“We have the chance to act out a fantasy, with no repercussions.”

He stared at her. “Are you talking about what I think you are?”

There was no mistaking the heat in his eyes, and Eileen’s body responded to it, throbbing with pent-up needs.

“If you don’t take advantage of this chance, you’ll regret it forever.” She certainly would. She couldn’t imagine a better setup than this one to satisfy her craving for anonymous sex.

“So all you want from me is—“

“This moment. I’m not looking for Mr. Right. I’m asking you to be Mr. Right Now.” The situation was perfect—it was after hours, the office was deserted and he was a gorgeous telephone repairman she would never see again. She slid her gaze down to the telling bulge below his tool belt. He was interested. She knew he was.

“Look, it’s up to you,” she said innocently. “If you’re game, I’ll be in my office.”

Dear Reader,

Seduced by a gorgeous stranger—is any sexual fantasy more delicious? Yes, I realize that we all have a weakness for certain superheroes, men who champion the rights of the downtrodden and make the world a safer place. That’s all very admirable, but that’s not what makes every female in the vicinity start to drool. It’s the mask, the mystery…and, okay, the tight pants.

A guy with mystery on his side has a real advantage. Unfortunately, it’s a tough advantage to keep, because inevitably the mask slips. Or sometimes the man rips off the mask on purpose, knowing that mystery can only take a relationship so far. That’s the case with the hero in this story, Shane Daniels. Luckily, Eileen Connelly certainly seems to react well to the unmasking—as well as the uncovering of certain other parts….

Join me for another blazing sensual adventure!

Tantalizingly yours,

Vicki Lewis Thompson

After Hours
Vicki Lewis Thompson

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To Judith Nolan, my buddy Down Under, for your most excellent cyber-support during the creation of this book. Jude, this one’s for you!

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Epilogue

Prologue

NO GOOD PROSPECTS. As Eileen Connelly sat in a downtown Phoenix bar soaking up the air-conditioning while waiting for her friends Suz and Courtney, she played what had become her favorite game recently—pretending to troll for cheap sex.

If she had the nerve to proposition a stranger, which she probably didn’t, was there anyone in the vicinity she’d choose? Not tonight there wasn’t. She had her requirements—a rugged physique and dark good looks for starters. Plus he would need to be someone she’d never see again. That was all part of the fantasy.

Adventure, sexual and otherwise, had dominated her thoughts lately. As a little kid she’d had a reckless streak, but her parents had almost divorced when she was ten. After that she’d decided security was more important than adventure. No teenage rebellion for her. She’d gone on to law school, pleasing both parents, and focused on steady career growth. She’d had few relationships with men, and those had been G-rated.

Yet something seemed to have snapped once she’d passed the big three-oh this year. Apparently she’d been good for too long, because suddenly she was deliberately taking risky cases at work and seeking thrills in her spare time. Last month she’d gone white-water rafting, and on Saturday she’d taken a real leap and tried skydiving.

These adventures she could talk about with her friends, but as for sex with a stranger? Forget about it. Despite knowing Suz Clements since junior high and Courtney McRae since their first pre-law class together at ASU, Eileen wasn’t about to reveal her fantasy to them. They were both on the conservative side and would try to talk her out of it.

Courtney came into the bar first, pushing her dark hair away from her face. Last week she’d indulged in a new cut that left her bangs draped over one eye, and she didn’t seem used to the change. “Hi!” She hung her lightweight jacket over the back of a chair, stowed her briefcase under the table and sat down. “Man, it’s hot out there. Ordered yet?”

“Waiting for you.”

Courtney made a face. “I had to stay late. So, you look like you’re still in one piece. Did you jump on Saturday or chicken out?”

“I jumped. It was awesome. Too bad it’s so damned expensive.”

“God, you couldn’t pay me to leap from a plane.”

“I wish they would pay me.” Eileen remembered the adrenaline rush as she’d stepped out of the open door into nothingness. “That would be extremely cool.”

“You’re becoming very nutty.” Courtney said it with a smile that didn’t quite disguise her concern. “I get chills just thinking of you launching yourself into thin air.”

“I was perfectly safe. Listen, the happy-hour special is raspberry margaritas. Let’s get a pitcher for the three of us.”

“Sounds a hell of a lot better than skydiving.”

“That’s because you’ve never tried it.” Eileen signaled a waitress and gave her their order.

“And I never will.” Courtney leaned both arms on the table and shook her head. “I’ll bet Benjamin had a fit, not to mention your parents.”

“Uh, I didn’t tell them.”

“You didn’t tell your parents?”

“Or Benjamin.”

“Ah-ha. So that’s how you got away with it. Well, I can understand not telling your folks and having them freak. I admit they’re overprotective. But you told Benjamin about the rafting, so why not this?”

“Because he didn’t react well to the raft trip, so why stir up trouble?”

Courtney gazed at her. “Shouldn’t he be aware that you’re turning into a daredevil? What’s next, bungee-jumping?”

“Maybe.” Eileen hadn’t decided between that and hang-gliding. “But it doesn’t matter, because once Benjamin and I move in together, I will give up that kind of thing. That’s why I’m getting it out of my system now.”

Courtney looked unconvinced. “I don’t know if it works like that.”

“Sure it does. This is a phase, that’s all. Soon I’ll— Hey, here comes Suz.” She waved at her friend, who was blond like Eileen but wore her hair in a short boyish cut. Eileen had felt extremely lucky when she’d introduced her two buddies to each other ten years ago and they’d hit it off.

The three of them had become a unit during college, and the friendship had lasted through graduation, job hunting and broken hearts. They’d lived together for a while, but then Suz and Courtney had each moved in with boyfriends. Suz was still with hers, but Courtney wasn’t. She hadn’t suggested sharing an apartment with Eileen, though, because everyone expected Eileen to move in with Benjamin when her lease was up.

Eileen expected it, too. Time had flown by, and her parents wanted grandchildren. She was the sole candidate to give them that, which was fine because she’d always envisioned a husband, a home and kids in her future. Ultimately she needed that kind of stability. She just had to get past this thrill-seeking phase of hers first. And sex with a stranger kept nudging its way to the top of her to-do list.

“How’s a pitcher of margaritas sound?” Courtney asked.

“Great.” Suz, an advertising rep for the Arizona Republic, shoved her briefcase under the table to join Courtney’s and Eileen’s. She looked uncharacteristically awkward doing it, using only her right hand and keeping her left in the pocket of her linen slacks.

Courtney hadn’t seemed to notice, but Eileen had her suspicions. She gazed at her friend. “What’s up, Suz?”

Suz looked innocent. “Not much. How was the skydiving?”

“Amazing.” She glanced at Suz’s right hand. “Nice manicure.”

“Thanks,” she said casually. “I like this magenta.” But she only spread out the fingers of her right hand, while keeping her left in her pocket.

“Okay, Suz,” Eileen said, watching her closely. “Spill.”

Suz grinned as she pulled her hand out of her pocket to display a glittering diamond. “Chad proposed!”

Pandemonium erupted at the table as the three friends squealed, embraced and even got a little teary. Suz was the first to become engaged.

“Eileen, you’re next,” Suz said sometime after they’d started in on their second pitcher of margaritas.

“We’ll see.” But Eileen thought so, too. Even though she’d been careful not to promise Benjamin exclusivity, she hadn’t dated anyone else in quite a while. Benjamin wanted her to move in with him. After that, knowing Benjamin and his timetable, the next step would be a proposal. Suz’s engagement brought the concept of marriage a lot closer than it had been an hour ago.

No doubt about it, commitment was closing in on her. As she contemplated a lifetime with Benjamin, she suddenly knew what she had to do. Before she agreed to forsake all others, she wanted the ultimate adventure—sex with the perfect stranger.

1

IT WAS NOW OR NEVER. Traynor and Sizemore, the law firm that employed both Benjamin and Eileen, had sent Benjamin to Switzerland for six days. That left Eileen free to enact her sex-with-a-stranger fantasy without any danger of him finding out.

Although she wasn’t breaking any agreement between them, she didn’t want to have sex with someone else right under his nose. Benjamin’s last-minute trip to Switzerland was like being handed an engraved invitation to take care of unfinished business. Sure, she was scared, but that was part of the excitement.

She was also incredibly turned on by the idea of choosing a sexual partner she’d never met before and would never meet again. Unfortunately, she’d seen Benjamin off at Sky Harbor last night at seven, nearly twenty-four hours ago, and since then she’d made no real progress toward her goal. The condoms she’d stashed in her purse this morning in preparation for some wild and crazy adventure were still there, untouched.

From her second-floor office window, she’d spent at least a half-hour watching a good-looking guy down below working with a street-repair crew. She’d just mustered up her courage to go down and speak to him when he’d paused to spit tobacco juice into the gutter. Then the overnight mail courier had looked like a possibility until she’d checked out his wedding band. Her bad luck had continued when the muscled hunk she’d made eye contact with on her lunch break had been joined shortly thereafter by his gay partner.

Scoping out handsome strangers had cut way down on her efficiency at the office today. She’d deleted a valuable file from her hard drive while daydreaming about sex, and now she was stuck at her desk after hours trying to reconstruct it from her scribbled notes.

She could give up the handsome stranger project right now and no one would be the wiser. No, damn it, she wouldn’t forget it. If she did, she’d end up like Meryl Streep in The Bridges of Madison County. She’d rather succumb to temptation before the wedding, not years after when the guilt would probably kill her.

