Seductive Reasoning

by Cheryl Gorman

  God, he hated the social scene. Why did he have to socialize in front of a camera?

  He answered the tug of Kate’s hand and walked with as much dignity as possible to the sofa amid the whistles from the mostly female audience. They were obviously here because of Kate and her lingerie and not because they were excited to hear about astronomy.

  Seth sat next to Ms. Landers, who occupied a large wingback chair and read from a teleprompter. Kate perched next to Seth on the satiny-smooth leather sofa. Her shoulder brushed against his. Oh boy.

  Ms. Landers turned to Kate. “Ms. Summers, I’d like to start with you. Tell our viewing audience a little about your shop, Star Dust and Sexy Nights, and why you’re here.”

  “First of all, thanks for inviting me, Ms. Landers.”

  At the sound of Kate’s husky voice, lust circled Seth’s gut and dipped lower. Out of control. He hated that feeling.

  “I have a degree in fashion design.”

  Her face lit up with an open, friendly smile Seth found impossible to resist.

  “I believe there is a direct link between a person’s astrological sign and the types of clothing they choose, from outerwear to innerwear, like lingerie.” Kate brushed a strand of hair away from her face. “A person’s sign also has an influence on their sexuality and desire for sex. We’ve all heard what a full moon often does to people.”

  The audience laughed in response which showed Seth exactly how ill-informed they were. Hrmph, full moon my foot! Ridiculous! He had to admit--Kate charmed the audience as well as she’d charmed him.

  “So, I took that theory a step further and designed lingerie in harmony with the twelve astrological signs. With each sale, I include a book on that particular sign along with a book of love poems. With the help of word-of-mouth and the Internet, I’m thrilled to report that sales have tripled. Because of this phenomenal interest, my next step is to take my lingerie to the national level. Since I’m so busy doing the actual designs, I would not be opposed to an investor or a partnership with the right person.”

  “Lingerie and the stars--fascinating, but before we get into that....” Ms. Landers turned to Seth. “Professor, tell our audience why you’re here.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Landers. I’m here because I think the field of Astronomy is grossly underrated and misunderstood. To better inform the public, I will be playing a sort of devil’s advocate to try to discredit Ms. Summers’ theories. Since the Astronomy Department of Denver University has a series of projects we’re working on, I thought it might be helpful to discuss one of mine. In my project, my theory is that the position of the stars and planets has a direct influence on the earth’s weather and natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.”

  “Equally engaging, Professor, and it sounds like both you and Ms. Summers have some common ground here. Before we delve into that,”--Ms. Landers directed her attention to Kate--“Ms. Summers please elaborate on why you include a copy of love poems with each sale.”

  Kate reached for a glass of water sitting on a tray in the center of the coffee table. She bared her slender throat as she sipped, then placed the glass back on the table. “I include love poems because I don’t want my customers or this audience”--she gestured with her hand--“to get the idea that my only interest in lingerie is to sell better sex. I want them to realize that great sex is just a side benefit to having a deeply satisfying and emotional relationship with someone you care about. For me, love is as necessary to life as food and water. No one can exist without it. And poetry adds an aura of romance.”

  The audience applauded.

  Seth shifted uncomfortably on the sofa at Kate’s words. Love, romance, and sappy sentiments meant surrender, and he had no time for that surrender crap. He’d rather channel his energy into work, especially since he was so close to proving his theory. Time enough for love and sex later.

  “What do you think of her statement, Dr. Fallon?”

  Seth glanced at Kate. Her eyes appeared guileless, but full of challenge. Lightly, she trailed her fingers over the top of his hand in an absent-minded way as if she didn’t realize what she was doing, but he knew differently. Why did he feel slightly more suspicious?

  He nearly shifted closer to feel more of her touch, to have her caress him more fully. She winked because she knew her teasing gesture went unnoticed by everyone, but him.

  Heat curled in his belly and moved lower. Seth shifted in his seat suddenly mortified he might have an erection on television. Mark would never let him hear the end of it.

