by Hazel Parker
Mitchell Fields had been her father’s business partner her entire life. Mitchell was twice her age, but he was gorgeous. She’d developed a crush on him early and it had been with her ever since. Not that Mitchell had ever noticed. She’d always been nothing but Ed’s Little Girl to him. But today, Abby had a feeling that was going to change.
Abby had not seen Mitchell in several years. She’d graduated high school and gone off to college, coming home only on the occasional holiday break and never for a full summer. Now that graduation was over, she had just returned to New York after finishing at Yale. Her degree was just as impressive as her looks. She was twenty-three now, and had grown up in all of the right ways. Abby’s long blonde hair, huge green eyes and killer figure had gotten her the attention of all of the Ivy League boys. Despite that, she was still a virgin. She was holding out for just the right man… and today she was going to have him.
She was not a little girl anymore, and today Mitchell Fields would see that. Abby was going to seduce him if it was the last thing that she did. Studying him, she realized that he looked even better than he had in the past. She had chosen her outfit with the intent of proving to him that she was no child. She had gone through every modeling tip and technique on makeup that she had learned over the years. Expensive foundations and brighteners accented her flawless skin. Her eyes were rimmed in black liner and mascara. She had topped off the look with bright red lipstick. She looked hot-and Mitchell was going to notice.
The house lights dropped. Abby smiled as her eyes focused across the runway on Mitchell. Her tongue traced across her lips once more while she crossed one long leg over the other. Her Yale roommate and best friend Maria had dared her to seduce the man she had been lusting over all these years. Abby suspected that Maria might have been growing weary with hearing about Mitchell. As long as Abby had known Maria, she had her crush on Mitchell. Maria had sat through countless nights of Abby googling recent pictures of Mitchell or just declaring how gorgeous he was. So when the other girl had offered out the challenge, she could not really blame her. After all, the other girl who had watched Abby walk away from countless men her own age over the years. So when the dare had come out of Maria’s mouth, Abby had thought it was as much a challenge to make her stop talking as much as it was one to see if she could do it. Abby had accepted immediately.
Abby smiled at the memory, just as Mitchell happened to turn. He looked across the runway at her. Their eyes met. She gave him a sly smile. She watched as Mitchell’s eyes roamed over her. Abby held back a grin. The look on Mitchell’s face said it all. He wanted her already. This was going to be no trouble at all. Abby licked her lips again. Maybe she did have a reason to be nervous after all.
*****
Mitchell Fields took a deep breath, trying to hide his arousal. Who the hell was the girl in the front row? He knew that he had never seen her here before—he certainly would have remembered. She was gorgeous, and she would not stop staring at him. Mitchell was not doing much better himself. He could barely take his eyes off of her to concentrate on the girls on the runway.
Mitchell was used to beautiful women hanging on him. He was forty, but he enjoyed his bachelor lifestyle. He had never really seen himself as the settle down type. Therefore, he had every intention of sticking to his world of drinks and hot sex with gorgeous models.
Getting older had done nothing to his looks. Mitchell still looked fabulous. His black hair had a few streaks of distinguishing gray in it. He himself kept to a strict workout routine and diet. It paid off. Models were always after him. Actually, all women were always lusting after him.
The fashion show ended not a moment too soon. Mitchell got up from his seat. He was a bit ashamed to admit that he had not paid as much attention as he probably should. He was too distracted by the hot blonde seated across from him. He hoped that she was on her way over to the after show party. He needed to find her—immediately if not sooner.
There was always an after show party filled with drinks and bands. It was a good way to network, give feedback, or simply hype up publicity with the press. Of course, it was also where some of the darker aspects of the modeling business began to form. That always happened.
He entered the large room that was already filling up with beautiful women and well-dressed men. He knew that most of the men in the room did not have the best of intentions where the women lay. That was the problem with modeling. Women too quickly became objects that symbolized only one thing. While he did not care much to think about it, it was something that he had to admit he was guilty of from time to time.
He laid eyes on his mystery woman near the bar. She was sipping on a glass of red wine. Mitchell smiled. He began making his way through the crowd. It took him a few moments. He kept getting stopped by both men and women alike. Everyone wanted his attention. While most of the men wanted to talk business or compliment him on the company’s successes, the women were batting their eyes in ways that Mitchell knew. Apparently his reputation preceded him.
“Did you enjoy the show?” He finally reached the mystery woman’s side. He leaned against the bar beside her, ordering himself a gin and tonic. The girl turned to him. Her eyes were bright green. Her lips were a beautiful shade of bright crimson. Mitchell felt the lust well up in him immediately. He could already imagine what those lips could do to him.
“Couldn’t take my eyes off of it.” The girl put her wine glass on the bar. “It was everything I wanted.” Mitchell chuckled.
“I don’t believe that we’ve met. I’m Mitchell Fields.” He offered her a hand.
“It’s my pleasure.” She shook his hand firmly.
“And you are-?” Mitchell pressed gently. He was curious just who she could be. He had never seen her here before, after all.
“A fashion lover who is thrilled to meet the brilliant mind behind this empire.” She leaned against the bar beside him as her fingers wrapped around her wine glass once more.
