Here's the deal... I learned a long time ago that sometimes you have to use what you've got to make things happen. What I happen to have is a pretty smile, long legs and the ability to make men believe anything I say. Before you get on your high horse and start judging me, can you honestly say you've never batted your lashes at some guy for a free drink at the bar? That's what I thought.
Keep that in mind as I tell you my story of how I took it one step further. My story of lies, deceit, manipulation and love. Yeah, love. Believe me, it fits. Especially, when you factor in Nick and Tucker – one had my heart and the other one wanted it all for himself. Which one? Well, I can't tell you that. It would defeat the purpose of the story. If I'm going to fill you in about me, Lila Garrison, and my life as a con artist you're going to need to know all the facts, including the ones about the two guys who made me want to give up the life of fancy clothes, expensive jewelry, fast cars and easy money. Because sometimes, one person can give you something that's more valuable than all of that.
If you're still interested, stick around. Just remember, I'm pretty good at convincing people to do what I want, so if by the end of this whole thing you feel worked over, don't say I didn't warn you
Keep that in mind as I tell you my story of how I took it one step further. My story of lies, deceit, manipulation and love. Yeah, love. Believe me, it fits. Especially, when you factor in Nick and Tucker – one had my heart and the other one wanted it all for himself. Which one? Well, I can't tell you that. It would defeat the purpose of the story. If I'm going to fill you in about me, Lila Garrison, and my life as a con artist you're going to need to know all the facts, including the ones about the two guys who made me want to give up the life of fancy clothes, expensive jewelry, fast cars and easy money. Because sometimes, one person can give you something that's more valuable than all of that.
If you're still interested, stick around. Just remember, I'm pretty good at convincing people to do what I want, so if by the end of this whole thing you feel worked over, don't say I didn't warn you
I should have
known better than to think I was done.
Done with a game that I knew all too well and had played way too many
times. I wanted to quit because, as
lucky as I'd been, I knew better than to think my luck wouldn't run out. There was only one other person that was as
good at the game as I was and now he was standing in front of me,
begging me to get back in.
Trickster,
bamboozler, grifter. There were lots of names for what I did, but only one that
everyone seemed to know – con artist. That was me and I was good at it. So good, that I'd managed to live a pretty
charmed life. I was starting my sophomore year at small private college, that I
wasn't paying for, I drove a fresh off-the-lot vehicle, that I didn't pay for,
and my entire wardrobe was made up of designer brands, which, you guessed it, I
didn't pay for.
“Please, Lila,” Nick
pleaded, letting his brown eyes look up at me in desperation. “This is it.
I swear.”
I wanted to
believe him. He hadn't asked me for
anything since last year when we convinced the Dean of Admission to manipulate
our applications to say that we were attending college on a full
scholarship. By convinced, I mean
blackmailed. The lengths to which some
men will go to make sure that their wives and families never see compromising
photos are a thing of great power. It
didn't take me long to figure that out.
“Before I agree to
anything,” I stated as I piled my long blond hair up into a mess on the top of
my head and secured it with a ponytail holder, “you have to tell me exactly
what you did.” I had a feeling I already
knew exactly what he did. Like me, Nick
was very good at convincing people to bend to his will. He could charm the most cynical women right
out of their panties, which, ironically, included me despite my inside
knowledge of how he worked. I had never
been able to say no to him. The only
place Nick couldn't lie: a high stakes poker table. He couldn't bluff his way out of a paper
bag. We sat in silence on the full size
bed in my single dorm room, which I'd also negotiated into the contract with
the Dean, as Nick contemplated what to say to me that would convince me that I
needed to get back into the life I sworn off.
“I made a mistake,” he
said quietly.
“How big?”
His lips twisted
to the side as he inhaled through his nose. “Pretty big.” I felt a scrutinizing look cross my face as I
waited for him to fess up. “Forty.”
“You better mean forty
dollars, Nick Dammery.”
“I wish I did.” He let his head fall.
“God dammit, Nick.” I
crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back against my plush, upholstered
headboard. “You said you were done
gambling.”
“I am... now.” He
flashed me the flirty little grin that he'd used on countless women as he tried
to win me over. He really was hard to
resist. His big brown eyes, soul-twisting
smile and chiseled features gave him the upper hand in the looks
department. Plus, he had the whole bad
boy vibe going for him – tattoos and an “I don't give a shit” attitude. Nick was the kind of guy that girls knew they
should stay away from, but when push came to shove, they would murder their
best friends for one night with him.
Four Mean Hearts!! I read this book a while back and am
excited to get to review it for the blog tour! Lila’s story is not the same
story I am used to reading. She is not
innocent. She did not have a traumatic
past that was not in her control. I
loved that it was different, and it kept me turning the pages a second time
around, which is an amazing thing. Lila
and Nick live their lives how they want.
They don’t think about anyone but themselves and are not really
apologetic about it. They are con-artists. But then- the next mark is Tucker Kline, and
he is not Lila’s typical mark.
Lila Garrison is a con-artist. She is shallow and has only worried about
money and material things and how to get more of it for quite some time. Sounds like a real bitch, but I still somehow
really liked Lila. Even though she was a
con-artist, she was still so trusting of certain people. She definitely starts to grow up in this
story, and maybe that is why I like her so much. We get to see who she really is while the
outside world gets only a small portion of her except for Nick.
Nick knows Lila better than anyone. They are best friends and “work together”. But Nick is a bad boy. He is a con-artist. He is a smooth talker. Lila knows who he is, but she still trusts
him completely.
Tucker Kline is the golden boy. He’s the one everyone wants and certainly not
the type Lila would normally associate with.
I loved Tucker. He is not so
perfect that it’s annoying, but close enough that you hardly even notice his
flaws. I love his cheesy pick-up
lines. I love that he seems to really
see Lila even though she does not want him to.
He is incredibly sweet but not over the top. He is strong, confident,
and knows who he is.
“Tucker kissed like he did everything else-with a purpose.”—Lila.
This is a great story.
Lila, Nick, and Tucker all have secrets that threw me for a loop. Not one of them are exactly who they seem in
the beginning. Or maybe it’s that they
change. Give Me Something is sweet, not so sweet, angsty, hot, funny, and
anything else I might want in a book.
When I'm not writing or playing the part of wife and mother, you can find me dancing back-up for Beyonce, singing back-up for Miranda, or sunning myself on the beach with a drink in hand. Here's the thing about being born and raised in a small town—you have a very vivid imagination! Now, I channel it all to create stories where the girl always ends up with the right guy, first kisses are magical, and a happy ending is just that!
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