Tort & Retort

Maura Anderson

Plain Brown Wrapper: Tort & Retort

WARNING This book contains sexually graphic scenes and adult language. Store your e-Books carefully where they cannot be accessed by underage readers.

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Maura Anderson

Plain Brown Wrapper: Tort & Retort Maura Anderson

Aspen Mountain Press

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Plain Brown Wrapper: Tort & Retort Tort & Retort Copyright © 2008 by Maura Anderson This e-Book is a work of fiction. While references may be made to actual places or events, the names, characters, incidents, and locations within are from the author’s imagination and are not a resemblance to actual living or dead persons, businesses, or events. Any similarity is coincidental.

Aspen Mountain Press PO Box 473543 Aurora CO 80047 www.aspenmountainpress.com

First published by Aspen Mountain Press, February 2008 www.aspenmountainpress.com

This e-Book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction fines and/or imprisonment. The e-Book cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this e-Book can be shared or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher.

ISBN: (13) 978-1-60168-087-7 Published in the United States of America Editor: Nikita Gordyn Cover artist: Jinger Heaston

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Acknowledgements So many people to thank – first is my husband, Chuck, who does the lion’s share of household tasks and leaves me to write but doesn’t roll his eyes at the hundredth iteration of “what if…” To my friends Jo, Shannon and Laura, who kept pushing me on. To my editor, Nik and my publisher, Sandy, who didn’t let this short story linger on my hard drive until it grew moss. And to my readers. I hope you like this fun poke at the e-publishing industry. Feel free to let me know.

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Plain Brown Wrapper: Tort & Retort

Chapter One

“You want to do what?” Gayle Osborne’s voice rang out through the coffee shop, causing the scattering of other patrons to turn and look toward her. Cringing, she tried in vain to become invisible. More attention was not something she really wanted. She loved the normal weekly gathering of their little group—a relaxing Saturday morning spent with designer coffee and the latest offerings in the world of print and ebook erotic romance. A far cry from her buttoned up and formal world of patent law, it fed a hidden side of her. The same side that wanted to do things like fuck Tyler Morgan —her gorgeous mentor and boss. Only a moment of insanity could have caused her to agree to this hurried weekday lunch meeting instead of trying to get some work done and watching Tyler from afar. Insanity, or just too much nagging from her friends. Gayle took a sip of her water and glanced around. Thank heaven the other customers seemed to have lost interest already. The past year had been a rollercoaster of emotions between her growing lust for Tyler, and her need to remain competent and professional. Lately she’d needed to remind herself daily that no amount of sexual satisfaction was worth losing her career over. But a collaborative erotic romance review blog?

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Sure, they all exchanged reviews on the group email list about their latest pageturners. They warned each other about new wallbangers. They commiserated over the lack of honest and forthright reviews from other people, and the resulting necessity of sorting the gems from the duds themselves. But that was just among a small group of friends who shared a common interest, and a far cry from standing up and virtually shouting from a public blog. She tried to imagine just what the reaction of her family, her mentor, or her clients would be if they did a web search on her name and found that. She shuddered at the very thought. “Gayle, what’s the big deal? It’s not like we’re not already doing most of this. Hell, the more structured aspect of it should appeal to you.” Kelly looked exhausted and chugged down more of her second triple mocha of the morning. The woman could use her own caffeine IV lately. Gayle bristled at the amusement in her best friend’s tired voice. “I’m not afraid of more work or imposing some organization.” Anne laughed and sat back down next to Kelly. “This coming from the woman who has her entire e-book collection organized by genre, author and title, and then cross-referenced in a spreadsheet by publisher and series. Of course she’s not afraid of organization.” Gayle rolled her eyes at the familiar jab. “The amount of work involved has nothing to do with it. There’s just no way I’m going to do anything that might threaten my career. It’s taken me years to get here and I’m not going to screw that up.” “I’m a patent attorney who works with software engineers. Can you imagine what would happen if they found out I read romances, let alone erotic romances? They already hit on me and that would just make things ten times worse. Just the hint of anything erotic connected to me would make my credibility plummet instantly to the level of a slutty brainless twit.”

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Kelly chuckled. “And you wouldn’t want to let on that you have a side that’s not cast iron and welded into a power suit. No one can know that you might be as human and as vulnerable as everyone else.” Gayle sighed in exasperation. Her friends seemed determined to talk her around. “Like I’m going to advertise to my boss that at lunch today I’ll be reading a book called ‘Anus of Eros’ or ‘WigglyJiggly’ and expect the man to still think I can do my job and more?” The very thought of Tyler giving her his patented “bimbo kiss-off” look made her stomach churn. In the time she’d worked for him, he’d gone through numerous girlfriends and each brief relationship had ended with that look. The huge crush she had on her boss, and his frequent starring role in her fantasies, made her all the more determined that he never turn that look on her. She was lucky to not have a morality clause in her contract, but what if she lost some of their clients by doing this? She took a sip of her rich, sweet mocha brevé. “And some of the author names sound like really bad porn star names. I mean, really, why would anyone actually admit they write as ‘Savannah Stars,’ ‘Tawny Strokes’ or ‘Thorny Rose’? If some of them didn’t write decent stories, I’d swear they were really men, in addition to having bad taste in pen names.” “See, that kind of comment is exactly why we should do this.” Obviously excited, Anne latched onto Gayle’s objections. “We all want to see the quality and reputation of the genre improve. How better than to have a voice and help the changes along?” Gayle could see by the stubborn looks on the faces of her friends that she was the only one who was not sure about this grand new plan. “Maybe I can just help out with the website? I’m pretty decent with HTML.” “Not a chance, Gayle. Not when you’re the one who does the best job on the really tough reviews. You’re great at figuring out why something does or doesn’t work.” Renee chimed in from across the table.

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Gayle made a final, valiant escape attempt. “I can’t do anything to impact my career or my professional relationships. I deal with a lot of very opinionated and curious geeks, and they’re sure to Google my name.” “We’ve thought of that.” Kelly smirked and seemed far too pleased with herself for Gayle’s peace of mind. “I don’t really want my name out there either. Somehow I think most parents wouldn’t react too well to discovering their child’s pediatrician is an erotic romance reviewer.” Gayle waited, almost patiently, for Kelly to get around to dropping the other shoe. “Just like some authors, we’ll all use pseudonyms. That way we’re basically anonymous unless we choose to tell someone who we are. It’s perfect.” It took effort to stifle the urge to toss her now empty coffee cup at Kelly’s smirking face. Instead she sighed and rolled her eyes. “If we do this, we need to agree that we can only out ourselves, no one can reveal anyone else’s real name.” Renee immediately leaned over the table and stuck her hand out, pinky extended. “Pinkie Swear.” They each repeated the childhood ritual of the pinkie swear as their nondisclosure agreement. After a brief break to refresh their coffee and snack supply, they ironed out the details of just how to set up and manage the blog and who would be responsible for what tasks. She was thankful that one of the decisions was to not have another weekday lunch meeting over all this—it really did play hell with her carefully orchestrated work schedule. Staring down at her half-eaten biscotti, she mentally reviewed her schedule for today. She checked her watch and panicked. If she didn’t leave now, she might be late for her meeting with the luscious Tyler.