On the drive to the airport Benjamin had reminded her that when he came back at the end of the week, he expected an answer to his question about living together. And he was a damned good catch. He was a cinch to make partner at Traynor and Sizemore a good year ahead of Eileen because he worked harder than she did. He kissed ass better, too. Well, metaphorically speaking. In bed, he wasn’t particularly imaginative, poor guy.

He’d promised that once Eileen shifted her belongings over to his luxury apartment, he’d morph into a more spontaneous lover. She thought it was possible. Some people needed security to let loose, and Benjamin seemed to fit in that group. And maybe it didn’t matter whether he became more sexually impulsive. She didn’t want to put too much importance on one trait.

She’d dated enough guys to know that she’d never find anybody higher on the compatibility scale than Benjamin. Yep, they had the compatibility thing down…except Benjamin didn’t like risks and he wasn’t into sexual fantasies. He’d told her flat out that he didn’t have fantasies, didn’t need them, and wondered about the people who did. That had shut her up fast.

Considering his attitude, she wasn’t about to tell him about the fantasy that had gripped her from the age of eighteen. That was the year Michael Keaton as Batman had stepped through the open window of Kim Basinger’s darkened apartment. Eileen remembered the hot stab of desire she’d felt while sitting in the theater. What would it be like to have an anonymous man in her bedroom? She wanted that thrill for real.

But she’d been in her good-girl mode at eighteen, not wanting to rock the boat. Her parents’ marriage had stabilized by then. At the age of ten she hadn’t understood what had caused the problem, but looking back on it now, she was pretty sure another woman had been part of the equation. Her dad had also bought a Corvette and had tried out local stock-car racing.

But all that was over now. Her parents’ marriage was solid. But Eileen had learned from the experience that adventures need to take place before marriage, before the serious business of creating a family. If she could complete her sex-with-a-stranger project this week, she’d be ready to give Benjamin an answer on Saturday.

However, she’d have to concentrate on the project after she’d finished keying in these notes. Maybe her sexual fantasy was a priority, but keeping her job ranked right up there, too. She wasn’t willing to trade security for adventure. She wanted both.

By seven, she was the only person left in the suite of offices. Not surprising. The Diamondbacks were playing a three-game series at home, and she was one of the few who didn’t have season tickets. Benjamin had suggested they buy some for next year after she moved in with him. Maybe it was his version of a promise ring, to have tickets for next season.

Around seven-thirty, she opened her desk and pulled out the raspberry mocha energy bar that would substitute for dinner. She’d taken the first bite when she heard a clanking noise in the reception area.

Could be the cleaning service, except…that sounded like a power screwdriver, not a vacuum. She tried to imagine why a thief would be using a power screwdriver, or even what there was to steal in the reception area.

She’d have to investigate, but she didn’t want to be stupid, in case an intruder was really out there. All she had in the way of a weapon was her collapsible umbrella, a hold-over from the monsoon season which had pretty much ended a couple of weeks ago.

But as she gripped the umbrella’s plastic handle and pushed back her chair, she remembered about the phone system upgrade. Two days ago everyone had received a memo, but she’d been too involved in her sexual search to think about it again. Some communications company was installing the system tonight, after regular hours, to keep from interrupting business.

She listened for conversation that would confirm that the telephone guys were out there. When no one said a word, she figured out, being fairly smart and a law-school graduate, that one person was working alone. Smiling, Eileen leaned back in her chair, idly caressed the umbrella in her hand and pretended this was her Michael Keaton moment.

Roll the cameras. The sexy lady lawyer would wander into the reception area, and… No, first she’d unfasten the top three buttons of her blouse. Then she would wander into the reception area.

Kneeling on the floor next to the phone jack would be a gorgeous man wearing a tight T-shirt, soft jeans, work boots and a tool belt. The tool belt would ride low on his hips and would contain…lots of tools.

She would clear her throat. He would glance up. Or…wait. She’d walk right up beside him, and he’d look over and notice shapely legs placed conveniently at his eye level. Slowly his gaze would travel upward, appraisingly, until he was staring into her baby blues, mesmerized. No words would be necessary. He would know what to do. And she would let him do it.

In reality, the guy in the reception area probably had a wife, six kids, and a beer belly. Or it wasn’t a guy at all. No reason a woman couldn’t be installing the new system. The way Eileen’s luck had been running today, the installer would definitely be a woman.

The fantasy had been fun for a while, though. As long as she didn’t go out there, she could hold on to it. But she needed to make her presence known. The memo had requested that all personnel vacate the premises by seven. The installer expected an empty suite of offices, and he or she might not appreciate being startled by an employee who’d forgotten about the memo.

With a sigh, she put the umbrella back in her bottom desk drawer, wheeled her chair away from her desk and prepared to go out and burst her fantasy bubble.

SHANE NICHOLS TOOK OFF the faceplate on the telephone jack and inspected the wiring. Looked like it would support the added lines the client had requested, no problem. Funny, he’d been hoping for more of a challenge. He’d forgotten how much he loved the hands-on part of this business.

To think at one time he’d been eager for Mercury Communications to take off so that he could hire other people to do the actual installations. His dream had come true, leaving him stuck behind a desk while everybody else had the fun of going out on jobs. His job was now all about drumming up business and keeping current clients happy. Even when he left the office, he felt obliged to keep his pager and his cell with him at all times, in case a client had an emergency.

Both were nestled in his tool belt right now. He’d built his business on personal service, and in the beginning he’d loved that aspect. But little by little, like a creeping kudzu vine, the personal service aspect had obliterated his free time. If he didn’t deal with problems himself, especially for long-standing customers, they accused him of being a big shot who didn’t have time for them.

To be fair, there might be other aspects of the business he could let go of, but he didn’t know how. He’d handled everything himself for so long that he couldn’t imagine turning decisions over to someone else, someone without his background, someone who would probably screw it up. He’d created a monster.

At least tonight he could have fun with an installation, although he’d probably be interrupted by calls. Lou had been assigned this job, but Lou’s wife had unexpectedly gone into labor with their first kid. Lou needed to be with her.

Shane had leaped at the chance to take over and install the new system at Traynor and Sizemore. He must have sounded way too cheerful about giving up his evening, because Lou had asked him if something was wrong.

Hell, yes, something was wrong. His life was a mess, and he had only himself to blame. He’d created a company that now controlled his life. He’d sell it, but then he’d worry about how his employees would be treated. They were all terrific and wouldn’t be happy about a new owner.

He’d never imagined that success could be such a pain in the ass. The piles of paperwork on his desk grew taller every day, too. Mercury consumed so much of his time that he had no hobbies, no social life, barely even watched TV. His parents and brother had been after him about how hard he worked, and he kept promising to cut back, somehow. They were empty promises.

If this installation hadn’t forced him out of the office tonight, he might still be working at his desk, computer turned on, files open everywhere. Innovations in communications networks happened constantly, and he had to keep up if Mercury was to stay competitive.

But tonight he could forget about everything but upgrading the system for Traynor and Sizemore. The silence in the office building soothed him. Ironically for a guy who peddled phones, he’d started to hate the sound of the damn things ringing.

Now that it was too late, he knew what he wanted. His perfect life would include living in a small town, working a nine-to-five job for somebody else, and simply enjoying himself in his free time. More specifically, he wanted to enjoy himself in a particular way, i.e., with some special woman.

He’d even imagined what she’d look like. She’d be a blue-eyed blond, because he was a sucker for blonds, blonds with hair down past their shoulders. He didn’t require centerfold measurements, but he’d like her to have a figure that would look good in the lingerie he’d buy for her.

Not too long ago he’d seen a woman who matched that description in this very building, which was probably why he was thinking about the subject now. He’d had a tantalizing glimpse of her through an open door on his way back to Traynor’s office to discuss the installation. She’d been concentrating on her work and hadn’t looked up.

Because she was a lawyer, she’d satisfy another requirement of his: she’d be smart. But one glance couldn’t verify whether she had a sense of adventure, and he wanted that in a woman, especially when it came to sex. He harbored his share of fantasies, and most of them were unfulfilled.

Maybe he was asking too much of one woman and nobody would be able to fit his admittedly ambitious specs. But he’d never know if he didn’t go looking. With the demands of his company, he’d had precious little time to do that.

He was so lost in his daydream of the perfect woman that when someone coughed, he jumped and dropped his cordless screwdriver. Looking up, he did a classic double take. Standing just inside the hallway was his blue-eyed blonde, the same woman he’d seen so briefly through an office doorway. She stood posed in a way that showed off a Victoria’s Secret figure. And she was smiling.

EILEEN’S HEART BEAT fast enough to make her ears ring. On the far side of the reception area stood a red metal dolly loaded with boxes, presumably holding new telephone equipment. But the boxes didn’t interest her. The man kneeling on the carpet beside the telephone jack did. Maybe she’d been concentrating so hard on finding the perfect stranger that she’d caused one to appear, like a genie out of a bottle.

However it had happened, there he was, her fantasy come to life. Rumpled black hair, green eyes, square jaw—and that was only the beginning. She’d put in an order for a rugged guy in jeans and a T-shirt, and he’d filled it. The T-shirt wasn’t quite snug enough to suit her, but his chest created an excellent backdrop for his company logo, a Greek god with wings on his feet. Mercury Communications was spelled out in navy on a gray background. He wore no rings, wedding or otherwise.

