A Little Bit Naughty: A Tahoe Nights Story (7 page)
In a world where everything’s for sale, some things simply can’t be bought.
Need You Now
© 2010 S. L. Carpenter
A
Tahoe Nights
Story
Janice hadn’t planned to take her long-awaited getaway alone, but when a girl catches her boyfriend with his pants around his ankles…well, let’s just say that at age thirty, there aren’t many princes waiting in line to take the frog’s place.
She arrives in Reno ready to break out of all the molds life has crammed her into. In short order she’s not only getting lucky at the blackjack table, she’s hit the jackpot with Mr. Sex-On-A-Stick. A man who seduces her with his eyes and shows her how a woman should be treated.
Aaron is living the dream. His gift for pleasuring women brings him everything a man could want: a home in the beautiful Lake Tahoe basin, money, gorgeous, rich ladies vying for his very expensive time. Yet there’s a void that haunts him as he lies alone in bed at night. At first, Janice is just another empty job. Then she opens a door and fills his empty life with something he never dared to imagine, let alone want.
Enjoy the following excerpt for
Need You Now:
She awoke to a loud thumping sound. She tried to open her eyes, but it hurt to even move. The thumping was her heart pumping blood to her painfully confused brain. Her head pounded with every beat of her heart.
“Oh fuck…this is horrible.” She squinted enough to see she was in her bedroom. Doing a quick check, she noticed she wasn’t wearing anything except a T-shirt. Her body was fine and nothing felt violated. The room appeared exactly as she had left it so nothing was stolen. “Oh my God, what did I do?”
She had a blurry memory of the three guys at the bar and a very large bear.
The only thing she knew for sure was she had to pee right away. Her bladder was filled like a water balloon and ready to burst.
After what seemed like a solid fifteen-minute pee, Janice walked out to the kitchen area. The scent of coffee filled the dark air. She took a cup from the small cupboard and poured some coffee. She figured having it black would clear her head of the foggy haze still looming in her mind. There was a flickering light in the living room area from a fire burning. She was puzzled because she didn’t remember making coffee or starting a fire.
“How are you feeling?”
She nearly jumped out of her skin, hearing a voice speak from the darkness, and almost ended up wearing the hot coffee she’d just poured. The chair in front of the fireplace turned and there was Aaron, sitting in her bathrobe.
“You doing okay?”
“Well…I’m basically naked with a cup of coffee in a dark house and don’t remember anything, so I’d have to say no. My head is pounding like a damn drum. What the hell happened?”
“I think my T-shirt looks good on you.”
She sipped her coffee and looked at Aaron. “Why are you wearing my bathrobe?”
“Because you threw up on my Armani suit. I don’t remember seeing anyone throw up that rainbow of colors quite like that before. By the way, cosmopolitans and roofies are a bad combination.”
“
Roofies
?”
“Yep, those guys spiked your drink with a roofie. They could have taken everything from you and done anything they wanted to you. You wouldn’t have remembered a thing.”
“Jesus.” She gulped. “All I remember is seeing you talking to a woman and getting a little jealous. Then there was one guy that was flirting with me and bought me a few drinks. No wonder they hit me so quick. I was feeling really woozy. Who was the bear I saw?”
“Bear? Oh, you mean Leslie.” Aaron smiled. “He’s a friend of mine. Used to be an All-Pro offensive lineman. He’s as big as a house and stronger than a bull, but the nicest guy in the world unless you piss him off. He’s gotten me out of a couple of jams before.”
“Sounds like your
Mother
-person has a soft spot for football players.”
Aaron turned and looked back at the fire. “Yes, she does. She helped Leslie out of a really bad pain killer drug habit, and he became her bodyguard. Everyone knows if they fuck with Mother, Leslie will come pay a visit. The man shows no mercy when it comes to people messing with her. A few people have ended up missing.”
“Good guy to have in your corner.”
“Oh yeah, but you don’t want to be on his bad side. So, are you feeling a little better?”
“Actually things are getting less fuzzy and just blurred now.”
Aaron moved over in the chair and motioned for Janice to sit with him.
She cuddled up to him comfortably, staring into the flickering flames and smiling. This was nice.
“I’m sorry you had to come be Prince Charming and rescue me. I saw you were working.” She was too exhausted to feel much of anything.
“I was? Oh no, that was Mother. I was talking to her about a few things. It’s okay.”
“I can pay you if you want. I know you could be out working or whatever, and I had another run of luck today. It’s why I was out celebrating.”
Aaron sighed. “No, I came here on my own. For some reason I just wanted to relax tonight.” He paused. “Actually, I
am
going to charge you.”
“For what?”
“The cost of dry cleaning my suit and car upholstery.”
