Erika St. James has seen both the best of life and the worst of it. Losing the only parent who loved her unconditionally when she was twelve, she fled to a man who became a dear friend and one who taught her to run a global business. However, he didn't teach her to how to find good relationships -- especially the man-woman kind. On his death-bed he tells her a secret, one that brings Michael Lawrence in to again upset her emotions.
Michael Lawrence, a traumatized attorney, turned his back on the law and escaped to a solitary life in the Maryland mountains. Discovering he is heir to a fortune, he can only claim it if he returns to the city and works with Erika St. James, the beautiful new president of a multinational corporation. While his thoughts of her stray from the boardroom to the bedroom, someone else has plans to make him pay for past deeds. And Erika is the pawn he'll use to force Michael into his crosshairs.
If they survive, will they be able to love again?
Shirley Hailstock began her writing life as a lover of reading. She likes nothing better than to find a quiet corner where she can get lost in a book, explore new worlds and visit places she never expected to see. As an author, she can not only visit those places, but she can be the heroine of her own stories. The author of more than thirty novels and novellas, including her electronic editions, Shirley has received numerous awards, including the Borders Bestselling Romance Award and Romantic Times Magazine's Career Achievement Award. Shirley's books have appeared on Blackboard, Essence Magazine, Amazon.com and Library Journal Best Seller Lists. She is a past president of Romance Writers of America.