All her specifications had been met, even to the leather tool belt strapped around his lean hips. If Benjamin’s trip to Switzerland had been an engraved invitation to sin, then this man’s appearance was a red carpet rolled right up to the toes of her high-heeled pumps. But she had to play it right.

She cleared her throat and hoped her voice wouldn’t tremble. “Hi.”

“Hi.” His direct gaze disconcerted her.

“We got a memo about this installation, but the whole thing slipped my mind. I stayed late to get some work done.”

“Oh.”

He seemed at a bit of a loss for words, and she wondered if she could have great sex with a stranger who had zero social skills. She’d never given that angle much thought because conversation hadn’t been part of her fantasy.

“I hope I didn’t startle you too much,” she continued, thinking that eventually he’d have to utter more than two words or this fantasy would never get off the ground.

“You did startle me.” He got to his feet, picked up the cordless screwdriver and laid it on the receptionist’s desk. “But not for the reason you think.”

“I’m not sure what you mean.” Yet she was very glad that he could form complete sentences when he chose to.

“I was just thinking about—” He paused and shook his head. “Never mind. Look, if I’m interrupting your work, I can come back in a couple of—”

“Tell me what you were thinking about.” She had a hunch it would lead to something good.

“You’re going to think it’s a line. And I don’t do lines.”

Now she definitely had to hear what he’d been about to say. “Try me.”

He eyed her for a moment. “Okay. It just so happens that while I was working just now, I was picturing my ideal woman.”

It did sound like a pickup line, but somehow she didn’t think he meant it that way. Her mouth grew moist with anticipation. “I look something like your ideal woman?”

“Except that your hair is up like that, yes, you look exactly like her.”

Without giving herself any time to think, she reached up and pulled out the two tortoiseshell combs holding her hair in place.

He drew in a quick breath. “Why did you do that?”

She paused for a beat and held his gaze. “Because while I was in there working, I was thinking about my ideal man.”

“That’s hard to believe.” But he looked very much like he wanted to believe it.

“It’s true.”

He shifted his weight. “Are you saying that I…”

“Yes.” Amazing how the simple act of taking her hair down aroused her, just as it seemed to be arousing him. The gesture felt more intimate than stripping naked.

“So we were each thinking the same thing at the same time.”

“Looks that way.” She trembled as she contemplated the next step. She would have to be the aggressor. As the employee of a company licensed and bonded to work inside corporate offices like Traynor and Sizemore, he wouldn’t dare step out of line unless she made him feel completely safe.

“Ideals don’t truly exist in the real world,” she said.

“Don’t try to tell me this isn’t real. And I’m pretty sure I’m not dreaming,” he said with a crooked grin.

“This moment may be real. But our view of each other is likely skewed right now. We may seem to fit each other’s ideal, but I’m sure neither of us is close to perfect.”

“I’d never claim to be perfect. No human is—even you, I suppose.” He grinned again. “But I still say you look a lot like the picture I’ve been carrying around in my head.”

“I could say the same about you.” She responded to everything about him—the sound of his voice, the scent of his aftershave, the subtle gestures he made with his hands. And he reacted to her, too. She could see it in his eyes and the flare of his nostrils.

“Look, we both have work to do,” he said. “What if we go back to it, and when we’re finished, we can go out, have a drink and find out a little more about each—”

“No.”

He appeared taken aback for a moment. Then his gaze sharpened. “You’re married.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

She was grateful for legal training that had taught her how to present her case. “If we go out for a drink, if we take this in a conventional direction, we’ll lose the chance to create something extraordinary right now.”

He stared at her, his throat moving in a swallow. “Are you talking about what I think you are?”

She sensed tension, but excitement shone in his eyes, too. “Just so you know, I’ve never done anything like this in my life.”

He continued to stare at her.

The trick would be convincing him she could be trusted, when he had no reason to believe that. “Look, I know what you’re thinking. If anybody found out about it, you’d be fired. Worse than fired. But I promise you, no one will find out. This is between you and me. I could get in a lot of trouble, too, you know.”

“Not as much as I could.” He sighed and shook his head. Then he chuckled softly. “I have to admit, for a second there I was considering it. Never mind that you’re a lawyer who would know all about how to sue me six ways to Sunday. Never mind that everything I’ve worked for could go right down the tubes.” His green eyes blazed. “Idiot that I am, I was still thinking about it.”

Her body responded to his admission, throbbing with pent-up needs. Her mind recognized that she still had a shot. “Think about it some more.”

He shook his head. “Way too dangerous.”

“What if I told you that for years I’ve had a fantasy of making it with a stranger? I’m not a flake. My semi-serious boyfriend has asked me to move in with him, and I plan to do that. But before I make that kind of commitment, I want to—”

“This semi-serious boyfriend—where is he?”

“Temporarily in Switzerland on business.”

“I suppose he’s also a lawyer?”

“Does it matter?”

He laughed. “Hell, yes, it matters. Getting beat up by a jealous boyfriend is one thing. Being hauled into court and deprived of a huge hunk of money is something else again, not to mention the damage to my reputation. You’re asking me to run a big risk, just for—”

“For an unforgettable experience.” She built on her knowledge that he’d been daydreaming about his ideal woman. A man who did that probably had a fantasy life. “Don’t tell me you’ve never imagined something like this.”

“That’s not the point. Fantasy’s one thing, reality is another.”

“It’s exactly the point. Both of us have a chance to act out a fantasy, with no repercussions. That chance doesn’t come along every day.”

There was no mistaking the heat in his eyes, but still he shook his head.

“If you don’t take advantage of this, you’ll regret it forever.” She certainly would. She couldn’t imagine a better setup than this one to satisfy her craving for anonymous sex.

“So all you want from me is—”

“This moment. I’ve already found Mr. Right, and he’s away in Switzerland for a few days. I’m asking you to be Mr. Right Now.” The situation made her bold, and she slid her gaze down to the telling bulge below his tool belt. At least she’d scored that much of a victory.

In the art of persuasion, timing was everything. Sometimes, you had to stop talking and give your words a chance to take effect. “It’s up to you,” she said. “If you’re interested, I’ll be in my office.” Then she turned slowly and walked down the hall, issuing a silent invitation with every sway of her hips.

2

SHANE’S HEAD FIZZED and popped as he watched her leave. This couldn’t be happening. Sure, phone installers liked to spin stories about sex-hungry women lying in wait for them at the job site, but most of the time the stories weren’t true or they involved some nightmare psycho woman. He didn’t think the lady lawyer was psycho.

Her pink cheeks and quivering hands told him that she was nervous. Nervous and determined, the way a woman might be if she had an unfulfilled fantasy and boring monogamy was just over the next hill, ready to grab her. He could understand that.

He believed her story, unfortunately, and that should make his decision easy. Serving as a one-night-stand fantasy and then disappearing into the sunset wasn’t his style, especially not with a woman like this. He had a strong feeling she could be exactly the type he was looking for, and he wouldn’t want to disappear.

Therefore he should get the hell out of this office. He could come back in a few hours and finish the job. After this jolt of adrenaline, he wouldn’t be sleeping much tonight, anyway.

So why was he still standing here? Deep down, he knew why, other than the obvious sexual temptation. She represented a challenge, something that had seriously been lacking in his life. The business certainly no longer tested his mettle. Now it was simply a daily grind.

In essence, she’d given him exactly one chance to change her mind about moving in with her boyfriend. If he changed her mind, then he could go on to Phase Two, convincing her that he was the one she needed. Suddenly he saw his life unfolding as he’d envisioned—a wife, a home and a close family like the one he’d grown up in. His folks kept asking about his love life, or lack of one, and they’d be thrilled if he found the woman of his dreams.

Plus he had a hunch that finding that woman would force him to cut back on work. He desperately needed a playmate to jolt him out of this rut, because he hadn’t been able to accomplish that by himself. All he had to do to make that a possibility, was win out over the current boyfriend.

She probably didn’t consider Shane a contender, stacked against a lawyer important enough to fly to Switzerland on business. Sure, he could tell her he owned Mercury Communications and level the playing field, but he was used to working with a handicap. He performed better when the odds were against him.

Besides, he sensed the boyfriend had a handicap, too. If he’d been setting the sheets on fire with the lady lawyer, she wouldn’t be searching for a thrill the minute he left town. Shane had a good opportunity to win the sexual contest, especially with this fantasy situation she’d chosen.

Was he seriously considering her proposition, then? If she blabbed about this, to anyone, she could ruin his business reputation. The responsibility for the welfare of his employees weighed on his conscience.

He thought about the way she’d looked, standing there waiting for him to make up his mind. His gut instinct told him she wouldn’t blab, and that instinct had never betrayed him before. No, he couldn’t use his work responsibilities as an excuse to back away from this one.

And finally he had to admit that he didn’t want an excuse. She had the potential to be everything he wanted in a woman. Physically she was perfect. Added to that, she was smart enough to be a lawyer, and sexy enough to want a fantasy before she settled into a dull monogamous routine.

Slowly he unfastened his tool belt, his fingers shaking just a little, and laid it on the receptionist’s desk. The minute he did that, his cell phone beeped out its cute little “bombs away” melody. It was no longer cute. He grabbed the phone out of habit, punched the button and said hello.

Sure enough, the person on the other end was one of his oldest customers, someone who’d had a problem earlier in the day but hadn’t had time to call until now. Of course he’d called the minute Shane had a hot woman waiting for him just down the hall, a woman who had all the markings of happily ever after. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a prospect like that. The customer would have to wait.

