Tom Williams appears to be your average sandy-blond businessman in the Big Apple, with a pair of sea-green eyes that look as if they can see straight through you. But, unfortunately for him, they can't.
His suaveness can charm the pants off almost anyone, but that won't help him survive when the universe entwines three of his lovers. A young flowing boho artist named Myra, a successfully anxious commercial realtor named Remi, and a domineering lawyer, Stella, who moonlights as Madam Madsen in her evenings.
Nobody likes to be played a fool.
Together, the trio decides to take matters into their own hands and make him pay for what his deceit has turned them into. Self-doubting, distrusting, tormented women are dangerous.
They thought they had it all under control, a fool-worthy plan, but they were the ones getting played the entire time...
Someone's been tugging at puppet strings. But who in their circle is a traitor?
Will anyone escape the wrath of the Devil's daughter?
Tom Williams appears to be your average sandy-blond businessman in the Big Apple, with a pair of sea-green eyes that look as if they can see straight through you. But, unfortunately for him, they can't.
His suaveness can charm the pants off almost anyone, but that won't help him survive when the universe entwines three of his lovers. A young flowing boho artist named Myra, a successfully anxious commercial realtor named Remi, and a domineering lawyer, Stella, who moonlights as Madam Madsen in her evenings.
Nobody likes to be played a fool.
Together, the trio decides to take matters into their own hands and make him pay for what his deceit has turned them into. Self-doubting, distrusting, tormented women are dangerous.
They thought they had it all under control, a fool-worthy plan, but they were the ones getting played the entire time...
Someone's been tugging at puppet strings. But who in their circle is a traitor?
Will anyone escape the wrath of the Devil's daughter?
Steam encompassed her naked body.
Remi was positive that the warmth of a showerâs spray was a quick and satisfying way for any person to wake up and adjust to the idea of starting yet another day.
She had never considered herself a morning person but found with age that she enjoyed the serene stillness those first breaking hours offered. No other time of day could gift her with the same inimitable moments for her thoughts and self-discovery.
Many of her mornings started with some good old-fashioned physical self-discovery in that same shower⌠creating her own steam in between the falling droplets. After climaxing, those droplets gave her a deeper sense of a refresh than any other of her morning rituals.
But there was no time for discovery this morning. No, it was a Wednesday but not any ordinary one; today was the day that she was going to meet with a fertility specialist.
True, she had never given pregnancy a serious chance, as she had always prided herself on the high level of safety and protection she maintained in her love life. Yet, she knew that in all reality she was thirty-five and came from a long line of women that struggled with fertility. Yes, they all ended up having at least one child of their own, but most of them were much younger when they first conceived than she was now.
Remi felt split about her scheduled appointment for that afternoon. In many ways, she was excited and hopeful about the idea of creating a new little one and the life they would share. The things she could teach
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them, the places she could take them⌠Lord knows she had more than enough money to not only support them but to show them the world. She could thank her undying work ethic for that. On the other side of positive financial and emotional wealth was the question of a father. Who would be the right man? What would life be like for her kid if their dad wasn't necessarily in the picture?
But Remi's deep daddy issues melted away with the interruption of projected memories that hadn't even been made yet with her future offspring.
She saw a girl, probably around ten years old, laughing and smiling across the dining table, gently tossing her hair back. Her daughter would be quick-witted and intriguing from an early age. Remi guessed that she'd be an old soul⌠one with a higher intellect than many of her classmates and more mature interests like sushi, reading, and inter- national travel.
They could start in England. Yes, perfect, start with a country that speaks English. It would be easier for a child to fully enjoy the experi- ence and less confusing for them, right? Ooooh, or maybe she should start with a cruise to one of Americaâs lesser-traveled states, Alaska? The exquisite beauty that Alaska holds is paramount to any other in the States. Or maybeâŚ.
âHey babe, you ok in there? I know you appreciate your morning soak, but I'm starting to think you passed out and died in that box you call a shower. More like a coffin really⌠which would actually be pretty convenient if you are dead in there." The tone in his voice shared a smile that you could tell was there even without seeing him.
Oh, that voice. His voice, the one that severed her daydream, and startled her back to reality. His voice was proof enough of his existence and much of the reason why she felt emotionally confounded. He was an absolutely perfect partner for her.