  “I respectfully disagree.” Seth smiled in an effort to dazzle Kate and the audience. Why not use his charm if it helped him get his point across? “How could a person’s choice of clothing have anything to do with their astrological sign? It’s scientifically not logical. Studies have proven that people choose clothing because of their personality type and influences from their parents and friends. I do agree with Ms. Summers that humans require love and the touch of other human beings, but I think homo sapiens do quite well without falling in love or having sexual relationships.”

  Ms. Landers smiled. He didn’t like the look of her smile either. His scalp itched. Was he being set up?

  “Stay with us, audience and television viewers. When we return, we’ll continue this discussion on astrology and intimate relationships after this brief commercial break.”

  A petite, red-haired woman rushed the stage in a blue-caped blur and smoothed Ms. Lander’s straight blonde hair back from her face with a brush. She then patted her nose with a powder puff and retouched her lipstick.

  After the woman left, Ms. Landers turned to them. “You’re both doing great. Your on-air chemistry is amazing.”

  Chemistry? The only chemistry Seth considered important occurred in a laboratory. Everything happening here resembled an explosion of conflicting personalities. What made him think this show was a good idea?

  A camera operator signaled Ms. Landers that the commercial had ended. With another five-finger count down, a red light flashed on the main camera.

  “Welcome back to our show.” Ms. Landers shifted her attention to Kate. “Would you care to respond to Dr. Fallon’s statement that people can live without falling in love or having intimate relationships? And how can your specially designed, astrologically accurate lingerie aid us?”

  Kate, the evil temptress, grasped Seth’s hand and gave it one quick pat with a subtle rub over the pulse point in his wrist before he jerked his hand away. He cut his gaze upward and she licked her lips. What was she up to?

  Seth swallowed. Hard. Hell, everything went hard. Afraid to move, he hoped his students weren’t watching this show.

  Kate tilted her face toward him. “I find it interesting that you think people can have productive and meaningful lives without love and physical intimacy. Dr. Fallon, don’t you agree people sometimes react out of character when a full moon occurs?”

  The way she called him Dr. Fallon eased under his skin and turned him on. “I don’t think the moon, whether full or otherwise, affects people’s behavior.”

  She raised her brows as if surprised by his reply. “When captivated by these changes in the stars and planets, I’ve known people to unleash their inhibitions under the moon’s silvery light by skinny dipping in a lake with male and female friends.”

  Laughter rippled through the audience.

  “When the moon is full, lovers come together.” Kate looked at him like a teacher to a student. “The moon brings the woman to her man. Moonlight, love, kisses and raw hot sex just goes together.”

  Seth shook his head. “That’s absurd. A full moon has nothing to do with sexual encounters. Basic human nature causes humans to reproduce.”

  Kate leaned toward him. The front of her dress dipped, giving him a tantalizing view of the tops of her breasts. The breath clogged in his lungs.

  “I agree.” Ms. Lander’s voice drew his attention away from Kate’s breasts. “Humanity’s baser instincts are definitely--�
�

  Kate covered the tiny microphone pinned to her dress with her hand. “When was the last time you had a sexual encounter?” Kate’s silky voice dropped low enough for only him to hear.

  Seth covered his microphone as well and leaned slightly toward her. “What about you, Ms. Summers?”

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “Speak up, you two, so we can all share in the conversation,” Ms. Landers said.

  “Let me put it this way,” Seth’s voice sounded soft. “Any encounters sexual or otherwise that I may have had recently were not connected to astrology or the presence of a full moon.”

  Kate cocked her brow and gave Seth a little nod as if to say touché. “Okay. As I was saying to Dr. Fallon, I think a woman needs to use all the tools available to satisfy her sexual needs and the needs of her man, whether it’s astrology, lingerie, sex toys or whatever.”

  “Sex toys?” Ms. Lander’s voice lifted in excitement. “Please tell us more.”

  Kate threw Seth a secretive smile.