“Sorry, George,” he said. “You’ve caught me at a really bad time. I’ll get back to you in the morning. Talk to you then.” He disconnected before George could give him any reason to stay on the line. Then he turned off his phone. And his pager.

Surprisingly, the world didn’t come to an end when he did that. He stared at the two pieces of equipment that had been his ball and chain for way too long and felt a sense of triumph. He hadn’t really lost control of his life. He’d only thought he had.

Straightening his shoulders, he turned toward the hallway. He had no condoms with him, so he’d have to be creative in how he satisfied her. But he guessed that was what she wanted, creativity.

His pulse rate jumping off the charts, he walked toward the only doorway with light spilling out onto the gray carpet. His senses recorded everything with the kind of accuracy that told him he’d always remember the sound of his footsteps on the Berber underfoot, the scent of commercial carpet cleaner he stirred on his way, and the Monet “Water Lilies” print in the gold frame hanging just outside her door.

In the silent office, she would hear him approaching. He wondered how that affected her, knowing that her fantasy was about to come true. Because it would come true. He planned to make this the most memorable sex she’d ever had, so memorable that she’d want to keep him around…forever.

When he walked into the room, his focus narrowed to include only the woman leaning against the front of her desk, waiting for him. His fantasy woman.

Her breathing came in quick, shallow gasps, which made the front of her white blouse quiver. She’d unfastened enough pearl buttons that the white lace of her bra peeked from under the crisp linen. The blouse had long sleeves and French cuffs held snug with the same pearl buttons, and it was tucked neatly into the waistband of a navy skirt that stopped a couple of inches above her knees.

Nylons in a subtle navy tint covered her slender legs. She wore pointy-toed heels that looked expensive. He was facing a professional businesswoman who wanted him to create havoc with her dressed-for-success presentation. She wanted her skirt up around her waist and her panties down around her ankles.

The prospect nearly destroyed his composure, but he breathed deeply and overcame the urge to lunge forward and pin her to the desk. He took a step closer and caught her scent, the sweetness of orange blossoms mingled with the tang of arousal. His mouth watered.

“So you decided to risk it.” Her voice was husky.

“Yeah.” He looked into her blue eyes and felt as if he’d gazed into them as a lover many times before, even though he didn’t even know her name. But he’d find out her name. This was her office, and her name would be somewhere in it. Getting that information was important, considering he planned to take this beyond her proposed one-night stand.

He pretended to survey the office. “Nice space.” She was partial to rosewood, apparently, but he was glad to see that the desk was sturdy and not some spindly antique. He’d be needing the desk.

It was still covered with files and papers and maybe she wanted it that way. Maybe she wanted to have sex on top of all that paperwork. Her computer was out of the way on a trolley beside the desk, but the phone could get upset in the process of what he had in mind. No problem. She was getting a new phone tonight, anyway.

The wooden mini-blinds covering the window behind her desk were closed tight, so she wasn’t into exhibitionism. At least not this time around. Otherwise the office contained a wooden lateral file, a bookcase filled with serious-looking law books, a credenza with a vase of silk flowers and some framed photos. Two armchairs that might have been in front of her desk at one time were now up against the wall. She’d given him room to maneuver. Nice.

He noticed a couple of bare picture hooks and realized that if she’d had diplomas hanging there, she’d taken them down before he arrived. And if she’d had a nameplate on her desk, that was in a drawer now, too. She didn’t want him to know who she was.

But he would find out. A woman eager for a long-awaited orgasm could be coaxed into saying all kinds of things. He would learn all he needed to learn.

So the diplomas were gone, but an impressionistic watercolor hung above the chairs. Its undulating curves and pink tones might look like nothing to the casual observer, but Shane decided the picture was definitely about sex.

“Do you like that?” she asked softly.

He decided to test her. “What’s it supposed to be?”

“The title is ‘Shades of Pink.’ I bought it at an art fair. I suppose you can interpret it any way you want to.”

“And how do you interpret it?”

She glanced at him. “I’ve…always thought it looked like a depiction of…an orgasm.” She swallowed. “I’ve never told anyone that,” she added quickly. “And it probably isn’t at all, but I—”

“You hung it on the wall because you liked that interpretation.” It wasn’t a question.

“I guess so. Yes.”

He took another step toward her. “That’s what tonight is all about, being sexually honest, maybe for the first time in our lives.”

Her breathing quickened. “Yes.”

“I’ll start. I’ve never been so turned on by a woman, or by the thought of having sex. I want to take you right now. I want to shove your skirt to your waist, unzip my jeans and brace you against that desk. I want to rip apart whatever lacy underwear is between us and shove deep.”

She gasped.

“Am I shocking you?”

“No.” She struggled for breath. “No. That’s…that’s what I want, too.”

He wondered just how much of a risk taker she was. “You’d be a damned fool to let me, with no protection in sight.”

Slowly she stretched her hand toward him, her fingers closed. When she opened them, a square packet lay in her palm.

He gazed at the condom and then looked into her eyes.

Her voice vibrated, almost like a cat’s purr. “Be my guest.”

Desire gusted through him with enough force to leave him shaking. He waited for the tremors to pass. Then he cupped her soft hand in his and lifted it, condom and all, to his lips.

First he kissed the tip of each manicured finger. Now it was her turn to quiver. Next he sucked gently on the end of her fingers, all the while watching her eyes.

Her lashes fluttered closed, and her breathing grew more ragged. “I thought…you wanted to…take me quickly.”

“I do.” He closed her damp fingers over the condom. “But I plan to take you slowly.” He unfastened the pearl button at her cuff and edged the white linen to her elbow. Then he dropped kisses on the faint blue vein at her pulse. “Fast and hard is good, but slow and seductive is better. I’ll let you hold the condom until I’m ready for it.”

Her lashes lifted to reveal blue eyes stormy with passion. “What if…I’m ready now?”

“If you think you’re ready now…” He released her hand and reached for her other one. “Just think how ready you’ll be in a little while.”

Reaction flared in her eyes.

“Good.” He smiled as he unfastened the second cuff. “Now you’re imagining the possibilities.” If he had only one chance to make an impression, he would make it a beauty.

Maintaining some distance between them, he started undoing the buttons down the front of her blouse. “Have you ever been naked in this office?”

She drew in a breath. “No.”

“Ever had sex here?” He pulled the unbuttoned blouse from the waist of her skirt and opened it to reveal the sweetest breasts ever molded by lace and underwire.

“No.”

So lawyer-boy hadn’t tapped into this particular fantasy. How could she possibly think the guy currently in Switzerland was Mr. Right? “Tonight I want both.” He slipped the blouse off her shoulders and tossed it over the papers piled on her desk. “There’s something about being naked in a place where people usually wear business suits.”

Her voice curled around him like smoke. “It seems unreal that I’ll be back to work as usual here tomorrow.”

“Uh-huh.” He unfastened the front hook of her bra. “I want you to think about this all day tomorrow.”

She shivered. “I will.”

He guided the bra straps down her arms. He’d meant to throw the bra on top of her blouse, but he became mesmerized by the sight of her breasts and the bra dropped from his fingers to the floor.

She’d spent time in the sun this summer. Golden skin gave way to cream where the bikini had barely covered her rosy nipples. Their taut promise invited the brush of his fingers. Somehow he found the strength to resist.

“Don’t you…want to touch me?”

“Oh, yes. Very much. But not yet.” He had a hunch that the boyfriend was predictable, so he would work not to be. Most any man when confronted with breasts like hers would dive in with pure joy. He would hold back and finish undressing this goddess. When she could hardly stand the suspense another second, he would begin to touch her.

He found the back zipper of her skirt and drew it down until the skirt slipped easily to the floor. His erection strained against his briefs as he gazed at the white lace garter belt holding up her navy stockings. It was as if she’d dressed this morning with him in mind. At every turn, she revealed more of the woman he’d been waiting to find.

She stepped out of her skirt and kicked it gently to one side. “Are you going to be naked, too?” she murmured.

He forced his attention from the garter belt and what lay beneath it so that he could look into her eyes. “Would you like that? Or do you want—”

“Yes. Take off your shirt.”

Wordlessly he pulled it over his head and dropped it to the carpet.

“You look strong.”

“Strong enough for what I have in mind for tonight.” Holding her gaze, he knelt in front of her and ran both hands down the silky length of her leg. She was warm and quivering beneath his touch, and the scent of temptation drifted from between her thighs. Gently he eased off one of her shoes and caressed the sole of her foot.

She moaned. “I want you.”

“I know.” Unfastening her stocking, he leaned forward to flick his tongue over the bare skin of her leg as he rolled the stocking down her thigh and over her knee.

She trembled. “I want…”

“What?” he whispered, running his hands down her other leg and slipping off the second shoe.

“I want you to…”

“Tell me. Tell me your secrets.” The mounting tension made him fumble taking off the other stocking. His tongue seemed to sizzle against her trembling thigh.

“Make me come.”

His heartbeat thundered in his ears. “And how would you like me to do that?”

She cupped the back of his head and guided him to the triangle of lace and silk nestled below the garter belt. Her plea was low and urgent. “With your tongue…please…I can’t wait….”

As if he could resist, once he was this close and surrounded by her scent. His mouth watered. “When you’re completely naked,” he whispered, nuzzling the damp silk of her panties.

She groaned. “Then get me completely naked. Right now.”

Grasping the garter belt and panties together, he pulled them down in one swift move.

