Baring It All (Mills & Boon Temptation)

by Sandra Chastain

  “Be patient, Sunny. This story on the theater is news, even without an interview with Lord Sin. I don’t suppose you got a picture, did you?”

  “I wish.” Sunny rolled her shoulders and leaned her head back. “Oh sure. I got shots of the usual VIPs, the mayor and a couple of well-heeled contributors, but no Lord Sin.”

  “I didn’t expect you to. If you’d managed to video him, the Sin Patrol would have confiscated it.”

  “Sin Patrol?”

  “Just kidding, Sunny. So far as we know, Lord Sin has been squeaky clean. What about the interview with Malone?”

  She gulped and wondered whether or not she should tell him the truth about Malone’s offer, then decided that was personal—at least for now. “I did have a very strange conversation with the tycoon, but I didn’t get to talk to him for very long. He’s as complex as Lord Sin, and—” she added almost as an afterthought “—just as intriguing. He has promised me another interview, and possibly some inside stories—if I spend some time with him.”

  Her boss let out a dry laugh, eased himself off the desk and moved to his chair. “Sunny, I don’t normally get involved in the personal life of my employees but I feel I ought to warn you. You’re new in Atlanta and you don’t know your way around yet. Ryan Malone is a pretty sophisticated guy, rarely seen with the same woman twice. He’s known for being a two-week man. Although I like the idea of some inside stories, you’re not ready for the Malone rush.”

  “I’m not a child, Ted, I’m a reporter. Malone has offered me a good deal.”

  “You sure you’re not just caught up in Lord Sin’s spell? I think the aging superstud got to you. My wife said he was…extraordinary, and she’s not easy to impress.”

  “Aging? Boy, are you wrong. An old man could never have made the moves he did. He’s pretty remarkable—if you like that kind of thing.”

  Ted smiled. “You’re right. The first rule of a good journalist is to keep an open mind. Let yourself experience the event first. Then decide.”

  Experience the event? Sunny shivered. If she’d experienced any more, she’d have turned into a cinder in her seat of honor. “He’s impressive, like one of those new-age magicians, alluring, mysterious and hypnotic. I think he graduated magna cum laude from the School of Lust. But I’m going to unmask him. And I’m going to use Ryan Malone to do it.”

  “I like it, Sunny.”

  “You do?”

  “I do—but the station can’t close down while you work on one story. I’ll give you two weeks and you still have to take assignments.”

  “That’s all I’ll need,” she assured him. “If I don’t get something you’ll like, I’ll write promos and make the coffee.”

  “You’re on. But remember what I said about Malone. I don’t want you to miss opportunities but I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “Thanks, Ted.”

  “By the way, how’s your coffee?”

  “Lousy.”

  “That’s what I thought. Now, go write your story.”

  She took a deep breath. Get hurt? She’d been there, done that and had the “I’ve Been Downsized” T-shirt to prove it. She didn’t intend to let that happen again, either personally or as a reporter. “I don’t want to be hurt either,” she said softly.

  Sunny stood, gathering her strappy shoes in one hand and holding herself upright by leaning on the desk with the other. She was physically drained. Thank goodness she wasn’t one of the anchors who’d deliver her story. All she had to do was type the words to go along with Walt’s shots.

  “Hey, Sunny,” someone called out, “better hustle, thirty minutes to air time.”

  “Thirty minutes?” She was a beginner on television, but she knew how to write a story. And she intended to get home in time to watch the story—only to see how well it looked.

  She slid into a chair behind her desk and began to type.

  The premier of Gone With the Wind at Atlanta’s Rialto Theater in the thirties couldn’t have been any more remarkable than the Valentine fund-raising gala held tonight at The Palace Of Sin, soon to become a community theater. But the star responsible, both for the donation of the building and the highlight of the evening’s entertainment, is no Clark Gable. Instead, he is the internationally famous, golden-haired male stripper known as Lord Sin. Tonight, Lord Sin packed the house with well-heeled contributors. This is to be his last performance. Now, here’s our own Sunny Clary with more.

