9781631050183CrossingBoundariesValiereNC

CROSSING BOUNDARIES

Rona Valiere

Erotic Romance

Secret Cravings Publishing

www.secretcravingspublishing.com

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A Secret Cravings Publishing Book

Erotic Romance

Copyright © 2013 Rona Valiere

E-book ISBN: 978-1-63105-018-3

First E-book Publication: December 2013

Cover design by Dawné Dominique

Edited by Lori Paige

Proofread by Laurie White

All cover art and logo copyright © 2013 by Secret Cravings Publishing

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED:
This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER

Secret Cravings Publishing

www.secretcravingspublishing.com

Dedication

To Cassandra Pierce,

a good friend

and a hot writer

The Cravings e-book Club

The Cravings Paranormal e-book Club

Have you heard about the newest idea in e-books, the e-book club? Secret Cravings Publishing has started two e-book clubs and we invite you to become a member of either The Cravings e-book Club or The Cravings Paranormal e-book Club. Join now and get two books absolutely free!

As a member, you will receive
Trouble With a Cowboy*
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Forget Me Not**
by Jaden Sinclair FREE, just for joining!

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*
Trouble With a Cowboy
, a western, erotic romance:

Can some slashed tires and an ornery bull bring two hard-headed people together for some fun in the sun and a little more?

**
Forget Me Not
, paranormal erotic romance:

A war is brewing, a war that could destroy an entire vampire race if left unchecked, and Julian Marino has been requested to participate in it.  He stops his search for a long time friend to go home and discovers there is more at stake than just his wants.

As a member of the Cravings Club, you’ll receive 4 books in a variety of genres every month. We will try to match your books to your preferences, however, if you’re a major paranormal fan, I suggest you join the Cravings Paranormal Club. Everything is the same, 4 books every month for $9.99 except that 3 of your 4 books will be paranormal. The remaining book will be of a different genre.

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To join and tell us your favorite genres and heat levels  plus which format works best for you, go to the Secret Cravings Publishing website (
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We hope our Secret Cravings books will delight you each and every month.

                                                                         Best wishes,

                                                                         Beth Walker

CROSSING BOUNDARIES

Rona Valiere

Copyright © 2013

Chapter One

“Four minutes to go.” Jack, the engineer, spoke from his booth through the headphones that Ginger and Cassie wore as they nervously sat at microphones in the studio. Then he added a little aside to the two young women, “Your first day and my last. May it be auspicious for all of us.”

Cassie offered her palm in a high five directed at Ginger. “Are you as nervous as I am?” she asked.

Ginger nodded her head vigorously. “Uh-huh,” she said. “A new flock of butterflies moves into my tummy every minute, and look at how sweaty my palms are.” She offered her hands for inspection. “You look calm, though.”

“Don’t believe it. It’s all an act,” Cassie said with a derisive laugh and a grin. “Inside I’m shaking like a salt cellar.”

Then, turning to face the booth, she said, “Good luck on your new job, Jack. I hope you love it. But can Topeka compare with Indian Springs?”

“There’s just one way to find out,” he answered, adding, “One minute.” Ginger and Cassie consulted their notes. Then, doubling as station announcer, Jack keyed his mike and intoned, “WAAA-AM is proud to present the premiere of
Chocolate and Vanilla,
a new talk show with your hosts Ginger Clanahan and Cassie Danton.” He turned off his mike and pointed to the two girls.

“Hi. I’m Ginger—and I can be very spicy, just like the spice I’m named after. But I’ll watch what I say on the air. Don’t want to get in trouble with the FCC, you know.”

“Hi. I’m Cassie, and I have my moments too. Our show is called
Chocolate and Vanilla.
If you haven’t guessed, I’m black…”

“…and I’m white,” Ginger chimed in. “Sometimes we let our ethnic backgrounds inform our opinions, although most of the time our thoughts and feelings and beliefs are strictly our own. And we have a
lot
of thoughts we want to share with you, on a variety of subjects.”

“But we want to hear
your
thoughts and opinions too,” Cassie added. “We’re coming to you live, and our phone lines are open, so call us at 555-9889.”

“We’re ready for you, Indian Springs,” Ginger put in. “Are you ready for us? If you didn’t catch that number the first time around, it’s 555-9889.”

“Well, until the first call comes in, I guess it’s up to us,” Cassie said. “Let’s start with politics. Things have been pretty quiet on the local front, at least here in Indian Springs, but I hear over in Wissdale the mayor got caught with one hand in the cookie jar and the other up the council president’s skirt.”

“That’s right,” Ginger agreed. “Mayor Blackthorne is in the midst of a double scandal, involving both sex and money. He was skimming city funds for his personal use
and
he got caught canoodling with Sheila Margate, the president of the city council.”

“Just another day in politics,” Cassie observed, “and—oh, I see line one lighting up. The first caller to our new show! Welcome to
Chocolate and Vanilla.
Who do we have on the line?”

“This is Martin McCloskey. I live in Wissdale, and I want to remind you that this is America, where a citizen is innocent until proven guilty. I’m a big fan of Mayor Blackthorne, and I hate to hear you sully his name like that. At least wait till there’s a trial, and
if
he’s proven guilty you can talk then.”

“Three members of the city council walked into Mayor Blackthorne’s office and caught him with Sheila Margate in what’s politely called a ‘compromising position,’” Ginger broke in. “We hardly need a trial to establish his guilt on that count.”

“That’s the trouble with you folks in the media,” the caller snapped at her. “You’re all muckrakers and sensationalists. You’ll drag a good man’s name through the mud just to get listeners or readers.”

“I hardly think we’re the ones dragging Mayor Blackthorne’s name through the mud,” Cassie said. “I think he’s doing that to himself. He doesn’t need our help.” She chuckled.

Martin McCloskey sputtered at the other end of the line, at a loss for words to defend the miscreant mayor. Cassie cut him short. “Thank you for calling.” She clicked off the line. “You’re listening to
Chocolate and Vanilla
on WAAA-AM, Indian Springs’ hometown radio station. I’m Cassie Danton,” she pointed to her blonde cohort.

“And I’m Ginger Clanahan,” Ginger put in. “Our phone lines are open, at 555-9889. Call us and sound off. We’ll be right back after this commercial break.”

Jack cued up the two back-to-back taped commercials and Cassie asked him through the mike, which was not live, “How’re we doing so far?”

Jack flashed them a thumbs-up. “You’re both naturals,” he said. “You’ve never done any broadcasting before?”

“We’ve both done modeling and other public appearances, and Cassie did a commercial for Reiner Automotive, but neither of us has ever done anything like this,” Ginger replied. “You know—radio, talk show, open format.”