Talking Sex

by Maxine Sullivan

  Oh Lord! “I don’t need any sex lessons, thanks.” She’d know exactly what to do to this guy in bed. If she were interested, that is, and she wasn’t. “But I’m sure there’s hundreds of women listening tonight only too willing to take my place.”

  “One at a time’s my philosophy,” he murmured, his gaze dropping to her cleavage, courtesy of the uplifting bra she wore. “And you look more than a handful to me, sweetheart.”

  Clunk.

  The whole thing fell into place. This guy wasn’t a sex therapist. A professional wouldn’t have taken this interview to a personal level, like Zac was doing. Not in public anyway. Nor would he have been such a smart-ass. She was a fool to let him get this far.

  Damn, she was going to choke.

  No, she’d choke Zac instead. And then she’d choke Leon, she thought, sending her producer a dark look through the glass, only to receive a broad smile in return. He’d done this deliberately.

  “Oh my, look at that,” she said into the microphone, amazed she could talk at all. “Your time’s up.” They had another couple of minutes to spare but Leon could put on a commercial or two. She didn’t care. By the time she finished with her producer it would be the last thing he ever did anyway. “Well, Zac, it’s been interesting meeting you. I’m sure that mouth-watering accent will be sending many a woman off to a pleasant dream tonight.” And she wouldn’t be one of them. “And now here’s a word from our sponsor.”

  The off-air light came on and Cassie fell back in her chair, pulled her earphones off and glared at Zac. “Just who the hell are you and what are you doing on my show?”

  * * *

  Zac took off his earphones and looked at the fiery glint in Cassie King’s green eyes. Was she as fiery between the sheets? Would she take control and ride a man until he gave all he had to give? Or would she rather be led into the sensual delights of lovemaking? Either way, he’d be a lucky man.

  He tilted his head at her. “Obviously you figured it out.”

  Her glossy-red lips tightened. “Let’s just say you were laying it on a bit too thick.”

  Okay, so he’d gone over the top, but once he’d gotten over his shock about the subject matter, he’d begun to really enjoy himself. His only regret was that it hadn’t been a hands-on discussion.

  He shrugged. “Your producer needed someone to replace your missing guest and I was it.”

  Her eyebrows shot upward. “Why in God’s name didn’t you say something?”

  Because he’d taken one look at this woman and his body had stirred and hardened. And he’d been pleased to see that she’d felt those same stirrings, whether she’d liked it or not. They could have a good thing together, if she let herself. “Look, don’t blame me. I was asked to step in and that’s all I did.”

  “I’m going to kill Leon!” she muttered.

  Just then the man in question swept into the booth, all spiky-hair and gold chains jingling. “Cassie, honey, that was magic. Pure magic.”

  She jumped to her feet and rounded on the other man, but Zac only noticed the firmness of her breasts beneath the tight top and the satin-soft flesh of her thighs below the short skirt.

  “Leon, what the hell happened to the sex therapist?” she demanded. “The real one, that is.”

  Leon looked uncomfortable, but only briefly. “He didn’t turn up, so I thought it might be fun for you to think Zac was the other guy.” He shot Zac an apologetic look, then glanced back at Cassie. “I knew you wouldn’t let me down, hon. You’re a trooper.”

  She looked like she wanted to box his ears. “You idiot! No wonder I was struggling to get some half-decent answers out of him. This guy doesn’t know the first thing about talking sex.”

  Leon winked at Zac. “I thought he did pretty good, considering.”

  She snorted. “Considering what? That all he knows about sex he learned in the back seat of a car?”

  Zac had to smile. “Nothing wrong with that, sweetheart. You should try it sometime.”

  “And you!” Her green eyes blazed over him. “Ever heard of ‘there’s been some sort of mix-up, you’ve got the wrong guy’?”

  He could see her point, and maybe he would have done exactly that, if he hadn’t been having such a fantastic time with this green-eyed witch in front of him. “It was fun.”

  “Get a life, buddy.”

  His eyebrow rose a fraction. “Are you always so bad-tempered? Perhaps you need to relax a little.” And he had just the answer. A couple of drinks over dinner, some slow dancing, then bed. With him. He would relax her good and proper. She’d be purring like a kitten in next to no time.

