Mercedes Kelley held a perfectly-manicured finger poised over the keyboard. The computer screen seemed to mock her as she absentmindedly chewed her thumbnail. She had no idea how to begin the next chapter and if she didn't come up with something soon, her recent splurge on a French manicure would be ruined.
If she were to re-read the first chapter, hopefully that would get her creative juices flowing. She scanned back through the couple of pages she had labored over the previous night. Always good at writing, she had decided to write a novel--a feat that has proven harder than she imagined. Nothing sparked her imagination for the second chapter.
With a huge sigh she admitted defeat and closed the word processing program on her laptop. Writer's block was a bitch.
It was silly of her to want to become a romance writer when it was obvious she was not an expert on the subject of love. She couldn't even consider herself an apprentice.
To be specific, she was still a rookie.
Sadie, as she was called by her family and friends, grimaced. She had yet to get off the bleachers. Twenty-five and single was bad enough, still in possession of her virginity was even worse.
It wasn't because she didn't date. She did--frequently. She just hadn't found the right guy and the concept of one night stands didn't appeal to her.
A century earlier and she could have called herself a spinster.
She shuddered at the idea. What woman in her right mind looked forward to a solitary life with only her cats for company? Aunt Agatha seemed content with her lot in life, but it wasn't what Sadie envisioned for her own. She wanted a successful career as a romance writer and she couldn't do that if she never had a man in her bed.
She kicked off her wedge sandals and leaned back in her office chair. If she wanted to complete her novel and get it published, she needed to inject a little experience into her life. Imagination could only go so far and Sadie wasn't that naïve she didn't know a little research should be conducted. All the books and movies she could find would not give her the knowledge she needed to make her love scenes believable. You can't write what you haven't experienced.
By saying her hero had the looks of Brad Pitt and the charm of Pierce Brosnan simply wasn't enough. If she could accurately describe how a man in the throes of passion looked ... that was what she needed to make her story believable. Don't forget you'll be describing what the heroine felt. Her tummy did a tiny somersault at the notion.
Blowing back an errant lock of blonde hair, Sadie mentally ran through the list of guys she had dated in the past. Surely there had to be someone she found attractive enough to lose her virginity to? There was one man she had found moderately attractive; too bad she had attended his wedding last weekend. To another man. Why was it that every sensitive man she found attractive turned out to be gay?
Was she too picky? She disregarded the idea almost immediately. There was no such thing as compromise when it came to attraction. She was a firm believer that settling for second best was a waste of time. Besides, was it too much to ask that her date be well-groomed, well-mannered and well ... sexy?
She wanted a man who had a similar intellect and interests, and who could make her toes curl with just one look. Preferably tall, he had to have a decent job and his own home. There had to be at least one single, eligible, straight man in Memphis who fit those qualifications. At least, she hoped there was.
If not, she prayed her friend could give her the name of a reliable escort service. Jessie knew all there was to know about Memphis, being the current tourism director for the city. If there was an escort service to be had, she would know where to find it. Hell, she probably had the number programmed into her cell phone.
Realizing she was getting desperate if she was starting to consider hiring a male prostitute, Sadie decided to put her plan into action that night. She would approach the most eligible man she could find and propose a one night stand, no strings attached. What could go wrong?
It was no coincidence she was meeting Jessie for drinks at the Peabody on the same night she decided to execute her plan. It was the perfect opportunity to scope out the male patrons without being too obvious about it. With any luck, Mr. Just Right For Her Needs would be checking into the luxurious hotel while she was there. She could casually bump into him on her way to the bar and invite him to share a drink.
One thing would lead to another until she was pleasurably engaged in mind-blowing sex with a complete stranger. That reminded her; she needed to purchase a box of condoms. She may be desperate, but she wasn't stupid.
Her mental plotting came to an abrupt halt.
Wait a minute. Didn't condoms come in different sizes? How was she supposed to know what size to get if she had never seen the guy before? She had no alternative. She would have to buy an assortment of condoms to be on the safe side. What would her mother say if she found out what her little girl was up to?
