By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Jen Talty

Kennedy Monroe lost her boyfriend to her best friend. Or maybe her best friend to her boyfriend. It didn’t matter. All she had left was her job, and she’d be damned if she was going to lose that too. So when her boss asks her for a favor, she’s not about to say no.

Except, she didn’t know the favor included pretending to be his girlfriend in front of his parents.

Hawk Jefferson was tired of his parents constantly trying to marry him off to their rich friends’ daughters. He was nearly forty years old, and he was more than happy to spend the rest of his life as a bachelor. The last thing he wanted was a wife and a bunch of babies. In order to keep them off his back, he told them he’d been dating his assistant for the last six months. So, when they decided to take a last-minute trip to spend the weekend with him and his girlfriend, Hawk had to take drastic measures.

Except, he never anticipated he’d fall in love, much less want to settle down and give his parents the grandchild they’ve always wanted.

Only, getting Kennedy on board with that plan seems to be harder than anticipated.

This book opens with Kennedy Monroe finding her boyfriend John in bed with her bestfriend Tallulah. This after she’s sublet her apartment as they were planning on her moving in with him. Angry is not the word for her feelings at the moment.

Deciding she could use a drink as she gets drenched walking in the rain, she stumbles on Thirsty’s a small piano bar. Perfect since she didn’t think she’d know anyone and could drown her sorrows and take an Uber home.

Hawk Jefferson has been frequenting Thirsty’s since he started representing the rich and famous. It was a place he could relax and not worry about being seen and annoyed by up and coming wannabees. The last person he expected to see wander in is his assistant Kennedy.

They talk about her breakup and his as she gets very drunk. Hawk gets her home safe and sound but that’s just the beginning. You see he sort of told his parents he was dating his assistant and now they’re coming to town. He convinces Kennedy to play along, but things get a bit out of hand before that comes to pass.

Another ex, Heather comes out with a damning accusation against him and damage control is needed, all this as he runs into an old college buddy Rusty and his wife Lilly at Thirsty’s. Little does he know that Rusty, while helping, is going to cause quite the uproar for both him and Kennedy.

A story breaks about him and Kennedy with a picture of them leaving Thirsty’s the next morning. Rusty who’s now on that show wants them to come on the show and help stop the gossip mill before things get worse.

This is a favorite scene.

Rusty said, glancing over his shoulder and nodding at someone. “We’ve only got a few more minutes, and I need to warn you, Cindy is a huge Heather fan, and she’ll go off script and go low.”

“I’m used to Cindy and her antics, but Kennedy isn’t.” Rusty rubbed his temples. While Kennedy helped him write great press conference speeches, could craft a killer email, and had a sharp tongue, she’d never had to do so on the fly or in front of the cameras. Nor did she have to tell a whopper of a lie in front of the world.

This was a bad idea, and he needed to put an end to it.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kennedy round the corner. Her dark hair bounced over her shoulders, and she took long, confident strides wearing a blue sleeveless dress that hugged her curves, showing off her sexy figure, but in a conservative way. He blinked.

She rested her hand on the inside of his elbow. “I’ve never had anyone do my makeup or hair before. I have to say that was kind of fun.”

“Let’s get you two all mic’ed up and on the sofa,” Rusty said.

“I’m willing to put an end to this right now,” Hawk leaned in and whispered.

“Nope. I’m committed,” Kennedy said. “However, my insides are shaking like the start of a massive earthquake.”

“Well, you’d never know by looking at you.”

He made himself comfortable on the sofa as close to Kennedy as he could without putting her on his lap. After shifting three times, he decided to lean back in a relaxed position with his arm around Kennedy, resting it on her lower waist, while she leaned into him, and her hand was strategically placed on his thigh.

“Thirty seconds out,” the producer called.

Some chick came out and primped Cindy, who sat in a single chair next to Hawk, while Rusty had positioned himself directly across from him.

“And in five, four…”

“Welcome back to The Morning Dose,” Rusty said. “Cindy and I are here with an old friend of mine from college, but you know him as the manager and agent to some of the most famous stars of today. Let’s give a warm welcome to Hawk Jefferson and his assistant Kennedy Monroe.” Rusty turned his attention from the camera to the sofa. “Thanks for coming today on such short notice.”

“We appreciate the invitation,” Hawk said. He kept his hand firmly planted on Kennedy’s hip, rubbing a gentle circle with his thumb. While she looked completely poised, her fingernail dug into his thigh.

“Why don’t we cut to the chase and get right to the heart of why you’re here.” Rusty turned his gaze to a screen on the far side of the studio. “And since there is more than one topic, why don’t we start with some of the more unpleasant ones.”

Hawk nodded, holding his breath, waiting for the first question.