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Chapter Two

Gayle got back to the building with only a few minutes to spare before her twice weekly meeting with Tyler. Dashing into the crowded lobby, she heard an elevator ding and tried to thread her way through the lunch crowd, only to have the door shut in her face at the last second. “Dammit!” Hopefully the next elevator wouldn’t be on the far end of the row. She needed to get up to her office. She was never late for meetings. Never. What was taking so long? Arrgh. She could almost have taken the stairs by now. Not that she wanted to take twenty flights of stairs. She willed herself to stop fidgeting and stand still. Even if she was a minute or so late, only she would know. Tyler certainly wouldn’t. Finally the doors opened and she dove into the elevator. A quick press of her floor’s button and she flattened her back against the wall near the front of the car, ready to get off as soon as she arrived. The trip seemed endless and the car stopped on almost every floor. Finally she was able to slide between the doors as they opened and hurry toward her suite. She paused to collect herself for a brief moment before she opened the door. Professionalism back in place, she nodded to the receptionist and let herself through to her office. She quickly downloaded her new email and pulled up her meeting notes before she carried the laptop into the small conference room between her office and Tyler’s. 10

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The room was still empty and she had a moment to catch her breath while she waited. Tyler was a few minutes late to almost everything that wasn’t a client meeting. Not long enough to be a problem, but always a minute or two. In contrast, Gayle was such a stickler for always being on time she was often ten minutes early. “Tyler Time” had become a running joke between them. The seat she took at the oak conference table conveniently faced the door to Tyler’s office. She opened her laptop and was rereading the items she’d listed for their meeting when the sound of a door opening made her look up to see her boss hurry into the room. Tyler Monroe’s considerable presence seemed to fill the room just as his wellbuilt body filled the doorway. She quickly looked back down at her laptop but couldn’t resist a peek at her mentor’s tight ass as he walked over to shut the door leading into the rest of their small office suite. Damn. It really is too bad that he’s off limits. An ass that fine just begs for some exploratory nibbles. She managed not to drool and forced her eyes away just in time to avoid being caught ogling him. At least the agenda for their meeting provided a convenient distraction from her lustful thoughts. Throughout the meeting, it took an act of supreme willpower to keep her mind on business and off Tyler’s gorgeous toffee colored eyes, or what it might feel like to run her hands through his short dark brown hair. After they exchanged updates on their various projects and covered the few other agenda items, she gathered her items up, already thinking of the preparations she needed to make before this afternoon’s round of client meetings. “Umm, Gayle?” Tyler sounded uncharacteristically hesitant. “Yes? Did I forget something?” She mentally reviewed the meeting agenda. “I’m sure I covered everything.”

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“You covered everything on the agenda, but I have something else I want to talk to you about.” He glanced at his own laptop, then closed it and looked at Gayle instead. “Do you remember our agreement when you came to work for me?” His unsmiling question made her immediately nervous. What had she done? Did she screw something up and not even realize it? She erected the confident front she’d developed during law school and subsequently perfected during her daily interactions with overly egotistical geeks. She straightened the coat of her red linen suit and squared her shoulders. “I remember we agreed that you’d take a chance and hire me right out of school, unproven, if I’d take a chance and work for a lawyer that just started his own niche law firm.” Try as she might, she simply could not come up with anything for Tyler to be unhappy about. There was the incident a few days ago where she’d told off yet another game developer who thought he could play Fantasy Fornication with her, instead of discussing the possibility of patenting his new algorithm. But Tyler had cheered her on for that when she’d told him what happened. She realized she was fidgeting with her pen and set it carefully down on the conference table before she forced herself to sit back in her chair and relax. Or at least pretend to relax. Tyler’s sharp eyes were sure to detect her tense hands and clenched jaw, and know she wasn’t really at ease. Remaining silent, she waited for him to finish his torment and just tell her what was on his mind. Sometimes, he took far too much delight in dangling people from hooks just to watch them twitch. “I’ve decided it’s time to make some changes.” Tyler looked down at the file folder he’d carried in with him but hadn’t opened during their meeting. “Past time actually.” Gayle gulped. This had all the hallmarks of a pink slip. But why? They had done extremely well and built the firm to be the first choice for representation locally, and requests from companies across the nation were beginning to come in.

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Did Tyler want to be rid of all the problems that accompanied employing a female attorney in a highly male-dominated industry? She worked incredibly hard and he knew it, but maybe it was more trouble than she was worth. That didn’t seem at all like Tyler. He never made a big deal about her gender, and was always professional. He’d been the one to encourage her to never tolerate disrespect or sexist behavior from their clients. He’d mentored her, and taught her a lot of real world things that law school hadn’t prepared her for. “I need you to review this to see if you’re willing to accept it. I’ve made what I think is a very generous offer.” Tyler’s eyes narrowed then he suddenly reached into his pocket and tossed a small object to her. She managed to catch it just before it hit her in the chin, more from reflex than skill. What was Tyler up to? She held a gorgeous silver case with her initials engraved on it. Firing her with a business card case? Was it a parting gift? Something to soften the blow? “Open it, Gayle.” He urged her on, clearly anxious now. She pressed on the delicate silver catch and opened the case then saw the single business card that lay inside. Her fingers shook as she pulled the card out. It was an elegant cream linen card, beautifully engraved, with the firm’s logo on it. But instead of saying “Monroe Patent Law” the words “Monroe & Osborne Patent Law Group” appeared beside the logo. Her jaw dropped and she heard Tyler erupt into gales of laughter. He slid the file folder across the table to her. “We also agreed that, if the venture into focusing purely on patent law for software companies was a success, you would share in that success as more than just a salaried employee.” Holy Fuck. He didn’t fire me. He’s asking me to be his partner. Staring at the business card in disbelief, she made no move to open the folder. She had fully expected to work for years before she was entitled to ask for, or could

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reasonably expect, a partnership. She knew all about paying her dues and not expecting too much too quickly. This…this was her dream handed to her on a silver platter. Well, in a silver case at least. She finally tore her gaze from the card and looked up to see her mentor’s grinning face. He’d obviously enjoyed scaring her to death, only to spring this glorious surprise instead. She leapt up and raced around the table to throw her arms around the still seated Tyler. Her Ice Queen façade melted completely—there was no way she could settle for a mere handshake or polite smile as a thank you for something of this magnitude. “You’ve earned it, Gayle. You have worked your ass off, and learned everything you needed to, whenever you needed to. I’m not even sure there’s much more I can teach you.” His sexy baritone voice was muffled and he patted her arm before he gently pushed her away. She came back down to earth to realize her arms clutched the face of the man she lusted after firmly against her breasts. She abruptly released Tyler and retreated a few steps, her cheeks burning. Her emotions had overcome her professionalism, and only her lack of physical endowment prevented the infliction of “Death by Boobs” upon the most wonderful and sexy man she had ever known. She scooted back around the table and took her seat, set the business card case carefully to the side then began to look through the file folder that held her new future.

