Hold Her Down
Kathryn R. Biel
HOLD HER DOWN
Copyright © 2014 by Kathryn R. Biel
Smashwords Edition
ISBN-13: 978-0-9913917-2-1
This book is a work of fiction. Names,characters, places and incidents are either products of theauthor's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblanceto actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, eventsor locales is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced,scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form or by anyelectronic or mechanical means including information storage andretrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author.The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excepts ina review. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy ofcopyrighted materials in violation with the author's rights.Purchase only authorized editions.
Cover photography by WilliamLeBlanc.
Cover design by Becky Monson.
DEDICATION
To the real people in my life who bear noresemblance to the fictitious ones in this book: Mom, Dad andPatrick.
To Jake and Sophia, my reason forexisting.
And to Uncle Eddie, I know I get mystubbornness from you. This is a good thing, and I will always wearit proudly.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Michele Vagianelis makes all things I dopossible. She is a one-woman sounding board, agent, publicist andfan club president, with a little bit of hustler thrown in.Michele, I'd be no where without you. I'm sure you'll remind me ofthat when we're old and senile in adjoining rooms at the old folkshome.
Sue Rys, as always, thank you for taking asneak peek and letting me borrow your name, not to mention all ofthe sound advice you have dispensed over the years.
To the ladies at Chick Lit Chat: I've learnedso much and am humbled to be included in such a lovely and talentedgroup.
Special thanks to fellow authors HeatherMcCoubrey and Jayne Denker for beta reading, and to Becky Monsonwho not only took me under her wing and taught me tons, but thencreated my fabulous cover for me.
I have a great team of editors, who find myevery mistake and teach me all about good grammar. Thank you CahrenMorris and Karen Pirozzi. Everyone needs the Cahren/Karencombo.
The incredible cover photography is by thetremendously talented William LeBlanc, featuring the lovely NinaJade Napoletano, with hair and make-up by Alayne Curtiss. It issurreal but unbelievably awesome that this team took my words andmade it into a beautiful picture. Thank you!
Gossip is never fatal until it isdenied.
–Booth Tarkington
PROLOGUE: December 1992
It all started the winter sheturned sixteen. She had been kissed by exactly two boys. She wasyoung and naive, impressionable. Within two years, she would loseher virginity and know what it was to really have her heart brokenfor the first time. But that was yet to come.
Liza met Jack through mutualfriends. He attended the rival all-boys military high school, whileshe attended the co-ed Catholic high school in the same town. Hewas a junior, while she was a sophomore, due to her late birthday.In fact, most of her friends were juniors since she never found herniche with her own classmates. Jack knew her friends from gradeschool and church. Liza first met Jack while working a churchChristmas party. It wasn't her parish, but she wanted to hang outwith her friends, and they were obligated to do this in preparationfor confirmation. He was there. She was immediately attracted tohis outgoing wittiness. Later that day, the entire group, includingJack, was going sleigh riding. Liza desperately wanted to go too,but her parents wouldn’t let her. She pouted and acted like a brat,being miserable while her father insisted she go Christmas shoppingwith him. The entire time, all Liza could think about was Jack, andhow she was missing out on a chance to spend the afternoon withhim.
Her spoiled, surly mood wasslightly lifted when she arrived home to a surprise Sweet Sixteenbirthday party. Liza was shocked, as her mother was not the dotingtype to spoil her only daughter with such extravagance. Her parentshad actually done a wonderful job of inviting all her friends, eventhough they were mostly in different grades than her. And somehow,Jack was there! She was not able to spend much time with Jack, butshe felt really, really special that he had come to her party, eventhough they had just met. Although she barely knew him, she wasimmediately infatuated. Much like a sixteen year-old could be. Hewasn't over-the-top handsome but had a friendly face, withmischievous blue eyes and light brown hair. He wore it short, aswas dictated by his military school but had the fashionable flop ofhair descending over his forehead and encroaching on one eye thatwas so stylish in the early 1990s.
From their mutual friends, Jaimieand Tara, Liza learned that Jack had just broken up with a girlnamed Dani. She went to the public high school in town. She was,apparently, a brute of a girl. Very tall and thick, and tough toboot, with short, dyed orange hair and Doc Martens. Someonereported that she was scary and often got into fist fights. She wasrumored to be very "experienced" with both genders. She wascertainly everything Liza was not. But despite her petite frame,long, permed curls, preppy clothes, feminine nature and naïveté,Jack seemed interested in Liza. He flirted with her and teased her.Liza, in her innocence, knew nothing about being on therebound.
That New Year's Eve, the whole crewended up at Jaimie's house. Jaimie and Liza had become good friendslast spring. They were in several extracurricular activitiestogether, including the school play. Jaimie had just gotten herdriver's license and was the first non-family member that Liza wasallowed to ride with. Despite the fact that Jaimie lived wayoutside of town, she frequently hosted parties. The parties weretame, compared to those held by other sophomores and juniors. Therewas music. Often, they watched a movie. The LittleMermaid was just out on video and was afavorite amongst the girls. Surely the boys put up with it for thesake of the girls. There was no alcohol. They were a band
