Intoxicating and Salacious

Lots of books and a low price!

Intoxicating is Amazon Rank #254 in Romance Anthologies!

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Secret Hungers Presents:

SalaciousSalacious
A boxset, sure to satisfy contemporary BDSM, ménage and MM lovers, written by eight bestselling and award-winning erotic romance authors.

Frisky Business (Frisky Romance #1) by Michele Bardsley

Synopsis: When Claire Williams is talked into one last favor for her ex-boss, magazine publisher Lucius Devereaux, she never imagines she’ll end up at a BDSM resort. Worse, she accidentally stumbles into a slave auction— and finds herself sold to a mysterious, masked Dom who promises to show her passion beyond her wildest desires. After the billionaire magazine owner buys his almost ex-assistant under the guise of a Dominant, he’s not sure how long he’ll be able to keep his identity secret. He’s wanted the beautiful, strong woman since the moment she started working for him. Now, he has a chance to show her true pleasure. Still, the only thing Lucius wants more than Claire’s body… is her heart.

Seducing My Billionaire Boss by Cynthia Sax

Synopsis: I have to land the position Robert Reyes, the CFO of Powers Corporation, recently posted. My friend’s health depends on it. I’ve heard the rumors— that Rob will require… extra duties from this new hire. He’s young, handsome, intelligent. Pleasing him won’t be a hardship. Not falling in love with him will be the big challenge. I’ve lusted after Rob for years, like him more than is prudent, dream of him every night. Touching his body, tasting the salt on his skin, will be both a self-inflicted torment and a fantasy come true. I’ll be a convenience for my hunky executive. This is a job, not a romance. As long as both of us remember this, our relationship should work.

The Dirty Martini (Cocktails Book Four) by Renee George

Synopsis: When bartender Chris Lawson goes into shock after getting the worst news of his life, he wakes up in the arms of Marty Lincoln, an Army Ranger on leave from his post. Even in his grief, Chris feels instantly connected to the war ravaged vet. Only two problems: Marty is his boss’s younger brother. And even if that wasn’t an obstacle, the battle-hardened Ranger is straight. Or is he?

Curing Doctor Vincent (The Good Doctor, Book 1) by Renea Mason

Synopsis: Elaine Watkins, Public Relations Advisor, is surprised when she receives a summons from the very attractive and enigmatic Dr. Xavier Vincent. She worships the talented physician and company icon responsible for developing the cure that saved her sister’s life and isn’t immune to his charm. Even though puzzled by his request, she is excited and eager to get started on his latest project. But Dr. Vincent has other ideas. Instead of discussing cures, drugs and marketing strategies, he asks Elaine to join him in Paris to indulge his unique sexual appetites. Torn between gratitude for saving her sister, her attraction for the powerful man and compromising her pre-conceived notions of sexuality, she must decide if it’s easier to feed his desires or walk away. Until she devises a plan of her own.

“Make no mistake, Elaine, I am a king. Kings command and conquer. They are brutal and uncompromising. You don’t want a king. Face it, you came here expecting a saint.” —Dr. Xavier Vincent

Red Hot (A Sapphire Club Masquerade Novella) by Erzabet Bishop

Synopsis: One bet. One kiss is all it takes. Girl’s night out was supposed to be her downtime, but Justine Harwood finds herself staring temptation in the face when her author buddies give her a dare she can’t refuse. But Justine has secrets of her own. A polka dot dress and some seductive intentions are all Justine needs when she heads to The Sapphire Club to meet her girlfriend and hopefully a new boy toy. Because some men just need to learn their manners and Justine is just the woman to teach them. If you can’t stand the sizzle, step away from the fire… Brendan is a secret submissive, torn between his working day world as a local news reporter and his fantasy world at The Sapphire Club. He loves to watch, but when he steps too close to the object of his desire, will he be able to back away before he gets burned?

Stuck In Between (A Bound by Your Love Series novel) by Blakely Bennett

Synopsis: Jacqs is a twenty-eight year old woman caught up in an on again, off again relationship with Bond, who is her best friend and the one who causes her the most heartache. She succumbs, yet again, to his powerful charisma, but vows not make it into more than it is, a great night of sex. Bond, too sexy for his own good, wants Jacqs for himself as he “dates” his way through the female population of South Florida. He selfishly doesn’t see the conflict of interest. Red, Bond’s best friend, has watched Bond take Jacqs for granted for way too long and soon stakes his own claim on her. Will Red and Jacqs budding relationship pull apart their tight-knit group of friends and will Jacqs survive being Stuck in Between.

