Author: Jennifer Culbreth
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/jenniferculbrethauthor
Author Website: http://jenniferculbreth.wix.com/jenniferculbreth
Book(s):
• Protect Me (Protected Love Series Book #1) released July 30, 2013
• Cherish Me (Protected Love Series Book #2) Released October 26, 2013
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Buy Links
Amazon UK: http://amzn.co.uk/B00G7PHB7C
Amazon US: http://amzn.com/B00G7PHB7C
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cherish-me-jennifer-culbreth/1117249601
ean=2940148649816
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Deleted Scene
From: Protect Me
Book #1 of The
Protected Love Series
By Jennifer Culbreth
To view my review click here ->My Review
Location: Chapter
Twelve, Page 204
She leaned back in his chair as she flipped open the top to the
pizza box. She wasn’t hungry, and food would just make her more tired at this
point. She unlocked her phone screen and hit her contacts button scrolling down
until she saw the newly updated picture of her and Ryan next to his contact
name. She had taken it the afternoon they had gone to the chocolatier. She
smiled at the thought of how much fun they had. She was too tired to fight at
this point. She really just wanted to be home, with Ryan. She pressed the dial
button as she put the phone to her ear.
It rang twice “Babe, are you ok?” His voice came through the
receiver.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just really tired and I don’t think I am going
to make it until closing. Is there any way you could come and get me?” She
could hear the exhaustion in her own voice.
“Of course I can, I will be there in just a few minutes. What do you
say you come back and stay at my house tonight? I can have anything you need
brought over, or picked up and delivered.” He sounded hopeful that she would
say yes.
“Um, sure. I would love that.” She smiled into the phone as it
reflected through her voice.
“Ok, I will see you in a just a few minutes.”
“Ok, see you soon.”
She pressed end on the screen, and was startled when she saw the
door open to Trent’s office. At first she thought that maybe he had left
something and was returning to get it before he went to his meeting. When she
looked up to the man in front of her, she realized it wasn’t Trent. To her
surprise Mr. Wilcox came in through the office door dressed in a designer suit
and shoes. She immediately shot up out of the chair. The invasion of privacy
immediately making her feel uneasy.
“Excuse me, I didn’t mean to startle you, Ms. Hastings” He held his
hand up as if to excuse himself for barging in. “I was looking for Mr. Williams
but apparently he is not in this evening.” His familiar southern accent rang
out through her ears.
“Uh, no. Trent isn’t here. He left for a business meeting.” Her eyes
darted around the room in search of something to protect herself with. “Mr.
Wilcox, what are you doing here in LA?”
“Well you see, Abbi, I happen
to be a pretty well-known business man out here. I happen to do business with
your boss as well; meaning I do a lot of traveling from Atlanta to Los Angeles,
mostly for the weather though.” He regarded her coyly before stepping closer.
She could feel her body immediately tense. Causing the aches through her body
to sing out. “Mr. Williams has explained that the two of you are particularly
close aside from your working relationship. You can imagine my surprise when he
mentioned your name.” He smiled over at her before continuing, “Now, seeing as
how I helped with your father’s estate maybe you could tell me who might he be
meeting with tonight? I didn’t realize that Mr. Williams had any other
associates aside from myself.”
“Oh, no Trent and I aren’t in a relationship.” She stepped back and
shook her head. Where on earth would he have gotten that idea? Why is Trent
telling people they were together? Why was Mr. Wilcox here in LA? All of the
questions began piling into her head. He’d seemed harmless when she’d first met
him but something in her gut was telling her that he wasn’t the most honorable
man.
“No need to explain anything to me, I pass no judgment on how he
runs the business. I can assure you I won’t report it back to HR.” He gave her
a sideways grin as he stepped closer to the desk.
She felt the sudden urge to get out of there. She wasn’t sure what
he was here for, but she could tell that it wasn’t anything that she wanted to
be involved in.
“Listen, Mr. Wilcox, I really have no idea why you’re here. I also
have no idea where Trent is or who he is meeting. So I should just be on my
way.” She made a step towards the door.
“By all means, I understand you have a very important job to do.
However I would like for you to pass along some information for me, I want my
money. And I don’t like having to wait.” His tone suddenly turned very serious.
“Listen, I have about twenty dollars in my wallet. If that will
cover it than I will go get it right now. If not, then I think you’re talking
to the wrong person.” She edged her way a little closer to the exit at the side
of the room.
“You’re very funny, Ms. Hastings. I would hate to have to break that
funny bone of yours because of your boyfriend’s misjudgment in my patience.” He
reached towards her and she flinched back. He recoiled his hand, “Please pass
the message on to him, and let him know that I will be back, soon.” With that
he turned and headed towards the door.
An eerie silence transcended throughout the office. It was so quite
her ears were ringing. She needed to get out of here. She didn’t give a damn if
she had to wait outside for Ryan she was not going to stay in this building any
longer tonight. She found herself very jumpy as she made her way out of the
office and down the hallway, checking over her shoulder every few steps. The
feeling that someone was going to jump out from behind a door caused her to
almost run. Relief flooded through her body as she made her way out of the door
and down towards the bar counter. She nudged her way through the crowd as she
found Judy standing just towards the end of the bar.
Explanation:
In this deleted scene you see that Mr. Wilcox, the attorney from
Atlanta who helped her with her father’s estate in the beginning chapter of
Protect Me, is actually used as the villain. I read over this scene many times
before deciding to change. I felt as though Abbi had entrusted too many less
than honorable people by this point in the book. I wanted some of the people
she had relied on to actually have good intentions.
The other reason I decided to change Mr. Wilcox as being the villain
to Mr. Hernandez is because I felt it would flow easier. I knew that certain
characters wouldn’t be continuing on to the next book and I wanted to keep the
threat of retaliation alive. So instead I re wrote this scene and introduced
Mr. Hernandez. Other scenes earlier in the book, i.e. when Abbi is eaves
dropping on Trent’s conversation with the “mystery man” were added to
incorporate this scene into the book.
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