When women say there are no good men left, they had clearly never met her boyfriend. Thankfully.
The two had been dating for a little over eight months, which to many, may not seem very long, but to Remi, it was a lifetime compared
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to her previous relationships. She saw their future together; old married, and still deeply in love with one another even on their deathbeds. It was crystal clear where she wanted them to go.
Ok, crystal clear is not a fair descriptor. She knew that her sweetheart of a boyfriend had made it crystal clear to her that he loved her but would never put a ring on hers or anyone else's finger.
Sure, he's afraid of marriage now, but it has only been eight months of dating- she had years to fix this.
As for children, they'd never discussed it before. She wasnât sure where he stood with kids, but could only imagine that he would see them as a lifelong commitment. And that would probably overwhelm him right now. So... yep, you guessed it; she hadnât hinted an ounce of interest in becoming a mother and he positively didnât know about her fertility appointment.
Remi physically shook the internal dialogue off her body and sent it down the shower drain.
âHa, yeah I am fine. Just daydreaming I guess.â
âYou ever going to get a bigger shower so we can both fit in there and daydream at the same time? I love independence just as much as you do, but would love to shed some filth with you from time to time,â he leaned in with a cute little sultry smirk on his face.
Oh, that face. He might look plain to anyone else, but to her, he could have been the next lonely romantic looking for love on The Bachelor. Any woman that got to know him would fight any other competitor tooth and nail. Hair extensions and silicon would be flying at every rose ceremony. He was quite the prize and she knew she was lucky to have him.
She should just tell him.
He would appreciate knowing.
What if he was truly excited about the idea?
She didnât know. Maybe he had always dreamt of being a dad. But what if heâs not?
What if he never wants a family of his own?
This would be way too much... she'd be way too much.
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He'd just break things off with her and run as far in the other direction as he could get.
She wasnât ready to lose him, so instead, she popped her head out of the shower and said, âMaybe I should just get a bigger place altogether. You know, like a place big enough for two grown adults to live in⌠like together.â Apparently, she was feeling brave enough to test the waters this morning quite brazenlyâŚ
But she regretted it as soon as it left her lips. Did she really just ask him to move in together like some whimsical, snarky shower joke?! Oh my God, what was wrong with her? Her greedy claws were losing grip in holding back her heart. It was amazing he hadnât run off already. She cringed and held her breath, listening for some sort of response. Her body grew tenser the longer the silence continued. And finallyâŚ
âWhy Remi, are you asking to move in with me? I am flattered, but I donât think my place is big enough either and I just re-signed my lease,â he continued with a slight stammer, âI mean; besides logistics, how would I ever get anything else done with you and your bangin' bod always around?.â
âOh God, it was just a joke,â she defensively interrupted. She had to keep this calm, cool, and maybe somewhat casual?
Were they casual? Semi-serious? Serious enough to talk about having kids together?
The only thing she had to make sure not to do was wreck what they had going. Was it that hard for her to not be so needy?
In a split-second decision, Remi was more confident than ever that she'd be asking about a sperm donor. If he wasnât ready to share an address, why would she think he was ready to share DNA?
"I mean you understand, right hun? It's purely logistics, nothing personal," Tom said interrupting her thoughts again.
How could he be so perfect? She popped out of the shower, grabbed a towel, and dripped her way into her bedroom, where she found him sitting on the edge of the bed they shared only two nights a week. She wished it was more often, but he traveled so much for his job that it felt selfish to ask for more. She couldnât imagine constantly flying out
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and returning home to barely have a moment for herself⌠he was such a trooper when it came to his job. She'd remain the understanding, independent girlfriend he knew her to be, and maybe someday she'd be the one he'd come home to.
âOf course, hun. Honest- there was nothing behind it. Thereâs no pressure coming from my end of things to move anything faster than you are comfortable with,â she quickly responded. âA jokeâthatâs all, I swear. I mean, besides the fact that I have been considering moving to a bigger place, maybe even a house.â
âReally? Thatâs kind of exciting. Where to?â
âWell, I was thinking it might be a kind of nice to get out of the city a bit. After working all day downtown, I feel like I need some kind of release from its grip, you know?â
Remi subconsciously started wringing her hands like she always did when she felt insecure.
