Stranger Things
Happen
Shelley Munro
eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement of the copyright of this work.
STRANGER THINGS HAPPEN
13 Perfect Strangers Collection
Copyright © 2011 SHELLEY MUNRO
Cover art by Amanda Kelsey
Edited by Trinity Scott
All Romance eBooks, LLC
Palm Harbor, Florida 34684
www.allromanceebooks.com
This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or business establishments, events, or locales is coincidental.
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever with out written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First All Romance eBooks publication: February 2011
Chapter One
“Well, helloooo.” It wasn’t every day a girl glanced up from her work station to glimpse an ass that made her hungry to take a bite. Tired from hours of programming, Anna Walton blinked to clear her gritty eyes, positive she was hallucinating. The view remained.
Sexy. Spectacular. Truly memorable.
Tall with unruly dark hair, Mr. Sexy Butt sauntered from sight and she sighed with disappointment. She would have liked to see more. A lot more. Heck, she might have even risked speaking to him, fluttered her eyelashes or, if he passed muster, she might have given him the boob test in the hope he’d ace the exam.
Fantasies about hot, sweaty sex pushed through her exhaustion. Dreams and her imagination were about as close as she managed to getting to the real thing lately. Most men scrutinized her body, immediately jumping to conclusions and porn-star delusions. Hello, this girl possesses brains to go with her boobs.
Her fingers gripped the edge of her desk and she imagined clutching those taut buttocks and giving head. Heck, might as well go for broke. She visualized other hands fondling her, pinching her nipples and toying with her clit. Oh yeah. Down and dirty sex with multiple partners. A breathy sigh whispered from her while a tiny shudder of pleasure set her squirming on her chair.
A rough nudge at her shoulder, the painful jolt of her elbow against the desktop wrenched her away from her fantasy world.
“Ouch!” Anna glowered at her three smirking workmates and rubbed the sore spot on her arm. “What is your problem?”
“I saw you ogling his ass,” Greg said. “Good to see. I haven’t noticed you eyeballing a man for a long time.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Deny. Deny. Deny.
“If you’re going through a dry spell I’d be happy to help out,” Greg added.
Anna rolled her eyes. “Get real. I know you guys too well.” They’d worked together on the Reality project for years. They’d gone to college at the same time and experienced both adversity and success. They were like family and stood with her when her fiancé—their friend—died of cancer four years ago now. “Besides, your girlfriend might object.”
Barry pushed his glasses up his nose and smirked. “Pick me. I’m much better looking than Greg anyway.”
Cam leered, his Adam’s apple jumping when he swallowed and spoiling the effect. “You can jump into my bed anytime, babe.”
Anna, used to her friends, smiled sweetly. “When hell freezes over. I know you too well.” Mr. Sexy Butt, on the other hand, might have a chance even if his face didn’t match the tempting rear view.
She’d be the last one to judge by appearances since people took one glance at her full figure, black hair and blue eyes and instantly thought stripper. Never mind that she had a sharp brain to go with her body. All her life she’d fought the stripper stereotype and not even years of hard work and dressing to hide her physical assets managed to change people’s perceptions.
“Who was that anyway?” she asked, striving for casual.
Greg shrugged without interest. “I didn’t catch his face. Probably one of the new owners or their people.”
“When do you suppose the rest of us will meet the owners?” Cam paused mid-stroke on his computer keyboard to take a sip of coffee. After a swallow, he grimaced and set his mug aside.
“Probably next week after the official takeover.” Anna didn’t hold any concerns. Their jobs were safe enough.
“Don’t worry,” Greg said, confirming her thoughts. “Barry and I both liked Mr. Rosetti, the guy we met the other day. We’ll be fine.”
Barry stood and whipped off his glasses to polish them. “Greg’s right. We won’t have any problems with the new owners. I’m more worried about you.” As one, the three men focused on her.
Greg tugged the leather tie from his shoulder length hair and ran his hands through the tangled mess. “Are you sure you don’t want to come out for a drink with us? We should celebrate finishing the Reality Suite.”
“Another time,” Anna said. “I want to test the final tweaks I worked on today, make sure the game works seamlessly.”
“You work too hard.” Barry pushed his glasses up with a forefinger and stared at her in a chiding manner. “All work and no play. Yada, yada, yada.”
Anna glanced at her computer screen, picked up her pen and jotted a quick note. “The test won’t take long. By the time I finish the traffic will have thinned out. The drive home will take half the time.”
“What scenario are you testing?” Greg stood and stretched. “Do you want us to help? The secretary sent a request for me to program a game for the new owners anyway.”
Anna pursed her lips and mentally filed through the possibilities before grinning. “I have a yen for dancing. A New York night club, I think.”
“That’s it. I’m not leaving until I check out your clubbing gear,” Greg said. “Go and change and we’ll set up Room B for you.”
“Thanks.” Her friends weren’t always pains in her ass. Only sometimes when they felt she needed a lift. With a grateful smile Anna stood, her tiredness falling away, replaced by anticipation.