  “I’ll have you charged for impersonating a sex therapist,” she snapped.

  Now that got his full attention. Hell, when it came down to it he’d been doing them a favor, not the other way around. “Hey, I never said I was anything other than what I am. I never even said I knew what I was talking about.” His mouth twitched. “Of course, some subjects are easier to talk about than others.”

  “Why you --”

  “Look you two,” Leon intervened. “It doesn’t matter now. It’s obvious you have a certain chemistry between you, and I’m not the only one to think so. The switchboard’s lit up like the Sears Tower.”

  Zac frowned with surprise. “It is?” he said at the same time as Cassie’s eyes widened in horror.

  “Our listeners loved it.” Leon gave Cassie a quick hug. “This will boost our ratings even more. It’s fantastic!”

  She darted a look at Zac. Panic crossed her face, making her look somehow vulnerable for a split second before it was gone. Yet Zac had seen it. He wouldn’t forget.

  She spun back to Leon. “No. You’ll have to get the other guy in here, Leon. We should set the record straight.”

  “Forget the other guy. After two years without sex, he’s probably out screwin’ around anyway.” He glanced at Zac and chuckled. “I can’t believe she thought you were celibate.”

  “L.e.o.n…” Cassie said through gritted teeth, all hint of vulnerability gone like it had never been there in the first place.

  “Sorry, hon,” Leon said. “But if the other guy couldn’t turn up, then that’s his loss.” He looked at Zac again and his eyes had a resolute look about him. “And our gain.”

  Zac was beginning to feel uneasy about this himself. He knew what the other man had in mind now. “Leon, get that look out of your eyes, mate.” He didn’t like being taken advantage of either. If the outcome hadn’t been meeting Cassie, he’d be seriously pissed with the producer too.

  Leon looked intent even as he slapped his hand on Zac’s shoulder. “Zac, buddy, pal. How’d you like to come back tomorrow night for a thirty minute stint on the show? In fact, if you’re here on vacation why not come back for the rest of the week? It’s only a couple more nights. It’d be great fun, I guarantee it.”

  “Forget it,” Zac said at the same time as Cassie exclaimed, “No way!”

  “Oh but --”

  “Look, Leon,” Zac cut across him, totally serious now. “Cassie’s right. I don’t know squat about any of this,” he said, trying not to let the dejected look in Leon’s eyes get to him. “Tonight we were lucky. I’ll only make a bloody fool of myself if I come back again.”

  Cassie grunted. “Looks like you’ve already done that, pal.”

  Zac’s gaze swung toward her. It was one thing calling himself a fool, quite another for someone else to call him one. His father had always said he was pigheaded and until this moment Zac had never really believed him. Now he did. And he didn’t care that the other person was a sexy young thing who could flood his body with a shot of adrenaline. This lady needed a serious lesson in manners and he was just the man to give it to her. If that meant he had to share her with a small percentage of on-air Chicago in the meantime, then so be it.

  He pursed his lips. “Of course…”

  “Name it,” Leon retorted, quick to smell a victory.

  “I’ll do it on one condition,” he said
, his gaze resting on the woman opposite, watching the way her eyelids flickered as if she sensed something important was about to happen. “If it includes dinner with Cassie.”

  “What!” she choked, then flashed him a look of disdain. “I’m not that desperate for ratings.”

  “Really? I thought ratings was what your show was all about. My mistake.” Not giving her time to respond, he pushed to his feet. “Anyway, I’ve got better things to do with my time.” He shook Leon’s hand as he passed by. “Good luck with the show, mate.”

  Leon looked dismayed. “Oh, but Zac this could be the start of something big.”

  Too right it could, Zac mused as he got to the door and deliberately glanced back at Cassie. He smiled wryly, knowing full well she would eventually come begging. She’d be daft if she didn’t.

  Then he winked at her. “Thanks for the sex talk, sweetheart. It’s certainly been… stimulating.” He left the studio before she could throw something at him.

  Or lash him with her tongue.

  The thought wasn’t unpleasant.

  Adam was waiting out in the hallway. He slapped Zac on the back. “Hey, that was some interview, buddy.”