“Flattery will get you everything.” Mitchell looked the girl over. His eyes immediately landed on her chest. She had quite the figure-that was for sure. “Have we met before?”
“Oh, we may have run into each other a time or two, but it was nothing formal.” She was quite casual about it. “Regardless, I have always been a fan of yours, Mr. Fields.”
“Oh have you?” Mitchell took a quick sip of his drink. He set the glass on the bar. “And please, call me Mitchell.”
“Well of course… Mitchell.” His name rolled so smoothly off of those beautiful red lips. Mitchell could barely contain himself.
“So are you a model yourself?” The girl laughed.
“Not hardly.” She took a step closer to him. Mitchell shook his head solemnly.
“Such a shame. A beautiful girl like you? You could be any modeling agent’s dream.” The girl laughed once more. It was delicate, musical. Mitchell could not believe his level of interest in this incredible woman whom he had just met.
“Well, you are quite the flatterer.” She shook her long blonde hair. Mitchell picked up the faint aroma of shampoo and expensive perfume.
“I’ve been in this business for a few years.” Mitchell sipped his drink once more. “I’ve got an eye for beautiful women.”
“I’m certain that you do.” The girl’s bright red lips formed a coy smile. “Men like you are brilliant.”
“Well, I’m not the only one who is good with flattery.”
“I can’t help myself.” She took a step closer to him. “There’s just something about a man in power that has always… turned me on.”
Mitchell smiled. So she was certainly interested. That was a good thing. He wanted to see what was under that skimpy little dress that she was wearing.
“It’s certainly a shame that you never went into modeling.” Mitchell took his own step closer to her. “The runway would have loved you.”
“Thank you.” His mystery woman took another step closer. It made the scent of her intoxicating perfume stronger. When he
moved his arm to rest on the bar, he brushed against her breasts. She did not pull away. In fact, she looked even more interested.
“What can I tell you?” Mitchell pressed his arm more firmly against her breast. “I know a body the camera would love.”
He watched her press her tongue against her front teeth. He found it incredibly sexy. He moved his arm slightly so that he could stroke his fingers against the side of her breast.
“Actually,” he murmured, “I know a body that anyone would love.”
“Oh, I know that you do.” The woman let her hand fall to rest on his upper arm. “I know all about your talent, Mr. Fields. There’s no one that I’d… trust… more.”
Mitchell shook his head. He met his share of beautiful women at these events, and he had many of them play up to him, but this one seemed to have a particular determination. He did not really understand it—or why she was not offering her name. But he was not about to turn her down.
“If you ever do want to get into the business,” he met her eyes, “you just let me know. I’ll make sure to find you the right connections.”
The woman laughed flirtatiously. It was a beautiful sound, and the action made her brilliant green eyes light up. She was playing this game like a champion—and she was clearly in it to win it.
“Well, maybe if you were really interested, I could find some time to give you a private performance.”
Ah, there it was. It was exactly as he had thought. He felt the immediate stirrings of arousal. He was certainly not going to turn this one down.
“Why don’t we do just that?”
Bonus! Another Virgin Romance
Chapter One
Amanda’s heart was going to beat right out of her chest. She was that scared. The bluegrass quartet had just started to play, and after they were finished, it would be her turn to take the stage. She was supposed to ask for donations for her church’s mission trip. Instead, Amanda was about to do something that could change her life forever. Her palms were sweaty, and butterflies filled her stomach as it turned in nervous circles again and again. Maybe it would be better if she just quietly slipped out the back of the pavilion. There were other ways she could get revenge. Ways that wouldn’t leave a stain on her soul like the one that would forever mar her father’s spirit.
No. It had to be this. She’d spent countless hours trying to figure out a way to make him pay. It was all she’d been able to think about ever since she had walked in on her father, who was supposed to be a man of God, banging their church’s beautiful, curvy worship leader on the floor right behind the preacher’s podium. Amanda hadn’t been able to tear her eyes away from the sight, even though she wanted desperately to look away.
She’d wanted to flee the room, to forget that these few horrific seconds had ever happened. And she did, after a long, drawn-out moment of horror and disappointment. She’d turned her back on the father she’d all but idolized her entire life and covered her ears against the sounds of him making love to another woman while her mother was lying in the house directly behind the church. For some it would have been too great a risk to have an affair only yards from their wife.
Amanda had supposed, as bitterness rose up to fill her heart, that knowing that said wife was too sick to get out of bed might have seriously mitigated the risks. While he was getting his rocks off, his wife lay dying of lupus.
Amanda had never found the courage to confront him about the encounter. She lost her nerve every time…and her father had never asked why his daughter was growing more distant, why she’d turned from the quietly obedient child he’d helped to raise into a bitter, rebellious stranger. She’d like to think that he had just assumed that she was dealing with Mom’s death in her own way…or maybe he’d just been too busy screwing members of his congregation to notice. It was probably the latter.
