by S. E. Law
I’ve thought about telling a vague truth: I have an active imagination. It’s technically true, but it lacks the sexy lifestyle that my readers likely imagine of me. They want someone glamorous like Danielle Steele or Jackie Collins. They would be disappointed to find out that my steamy scenes are concocted from basically thin air, and that I’m making it all up. It takes the zip out of things.
Maybe I’ll go with the third option and tell the fans that I can’t reveal my sources. This is a safe option, but it is a total buzzkill. I hate to disappoint the people who love my work, especially since by nature, I’m a people-pleaser. It’s weird to behave like a top secret agent, when really, I just want my readers to be happy.
A knock on my hotel door pulls me from my reverie and opening it reveals my best friend and publicist, Mattie. She’s my complete opposite in appearance and I know that if we hadn’t been paired up as college roommates freshman year, I never would have thought to be friends. She’s beautiful in a Vogue cover kind of way – legs a mile long and long blonde hair thrown carelessly over her shoulder in beachy waves. With the way she looks, people never assume that Mattie would have a heart of gold, but she’s the nicest person I know. She flashes me a smile and makes her way into my room.
“Time to get ready! We’re going to the hotel bar.” Mattie is practically bouncing. Her personality comes out a lot when she gets excited and she’s been excited for this Vegas trip for weeks, even if it’s for work.
“Jeans and a t-shirt aren’t good enough for a hotel bar?” I ask with confusion. It’s what I’m most comfortable in, after all.
“No. Absolutely not. Cocktail dress. The hot blue one. Chop, chop, Jane.”
I sigh and accept defeat. Mattie doesn’t have to work hard to convince me of anything because she’s pretty much always right when it comes to clothes. Maybe this is an extra-fancy bar and I’d look out of place in my jeans and sneakers.
Sighing, I grab a navy dress from the hanger in the closet and move to the bathroom to get changed. Mattie smiles encouragingly at me as I close the door. I know she doesn’t care if I were to change in front of her, but there’s something hugely vulnerable about changing in front of a person with a body of a goddess. My thick thighs and round belly don’t compare to the smooth planes and tight butt that Mattie has worked hard for.
When I come out of the small bathroom, my blonde friend lets loose a low whistle. I refrain from rolling my eyes, knowing she’s just being nice.
“We’re meeting Kade downstairs, remember? Ready?” she chirps.
I almost choke on my tongue. Oh, shit. Kade. Tall, muscled Kade, whose figure graces the cover of my last book. He’s a professional male model, and obviously stunning. I bite my lip as I bring his latest cover photo to the forefront of my mind. He was shirtless obviously, his black hair a dark contrast to the bright, yet deep, blue of his eyes that practically popped off the cover. He was expensive too – two thousand dollars for just that one photo – but Mattie convinced me hiring him was the right move. She was right too. The book flew off the shelves. Turns out that not many women can say no to a chiseled chest and washboard abs.
With Kade’s presence at the convention, Mattie believes that book sales will reach new highs. He’ll be sure to incite some excitement, for sure. He’s going to be posing with me at my signing table, and fans will be able to take pictures with his brawny self. I’m already preparing myself for the endless squeals I’ll be hearing when he interacts with the horny fans that are sure to flock to him. It’s a sacrifice I’m more than willing to make though because he’ll siphon the women away from me, which is a good thing. Sometimes, I get nervous when I’m the center of attention.
Meeting Kade tonight, though, was not something I had counted on. I feel unprepared and a bit nervous. Do I know how to act around a Greek God? His abs look to be chiseled out of stone and I find myself wondering if the pictures do him justice. I stop in front of the mirror, my nerves forcing my hand to fiddle with the brown curls framing my face.
“How do I look?” I ask, feeling awkward.
Mattie raises a single eyebrow.
“Girl, you look real sexy. You’re a knockout tonight.”
I look back to the mirror, my brown eyes taking in the voluptuous breasts that appear so much larger than their Double D size. The dress clings to my figure, making my ass pop – a feature I previously felt shy about. I do look kind of sexy, which is a thought that has me a little astonished.
“Come on!” Mattie is getting impatient. The girl loves her martinis. I barely have time to slip on my pumps before being dragged out the door.
When we get to the bar, I look around quickly. It’s dim inside, with music playing and a bunch of people standing around with drinks in their hands. Immediately, I notice its lack of a certain hunky model. I may have never met Kade in person, but there is no way I’d ever forget his face. We make our way over to some bar stools, and get comfortable. Of course, this being a romance convention, there are a lot of women here, but that’s okay. I’m comfortable with an all-female crowd. They are my fans, after all.
Suddenly, the chatter comes to a halt, and the reason for the hush over the room is obvious: Kade has arrived. He’s absolutely gorgeous, standing at the entry to the bar. He’s got a solid black t-shirt stretched across his broad chest and dark wash jeans accentuate long legs. I swallow heavily, my cheeks flushing. Oh my god, he’s even better in person than on the cover of a book. I unabashedly stare at the Greek God standing there, and frankly, it’s hard to ignore the growing heat between my legs.