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Chapter Three

With a deep sigh of contentment, Gayle started the file backup from her laptop to a share on the office network then pushed her chair back from her desk. She was a partner—a junior partner to be sure, but still a partner. Even thinking of her new title made her want to dance, to celebrate somehow, but not alone. Kelly was in the middle of another marathon shift at the hospital, so she wasn’t available. Her other friends also seemed to be booked for the evening. Not too surprising, given the last minute nature of the invitation, but no celebration seemed quite complete if you were going out to dinner or drinking wine by yourself. She almost regretted having given Pitiful Paul his walking papers. Almost. As long as he didn’t open his mouth and actually talk, he was pleasant enough to be around. Well, as long as he didn’t talk and didn’t try to hit on every other woman in the immediate vicinity. Oh, who am I kidding? I really don’t regret ditching Paul. Even regular, if uninspired, sex wasn’t worth putting up with him. Ah well, she could still celebrate with her friends at their Saturday get together. They would be thrilled for her. Maybe she would pick up everyone’s coffee tab. Or bring donuts. The backup finished, Gayle was loading her laptop into its case when someone knocked on her office door. Someone else was still here? She raised her voice to carry across the room. “Come in.” 15

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The door swung inward to reveal Tyler’s grinning face. His jacket and tie were gone and his shirtsleeves were rolled back, so he must be done working for the day. He stood in the doorway in a casual pose that made her wish she could take a picture. He looks like he should be the cover model for a book called “Lusty Lawyers: Tort Me Baby.” She hoped she wasn’t drooling and surreptitiously wiped her chin just in case. “Umm, do you need something, Tyler?” Like a no fault fuck fest. Please? Unfortunately, he’d never want to leap into bed with her. He’d always been very careful to stay on a professional level and keep her at arm’s length. She was nothing like the women she’d seen him date, either. “I wondered if you had plans for the evening. I’d like to take you out to dinner to celebrate you accepting the partnership.” Tyler licked his lips and appeared a little uncertain. “There’s a great new steak and seafood place in Bothell.” Dinner? With Tyler? And I thought the day couldn’t get any better. She was silent for a moment, distracted by the imagined feel of his lips on hers, on her neck, on her breasts. “Or maybe your boyfriend won’t like it? You can invite him if you need to.” His forehead wrinkled slightly and his smile began to look a little pinched. She forced her attention away from his lips and just what he might be able to do with them. “I’d love to go to dinner with you, Tyler. My friends are all busy tonight and I wasn’t looking forward to a solo celebration.” His devastating smile returned full force and her belly clenched in reaction. “Do you want to take one or both cars?” “Ummm. I think we each take our own car. That way we don’t have to backtrack here to pick up the other one.” And I can get home to my toys as quickly as possible, because I think I’m going to need them. He nodded. “Okay. Let me write down where we’re going for you.” She winced and lied. “I’m not that bad.”

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She seemed to lack the innate sense of direction that many people possessed. It wasn’t just a desire for organization that made her keep multiple copies of maps and always plan out driving directions ahead of time. He chuckled at her half-hearted protest, leaned over her desk and began to draw a map with written directions anyway. Gayle clenched her hands tightly under her desk to better resist the urge to stroke his tanned and muscular forearms. She wasn’t normally partial to hair on a man, but the dark sprinkling on Tyler’s arms made her want to inventory the rest of him to see just where the hair started and stopped. Her pussy began to throb at the thought of being able to explore Tyler at her leisure. Hell, even his scent was sexy—warm man mixed with the clean smell of soap. He finished writing and looked up to see her staring at him. His eyes seemed to flare with heat and his smile became almost predatory. He handed the piece of paper to her. “I’ll meet you there in about a half hour, okay?” She nodded mutely, clutching the map. He walked out the door, his luscious ass flexing under his tailored dress slacks. Gayle’s head dropped back and she forced herself to breathe. In and Out. In and Out. She groaned when all that came to mind was Tyler thrusting in and out of her. It would be really bad to jump my partner. Especially on the day he became my partner. Hell, I don’t even know if he’s interested in me at all. He’s certainly never given any indication of it. Now free of the ugly overtones of sleeping with the boss to get ahead, her libido acted as if he were a banquet for a starving woman. Her entire body felt like it would burst into flame at any second. It was definitely going to be a toy night after dinner. And tonight she wouldn’t need any erotic romances to get her in the mood. Smoothing out the crumpled map, she saw he’d even been careful to use left and right instead of his more typical compass directions. He’d remembered that she had no internal compass from the one time that she’d gotten well and truly lost on her way to a

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meeting with him. Somehow his familiarity with her flaws was touching instead of frightening. But she was wasting time she could better spend in Tyler’s company—even if was a merely platonic celebration instead of one of her fantasies come to life. She grabbed her purse and briefcase, and zipped out to her car. Gayle arrived at the restaurant well before the stated thirty minutes was up. For once, Tyler was already there. After they were seated in a quiet corner of the small restaurant, they were presented with their menus and a recitation of the day’s specials. Ever the gentleman, Tyler waited for her to order instead of attempting to order for her, or hurry her along. The waiter walked away with two orders for the fresh salmon and a bottle of the wine he’d recommended to go with the rich local fish. The salads arrived so quickly there wasn’t much time for conversation without the dire threat of lettuce teeth. When the waiter appeared with the bottle of wine, Gayle relaxed and let Tyler deal with the ceremonial opening ritual. She took a careful sip from her glass after the waiter left, rolling the liquid around in her mouth, savoring the flavors. Wine was a treat she rarely indulged in anymore, not after the stories her friends had told her of just what she did when she got drunk. No falling asleep or getting weepy for her. Apparently it removed all control she had over her libido and her tongue instead. The unrestrained and unedited Gayle was a fearsome thing. “What do you think of the wine?” Tyler’s voice startled her out of her introspection. He leaned toward her over the intimate little table and raised his eyebrows. “It’s good, very good. The waiter made a really good suggestion.” She drank a little more and saw him nod in agreement as he sipped from his own glass. She diverted the conversation to what he thought of the latest best-seller and the resulting movie. They amiably chatted through the waiter exchanging their empty salad plates for their fish.