She and the guys had developed the groundbreaking software after a random conversation at college. It was different from available software because the games took on an edge of reality, with people actually entering a lifelike setting and situation. The gamer picked a scenario, dressed to fit the part and interacted with the setting and the lifelike characters populating the game. A person could play alone or with a group and the only limit was imagination. Their new game was so different and original Rosetti Inc. gobbled up the company who originally employed them. From what Mr. Rosetti told Greg and Barry, they intended to market the software to military and police for training purposes.
Humming, she scooped up her bag and hot-footed it to the restrooms. She exchanged her loose sweater and jeans for a tight red dress and matching stilettos, embracing her inner bad girl. Lots of dancing, a few fruity cocktails and tons of flirting would lighten her funky mood. While she might return to an empty apartment, she’d arrive home on a high and maybe even break out her trusty vibrator to complete her celebration. Easier than picking up a stranger because she could always count on her vibe to get the job done with minimal fuss. Too bad her toy couldn’t cure loneliness.
*****
“Would you like to test the software?”
Dante Rosetti glanced at his younger brother Gabriel and his cousin Cayle before nodding acceptance to their secretary. He’d already tried out the game and couldn’t wait to experience the possibilities again. “That would be great.” They all wore jeans, casual shirts and boots since they’d flown via helicopter from the ranch. “A Western theme would work for us.”
The elderly secretary inclined her head and
picked up the phone. “I’ll ring the programmers and organize the game for you before they leave.”
Cayle frowned. “Is it safe playing the game without anyone here?”
“It’s impossible to injure or kill anyone within the game. The programmers have built in fail safes to halt the game.” The secretary paused and spoke to someone on the phone, requesting a Western theme.
“That’s what I asked,” Dante said. “You can touch, run, climb, fly and do practically anything we can in the real world. I got in a fistfight with a character. We traded punches until I struck his nose and the game stopped.”
The secretary disconnected the call. “The programmers have considered the safety issues. If the gamers show any signs of physical distress, the game halts. If there is a fire or other hazard in the vicinity, the game will halt.”
Cayle’s brows shot up in disbelief. “You’re kiddin’ me. We can do anything within the game? What about sex?”
“My question exactly.” Gabriel chuckled, a throaty suggestive chortle that told Dante what his brother intended to try in the gaming room.
“I kissed a woman in the game.” Dante winked at his cousin. “Everything felt normal.” Like Gabriel, he wanted to experiment too.
“How normal?” Cayle appeared unconvinced. “Did you register the woman’s body against yours? Taste and smell her? Hell, did you get a hard-on?”
The elderly secretary blushed at the sexual direction of their conversation. “I suggested this time of day because most of the staff have already left. The programmers will leave once you enter the game and said feel free to experiment.”
“What about security?” Dante didn’t want anyone spying on them while they put the game through its paces. The last thing any of them needed was a story in the gossip columns or, worse, explicit pictures to highlight the scandal.
“They patrol the perimeter and will only enter the internal area if a door is insecure. I’ll make sure everything is locked when I leave.”
“Good. I appreciate that.” Dante sent the secretary a hard look that promised retribution if she didn’t follow through on her promise.
Half an hour later Dante followed his brother and cousin into the gaming room. The door closed behind them. When they opened the next door they found themselves standing on the street outside a bar, the rockin’ beat of a country tune drifting through the doors.
A group of young women, tanned and slender, strutted along the boardwalk toward them. Dressed in short denim skirts, scanty tops and boots they made quite a picture. Their flirty laughter and giggles floated to Dante on the evening air and it was hard to miss the flirtatious glances as the women gave them the once over.
Too young for Dante. He hated giggly. He scanned the street, looking for anything that seemed wrong or out of place. A single thing that might alert him to the fact they stood in a game rather than on a real street. Not a thing jolted him from the scene. The small town was freaking amazing. The details were right on from the click of heels on the boardwalk to the waft of perfume and the faint breeze gliding across his face and stirring his hair. Even the warmth lingering on the night air was familiar to him.
The women piled through the doorway into the pub while continuing with the come hither eyes and inherent sultry promises.
“Too young,” Cayle murmured, echoing Dante’s thoughts.
“Agreed,” Gabriel said.
Dante’s left brow rose. “Are we going in?”
“Hell yeah.” Cayle stalked through the doorway of the pub without a second thought.
Dante saw her the instant he stepped inside the bar. Red dress. Long legs. Ripe, luscious body. Out of the corner of his eye he caught his brother and cousin stopping to take notice. “Mine,” he growled, possessiveness flooding him with urgency to touch, to protect. To stake a claim.
“You willing to share?” Cayle asked in a mild voice. “None of the other women even come close.”
All true. Dante paused to consider while keeping his gaze on the woman. She looked pissed.
“Dante?” Gabriel nudged him. “Will you share with us?”
“Maybe. If this were real I’d say no, but since it’s a game I’m willing if she agrees.” Part of him was hoping she’d say no, giving him an excuse not to share her with his brother and cousin. Of course he didn’t want her to say no to him. Maybe he’d be the one of them accepting crumbs.
