Table Of ContentWith love to
Mark,
Matt, and Jason
Acknowledgments
As always, thanks to Rose, Emily, Mark, and Colette.
I’d also like to thank my brother, Ed, and his wife, Linda, for the many
times I’ve spent enjoying their lovely home on the lake. Thanks for the boat
rides, swimming, barbecues, and long summer evenings spent in great company
in a beautiful setting. The cottages in this book aren’t real, but I was inspired by
the delightful area where you live.
Also, thanks to Leeann Burke and Reece Butler, whose generosity enabled
me to attend the New Jersey Romance Writers conference and receive a
wonderful award. (The Golden Leaf for Forbidden Heat in the Single Title
category.)
Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Teaser
Also by Opal Carew
Acclaim for the Novels of Opal Carew
Copyright
One
“I can’t believe you’ve gone an entire year without sex. And by choice.”
Sandra grimaced at her friend’s comment. She tightened her fingers around
her champagne flute. Many times she’d regretted telling Aimee about her
resolution, but in fact, her confession to Aimee had forged a closer friendship
between them. A friendship that had helped her through some tough times over
the past year. Especially the loneliness.
Aimee held up her glass. “Happy anniversary.” She grinned. “A year well
behind you.”
Sandra clinked her champagne glass against Aimee’s, then sipped the
bubbly wine. Not that a failed marriage was something to celebrate.
She glanced around Maelstrom’s Bar, wondering when Devlin would arrive
to join them. He’d called to say he’d be a little late because he’d had to attend an
afternoon meeting on the outskirts of the city. That meant he had to brave the
rush-hour traffic driving back downtown to meet them. Once he got here, he’d
have some trouble finding parking, too, since the bar was in a busy area.
Sandra pushed her long hair behind her ear as she shifted on the upholstered
seat. It was Friday evening and the bar was filling up fast, but she and Aimee
had walked over right after work and grabbed one of the cozy curved booths
near the window.
“So, you’re sticking with your story that your ex wasn’t a complete loser?
Because I’m all ears if you want to dis him. It’ll help get it out of your system.”
“No, Eric was just the wrong guy for me.”
Not that it hadn’t hurt to find he no longer loved her. Or really, that he had
never loved her. They’d dated since high school, and for many years, they’d
mistaken being comfortable with being in love. But neither of them had wanted
the marriage to fail—to admit they had failed—so it had taken ten years for them
to finally realize that divorce was the only answer. They simply weren’t happy
together. They were great roommates, but their connection had broken down
years ago—if it had ever been there in the first place.
Aimee pursed her lips. “Okay then. Moving on. Tell me what you’re
looking for in a man.”
She leaned toward Sandra and her lips turned up in a crooked smile. Sandra
could tell Aimee had had a little too much to drink. And Sandra probably had,
too. Champagne tended to have that effect on her.
Sandra attempted to answer her friend’s question, but when she tried to
picture the man of her dreams, all she came up with was a blank.
Aimee seemed to understand her dilemma. She sipped from her glass, then
giggled. “I have an idea. Let’s make a list.”
She opened her purse and pulled out a pen, then grabbed one of the small
square cocktail napkins the waitress had left on the table with the appetizer
platter. Aimee wrote down the numeral one followed by a dot.
“Okay, I want you to think about”—she giggled—“you know … men …
and what you’d really like.”
“What I’d like? I guess I’d like a guy who’s really sensitive, with a good
sense of humor and … well, a sense of adventure.”
Aimee pointed at her and winked. “That’s what I’m talking about.
Adventure.” She sipped her drink again, then set down her glass. “Forget that
Mr. Sensitive stuff. Think about Mr. Muscle-Bound-Hunk meets Mr. Sexy-Bad-
Boy and how he”—she winked—“or, better yet, they could make your dreams
come true.”
Sandra knew exactly what Aimee was talking about. Sandra had made the
mistake of telling Aimee about one of her ultra sexy dreams, dreams that had
been a frequent occurrence over the past few months. Fantasies brought to life in
steamy erotic detail in the middle of the night, leaving her hot and frustrated in
the morning.
“Before you settle down with Mr. Right, you need to get your mojo back.
You know, enjoy the single life and see what’s out there. Now”—she pointed at
Sandra with her pen—“tell me what kinds of adventures you want to have. Your
wildest, craziest fantasies. Let’s write them down.”
“I don’t see the point in making a list.” Sandra really didn’t want her
fantasies written out in black and white. That seemed too … sordid.
“Ah, come on. If you can dream about them, you can talk about them.”
Sandra’s cheeks flushed. “I don’t think so.”
Aimee patted Sandra’s hand. “Honey, there’s nothing wrong with having
fantasies. And it’s good to examine them. It’ll help you know what really turns
you on. Which is good since you’re going to start dating again. Look, I’ll get us
started. You told me about that one where you were captured by pirates and
carried off to their ship, so…”
Sandra watched as Aimee wrote Be held captive beside the numeral one.
“Now you,” Aimee said, pen poised.
Sandra shrugged. “I don’t know. I can’t think of anything.”
“What about that book you were reading a couple of weeks ago? It had
bondage, didn’t it?”
“Um … dominance and submission, actually.”
Aimee smiled. “You’d like to try that?”
Sandra shrugged again. Aimee nudged her shoulder.
“Come on. Get into the spirit of it. I’m just trying to help.”
Sandra took a sip of her champagne and gazed at Aimee’s deep blue eyes.
She did want to help. Sandra sighed.
“Okay. Well, I’m not sure about the bondage and domination stuff. I’d have
to know the guy pretty well.”
“Well, yeah.” Aimee nibbled on one of the chicken wings, then picked up
the pen again. “Okay, let’s leave that one a little open.”
She wrote down item number two as Experiment with bondage.
“What else? Think about some fantasy that has really intrigued you that you
know you’ll never try but wish you could.” She grinned. “And don’t be shy.”
One fantasy immediately popped into Sandra’s head. She’d caught part of a
show on sexual fantasies and she’d been intrigued by one woman’s fantasy about
being with a stranger. To her surprise, that had turned on Sandra immensely.
Which was just crazy, especially since the only man she’d ever been with was
her ex-husband, Eric.
“You’ve got one. I can see it in your eyes. Spill it.”
Sandra pursed her lips. “Well…”
“If you go, I’ll go.”
Sandra nodded. “It’s … well, being with a stranger.”
“You mean a one-night stand?”
“No, more like making love with someone and not knowing who it is.”
“So, like, some sexy guy is making out with you and you can’t see who it
is? That’s pretty intense.”
Aimee wrote down item number three as Make love to a sexy stranger
while blindfolded.
“Now yours,” Sandra said.
Aimee wrote item four on the napkin, then turned it toward Sandra so she
could see.
Have sex with two men at the same time (maybe more).
Sandra felt her cheeks heat. “That’s some list we have there.”
Aimee laughed. “It’s only four items. We’re not done yet.”
“I think I am.”