âActually, an old friend of mine from college just called me last week wondering if I was in the market for a roommate. She just got out of a pretty ugly marriage and an equally messy divorce and is looking for some extra income so she can keep the house. Michelle really wants her daughter to stay at the same school. With all the changes in the divorce, she thinks it would help to keep something consistent for her daughter. It sounds like she has a lot of friends in her classes and is pretty involved in after-school curricula too. I guess I didnât mention it to you because I am a little worried about the location⌠itâs out in Newark.â
She caught herself pausing there; Remi hadn't actually considered Michelle's proposal; she had hoped her prince charming and she might be closer to living together than they apparently were.
âI know. I know,â she continued, âbefore you say anything I under- stand what that commute would look like. But I could just take the train in and use that time to, I donât know, pick up a hobby I guess. Maybe I'll become a master knitter or learn French.â She half-heartedly laughed.
None of it was a lie; she was exhausted from living the life of constant motion, lights, and sounds. And she had always seen herself
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living outside of NYC with a family of her own. This would be kind of like thatâjust with a good friend and their kid. Who knew, maybe she would be expecting her own little addition sooner than later. It would be nice to have a home with a yard for her own child to play in. Her blood was rushing back and forth between her heart and her head. A real migraine maker.
He looked up at her with that toothy grin of his and said, âI think this all sounds perfect for you, babe. You wonât be alone so much when I am traveling for work. No more sad girl syndrome. Plus you'd love living in a nice old row house in Newark. An adorable vintage balcony off the back to sip tea and read your gossip blogs. It will almost feel like I'm on vacation when I get to come and see you. Like staying at a cute little bed-and-breakfast.â
She liked the image that was flashing through her mind minus the gossip magazines. She didn't actually read those... but how's he to know that?
And it could be romantic. This idea of having an old house filled to the brim with charming timepieces and character. She could just see herself cuddled up on a couch in front of a warm fireplace in the winter reading a book. Oh, how she wanted to share with him what she saw on the other half of that couch. But telling him she dreamt of him cradling her growing belly, smiling softly to himself, was probably too much.
Instead, she decided that the best response was a joke. âYeah, we could even hire my new roomie to give us some coupleâs massages, cook us breakfast in bed⌠you know... the works. I am sure she would love that!â she added in a sarcastic tone.
He loved it. He touched his nose to hers and simply said, âSounds perfect.â
Welp, add that to the list of major life changes she wasn't planning on making. Moving and having a roommate should fit nicely in with an ultra-planned pregnancy that her boyfriend would know nothing about until she couldnât hide it from him anymore âŚso around 5 months, she figured sardonically. Remi sighed sluggishly.
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Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she'd lost a little something just then. Maybe it was the small shred of hope she felt slipping awayâa piece of her that was still holding out for the perfect fairytale life. Tiara off-kilter and the kingdom crumbling, it was time to snap back to real life.
"I better start getting ready to head into the office. I donât even want to think about the stack of proposals on my desk. I think over half of them are already overdue, but getting some of these property owners to answer emails seems close to impossible.â Another heave of exasperation, this time with the mere thought of the insurmountably frustrating workload ahead. âI mean, someone is interested in purchas- ing your propertyâa property you have up for sale and you donât even have enough gumption in life to respond to an email to cash in?! Itâs commercial real estate people, so itâs like a lot of cash.â
Remi sat on the bed, fighting her urge to ball up in the corner and cry. Instead, being the responsible adult that she sometimes hated that she was, she finished putting her heels on and stood to leave.
His response was just like him, cute and whimsical, âYou know I hate to see you go, but I love to watch you walk away." He feigned an overly-dramatic realization with a faux dum-founded face made for the movies. "Blast, this is your apartment, though. Damn, itâs me that has to get up and do the walking away though, isnât it? You see, I try to be funny but it always backfiresâŚ. I gotta start thinking these things through first,â he chuckled.
She shared his smile and gave him a quick but heartfelt hug goodbye. She didnât know the exact day when she would see him next but was already filled with anxiety knowing that she would have all this new information from her doctorâs visit and wouldnât be sure how much, if
any, to share with him.
Oh hell, thatâs not for her to worry about right now. She would leave that fear for their next encounter. Now, to get through the rest of her morning, tackle those ever-so-alluring stack of papers on her desk and survive the afternoon.