Sin at Sea (A Sinful Series Novel) by Emma Nichols

Synopsis: When Alysin decided to surprise her boyfriend at work with dinner, the surprise was on her. Since he was going at it with his secretary on the conference table, she packed a bag and called her BFF. Jolie and Alysin had been traveling the country, working as digital nomads for ten years ever since graduation. Taking this as a sign it was time for a new move, they decided to take a cruise, regroup, and make a plan. Then she meets Mr. Bedroom Eyes. Following her lead, they pretend to be married so she can rid herself of the guy who started hitting on her before the boat left the dock. Though it was supposed to be a momentary arrangement, he asks her to take it one step farther. Then another. Along the way, Alysin learns she won’t have to fake an orgasm if she’s with someone who knows what to do, not all men suck, but the best ones suck really well, and sometimes what starts out as something pretend, can fast become something completely real. Will the woman who lives life with no regrets, regret she made the stupid rule about not exchanging names and contact info?

Blind Taste Test by Anne Lange

Synopsis: An erotic romance author who needs to inject more realism into her sex scenes finds herself in the middle of a blind taste test in which she’s the dish for a double helping of dessert.

Buy Links:

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Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Salacious-Hungers-Presents-Michele-Bardsley-ebook/dp/B019G2AVFG/

Barnes and Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/salacious-michele-bardsley/1123131816?ean=2940152253436

KOBO:

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/salacious-2
IntoxicatingIntoxicating
A boxset, sure to satisfy erotic romance lovers, written by seven contemporary romance authors.

Sucked Into Love (Bachelorette Party Series #1) by Rochelle Paige

Synopsis: It’s just Jocelyn’s luck that she meets her match at the fake bachelorette party her best friend throws for her… She knows better than to get pulled into any of Cee-Cee’s antics. It must have been sheer exhaustion that made her agree to help her best friend out with a work project – one that ended up with her playing bachelorette for the night! No man ever wants to be knocked off his feet by a woman he meets while she’s wearing a bachelorette “suck for a buck” shirt… Andrew knows that he wants Jocelyn the moment he lays eyes on her, but he’s never been one to poach on another man’s territory. He walks away but finds himself changed by the experience. Imagine his surprise when he sees her again, only to discover she isn’t married and has never even been engaged. Although this is book one in the Bachelorette Party series, there is no cliffhanger. Each book features a different couple. And if you’ve read the Blythe College series, you’ll see some familiar faces in Sucked Into Love.

The Only One For Her by Carlie Sexton

Synopsis: When is a heart too broken to fix? Just days before his wedding, handsome, successful entrepreneur, Trace Michaels, finds out his love wasn’t enough. With a broken heart, Trace lands in Maui, hoping to find solace in the beautiful island. What he finds is beauty, but in the form of an alluring, grieving woman. One he feels an instant and inescapable attraction to. Young widow, Lindy Bernard, had her heart broken when her husband died. In Maui to reluctantly close a chapter in her life, she suddenly finds herself in the arms of a drop-dead, gorgeous Adonis. After his relentless pursuit, Lindy and Trace begin to find healing… only to have that endangered by a secret threatening to tear them apart. All is not what it seems in Trace’s company, and it seems one woman has set out to ruin him. Can he juggle the odious plots against him while chasing the woman of his heart? Will she wait or are some hearts too broken to be fixed?

Cop Shot by Lexi Ostrow

Synopsis: Bridget O’Casey has wanted nothing more than to be a cop since she was a little girl and used to listen to her dad’s stories. He however, was completely against it and she found herself modeling. When he was gunned down on a chase it only furthered her desire to put her life in a different direction and finally enroll in the academy. She wanted revenge for her father’s death and honoring him was the only way to really do so. A night of partying before the first day could spell disaster when she finds out who the deadly handsome man was. Jeremy Trellins is a high profile detective. When things get slightly of out control and he’s put on training duty he wanted nothing to do with it. Until he found out the woman he slept with the night before was now one of the recruits. He’s torn between his duty and his desire and she’s not giving him any indication she doesn’t want him right back. When a series of police station shootings break out across southern California things get shaky as the academy must make the choice to train, or shut down. When a link to Bridget appears with the killings there is so much more on the line for Bridget then she realized. It’s not all black and white as Bridget takes the connection to the killer and her own thoughts of revenge resurface. She will have to find a way to balance training, a not so secret relationship that could both of them removed from the force and a killer that has his sites on her.