  Zac wanted to lean back against the door and take a minute to pull himself together. He felt like he’d been bushwhacked back there and now he needed to regroup, though he wasn’t about to tell his friend that. Adam had come to stay Down Under twelve years ago as an exchange student and they’d ended up close friends ever since, but when it came to women there were no holds barred between them.

  He grinned at his friend. “Yeah, she was great, wasn’t she?”

  “I hate to tell you this, but I think you might have blown it with the lady.”

  Zac shrugged. “Maybe.”

  Then again, maybe not, he mused as he fell into step and they continued to talk in the same vein on the way to the parking lot. Adam might think he knew him well, but when it came to women and that old teenage rivalry between them, his American mate had no idea what he planned for Cassie. And that was the way it would stay, as long as he acted as normal as possible.

  Normal? Yeah, right. Since when was his life normal lately anyway? Not with an ex-fiancée who’d run off to find herself, leaving him to pick up the pieces of a broken heart. He sighed. Okay, so Erin had left him with more a body blow than a broken heart, and a lower body blow at worse. But for all that, his life wouldn’t be the same again.

  And right this minute he didn’t actually care, not now the breathtakingly lovely Cassie King had stepped into his line of vision. The woman was an intriguing combination of sugar and spice. Hmm, could he convince her to be all things nice? He certainly hoped so. He had the strongest need to run his hands over her delicious body, caress the smooth plains of her back, the rounded curve of her bottom, and make her quiver at his touch. Quiver and moan.

  Hell yeah. He couldn’t wait to go head-to-toe with the sexiest woman he’d come across in quite a while. Things were definitely looking up. In more ways than one.

  * * *

  After Zac left the room, Leon spun toward her. “Are you going to let him get away?”

  Cassie slumped down on her chair, suddenly feeling dejected. Not because of Zac. No, the evening had been stressful, that’s all. “Forget it, Leon. The guy isn’t interested.”

  He placed his hands on her desk, leaning down close to her face. Close enough to see the candor in his eyes. “Listen, Cassie, I didn’t want to say this in front of Zac before I got a chance to tell you, but there might be a possibility of our show being syndicated statewide. I only found out today.”

  “Wh..what?”

  His eyes lit up with excitement. “The new owners are really pleased with our ratings. That’s why I didn’t want to blow it tonight when our sex therapist guest didn’t turn up. I had to find someone interesting for you to interview and I had no one else. I took a risk and it paid off.”

  “But… but… we’re only a small station. I didn’t expect…” she trailed off, not sure what she was saying in her shock.

  “This is a terrific opportunity, Cassie. Our little show has been gaining popularity by leaps and bounds, but we’ve got to keep the momentum going now. Our listeners loved you and Zac tonight and they’ve made it clear they want more of the two of you. The Powers That Be will be taking notice, believe me.”

  Suddenly she could see problems ahead. On the one hand success was within reach. On the other, it all depended on one man.

  Zac Ryan.

  She tried to think past a growing headache. “But he’s only here on vacation. What will happen when he leaves?” For a moment she wondered if she were asking more for herself than the show, but she quickly pushed that thought aside.

  “The station manager’s promised us a bigger budget, so that’ll mean I’ll be able to find us some other interesting guests.” His mouth quirked. “They mightn’t be quite like Zac, of course, but if I can find people half as good, then we’ll be all set to heat up the airwaves.”

  “I don’t know…” she said cautiously. Leon seemed to have everything worked out, but she wasn’t so sure. She needed to think. She wasn’t one to jump feet first into anything new. She was usually the one being pushed.

  “Opportunities like this don’t come along every day, hon.”

  “I know, but I don’t want to talk about sex all the time on the show. We’re more than that, Leon. Or we have been so far.”

  “And we’ll stay that way as much as possible, I promise. But sex sells, hon, and it’s clear we’ll have to give them some more shows about the subject. For a while anyway.”

  She wrinkled her nose. For all her talk, she wasn’t exactly an expert on the subject herself.

