Guest Post & Giveaway: Various States of Undress by Laura Simcox

Various States of Undress: Virginia
Various States of Undress # 2
By: Laura Simcox
Releasing October 7th, 2014
Avon: Impulse


Blurb
When the president's daughter risks everything with her sexy new boss, they're bound to find themselves in Various States of Undress!

If she had it her way, Virginia Fulton—daughter of the President of the United States—would spend more time dancing in Manhattan's nightclubs than working in its skyscrapers. Tired of dodging paparazzi, she needs a change. And a real chance. So when she finds herself in the arms of sexy, persuasive Dexter Cameron, who presents her with the opportunity of a lifetime, Virginia sees it as a sign … but can she take it without losing her heart?

CEO-to-be Dexter Cameron knows he's taking a risk by hiring a stylish party girl to jumpstart his family's legacy department store. But the president's gorgeous daughter has her thumb on the pulse of Manhattan, and the partnership seems like a win-win … until Dex discovers that his goals now include more than securing the corner office—they include Virginia herself. Dex must decide: does he make a move up the ladder? Or on the girl of his dreams?

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Excerpt 

You’re early,” Dex said. “Couldn’t wait to get started?”
Couldn’t wait to stare at your mouth is more like it.
Yeah, I was up early, so I thought—why wait until this afternoon, you know? I brought my plans.” Virginia patted the laptop bag slung over her shoulder and willed herself to calm down.
Dex touched the small of her back. “I have a proposal for you. Let’s go to your office.”
If the proposal involved him laying her down on the top of the gigantic desk and... “Stop,” she mouthed to herself and allowed him to guide her through the doorway.
She set her bag on the edge of the desk, sat on the sofa and crossed her legs. “What do you have in mind?” Dex sat on the coffee table, facing her. “I want you to be the face of Lilah’s.”
Virginia chewed her lower lip and thought. Appearing in the ads to promote her own work? Kind of genius. Plus, it would be a kick to see her smiling face plastered on the side of a bus instead of her plastered face in the pages of the Post. “I am flattered.”
Is that a yes?”
As long as you don’t expect me to wear something from our Lilah’s sales floor as is.”
He grinned. “No support hose for you?”
What do you think?”
Hmm.” He touched her bare knee lightly, and her skin started tingling. “No. We can skip the hose.” He ran a hand down her calf and traced a pattern on her ankle with a fingertip. “Oh, goose bumps. Maybe you need a house coat? We’ve got some lovely floral samples downstairs. They have snaps.” He tried to keep a straight face, but the corners of his lips began to twitch, emphasizing the dimples in his lean cheeks.
Oh, God, she loved those dimples. She wanted to give them little licks. “Maybe you need to stop with the fashion suggestions and . . . uh . . .”
And?” he prompted, his fingers tracing over her toes.
Dex, you’re distracting me.”
I hope so.” He chuckled. “What were you going to say? Was it about clothes?”
She had no clue. But she did have an idea—it came to her suddenly.
Spend a day shopping with me.” She peered at him, waiting for his reaction, and she wasn’t disappointed. His eyes widened for a second; then a deep groan came out of his mouth.
I’m a CEO in training, not a personal shopper. You’ll load me down like a pack mule.”
Yes I will, but that’s not the point. First thing tomorrow, you need to learn how and why women shop.”
And we’ll go until . . . ?” A fearful look crossed his face.
She giggled again and reached out to pat his knee. “Until I’m satisfied.” Dex raised an eyebrow, and she snatched her hand back. “I mean . . . oh, get out of here. Go back to your office.”
Can’t I at least attempt a bad joke first?” He grinned but stood up.
No.”
Ah, well, I’ll go then.” He stretched. “But I do want you to know that I’m only interested in your complete and total satisfaction,” he said in a low voice.
Ha, ha. Complete and total mean the same thing, by the way.” She looked up at him, trying to keep the breathlessness out of her voice.
Exactly, sweetheart. And I wasn’t really joking because we both want the same thing.” With another grin, he straightened his tie and walked out.

Romancing the Readers welcomes Laura Simcox! Thanks for visiting with us! 

