Pride and Passion

by Jenna Bayley-Burke

  He shook his head. “I never said that. You accused me of it.”

  “You didn’t deny it!”

  “I’m denying it now. There will be no one else, for either of us.”

  It felt like her mind was caught in the spin cycle. She’d spent the last month struggling to come to terms with this, and he was saying it wasn’t an issue. “What about Dee?”

  “Dee is my friend. I’ve known her since high school and I financed her boutiques, but that’s all.”

  “But the papers said—”

  “And they will again. I can’t control that. That’s why it’s important that you believe me now.”

  She knit her brow, wanting more than anything for this to be the truth. “Dee said—”

  “I can’t control that either. I don’t know what she implied, but she did it in hopes of protecting me. She thinks you’re after my bank account.”

  Lily sat up straighter. “I don’t want your money.”

  “I know. But Dee can’t understand what your other motivation could be.” His sardonic grin caught her off guard.

  “You really haven’t slept with her?”

  He shook his head. “I’m not saying I’ve always lived like a monk, but since I met you there’s been no one else.”

  That couldn’t be. She’d seen pictures, read articles, had witnessed firsthand the way he was with other women. She tilted her head, trying to put it all together. Was she only believing him because she wanted it to be true? Mikayla’s detached behavior yesterday and Thalia’s opinion came together to show Lily she’d been wrong about that relationship, maybe she’d read too much into the others as well.

  She stared up at him. “Why would you let me believe that?”

  He shrugged. “You wanted to. We had so many battles to fight, I didn’t think starting there would be productive.”

  “You had Dee to the house.”

  He rolled his eyes. “You invited her.”

  “I thought—” She rubbed her face with her hands. “I don’t know what I thought.”

  “You were jealous, and while we’re confessing things, I baited you into it. Jealousy was the only encouragement you gave me, and so I took it.”

  “Why not just tell me the truth?” She watched as his face clouded with apprehension.

  “Would you have believed me? Even now, after all we’ve shared you’re still struggling.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “Yes, I do. Without trust you can’t believe anything. My parents had their issues, but trust was the big one. He always thought there were other men. It didn’t matter what she said or what she did. He didn’t trust her and so he couldn’t believe her. If you don’t trust me there’s nowhere for us to go.”

  “And you trust me? You were just as jealous about Ian.”

  “I trust that you know yourself, or I did until you told me why we’re not having children.”

  “I thought it was the only way, the only solution I could live with.”

  “You couldn’t have lived like that.”

  She closed her eyes and smiled, her nerves finally calming. When she opened her eyes and looked up at him, everything fell into place. “Thank goodness I’ll never have to find out.”

  “So you’ll trust me?” The morning light glimmered over his handsome face like beams of pure happiness.

  “At home. I’ve seen you get creative with the truth in business meetings.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “Then perhaps I should fire you in hopes you forget that part.”

  “I don’t have a job for much longer anyway. Your PA is coming back from maternity leave. Besides, I don’t want to be too busy to enjoy living in the city.”

  He tilted his brow, looking at her with uncertainty. “You don’t want to stay at the house?”

  “The penthouse is more convenient for us both. It’s close to your office and the university. We can go to the house on weekends. Anyway, it would be too much of a hassle to live there with such extensive remodeling going on.”

  “Do we have a reason to remodel?”

  She nodded. “Not right away, but when the time is right.”

  He kissed her softly. “Thank you, Lily. You’ll never regret it, I promise.”

  “I know. I once made a deal with the devil and wound up in heaven instead.”

  About the Author

  Jenna Bayley-Burke is a domestic engineer, freelance writer, award-winning recipe developer, romance novelist, cookbook author and logic-puzzle fanatic. Blame it on television, a high-sugar diet or ADD; she finds life too interesting to commit to one thing—except her high-school sweetheart, two blueberry-eyed boys and a perfect baby girl. Her stories, both naughty and nice, are available everywhere. To learn more about Jenna Bayley-Burke, please visit www.jennabayleyburke.com.

  Look for these titles by Jenna Bayley-Burke

  Now Available:

  Her Cinderella Complex

  Par for the Course

  Compromising Positions

  Falling in love is the last thing on his busy agenda…but compromising positions can lead just about anywhere.

  Compromising Positions

  © 2009 Jenna Bayley-Burke

  David Strong knows how to do a lot of things—run an international fitness company, finesse stock portfolios and stay out of emotional entanglements. That is, until he gets tangled up with Sophie Delfino and her Sensational Sex workout. He’s supposed to help her demonstrate Kama Sutra positions for her couples’ yoga class. The rigorous postures require more than just physical control. And his co-instructor unexpectedly tests his control to the limit.

  Sophie’s been fantasizing about David since her teens, but she never dreamed she’d actually be expected to run through her intimate desires—with an audience! The class is very professional, tame even—or it would be, if she’d been in any of the positions before. But she hasn’t—except in her wildest fantasies about David. Sophie knows she wants David in every way, and she’s flexible enough to use whatever she has to get him.