  Sensational journalism, she decided, cheesy but attention-getting, as had been her dress. She hoped the story worked better than the slit in her skirt. On stage, Lord Sin had professed his desire for her but apparently it hadn’t been enough for him to stick around for a more personal meeting. The only personal meeting she’d been invited to was by a dangerous real estate tycoon, Ryan Malone, who was sexy as sin and thought his father ought to have been in jail. At least he was honest if not honorable. He wanted her in his bed, and he’d told her that up-front. She’d never had a man be so blunt about his intentions, at least not at first. And she’d never been tempted to accept before.

  But you’re considering it, Sunny Clary. Malone is your means to an end. If you enjoy him a bit along the way, consider it one of the perks of the trade, like a parking space or a company car. Like the green dress and Ted’s promise of a real assignment. Yeah…

  She shook her head. It had to be the spell Lord Sin had put her under. She was thinking about him and Ryan Malone as if they were a dish of M&M’s on her news desk. She’d just eat one. Then the bowl would be empty and she’d swear off sweets until the next deadline. Still, she was in the big time now and to succeed she’d have to be tough. She didn’t have to give in to Ryan Malone if she didn’t want to. She just had to let him try to seduce her.

  Malone couldn’t actually be serious about anything more than just getting to know her. He probably used that line about wanting her in his bed with all his dates. And she’d bet her last dollar that every one of them fell for it. He didn’t know it, but she’d be the exception. Her career was at stake. She’d win the bet. Using Ryan Malone to get to Lord Sin would be a challenge, but it would be fun. She could even turn the tables on him. What she wouldn’t give to bring him to his knees.

  Bad image, Sunny. The picture of Ryan Malone on his knees was one of the places she didn’t want to go. She could only think of two things that came from a man kneeling before a woman, and a proposal wasn’t the thing turning up her pulse.

  “Whoa, girl! Let’s get back to work.” WTRU reported the news and she had about two minutes left to finish the story. Walt’s opening shot was of the building, then he’d cut to her as she explained what the Arts Council had in store for the facility. The mayor would talk about the cultural offerings of the city and a few of the affluent Atlantans who turned out to make the building renovation possible. They’d close with her interview with Ryan Malone.

  She ran a quick spell check and the story was timed and ready for broadcast. One of the advantages of being a local all-news station was that the story lineup was flexible, allowing for additions and changes at the last minute. If a story didn’t get on one segment, it would be picked up on the next one, then it, or an update, would be repeated at thirty-minute intervals until the news was stale.

  Still carrying her shoes, Sunny slid the strap of her evening purse over her shoulder and threaded her arms into her jacket as she made her way to the parking lot. Outside she stopped and looked up at the night sky. In South Georgia a million stars would have showered the night with brilliance. Here they paled in the city lights, but nothing could conceal the energy she felt. It seemed the very air, filled with new sounds and smells, promised new beginnings. She took a deep breath of cold air and felt a tingle of excitement raise goose bumps on her arms. Staying in the southern part of the state to be close to her father was no longer necessary. He’d gotten through his own tragedy. Now, as a minister, called late in life, he had his own church, made up of senior citizens who needed him. He’d let her go
with his blessings and a promise to visit as soon as she was settled.

  Leaving the newspaper had been harder; she felt as if she’d betrayed her neighbors when she was forced to suppress her biggest story “for the good of the community leaders.” What she never mentioned was that leaving was, in some way, for her father, too. This new job was her chance to restore the integrity of the Clary name and she intended to do it. The one thing she wouldn’t do again was conceal the truth, no matter whom it hurt.

  With a shake of her shoulders, she opened the door to her loyal old Cutlass and crawled in. The first thing she’d do when she got her raise was buy a new car, one with heat. Leaving the small building that WTRU called home, she turned north on Peachtree, driving quickly, lest she miss the airing of her first story on her new job.