A Favor by Fiona Murphy

Synopsis: Zoe has been called cold and empty and undeserving of love when she can’t give it back. It isn’t how she wants be, but she knows no way of changing it, so she understands and hasn’t gone looking for a relationship. But then it finds her in the form of Sam King. Sam is a former Ranger, scarred on the outside from a mission that forced him out. The security contracting company needs Sam, but very soon Zoe realizes she needs him too. But it isn’t fair to get involved with him when he’s already been hurt, she has no right to add to his pain. But Sam is insistent that he’s not looking for a relationship— sex is all he wants and needs from her. Fighting Sam and her body is a lost cause, and she gives in. Soon she’s the one wanting more from Sam, but how can she find a way to not be cold and empty? Is it her turn to end up hurt at the end?

One Summer by Kassandra Wylde

Synopsis: Twenty-two-year-old recent nursing graduate Amy is headed to Greece – much to her parents’ chagrin. They want to keep her home in Arizona where they can keep an eye on her. Amy wants adventure, though, and quickly falls for her gorgeous Greek professor, Dimitri. When Amy finds out that her Greek god is married, and meets his beautiful wife, Lydia, she is torn between her attraction and respect for their marriage. Then when Lydia makes Amy an offer she can’t refuse, she struggles with the possibility that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Despite her concerns, eventually she gives in to Lydia’s encouragement, and Amy and Dimitri’s passionate affair is everything Amy has ever dreamed of. What starts out as a breezy summer fling, however, becomes a struggle for happily ever after when the lovers are faced with the ultimate betrayal. They must learn to trust again in order for their love to survive, but is it too much to ask?

When Forever Ends (The Maxwell Series, Book 1) by Mariah Kingsley

Synopsis: Charles has loved Vivian with all of his heart for the past twenty years, but after overhearing a conversation between her and her girlfriends he learns that she doesn’t feel the same. Cassie and Mason have tried and failed at having a family, and the loss has begun to change the way the love that was once so solid. Cassie has the job opportunity that will take her away from her husband for a few months. Hoping that the time away will bring them closer together. Charles and Cassie become great friends and after a short time they begin to confide in each other about their greatest fears. Their failing marriages. With the commitment to help each other fix their dying marriages they begin to see all that they were missing in each other.

Masked Hearts (Book 1 in the Holiday Cafe Series) by Evelyn Aster

Synopsis: Mark is a rich single dad crazy about his son’s teacher. Sienna, recently ditched at the altar, refuses to date him but agrees to nights of breathless sex in his expansive house in the foothills. On a whim, she binds herself to the tie rack in his closet and realizes how much she trusts him with her body. But will she ever trust him with her heart?

Buy Links

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Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Intoxicating-Secret-Hungers-Presents-Rochelle-ebook/dp/B019G2S9DW/

Barnes and Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/intoxicating-rochelle-paige/1123131811?ean=2940152677638

KOBO:

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/intoxicating-2

Bonus Post! Scene 7d

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Thanks for all the new follows this week! I really appreciate it! I won’t be posting more of the story on Monday because it’s a holiday, so I thought I’d post twice today. After this scene is the big moment when Conor and Charisse decide to have sex, sex, sexy sex for the first time. I’m not giving the milk away for free here, so you’ll have to buy it from your favorite vendor. Here are some links for your ease of shopping:

BB4 at Amazon

BB4 at All Romance

BB4 at Barnes and Noble

BB4 at Smashwords

I hope you have a great three day weekend if you live in the US, and have a great two day weekend if you live in other countries of the world! I’ll be back Tuesday with the fall out of Charisse and Conor having sex.

BB Episode 4 Scene 7d

He walked towards the swing, lifted part of the large cushion and took out a blanket that was in a compartment underneath. He spread it out on the ground, and they sat down together. She got to work getting the food out. She’d packed two thermoses with potato soup, blueberry muffins she’d made herself along with oatmeal cookies. It seemed meager now that she’d walked through the garden he’d planted himself. Continue reading

Still Time!

There’s still time to get all the Holiday Cafe Series for only $3 at All Romance!

Masked Heart FOR WEB

Masked Hearts

Mark is a rich single dad crazy about his son’s teacher. Sienna, recently ditched at the altar, refuses to date him but agrees to nights of breathless sex in his expansive house in the foothills. On a whim, she binds herself to the tie rack in his closet and realizes how much she trusts him with her body. But will she ever trust him with her heart?