Stuff in Her Purse: Thinking like My Heroine
by Laura Simcox




I’m excited to be here today, talking about how I connect with my characters. One thing is for certain—how a character acts and reacts depends on the world around them, right? People shift behavior depending on where they are or who they’re with. So how to ground a character?

Find a constant.
One thing that remains constant for most women—real or fictional—is the stuff in their purses. Purses are personality, I’ve decided, and I have a mild purse fetish. I always think I want something new and different, but I’ve discovered that I’m never truly happy with my bag unless it suits me exactly—and when I’m getting to know my heroines, I like to take a peek inside their purses.
First, so you can get to know a bit about me, let’s look at one of my bags. Out the outside—the ideal: carefree, bo-ho chic-loving me. The inside? The rest of me.

My absolute fave bag is my current Sakroots purse: Outside, it has a wild floral pattern with interesting shiny leather trim, and a fun cross-body strap. I like a hobo style—not huge, though, because I’m short, and I’d look like a little kid running away from home if I carried a gigantic bag. I also love purse charms…the swingier the better.

The inside of my bag reflects my day-to-day life. I have a five year old boy. I have to have an outside zipper pocket for small-items-to-keep-him-occupied. I also have to have an outside slip pocket for my phone. This way, if my son is yanking my arm out of my socket in the Target parking lot and my phone rings, I can grab it one-handed.

Inside I have:
—a package of Wet-Ones
—a cute wallet—also Sakroots—because I deserve to look at something fun and girly when I’m pulling out my debit card to buy milk, Kids Cuisines, Hot Wheels and Legos.
—bookmarks for my latest release
—six or seven lipsticks (why?)
—extra paper napkins just because
—phonics flashcards (No, they’re not for me, but some days I wonder…)
—a dog-eared notebook to write down plot ideas (My son has scribbled on every page.)
—a pen (if I’m lucky)

The stay at home mom/full-time author’s handbag: Super glamorous, right?
Still—I enjoy my purse, and I have to admit that even though I own an embarrassing number of them, (cough) my favorite four are Sakroots bags in different patterns.

I’m thrilled to say that my latest heroine has a purse fetish, too…because she works in fashion—in Manhattan. She’s Virginia Fulton, and the star of VARIOUS STATES OF UNDRESS: VIRGINIA, book two in my VARIOUS STATES OF UNDRESS SERIES. She’s also the daughter of the president of the United States—so her purse choices are a bit broader than mine could ever be.

Let’s peek inside her Prada bag! (unzip...) Okay. Virginia has:
—a phone so fancy it’s not on the market (Is the Secret Service recording me right now? Eep.)
—one tube of fabulous lipstick (Just one? How?)
—a very pretty Chanel wallet (Jealous.)
—a bunch of paper napkins (Yay! We have something in common. Oh…hers are from takeout at a trendy bistro, not Wendy’s. Whatever.)
—an amazing, lighter-than-air scarf (More jealous.)
—a coupon for a handbag sale at Barney’s (You go, Virginia.)
—a Bic pen with the end chewed up (That’s kind of gross, actually, but if it helps her think…)
—a little folded-up slip of paper that says “I adore you. Xoxo, Dex.” (Awww! I LOVE him—he’s so sexy and smart. Virginia loves him, too. She just doesn’t realize it yet.)

My take? It doesn’t suck to be the daughter of the president of the United States. Would I trade my life with her? Nah. But it sure was fun creating her, and her world.
(PS: I would totally trade purses with her, just for a day.)



Author Info
After spending years in professional theater as a costume designer, Laura Simcox eased out of the hectic whirlwind of opening nights and settled in a comfy desk chair to write romance. She believes that life is too short not to appreciate heartwarming, quirky humor and her novels are lighthearted journeys into the happily-ever-after. She lives in North Carolina with her true love and adorable little son.



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Comments

  1. Thanks for hosting me on your fun blog. Happy reading!!

    --Laura

    ReplyDelete
  2. How fun! I love hearing what's inside peoples purses. You really can tell a lot and sometimes there are just hysterical things in there.

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    Replies
    1. When my daughter was little I had a lot more in it that shouldn't have been there. Now that she's grown it's pretty neat! Most of the time! :)

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  3. Too true, Anna! The other day there were a couple of chewed up cat toys and a zombie action figure in the bottom of my purse. I didn't put them there.

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