  Atlanta was famous for its peach trees. Except the only peach trees she’d seen were streets and there were dozens of them: Peachtree Street, Road, Avenue, Hills, Drive and more. But the Atlanta landscape boasted dogwoods in the spring and magnolias in the summer—no peach trees. Now, in February, the worst month of the year, there were no blossoms and, except for the Georgia pines and magnolias, few leaves. Still, there was an energy about the city that made her want to run with the wind. Soon she’d check out the jogging trails at the nearest park.

  Turning into the driveway that led to her new apartment which had been creatively described in the realtor’s ad as a carriage house, Sunny smiled. It was a separate concrete block building constructed behind the house. At some point someone had used a pressure washer to blast away some of the layers of white paint, leaving a muted surface of old bricks on which the bare remains of rose vines and honeysuckle clung. She parked her car, climbed the steps to the upper quarters and went inside, flicking on the television just as the announcer introduced her story.

  Walt was good. His camera work showed off the exotic decor of the building and caught the picture of affluence as the guests were served champagne and hors d’oeuvres.

  Just as she slid out of the green dress and flopped down on her bed, plumping the pillows behind her head, the phone rang. Who would be calling her so late? “Hello?”

  “This is Ryan Malone. I’m watching your story.”

  Damn him, she hadn’t recovered from the last sensual onslaught. It wasn’t fair of him to invade her private sanctuary without warning. “How’d you get my number?”

  “From the guest list. Your employer must have filled out the form for you.”

  “Remind me to tell them not to do that again.”

  “Doesn’t matter. I have it now.”

  The camera was sweeping the reception, panning the mayor and his party, then, it moved across the lobby to the two people standing near the exit, a tall redhead in green and a dark-eyed, intense man in a tux.

  “That’s some dress,” he said.

  “Best free air time could be traded for,” she quipped. “I suppose your tux is custom-made, isn’t it?” Dumb, Sunny. It wasn’t the tux, it was what was underneath it that made her quiver like an adolescent.

  “It is. Does that bother you that my tux is custom fitted?”

  “Of course not. It’s just that like you, Lord Sin, this kind of thing isn’t the real me. I’m not accustomed to dealing with men like you.”

  “We’re just men, Sunny.”

  “Yeah, and I’m just a woman, a woman who never owned a dress like that.”

  “Personally, I think the green dress was the real you. Of course, I don’t know what you’re wearing now.”

  She glanced guiltily down at her nude body, at nipples dusky rose and erect and felt a hot flush spread across her cheeks. “And you’re not going to. Have you called Lord Sin?”

  “I’m working on it.”

  “I wasn’t sure you were really serious,” she said.

  “Oh, but I was. I can see that I’m going to have to teach you how to play the game.”

  “And this is a game?”

  “Of course. We’ve already set the stakes. I have two weeks to get you in my bed.”

  “No, you have two weeks to try. In the meantime you’re going to set me up with Lord Sin and I get to interview you along the way.”

  “I’m going to try, but only if you’re trustworthy.”

  “I’m trustworthy. I was a Girl Scout and Girl Scouts never tell a lie.”

  “Then tell me we have a deal.”

  There was a long silence where nothing but the sound of breathing filled the phone lines. Finally, she took a deep breath and said softly, “I won’t say okay to you taking me to bed, but if that’s your offer, I’m willing to let you try.”

  “Good. Now, tell me what you’re wearing.”

  “I will not.”

  “In that case, I’ll create my own fantasy. I’d say your bed is covered in white satin sheets and, since you just got home, you’re still wearing what you were wearing underneath that green dress.”

  She smiled, allowing herself to enjoy his teasing. “Oh, and what is that?”

  “Nothing. Nothing except a suntan. How am I doing so far?”

  She swallowed hard. “Missed by a mile. My bottom sheet is burgundy stretch knit and there isn’t a top sheet, just a comforter.”

  He laughed. “You’re wrong, darling. It’s my fantasy and I’ll create it any way I like. Don’t you want to know what I’m wearing?”

  “I do not. I’m going to hang up now, Mr. Malone. Phone sex isn’t my thing.”