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Veteran Hearts

Jessica and Kyle have a book club of two at the Holiday Cafe. Jessica wants to heat things up with the hot but quiet Kyle only to find out his time as a soldier in Iraq prevents him from getting close. But after one romantic book suggestion, a goodnight kiss turns into much, much more…

Thankful Heart FOR WEB
Best Seller At All Romance!

Thankful Hearts

All Stacy wants is the perfect Thanksgiving at her new house. And after a year without sex, a boyfriend would be the whipped cream on the apple pie.

All Hudson wants is the perfect Thanksgiving after his third Army tour in Afghanistan. But he arrives home to find his brother engaged to his girlfriend. He takes off on his Triumph motorcycle to drive 700 miles to the only place he can think of: the Holiday Cafe.

Stacy and Hudson knew each other on Words with Friends, but when he arrives to meet Stacy and share an Apple Pie Latte with a shot of toffee their relationship goes from platonic to romantic faster than his Triumph accelerator.

Intoxicating!

I’m totally excited to be a part of an upcoming anthology! Masked Hearts is included in the Intoxicating compilation! So many books and you only pay $0.99 for each anthology!! They’ll be out January 12, but you can preorder!

AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

Two Sizzling Hot Contemporary Erotic Romance Collections featuring bestselling and award-winning authors! Each only .99

Salacious – Ménage, BDSM, contemporary and MM erotic romances
Intoxicating – Sizzling MF contemporary erotic romances

Renea Mason's photo.

Bad News

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This was not my best weekend. I literally made myself sick getting Episode 4 published and the compilation of Episodes 1-4 published. Episode 4 by itself isn’t even on Amazon or Smashwords or a whole bunch of other places yet 😦 I feel like I’m back in college, and I just finished Finals week.

I also had to put my cat down after a very traumatic evening 😦

What all this means for you, my wonderful readers, is I won’t be getting the Holiday Cafe Box set out with a new short story for Christmas 😦

Yikes, three frownies in one post. I don’t like that at all.

The good side of all this is I will use my time that’s not dedicated to Christmas to writing more of the Beautician and the Billionaire. I’ll also try to get Episode 4 preposted like I did Episode 1. I loved knowing each day that scenes from Episode 1 were ready to roll.

If you’d like to read Episode 4 now it is available at All Romance:

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thebeauticianandthebillionaireepisode4thepast-1941547-149.html

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If you’re new to The Beautician and the Billionaire, you can now read the first four episodes in one file:

On Sale at All Romance for $2.49
At Amazon for full price.
At Smashwords use coupon code JV42Q to get it for $2.50 until December 21!

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Please leave a review and let me know how I’m doing!

Here’s looking forward to a better week!

B&B Episode 3 The Third Ship: The Finale

Thanks for joining me to the end of Episode 3. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. If all goes well, Episode 4 will be available for purchase tomorrow along with episodes 1-3 in a bundle. We’ve made it to the half-way point!

They spent the rest of lunch discussing all the places they’d traveled to. Charisse was shocked at all of the off road places Conor had been. She finally said, “I never pegged you as someone who’d like to camp.”

“It wasn’t really my thing. But my wife was a bit of an adrenaline junkie—Park Avenue to the Himalayas.”

He’d been animated while they talked and ate, but now he seemed to withdraw into himself. She didn’t know what had happened to his wife, but it was obvious to her that he missed her. She’d also wager he didn’t talk about her much and maybe needed to. She decided to press him about it. “Wow, did you guys climb the Himalayas?”

He stared at his plate. It had a few strips of meat, but he’d mostly finished the sandwich. “Not me. She went on her own. I was terrified the whole time she was gone. Not everyone comes back from those trips.”

Charisse held her breath, worried that might be how his wife had died.

Conor continued, “But she came back safely with a big ‘I told you so’ grin to greet me.”

Charisse relaxed and took the last bite of her sandwich.

Conor asked, “But what about you? You’ve been all over Europe.”

“Mostly for training. I tried not to roll my eyes the day I met you when you started going on about the extensive training your hairstylist had. I’ve probably been to the same places she’s been.”

Conor groaned and reached across the table to grab her hands. “I’m so sorry for being a rat bastard, as you said. You gave me the best haircut I’ve ever had, and I swear I haven’t been washing it every day per your instruction.”

She grinned. “I can tell. It looks better too.” She glanced at the watch on her wrist. “Shoot. I need to get back.”

He tightened his grip on her hands. “Have dinner with me tonight.”

She gazed into his blue eyes and lost track of time. She imagined if she said yes it might be the best date she’d ever had. But that damn contract. She knew now that Conor wasn’t trying to take advantage of her through it, but the thought of it made her squeamish.