But then he sees Mattie and waves. His grin is enough to light electrical fires in the room, and I blush heavily.
“Hey,” he says after coming over to stand by us. “How are you Mattie? Nice seeing you here.”
Mattie, being the beautiful person that she is, grins right back. In fact, she’s acting like a completely normal person, which astonishes me. How is she able to focus?
“I’m good,” she says. “Oh and Kade, this is Jane, the author you’re here to work with. Jane, this is Kade, male model extraordinaire,” my friend adds by way of introduction.
I manage a nod in Kade’s direction, but don’t attempt to talk just yet. I feel his eyes on me for a beat longer than necessary. His eyes flash and my breasts heave a bit. Oh shit, I’m losing it. I take a deep breath and look around, trying to appear nonchalant. He and Mattie make chitchat while I smile inanely in an attempt to be normal.
I’m still trying to get things under control as Kade sits down next to me and orders a drink. I’m steamy and wet down below, desperately trying to focus on communicating like a normal human being. But this man is far from normal.
“So, Kade, how did you get into modeling?” Mattie asks. I think it’s pretty obvious – if you look like that, you’re a model. I pinch my lips together to avoid saying something stupid in front of him.
“It was just something that I was offered a few years ago,” he explains casually. “I never had plans to do it, but I’ve had some fun experiences because of it. I’m actually a personal trainer and just do some modeling on the side.” He speaks with an air of confidence that I haven’t heard in another person before. It’s almost cocky, but not so much that he seems like a jackass. He knows he’s attractive and well-versed, and clearly uses it to his advantage.
“What kinds of experiences?” I finally manage to get out. Despite feeling incredibly tongue tied, the words reach Kade’s ears clearly. He seems interesting and smart, in addition to being attractive, and that’s something I definitely did not expect. When he turns his complete attention on me, I am sure that I’m going to combust.
“All kinds of things,” he begins. He talks of trips across the globe and various athletic activities that have me hanging on his every word. The three of us share stories and fun events until Mattie stands from her seat to go get us the next round. Leaving me alone at the table with a man of this caliber is terrifying, but I discreetly take a deep breath to calm my
nerves and hope that I don’t make a complete fool of myself.
Kade is still chatting and I watch the way his mouth forms the words as I listen. I know I’m practically staring, but I figure the noise of the bar makes it seem as though I must read his lips to get what he’s saying. The conversation is innocent enough, but suddenly, I feel something warm and heavy graze my leg beneath the table. What is that?
I look down with confusion, expecting to see a damp napkin. But no. It’s Kade’s hand! What is he doing? I feel my heart take off at a gallop as his fingertips graze my kneecap under the table. Shocked is definitely the best word to describe what I’m feeling right now. Also, stimulated. Aroused. So hot. Those are words that work, too.
I’m swallowing down a gulp when Mattie comes back to the high top. It’s almost disappointing to have her back, but Kade doesn’t remove his hand. Instead, his palm slowly and torturously moves higher and higher up my thigh. Oh my god! What is he doing? Does Mattie see? I hope to god not.
I’m desperately trying to avoid hyperventilating as the conversation at the table continues like nothing’s happening. Kade looks perfectly composed, his animated face giving nothing away. Meanwhile, I can hardly say a word and manage just a few “mm-hmms” at the right time. What is going on?
Suddenly, Kade ups the ante. A finger brushes over my soaked panties and I have to clamp my teeth together to avoid moaning out in pleasure. My fingers grip tightly around my glass and I focus on my breathing. It’s going to be difficult to keep up this façade for much longer. Mattie is sure to notice my odd behavior any minute. Oh crap!
But then, the hand is gone from beneath my dress and I feel oddly empty. It’s like I had somehow gotten used to it there, and was slowly riding a wave that was growing and growing. Cool air wafts between my thighs, which makes me feel oddly deflated and disappointed. But the grin on Kade’s face tells me he has no regrets.
“Hey, it’s getting pretty late. My apologies, ladies. I have to make a phone call to my mom before she heads to bed,” he says as he stands. There’s a glint to his blue eyes and his jaw looks a bit tense, but he smiles another winning smile. “It was a lovely evening, ladies.”
Mattie says her goodbyes and I clear my throat to do the same. With another wink at us, Kade turns and I watch as his large frame strolls to the exit in near disbelief. My heart’s going at a thousand miles an hour as my mind reels – did that just happen? The ache I feel deep in my core says yes, yes it did.
I come back to the moment to realize Mattie has been talking for the last couple of minutes. I tune in to her story but can’t keep my mind off the night’s events because what just happened? Did a man who works for me really just stroke me in public? Did he really sample the wetness of my soaked panties? This is going to be an interesting convention, that’s for sure.
To be continued …
Sugar and Spice is available NOW! Get your copy here.
About the Author
Let go of your inhibitions because S.E. Law is about to take you for a wild ride with over-the-top alpha males who CLAIM their women. Fan of candy canes, popsicles, and anything rainbow.
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