  David can’t afford any unexpected distractions. Besides the sensual positions he has to endure without embarrassing himself in public, there’s an embezzler stealing from his company. And then there’s Sophie—who is well on her way to stealing his well-guarded heart.

  Warning: This is one exercise program you won’t need to consult your doctor before beginning…unless he’s hot and available for house calls. The Kama Sutra isn’t for the prudish or faint of heart, and neither is this story.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for: Compromising Positions

  “Why are you here exactly?” She plugged the rest of her orange into her mouth to keep it from going permanently dry. The man had a body that made her want to learn how to carve marble. He was as big as a tree and as broad as a house. Even through his charcoal T-shirt she could see the definition in his wide chest. His biceps bulged beneath the hem of his sleeves. A package of lean muscle and brooding good looks that made her insides melt.

  “I’m here because Craig asked me to fill in for him.” David’s voice echoed inside Sophie’s head. Her heart leapt around her ribcage. No way. She’d been mortified at the idea of demonstrating sexual positions with Craig, but with David? No way. She couldn’t do it. She’d die of embarrassment. Contorting herself into such suggestive positions with the man whose body she fantasized about every night. She could never. Never.

  “Fill in for him?” Breathe in tranquility, exhale tension. Breathe in—

  “There is some co-ed class that he and Daphne teach together. Sophie’s filling in for Daphne, and I’m supposed to fill in for Craig. If you could tell her I’m here that would be great.” David popped a handful of grapes into his mouth, his eyes never leaving the bowl of fruit.

  Sophie’s gaze darted across the reception desk. She hadn’t bothered to ask if there were any messages after her Pilates group. There were never any messages. She ripped three pink notes off the desk.

 
Craig. Please call.

  Craig. Use diagrams, he won’t be coming.

  Craig. Found a replacement, David Strong.

  She plopped down in the receptionist chair and rolled back toward a potted palm. Her stomach reeled.

  As she looked up at David, the fear that swamped her was drowned by a much warmer sensation. Why not?

  She was a professional after all. And she’d been in positions with him far more challenging than the ones they’d be demonstrating in class, even if it had only been in her dreams.

  She knew more on the subject than she ever thought possible. Every move of each of the classes was diagramed on note cards Daphne had left. She just had to get through it one by one. Without thinking that this was the closest she had ever come to actually having sex.

  He met her stare and grabbed an apple from the bowl. She laughed, harder this time. So predictable.

  “What now?” He crunched into the Red Delicious.

  “Nothing.” Sophie tried to stifle her giggles and peeled a banana off the bunch.

  “I know, the wedding.” He looked pleased with himself, as if he’d just solved the mystery of life. “You wouldn’t dance with me.”

  “That’s me.” Sophie peeled the banana halfway down and smiled at its phallic resemblance.

  His eyes clouded over. He looked her up and down once more. When his eyes cleared, he cocked his head to the side. “Are you Sophie?”

  “Two for two, ace.” She bit the top off the banana. Was there a sexy way to eat a banana? She shook her head. She didn’t care. Daphne had complained so often about Craig’s womanizing best friend Sophie felt she knew him. Enough to know she wanted him to remain a fantasy. He was way too much for her limited experience to handle. The class would just flesh out her dreams a bit.

  “I was expecting someone like Daphne.” He devoured the rest of the apple. “Though the attitude should have been a clue.”

  Sophie shrugged. Let him think she hated him as much as Daphne did. It was much safer than him knowing the truth. She finished the last of the fruit and tossed the peel in the wicker garbage basket. She lifted the basket so he could toss in his apple core.

  He eyed her again. “I didn’t eat dinner. Are you going to laugh again if I eat another piece?”

  “Depends on what you pick.”

  His eyebrows lifted further up his forehead. Never taking his gaze off her, he grabbed another apple, almost daring her to comment.

  She smiled. Too easy. Sophie rose from the chair and walked back to the office. She could feel him behind her. Right behind her. She stopped, laughing as the front of him bumped into the back of her. It was fun to tease him.

  “Too easy,” she said aloud this time. Playing with him was too much fun to resist. She turned into the office she shared with Daphne. Two desks faced each other in the middle of the small room. She perched on top of hers.

  “What’s too easy?”

  “Nothing.” She flipped through her cards. “What did Craig tell you about the class?”

  “Not a thing.” David stood in the doorway, not quite entering the small office. “He just left a message on my voicemail. He wanted to stay with Daphne, but she was insisting he come to this class, so he needed a replacement. So what is it? Partnered stretching? I’m not the most flexible person.”

  Sophie turned, hiding her face as she choked on her laughter. She should tell him. It wasn’t his fault he’d been set up for a most embarrassing situation. The temptation to see his face when he figured just what they’d be doing was big. But he could also run screaming and leave her humiliated in front of the class. Better to prepare him and give him the option to run now, in private.

  She picked up a binder and flipped through the pages until she came to the flyer. Turning the binder to him, she pointed. “This is the class.”

  SENSATIONAL SEX!

  Committed partners explore the similarities

  between yoga and The Kama Sutra.

  Learn how to stretch and strengthen your body

  for better sex in just five weeks.

