Love Irresistibly Read online

  Love Irresistibly (FBI/U.S. Attorney)

  James, Julie

  Penguin Group US (2013)

  * * *

  Praise for

  About That Night

  “Filled with fast quips and chemistry that heats up the pages. Readers will love the back-and-forth between the main characters . . . and the story is a fantastic romantic comedy. This one would be great on the big screen.”

  —RT Book Reviews (Top Pick)

  “Julie James’s best book to date! . . . It is utterly enchanting, sensual, and fabulous. Julie James gives a robust voice to contemporary courtships! Amusing and sexy, Julie James’s books are flirtatious temptations for every reader.”

  —Romance Junkies

  “The sexiest book of Julie James’s yet . . . Smart [and] fun.”

  —Smexy Books

  A Lot Like Love

  “Julie James writes books I can’t put down. A Lot Like Love kept me up way past midnight!”

  —Nalini Singh, New York Times bestselling author

  “Sexy fun. Romance fans will pop their corks over this one.”

  —Library Journal

  “Fueled by equal measures of seductive wit, edge-of-the-seat suspense, and scorching-hot sexual chemistry, James’s latest scintillating novel of romantic suspense is a rare treat.”

  —Chicago Tribune

  “[James] exhibits her trademark sizzle and wit.”

  —Booklist

  “You’ll fall head over heels for A Lot Like Love.”

  —USA Today

  “Julie James . . . is mastering the genre of romantic suspense.”

  —The News-Gazette (East Central Illinois)

  “James writes characters so real you can almost reach out and touch them. A delicious blend of romance and suspense.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “Just the right balance of charm, love, action, and touches of humor and suspense.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “There’s a whole lot to love about A Lot Like Love from Julie James. This is a superb read, plain and simple.”

  —Babbling About Books, and More

  Something About You

  “Smart, snappy, funny yet realistic. I can’t count the number of times I laughed while reading the book . . . This is one book I can totally recommend.”

  —Dear Author

  “From first impressions to the last page, it’s worth shaking your tail feather over . . . This is a contemporary romance well worth savoring, and laughing over, and reading all over again.”

  —Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

  “Just plain fun! James is a master of witty repartee.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  Practice Makes Perfect

  “A tantalizing dessert—a delicious, delightful read that all hopeless romantics will enjoy.”

  —Chicago Sun-Times

  “A fast-paced romantic comedy, packed with hilarious situations and sharp dialogue . . . A talented writer . . . Expect a lot of sparks to fly.”

  —San Francisco Book Review

  “A sophisticated contemporary romance . . . proves that [James] is a master at conveying both courtroom and behind-the-scenes maneuvering.”

  —Booklist (starred review)

  Just the Sexiest Man Alive

  “Fantastic, frolicking fun . . . Read Just the Sexiest Man Alive, and you will be adding Julie James to your automatic-buy list!”

  —Janet Chapman, New York Times bestselling author

  “Witty banter and an amazing chemistry . . . bring this delightful story to life.”

  —Chicago Sun-Times

  “Remind[s] me of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy movies: they have that funny edge.”

  —Eloisa James, New York Times bestselling author

  “Witty and romantic.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  Berkley Sensation titles by Julie James

  JUST THE SEXIEST MAN ALIVE

  PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

  The FBI/US Attorney series

  SOMETHING ABOUT YOU

  A LOT LIKE LOVE

  ABOUT THAT NIGHT

  LOVE IRRESISTIBLY

  Love Irresistibly

  JULIE JAMES

  THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

  USA / Canada / UK / Ireland / Australia / New Zealand / India / South Africa / China

  Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  For more information about the Penguin Group, visit penguin.com

  LOVE IRRESISTIBLY

  A Berkley Sensation Book / published by arrangement with the author.

  Copyright © 2013 by Julie James.

  Excerpt from Something About You by Julie James copyright © 2010 by Julie James.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  Berkley Sensation Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group.

  BERKLEY SENSATION® is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  The “B” design is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,

  a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

  ISBN: 978-0-425-25119-5

  PUBLISHING HISTORY

  Berkley Sensation mass-market paperback edition / April 2013

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-101-61741-0

  Cover photo by Claudio Marinesco; image of satin background by Shutterstock.

  Cover design by Rita Frangie.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  Contents

  Cover

  Praise

  Also by Julie James

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-one

  Twenty-two

  Twenty-three

  Twenty-four

  Twenty-five

  Twenty-six

  Twenty-seven

  Twenty-eight

  Twenty-nine

  Thirty

  Thirty-one

  Thirty-two

  Thirty-three

  Thirty-four

  Thirty-five

  Special Excerpt from Something About You

  One

  Two

  For Ellery

  Acknowledgements

  As with all my books, I owe thanks to several people who, out of the kindness of their hearts, continue to answer every pesky e-mail from me bearing the words “Quick question” in the subject line. I’m particularly grateful to Kevin Kavanaugh for all his
expertise and anecdotes that helped me create the world of Sterling Restaurants, and also to Andy Lansing, who graciously took the time to chat with me about life as a general counsel in the restaurant industry.

