Hard Hats: Drop Dead Gorgeous Women Doing Heavy Construction for Love, A Jillian Russell Adult Romantic Novel. 64,449 words. When Susan Smith's husband Mack Wheelock has a mid-life crisis and falls in love with the company lawyer – the lovely and diabolically ambitious Leslie Peterson – he forces his wife Susan (a.k.a Pudy) to form her own construction company and become David to his Goliath. Thanks to Mack, the only workers she can hire are a group of gorgeous woman from an out of business modeling agency. Meanwhile, Sam Trent – Pudy's kindergarten sweetheart – and, although she doesn't know it, one of the biggest stars of the construction industry – aided by the six foot tall, redheaded, underwear model Jilly Will – helps Pudy overcome the constant attacks from Mack and Leslie and build the: Whistle While We Work Construction Company.
SAMPLE
It wasn't until she had filled her plate and taken her first bite of asparagus that Pudy finally asked the question that had been burning her tongue for the past ten minutes, "Where's the check?"
"What?" Mack asked.
"Win's check? I'll take it to the bank in the morning."
"Oh, we didn't sign today," Mack said.
Pudy's face telegraphed her disapproval.
"…but Leslie says it's a shoe-in," Mack said, rushing the sentence in defense of a position that he knew Pudy wouldn't buy.
Pudy's disapproval and Mack's defensiveness sat between them like a living thing.
Mack ate hurriedly, barely tasting the feast. He wondered why he had bothered to come home. He could have called her, said that something had come up at the office. He looked over at Pudy. She was pushing her food around her plate, she hadn't eaten more than a bite. Mack felt resentment building in the pit of his stomach.
"What!" he asked at last.
"Daddy always said nothing was in the bag until the check clears the bank. You didn't close the sale, Mack," It was not at all what Pudy wanted to say, but it would have to do.
"Yeah? Well your father wasn't in the meeting today."
"Neither was I and if you're going to take a woman to a meeting with Win Armstrong, perhaps you should take one who knows a close from a bag of hot air," Pudy said, throwing her napkin on the table and sitting back in her chair.
For a feast that was being eaten with long periods of silence between short spurts of argument, there seemed to be a great deal of conversation filling the dining room.
Mack was on the defensive.
Pudy tried to regain her balance by changing the subject.
"Did you have a chance to look at that article on construction software I put on your desk?" she asked. Business had been the only safe ground for the last six months. Although Pudy wasn't certain that it remained safe now that Leslie had been injected into the bidding meetings as well as the bedroom.
"I've been busy, Pudy."
"Mack it'll save us…"
"Well, back to the salt mines," he said. He gathered his briefcase and papers, "Leslie and I have to go over today's meeting and plan some strategy for closing the deal."
Pudy opened her mouth to object.
"You do want that check in the bank don't you, Pudy?"
A thousand retorts raced through Pudy's mind. At last she said, "Will you be late?"
"Don't wait up."