Authors: Jenna Byrnes
RECKLESS
A Spice Books We Love Menage, Multi-Racial Erotic Romance
By
Jenna Byrnes
ISBN: 978-1-926965-51-2
PUBLISHED BY:
Books We Love Ltd.
Chestermere, Alberta
Canada
Copyright 2011 by Jenna Byrnes
Cover art by Michelle Lee Copyright 2011
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
Love, LeAnn
The card was signed
Love, LeAnn. Your biggest fan.
Troy McBride looked at the dozen red roses and thought it curious that someone would send them to him. The receptionist at the studio couldn
't offer any information, other than a nondescript woman in a florist's van delivered them.
"
Oh well," Troy murmured to himself, "fans can be crazy sometimes." He dropped the card in the trash can and set the box of flowers on the table. Too bad things hadn't worked out with his last girlfriend, Carrie. He could have given them to her. Carrie was a knockout, with long, curly black hair and a gorgeous figure. She could have any man she wanted. And she hadn't wanted one who attracted so much attention from other women.
Maybe he
'd give the flowers to one of the girls on the set and make her day.
But which one?
The very idea made Troy smile, as he realized how much trouble he could get into. He was chuckling at the thought when his assistant entered the room.
"
What's so funny, McBride?" Dave Evans dropped an armload of mail on the table and looked at his boss and friend.
"
Someone sent me flowers." Troy motioned toward the roses. "They're from
my biggest fan
."
"
Yeah, well, which one is that?" Dave ran his hand through the stack of mail. "You're getting more popular every day."
"
Say that when the network execs are around, would you? I'll be renegotiating my contract pretty soon, and I can use it to my advantage."
"
Ha!" Dave dropped into a chair at the table. "
Kismet
is the hottest reality show on TV right now, and you are the hottest host. The network isn't letting you go anywhere."
"
Yeah, well, we'll see." Troy grinned again.
Dave shook his head. They both knew Troy loved the cat and mouse chase, especially when money was involved, as in contract negotiations.
Dave opened the box and looked at the roses. "Nice flowers, though. Too bad Carrie's out of town. You could send them as a peace offering."
"
Like that's going to help." Troy studied himself in the mirror. His short dark hair was gelled to within an inch of its life, just the way he liked it. The casual-messy style took his hairdresser approximately forty-five minutes each day to achieve. He rubbed his hand over his scratchy chin and mentally noted that he might need to shave in a couple of days, so the stubble didn't get too thick. The unshaven look also had to be carefully crafted. "So," he began, still gazing in the mirror, "are we going out tonight after the taping? Catch some dinner and a few drinks?"
"
That's the plan." Dave stood and shoved the mail into a pile. "I'll get someone to answer these—you want to autograph pictures to send?"
"
Nah." Troy finished inspecting his appearance. "Have them use my signature stamp—it looks as good as an autograph." He was loath to spend any of his precious time on something so trivial, when he could pay someone else to do it instead.
"
Okey-dokey." Dave rolled his eyes slightly at Troy before starting out of the room.
"
Hey, you want these flowers?" Troy called after him. "Give them to someone, get a little lucky?"
Dave thought about it for a moment, then smiled.
"Sure, thanks." He picked up the box and left the room.
The taping of
Kismet
lasted two hours, and went smoothly. The audience was raucous, waving signs and mugging for the camera when it turned on them. Troy was amused by the number of propositions he got via signs in the audience. He was looking over tonight's crop when one sign caught his eye.
Troy! I
'm your biggest fan! Love, LeAnn.
He strained to get a glimpse of this fan, assuming she was the same person who sent the roses. He couldn't see her through the crowd of people and signs, and the next chance he had to look for the sign, it was gone.
Troy was in a wonderful mood when he finished taping
, looking forward to his evening. Up until now, with a live-in girlfriend, it was rare that he had time to do 'guy' stuff. The prospect of such freedom made him almost giddy. He was scrubbing his face in the make-up room when Dave slipped in behind him.
"
Hey, there you are. I need a rain check for dinner."
"
What the hell are you talking about?" Troy threw down his towel and turned to face Dave.
His friend
grinned from ear to ear. "I gave the roses to Tina in wardrobe, and my prospects for the evening went right through the roof—if you know what I mean."
"
Oh, jeez, Evans. I thought we had plans. You're standing me up?"
Dave
's smile grew even wider. "I'll make it up to you, I promise. This is just too good of an opportunity to waste. You understand…"
Troy thought he looked like a
love-sick puppy. He shook his head and waved Dave off. "Go on, go on. You can tell me all about it tomorrow. It'll probably be the highlight of my week."
"
Thanks, buddy. Talk to you then." Dave slipped out. Troy pouted a bit before meandering out to his car. He stood in the parking lot smoking a cigarette, trying to decide what to do. He still wanted a drink, and maybe a bite to eat. There was a club close by which was usually quiet and fan-free, so he drove there.
"
Bourbon, neat," he told the bartender as he hoisted himself on to a barstool. He lit a cigarette, and the bartender slid him an ashtray with his drink. "Thanks." Troy nodded, and turned sideways to check out the activity in the room. He was surprised when he felt hot breath on the back of his neck.
"
Got a light?"
Troy turned toward the female voice and saw an attractive, well-built
brunette standing close to him. Dark hair fell straight to her shoulders, and her skin wasn't quite black, more like a soft mocha color. She had an unlit cigarette in her hand and a smile on her face. Eyes on him, she lifted the cigarette to her lips.