  Continuing gratitude goes to John, assistant U.S. attorney extraordinaire, whose advice has been invaluable to the FBI/US Attorney series. I also owe a special mention to Diana Phung for getting me hooked on Friday Night Lights—which, in turn, inspired me to add a story line about a former football player to this book. Thanks as well to Chris Ernst and, particularly, Tom Fleming, for sharing their knowledge of the game.

  I am truly fortunate to work with a fantastic editor, Wendy McCurdy, who understood what I wanted to do with this book and knew exactly how to push me to get there. Thanks to Erin Galloway, my fabulous publicist, and the entire team at Berkley, and to Elyssa Papa and Kati Brown, my awesome beta readers, who roll up their sleeves and do what they do even when working under some very tight deadlines.

  Thanks to my friends and family for all their support, and to my husband, son, and daughter for putting a smile on my face every day.

  Finally, thanks to you, dear readers, for the e-mails, the tweets, the Facebook posts, and the readers’ choice nominations and awards. You guys are awesome, and I wish I could thank every one of you.

  Oh, wait—I just did.

  One

  BROOKE PARKER STEPPED up to the bar at The Shore restaurant, ready to place her lunch order. The bartender, however, beat her to the punch.

  “Hey, it’s my favorite customer—Chicken Tacos, Extra Pico.” He flashed her a grin. “That’s my nickname for you.”

  Yes, she got that. “I suppose I’ve been called worse,” Brooke said as the bartender moved to the cash register to ring her up. She was indeed a regular, and she took pride in that. The restaurant was only two blocks from her office, right on Oak Street Beach, which made it the perfect midday escape. And it had the best chicken tacos in the city. Not that she was biased.

  Okay, maybe she was a little biased.

  She handed over a twenty-dollar bill. “I’ll take a strawberry-mango smoothie, too.”

  “Ooh, a smoothie. Getting a little crazy today, are we?” In his early twenties, with blond hair and a tanned face, the bartender had the look of a recent college grad who planned to spend a lot of time playing beach volleyball this summer.

  He called Brooke’s order back to the kitchen, and then looked her over. “I’m starting to feel like I should know more about you, Chicken Tacos, Extra Pico.” He winked. “Since we’ve been seeing each other on a weekly basis for nearly a month now.” He took in the tailored gray suit she wore. “I’m thinking that you are a . . . lawyer.”

  “Good guess.”

  “I knew it. I bet you’re one of those ballbuster types in court.”

  Brooke fought back a smile. Really, she should just spare the poor guy the embarrassment, but this was kind of fun. “Actually, I’m not a trial lawyer.” She decided to give him a hint. “I’m general counsel for a company based here in Chicago.”

  He made a big show of being impressed. “Look at you, Ms. Thing. What kind of company?”

  “Restaurants and bars.”

  “What a coincidence. We’re both in the restaurant business.” He leaned his elbows on the bar, giving her a smoldering, sexy look that likely helped him rake in big tips with the female clientele. “It’s Kismet.”

  Or . . . maybe not so much. Brooke raised an eyebrow. “Are you supposed to be flirting with the customers?”

  He brushed this off with an oh-so-cool smile. “Probably not. But for you, Chicken Tacos, Extra Pico, I’ll break the rules. Just don’t tell any of those stiffs in corporate.”

  Brooke had to bite her lip to hold back a smile at that one. Aw, she definitely couldn’t clue the poor guy in now. Then a voice called her name.

  “Playing hooky for the afternoon, Ms. Parker?”

  Brooke turned and saw Kurt McGregor, one of the managers of The Shore. “Unfortunately, no. Just sneaking out for a quick break.”

  Kurt gestured to the bartender. “I hope Ryan here is treating you well.”

  “Ryan has been most charming,” she assured him.

  The bartender pointed between them. “You two know each other?”

  Kurt chuckled at that. “You could say that. Ryan, this is Brooke Parker from corporate. She’s general counsel of Sterling.”

  The grin on the bartender’s face froze, replaced by a look of panic. “Oh, shit. Sterling Restaurants. As in, the people who sign my paychecks?”

  “The one and only,” Brooke said.

  The bartender looked like he’d swallowed a bug. “I just called you a stiff.”

  “And Ms. Thing.”

  “Please don’t fire me,” he whispered.

  Brooke pretended to think about that. “It’s tempting. But firing someone involves a lot of paperwork. Not something I want to do on a Friday afternoon. I’ll hold off until Monday instead.” She saw his eyes widen. “I’m kidding, Ryan.”