  Damn, what happened to the scientific discussion? Seth suddenly felt adrift without a pair of oars, a fish out of the proverbial water. He came here tonight to discuss astronomy, not sex toys. Astronomy he knew. He had no clue about sex toys.

  He searched for an exit sign, an escape route. What the hell kind of show was this anyway? He had thought this was one of those safe House and Garden type shows!

  “At Star Dust and Sexy Nights, I have a variety of discerning catalogues of sexual devices a woman can use with her man, not only for her own physical pleasure, but for his as well.”

  “Please explain.” Ms. Landers gestured with her hand.

  Appalled at the question, Seth didn’t want Kate to explain, but he knew without a doubt there would be no stopping her. “I think we should get back to the subject of astronomy after all--”

  “There are a variety of choices, if you will, of different sizes and colors.” Kate laid her hand on Seth’s thigh and threw him a look challenging him to remove her hand. “A couple makes a selection depending on their mood and their level of trust and emotional intimacy.”

  Oh, God. He imagined Mark and his date sitting in front of the tube, watching him squirm. Not to mention his students. A hot blush grew over his face, part embarrassment, and part anger. I’m an astronomy professor, not Dr. Ruth!

  Damn it! He admitted freely Kate attracted him like no other woman, but tonight proved she didn’t fit into his world. The woman spun way out of control. Hell, so did he.

  “What do you think, professor?”

  Ms. Lander’s voice jolted Seth from his thoughts. He cleared his throat and tried to muster the remainder of his dignity. “I thought we were here to discuss the science of astronomy. Not the theories of lingerie and sexual devices.”

  Kate touched his hand. “Oh, but all three go together.”

  Ms. Landers leaned forward, a little too eagerly in Seth’s opinion, like a shark circling for the kill. “What do you mean?”

  Kate inhaled a deep breath, and Seth couldn’t help but notice how the front of her dress outlined her breasts right down to their perky tips.

  His gaze skimmed down her legs and back up again to the generous view of thigh she presented to him and the audience. Christ, the hem of her dress barely covered her fanny. Was she wearing underwear?

  “Professor, where a person’s ruling planet is at a particular moment affects how they feel about themselves and how they react to situations or events. For instance, the professor is a Virgo.”

  They’d never discussed anything personal. “How do you know?” He made a desperate attempt to resist the captivating smile spread over her pretty mouth.

  “Piece of cake, professor. For one thing, you’re a teacher. You also conceal your emotions or at least try to. You have an eye for detail and you’re analytical.”

  Damn, she’d pegged him well. Not that he would ever let her know.

  “You remember the passions and sexual drive of your youth, but your zeal has yet to be fully awakened. You only sense the desires lying ahead. But these will be uncovered by Vulcan, Virgo’s true ruler.”

  Seth laughed and shook his head, relaxed now because they were talking astronomy, his expertise, his world. “Vulcan was the Roman God of Fire and metalworking. There is no Vulcan planet or star out there.” He waved his hand through the air. “Much less one that would have any influence whatsoever on my life or sex drive.”

  Kate lifted her chin. “Vulcan has yet to be discovered by astronomers, but I have no doubt it is out there ready to shine its throbbing allure on you.”

  “Ridiculous.” Seth cocked his head in her direction. “What about you? What’s your sign?” He curved the second and third fingers of his hands into mock quotations marks.

  The audience tittered with laughter.

  “Yes, Ms. Summers what’s your sign?” Ms. Landers smiled. “After all, turnabout is fair play.”

  “I’m an Aries.” Kate’s voice rang with pride. “Typically, they are adventurous, ambitious, and full of energy. They are open to new ideas and they love freedom. In their personal relationships, they don’t believe in holding back, either emotionally or physically. They tend to have a high sex drive and make very passionate and loyal lovers, but we are one-man women.”

  Seth had the sudden urge to push her buttons a little bit more. “You said typically. Do all of these things apply to you?”

  “Most of them. Yes.”

  “Go on,” Ms. Landers replied.