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When Gayle tried to steer the conversation to the business they had in common, Tyler immediately returned it to something that had nothing to do with law or software companies. “This is a celebration of two friends, not a business dinner. You need to relax and cut loose a little. No workaholics allowed.” She laughed uproariously at the wiggle of his eyebrows and overly sincere expression. “Right, Tyler. Like you aren’t a workaholic too. You’re in the office at least as many hours as I am and I often see emails from you in the middle of the night.” He chuckled at her feisty retort. After pouring the rest of the bottle of wine into their glasses, he took a sip. “Well, I’m not working all that time on the firm’s business. I also do some fiction writing on the side, but I don’t talk about it much. I like to keep the two things as separate as possible.” “Really? I don’t remember seeing any books by you anywhere.” Her curiosity was obvious. “I use a pseudonym, and my agent is really determined that I don’t reveal it.” He fidgeted with the wine glass, twirling its stem between his large fingers. “Oh, damn. I mean dang, sorry. Anything I might have read?” She would love to know what fiction he was writing. She’d never pictured Tyler as a writer, but it wouldn’t be totally out of character for him to be writing mysteries or thrillers—he liked puzzles and playing with people’s minds. “I really doubt it. But I just can’t say.” Now he was wiping the condensation from the wine glass with his forefinger. The deliberate motions of his long finger made her lust flare to life again. Man, the things those long fingers could do to me. I wish he would stroke me like that, instead of a glass. Gayle felt her body grow wet at the thought. She longed to grab his hand and nibble and suck on his fingers until he became as aroused as she. Tyler moved the conversation away from his writing and soon they were laughing at stories of the eccentricities of their respective relatives and friends while they polished off the deliciously prepared fish.

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The waiter removed their plates and Gayle requested a glass of water. She felt decidedly tipsy now. Though only fuzzy and not out of control, she knew it didn’t bode well for being a Good Girl when the man across the table made her inner Really Bad Girl scream for freedom. Tyler ordered a slice of a chocolate and caramel cake. When Gayle declined dessert and claimed she was stuffed, he offered to share his dessert with her. “You love chocolate. Just a bite or two won’t hurt.” She couldn’t resist the lure of the chocolate or Tyler’s teasing smile. “Okay, but if I fall asleep or something, you’re responsible for getting me home in one piece.” His eyes widened a little but his grin grew broader. “Of course. I would never abandon a lady.” He picked up a forkful of the creamy chocolate frosting and drizzled caramel, but instead of eating it himself, he held the fork out across the table to Gayle. He raised a single eyebrow at her hesitation. “Chickening out already? I know frosting is your favorite part of any cake.” She opened her mouth and he carefully fed her the sweet morsel. She took her time licking the tidbit from the fork and making sure she got every speck before she released the utensil. His eyes widened and he squirmed a little in his seat. Tyler picked up another bite of the cake and proceeded to make her crazy by slowly and carefully licking the fork clean. The sight of his tongue working at the chocolate in long licks then short flicking movements made Gayle feel as if she were melting. Even quick sips of her ice water didn’t cool her down. A small dribble of caramel glistened below Tyler’s lower lip. Before she could remind herself that her interest may not be returned, except in jest, Gayle reached across the table and wiped the drip off with her finger.

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As she moved to wipe the caramel off with her napkin, he grabbed her wrist then pulled her finger to his mouth. His narrowed eyes fixed on her face when he parted his lips and drew her finger into his hot, wet mouth. She gasped. Electric sensations shot from her finger straight to her nipples and pussy. Tyler slowly removed her finger, nipping it gently and lightly along its length then placing a soft kiss on the tip. Lowering her hand to the table surface, he rubbed his fingers in little circles on her skin. “Gayle, I’m taking a huge risk here. I’m interested in you, but if the interest isn’t mutual, you need to tell me.” He looked intently at her face. “Saying ‘No’ will not make any difference in our business relationship, and in no way will I hold it against you, ever.” Intellectually, she knew he was being extra careful. They’d both seen far too many cases of sexual harassment, both proven and unproven, to make any assumptions. Her gratitude for his blunt reassurance was quickly overwhelmed by her excitement. This handsome, smart man was interested in her. It took two attempts to get words out past the lump in her throat. “I do want you, Tyler. I’ve wanted you for a long time.”

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Chapter Four

Gayle had been to Tyler’s house once before, but only on business. She’d been very careful to respect his privacy and not stray out of his living room, where the décor tended toward “contemporary bachelor” and consisted mainly of tan leather, glass and large electronic components. He shut the front door quickly, dropped his keys into a wooden bowl on the small entry table and turned to yank Gayle into his arms. “That drive seemed a whole lot longer than the twenty five minutes my watch said it took.” She shivered at his impatience. She wound her arms around his neck and pulled his lips down to her own. A soft sigh escaped her at the first touch, and she relaxed into his kiss, parting her lips in welcome. She could taste the intoxicating mixture of chocolate, caramel, wine, and pure Tyler. His tongue flicked against hers and then began an invasion, rhythmic thrusts interspersed with lush, long strokes. The kiss deepened, devouring and intense. Pressing herself as close to him as she could get, Gayle rubbed her aching breasts against his chest and threaded her hands into his short hair, relishing the silkiness of the short thick strands against her fingers. He pulled his lips from hers, tilted his head back and took several unsteady breaths. Detaching her arms from around his neck, he grasped one hand and led her down the short hallway. “Let’s get more comfortable.” 22

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She didn’t have a chance to take in Tyler’s bedroom. As soon as he pulled her through the doorway, he wrapped his hands around her waist and tossed her onto his bed. She landed on her back, bounced a little and was momentarily grateful to have not fallen off onto the floor. Tyler stalked toward her and all concern vanished. He moved to stand between her splayed legs, eyes fixed on her face as he tore at the buttons on his dress shirt. She caught the tip of her tongue between her teeth and managed to sit up so she could reach him. Pulling eagerly at his belt buckle, she seemed to have lost all coordination. She growled in frustration and abandoned the belt, distracted by the now naked chest above it. Oh. My. Tyler had a gorgeous chest, not too muscular, but not at all flabby. His love for early morning gym visits obviously paid off in spades, or at least in a six pack. She slowly ran her hands up his chest then swept them out toward his shoulders, grazing his small dark nipples along the way. He let out a long groan but stood still, allowing her to explore. She smiled slyly at his reaction and stroked back down his chest, this time completely avoiding his nipples. She stroked upward again, savoring the light dusting of dark hair. He leaned forward and then lifted a single eyebrow when she again avoided touching the now hard disks. He stepped back from between her legs then quickly flipped her over onto her belly on the bed. Ignoring her small squeal of surprise, he drug her back toward him until only her upper body remained supported by the bed and he was again standing between her legs. He pressed one hand into the small of her back to hold her down, though she had no desire to escape, anyway. Wait until he discovered just what was under her conservative business suit. She felt him fumble with the button on her skirt, heard the sound of the zipper then felt him start to pull the skirt off. When it reached about halfway down her ass, she heard him moan and grinned to herself.

