Bag in hand, she started back to the hotel, cutting through side streets and looking into the windows of the stores, soaking up the culture along the cobblestone streets before heading back to Miami tomorrow. At least, she still hoped she’d be home. Knowing she couldn’t change the outcome, she pushed her worrisome thoughts aside. She’d deal with the situation as it came.
Sweat dampened her neck from the humidity of the island, and she contemplated taking a cab back to the hotel. She reached into her straw bag and pulled out her cell phone to make the call, when, without warning, she felt a hard jerk on her purse.
“What the—?” She spun around, but whomever wanted her purse was quicker.
She barely caught a glimpse of a tall guy with dark hair as he yanked harder, nearly pulling her shoulder out of its socket before slamming her against the nearby building with his other hand.
Her head hit the concrete wall, and spots immediately appeared behind her eyes from the impact. As she struggled not to pass out, the man grabbed her purse, along with her cell phone that had fallen to the ground.
She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Her legs collapsed beneath her, and she fell to the ground, her head smacking the sidewalk before everything went black.
Tyler Dare had a full day planned, a packed schedule of appointments with existing and potential clients of Double Down Security, the firm he now co-owned with his brother Scott. Serena Gibson, his close friend and personal assistant, had strict orders not to let anyone interrupt him this morning so he could pull together his notes for each meeting.
He picked up the threat assessment sheet for his first client, a diplomat who needed protection for his family, and began to scan the findings, when he heard raised voices.
“I’m sorry, Avery, but he said no interruptions,” Serena insisted.
“That’s okay, I’m sure he’ll see me.” His sister’s voice carried through the closed office door.
“Avery, he said not to let anyone inside.” Serena’s voice rose, but he knew the soft-spoken woman was no match for a determined Dare female.
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Playing with Temptation
Excerpt
by Erika Wilde
Raina Beck finished helping a customer select a bottle of warming massage oil, then headed over to the lingerie section of her store, Sugar and Spice, a sensual, upscale adult boutique that catered to the residents of San Diego. She paused at the rack of new arrivals, where her good friend, Jillian Noble, was perusing the gorgeous items.
“Find anything you like?” Raina asked as the other woman contemplated a leopard-print bustier before putting it back on the stand.
Jillian smiled at her as she shuffled through a few more pieces. “The problem is, there’s too much to like, which is a good thing. I’m looking for something a little different than everything I already have…” Her words trailed off, and her eyes lit up as she lifted a hanger displaying a sexy red ensemble that consisted of a demi bra, a short flirty skirt that was only a few inches of fabric that would barely cover her bottom, and a matching lace thong, along with a garter belt and thigh-high stockings.
“I think this is it,” Jillian announced with a succinct nod of her head.
“If Dean comes home to find you wearing that outfit, I think all bets are off,” Raina teased her friend.
“That’s what I’m counting on, and I think he’ll really like the short little skirt, too.” She handed the hanger to Raina. “I’ll take it, along with one of those feather ticklers you have on display, the one with the soft ostrich feathers.”
“You got it.” Raina smiled, knowing Jillian, a good customer, appreciated the more sexually adventurous items Sugar and Spice provided to those who wanted to kink up their sex lives. Selecting a tickler with deep red feathers to match the outfit, she met her friend up at the front counter.
As she rang up Jillian’s purchases, she asked, “How are you enjoying working with Stephanie?”
“I absolutely love it. I couldn’t be happier,” Jillian said, her expression reflecting her newfound joy. “I’m helping her design those fantasy suites at the hotel, and tomorrow I have a consultation with a woman who wants to redecorate her bedroom in a sexier version theme of The Secret Garden theme.”
“Sounds like a fun project.” Raina swiped Jillian’s credit card to process the sale. The two of them had become close friends over the past months, and because she knew Jillian’s husband had been so opposed to his wife taking a job, Raina couldn’t help but wonder how that was going. “Is everything still good with Dean and you working for Stephanie?”
“He’s getting used to it and adjusting. I make sure I always make time for just the two of us, and it keeps him happy.”
“Men really are such basic creatures,” Raina said with a laugh. “Keep them plied with food and sex and they’re happy, content, and satisfied.”
Jillian lifted a curious brow. “Speaking of men and sex…when are you going to indulge a little?”
Raina shrugged as she wrapped her ensemble in pink tissue and tucked it into a bag. “I think all the good guys are taken. And then there’s the men who find out I own a sex toy boutique and decide I’m fair game for outrageous, kinky sex, because, you know, I have access to all sorts of depraved items.”
She rolled her eyes to make light of her comment, but the truth ran much deeper and stirred up other painful memories that reminded her of why she kept her heart and emotions under lock and key—the pain of such complete and utter rejection was something that had left her guarded and very cautious when it came to a man’s interest in her.