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She half-heartedly convinced herself that the afternoon was going to be positively fulfilling and bring new hope.
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She blew into her office like an out-of-season hurricane around 9:00 AM; hoping that no one would notice or at least not have the balls to call her out on not only being an hour late but for missing their daily team meeting. Remi figured that most of her team members bullshitted most of these daily blurbs anyway, so it was more of a waste of time than anything else.
If anyone did say something about her tardiness, she figured she'd retaliate with the fact that she'd been out schmoozing with the same pair of potential buyers until midnight three evenings the prior week
Even though fine dining and wine were involved, compliments of her company, it's still hard, sometimes unbearable, work. She hated stereotyping, but most of the âhard to work with clientsâ, you know the ones that demanded kid-glove care, were rich old white men. Fogies who loved playing hard to get simply because of the pathetic sense of satisfaction they felt stealing away some poor, young, attractive womanâs time.
Inflated, selfish, pompous geezers.
Surprisingly, she whipped through the infamous stack of neglected work. Feeling extremely accomplished and somehow still motivated, she used every last drop of time at her desk to rifle through and schedule new leads. It was a glorious day for progress, a mantra she had on mental auto-play that she only half-believed.
Holding onto that thought, she packed her laptop into her bag and wheeled her desk chair back to its resting place. Tomorrow is another day - another day welcomed in by an erotic steamy hot shower. But now, something for future Remi.
Deep breaths - just slow your roll and everything will be fine.
Another BS monologue.
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Her stilettos clicked with vigor across the pavement. Luck would have it that the specialist was only a few short blocks away from her work. Remi caught herself smiling in between gallant strides. Of course, she was nervous, but what she was feeling mostly at that moment was pure exhilaration. She had dreamt about this for so long and seeing a glimpse of light at the end of what had been an endless tunnel for her gave her a feeling that she wanted to cling to.
A brisk shiver of pure oxygen rushed up into her nostrils as soon as she stepped through those glorious (almost obnoxiously) large entrance doors. She saw her reflection in their flawlessly clear glass as she passed through and imagined herself with a full belly. About nine months full. Those stiletto clicks picked up a whole new level of confidence right then as she straightened her back and rolled her shoulders behind her. She was proud to be taking these next steps, she told herself. She'd wel- come future Remi into her life with open arms and a slower heart rate.
The time had come⌠her turn was now.
Dr. Rybarczyk smiled warmly at her when he came into the room; there she sat wearing one of those sterile smelling, pink robes with awk- ward ties that no one knows how to actually use. There should be an in- structional guide somewhere in this room to help navigate these bloody robes, she had thought to herself when she was getting changed.
Now she just sat there and smiled back at the doc, hoping that she didnât fuck up the robe tying too much. After all, she was there today to somehow prove her âadultnessâ and ability to raise another human being â fucking up robe ties would not look good for her.
She lifted her head and caught his direct gazeâhe had nice eyes. He was probably like every other douchey doctor she knew; kind eyes while visiting patients, loaded wallets, and horrendous bedside manner. Dating doctors can be fun for very short stretches. But inevitably, their precious little egos get damaged because someone doesnât recognize them for their âoutstanding workâ in the medical field.
She decidedly chose not to comment about the stunning color or clearness of his eyes but simply offered a short, emotionless smile in return. She didnât want to seem cold since he would be the one helping
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her with her future mini so she followed up with a quick âhow are you?â.
A simple nod and this man was off and running full speed ahead into the vaginal talk. âSo you have a hard time conceiving then?â His words were not meant to be cutting, but damn was he direct.
âWell, I am not sure. I havenât had unprotected sex in my life to know if I can, you know, get pregnant,â Remi stammered out a response.