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“Fuck, Gayle. Is this what you’ve been hiding under your suits?” Before she could answer, he pulled her skirt the rest of the way down her legs and off, taking her shoes with it. He began to trail his fingertips over the skin her lacy thong and thigh high hose left bare. Oh so lightly grazing her ass and the sensitive crease between it and her thighs. She squirmed, her now ultra-sensitive skin causing shivers to race up her spine as with every stroke of Tyler’s fingers. She whimpered as her lust grew to near desperation, the perfume of her own arousal teasing her nostrils while Tyler teased her body. He gave a low, deep chuckle and drew both hands down the side of her hips, lingering over the line of her thong and running his fingers under the thin side straps. A quick yank on both sides, and he pulled the remains of her thong off. Another whimper, now more pleading, escaped Gayle’s lips. Words seemed too distant a concept to grasp and she tried to lift her hips in invitation and welcome. Her position made anything else difficult at best. A groan sounded behind her and suddenly she felt Tyler’s lips and teeth on her ass. Long, sultry licks mixed unpredictably with nips and nibbles. He seemed determined to test and catalog every erogenous zone she possessed. She heard a metallic clank and realized his hands were no longer on her body. Soon she would get one of her favorite wishes fulfilled. She would get to see Tyler Monroe in all his naked glory. He stopped kissing her and pushed his way between her legs to lean fully over her, pressing what felt like a deliciously hard and thick cock between her ass cheeks. “Gayle, one of us is naked and the other has far too many clothes on. I think we need to do something about that.” Just imagining that cock filling her soaked pussy gave her the energy and motivation to struggle away from Tyler. She hoped he was getting a good eyeful during her crawl across the bed and made sure that she kept her knees spread. She wouldn’t want to deprive him of possible inspiration.

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She sat upright on her knees and turned to face him then almost fell over again. The reality of Tyler’s naked body far exceeded even her best dreams, and she couldn’t even think of a story hero that would live up to what she saw. He had a decidedly sleek, yet muscular body with a tantalizing dusting of dark hair over his naturally tan skin. And a cock so thick and long it could make a girl scream. She sure hoped he could make her scream with it. Gayle swept her gaze up his body again and found a devilish smirk on his lips. “Well, I’ll see what I can do about that overdressed part.” She tilted her head to one side and licked her lips. As slowly as she could stand, she unbuttoned her suit jacket and let it drop behind her, off her arms and off the edge of the bed. She glanced at Tyler between her lashes. He was definitely enjoying her teasing, his cock was standing almost upright and the head was wet with pre-cum. His hands were clenched beside his thighs, knuckles white with the effort of remaining where he was. I hope he’s not expecting Barbie Boobs. He’d be delusional since he knows I’m not terribly curvaceous. Gayle shook off her uncertainty and wickedly ran her hands from her thighs, up her body to cup her breasts. She gently teased her own nipples, the sensations shooting through her and adding to her own impatience. She wanted to tease Tyler, not herself. A few quick flips of her fingers and her black silk blouse went the way of her suit jacket. She didn’t risk another look at Tyler but instead toyed with the front clasp of her black lace bra. She breathed more heavily and then clicked the clasp open, then closed again. Open. Closed. “Tease.” His choked voice was almost a whisper. A drawer opened, then shut, and a glance at Tyler showed him ripping open a condom and carefully unrolling the thin latex down his engorged cock. He stroked his hand firmly up and down the thick shaft. Then he pounced.

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She was tossed onto her back on the bed and her bra yanked up to free her breasts in no time, Gayle let out a small scream as Tyler’s lips fastened firmly around one nipple and sucked it into his mouth. He moved between her breasts like a starving man, sucking and nipping at her sensitive erect nipples. She writhed under him, pleading almost incomprehensibly for him to fuck her. He slipped a hand between them and flicked her clit gently, then followed his fingers with his cock. He briefly rubbed his cock over her clit and pussy lips, apparently amused by her attempts to force him inside her. Then, in a single fluid movement, he plunged in to the hilt. She came instantly with a strangled scream. So full. She didn’t remember being quite so full before. Her body squeezed around his invading cock in tight clenches, each one increasing the friction so much she could hardly bear it. Tyler held still for a moment, his eyes closed tightly, growled and began to thrust in earnest. He slid a hand under her back, tilting her pelvis slightly. The new angle meant that with every hard, eager thrust he firmly nudged her engorged clit. Gayle’s first orgasm barely eased before she tumbled over the edge into another one, more intense and drawn out. One last deep thrust and Tyler froze, his cock pulsing as he came. He stared into her face then ducked his head down and kissed her thoroughly before he rolled to one side, pulling her with him. He seemed loath to leave her, since he remained deep inside as he gathered her to his chest. Their breathing slowed and, after a few minutes, he slipped out of her pussy, leaving her feeling satisfied but a little empty. She shivered as the chill of the room penetrated her sexual haze. Unwilling to let go of Tyler, she reached behind her and yanked the silken comforter over both of them and cuddled close, almost asleep already. He mumbled something about the condom and managed to maneuver her over to the side of the bed and under the covers before he disappeared into the bathroom.

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The distant sound of water running barely registered, then he re-emerged with a washcloth in his hand. He chuckled when she grumbled and resisted being uncovered again, but won the tug of war over the comforter long enough to gently clean her with the warm cloth. She felt the slight sting of tears at the caring way he saw to her comfort before collapsing. This was a far cry from what she was used to. After returning the washcloth to the bathroom, he slid under the covers and pulled her to him, sliding her easily over his satiny sheets. He tucked her in against his chest, snuggled up behind her with his arms firmly around her. She caressed the arm close to her face with a soft open-mouthed kiss and quick lick, then with a contented sigh, she drifted off to sleep, secure in his arms.

