Lying Down with Dogs

A no-nonsense tale of a college girl, a celebrity encounter, a sexy restaurant, wealthy men, savvy women and many moments of self-discovery.

Valerie Imparato's corporate career path is nearly sideswiped as she becomes indoctrinated into the racy lifestyles of the affluent and sometimes famous patrons in her coveted server position at one of Philly's top restaurants-until the fortuitous wisdom of her Italian grandmothers sheds light on Val's relationships with men, sex, and money.

Will Val finally hook up with Billy Joel? How will spending her birthday alone in Mexico turn out? Will she fire her therapist? It all comes full-circle for the college girl turned marketing exec from South Philadelphia in this novella based on a true story.

As Valerie transitions from the office to a sexy restaurant and back, she must face some of the same businesspeople she serves lobster fra diavolo or a dirty martini to a few nights a week. Through lavish dinner parties and some eye-opening experiences inside the "boys' club," plus laugh-out-loud interactions with Val's sharp-tongued restaurant co-workers and other comical characters, Valerie gets a front row seat to a diametric lifestyle that eventually changes the way she views the world.

For anyone who's spent time working in a restaurant, and especially those who've been on the dating scene, Lying Down with Dogs is a humorously anecdotal, fast-reading novella with a few surprises. All the major themes play out in this little book of big characters: beauty, trade-offs, friendships, and the question of who's using who.