Thank you to
Francine Howarth for hosting this
Online Book Fair and providing authors with a chance to meet their readers. Today I shall be introducing you to my novel, Come, Dance With Me, a contemporary romance inspired by the TV shows, Strictly Come Dancing or in the USA, Dancing with the Stars. So kick off your shoes and get dancing!
Come, Dance With Me
Mary Middleton
When television chat show host,
Sasha Johnson, interviews international ballroom dancer, Andrei Kovalevsky, her
life is altered forever. And six years later, when fate thrusts them together
once more, Sasha does all in her power to prevent him from blowing her world
apart for a second time. But can she defuse a bomb that is already ticking?
Andrei Kovalevsky has won almost every ballroom dancing
prize known to man, apart from television’s coveted Celebrity Dancing Trophy. When Andrei is partnered with an old flame,
Sasha Johnson, her two left feet threaten to kick the glittering prize way out
of his reach.
With just eight weeks to do it,
Andrei determines to break down the barriers between them, knock her into shape
and turn Sasha Johnson into a dancer.
But secrets, lies and an
irresistible attraction impede his way and their path to the Celebrity Dance
final is fraught with trouble.
Mary Middleton’s latest novel, Come, Dance With Me, will waltz
you through the glitzy, glamorous world of ballroom dancing and leave you
breathless.
Come, Dance With Me
Mary Middleton
Chapter One
‘Guess what’s happened!’ A candy-striped straw fell from Lisa’s
lips as Sasha slipped into the seat opposite. She pushed away the dregs of her
milkshake and met her friend’s dancing eyes and pretended to hazard a guess.
‘Erm…?’
As usual Sasha was brimming
with secrets but she extended the moment by summoning a waitress and ordering a
large mug of hot chocolate. Then she dug in her bag, took out her phone and
began to text, biting her lower lip as her thumb flew across the buttons.
Lisa slumped back in her
seat, watching from the corner of her eye as Sasha unwound a multi-coloured
scarf from about her lower face.
It was cold outside, the
coldest December for thirty years and the tip of Sasha’s emerging nose was
attractively pink, unlike Lisa’s which was an interesting shade of puce and
beginning to peel after a heavy cold.
Pulling the scarf free of
her neck, Sasha gave Lisa the benefit of her infectious three-cornered grin and
leaned forward confidingly over the table.
‘My boss, Mike, is in
hospital.’
Lisa raised her eyebrows.
‘And that’s good news is it? Well, whatever happened to Christmas spirit?’
‘No, no. Of course, I’m
really sorry Mike is sick but … you must see what this means.’
Sasha flicked back her hair
and pinioned Lisa with her dancing eyes.
Beneath the table Lisa squeezed the roll of fat at the top of her
waistband, already regretting the extra mince pie and cream she’d indulged in.
‘No, I’m sorry, Sash, I don’t
get it. I don’t see how Mike being ill can, in any way, be good news. It’s only
five days until Christmas, doesn’t he have a wife and kids? It could ruin their holiday. What’s up with
him, anyway?’
Sasha waved a hand,
dismissing the question. ‘I’m not sure, it’s his appendix, I think; but that’s
not really the point.’ She sat back and
smiled a thank you as the waitress set before her a large steaming mug of hot
chocolate, complete with whipped cream, marshmallows and chocolate sprinkles.
As always, she bit the
chocolate flake in two and handed Lisa the remaining half before picking up a
spoon and beginning to eat whipped cream from the top.
‘It means that they have
asked me to do all his interviews for the duration of his illness.’
Lisa narrowed her eyes,
beginning to understand what all the excitement was about.
Sasha was a rookie chat show
host; a sort of runaround-come-dog’s-body for Mike Bywater, the biggest cheese
to ever hit the small screen.
Delighted at last to have
Lisa’s full attention, Sasha gave a short burst of triumph, stifling a squeal
as Lisa’s mouth fell open and her eyes widened.
