The 12 Days of Christmas Blitz and Giveaway Day 4!
A
Calling Bird
The
Twelve Days of Christmas #4
by
Jo Tannah
Genre:
M/M Paranormal Romance
Print
Length: 78 pages
Publisher:
eXtasy Books
Publication
Date: December 6, 2019
Would
serenading be enough to convince a mate they were meant to be?
Cole
Burns doesn’t suffer the cold or feeling the holiday spirit, but
dreams of having a family by thirty, preferably with two or three
children, are slowly fading into the fog of winter. It's a sad, sad
situation he cannot seem to escape.
For John Michael Diamond,
being CEO of Diamond Corporation equates to never finding the perfect
mate to share his nest. In fact, it’s next to impossible. Through a
twist of fate, he discovers his mate not only lives nearby but also
on his family’s estate.
Cole never thought he’d fall for
such a crazy, insanely gorgeous rich guy, and yet here he was,
wrapped in shifter eagle who serenades him with love songs. This was
going to be an interesting Christmas.
Shivers
slid down John Michael Diamond’s spine when Pavarotti reached a
high B. As CEO of Diamond Corporation, Michael could have anything in
the world, yet it was the dead tenor’s voice that he’d always
dreamed he could match. Hitting that top note would be an
accomplishment. When
the last notes to the aria died, he paused the app on his phone and
worked his jaw. After adjusting his earphones, he angled his lower
jaw side to side, up and down, stuck out his tongue, and let out a
deep huff. He repeated the exercise several times more before
rotating his tongue inside his mouth, sticking it out several times.
When the muscle felt nice and relaxed, he began the series of lip and
tongue-trill exercises his vocal coach had taught him. The drills
were simple but effective, and once he was done, he tapped the rewind
icon on his phone. He sang along with Pavarotti as he read through
the documents on his lap. The smooth ride at the back of the
limousine made the last-minute task of signing each page easier. He
was on his way home for Christmas. Not his penthouse in the city, but
the family estate in Washington State. His mother and sisters were
waiting for him. He couldn’t wait to see them again, well, except
for his mother. He loved the fiery woman to death, but she was angry
at him for leaving the day after Thanksgiving. Spending a few weeks
with them should make up for his faults. The
part of the aria he loved best was coming up, making him look up from
the documents. He could do this. He would reach that note even if it
killed him. Michael closed his eyes and listened for the cue, tilting
his head to the side. Almost there. Taking a deep breath, he opened
his mouth, only to jerk in surprise when a ringtone blasted through
his earpieces. “Fucking
hell.” He cursed under his breath as he scrambled to pull the
gadget from his ears and accept the call at the same time. His
fumbling fingers managed to fail him several times before he finally
got to connect with the incoming call. “What?”
Michael snapped into the piece. “Sir,
I apologize, but this is important.” His temporary assistant’s
hesitant voice trembled through the phone. “I’m
on vacation, Giles.” “I
know, sir, but we’ve been hacked.” “What
do you mean hacked?” “Our
PR social media account’s been hacked, sir. Someone got hold of our
password and has used it to post a joke.” “Who
gave it out?” “We’re
not sure, sir. I called you as soon as I got the word.” “What’s
IT doing about it?” “We
haven’t called them, sir.” Michael
closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. A throbbing began
between his eyes. “Shouldn’t the guy in charge of the account be
contacted first? What’s wrong with your statement, Giles? Why are
you even calling me about this?” “Well,
sir, it’s true that Burns is the one of those in charge of our
social networks, but he’s not the main guy or the IT guy. That’s
Samuelson. And you told me to call you in case of an
emergency.” “And
you think this is an emergency?” “Well…yes,
sir. Our account’s been hacked.” “Let’s
say you’re right. Now, what does Samuelson have to say about
it?” “Well,
sir, as I’ve mentioned before, we haven’t talked to him. He’s
been hospitalized. For appendicitis.” “So.
Samuelson’s out. Who can you call about this?” “Burns,
sir.” “Giles,
Giles, Giles,” Michael said. “For the love of God.” “I’m
sorry, sir. But according to my records, Burns is the only one with
an IT background. The rest are plain PR guys.” “Save
your apologies. Contact the PR department, have them contact
Burns.” “I
already did that, and they told me they couldn’t get a hold of him.
Most likely he’s taking a walk.” “Taking
a walk?” Michael couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Yes,
sir. That’s what they said.” Who
am I talking to? Cher from Clueless? Michael struggled to control his
impatience. “Giles?” “Yes,
sir?” “Why
are you telling me all this again?” “Uhm…as
I said before, sir. Because you told me to tell you everything that
went on while you’re on vacation. Sir.” Michael
desperately wanted his regular assistant. Why did Magda have to go on
a cruise? Why did he say yes when she recommended Giles? “Should
the details to the hows and whys of locating and talking to a PR man,
who might just be able to do something about this situation, be a
part of your reports to me?” Thirty
seconds later, Michael let out a dramatic sigh at Giles’ lack of
response. “Giles.”
He really should stop snapping. Magda would kill him when she found
out. “Yes,
sir?” It
was a good thing Michael had exemplary hearing. “Report
to me when there’s an actual need. Detailing the process of
contacting Burns is not a need. Do you understand me? People are
employed to take care of these kinds of situations. I didn’t employ
you to bother me with mundane details when we’ve hired people to
take care of them.” “Yes,
sir.” Another
thirty seconds of silence passed. God
give me patience! “Is there anything else, Giles?” “Uh…yes,
sir.” Michael
fought back a loud curse. “What is it?” He tried to sound
patient. “Well.
Sir.” Giles cleared his throat. “Burns. Sir.” “Yes?” “I
thought that you may be able to contact him sooner than the rest of
us here, sir. My records show that his residence is at the
reservation, a few miles from the estate,” Giles said in a
rush. “He
is? Why is that?” “Burns
works full-time as a caretaker at the Diamond reservation.
Specifically, area twenty-eight. If I read the tracker right, you’re
just twelve miles away, sir.” “Giles?” “Yes,
sir?” “Good
job.” “Thank
you, sir!”
I
grew up listening to folk tales my father and nannies told either to
entertain us children or to send home a message. These narratives I
kept with me and finally, I wrote them down in a journal way back
when I kept one. Going through junk led to a long forgotten box and
in it was the journal. Reading the stories of romance, science
fiction and horror I had taken time to put to paper, brought to light
that these were tales I never met in my readings.
The
tales I write are fictional but all of them are based on what I grew
up with and still dream about. That they have an M/M twist is simply
for my pleasure. And I hope, yours as well.
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