  Kurt cleared his throat pointedly. “Ryan, maybe this would be a good time to check on Ms. Parker’s order?”

  The bartender straightened up, clearly relieved to be dismissed. “Good idea. One order for Chicken Tac—uh, Ms. Parker—coming right up.” With that, he bolted for the kitchen.

  Kurt turned to her after the bartender left. “Okay, seriously. Should I fire him?”

  “Nah. He sneaks me extra pico on the side. He’s a keeper.”

  Kurt chuckled at that, then gestured to the terrace. “Are you sticking around? I’m sure I can finagle you a table with a view of the lake if you want to eat in.”

  Brooke looked out at the umbrella-covered tables on the sunny terrace, tempted by the idea. It was a gorgeous June day, and the view from the terrace was undeniably one of the best in Chicago: skyscrapers towering majestically against the shimmering blue of Lake Michigan. Today, however, duty called.

  Actually, duty called every day. Duty had her on speed dial.

  “Wish I could. But I’ve got a conference call in”—Brooke checked her watch—“yikes, twenty minutes.”

  Ryan the bartender came out of the kitchen with a carryout bag and a smoothie. With a sheepish look, he set both on the bar in front of Brooke and scurried off.

  “By any chance would this conference call have anything to do with a certain deal you’re negotiating with the Staples Center?” Kurt asked in a sly tone after Ryan disappeared.

  Brooke’s face gave nothing away. “I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of any such deal.”

  “Spoken like a true lawyer.”

  Brooke winked as she grabbed her smoothie and tacos and headed for the door. “Always.”

  * * *

  BROOKE BRISKLY WALKED the two blocks from Oak Street Beach to the elegant eight-story building on Michigan Avenue that was home to Sterling’s corporate offices. Tacos and smoothie in hand, she pushed through the revolving doors and waved hello to Mac, a retired Chicago police officer who manned the front security desk, as she passed through the lobby and headed toward the elevators.

  When Ian Sterling, CEO of Sterling Restaurants, had approached her two years ago about coming on board as general counsel—or “GC” as the position was commonly called—he’d been very candid about his vision and plans. He’d started the company with one restaurant, an American bistro in the heart of downtown Chicago, and within eight years had opened six more restaurants that ran the spectrum from summer hot spot The Shore, to an Irish pub on the south side of the city, to Sogna, the company’s “crown jewel” that had just this year earned a coveted three-star Michelin rating.

  Many restaurateurs would’ve been satisfied there, but not Ian Sterling. He was aggressive, he was driven, and he had plans. Big plans.

  A friend of a friend knew the owner of the Chicago Cubs, and Ian convinced the owner to consider letting Sterling Restaurants take over the food and beverage service for the Stadium Club and skyboxes at Wrigley Field.
r />   “Should you choose to accept the position,” Ian had said to Brooke, à la Mission Impossible, on the evening he’d formally offered her the job over dinner at Sogna, “your first task as GC will be to close the Wrigley Field deal.”

  “And then what?” Brooke had asked.

  “You’ll be part of a team that will build an entire sports and entertainment division of Sterling,” he’d said. “Ballparks. Arenas. Stadiums.”

  Brooke had to admit, she’d been impressed with his ambition. She’d been working at a law firm at the time, in the corporate department, and had been the associate with primary responsibility over Sterling Restaurants’ non-litigation matters. Having known Ian for several years by that point, she’d been aware that he’d contemplated hiring an in-house attorney. What she hadn’t realized, however, was that he’d planned to ask her to fill the position. “You’re not concerned that I only have five years’ experience?”

  “I’ve seen you in action many times, Brooke. You’re tough when you need to be, and you can charm the pants off men who have three times your experience.”

  “Well, yes. Although I try not to take advantage of that too often. Very awkward negotiating with people who are sitting around in their underwear.”

  Ian had grinned. “I like your style—and just as important, I like you. So the better question is, do you think you can handle the job?”

  A direct question. Luckily, Brooke had never been one to mince words, either, and Ian’s enthusiasm and drive were infectious. It was an opportunity to take a chance, to get involved with a young company that was on the rise. So in answer to Ian’s question, she’d looked him right in the eyes. “Absolutely.”

  Because Brooke Parker was a woman who was going places. She’d made that promise to herself a long time ago.

  Two years later, she had zero regrets about taking a chance with Sterling. The company had grown steadily since she’d come on board as GC, most notably in their sports and entertainment division. After finalizing negotiations with Wrigley Field, Brooke and the other two members of Ian’s “dream team”—the VP of sales and the VP of operations—had spent a lot of time schmoozing and wining and dining prospective clients. And when they’d landed a contract to take over the food service at the United Center—home of the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks and the fifth-most-profitable sports venue in North America—they’d all partied like it was 1999 at the Sterling corporate office.