When she stepped out of them, he paused to sear the moment into his brain. The woman of his dreams stood before him, naked and eager, surrounded by the sedate trappings of a lawyer’s office. The contrast was absolutely delicious, and he wanted to savor it before he was swept into a firestorm of need.

When he cupped her sleek bottom and sank to his heels, the thrill of the forbidden made him dizzy. She moaned again, an urgent little sound that told him she was desperate for release. Leaning forward, he slid his tongue boldly through her golden curls and tasted paradise.

The condom she held landed on the floor beside him as she gripped his head in both hands and shuddered.

He moved in closer, getting his shoulders under her thighs as he lifted her to the edge of the desk.

As he began to feast, she whimpered and tightened her hold on his scalp. Ah, she was heavenly, melting on his tongue like fine chocolate. He guided her to spread her thighs even more, and with a sigh of surrender she obliged him, stretching one leg along the edge of the desk. Papers rustled and drifted to the floor.

He caressed her with his tongue and slid his fingers deep into her wet heat, probing and stroking her to a fever pitch. Her cries grew more intense, her breathing more labored.

And then the wave broke, filling the small office with the sound of her ecstasy. His groin throbbed with nearly unbearable tension and he longed to rip off his jeans and bury his penis in her quaking vagina. But too much was at stake to risk muting any of the pleasure he wanted to give her. So he followed her all the way through her climax, lapping the nectar of her release and heightening her contractions with the rhythm of his fingers.

At last the tremors eased and her muscles relaxed. Placing his hands at her waist, he steadied her as he kissed a path over her flat stomach. Gradually rising from his knees, he lifted her onto the desk, scattering papers everywhere. The desk phone rattled, but somehow didn’t end up on the floor.

She braced her hands behind her and arched her back, as if anticipating his next goal. He took her quivering nipple in his teeth and raked the firm tip gently.

“Yes,” she whispered. “Oh, yes.”

With one hand supporting the small of her back, he balanced the weight of her breast in the curve of his other hand as he nibbled and sucked.

“I can see us…in the glass of the picture,” she murmured.

He licked his way to her other breast. “The orgasm picture?”

She whimpered as he flicked his tongue over her breast. “Yes, that picture.”

“Do you like watching us?”

“Yes.” She trembled as he sucked her nipple deep into his mouth.

He could sense she was ready again. Nibbling lightly at her breast, he slid two fingers down through her damp thatch of curls. “Now you can watch yourself come,” he whispered against her dewy skin.

With a soft moan of assent, she opened her thighs and invited him inside. Slowly he stroked her, and she tightened around his fingers. He’d never been with a woman this hot, this excited.

He’d intended to give her the experience of a lifetime, and she was turning the tables on him. Making love to a woman like her was something he’d only dreamed of. She made him feel like the most gifted lover in the world, and yet it was her responsiveness making everything possible.

Increasing the rhythm of his fingers and using his thumb to massage her special hot spot, he gloried in every whimpered cry as she reached for another shattering climax. Within seconds, she found it, rocking her hips in time with his strokes and sending yet more papers to the floor.

As she gasped for breath, he eased her down until she was sprawled across the desk, her legs dangling off the edge. Moving between her outstretched legs, he leaned over her and braced his hands on either side of her head.

“I haven’t even kissed you,” he said, gazing into her heavy-lidded eyes.

She ran her tongue over her lips. “Kiss me…now.”

“Tell me your name.”

A spark flared in her eyes. “No.”

“Mine is—”

“Come here.” She pulled him toward her waiting mouth and into a kiss so deep, so erotic, that his hips began to move as his penis strained to break free of its confinement.

She drew his tongue into her mouth, sucking and toying with it until the urge to be inside her burned every other thought from his brain. Wrenching free of her suggestive kiss, he backed away long enough to get out of his shoes and shuck his jeans and briefs.

After grabbing the condom from the floor, he ripped open the package and rolled the latex over his aching penis.

She watched him, her chest heaving, her body shimmering with heat, her hair spilling over the far edge of the desk. Her gaze dropped to his groin. “Now?”

“Yes, now.”

Her breath caught. “Here, on the desk?”

“Absolutely. With your ankles wrapped around my neck and your sweet bottom sliding back and forth on whatever paperwork you’re lying on. You realize the ink will be smeared when we’re finished.”

Her chest rose and fell rapidly. “I don’t care.”

“I think that’s what you want. A souvenir.” He grasped her calves and lifted them so she could hook her ankles around his neck and he…oh, yes, now he could enter the beautiful pink gates of heaven. Hands splayed under her bottom, he watched the tip of his penis slide in, and that was almost enough to make him come.

With a low murmur of satisfaction, she propped her hands behind her head.

He looked into her eyes, and saw the excitement glittering there. “Remember this tomorrow,” he said, and pushed deep.

3

THROUGH A SENSUAL HAZE, Eileen watched her fantasy man, his green eyes sparking with fire as he entered her. The sensation was all she could have wanted—the satisfaction of being filled as he moved deeper, exciting her all over again.

She’d never been multi-orgasmic, and yet he’d made her come twice and would make her come again. She was already beginning to quiver.

He eased back and pushed in again, his jaw flexing. “Promise me you’ll remember this tomorrow.”

“I’ll remember.” She would remember this for the rest of her life. The desk under her back was hard and unyielding, but she didn’t care. With every thrust he brought her humming body closer to another orgasm, and she’d never had the depth of feeling that he gave her, never felt such quaking from the tips of her toes to the roots of her hair.

The fantasy must be heightening her reactions. She couldn’t have found a more perfect man to act out anonymous sex with her. Nameless, with no history and no expectations, he was completely of the moment.

He could be a Greek god who’d materialized to seduce her, with his dark hair falling over his forehead, his classic features and his powerful body. And from this view he could be a centaur, half-man and half-animal, taking his pleasure from a mortal. He was definitely taking his pleasure. Lust shone in his eyes as he plunged into her, his strokes picking up speed, his chest gleaming with sweat.

The rising tide of an orgasm gripped her, ready to fling her into the whirlpool again. She panted, wanting that wild ride one more time. But he clenched his jaw and deliberately slowed his movements.

She licked her dry lips. “More,” she whispered in a husky voice she barely recognized as her own. “Faster.”

“Not yet.” He stroked her with slow, lazy movements, holding himself back so he missed that magic spot he’d been stimulating so expertly before.

“You want…to make it…last longer?” Her blood pounded furiously in her veins, demanding a release he was denying her.

“Tell me your name.”

“No.”

“Tell me.” He teased her with quick, shallow thrusts that stopped short of giving her what she needed.

“No,” she murmured, easing her hands from behind her head as she gasped for breath and strained toward a climax. “Do you…do you think you can hold off…until I tell you? Is that it?”

“Maybe.”

“I won’t tell you.” Leaning her head on the desk and closing her eyes, she cupped her breast in one hand and reached between her legs with the other.

He swore softly. “Don’t do that.”

“I don’t need you to finish this.” She caressed her nipple and brushed her finger over her sensitive trigger point, right above where he was sliding back and forth. She was so close, so very close….

His hold on her bottom tightened, and with a groan he plunged deep, pinning her finger in place. In an instant, she climaxed, hotly, loudly, wildly. He erupted with her, his cries mingling with hers. Her writhing body sent the telephone jangling and crashing to the floor.

And then there was silence, except for the sound of their tortured breathing. When her world stopped spinning, she gradually opened her eyes and gazed up at the ceiling. She’d never had reason to notice the ceiling of her office before. Acoustical tile. Who knew?

She imagined the picture she must make sprawled across her desk, one hand clutching her breast and the other locked between her body and the body of the man whose penis was buried inside her. She must look like the sexual adventurer she’d always wanted to be. Crumpled and smeared papers lay under her and littered the carpet around her desk. Her phone could be broken.

She’d certainly nailed this fantasy.

He stirred. Then slowly he lowered her hips back to the desk and eased her legs down until they were wrapped around his waist. He stayed firmly connected to her, though.

She took her hand from her breast and tilted her head up to look at him just as he slid her other hand from between their joined bodies and lifted it to his lips.

“I’ll still give you credit for that one,” she murmured.

He glanced at her, a smile curving his handsome mouth. “I’ll take credit.” He kissed her fingertips. Then he leaned forward and gazed into her eyes. “But the round goes to you. I was so sure you’d tell me your name if I picked the right moment.”

She looked into his eyes and sadness erased the aftermath of pleasure. The fantasy was almost over. The way she had it scripted, they would never see each other again. That was for the best. Definitely. Their time together had been perfect. Even the little power struggle at the end had added flavor.

He braced his hands on either side of her and let his gaze roam over her bare breasts. “When does he come back?”

She didn’t have to ask who he meant. “It doesn’t matter.”

He looked into her eyes again. “You plan to marry him, right?”

“I think that’s what’s going to happen, yes.”

“And you’re going to be a good and faithful wife until death do you part?”

“Yes.” Put that way, it sounded beyond bleak, especially after the past hour.

“Then why not keep up our fantasy game until he comes home? One last chance to be wild before you turn into…whatever you’ll be then.”

“A grown-up?”

He smiled again, which made the corners of his eyes crinkle. “From here you look pretty damned adult to me.” He leaned closer. “So how about it? How many days would we have? Or rather, how many nights?”

She calculated, even though she had no business even thinking about it. Today was Tuesday. Benjamin would be home on Saturday. Three more days and three more nights to experience this incredible rush.