‘But, isn’t he supposed to
be meeting Andrei Kovalevsky for the Christmas Eve show? Surely they are not
letting you to interview him. I mean …oh, my God …they are …’
Sasha dropped her spoon and
the girls clasped hands over the table, squeezing tight, Sasha’s face
stretching into a comical grimace.
She was fit to burst with
excitement. ‘I know, I can’t believe this is happening. Andrei Kovalevsky, the most beautiful man on
the planet and me, Sasha Johnson. It’s like a dream.’
Lisa picked up the spoon and
began to demolish Sasha’s cream before it disintegrated into the hot chocolate.
‘Hey, do you want to borrow
my Valentino, the red one? It is a size twelve and way too tight for me. Even
when I could fit into it, it just emphasised my fat bits but on you it will be
stunning.’
Sasha put her head on one
side, her strawberry blonde hair trickling like water over one shoulder.
‘You don’t think dressing up
too much will make it look like I’m after him or anything?’
‘Well, you are, aren’t you,
if you’re really honest?’
Sasha’s face darkened to a
colour not too far removed from the dress in question.
‘Of course not. You know I’m
not like that. I’m waiting for the right man.’
‘Sash, get real; when it
comes to Andrei Kovalevsky every woman is ‘like that.’ Flippin’ ‘eck, go for
it, girl, what better man to lose your virginity to? You’ve held on to it far
too long in my opinion. Even a one-night stand with him would be enough for me
…I‘d be over the moon with a quick snog under the mistletoe.’
Sasha gave a wistful,
uncertain laugh.
‘As if he would ever look at
someone like me.’
Lisa’s eyes swept across her
friend’s flawless skin, wide blue eyes and what she could see of her perfectly
proportioned figure. Sometimes it was hard to believe that Sasha really had no
idea of how good looking she was or the effect that she had on almost every man
she met. While Lisa relied on four-inch
heels and half an inch of foundation to get her through the most ordinary day,
Sasha dared to leave the house with no makeup at all. And when they kicked off
their high heels at a dance Sasha still managed to look elegant while Lisa was
so short, she didn’t look old enough to be out. Sometimes Lisa wondered why she
didn’t find herself a shorter, fatter, plainer friend.
Sasha and Lisa had known each other for ever
but it was a wonder their friendship had lasted, for their working lives were
worlds apart. Shortly after graduating from university, Lisa had secured a dull
secretarial post at the social services while Sasha had landed her dream job in
television.
Sasha had worked hard,
leaving little time for a private life or romance. In the early days she had
been employed as a runner, making tea, taking messages. Later she had been
raised to the post of researcher, slowly edging her way up the ladder until she
was finally allowed into the inner sanctum of Mike Bywater, the smooth-talking,
self-obsessed chat show host that prime time audiences loved to hate.
The producers were always
promising her a shot at hosting the show but, until now, her job had been
restricted to digging for information, compiling a list of questions deep
enough to penetrate the surface, but not intrusive enough to offend. The gently probing interviews convinced the
celebrities that, when they were with Mike, they were with a friend, a
confidant. It was her hard work that had put Mike where he was, at the top.
Sasha knew she could go far
if she were just given a chance. She had begun to think she would never rise
any higher, never get her face fully into the limelight and she thanked God for
the burst appendix that had laid the mighty Mike Bywater low, and just might
finally prove to be her lucky break.
To read more about Sasha and her romance with Andrei click here in the USA
Also available in Paperback from the publisher click here to purchase
Mary Middleton's other books include:
For One Night Only click here to purchase Kindle copies in the UK
Vittorio's Virgin click here to purchase Kindle copies in the USA
The Greek Tycoon's Secret Daughter
Click here to purchase kindle copies in the UK
Where the West Wind Blows
Click here to purchase kindle copies in the UK
All books available in paperback here direct from the publisher or for signed copies from the author email marymiddleton1@hotmail.com