For the first time he worried about a woman rejecting his advances. As he watched, the woman tossed the contents of a shot glass down her throat, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and turned away from the bar. She came to an abrupt halt when she noticed them watching her.
Her gaze darted to Gabriel and Cayle before returning to stare at him. Dante’s chest puffed out when he realized it was he who’d stopped her in her tracks. God, she was breathtaking. The plunging neckline of her dress showcased her breasts. His breath caught for an instant while his palms tingled with the need to run his fingers over her generous curves.
A subtle nudge to his ribs jerked his attention from her sexy body. “Ask her to dance,” Gabriel ordered. “Before someone else makes a move on her. If you don’t, I will and I might not share.”
The threat was enough to get him moving. Dante found himself striding toward her. Their gazes held the entire time, a physical connection so right it was scary. They were strangers, yet he felt as if he’d known her forever. He came to a halt in front of her, mapping her face in his memory to recall every detail later. Long raven black hair tumbled around her shoulders. Full lips tinted red to match her dress and light blue eyes surrounded by thick black lashes.
“Hi,” Dante said, keeping it simple when he wanted to say so much more. “Would you like to dance?”
“Well, hello,” she purred. “I intended to leave, but I think I’m about to change my mind.”
Dante smiled putting every ounce of his charm into the action. “Only think? I must be doing something wrong.” He held out his hand and waited.
Winking, she placed her hand in his. Recognition of a kindred soul flared through him along with determination to make her his. Funny, he’d scoffed at his parents’ tales of love at first sight but right now he wasn’t laughing.
Dante led her onto the dance floor, thankful for the slow Keith Urban song that commenced playing seconds later. He took her into his arms, so enthralled with her scent and the physical appeal of her he forgot he was playing a game.
She wasn’t real.
Just his luck. He found a woman he was attracted to, a woman he could imagine in his future and she was a figment of his imagination.
Typical. Greg had mucked up the game selection. This honky-tonk didn’t come close to the New York night club she’d requested. It looked like a bar right out of a Western complete with country music, Stetsons and posters advertising a rodeo the following day. A secret smile played through her. The boys might have screwed up but this bar held compensations. Oh, and how. Sexy, strapping compensations.
Three of them and hers to play with for the entire night.
Grinning, she cuddled up to the cutie dancing with her. He smelled of cinnamon and sandalwood and the muscles of his arms and biceps flexed when he tugged her against his chest. She snuggled closer, a zip of pleasure shooting from the tips of her breasts to her pussy. His body swaying with hers seemed so real. The insistent press of his cock against her stomach felt realistic too.
“What’s your name, sweetheart?” His breath tickled her ear, making her smile widen. “Your face is familiar. Have we met before?”
“I don’t think so. I’d definitely remember you. I’m Anna.”
“Dante,” he said in a smoky drawl.
The music came to an end but Dante didn’t release her.
“Can I buy you a drink?”
“Sure,” Anna agreed.
Dante wrapped an arm around her shoulders and directed her to a booth. He slid in beside her, his muscular bulk a warm weight at her side. A waitress took their drink ord
er and left them alone.
Anna stole a glance at Dante and found him staring at her. A crooked grin flashed and the pulse at her throat beat a rapid tattoo. Damn, he was good.
“I’ve gotta kiss you,” he murmured seconds before his lips settled over hers.
If he’d been aggressive with his kissing, she might have objected, but he teased and cajoled, sipping at her mouth and gradually deepening the contact. He made darting forays with his tongue, driving her crazy with the slow build up. Too slow. She murmured a protest and grasped his shoulders, attempting to melt against him. He tasted addictive. Smelled good too. But best of all was the firmness of his muscles teasing against her breasts. She groaned with appreciation when he took the kiss deeper, sliding his tongue against hers until the contact was greedy and voracious.
This was a thousand times better than dancing in a New York night club. Maybe she wouldn’t yell at her workmates. She’d high-five them instead.
“Is this a private party or can anyone join?” an amused masculine voice asked.
Anna jumped, tearing her mouth from Dante’s.
“Go away,” Dante ordered without taking his gaze off her.
She eyed the two new arrivals. Each of the three men possessed height, their similar dark coloring and grins telling of their close family relationship. Dante and one of the men had brown eyes while the other bore dark blue. Sex appeal they owned in abundance.
“Not gonna happen,” one of the men said, sliding into the booth opposite them.
The third man slipped in beside him, sending a roguish wink in her direction. “I’m hungry. Anyone want a burger?” He glanced around for a waitress.
The first man offered his hand, his blue eyes full of male appreciation. “I’m Cayle, Dante’s cousin.”
When she placed her hand in his, he lifted it to his lips, his goatee tickling the back before he released her.
“Gabriel, Dante’s brother.” He also grasped her hand and took liberties, his tongue flickering out to lick when he bestowed a kiss. Beneath the table, long legs jostled with hers, their impish grins unrepentant.
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