But even thinking Benjamin’s name made her feel guilty. She didn’t have to worry that he’d ever suspect, though. He would never dream that she was capable of what had just happened in this office. He didn’t operate in those terms, as he’d told her. And she hadn’t confided her innermost secrets to him.

“Consider it.” He dropped a soft kiss on her mouth. “I’m going to disappear for a few minutes. When I come back, we can decide.” He slowly withdrew. “Mmm. Sure hated to do that. You feel great.”

So did he, and she wasn’t happy that he wasn’t inside her anymore. But the fun had to end sometime. “It’s not a good idea to continue seeing each other,” she said. “The whole point is that we’re complete strangers.”

“I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He rustled around picking up his clothes, and then he left the office.

Although she didn’t feel the least bit like moving, she forced herself to sit up and slide off the desk. If he planned to reappear all dressed and presentable, she wasn’t about to greet him stark naked. The room smelled of sex, and it looked like the set of a porno flick. She loved it. Exactly what she’d been aiming for.

As she pulled on her damp panties and located her bra, she allowed herself to consider, for just a tiny second, having more of this kind of activity. No, it would be a mistake. He wouldn’t be a stranger any more, and they’d never have as much fun as they’d had tonight. Tonight could never be equaled, let alone improved upon.

She stepped into her skirt and pulled it up over her hips. No point in bothering with the garter belt and stockings. She was just zipping the skirt, her back to the door, when he cleared his throat behind her.

“Maybe I should wait for you in the reception area. One look at you half-naked, and I’m ready to beg.”

She turned, her heart pounding in spite of her efforts to stay calm and rational about this now that it was over. No man had ever begged her for sex. With Benjamin, she was the one more likely to do the begging.

He stared at her, hunger in his eyes. “God, you’re beautiful.”

This was what she’d needed from Benjamin—a little sexual desperation. Yet that wasn’t fair. She’d never given him a reason to be desperate.

She cleared her throat. “I’ll…I’ll meet you in the reception area.”

He nodded, raked her with one more hot glance, and walked out the door.

She continued to dress, all the while reminding herself that she’d achieved her goal. By cutting the contact now, she could guarantee that this would be an isolated incident. Any more liaisons, and things could get messy.

Yet his intensity made her feel wanted in a way Benjamin never had. She remembered trying to tease Benjamin, pretending that she wasn’t sure if she felt like handing out the sexual goods. She’d wanted to stir him up, wanted to see his need. He’d turned away, telling her he didn’t play those games.

But this man would play. She finished dressing and straightened her office, shoving the smeared notes in a bottom drawer of her desk. She’d come in early in the morning and finish her work. Right now she had to figure out what the hell to do. Maybe her preoccupation with sexual fantasy only showed that she was still immature. For someone past thirty, that was embarrassing.

Putting on her navy suit jacket and grabbing her briefcase, she shut off the lights and walked toward the reception area. Déjà vu. He was on his knees working with the wiring, exactly as if nothing had happened between them.

But the look in his eyes was about four hundred degrees hotter than it had been when he’d glanced up at her an hour ago. All she had to do was say the word, and he’d go along with another three nights of fantasy sex.

But life wasn’t about fantasy sex, and she knew it. Life meant sharing a mortgage with a good guy, giving her mother and dad some grandkids, having the neighbors over for a Superbowl party. Except for the little problem twenty years ago, that described her parents’ life, and they still had each other, still had someone to grow old with. She yearned for that kind of security.

She wouldn’t move a single step closer to adulthood by hanging out with this hottie for another three nights in a going-nowhere relationship centered totally on sex. “The answer is no,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

Expectation died in his eyes. “So am I. I think we’re good together.”

“We were.” She deliberately put it in the past tense to keep herself grounded in reality. “And that was the idea—a perfect sexual fantasy that began and ended tonight.”

He sat back on his heels and nodded. “Yeah, I knew that was your plan, but if your boyfriend isn’t due back for a few days, I’d love to spend that time with you.”

“You don’t have a girlfriend?” She shouldn’t be asking questions like that, which only prolonged the conversation. But she couldn’t help wondering.

“If I did, I wouldn’t have accepted your invitation in the first place.”

As that statement sank in, she flushed. The implication was obvious. He believed in fidelity, but she’d been willing to have a fling while the guy she was dating was out of the country.

She went on the defensive. “Look, I’ve never promised Benjamin that I wouldn’t see other—”

“Hey, I wasn’t judging you.” He rose to his feet. “Not by a long shot. I don’t know what kind of understanding you have with this guy.”

“There is no understanding…yet.” She’d been very careful about that, wanting to leave the door open for exactly what had happened tonight.

Yet she hadn’t dated anyone else recently. Benjamin might assume that they had an understanding, which meant she’d been guilty of misleading the witness.

After all, she and Benjamin had a sexual relationship, such as it was. Some people thought that constituted an agreement. It might have, if the sex had been more exciting. Maybe once they moved in together, Benjamin would relax and have fun in bed.

Her fantasy man searched her expression. “But you expect there will be an understanding once he comes back, right?”

She nodded.

“That leaves you all of three nights to be a wild and crazy single girl.” He smiled gently. “Why waste them?”

Tempted by that smile, she tried to hold on to her arguments for not doing it. “For one thing, we’d have to destroy the anonymous nature of our—”

“Shane Nichols.”

She blinked. “Wh-what?”

“My name is Shane Nichols. I want you to know that. And yes, my parents are huge Alan Ladd fans, especially my dad. I was named after the character in the movie. Everybody gets around to asking sooner or later, so I’ll answer that one up front. I don’t even wince when somebody starts calling Shaaane! Come back, Shaaane. Feel free to do that if it gives you a chuckle.”

Now her fantasy man had a name, one she wasn’t likely to forget. As she’d known it would, the atmosphere between them changed immediately. Instead of an anonymous sexual partner, he was a guy with parents who loved an old movie enough to name him after the main character. She’d probably like his parents.

“And you’re either Eileen or Mildred. I’m going with Eileen.”

She felt like the person who’d just been found in a game of hide and seek. “How did you come up with that?”

He glanced at the receptionist’s phone. “Psychic.”

Well, of course. She should have realized he’d check the names on the labels next to each office line. She and Mildred were the only two women listed, and not many women her age were named Mildred.

She took a deep breath. No point in continuing the anonymity any longer. He’d be able to find out her last name without a whole lot of difficulty. “Eileen Connelly,” she said.

He held out his hand, his gaze warm. “Pleased to meet you, Eileen.”

She looked down at his outstretched hand and remembered all the interesting things he’d been doing with it recently. Her body remembered, too, and was reminding her of how much she’d liked what he’d done. Refusing to shake hands because she was afraid it would turn her on seemed childish, so she put her hand in his.

His handshake was firm and brief. “There. Was that so hard to do?”

Yes. “I didn’t intend us to become—”

“I know that. I completely understand your original intent. I’m just asking you to expand your concept.”

Her hand still tingled, and she tucked it in the pocket of her suit jacket. “And if I say no?”

Soft regret gleamed in his eyes. “Then I’ll say goodbye, Eileen Connelly. And thank you for one of the most exciting…no, the most exciting night of my life. It’s been an honor.”

She looked into his eyes and felt her resolve slipping away. No one would have to know, especially Benjamin. She’d keep it to herself. Her mother had invited her for dinner this week, thinking she’d be lonesome without Benjamin, but she could get out of that. She wouldn’t even confide in Suz or Courtney. Total secrecy would be the only way to go on something as reckless as this.

“You really have nothing to lose but a little time,” he murmured. “You’ve already made the decision to experiment while your boyfriend’s gone. Three more nights of experimentation will give you more memories to get you through the years of matrimony.”

“You make it sound like I don’t want to get married. I do.”

“To this guy?”

She hesitated only a fraction of a second. “Yes.”

“Okay.” He looked at her as if he didn’t believe it. “But why not have some fun between now and Saturday? Meet me again tomorrow night.”

She had to remember that seeing him again could be a fantasy-killer. That was one of the risks. “It wouldn’t be the same as tonight. This was—”

“I should hope it wouldn’t be the same! Been there, done that. Time for a new fantasy.” He paused. “Ever wanted to do it on the rooftop of a downtown office building at night?”

Her pulse leaped at the idea. Talk about a Batman-style adventure.

He smiled. “I think that turns you on. Your eyes are going all dark and stormy again.”

“Again?” Her response sounded husky and intimate.

“The way they were in your office, when I was—”

“Never mind.” She couldn’t let him go into detail or she’d be over there ripping at his clothes. “I get the picture.”

“Do you? Do you see us up on that roof, with the city around us and the night sky above? It’s still warm this time of year…you wouldn’t get cold, no matter how much clothing you took off. Or I took off you.”

Heart pounding, she searched for the strength to resist the temptation he offered. She also wondered if he was throwing out ideas without considering the logistics. “If you were thinking of this building, I have no idea how you’d access the roof.”

“Not this building. It’s only four stories. Something higher. And you can leave that to me. I install telephone systems for a living. I can certainly arrange access to a suitable roof.”

She was getting hotter by the second. “You’ve thought of this before?”

“Sure. Just never had a woman wild and sexy enough to do it with.”

Reaction zinged through her, making her throb in anticipation. He was her fantasy man, somebody who loved this kind of adventure. Apparently he was as immature as she was in that regard. “I’m insane for even considering such a thing.”