  “Nor is it mine, but it’s as close as I can come to experiencing the real thing tonight. But that will change. Tomorrow I’m going out to buy knit sheets and a comforter. Just tell me what you like. As a lover, I aim to please.”

  Forget the telephone and modern conveniences like beds, she thought. They might as well have been alone in the tent of some Bedouin sheikh. Obviously Malone was a man who let nothing come between him and what he was doing. And what he was doing was seducing her, word by word, image by image. Even if the words weren’t whispered in that erotic, spellbinding rasp of Lord Sin, the husky timbre of Malone’s voice set her breathing aflutter. She sucked in a deep breath and turned off the television. The silence was worse.

  “Tell me, Sunny, what do you want?”

  “I’d like to meet Lord Sin.”

  “You’re impatient, too, aren’t you?”

  “Always,” Sunny agreed. “You can never count on having enough time later. So for me, there is no later—only now.”

  “Oh, but there’s always later. There has to be. A person needs the promise of tomorrow. You use today to fulfill that promise.”

  Sunny shifted the phone to her other shoulder, glad to substitute a good argument for the sex talk Malone seemed intent on engaging in. “Not me, Mr. Malone. I’ll take today. It’s right here. I can touch it, feel it, use it. Tomorrow? I don’t trust the hussie.”

  “You have an interesting philosophy,” he said. “One that gives a reporter permission to expose, to bully, to abuse, even to be dishonest.”

  “Sometimes you have to. Otherwise, given enough power and time, the truth can be withheld.”

  There was a long pause. “And sometimes there are reasons to withhold the truth,” he said in a low voice. “But for now I’m going to take a page out of your book and use today—tonight—to get started.”

  “Get started? On what?”

  “On getting you into my bed.”

  The man had a one-track mind. “That is not a done deal. I told you, you can try.”

  “But you’ve been thinking about it, haven’t you?”

  She squirmed and held her breath. She’d thought about little else. Even caught up in his fantasy, a tiny grain of logic still held. How could she be so acutely responsive to two men? Lord Sin was the fantasy, the unknown dream lover. But Ryan Malone was real. Thinking about him? If he could see her, the color of her cheeks would be a dead giveaway. “No. I’ve been busy,” she lied.

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “Then you must be the most con
ceited man in the state. Besides, I’m beginning to wonder if you really can get me close to Lord Sin.”

  “I can get you close.”

  “When?”

  Ryan let the seconds tick away as if he were formulating his answer. “When you prove yourself trustworthy.”

  That stopped her. She wasn’t prepared for the seriousness of his answer. That was the second time he’d mentioned being trustworthy. What had happened to Lord Sin to make truth the most important thing in his life? Or was it Ryan who was so cautious? Finally, she answered. “You don’t know me, Malone, but if you did you’d understand that no one puts a higher value on trust than I do. It comes second only to commitment to the truth.”

  “I hope you’re right, Sunny Clary. I’ll pick you up at the television station at three o’clock tomorrow.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “To get you one of those inside stories, at a birthday party.”

  “Whose birthday party?”

  “You ask too many questions,” he said.

  “I’m a reporter,” she argued, “a good one. Or I will be. Asking questions is what I do best.”

  “I don’t know who licked the red off your candy,” Ryan said in exasperation, “but I wish you’d stop bristling and go along with me. It will be worth it.”

  Licked the red off your candy? That didn’t sound like a sophisticated business tycoon. To elicit that kind of reaction, she knew she’d gone too far. But she couldn’t let the man run over her. “You forget, Mr. Malone, even if I did agree to go to a party, I have a job.”

  “The party will be part of your job. I called Fields.”

  “You did what?” He’d said he’d give her stories, but this wasn’t what she’d expected. And to call her boss before he’d discussed it with her was inexcusable. “Malone, I’ll decide what stories I cover.”

  “You don’t have to bring a gift,” he went on as if she hadn’t spoken. “That’s already been taken care of. One hundred red roses.”