So what if sleeping with a stranger wasn't the most feasible plan? At least it was a start. Not everyone was lucky enough to fall in love with their future husband when they were sixteen. Some women--mainly herself--were a tad more discriminating when it came to love. Tonight wasn't about that. It was solely a learning process, and if she got her rocks off in the process ... that was an added bonus.
With a determined glint in her eye, she sat up straight in her chair and retrieved her sandals. Lunchtime was almost over and there was still four hours of work to complete before she could put Operation Man Hunt into effect.
Sadie was loading the company's accounting program into her computer when her eighteen-year-old assistant, Bethany, walked into the office. She was garbed in a pastel dress that enhanced her model-like façade. Although beautiful, Bethany was a down-to-earth type of person. Not stuck-up at all. She was an easy person to like.
A glorious smile lit up her face; her soft, melodic voice fairly bubbled with excitement. "You'll never guess what happened!"
At Bethany's glowing expression, Sadie inwardly groaned as she mentally rolled her eyes. There was only one person who could affect her like that. Sadie steeled herself for another long-winded rhapsody over the company's handsome, single CEO.
Instead of waiting for the inevitable, Sadie gave in and asked what had happened to make Bethany so happy. With a dreamy sigh, followed by hand clasping and a flutter of eyelashes, Bethany launched into a minute-by-minute recap of her encounter during lunch with the man of her dreams.
"I was in the salad line," Bethany breathlessly began. "And he was right behind me! I was so nervous, I dropped my fork. He bent over to pick it up and...."
Impatient with the dramatic pause, Sadie prompted her. "And..." What?"
"He gave me the look."
She held up a hand to stem Bethany's excited diatribe. "Wait a minute. What do you mean by the look?"
Bethany rolled her eyes. "Sadie, you know the look I'm talking about! It's the kind a man gives you when he's interested in having sex with you."
Although she nodded in understanding, she had absolutely no idea what that look was. Men liked her and she got asked out on dates often, but her dates always ended platonically. Usually without the goodnight kiss, much less passionate gazes.
"So, the reason you waltzed into my office on clouds is because you believe that Mr. Bradshaw wants to get you into bed?"
Bethany nodded happily. "Yes, he does, but I know he'll never do anything about it since I'm a new employee."
"Not to mention the little fact that you are only eighteen. You may be legal now, but it's hardly moral."
"I know!" Bethany wailed. "It's just so tragic because we're meant to be together."
With an exaggerated sigh, Bethany sunk into the chair opposite Sadie's desk and pouted. Her looks reminded Sadie of her best friend, Jessie. She supposed it was the reason she had allowed a friendship to develop between herself and her young assistant.
Her lips twitched with humor as she leaned back in her chair and laced her fingers over her almost-flat belly. Cringing at the feel of a small bulge developing from her diet of soft drinks and cookies, Sadie briefly though about spending more time at the gym, then disregarded the notion. She was way too busy with her book.
"I see. You do realize that ninety-nine point nine percent of the female population will say the same thing about him? I would suggest you get over your infatuation with him unless you just want to be another name in an extremely thick black book."
"But what about the look he gave me?"
It was a struggle to not smile. And to think everyone called her naïve! How was that for ironic? Poor Bethany couldn't be anymore clueless.
"He gives that look to everyone, Bethany. The man probably practices that look in front of a mirror every morning and has it down to a fine art. Besides, do you really want a relationship with someone you know will never be faithful to you?"
Bethany adamantly shook her head; her short, brown hair slapped the sides of her cheeks. "No, you're wrong about that. All that stuff about him being promiscuous is just company rumor. It's all been blown out of proportion. The only reason Mr. Bradshaw doesn't put a stop to it is because he's too nice of a guy to correct anyone."
Sadie laughed out loud. She had known their boss for most of her life and would bet money that most of the rumors about him were true. If claiming a personal relationship with him wouldn't be such a detriment at work, she would have been tempted to disclose all of his bad traits to the heartsick assistant. Instead, she played devil's advocate without revealing all she knew about the man.
