Bouncer Post #79

Title: PINNING THE MAP 

Genre: Women's Fiction

Word Count: 65,000

Query:

A seed of hope and a hasty decision hurl Erin Wilson halfway around the world, where the trip of her dreams quickly spirals into nightmare.  

Erin Wilson makes careful plans and color codes her leftovers; she certainly doesn’t throw herself into risky relationships. However, when the one time object of her grad school fantasies, Professor Paul Gibson, strolls back onto the scene, Erin can’t help but reach for that tantalizing, missed opportunity.

Paul turns her on, then turns her down, but invites her to go to Turkey, as a last minute nanny substitute for his rambunctious ward, three year old Sam. With her pride still smarting, Erin impulsively agrees, seizing the chance to make her lifelong travel dreams a reality. A little awkwardness with Paul won’t stop her from seeing minarets silhouetted against a purple sky; but a little awkwardness gives way to perilous ground, as traveling with Paul forces Erin to face the depth of her feelings for him.

When the plane touches down in Istanbul, trouble begins, and Erin soon finds herself alone with her charge. A week of breezy sightseeing takes several sinister turns. Sam disappears, and Erin must rely on an enigmatic stranger for help. Tariq Al-Rafeed is maddening, mysterious, and unnervingly handsome; he is also her only hope for rescuing a child that she barely knows, but has grown to love.

The unexpected return of Paul tightens the knots of their dangerous search, and illuminates the desires of Erin’s conflicted heart.

First 250:

Erin was mortified. Horrified. Epically humiliated. She was too embarrassed to move. Her backside smarted, her pride was demolished, and the shabby contents of her dripping tote were strewn across the library’s marble floor. A motley collection of damp receipts clung to the half eaten granola bar that had been her dinner. Dried up ink pens rattled past her mud stained mini pruning shears. Erin closed her eyes, hoping that if she couldn’t see him, the man whose foot she had just impaled with her heel would find her invisible too.

“Are you okay, hon?” A security guard rushed over in alarm.  “I told maintenance to put up a wet floor sign.”  Erin winced as the guard’s lug sole boot mashed the remains of her granola bar, trailing gooey residue and flapping receipts across the polished tiles. 

“I'm fine, I'm fine. Thank you,” Erin said, her cheeks scarlet. She reached for the battered paperback romance novel that had landed near her knee, quickly stuffing the hero’s bared chest and the heroine’s heaving bosom back into the safety of her purse. 

“She should be asking if I'm fine,” said a deep voice from behind. A strong arm swooped down to steady Erin while she got to her feet. “I could sue for assault, battery and broken toes,” the man’s voice continued, dripping with mock indignation.

Taking a deep breath, Erin turned and looked straight into a brilliant pair of merry blue eyes. A shockingly familiar pair of merry blue eyes. Erin’s heart vaulted to her throat.