“Come on, Eileen. You’re the one who started this. Don’t back out now. I’ll pick you up in a company van out in front of this building tomorrow at six. I’ll bring takeout and a blanket so we can have a picnic up there, as well as do….” He paused to grin. “Each other.”

A man who could tease her about sex. That alone was reason enough to take him up on his proposition. She would probably live to regret this decision, but she would regret even more living the rest of her days without spending three wild nights with Shane Nichols. She swallowed. “Okay.”

“Okay.” Excitement shimmered in his expression, but he remained standing quietly, as if waiting for her to make the next move.

“I’m going home now.” She took a step toward the door.

“And I’ll finish the system upgrade.”

“I’m not going to kiss you goodbye.”

“I don’t want you to.”

“You don’t?”

He shook his head. “What we have going is too hot for little goodbye kisses, and you know it. If you came over here to kiss me goodbye, we’d be rolling on the floor in two seconds.”

He was right. She trembled with the urge to go over and unzip those soft denim jeans one more time. Judging from the size of the bulge under his zipper, he wanted that, too.

“Good night,” she whispered.

“Good night.”

She turned and forced herself to head toward the door.

“Eileen.”

She paused, her hand on the knob.

“About tomorrow night…”

Glancing over her shoulder, she saw him standing there, so obviously aroused. Heat sluiced through her. “What about tomorrow night?”

“Skip the underwear, darlin’.”

4

SHANE STARED AT THE carved mahogany door after it closed behind Eileen. Then he listened to the click of her heels echoing in the empty tiled hallway leading to the elevator. Sex on a rooftop?

He had no idea where he’d come up with that one. He’d had plenty of sexual fantasies, but they’d been pretty much confined to the bedroom. Okay, maybe he’d considered elevator sex, or doing it in an outdoor hot tub.

But on the roof? Not consciously. But desperation must have pulled this right out of his subconscious, and thank God for that, because rooftop sex had obviously appealed to her. He had a wild one on his hands.

Well, wasn’t that what he’d wanted? Eileen was the answer to his prayers, especially if he could pry her away from her plan to move in with the boyfriend. Logically he should need more time with her before he could possibly know she was the one, but instinct told him that time would only confirm what he already knew in his gut.

She was the woman he’d been waiting for. Maybe working himself to a frazzle all these years had been designed to bring him to this point, face-to-face with Eileen. At the very moment when he needed to add more play in his life, she’d appeared to help him do that.

The ding of the elevator bell, muffled by the closed door, told him she was leaving the building. That was his signal to get this new telephone system hooked up so he could go home, get some rest and figure out what favors he could call in to secure himself a rooftop for tomorrow night.

He’d even told her to skip the underwear. In fact, the command had been, Skip the underwear, darlin’. He’d never called a woman darlin’ in his life. Apparently she was bringing out his inner rogue. And he liked that.

He glanced over at the dolly stacked with boxed equipment. One of them contained her new phone, which was a good thing after the way her old one had hit the floor. He might as well take her new one in there and hook it up now. That office of hers was calling to him, anyway.

Sorting the boxes on the dolly, he pulled out the one he needed and walked down the carpeted hallway. No light on in her office this time. He stepped through the doorway and hit the switch.

The scent of her perfume mingled with the unmistakable aroma of fresh sex. But she’d cleaned away some of the evidence, stashing the crumpled papers out of sight somewhere so the desk looked neat and official with its calendar blotter and telephone positioned just so. The nameplate hadn’t been returned though. She’d known he’d be in here replacing her phone with a new one, but she hadn’t known then that he’d already discovered her name.

Walking around behind her desk, he glanced at the calendar blotter. She’d scribbled Benjamin leaves and a flight number and time on Monday. Her handwriting was almost as bad as his. Then she’d drawn an arrow across the week, ending with Saturday, when she’d written Benjamin home with another flight time and number.

So Shane’s arch rival was named Benjamin. Obviously the guy used the whole thing, all three syllables. Damned pompous. Wait a minute. One of the office lines on the receptionist’s phone had been labeled Benjamin. The guy worked right here with Eileen.

Shane left Eileen’s office and went through the suite flipping on lights and checking nameplates until he found the lair of Benjamin Hobbs, official adversary. The guy had a massive black desk chair and a desk big enough for Ping-Pong. Old Benny could have major desk sex on this baby, if he were so inclined. Shane was betting that he wasn’t.

Prowling the perimeter of the room, Shane took inventory of bookshelves with glass doors, English hunting prints, a framed license to practice law in the State of Arizona and a framed diploma from Harvard. The hunting prints were a cliché, but the Harvard sheepskin was impressive.

Aw, geez. On the far wall was a picture of a guy shaking hands with the governor. Had to be Benny. Yep, he’d even had the governor autograph the picture for him. What a suck-up.

Shane took the picture off the wall and studied his competition. Benjamin Hobbs had a symmetrical row of very white teeth, perfectly barbered blond hair and a nicely tailored suit. Plus he had at least a passing acquaintance with the governor. This was the kind of man women loved to bring home to momma. Shane wondered if Eileen’s mother was thrilled with the prospect of a Harvard lawyer in the family.

Shane had a business degree from ASU, and although he had a good bottom line, he was still essentially a tradesman. Harvard Law School trumped that by a long shot. Then he reminded himself that despite dating Mr. Great Catch, Eileen had walked into the reception area tonight wanting something more.

He’d do his damned best to give her that something more, which meant coming up with a few dynamite sexual fantasies, starting with the rooftop. He had no idea how he’d conduct this campaign and stay up with everything at Mercury, but he’d have to find a way.

After all, it was only for three days. Once he’d eliminated Benny from the scene, he might be able to ease into a more normal dating routine with Eileen. Or not. Because there was nothing routine about this woman.

AFTER A PEPPERMINT-SCENTED bath, Eileen crawled under the covers of her queen-size bed and slept more soundly than she had in months. It was as if her body had sighed and said finally. She dreamed of many orgasms.

Usually she slapped the snooze button a couple of times when her clock radio clicked on, but this morning she scrambled out of bed the minute she heard Shania Twain at 5:00 a.m. What woman could sleep in when she’d decided to spend the whole day without underwear?

She’d made the decision while soaking in her small apartment tub the night before. Sure, she could dress normally and then sneak into the office bathroom to change out of the underwear before going down to meet Shane. But she was in this for the fantasy, and that seemed like the wimpy way.

If Shane could come up with the rooftop suggestion, she could darn sure go through the day without underwear. No way was she going to blink first. This was the most excited she’d been since the time she’d been waitressing at the Violet Oasis and Michael Keaton had walked in. Not in his Batman costume, of course, but still….

She wolfed down some Cocoa Puffs and a cup of instant coffee while standing at the kitchen counter in her Maxine sleep shirt that said Attitude Is Everything. A girl needed her strength for sex on the roof. Fun with sex. She’d always believed it was possible, and now it was happening.

Back in the bedroom, she ran through a few calisthenics. She hadn’t been interested in exercise since the senior George Bush had been president, but now she was thinking about her body image as she never had before. After a short workout, she jumped into the shower for a quick shampoo and another pass over her legs with the razor. The whole concept of getting ready for sex thrilled her. If she had a man like Shane around all the time, she’d invest in regular visits to a spa for waxing, massage and seaweed wraps, just because he would appreciate the results.

Benjamin had told her he thought spa visits were a waste of time and money, which sounded very grown-up. Levelheaded was what her mother had called Benjamin, which was a supreme compliment. In her mother’s world, nothing was more important than that.

As her only child, Eileen had worked hard to live up to her mom’s expectation that she be levelheaded, too. Law was a levelheaded profession promising good income. In fourth grade she’d dreamed of running off to Hollywood to be in the movies, but then she’d discovered what a messed-up personal life most movie stars had.

Eventually she’d concluded that it wasn’t Hollywood she wanted, but the chance to live in a fantasy world once in a while. She considered it a failing, though, and had worked very hard to project levelheadedness. She’d succeeded for years. Shane might be the only person in the world who knew something about her reckless side, although Suz and Courtney were beginning to suspect, what with the white-water rafting and the skydiving gig.

Sorting through the jumble of things in her dresser drawer, she decided on a black lace garter belt and black patterned nylons. When Shane had said to skip the underwear, she didn’t think he meant the seductive stuff. Soon she was standing in front of the full-length mirror in her bedroom wearing only the garter belt and stockings, and getting turned on by the idea of Shane seeing her this way on the rooftop.

Phoenix in September felt like late summer anywhere else, so she chose a lightweight black suit that didn’t need a blouse underneath. Once she’d buttoned the jacket, she studied herself again in the mirror, trying to determine whether anyone could tell she had no bra on. They couldn’t, she decided, unless they were extremely nosy and looked at her for a long time. The people in her office were too busy to be nosy. She’d be fine.

She believed that until she got behind the wheel of her five-speed Toyota and discovered how it felt to zip down the 101 wearing no panties. The word risky didn’t even begin to describe it. Stimulating was a more apt word. As she adjusted to the sensation of working the clutch and the brake pedals while the breeze from the vents swirled up her skirt, she became giddy with the naughtiness of it all.

Good thing nobody was at the office yet, and she’d have a couple of hours to get used to sitting at her desk without underwear. Or maybe there would be no getting used to anything. As soon as she unlocked the door to the suite of offices and turned on the lights in the reception area, her attention went straight to the spot where she’d found Shane kneeling the night before, almost as if she expected to find him there again.

