The One That Got Away (27 page)

“I never worked a thing out with Champion,” Tony said, a touch of defiance in his tone. “When Larry rehired me, it was with the condition I not have to deal with that arrogant fool. I didn't forget how quickly he sold me down the river.”

“Well, at least my prediction came true. You weren't at Kinko's long.”

After slipping off his sunglasses, Tony ran his hands up and down Serena's shoulders, kneading her flesh like dough. “You were right about more than that. And if I made you feel guilty about looking out for yourself, about taking your time before
turning your, Dawn, and Sydney's lives upside down, I was wrong.”

She held Tony's gaze, drilling into his soul with the wattage of her stare. “Well, you may have figured out by now that I've gotten what I needed out of being alone.”

Tony grinned. “Praise Jesus.”

Serena pressed a finger to his lips. “Don't sleep, I am still a bit touched. I'll always have to be handled with care.”

“You know that's never scared me off,” Tony replied. “I'm far more fragile than you've ever been.” He gathered himself, his body tensing with a question. “So I know we're not having a Mars-Venus moment, you are ready for me now, right?”

Serena smiled at the question, then reached up and palmed the back of her future lover's head. “A few more seconds, Mr. Gooden, and you'll have it all figured out.”

A sunny sky overhead, the streets around them teeming with sensual stimuli, the young, attractive couple slowly merged, the start of another piece of their journey under way. Stepping forward into the unknown, each was aware of the many uncertainties, the myriad barriers ready to bash their bliss to bits. For Tony and Serena, though, the time for flat-footed calculations of their odds had passed. From here on out, they'd be floating on faith.

Q. What inspired you to write this specific book?

 

A. Really now, who doesn't have a “one that got away” in his or her past? The idea had percolated in my mind for years, and eventually I was inspired with a full story around it.

 

Q. How did you come to make Tony, who was a supporting character in your previous novels
(No More Mr. Nice Guy
and
The Perfect Blend),
the lead character in
The One That Got Away?

 

A. If I may so myself, Tony Gooden came screaming onto the literary scene in my second book,
No More Mr. Nice Guy.
He was the guy most female readers loved to hate, serving as Mitchell's instructor in the art of running game on unsuspecting women. In the years since that book came out, I've had friends and readers ask me about Tony's back story; how did he wind up with such a cold, calculating soul when it comes to women? I guess those questions rolled around in the back of my head for a while. Eventually, I envisioned that Tony had suffered the loss of “one that got away” in his past, in a way that had reinforced other trials—not knowing his biological mother, having a distant relationship with his stepmother—that fed his surface-level, playboy treatment of women. This was a chance to take a flawed but
interesting brother and show him grow a little bit by confronting his past.

 

Q. Was Serena inspired by anyone in your own past? Does C. Kelly Robinson have “one that got away?”

 

A. You're talking to a confessed introvert, so dozens of attractive girls “got away” from me in my innocent youth. I've never harbored any illusions about finding them and winning them over, but I'm no different from many of my friends who have exes or old dates they'd just as soon avoid today.

 

Q. Do you think most couples whose emotional connection outlives their initial relationships or romances should eventually wind up together? What should readers take from the way Tony and Serena ended up?

 

A. I know of several friends and other couples who were high school or college sweethearts, split up, married and had kids with someone else, only to wind up back together by their thirties or forties. It can happen with folks whose connection is so special, but it's probably not healthy to plan on it.

 

Q. Anything else you wish to share with your readers?

 

A. Just to say thank you again for supporting my work through these first five books. I won't let up in working to produce stories that entertain and enlighten. And if you have a manuscript of your own, stay at it one day at a time—it's the only way to ensure your voice can eventually be heard.

1. Is there a “one that got away” in your life? Looking at Tony and Serena's interactions at the wedding, did anything remind you of awkward run-ins you've had with ex-boyfriends or girlfriends? Do you have any rules you follow when encountering these situations?

 

2. Whom did you find more sympathetic between Tony and Serena? Did your view of whether they should end up together change over the course of the story? Why or why not?

 

3. If life is about choosing between “good brothers” and “dogs” or “players,” where did Tony and Jamie each fall along this scale? Who were you rooting for Serena to wind up with?

 

4. Did learning about the abuse Jamie suffered in his childhood change your opinion of him at all?

 

5. What's your take on Serena's relationship with Dawn? How would you or have you handled your own teen-age children differently?

 

6. Did Serena first sleep with Tony because she was 1) vengeful after learning of Jamie's betrayal, 2) still attracted to him sexually,
or 3) unbalanced after skipping her antidepressant medication?

 

7. What did you think of Serena's decision to take one last shot at making things work with Jamie? Can you relate to her motivations for wanting to stick it out, even though she still had feelings for Tony?

 

8. When Dawn surfaced at Ben and Glenn's apartment, should he have stayed out of the situation given his volatile relationship with Serena and Jamie? How should he have handled the situation?

 

9. Should Serena have violated Dawn's confidence by asking her mother to speak to her about abstaining from sex?

 

10. Was Audrey too aggressive in chasing Tony? Did she overreact to his decision to respect Serena's privacy when he was charged with harassing Dawn?

 

11. What sort of a future do you predict for Tony and Serena?

 

12. Were there any supporting characters—e.g. Trey, Jade, the twins, or others—who surprised, enraged, or impressed you? Why?

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's Imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

 

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