magna Smart Pharmaceuticals
Attach file: Civilization”
“Send.”
It was juvenile, and she’d most likely hate him even more, but he couldn’t resist. When the cartoon titled ‘Civilization’ came up on his Twitter feed earlier, he’d immediately thought of her.
The cartoon depicted the slaves of ancient Egypt hauling rocks and lugging cartloads of tools to build a pyramid. A lone female figure stood at the top of the pyramid, raised on a lofty platform, shaking a finger at the workers below. Her long robe, black hair, cat-eye makeup, and jewels made it obvious she was the famous Queen Cleopatra. The caption nailed it.
Work smarter, not harder, that’s my motto. Civilization will thank me later.
He’d probably put his foot right in it. Still, it was better to be the shit-stirrer or even the one stepping in it than to be the excrement. There was a life philosophy.
Now that he thought about it, Eden kind of looked like Cleopatra, the classic Elizabeth Taylor version. Beautiful. Imperial. Scary. But irresistible, nonetheless.
Buy Dating Little Miss Perfect from major online retailers from 24 May 2023!