The wheeled dolly with its load of boxes was gone, but she couldn’t look at the new phone on the receptionist’s desk without remembering…everything. Taking a deep breath, she marched to her office. If she didn’t get the information into her computer and printed out by nine, she’d be toast. She had to block Shane out of her mind and get cracking.

Unfortunately, that required pulling out the notes that had become crumpled and smeared during all that wild sex. With a groan she plopped into her soft leather desk chair, which immediately reminded her of her panty-free state. Maybe this was why Benjamin didn’t indulge in fantasies. Fantasies played hell with productivity.

She had a new phone, too, courtesy of the man who could give her multiple orgasms. She picked up the receiver, telling herself she was checking for a dial tone when all she really wanted was to curl her fingers around something he had recently touched.

As she breathed in the smell of fresh plastic, which shouldn’t have been an aphrodisiac, a small scrap of paper fluttered to the desk. Still holding the receiver, she picked up the paper and turned it over to read the scrawled message. See you tonight.

Okay, so he had terrible handwriting. So did she. But he’d left a little note for her. She’d always longed for a guy who would leave her little notes. A man with a ton of obligations, like Benjamin, for example, wouldn’t have the time. At least that’s what she’d told herself. Maybe a phone installer did have the time.

See you tonight. Oh, yes, he would. She squirmed in her chair and replaced the receiver.

The buzz of the phone made her jump. It was definitely her line ringing, so it had to be somebody she knew, somebody who might be making use of the equipment he’d installed the night before to drive her crazy first thing this morning. Lust eddied through her as she picked up the receiver again.

She deliberately pitched her voice low, wanting to sound like a woman who was not wearing panties. “Hello?”

“Hi, sweetie!” her mother sang out. “Do you have a cold?”

Eileen sat up straight and tugged at her skirt, as if her mother had walked into the room and Eileen had to hide the evidence. “Absolutely not, Mom! Just need some more coffee, that’s all!” She swivelled her chair to her computer stand and switched on the monitor. There, now she felt more normal, with the program loading. A computer worked whether you were wearing underwear or not.

“Well, now you sound better,” her mother said. “I worry that you don’t get enough sleep, and I’m sure you’re not eating right. That’s how you deplete your resources and cripple your immune system, you know.”

“I had breakfast this morning.” As usual, seconds into the conversation with her mother, she felt like a seven-year-old again. She brought up the screen she needed and started typing in her notes in an effort to feel more like an adult. She wondered how many adults still ate Cocoa Puffs. Probably lots.

“Glad to hear you had breakfast. Most important meal of the day. Listen, I’m calling there because I tried your apartment and got your machine. I figured you’d gone in early to catch up on work.”

“You called my apartment at six-thirty in the morning?”

“I had something to say that couldn’t be said over dinner.”

“Mom, about dinner… I—”

“Never mind that now. Your father’s out on the patio doing his Tai Chi, so you and I have a little privacy, which was my plan.”

Alarm shot through her. “Is anything wrong?” Maybe she’d never get over that feeling of panic whenever her mother wanted to speak to her privately.

“No, goodness, no. Sorry if I scared you. I just wanted to talk to you about moving in with someone, living with each other, cohabiting, as they say. I wanted to tell you to go ahead.”

Eileen’s eyes crossed. “Are we by any chance talking about Benjamin?”

“Of course we are! And I finally figured out why you haven’t moved in with him. I mean, Courtney lived with that musician for six months last year, although heaven knows what she saw in him, and Suz is—”

“It’s not like I do whatever they do, you know.”

“Well, no, but by this age, I’m sure you’ve considered it, and I know why you’re holding off.”

Because I have to have some fantasy sex first. “Why?”

“You’re afraid we’ll disapprove.” Her mother sounded very proud of her conclusion.

“Mom, that’s not why.”

“Don’t be silly. Of course it is.”

Eileen thought about contradicting her again, but then she realized that she could end up having to explain what the real reason was. Not a good idea.

“See there,” her mother said. “Your silence speaks volumes. So here’s the deal. I’m fine with it, and I’m going to smooth the way with your father.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”

“I think I do, just to make sure he’s ready to accept it. We don’t want any nasty surprises, like him suddenly turning into a traditionalist who demands a wedding first. Once your father’s on board, you can invite us over for dinner.”

“Th-thanks.” In reality, her dad had influenced her decision not to move in with Benjamin, but not in the way her mother thought. Eileen suspected she was more like her dad than her mom, which meant she needed to sow her wild oats before committing to a man. Otherwise she could end up ten years down the road having an affair and driving a red sports car.

“And there’s the economic advantage,” her mother added. “It makes no sense to pay rent on two places, and I know your lease is up soon. So that’s why I say, go ahead. Don’t let us hold you back.”

“Okay. Thanks for the vote of confidence, Mom.”

“I have every confidence in you, sweetie. As for Benjamin, I’m sure he has his eye on holding office. He’d be perfect for that, and no telling how far he might go.”

“True.” That had been another thing bothering Eileen. She would hate being a politician’s wife, and Benjamin had hinted he had those ambitions. She hadn’t said how that idea affected her, because unless they were living together, she really shouldn’t offer an opinion.

“Well, your father’s finishing up his exercises, so he’ll be back in the kitchen any minute. What would you like for dinner tomorrow night?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t make it, after all. Something’s come up.” She controlled a giggle. Something had come up, all right. And she could hardly wait to watch it come up again.

“That’s okay. We can move it to Friday night. I know Benjamin won’t be back until Saturday, and I hate to think of you eating alone so much.”

Eileen had a sudden insight. Her mother wanted her to get married so she’d have company. Apparently she thought Eileen couldn’t possibly be happy living alone, because her mother wouldn’t want that for herself. “Friday night won’t work, either.”

“Oh? Why not?”

She couldn’t believe she was really clearing her calendar for fantasy sex with Shane. “I have a big project I’m working on, and I need to devote my evenings to it so I’ll be finished by the time Benjamin gets home.” There. That was the whole truth and nothing but the truth, even if she hadn’t offered any details.

“Oh, sweetie, I can see that Benjamin’s rubbing off on you. You’ll be a partner before you know it, with that attitude.”

Now she felt guilty for deliberately misleading her mom. “I’m not sure about that. But I do need to concentrate on this project.” And after that I’ll be the model daughter you always dreamed of. I promise.

“That’s fine, sweetie. We’ll plan to have you and Benjamin over next week. How’s that?”

“Perfect.” Benjamin loved going to her parents’ house. Her mom treated him like royalty. Eileen found it kind of sickening, but Suz and Courtney constantly reminded her that if your parents liked your boyfriend, that was a huge plus.

“Here comes your father. Gotta go. Bye-bye.” The line went dead.

Eileen put the receiver back in its cradle and stared at the phone. Everybody, even Suz and Courtney, thought she was so lucky to have the attention of a man like Benjamin, a guy who might even be the frigging president some day, and who wouldn’t be excited about that?

Eileen felt like the one out of step, the one who must be seeing things wrong. But once she had a chance to take all Shane had to offer for the next three nights, she’d probably be cured. It would be like the experiment she, Suz and Courtney had conducted last year, to eat nothing but gooey doughnuts for two whole days so they’d never want another one.

That had sort of worked. The craving had gone away for a long time, but now it was creeping back, at least for Eileen. Last week she’d almost bought a raised glazed. Three, instead of two days of doughnuts might have done the trick though, and she was looking at three solid nights of sex. She’d never had that much sex in her life. By Saturday, she’d be totally sick of rooftop rendezvous plans and whatever else Shane might come up with.

She wasn’t sick of it yet, though. Not even slightly.

THE WHOLE DAY Shane was juggling his work and trying to get an available rooftop, he kept thinking about prom night. He’d had this kind of anticipation then, too. He’d lost his virginity on prom night to a girl who’d also been a blonde. They’d gone steady after that, and, like a lot of seventeen-year-olds, Shane had thought having sex on a regular basis meant you were in love.

When she’d gone off to college in California and met somebody else, he’d discovered it hadn’t been love, after all. He didn’t kid himself that he’d fallen in love with Eileen, either. But the possibility was there, given enough time. She’d be easy to fall for.

He could already picture taking her home to meet his folks and how excited they’d be for him. Work had kept him from his family, too, and he wanted that to change. With Eileen in the picture, all things seemed possible.

Anticipation hung in the air as he sat in the no parking zone outside her building at five minutes to six. For the second night in a row he’d turned off his cell and his pager. Yes, he felt twinges of guilt and wondered if he’d lose any customers. George Ullman had sounded a little brusque this morning when Shane had called him back.

But he forgot all about his customers when Eileen came through the glass door in her professional little black suit. His usually calm heart started beating the bongos. God, she was beautiful, her cascade of blond hair gleaming in the late afternoon sun. With her sunglasses on and her briefcase slung over her shoulder, she looked every inch a lawyer.

But as she walked toward his van, he thought he detected an extra little jiggle under her jacket. If she’d done it, if she’d really come on this date without underwear, he might fall in love with her tonight. He grinned. A guy would be insane not to fall in love with a woman who would take him up on such a suggestion.

He jumped out of the van and came around to open the door for her. “Hi.”

“Hi, yourself.” She smiled at him and set her briefcase and purse on the floor of the van.

He caught a whiff of her orange blossom perfume as he helped her up into the van, and, bam, he started getting hard. “I didn’t think about your car,” he said. “Is it okay to leave it in the parking garage? I’ll pay the extra charge.”

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