Regina Kyle | You've Got To Have Friends

Admit it, you're humming the old Bette Midler song. You've got to have friends, the feeling's oh so strong. You've got to have friends, to make the day last long. Those lyrics were definitely running through my mind as I wrote BILLIONAIRE IN HER BED, my first book for Entangled's Indulgence line. Writing can be a pretty solitary profession, and finding your tribe is essential to maintaining your sanity. I'm lucky to have found a great group of writer friends in the MTBs, my plot group. (No, I'm not telling what that stands for LOL.) They're the ones who cheer my successes and buck me up when I'm struggling. Brooke Worthington, the heroine in BILLIONAIRE IN HER BED, is lucky, too. She's found her tribe in the other residents of Candy Court, the chocolate-factory-turned-apartment-building where she lives. There's the Feinbergs, the elderly couple who lives on the first floor; partners David and Chris, a concert pianist and a ballet dancer; and single mom Charise and her infant son. And when hero Eli Ward shows up, he's warmly welcomed into the fold. But what they don't know about Eli may come back to hurt them . . . Some of my favorite scenes in BILLIONAIRE IN HER BED are the ones that feature this eclectic cast of characters. Like this one, when Eli walks in on his first tenants' meeting:

Brooke cleared her throat for attention. "Okay, people. As exciting as our new addition is, we're still in the middle of a meeting here."

"We can deal with the garden later. I want to hear more about Eli." An older woman eyed him appraisingly from the sofa. The gray-haired man next to her blew a loud raspberry, but she continued, undeterred. "I don't see a ring on your finger. Tell me, young man, do you have a girlfriend?"

"Or a boyfriend?" asked David, the arm around Chris tightening.

"I'm straight," Eli assured him, then directed his gaze at Brooke. "And single."

She ignored him and started in on the bean dip.

"Oh, what a pity." The older woman tsked her disapproval. "A handsome young man like you should have someone to come home to."

"Get a dog," the man next to her suggested. "Less expensive than a woman, and they never talk back."

"Or cook dinner," said the woman next to him, who Eli had figured out must be his wife. "Or do your laundry. Or…"

"See what I mean about talking back?" Her husband pushed his wire-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Dog's definitely the way to go.

"About the garden…" Brooke tried again.

"Is it true, what Chris said?" Charise piped up. "Do you and Eli really know each other?"

"Were you two an item?" David asked, jumping on the way-too-personal bandwagon

"Despite what you all seem to think, this is not Melrose Place." Brooke adopted a Wonder Woman power pose, hands balled into fists on her hips and feet planted firmly apart. "And I am not sharing the details of my private life at a tenants' meeting."

"How about you, Eli?" Chris needled. "Care to enlighten us?"

Not in a trillion years. A gentleman didn't kiss and tell. Or fuck and tell, as the case may be. He looked to Brooke, his eyes pleading for assistance.

With an exasperated sigh, she took a piece of paper from the drafting table, crumpled it up and tossed it over her shoulder. "Since no one seems interested in discussing anything on the agenda, I declare this meeting adjourned."

See what I mean about this crew? They jab and pick at each other, but underneath
it all there's a deep current of love, affection, and concern. Just like me and
the MTBs. Like the best of friendships everywhere.

And here's a fun fact: David and Chris are based on two of my favorite people.
And yes, they're really a pianist and a ballet dancer. They gave me permission
to use their names and professions, and the book is dedicated to them.

I hope you have as much fun reading about Brooke, Eli, David, Chris, and the
rest of the Candy Court crew as I did writing about them.