  “Well, as I said earlier, love and sex are necessities in life. As my sign indicates, without them I wouldn’t be happy.” She turned to Seth and hesitated. An expression of profound longing filled her gaze and touched him deep inside. A longing for something missing from her life.

  He didn’t want to know all this. He agreed to appear on this show for one thing and one thing only. And it wasn’t Kate Summers.

  “Is love and sex a necessary part of your life?” Kate asked

  His empathy quickly turned to annoyance when the audience shouted and demanded he answer.

  “Are you going to answer the question, professor?” Ms. Landers raised her voice above the shouts from the audience.

  Seth wanted this show over with. The audience chanted and he knew he had to answer. Well, hell, he loved his family. He had affection for his friends, and he loved his work. Sex and physical love weren’t essential to his happiness, but he wouldn’t tell her that. “I derive most of my happiness from my work.”

  “That’s sad.” Concern filled Kate’s eyes.

  Shock suffused him. “Sad? Why?”

  “Because there are so many pleasures to be found in physical and emotional love, pleasures that have nothing to do with work or intelligence. That’s part of the reason I’m in the lingerie business.”

  “Are you opposed to the physical world, professor?” Ms. Landers asked.

  Seth shifted in his seat, thankful Kate had inched away from him and his physical world was no longer evident to the audience. “Of course not. I just don’t understand why society puts so much emphasis on it. A person’s mind is what is most important. Not looks or sex.”

  “Don’t you ever just enjoy living for the moment?” Kate turned to him with that isn’t-life-grand look in her eyes. “Just experience the world or the woman with you--or even wrapped around you? Or you may be inside her making love and finding a primal rhythm for just the two of you. Don’t you ever just take pleasure in the fact you are a man able to make love to a woman? Don’t you enjoy being male to her female?”

  An image flashed in his mind of his body wrapped around Kate, her mouth plastered to his, his hands stroking her--. Get a grip, Fallon. “If you take the time to look, study, and understand life, there is more out there than just lingerie and sex. My particular field of astronomy holds little or no relevance to how I interpret life around me. Don’t you ever stop to examine your world, without the benefits of astrology, rather than just be in the mom
ent?”

  Kate sighed. “I stop and smell the roses. I appreciate them for their scent and their beauty. I don’t analyze why they smell the way they do or why they are beautiful. Neither do I examine people this way.”

  Seth looked her dead in the eye. “Maybe you should.”

  Kate laughed, a light-hearted rippling sound that made Seth want to reach out and touch her. “Getting physical, touching, kissing and making love feels good. Lingerie is fun. It’s also sexy and irresistible. Here, let me show you.”

  Oh, God. She was going to put some on!

  Kate rose from her chair and walked to the rack of clothing behind her. She lifted some kind of filmy scrap of material and handed it to Seth.

  Relief made him weak--she wouldn’t be modeling something. Why did he feel a little disappointed?

  “Go ahead.” Kate seemed aware of his apparent surprise. “I promise it won’t bite. Although the woman wearing it might.”

  Laughter roared from the audience.

  He’d been set up. He didn’t know who to blame, didn’t even care who was to blame. Could be his buddy, Mark. Hell, it could be this bombshell handing him a flimsy piece of fabric that wouldn’t cover her--he shook his head. Seth took the garment in his hand and despite not wanting an image to form in his mind, he couldn’t resist picturing Kate wearing the translucent tiger-stripe thong underwear. She straddled his legs, leaned forward, and cupped his--. Down boy. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

  “It’s worse than I expected.” Kate pursed her lips. “Good question. Just think of the lingerie as absorbing the moment. Let’s try an experiment. Close your eyes.”

  Seth didn’t want to close his eyes. An awkward, inept feeling settled over him. He had never been good at games as an adult or a child. But he didn’t want to appear a stuffed shirt. Besides, the more he resisted, the longer the show lasted, or at least it appeared that way. After all his friends, family and probably every one of his students were watching. He wouldn’t be surprised if they had a hand in it and were laughing their asses off right now. Resigned that he couldn’t get out of Kate’s little experiment, he closed his eyes. “Okay, now what?”