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Chapter Five

Gayle took a sip of her now cold coffee and sighed heavily before she returned to her attempts to finish her latest Miss Retort review. She reread what she’d already written and shook her head, then highlighted the last paragraph and clicked ‘delete’. I’m good with words, but I’m at a loss. I still can’t find a nice way to say “You should do the world a favor, burn any remaining manuscripts and practice asking the question ‘Would you like fries with that?’” She sighed and finally abandoned the idea of being overly nice, reminding herself that her job was to be honest, not nice. A quick refill of her coffee cup from the fancy coffee machine Tyler bought after he’d exploded the old coffee maker’s third replacement carafe, and she eeked out the final paragraph. She hoped she’d managed to not cross the line between somewhat snarky and evil bitch. She uploaded the review to the shared file storage for the blog and sent Kelly an email saying it was finally done and to please never inflict that author on her again. She still had a few days left before her post on why men can’t write good erotica was due. She leaned back in her chair and rubbed her neck, then stretched to relieve some of the stiffness in her shoulders. A sudden realization hit her. It was dark outside. She looked at the clock on her computer screen and groaned at the time. Who in their right mind was still at work at 10pm? At least she had warned Tyler she would be working late so he wasn’t waiting for her. 28

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An immediate flush of desire flooded her at the thought of her partner/lover. Ever since they had discovered their mutual interest and lust, they had spent almost every night together. Maybe she could sneak over to his house if she left now and gave him a call from the car. After a month of sleeping with him, she missed him if she ended up sleeping alone. Moving slowly, she packed up her laptop and files, then methodically tidied her desk. She shut off her desk lamp and headed out of her office, heavy laptop bag in hand. The rest of the office was silent and still, but a light was on in Tyler’s office. He must have forgotten to turn it off again. Exhaustion vied with her hatred of waste until, ultimately, she trudged down the short hall to Tyler’s office. The door wasn’t fully shut so Gayle pushed it slightly more ajar until she could snake a hand into the opening and grope for the light switch. Just as she made contact and flipped the switch down to extinguish the lights, she heard a faint snuffling sound from inside the office and immediately turned the lights back on. She listened intently. It sounded a little like…snoring. She pushed the door open and saw Tyler, arms folded on the desk and his head down on them, clearly asleep. His laptop was closed but pushed toward the rear of the desk, and no files were open. Why was he still here? He had mentioned some editing he needed to, do but it hadn’t seemed urgent. Her tiredness vanished into the now familiar throb of desire. Inspired by the unexpected treat of having Tyler unconscious and at her mercy, she quietly shut and locked his door, then placed her laptop near it. She crept behind his chair, careful not to wake him, then leaned forward and ever so delicately licked the nape of his neck. He moaned her name and squirmed but didn’t seem to wake up. She grinned and traced her tongue from the back of his neck to an ear, just barely touching his skin. The slightly salty and clean taste of Tyler made her breath catch before she continued her foray. Just as she nipped the tempting ear lobe, his head turned toward her with his eyes wide.

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After a moment of confusion, he smiled a sultry, confident grin. He whirled his chair around and yanked her down onto his lap. The leather chair tilted unsteadily, not having been made for double occupancy. Gayle gasped and grabbed onto Tyler’s arms in an attempt to steady herself. With her straddling his lap and her hands occupied, he was free to run his fingers up under her skirt despite the relatively precarious position. He traced the top of her stockings then lightly grazed the thin silk of her thong panties. She caught her breath, sensations storming through her. It seemed that she only became more and more addicted to his touch the longer they were together. And now he knew a lot of things that drove her crazy with need. Gayle’s hips were circling slowly, enjoying the slow torment of Tyler’s fingers delving under her panties and teasing her opening. Suddenly he pinched her clit firmly and her hips jerked, almost upsetting the office chair in the process. He grabbed her hips, spun the chair back around carefully, then lifted her up onto the edge of his big wooden desk. He rolled the chair closer, yanked her skirt up then tore her underwear off with a quick, violent yank. She yelped in surprise then moaned at the feeling of his lips and tongue tracing up her thigh. Suddenly boneless, she fell backward onto her elbows, narrowly missing Tyler’s laptop. He looked up at her from between her legs, his eyes so bright they were a glowing amber. He spread her legs wider to accommodate his broad shoulders and dove back between her legs. Teasingly, he spread her with his fingers then refused to touch her where she wanted his touch the most. Instead he blew lightly across her clit and sent an electric jolt straight up her spine. “Please, Tyler…” She wasn’t above begging. “Please what?” His attempt to sound innocent failed completely since he was easing one of his long fingers deep inside her at the same time. “What do you need, Gayle? Tell me.”

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“Ohhh.” She could only groan when he introduced a second finger and expertly stroked her g-spot. “Uhhh.” “What do you want, hon? You need to tell me.” Now he was almost laughing, delighted by the sensual torment he was inflicting. The throbbing demands of her body interfered with her thoughts. She could smell her own lust and her eyes fixed on his, hoping he would give in when he saw how aroused she was. He merely chuckled again and redoubled his efforts. “Say it, Gayle.” He started to pull his fingers free of her, as if he would stop. “Let me come. I need to come, Tyler.” She finally managed to choke out a few words, hopefully enough to satisfy him so he’d give her a wonderful orgasm. “As you request, counselor.” He lowered his head and sucked her clit into his mouth at the same moment he pulled both his fingers out and added a third, then thrust them back into her. The intense onslaught made Gayle’s orgasm erupt almost instantly and she screamed at the nearly unbearable intensity of the waves of pleasure. Her head fell back and she gasped for breath as she continued to come. Tyler stood in a flash and guided his hard cock to her pussy. Instead of the wild, fast love making she’d anticipated, he eased into her slowly and gradually. Retreating almost all the way before slowly forging inward again. She loved the feel of his magnificent cock, slick with their combined juices. Thankfully they were able to abandon condoms after alternative precautions were taken. Each tender stroke added to the second orgasm she felt building deep inside her, but she wanted to see him go wild. She wrapped her legs around his hips and yanked him fully into her, gasping at the enormous fullness. “Gods, woman.” His eyes were shut and his jaw clenched as he tried to retain control. She deliberately tightened her pussy around his cock and saw him shudder just before he began thrusting into her as hard and fast as he could manage. His mouth

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dropped open just as he gave a final fierce thrust. Another orgasm slammed through her at the feel of his cock pulsing, jetting hot semen into her. Tyler collapsed onto her, forcing her down flat on his desk while he kissed and nuzzled her neck. Unlike any lover she’d had before, he was a cuddler. She loved the way he was so very affectionate after they made love. Fucked. We fucked. Didn’t we? She realized somehow her attitude had changed. This was no longer the no fault fling it had started out to be for her. Her heart seemed to drop from her chest as she realized the truth. I’ve fallen in love with him. Oh Hell. Now what do I do? She wrapped her arms around him and held him close while they both recovered. Her world was suddenly thrown off its axis and she was at a loss. Totally at a loss.

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Chapter Six

“Oh jeez, Gayle. You’ve been sleeping with the man for a month. Why the hell do you think he would even care that you read and review erotic romances?” Kelly was clearly losing patience with her panicked waffling. “Do you think maybe, just maybe, he’s guessed you’re not a reclusive virginal princess who won’t even let him see her naked with the lights on?” Despite her friend’s logic, the tight knot of fear in Gayle’s stomach didn’t ease. She’d been concerned from the start about letting any trace of the Hits & Misses blog cross her professional path or become associated with her in any way. But now more than just her job was at stake. “What if it makes him think I’m a brainless bimbo? I couldn’t take that, Kell. Hell, right now I’m afraid I would cry. I never cry.” Gayle sounded whiny, even to herself. “Every man I’ve told has acted as if my IQ had been reduced by 50 points, and suddenly I was a slut they were free to make use of. Either that or they think I live with my mind in the clouds and don’t want a real man at all.” “Look, just buy yourself a damned backbone and tell the man the truth. Hell, offer to read some hot sex scenes to him. No man in his right mind would run from that.” Kelly gave a small sniff. “He wouldn’t have made you his partner if he thought you were a bimbo. Do you really think this will totally change his opinion of you?”