Doctor Rybarczykâs eyebrows furled. âHm, not quite the response I was expecting. Typically, people come in and meet with me as a last resort; after they have tried everything that pops up on google and even sometimes on the dark web. So, can I ask why you are here if you havenât been actively trying?â
âWell, most of the females in my family have had issues conceiving, so I have some concerns. But mostly, I guess because I'm not sure that I have someone that I should be trying with.â Those words stung. âI think I'm interested in learning more about using a donor, as well as, assessing my fertility.â
âWell,â he let out what seemed like a sigh of disapproval, âwe can, without doubt, start things off with a pap smear to look for any red flags. As long as nothing comes back concerning, we would supply you with donor profiles to read up on. After you select the donor, we would move forward with the IUI process, which feels similar to another pap smear. Pretty simple process reallyâthe hardest part can be just choosing whose genetics you want for your baby. Itâs kind of like shopping for the perfect human; one bad gene and your child has a birth defect- no pressure though.â He giggled after that last statement.
Was that this man's idea of a joke? Jesus Christ, buddy, know your audience.
âWhat if it doesnât take, you know, what if I donât get pregnant? Or worse, canât get pregnant?â Remi asked, subconsciously wringing her hands raw.
âLetâs not worry about things we donât know about yet. Thereâs no reason for either of us to believe that you canât have babies, so letâs just
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start with the first step." The doctor paused to look up over his glasses at her. More nonverbal judgment... "Now, you mentioned you werenât sure if you had someone to get pregnant with⌠is there a special person in your life and do they know that you are thinking about using a donor? I donât want you to feel like Iâm prying, itâs just that I have seen this scenario play out a few times before where the partner didnât even know that my patient was inquiring. Said patient becomes pregnant from the IUI process and the partner becomes enraged since the baby is not theirs. It can be a relationship ender, to say the least.â
Obviously not. But Remi wasn't sure if she was willing to wait any longer. Her biological clock felt more like a ticking time bomb just waiting to implode, toppling her uterus to her toes.
âYes, I do have a boyfriend and I do need to have that conversation with him. By the next time I see you, I'm sure we'll have that all worked out.â
A big fat lie- even to herself. Major eye roll.
âGreat. Would you want to do the pap smear now and get it out of the way?â
She might as well let him see her undercarriage and start the evaluation process. Isn't that why she was wearing that blasted robe, to begin with?
âYeah, that'd be great,â she said, reasserting her power of making a
decision.
Thankfully, the pap took almost no time at all; after she got re- dressed, she was free to goâresults would be available in her patient portal after 48-72 hours, and a follow-up appointment to be scheduled then. That was a lot of hours for her nerves to wreak havoc on the shredded skin at the bottoms of her hands.
Her cell phone rang as she was flagging down a cab. Her cheeks puffed out with the air she was holding but quickly realized it wasn't her boyfriend calling to say sweet nothings. It was her future room- mate. The word roommate danced around in her mind until the next inevitable next ring sounded.
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What a daydreamer she was- truly amazing she ever got anything done during the day! She hit accept on her screen and started another kind of difficult conversation with her old friend Michelle.
âHey, Michelle, or should I say, roomieâŚâ Remi pushed a smile through her teeth. It'd change the inflection in her voice and she needed every extra ray of sunshine to help her get through this.
When the book begins, there's Remi, the self-made and self-doubting real estate agent. She and Tom have been together for 8 months. She thinks he's the one. It's clear she has abandonment issues. But she doesn't have enough faith in him to tell him that she wants a baby. She's already decided she needs a donor to get pregnant. Myra is a free-spirited artist. She's chill and into yoga. Stella's the successful lawyer by day and dominatrix by night. Things get interesting when she finds a USB drive in her closet. Stella finds out Tom has stashed recording equipment in her home but she continues dating him after his lame explanation. The story goes three women find out they are dating the same man and make a plan to ruin his life.
Attempted is full of Remi, Myra, and Stella's keen observations on their interpretations of their relationship with Tom. It's easy to see how they were fooled. He pretended to have the same interests. There's crime fiction in the mix.
I get that Stella was unlikeable but she was the most straightforward and honest about not pretending to be a good person.
The ingredients are there for a psychological thriller and all characters get Melanie Black's focus.
From my experience, the ones that put on those nice girl airs are the ones who tend to be unhinged. They are more dangerous as evidenced by Remi's past criminal misdeeds. I won't spoil it. It's bound to be a sequel with more madness ahead.
I understand why Tom has these views on women. His mother used sex and exploited men for their riches. Then he had his heart broken by his high school girlfriend.
Readers who enjoy memorable characters and fast-paced stories will enjoy Attempted. It's not straight or predictable but that is what makes the possibilities seem endless.