  “Okay,” David said slowly, handing the binder back to her. Just what had Craig gotten him into? His mind spun back to the voicemail message. The only thing he could recall was “Ask for Sophie. I trust you”. Damn. Craig trusted him not to use the class to make game with Daphne’s sister. The little sprite sitting on the desk. No problem. She was nowhere near his type. He’d probably break her in two.

  “I’ll understand if you’re not comfortable enough with your sexuality to participate in the class.” Sophie’s fingers traced up and down the black sweats covering her thighs. The heavy fabric hung loosely around her, making her seem even smaller beneath it. “I can use diagrams if you want to back out.”

  She was giving him an out. Or was that a challenge? “What makes you think I wouldn’t be comfortable?”

  “The fruit,” Sophie answered quickly. Too quickly. Was she psychoanalyzing him because he was hungry?

  “What are you talking about?” He watched her ample chest rise and fall as she took a deep breath. She wasn’t very proportional.

  “Instant gratification.” Dimples pressed into her full cheeks and her teeth gleamed in the fluorescent lighting.

  He sat down in an office chair. Funny, with him sitting in a chair and her on the desk they were almost eye-to-eye. It was those eyes that had made him ask her to dance at Craig and Daphne’s wedding. They’d pulled at him all during the ceremony, pierced right through him. She must have been standing on a box or in some very high heels because he would have remembered she was this short.

  “You’ve lost me.” David shook his head and looked down at her feet. They were bare, except for a coat of crimson polish and a silver toe ring on her right foot. Even her feet were miniature. They had to be smaller than the palms of his hands.

  “Grapes are the ultimate in instant gratification. Fast, easy sweetness. No mess afterwards. Apples are next. Just a core to discard.”

  He tossed his head to the side. She had to be joking. “So you think what fruit I like to eat tells about me sexually.”

  “Yes.” Her voice rang in triumph. She flipped through the cards she held.

  Refusing to be goaded, he scooted closer, trapping her against the desk. When he heard her gasp, he smiled. “Or maybe you just want me to think about what oranges and bananas say about you, sexually.” Two could play at this little game.

  She drew in a ragged breath. “That I take my time to get what I want? Go ahead and think about that.”

  Her feet found the chair between his legs, and she pushed him back, hard. Propelling him into the opposite wall. She jumped down and was out the door before he could even get to his feet.

  The cards have been dealt, but the game’s just begun…

  Play Me

  © 2009 Tricia Jones

  Proving her worth to her male-dominated family didn’t include being forced to bet herself in a high-stakes poker game. But to save the family business and protect her father’s health, Nina Avalon is prepared to do anything. Even agree to a scandalous wager with a ruthless tycoon.

  Sicilian billionaire Raul Stregone has revenge on his mind. When the opportunity to ruin the family who destroyed his drops in his lap, Raul plans to wreak his vengeance via the boardroom—and the bedroom—with the daughter of his adversary. Yet while he may have won her fair and square, it soon becomes apparent that she’s not going down without a fight.

  But let her wrangle all she wants. One way or another, he plans on collecting his winnings.

  Warning: contains a sexy Sicilian hero whose carefully constructed veneer comes off with his shirt, a heroine who doesn’t believe in coming quietly, and a balustrade by an Italian lake that might blush if it were able.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for: Play Me

  His accent was stronger, as if the polished veneer had slipped, allowing a glimpse of the fighter beneath. Nina drew in a breath, resisting the urge to move back against the force of potent en
ergy emanating across to her. “I simply want you to reconsider.”

  “Your brother made a deal with me. He lost.”

  “Now you intend making my whole family suffer.”

  His laugh was mocking, sardonic. “You will hardly suffer, cara.”

  Cara. It sounded sexy and erotic offered in that deep, gravelly tone flavored with the accent of his homeland.

  Nina shifted in her chair, her pulse skipping. “My brother had no right to gamble a percentage of our company. This was a private undertaking between the two of you, and involving our company was not Carl’s decision to make. Besides, my father has to be consulted about any business affecting the company.”

  “Then I’ll consult with him.”

  “No!”

  Heads turned at Nina’s outburst. Mortified, she looked back at Raul. “There’s no reason to involve my father.” No reason to batter his already weakened heart with further stress. “I’m my father’s representative in this matter, you can deal with me.”

  He sat back, the polished demeanor restored as the corners of his mouth flickered. “A pleasant enough prospect.”

  “Perhaps I should warn you not to underestimate me.”

  He sipped his drink and then lowered the glass. “I have a suggestion.”

  Oh, she bet he had. “Which is?”

  “Another wager. Of a more personal and mutually pleasurable nature.”

  When his gaze flickered over her in an insultingly suggestive manner, icy fingers walked down her spine. There was absolutely no mistaking the nature of this prospective wager, even without the provocative curve of his full mouth and the sultry gleam in his eyes.

  She huffed. “I don’t think so.”

  “Very well. I’ll speak with your father first thing tomorrow.”

  Her stomach pitched, but she refused to take the bait. “I don’t respond to blackmail.”

  “Not blackmail, surely.” He steepled his fingers. “Business.”

  “Whatever. You think you can manipulate me into getting what you want.”