"Are we talking about the same guy here? The same Bradshaw who once dated three women at the same time?"
"That was just a misunderstanding. He couldn't help it that two of his jealous ex-girlfriends showed up while he was taking Jeanette to supper."
Bethany leaned forward and Sadie strained to hear her whispered confession. "Jeanette told me all about it during a coffee break the other week. Mr. Bradshaw was very embarrassed at the whole situation, especially since he had taken Jeanette out strictly for business purposes."
Sadie snorted. "I'll just bet he did. The only business on his mind was how fast they could make it back to her apartment."
Instead of laughing, Bethany eyed her intently. She barely stopped herself from groaning out loud. "What?"
"Why do you put him down so much?" Bethany asked, without a smile for the first time that afternoon. "He obviously respects you. You're the only accounts payable clerk that got to skip right over the assistant positions. Mr. Bradshaw has always been very firm that everyone must start at the bottom and work their way up. You should cut the guy some slack."
"I do. You can't imagine how often I have had to bite my tongue around him. He literally asks for me to insult him."
"It's odd the way you two carry on." A curious light entered her eyes. "I wonder what makes you so different from all the other girls."
Their conversation was headed in a direction she didn't want to go. Sadie sat up straight in her chair, deciding a flippant answer was the best way to deflect unwanted attention. "Maybe it's because I'm the only one that speaks my mind to him?"
Bethany laughed and gave a quick nod, oblivious to Sadie's tense manner. "Perhaps you're right. It's a wonder you haven't been fired from what you told him last week."
Frowning, she tried to remember what she had said to him. Given the amount of put downs she had given him lately, she couldn't call to mind any specific one.
"You told him that his new tie looked like something a great uncle would wear," Bethany supplied helpfully.
Sadie laughed at the memory and then sardonically arched her eyebrow. "He went right out and bought a new one, didn't he?"
"Yes, he did."
Bethany stared at her, a considering look in her eyes. Her gaze was so intense that Sadie began to fidget under the unwavering scrutiny. "You know what? I think Mr. Bradshaw is interested in you."
"Of course he is. I'm one of his employees, aren't I?"
"No, I mean he's interested in you romantically."
She didn't know what she expected from Bethany, but it certainly wasn't this. "What? Don't be ridiculous!" How could she come up with such a ridiculous notion?
"No, I'm serious." Bethany took flight and paced the room, the hem of her long dress fluttering around her ankles when she pivoted around and strode to the other end of the room. "It's all so clear to me now. I wonder why I never saw it before." She stopped mid-stride, her pretty face pale as she turned back to face Sadie. "And I bet he's just being nice to me because I'm your assistant!"
"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." Sadie began to rifle through the small amount of paperwork on her desk in an effort to look busy. "More likely he's being nice to you because he wants you. Why would he be interested in me?"
Bethany rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh, give over, Sadie! You're every man's fantasy with all those curves and blonde hair. Why would he want a beanpole like me when he could have you?"
How she managed to keep from blurting out that she was far from any man's fantasy was beyond her. She wasn't so modest she wouldn't admit she was passably pretty, and she did have to admit that she usually kept in shape, but guys just seemed to balk when it came to that point in the relationship when it was have sex or break up. Remembering her plan to lose her virginity that evening, she fought the surge of panic rising up inside her. Could she go through with it?
"Sadie, are you alright? You look a little pale."
Ignoring Bethany's voiced concern, she once again shuffled the papers on her desk, steadfastly ignoring the trembling of her hands.
)
Sadie's one desire is to finish her first sizzling romance manuscript. Only problem is this budding author is still a virgin. To turn on the heat between her characters, she turns to her lifelong friend, Jason Bradshaw, an expert when it comes to matters of the bedroom. But as she finds herself falling for Jason, Sadie learns there is more to romance than just lust. (Re-release)