Finally, she shook her head. “I just can’t yet. Please understand, I need to settle the business between us before I can move forward.”

“But it’s not even your fault. It’s Roy’s…”

“It’s my fault. I should’ve read the contract.”

His thumbs caressed the backs of her hands. In a softened voice that caused goosebumps to erupt on the back of her neck, he said, “You shouldn’t be punished for trusting your own father. There’s no way I’m selling the salon back to him. I want you to be the sole owner.”

She should just give in, but that way always brought her trouble. She had to be strong and sort the business out before the pleasure. “Thank you for not selling it back to him. Hopefully by Friday I’ll know one way or the other if I get the loan.”

Conor stared into her eyes, breaking down her crumbling resistance. Fortunately, he released her hands, and she gathered her wits together again.

They stood up and walked through the sandwich shop and out the door. The sun broke through the smog above and warmed her skin that had grown cold from the air conditioner.

She slipped her hand into his and said, “I’d really like to have lunch with you again.”

“How about tomorrow?”

She almost said yes right away, but decided two days in a row with Conor would be too much temptation. “No, that’s my official chore day with Marie. If we skip it, there’s mass chaos. How about Monday?”

“Done. I’ll clear my afternoon and maybe we can walk through the park after.”

“Conor–”

“Just a walk in the park. I’ll only ask you a dozen or so times to dinner.”

She laughed and noticed his car was in front of her salon. Before they got closer, she stopped walking. What was she doing? She’d just turned him down to spending the weekend with him. She should not do what she so desperately desired—she shouldn’t kiss him again.

He turned, looking puzzled and sexy with his blue eyes staring out beneath dark bangs. Passion shot through her core and tore away her resistance. She stood on her toes to brush her lips across his, planning to keep it tame like earlier. But this time, he wrapped his arms around her back and held her tightly against his body. She slid her hands up his chest and locked her fingers together behind his neck.

Their lips pressed against each other and then released, only to meet again for another kiss and then another. He teased her lips apart with his and slid his tongue gently along hers.

Her whole body responded by leaning against him even more until she could feel his erection hardening against her belly. She needed this man soon. He was so unexpected—starting out as someone she should hate and turning into someone she trusted more than her family.

Her mind whirled with desire charging through her. What if the loan didn’t come through at all? The worry and lust caused heat to flare in her belly. Scared by her reaction to the kiss, she tried to draw away. He loosened his grip but finished the kiss properly.

He nuzzled below her ear and whispered, “You started it. I didn’t even ask this time.”

“I know. It was wrong.”

“No, it was oh so right. Call the bank first thing Monday. I can’t wait all week to kiss you like this again.”

He pressed his lips against hers one more time and then released her.

Shaken by pleasure and confusion, she turned and walked towards her salon.

His driver stepped out and walked around to open the door for Conor. As they approached, she peered closer at the driver. She knew him. How did she know him?

He was a little shorter than Conor and much older with gray and black hair. He was probably her father’s age or older.

She stopped short in shock.

The driver nodded his head and said, “Hello, Miss Larouche. How long has it been?”

Charisse gaped. Twenty years. But she didn’t say it out loud. Twenty years since her mother disappeared. Raul had been the last one to see her.

Coming Soon:

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Surprise!

Sorry I didn’t get the next part of Episode Three posted, but look at what I’ve been working on:

BBE1to4

Yes, you’re seeing that right: Episodes 1-4! It’ll be published this week! Episode four will come out individually as well, but I won’t be blogging it until January. And, I won’t be posting all of Episode 4. This blog has an R rating, and I’ve been reluctant to change it to X. It’s been a tough decision, but some of the scenes are going to be available in the for sale editions only.

Tomorrow I’ll be back with more from Episode 3. I’ll also have a more definitive release date. My Hot Java Team is scattered right now. Some went to New York, others went to Hawaii, and they left me here in NM chained to my computer!

I can’t really complain, though, because I love the work. See you tomorrow!

Episode 3: The Third Ship Scene 1d

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When Conor walked back to the bathroom, Charisse stared at her phone again. She didn’t want to talk to Josh, but she shouldn’t have let Conor be the one to tell him off. A thrill of gratitude shot up her back, thinking about how protective Conor had been.

She shook her head. No. She needed to stick up for herself. She needed to fight her own battles.

The strains of Mozart from the desk no longer transported her to a Parisian court. Instead, the shrill violins scratched at her nerves. She clicked across the tiled floor, holding her palms to her head. She had to know the truth behind why Conor was her silent partner, or even if he was a silent partner and not something else.