He raised his lighter and lit
the tip.
S
he inhaled deeply. "Thanks."
"
Anytime." He watched her sit down, leaving one empty stool between them.
"
Could I have a Screaming Orgasm?" she asked the bartender.
The tired-looking, graying man
smiled at her and nodded.
Troy looked her over.
Yes, I believe you could. Hell, I bet I could, too.
He was silent but continued to watch as she received her drink and took a sip.
"
Is it good?"
She
glanced at him. "Excuse me?"
"
The Screaming Orgasm. Is it good?"
She ran a finger around the rim of her glass.
"It's my very favorite."
He chuckled and fiddled with his pack of smokes.
"The names they give drinks."
Pulling a drag on her own cigarette, she
batted her lashes. "Are there different names for them back east?"
He
glanced at her questioningly.
"
I did detect a New York accent, didn't I?"
He smiled then and nodded.
"Guilty. And yes, some of the drink names are completely different there."
"
What brings you here?" She rotated her swizzle stick.
"
Work," was his simple reply. If she didn't know who he was, he wasn't going to tell her.
She nodded.
"I just moved to California, myself, for work. It's beautiful here, but lonely when you don't know anyone."
Troy moved over to the barstool next to hers.
"A beautiful woman like you should never be lonely."
She smiled slyly at him.
"I'm sure a handsome man like you wouldn't know anything about that."
"
You might be surprised."
"
Yeah, maybe I would." Tossing her head back, she finished her drink.
He
continued to study her, becoming more and more interested. Dark eyes, thick lashes, and kissable red lips. The mere thought made his cock twitch. Troy polished off his own drink, wondering if what he was about to do was smart.
No, it probably isn't.
He did it anyway.
"
I was thinking about getting a bite to eat. Care to join me?"
She smiled.
"That sounds nice."
Troy extinguished his cigarette and stood.
She reached for her purse and he said, "I've got this." He tossed a twenty on the bar.
"
Thanks." She rose next to him.
He put his hand on the small of her back to guide her out.
"I seem to have forgotten my manners. My name is Troy."
"
It's a pleasure to meet you, Troy. I'm LeAnn."
The name threw him for a loop.
"LeAnn? Were you, by any chance, at the
Kismet
taping tonight?"
She
blinked innocently. "I'm sorry, what's
Kismet
?"
He relaxed.
"Oh, it's a TV show. I was at the taping earlier, and someone there was named LeAnn."
She shook her head.
"Must have been a different girl."
They reached his silver Mercedes.
"Do you want to follow me, or—"
Putting her hand on the passenger door handle, she said,
"Nah. I'll pick up my car later. Wow, this is really nice." She was in his car before Troy had a chance to assist her.
"
Thanks." He shut her door, then walked around to the driver's side door and got in.
"
I really like your car, Troy." Her eyes held a glazed, glassy look.
For one moment, Troy wondered what he was doing. Then she smiled and he remembered. He was going to get lucky tonight.
He started driving and asked, "What are you in the mood for?"
She reached her hand over and rested it on his knee.
"Funny you should ask."
Troy
felt the heat of a blush and replied, "I meant food. There are several good restaurants around here."
LeAnn squeezed his knee
. "We don't have to go to a restaurant if you don't want to. We could just go to your place."
Glancing
at her quickly then back at the road, his mind raced a hundred miles an hour. He didn't know this woman, and couldn't take her to his place. He'd recently been forced to move when fans began crawling all over the property at his last rental house. His new digs were intentionally private. It seemed easiest to lie to her. "I've got a house full of people right now, some houseguests and friends. It's very crowded there."
"
My place is a total mess. I'm still moving in and there are boxes everywhere." She smiled. "There's always a motel."
Troy glanced over at her.
"Are you sure, LeAnn? I'm not looking for a relationship right now."
"
Troy." She squeezed his knee again. "Neither am I. Just some companionship and a little fun."
He shot her one last glance and let her cleavage make the decision for him. She was definitely attractive, and he wouldn
't mind a little fun himself. "I know a place, if you're sure."
She leaned back into her seat.
"Absolutely."
Troy pulled into
a nearby motel parking lot and retrieved some cash from his wallet. "Could I ask you to rent the room? I'd rather no one sees me go in here."
LeAnn took the money and gave him a smirk.
"Well, that's flattering. What, like your
wife
or something?"
He
merely smiled. "Or something. Do you mind?"
She gave him a tiny pout, and then licked her lips seductively.
"No. I'll be right back."
He watched her get out of his car and walk into the office. The thought occurred to him that she could be a hooker, or even an undercover police officer. He
'd never done anything quite so reckless, but he didn't want to turn back now. Troy chuckled, obviously not thinking with the head on his shoulders at that moment.
She returned quickly with a key and a smile.
"Room 218. It's in the back."
"
Thank you, LeAnn." Troy flashed her one of his trademark charming smiles, and drove around to the room. At the door, she handed him the keycard and he inserted it, then swung the door open. They stepped in and he looked around. "Not bad."
Before he could say anything else, LeAnn slammed the door and was on him, kissing
with a passion he hadn't experienced in too long. He took a second to compose himself, and then went with the feelings sweeping through him. He wrapped his arms around her and returned her kiss forcefully.