The Stranger (Red Hot Fantasies) (5 page)

Devlin is in love with Sandra, but knows
she’s not ready for a committed relationship yet, so he and Aimee
hatch a plan to get Sandra to go away to a secluded hideaway for a
weekend, complete with two gorgeous hunks, to make The List come
true.

But Sandra experiences something more
intoxicating that’s not on The List… falling in love.

Chapter 1

“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.”

“Okay, then. I’ll just put some down for
your consideration.”

Aimee jotted several more items on the napkin as
Sandra watched. Finally, she turned it so Sandra could read it.

1. Be held captive.

2. Experiment with bondage.

3. Make love to a sexy stranger while
blindfolded.

4. Have sex with two men at the same time
(maybe more).

5. Be a love slave.

6. Have a love slave.

7. Be a voyeur.

8. Try exhibitionism.

“Want anything else?”

Sandra nearly jumped at the waitress’s
voice. She wanted to snatch the list from Aimee and stuff it in her
purse, but the young woman didn’t even glance at it.

“Yes. How about a couple of piña coladas?”
Aimee said.

Sandra smiled and nodded. She loved piña
coladas.

The waitress picked up the empty champagne
bottle from the table and placed it on her round tray, then grabbed
the two empty flutes. She disappeared into the crowd.

Sandra picked up a piece of zucchini from
the appetizer tray and dipped it in the dressing, then took a bite.
The waitress returned a few moments later with their drinks. Sandra
took a sip.

“It’s about time.” Aimee glanced over
Sandra’s shoulder.

Sandra glanced around to see Devlin
approaching their table. His glittering gaze locked on her as he
walked toward them in his usual relaxed gait, a charming half smile
curling his lips.

Although she couldn’t see the color of his
eyes in this light, she knew they were as blue as the sky at dusk,
dusted with golden specks, and surrounded by a midnight blue ring.
The raspy shadow across his jaw gave him a definite masculine
allure, and he’d tied back his medium brown shoulder length hair,
which was typical on a workday. His relaxed casual- Friday outfit
consisted of well- worn jeans and a brown tweed blazer over a brown
striped shirt.

Sandra slid farther into the booth to make
room for him, and he sat down beside her.

His gaze fell to the table. “What’s
this?”

Oh, damn. Sandra tried to grab the cocktail
napkin as he plucked it from the table—the napkin with the list
scribbled on it—but he snatched it out of reach and began to
read.

His grin broadened to a smile, revealing his
strong white teeth. “Well, this is quite the menu. Are there
pictures to go along with it?”

“You are so bad.” Sandra’s hand brushed
across his broad chest as she tried to reach the list, but he held
it farther away from her. She stretched her arm more, trying to
grab the small square napkin, but his arms were longer than hers.
Suddenly, she realized she was practically draped across him, her
chest against his, and she became intensely aware of his muscular
arm beneath her fingertips, her breasts pressed against his solid,
ridged chest, his face far too close to hers. Kissably close.

And kissing wasn’t something she intended to
do with Devlin. He was her friend.

She drew back and tugged the sides of her
shirt down, then smoothed it over her hips, her lips pursed.

Now would come the teasing.

“Is this your weekend to-do list?” he asked,
eyebrows raised.

“Well, maybe you and I can talk her into
it,” Aimee said with a wink. “I’ve convinced her to stretch her
imagination a little. Now we need to convince her to go a bit
wild.”

Devlin grinned, his amused gaze settling on
Sandra.

“Especially now that she’s lifted her ban on sex.”
Aimee rested her chin on her hand. “A whole year without.” Aimee
shook her head and gazed at Sandra. “I don’t know how you lasted so
long.”

Devlin watched Sandra’s cheeks blush softly.
He didn’t know how he’d lasted so long. From the first time he’d
met her, he’d been crazy about her. Aimee had told him Sandra had
recently divorced and how tough it had been on her, so he’d decided
to tread carefully. He’d gotten to know her, becoming her friend,
making sure to give her plenty of time, Hoping when she was ready,
she’d agree to go out with him. Then he’d show her why the two of
them were perfect for each other.

But timing was everything. The woman hadn’t been
with anyone else since high school, and she was clearly on the
rebound. The first few guys she dated wouldn’t—shouldn’t—lead to
something permanent. He needed to wait it out awhile longer, let
her get a taste of the single life. Then once she was firmly
ensconced in the dating world, he’d swoop in and make his move.

Sandra held one of Devlin’s arms and Aimee
the other as the three of them stepped outside into the warm
summer’s evening. Sandra took a deep breath and realized she felt
more than a little light- headed.

“My car’s around the corner,” Devlin said as
he tugged her to the left.

“I’m glad we’ve got you as our designated
driver,” Aimee said. “It beats taking the bus at this hour.”

Sandra took the bus to work and no express
buses ran at this hour, so it would have been a long commute.
Sometimes Aimee drove her car, but Devlin hadn’t even asked. Aimee
and Sandra had both had enough drinks that he would ensure neither
of them drove. Even though Sandra didn’t need a guy looking out for
her, it was kind of nice that he did. Devlin was a good friend.

He opened the front passenger door and
Sandra climbed in. Aimee got into the backseat—the usual
arrangement, since he would drop off Aimee first. As he drove,
Sandra relaxed in the front seat, her head against the headrest.
Suddenly she realized they’d stopped—she must have dozed off—and
Aimee was getting out of the car.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” Devlin said.
“I’ll just make sure she gets in all right.”

Sandra watched Devlin walk Aimee to the door
of her apartment building, wondering why the two of them weren’t
dating. Devlin was such a great guy, and available. Aimee really
was missing out. Sandra sighed. Maybe she should say something to
Devlin.

A few minutes later, Devlin opened the
driver’s door and slid into the seat beside her. He pulled the car
into traffic again.

“So, the year’s finally over.” He glanced
toward her, then back to the road. “Are you looking forward to
dating again?”

She shifted in her seat. “Not really.”

“Any particular reason?”

“Well, I’m out of practice, for one.” She
glanced over at him. “And don’t say it’s like riding a bike.”

He chuckled.

“I guess I’m worried I won’t find anyone who
wants to date me.” She fiddled with her hands in her lap. “And then
I’m worried that if I do date someone, it won’t go well... I won’t
know what to say or do. That kind of thing.”