When she stopped the music, she slumped into the chair. What had happened to the serenity in her life?

Behind her, she heard the bathroom door open and bare feet across the tiled floor. She took a deep breath, steeling herself for the conversation. Conor spoke first.

“I’m sorry about the argument with Marie,” Conor said. “I thought she and I were on good terms.”

Charisse sat up straight. Marie had to wait. She didn’t want to think about her sister and Conor together or why the date had failed. Her focus had to be on her salon.

She turned to speak and instead wished she was far away from the city with Conor—just the two of them relaxing on vacation.

Conor stood in a dark terry cloth robe left from when they’d had an in-house masseur. It was open enough she could see hair on his broad chest…not like a rug, but enough to appear manly rather than boyish. His wet hair was smoothed back, and his four-o-clock-shadow made him look like he’d taken the day off. But his blue eyes pierced into her with sincerity, making her wish even more that she didn’t have to deal with the noise surrounding their new relationship.

She gritted her teeth and stood up, refusing to be buttery and gooey on the inside while talking to him. She had to assert herself. She had to know what was going on with her salon.

“Before we talk about Marie, I want to know why you’re my business partner.”

He started to say something, but she cut him off right away.

“I don’t want to hear about ships or that my father owes you. I understand all of that. How did you find out about the salon? Daddy never talks about it. It embarrasses him. He wishes I was a socialite like Marie.”

Conor’s shoulders dropped barely a half an inch—not a slump, but enough for Charisse to know he really didn’t want to talk about the deal. He combed his fingers through his brown hair and said, “I’m not used to talking about business in a robe.”

Charisse stood up and walked over to the front waiting area where her customer Tanya had watched Conor get his hair cut. She grabbed a curvy chair, lugged it over and set it by the desk. She motioned to it and said, “Why don’t you have a seat. Maybe talking about it across a desk will help.”

Conor watched her walk around the desk and take a seat before he sat across from her. “You’re very accommodating,” he said.

“We’re all about customer service here.”

He narrowed his eyes a bit as if contemplating what he would say. She gazed back at him, forcing herself to be all business when what her body wanted was to return to the couch and start making out again.

“It’s no secret that I collect art,” he said. “So when I asked Roy what he thought would be a fair exchange for the loss of the ships, he pulled out his phone. I fully expected him to show me a picture of one of his paintings. He showed me a picture of Marie instead.”

Charisse blinked her eyes several times but kept her stare on Conor. There had to be some sort of misunderstanding. Her father wouldn’t trade Marie for his job. “I, I don’t believe you.”

Conor ran both hands through his hair. “I didn’t believe it either. I was shocked. He kept flipping through pictures of Marie on his phone, traveling around the world. And then he slid to one of you.”
She held her breath at the openness in his expression. He seemed almost scared.

He said, “There was something about your picture, about you, that made me want to get to know you. When I asked Roy who you were, he didn’t want to tell me. When I insisted, he told me about your salon and how you paid rent to him but you ran everything.”

“I don’t pay him rent. He doesn’t own this building.”

“I know. I own it. So when lie after lie kept coming out of his mouth, I had to find out what was going on, and then when I met you I was scared because you made me feel ways I haven’t felt since my wife passed away. I was rude to you because I hated those emotions, and I asked your sister out so you wouldn’t think I wanted anything to do with you. It was all so fucked up, and I’m sorry.”

He leaned across the desk as he spoke. The words poured out in a rush like he wouldn’t be able to finish if he stopped. His hands were flat on the desk. Charisse had to hold back from placing her hands on top of his. She’d never heard so much vulnerability from a man. She wanted to end the conversation here and declare everything all right between the two of them. But she hadn’t heard about the contract yet.

“So why didn’t you just take a painting from Daddy. Why did you insist on being my partner?”

“Because I knew I had screwed up with you from the very beginning, and I thought being a business partner with you would be a fresh start. I’m sorry I got carried away and kissed you, but it had nothing to do with the contract or the deal between me and your father. I’m crazy about you.”

Charisse’s emotional heart collapsed, and she knew her resolve would soon follow. She gripped her hands together in her lap. “If what you say is true, then I want to see the contract. I don’t understand how the transfer could happen without me. I’m the owner.”

Conor’s face paled, and he leaned back. The thunder had stopped long ago, but the rain still drenched the city. He said, “Then we should meet in my office tomorrow. What time is good for you?”