Somebody’s sleeping in her bed…
My Favorite Mistake
© 2010 Karen Erickson
A
Tahoe Nights
Story
There’s only one way for busy PR executive Julie Lancaster to get her mother off her back—cave in and take a weekend break at the family cabin in Tahoe. After all, Mom won’t know she’s sneaking her laptop along to get a little work done.
Not only the cabin is a blast from the past, so is the occupant of her bedroom. Tyler Nichols, a guy she remembers as quiet and nerdy…
nothing
like the drop-dead gorgeous hunk who knows how to fill out his underwear.
One look at all-grown-up Julie refuels Tyler’s memories of long, lazy summer vacations, and the crush he was too shy to admit. It would be gentlemanly of him to leave, but the amazing woman in front of him elicits visions of the wickedly lusty things he’d like to do with her.
With work pushed to the back burner and a weekend indulging with Tyler on high simmer, Julie makes a startling discovery. Tyler is the real deal. And maybe, if he agrees, she might have time for a life after all…
Enjoy the following excerpt for
My Favorite Mistake:
Damn, she looked sexy. The sun warmed her skin, making it appear golden and creamy. She shifted her long, bare legs, the already-short shorts riding up her thighs and giving him a glimpse of pure heaven. Images of those shapely thighs wrapped around his waist as he pounded his cock deep inside her flashed through his mind, and he shifted. Afraid she might catch sight of his sudden erection.
“I could sit out here all day,” she murmured, her voice so soft it almost got carried away with the breeze. “I can’t remember the last time I sat outside and just did…nothing. I don’t even have my Blackberry on me.”
“Is it normally attached permanently to your hand?” He could relate. He thought his iPhone was the greatest invention ever created.
“Oh, yeah.” She laughed, then paused. A look of panic crossed her face. “Maybe I should go back and check it. People are always emailing me, texting me, whatever. Clients, employees, I’ve always told them I’m on call twenty-four/seven.”
Julie started to get up but he grabbed her hand, stopping her. “Relax. They can wait for a few hours. Nothing could be that urgent, could it? Especially on a weekend.”
Her fingers flexed within his grip and she slowly sat back down next to him. “You’re right. I think I just urged myself right into a panic attack.”
“Over nothing,” he agreed. They still hadn’t let go of each other’s hand, and he gave hers a gentle squeeze. “Just enjoy the day. The lake is the fullest it’s been in years, you know.”
She nodded, wisps of fiery hair brushing against her face. “From all the rain and snow we had this winter, I’m sure.”
“Exactly. Imagine how cold that water is.” He leaned in close, his mouth hovering just by her ear. The delicate shell dotted by a single pearl earring tempted him. To kiss, to nibble, to lick. “What do you think you’d do if I pushed you in?”
Julie turned toward him, eyes wide with surprise. “You wouldn’t dare.”
With a chuckle, Tyler shook his head. “Nah, I wouldn’t. I’m afraid of what you might do to me if I did.”
She laughed as well and released his hand, nudging his shoulder with the tips of her fingers. “You’d probably like to see me come out of the water all wet like a drowned rat.”
All wet…wrong choice of words on her part. He immediately thought of her T-shirt clinging to her like a second skin, hard nipples poking against the soaked fabric, goose bumps dotting her flesh as the water dripped down her body.
Yeah, his dick was really getting eager now.
“You’d be in a lot of trouble,” she agreed, the laughter dying on her lips as her gaze zeroed in on his mouth.
He was leaning in closer, as if he wanted to kiss her. Which he did. The past years of longing, the more recent years of curiosity, all of them came crashing down upon him at this very moment, and he decided he didn’t want to wait any longer.
Tentatively, he set his lips upon hers, not wanting to push for fear she might not react the way he hoped. But she didn’t pull away. She scooted closer, her lips parting from his for the briefest moment before she returned. Soft and plump, damp and clinging to his, she kissed him, her mouth opening for his more and more until he teased her with his tongue.
A little groan escaped her, and he slipped his arm around her shoulders, hauling her to him. They sat on the edge of the dock, their legs swinging over the ledge, lips locked and arms around each other. Just as he’d envisioned so long ago in his teenage dreams.
He wasn’t one to be sentimental but this was getting to him. Their tongues touched, danced against each other and he slipped a hand into her hair to anchor her close. The strands were silky soft, clinging to his fingers and he stroked her, reveled in the softness. The beauty of her.
Julie broke the kiss first, her breath accelerated, her eyes bright with what he hoped was lust. “Wow,” she whispered.
It’s all about the story…
Action/Adventure
Fantasy
Historical
Horror
Mainstream
Mystery/Suspense
Non-Fiction
Paranormal
Red Hots!
Romance
Science Fiction
Western
Young Adult