Dear Secret Agent,
The problem with witnessing a mob hit is that Natalie Ross becomes a liability. She’s given an ultimatum - keep quiet or die.
Natalie Ross’ brother gets her a job at Crimson, the hottest nightclub in Philadelphia. Her first night there she meets Dominic and becomes instantly hooked. She’s finishing up her last semester of college; her bills are paid and, despite her brother’s protests, Natalie finds herself in a trusting relationship with Dominic– a new concept for her.
Natalie learns why her brother, Grant, is so resistant the night she witnesses him kill three men; shot them, in the head, with no remorse. Turns out he’s a hit man for the Philly Mob and has been for years. Dominic, the man she let her guard down for, is a second generation Mafioso. She’s initially enamored with the mafia as it offers the close-knit family she has craved her entire life, but Natalie soon learns that this "family's" values are more than skewed. A series of traumatic events, including a sexual assault and a friend’s suicide, comes to a violent end and she flees the city. Natalie doesn’t know if her brother will pay the price with his life or if she will be pursued by the mafia, the FBI, or both.
The Beautiful People is voice-driven commercial fiction and complete at 88,000 words. While numerous books have been written about the mafia, The Beautiful People is from the unique perspective of a young woman thrust into the criminal underworld.
I worked in the Philadelphia nightclub scene while attending Temple University, where I received a degree in Journalism. Professionally, I have a background in marketing and advertising. I recently won an online flash fiction competition and I’m a current member of the Maine Writers and Publishers Association.
Thank you in advance for considering The Beautiful People.
Regards,
***
The club thumped and pulsated. I watched the crowd move with the beat as I waited for my drink orders to be filled. One of the bartenders, Dominic, smiled and winked at me as he put two beers on my tray.
“How’s it goin’?” He yelled over the music.
“So far so good!” I hoisted my drink tray up and proceeded to weave through the wall of people. My short skirt and tight top showed more skin than I was comfortable with and even though this was my first night working at Crimson, it didn’t take long to realize how many men considered the skimpy uniform an open invitation to grab at my body. If I earned a dollar for every time someone touched my ass, I would have been able to retire after that night.
When the club had cleared out, I joined the other employees around Dominic’s bar. He was busy stacking clean glasses and smiled when he saw me approach. I looked away quickly before gathering the courage to meet his gaze. His attention no longer focused on me, but on the beer tub girl, for obvious reasons. Her cosmetically enhanced boobs were testing the confines of her top. She was skinny and had white blonde hair, a regular Barbie doll. I glanced down at my B cups and attempted to get them to grow on command, but no such luck.
I noticed the rest of the employees around the bar were all in various stages of perfection.