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Kelly’s voice softened a little. “I’ve never seen you like this, girlfriend. You’ve always been the type to find a way to make things work. Or find a way around the rules, if need be. Why does his opinion matter so much?” “Kell, I love him.” Gayle almost whispered the admission. Her best friend made a strangled noise on the other end of the phone. “Umm, did I hear you right? The woman who swore a vow of emotional chastity until she was a successful lawyer in her own right, is in love? With her boss?” “My partner. Tyler’s my partner.” Gayle shoved the case file away from herself. She couldn’t focus and talk to Kelly at the same time. Honestly, she couldn’t focus even without talking to Kelly. “I’ll be okay. I just need to figure out how to tell him without scaring him off or losing his respect.” She forced her voice into a more normal tone. “Okay. But please do it soon. Otherwise I’ll be forced to make you pay my cell phone bill.” Gayle chuckled weakly. Kelly’s voice changed along with the subject. “Oh, I’m done proofing the article you wrote for your blog day on Saturday. I mailed it back to you so you can look at the edits then post it. ” “Even after reading it, I still don’t see why you seem to believe male authors can’t write good erotic romances, but it will definitely make for a lively discussion. Isn’t it awfully close-minded, though, especially for someone who’s living the double life you are?” Gayle pulled her laptop closer and opened her personal email, then scanned down the list of new mail for Kelly’s message. She almost dropped the phone she’d clenched between her shoulder and her ear, but just managed to catch it before clattered to the floor. “Men just don’t think the same way women do. They’re the ones who use the truly lame pen names and write books that go from fuck fest to fuck fest with about three sentences between. With men, the destination is the journey. With women, the journey is the point of the story and the sex is a great addition.” 34

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Kelly laughed then interrupted before she could continue her familiar rant. “Oh, speaking of lame pen names, we just got a copy of Thorny Rose’s new book for review. You’re up next with right of first refusal.” “Oh yes, me, me, me. I get that one. I love that woman’s stories and this is the start of a new series. The excerpts have been hot and I’ve been dying to read it. Can you send it to my Miss Retort e-mail?” The promise of the latest book by one of her favorite authors successfully distracted Gayle from today’s bout of, “What Should I Do?”. She heard the sound of beeping over the phone and Kelly excused herself to respond to her pager. Gayle hung up the phone and tried to focus on the patent documents in front of her. She needed to have these completed by tomorrow in order to meet the dates she’d already promised the client. Concentrate, woman. You can do all this paperwork in your sleep, and with the new paralegal, you only have to review it. She finally slogged her way through the paperwork and found it only needed a few corrections. Mark, the new paralegal, was a great find—a hard worker who was smart, liked software and esoteric programming concepts, and was thorough. A quick detour by his desk to drop off the corrected papers, a swing by the coffee machine to refill her large coffee cup, then she retreated back to her own office. She looked at the small clock on her desk, only to be disappointed when she saw there was another hour before she was to meet Tyler for dinner at his house. Since they didn’t overlap their office hours, she rarely saw him during the day and much of their communication at work was now done via telephone or email. She missed him. She stared at the laptop’s animated screensaver and tried to come up with some sort of plan to break her dirty little secret to Tyler. Unable to come up with a remotely workable scenario that had any chance of success, she decided to continue what she’d already been doing. She would just avoid the subject until some failsafe plan occurred to her.

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After all, I love him, but I don’t know the feeling is returned. He seems to care about me, but hasn’t given any sign of more than being a friend with benefits. A fuck buddy. I may be much more serious than he is. Mourning for what she might never have, she realized she might not have to do anything. If he wanted to break off the relationship, her secret could just leave with her. She may not have to open that particular can of worms at all. She was good at keeping secrets. She would just go on keeping this one. The laptop’s screensaver disappeared and her dinner reminder popped up in its place. She slugged down the last of her coffee, packed up and quickly left for Tyler’s house and the delicious things waiting for her there. ***** “I love you, Gayle.” Tyler’s voice was so soft she thought she’d misheard him. She jerked her head up to look at his face; her sense of lazy contentment from being well loved, disappearing instantly. She knew her eyes must have been the size of saucers when he laughed and repeated his words more firmly. “I love you.” She was stunned. She’d hoped for, and imagined those words, ever since she realized this man owned her heart, but never thought she might actually hear them. Tyler closed her mouth for her. “Umm, honey, I’m getting a little worried here. It’s traditional to say something when a man confesses he loves you, isn’t it?” Tyler’s teasing voice had a nervous undercurrent. “You love me? Really?” Her own voice was none too steady, and she was afraid she’d start to cry. She refused to cry. “Yes. You. Really.” His eyes were still glued to her face. “Tyler, I love you too!” She got the words out past the huge lump in her throat but immediately burst into tears anyway.

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“Shhh. Oh honey. I’m sorry.” Tyler gathered her up into his arms, pulling her snugly against his side and stroking her back. “I never meant to make you cry, but I hope those are good tears.” She clung to him; nodding a few times while her sobs gradually decreased to sniffles and then hiccups. Finally she lay exhausted but amazingly content in the arms of the man she loved. She idly stroked Tyler’s chest, smiling slyly at his long moan when she grazed his sensitive nipples. “Minx.” Tyler’s voice was thick. “Come here.” He grasped one leg and pulled it over his hips until Gayle was lying on top of his body, her legs spread on either side of his hips. One hand grasped her hip to keep her in place while his other hand delved down between them to gently caress her pussy. Resisting the distraction of his clever hands, she nibbled gently along his collarbone, then up his neck until she was rimming his ear with just the tip of her tongue. “I love you, Tyler.” Tyler used both hands on her hips to pull her higher on his body until the tip of his cock teased the opening to her pussy. Gayle almost purred in anticipation. “Make love to me, Tyler. Please.” At her words, Tyler slowly pushed her hips down, sliding his thick cock into her weeping pussy, oh so slowly, until he fully impaled her at last. Then he stopped and seemed to savor merely being inside her. He filled her like no one else. So thick, and so very hot. The longer he remained still, the more eager she became for him to move, to thrust. She became almost desperate and realized the whimpering she heard was her own. She tried to tilt her hips to force him to withdraw slightly, but his strong hands held her still. She licked his nipple then nibbled on it, hoping to incite him into losing control. He merely chuckled and circled his hips to give her a tantalizing hint of pleasure but not enough. Nowhere near enough. Frustrated, she did something she’d never done before. She bit him.