Admittedly, she did enjoy hot, adventurous sex. After all, she’d opened Sugar and Spice as a way to help women empower themselves sexually, to get in touch with their desires and be confident enough to enjoy every aspect of sex. But she also knew it took an equally strong, self-assured man to accept her line of business, to not feel threatened or embarrassed by the fact that she owned a boutique that catered to enhancing sexual pleasure.
Unfortunately, over the years, she’d learned that she wasn’t the best judge of character when it came to a man’s motives and his reasons for dating her, which also made it extremely difficult to decipher what was real, or if she was nothing more than someone’s dirty little secret that he used until the excitement wore off.
Too many painful experiences had taught her that because of what she did for a living, men were more than willing to fuck her like a porn star in private, but they drew the line at taking her out in public or bringing her home to meet the family, which made her feel cheap and dirty—as if her own father’s fire and brimstone prediction about her being a whore had come true. Men didn’t date a woman like her with long term in mind, and it had become much easier for Raina to keep her emotional distance rather than face criticism and the sting of rejection all over again.
She’d been burned a few times, and she wasn’t allowing any man to get close enough to do it again. Now, sex was all about physical pleasure, nothing more, and she’d recently decided that if anyone was going to do the using, it was going to be her for a change. Unfortunately, an opportunity hadn’t presented itself, but if the right guy came along, she certainly wasn’t opposed to enjoying a no-strings-attached one-night stand.
“Maybe you need hot anonymous sex,” Jillian suggested with a naughty twinkle in her eye, as if she’d had a direct link to Raina’s thoughts.
“It’s been a long dry spell and the idea is definitely tempting,” Raina replied, a humorous note lacing the truth of her words. Vibrators and sex toys did the job as far as getting her off, but they couldn’t replace the feel or pleasure of a strong, powerful, virile man thrusting deep inside of her or skimming his hands along her curves, his hot mouth seducing hers.
Yes, she definitely missed that, and the provocative thought made her feel a bit flushed.
Jillian bit her bottom lip for a second before reaching into her purse and pulling out a white enve
lope. “You’ve done a lot for me, and I want to do something for you for a change. Take this, and indulge yourself.” She pushed the envelope across the counter to Raina.
Raina picked it up and read the word Welcome embossed in black across the front. “What is this?” she asked, confused and curious at the same time.
“An invitation to The Players Club.”
Raina’s eyes widened in surprise, and her heart fluttered in her chest with undeniable excitement. She knew exactly what The Players Club was—a private, members-only sex club that catered to an elite and prominent clientele in order to maintain its exclusivity. A personal recommendation was required to even visit the club, and since Dean and Jillian had recently become members, they now had the privilege of extending an invitation to a guest.
And Jillian had chosen her.
“Oh, wow,” Raina breathed as she brushed her thumb over the embossed lettering on the envelope, still in shock. “Really?”
“Yes, really,” Jillian mimicked playfully. “You deserve a sexy night all to yourself, and I can guarantee that any fantasy you have can be fulfilled at The Players Club.”
Raina had plenty of private, naughty fantasies stored away in the deepest recesses of her mind, none of which she’d ever shared because those scenarios were just too wicked and forbidden to reveal to any of the guys she’d dated up to this point, all of whom had big egos and had been self-centered lovers. Yes, she owned a boutique that sold all sorts of kinky items to enhance sex play, but it took a strong, confident man who didn’t feel threatened by her expertise to give her what she desired, who knew what she needed without asking and made that pleasure his sole focus.
Finding that kind of compelling man at The Players Club in one night was improbable but certainly more possible than in her daily life, and she wasn’t about to refuse Jillian’s gift. She’d been given the equivalent of Willy Wonka’s golden ticket, but instead of gorging on chocolate, she planned to indulge in as many orgasms as she could.
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About the Authors
Carly Phillips
Carly Phillips is the N.Y. Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of over 50 sexy contemporary romance novels featuring hot men, strong women and the emotionally compelling stories her readers have come to expect and love. Carly is happily married to her college sweetheart, the mother of two nearly adult daughters and three crazy dogs (two wheaten terriers and one mutant Havanese) who star on her Facebook Fan Page and website. Carly loves social media and is always around to interact with her readers. You can find out more about Carly at www.carlyphillips.com.
Erika Wilde
Erika Wilde is the author of the sexy Marriage Diaries series and The Players Club series. She lives in Oregon with her husband and two daughters, and when she’s not writing you can find her exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest. For more information on her upcoming releases, please visit website at www.erikawilde.com.
Dirty Sexy Cuffed (Dirty Sexy #3) Page 17