“Heather Sinclair is currently in the hospital, and at first, she accused you, Hawk, of putting her there,” Cindy said.

“I’ve proved without a shadow of a doubt I had nothing to do with Heather’s accident. We hope she recovers quickly and wish her well,” Hawk said. He kept his tone level but made sure he laced his words with a touch of emotion.

“What about you, Kennedy? It’s must be hard to know that your boyfriend is the father of her twins,” Cindy said. “I’ve been told by a reliable source that the police are looking into your possible role in Heather’s fall.”

“Stop right there, Cindy,” Hawk said behind a clenched jaw. “That’s not true, and I don’t appreciate you twisting this situation and making defaming accusations.”

“Nor do I,” Kennedy said, sitting up a little taller. “For the record, I was with my sisters, which is the statement I’ve given, as did my sisters. And as to paternity, well, Hawk agreed to a paternity test which will prove he is not the father.”

“Are you sure about that?” Cindy asked. “He has quite the reputation.”

“I’m absolutely positive,” Kennedy said. “If we want to talk about reputations, we could talk about yours and how you twist things during interviews, going off your producer’s script. As a matter of fact, I heard just this morning that your polling is way down, and it’s possible the network is looking for a replacement.”

Cindy gasped. “That is called slander and how dare you say that on my show.”

“Welcome to Hawk’s world. It happens every time he steps outside his house. Someone is reporting on half-truths, rumors, and all-out lies. Which is what you are doing right now, and we don’t appreciate it.” Kennedy twisted her back and pulled out a piece of paper. “And for the record, here is the entertainment magazine where I got my information about your job. It came out this morning, so you might not have seen it yet. So, it’s not slander. I’m simply repeating what your colleagues are reporting.”

Hawk bit down on the inside of his cheek to keep from bursting out laughing.

Cindy sat there with her jaw slacked open, looking like a doe in headlights.

The Morning Dose music started softly in the background.

“We’re going to take a short break, and we’ll be right back with Hawk and Kennedy,” Rusty said.

As soon as the producer said they were off air, Cindy bolted upright. “Who the fuck do you think you are repeating this crap on my show?” Cindy tossed the paper at Kennedy.

Hawk went to stand, but Kennedy squeezed his thigh.

“I’ve got this, babe.” Kennedy stood, smoothing down the front of her dress. “I wouldn’t have used it had you not gone low. Keep it up, and I’ve got more where that came from. In my career, I might be the girl behind the man, but trust me when I say, I’m not someone you want to fuck with.”

Hawk couldn’t contain his laughter anymore. “That’s my girl.”

“I warned you, Cindy,” Rusty said between chuckles.

“You’re on thin ice. This is my show, and I can and will have you fired,” Cindy ground out.

“No, you won’t,” the producer said as he stepped up on the stage. “I apologize for the way Cindy handled that segment. It won’t happen again, will it?” He glared at her.

She narrowed her eyes and shook her head.

Hawk cleared his throat, trying not to enjoy this too much, but he loved watching Kennedy put Cindy in her place, and nothing would make him happier than to see her get the boot. She always tried to make him look bad, and no one liked her anyway.

“But I’d also appreciate it if you didn’t put down my anchors,” the producer said. “I wish I didn’t feel as though I had been left no choice,” Kennedy said. “To imply that I—”

The producer raised his hand. “Yes. It was. And it will be addressed. Now, let’s get through this next part of the interview without incident, okay?”
Talty, Jen. Color Me Yours (The Monroes Book 1) (pp. 727-775). Jupiter Press. Kindle Edition.

Kennedy proved in that interview she could handle anything the press throws at her and had me laughing as much as Hawk and Rusty did at the way she turned things around.

In spite of the fact this was supposed to be pretend, things heat up for Hawk and Kennedy in more than one way. I really loved this romantic journey. The fact that Kennedy’s family has the Monroe name wrapped up with several JFK versions is hysterical and so much fun.

Now I need to read the second book to finish catching up.

5 Contented Purrs for Jen!

Jen Talty

Welcome to my World! I’m a USA Today Bestseller of Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance, and Paranormal Romance.

I first started writing while carting my kids to one hockey rink after the other, averaging 170 games per year between 3 kids in 2 countries and 5 states. My first book, IN TWO WEEKS was originally published in 2007. In 2010 I helped form a publishing company (Cool Gus Publishing) with NY Times Bestselling Author Bob Mayer where I ran the technical side of the business through 2016.

I’m currently enjoying the next phase of my life…the empty NESTER! My husband and I spend our winters in Jupiter, Florida and our summers in Rochester, NY. We have three amazing children who have all gone off to carve out their places in the world, while I continue to craft stories that I hope will make you readers feel good and put a smile on your face.