The quartet’s final song drew to a close. Amanda was nauseous, she was so nervous. She wanted to leave, to go home and pray for forgiveness, forget that this idea had ever entered her mind. Instead, she wrapped herself in the hurt and anger of the memory of that night. She used the bitter feelings like armor against her conscience and reached nervously down to smooth the silky, short dress she’d borrowed from Aimee just for this moment.
Then the stage was silent, and it was her turn to step before the crowd. She knew she looked good in the short, blue dress that brought out the blue in her eyes and the tall heels. She might be a little bit thicker than was considered fashionable by women, but she’d seen the way that men eyed her curves.
She made her way over to the microphone. Before she started speaking, she scanned the crowd, searching for her father’s large form. She met his eyes, and saw the disapproval radiating from them…disapproval at her choice of outfit, she assumed. Well, if that riled up dear old Dad, she could hardly wait to see his expression at her next words. She smiled at him, a bitter grin. Then she looked away from him to scan the crowd.
“Good evening, everyone. I’m sure you’re expecting me to ask for donations for our mission group, the way that I do every year. Well…not today.”
A ripple of laughter moved through the crowd, the polite humorless sound that crowds make for teachers and preachers who make bland jokes that everyone laughs even though they aren’t humorous in the least. This was it. Her last chance to back down, to keep being the tame, sweet preacher’s daughter everyone believed her to be.
The daughter who had sat docilely by and let her father cheat on Mom in the last weeks of her life. She wouldn’t. That girl was gone, and her next words would make sure that everyone knew as much. She tried her best for a sultry look and voice as she said her next words. She ran a hand down her side, starting at her waist and ending after the swell of her hip.
“Today, I’m asking for…donations…for something else. For me. Do you want me boys?”
She paused, noting with pleasure the shocked outrage on her dad’s face. “I’ve never been with a man before, never felt a man’s touch.” She’d planned to run her hands over herself again at this point, but nerves were about to catch up with her, so she spoke a bit more quickly.
“I’m ready to, though. I don’t have a man in mind yet, so I’ve decided to auction off my virginity to the highest bidder. You can place your bids on my web page…and may the best man win.” She rattled off the website—the one that had originally been her youth group blog—and noticed with satisfaction that her father’s rage had morphed into pale-faced horror.
Good. It wasn’t nearly as bad as he deserved, but at least she was making him hurt the way that she had, the way that her mother would have if she’d ever learned of the betrayal by the man that she’d devoted her life to. The room went silent.
You could have heard a pin drop. The only sound as she walked out was the click-click-click of the heels she’d borrowed from Aimee as she made her way off the stage. Before she left, she turned to blow a kiss at the crowd. Her eyes were drawn to a tall cowboy at the back of the room. It was Blake Daniels, she realized. Her eyes met his as she blew the kiss. He was staring at her like he’d never seen her before in his life.
She gave him a final, sad half-smile before she walked away. She’d just ruined her chances at catching a man like him—a decent, hard-working one—in this town. It didn’t matter though. Dad would get what he deserved, and she could put the money she’d earn by selling herself to getting a fresh start. She couldn’t keep crashing on Aimee’s couch forever, after all.
Amanda tried to push all of the shame, fear, and self-doubt from her mind as she made her way to the car on shaky legs and drove quickly through the small town she’d lived in her entire life on her way back to Aimee’s place.
Chapter Two
Blake watched Amanda Bales as she walked off the stage. He wasn’t surprised often these days, but she’d managed to shock the hell out of him just now. He couldn’t take his eyes off her full hips until they swayed out of view.
He’d seen Amanda before, of course. She was a veterin
ary assistant and he had one of the largest cattle ranches in the area. She was at his place fairly often to help check out livestock. He’d even fantasized about her a time or two. She was gorgeous, with her dark hair and vibrant, blue eyes, and he wasn’t dead, after all. She’d just always seemed too…wholesome. She seemed like a church on Sundays, lights off, missionary-style kind of girl. His tastes ran a little bit wilder than that. He’d thought that she was too good a woman for a man like him to even contemplate seducing.
She would want a man who would be there for her, and he wasn’t that guy. Not anymore. He had sworn after Sophie, his ex-fiancée, had left him at the altar that he was through with relationship. From here on out, he was only after sex, with no strings attached. So yes, he’d noticed Amanda. He’d be willing to bet that there wasn’t a straight, red-blooded man in the entire county who hadn’t. He’d just always thought that she wasn’t someone he could have without violating his no strings policy.
It looked like he’d been wrong. What she was doing was wanton and…well, it took some stones. He could see that she’d been nervous, but there weren’t a lot of women who would be willing to get up there and say what she had. And in a town this small, no less, a place where everyone had known each other since birth? It was positively shocking.
Blake was man enough to admit that he wanted her pretty damn bad after watching her up there thumbing her nose at the entire town in that scrap of a dress and those sexy heels. He was pretty tempted to place a bid for her himself.
The only thing that had him hesitating was that he was, first and foremost, a rancher, just like his father and his grandfather before him. And if he wanted to stay a successful rancher, he needed to keep up good relations with the people in the community he did business with. Somehow he doubted that deflowering the preacher’s daughter of the biggest church in town a scant four months after her mother passed away would go very far toward good community relations.
