Mellie's Books

Who wants to meet the characters in OLD FLAME?

Today I’ll introduce you to Kort Behrens. How about a little history?

Born into a well-to-do and supportive family, Kort grew up confident in his own abilities. Being a bear shifter may have had a bit to do with this, too. At 6’8″ tall when he reached adulthood, he seldom had to worry about being bullied, though he did discourage it in others whenever he saw the need. His father owned an electronics company, often experimenting with new and innovative ideas. Living in Dallas, Texas, his work often leaned toward aerospace.

Kort went to university to study business management and electronics, so that when he graduated he could work in his father’s business. While he was there, he met Liz, who became a good friend. Nothing romantic ever developed between them, but during their time at university, they remained friends. Of course, they sometimes met for coffee and complaints, or ran into each other at an event, but nothing serious. There was no spark between them. So after graduation they parted ways. He went on to graduate school and she returned back East to teach.

During his time at university, Kort’s father developed a new drive for the shuttles, which slashed the time it took to travel between worlds, opening up the developed planets to business and vacation travelers. Before this drive, business travel was slow, but doable. Vacation travel was for the wealthy only. But with the new drive, nearly anyone could find a vacation destination they could afford. Behrens Industries became the biggest name in electronics in the country.

After graduate school, he married a young woman, who seemed to share his interests. But shortly before the wedding he began to have doubts, though he went ahead with the marriage. At first it was little things. And then the list grew. When she decided they could no longer have a sexual relationship due to the teachings of a local guru in an obscure sect, he’d had enough and filed for divorce. Around the same time, his father chose to retire and left managing Behrens Industries to Kort. While he had worked with his father for some time, the day to day running of the business took much more time than he’d figured it would. It took several months before he felt he had a firm grasp of his role in the company, but he’d earned the respect of those who worked for Behrens and of the shareholders. The company was growing and he was worth billions.

He’d had plenty of women showing interest, but one stood out. Once he had his business life sorted, they began to date and eventually married. Once again, things began to sour only a few months into the marriage. Frequent absences from home made him suspicious, and a private investigator confirmed that she was having an affair. As it turned out, she was interested only in his money and social stature, not him as a person. So divorce two was soon a thing of the past.

Several more times he was nearly pulled into relationships, only to discover the same pattern. Money and social standing drew gold diggers like flies to honey. Eventually, he gave up on relationships altogether. There seemed no point. No one saw him as a person, only a bank account and a place in the spotlight. Throwing himself into his work, he kept Behrens Industries at the top of the of the list when it came to electronics. Romance was never going to happen for him, unless he should somehow meet his fated mate.

By age fifty-five, solitude was an old friend. Once in a while, he would invite a lady out for dinner, but it was always a one off kind of occasion. He found he looked forward to some time alone after dealing with cut-throat business dealings during the day. With his home up in the mountains, on a thousand acres of land, there was plenty of space to roam around in either form and work out the frustration from a tough day at the office. His estate manager knew to keep the media and any unauthorized visitors away. This was his sanctuary, his safe place. The place he could let his bear out without fear of it getting into the media. His life was a media circus most of the time anyway.

As will happen, Kort discovered someone was counterfeiting parts for the shuttles. The latest had been shipped to Gambler’s Folly. What the heck, he needed a vacation anyway. Why not mix a little pleasure into the deal? He had a couple properties on the planet. And his friend, Damiano Leone, always kept a suite for him when he got into town. Always a character, a good dose of Dam and Kari’s hospitality would be a welcome relief. Who could have imagined he would meet his soulmate at the hotel before taking the shuttle off world? And even more surprising, it was his old friend from university, Liz. Neither of them expected romance to spark between them. After all, they’d spent years as just friends at university. Maybe he could take her out a few times on Gambler’s Folly. This was her first trip to the vacation destination of the galaxy. It would be like old times, a little fun with an old friend, no strings.

Go on over to Amazon and get your copy of Old Flame, to follow this romance between old friends. During the month of October, it’s on sale for only $0.99 for Kindle. Or you can read it for free on Kindle Unlimited!

Come to Gambler’s Folly and join Kort, Liz, Dam, and Kari, along with a few other friends. Who knows? You might find a romance of your own.,,

Gambler’s Folly—the world where every love story is a gamble and Fate always deals the final hand.

I hope you enjoyed this little intro. Next time we’ll talk about Elizabeth!

Thank you for coming by to visit.

And as always,

Don’t Forget…

…to Share the Romance…

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