  “Cassie, look, if we don’t get Zac to come on the show again, there might be a backlash and our ratings could drop quicker than bird shit. So you’d better make up your mind whether you want this show to be a hit or not. I know I’ve still got a couple of projects that’ll keep me employed if the show folds. How about you? You’ve got a bachelor’s degree in psychology but have you got any jobs lined up with it?

  She flinched. “That’s cruel, Leon.”

  “Sorry, hon, but that’s life. Do you want to let your ex see that you failed? They’d be his words, not mine,” he added when she winced.

  “God, no,” she choked, not even wanting to think about it.

  His face softened. “Look, you’ve done great so far, but will that be enough for you?”

  The thought tore at Cassie’s insides. She’d come a long way since Steve’s desertion. Her family in Ohio had said her marriage wouldn’t last and they’d been proven right. They’d expected better things of her and had believed she was wasted on the likes of Steve. Yet she hadn’t gone running back to them, had she? No, she’d stayed and tried to make something of herself. Had made something of herself.

  Thank God for Leon. He’d saved the day. Saved her life really by giving her this job after her marriage had collapsed around her. Of course, when your husband tells you he wants a divorce so he can marry his boss’s daughter, it wasn’t easy picking up the pieces by yourself.

  So there was no way she would let Leon down.

  Or herself.

  And no way would she let Steve win now. Her ex may have called her a loser, but she knew better than to believe him. Steve was the loser, he always had been and always would be. Maybe one day she’d be able to feel sorry for him. Right now, her wounds were still a little raw.

  She glanced at her friend, renewed determination rising inside her. “You’re right, Leon. It won’t be enough for me.”

  Leon’s eyes filled with warm approval. “That’s my gal. I knew you wouldn’t let a little pride get in your way.” His gold chains jangled as he shifted a little. “Cassie, you’ve used this program to do some good work in the community. Remember the bus for the old folk’s home? The kidney machine for the children’s hospital? Focus on that when you feel like castrating Zac Ryan.”

  She had to smile. �
�I will.”

  He straightened away from the desk, looking pleased. “All right then!” he roused, his tone that of a coach wrapping up a pep talk before going back out on the field.

  In that second, she remembered something. God, how could she forget? Her chin angled. “There’s one thing I draw the line at, Leon. I won’t go out to dinner with him.” She saw him shake his head as if to say Women! “I mean it, Leon.” She was going to stick to her guns about this. There was a line she wasn’t prepared to cross here – syndication or no syndication. She might be attracted to Zac Ryan but she didn’t want to take that attraction any further. Let it be just a memory.

  “Okay, you do what you have to do.” He sighed. “Or not do in this case.”

  She bit her lip. He looked so disappointed. “Leon, I’m sorry. I just can’t --”

  He waved a hand. “Hon, it’s okay. Really. Once you’re finished wrapping things up here, go find our Aussie friend and talk to him about it before it gets too late. I’m sure you’ll be able to convince him to come back without compromising yourself.”

  She got to her feet and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks, Leon.”

  “He’s all yours, hon.”

  Unfortunately. The last thing she wanted was to go beg Zac-I’ll-melt-the-panties-right-off-you-Ryan and ask him to come back on her show. But sometimes a gal had to do what a gal had to do. This was one of those times.

  * * *

  Steve Preston had spent the last couple of evenings returning to his office after dinner, pretending to Alicia that he’d had work to do. Instead he’d tuned in to his ex-wife on the radio. It had been the one place he could listen to the show in private.

  And what he’d heard tonight gave him a knot in his gut. Some Aussie guy had made an appearance on her show and the on-air atmosphere between them had almost jumped through the airwaves. Damn Cassie. And damn this Zac Ryan. This was just what he didn’t need right now.

  Hell, he’d only found out recently that Cassie had left a temporary position and taken on the job as a chat show hostess for a small radio station. She hadn’t told him herself. It had been her lawyer who had inadvertently told his lawyer after the divorce had been finalized a month ago. He’d been amused then. He was far from amused now. Not after, he’d heard some of the women here at work talking about it over their morning coffee the other day. And the more he heard, the more he was convinced Cassie’s little chat show was hitting the right note with her widening audience. She seemed to have an on-air presence that he’d never seen in her before. Like she’d “found herself” - and now others were finding themselves in “her”. It was ridiculous.