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The pain of her teeth sinking into his chest finally spurred him into the action she wanted. “Fuck!” He shouted and then used his grasp on her hips to lift her up before slamming her back down onto his cock. Only a few thrusts later, Gayle was coming with a scream just seconds before Tyler’s own orgasm overtook him. She collapsed back down onto his chest, still pulsing around his softening cock, and attempting to catch her breath again. Even as she relaxed and drifted off to sleep, a part of her dreaded his reaction to her now necessary revelation.

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Chapter Seven

Gayle’s blog day article, Men Can Write Fucking, But Can’t Fucking Write, had garnered a huge number of comments in just the few hours it had been live. They varied across the spectrum from rabid agreement to vehement disagreement but, surprisingly, none had actually resorted to flaming. Finally done with her responses, she refreshed the browser and saw one more comment had been posted while she was replying to others. The name of the poster made her sit up and take notice, a huge smile on her face. No way. Thorney Rose reads our blog? A little nervous, she bit her lip as she read the comment. While surprisingly noncommittal about whether men could or could not write really good erotic romance, Thorney did express her compliments for the guts it took to publicly express such a strong opinion. She also thanked Miss Retort for mentioning Thorney Rose as her favorite author and holding her up as an example of what Miss Retort considered to be an excellent author. Still boggled that the big name author had noticed Hits & Misses at all, Gayle posted a response to thank her in turn and gushed a little about having her latest book, The Forest Seekers, at the top of the list for her next review. She refreshed the browser again and when no new comments appeared, she declared herself done for a few hours. Her stomach growled a reminder that it was already past her normal lunch time. 39

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Tyler was due back soon. He’d gone out earlier saying he needed to run some errands and told her he would be back for lunch by one. Since it was now within a half hour of that, there was probably still a good forty-five minutes to throw a meal together for the both of them. Gayle locked the laptop and closed its lid, then headed in to her kitchen. She looked down and laughed. She’d obviously gone for comfort this morning in her precoffee fog; her feet were warm inside her ratty old lop-eared bunny slippers. Not at all sexy, that’s for sure. Well, today is the day for baring my soul. Why not start with my taste in house shoes? She felt slightly nauseous at the reminder of what the afternoon held in store. There was no question that telling him was the right thing to do. Surely Tyler wasn’t so shallow as to think badly of her just because she was a sensual, sexual being and liked her reading material to match. She reminded herself that Pitiful Paul’s reaction was not a gauge to measure Tyler by. Hell, Paul was threatened by my owning a vibrator, let alone reading erotica. The man had all the self-confidence of a mouse at a cat show. Gayle shoved her worries aside, at least temporarily, and foraged in her pantry. Ah, a box of pasta and a jar of marinated artichoke hearts sounded like the start of a nice pasta salad. She put water on to boil for the pasta and set about chopping the artichoke hearts and some leftover baked chicken. She managed to lose herself in the familiar rhythms of cooking. She’d missed having the time to indulge her creativity in the kitchen. Soon she found herself contentedly humming and swaying to her own tune as she made a simple meal to share with Tyler. With the assembled salad in the refrigerator to cool, Gayle cleaned up after herself. Just as she leaned down to put the last few items into the dishwasher, she heard the front door open. “I’m in the kitchen.” She called out to Tyler.

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She heard his footsteps on the wood floor of her living room and then on the kitchen tiles until, just as she straightened, his arms wrapped around her waist from behind. “I missed you, Gayle.” His lips nibbled up her neck until he tenderly nipped her earlobe. She laughed and turned in his arms. “You were only gone a few hours, Tyler. Surely you didn’t have time to miss me too much.” He winked slowly at her. “I miss you even when you’re in the next room.” Tyler pulled her closer and gave her a tender, sweet kiss that seemed to caress her soul. He hugged her close for a moment, then released her and stepped back. She grabbed the edge of the kitchen counter to regain her balance. “Wow. If that’s the kiss I get after just a morning apart, what’ll I get when one of us has to go on a trip without the other?” He laughed. “Well, I could demonstrate, but you look like you’ve been cooking, and I’d better eat before I get distracted. After all, I’ll need my strength to keep up with you later.” Gayle swatted his arm. “Okay, I can’t have you fainting away on me from lack of nourishment. Hope you like pasta salad, though.” “Love it.” Tyler declared. She handed him two bowls and a pair of forks, then retrieved the serving bowl from the refrigerator before heading into her small dining room. A bottle of red wine waited on the table next to their glasses, already open. Tyler poured a glass for each of them and then took a bite of the pasta salad she’d served him. He moaned and rolled his eyes in exaggerated delight. The meal passed with only occasional small talk and uncomfortable silence. Even Tyler seemed to not be as talkative as usual. Finally they finished and he insisted on cleaning up since she’d done all the cooking. She left him to load the dishwasher and retreated to her office to wait, a sense of doom making her regret the wine she’d consumed. She stared at her closed laptop but

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only saw Tyler’s imagined reactions to her honesty. Every possible reaction flashed through her mind and her dread only grew by the moment. Finally Tyler joined her and sat in the upholstered wingback chair she kept for reading. He set his briefcase on the floor beside the ottoman and looked over at her, his prior teasing and laughter gone. “What’s wrong, Gayle? Are you getting cold feet already? Are you trying to figure out how to let me down easy?” His voice was strained. “No!” Her protest was sharp and immediate. “It’s not like that at all. I love you, Tyler, so very, very much.” She licked her now dry lips. “I just need to tell you something, and I’m worried that it will change how you feel about me.” “What? Are you a closet axe-murderer? A drug addict? Married? What’s got you so freaked out, Gayle?” His eyes narrowed as he stared at her. She gulped. “No. Nothing illegal or unethical. I just need to show you what I spend a lot of my spare time on.” She opened her laptop and logged in. The open browser window still displayed Hits & Misses, she took a deep breath and spun the computer around so Tyler could see the display. “I’m a reader and reviewer of erotic romances. I’ve never advertised it, and I never use my real name, but I don’t want to keep hiding it from you.” There was a long silence, but at least Tyler didn’t run off immediately. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him yet, afraid of what she might see. “There really isn’t anything wrong with it, only in how people tend to react. I’m not a wacko or anything. I don’t prefer stories to sex with you either.” His silence finally unnerved her so much she forced herself to look at him. He stared at the laptop’s screen, his face blank. Finally he looked at her and smiled thinly. “May I read it?”

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“Certainly.” She got up from her chair to let him take her place, carefully setting the laptop back in its normal position so he could use it more easily. She perched on the reading chair’s ottoman, diagonally across from the desk and waited. He focused intently on the screen and then began to move and click the mouse, presumably looking around the site. After seemingly minutes, he glanced up at her. “This is a group blog. Do you write it all yourself? Or do you work on it with other people?” “There’s a group of us. I go by Miss Retort.” “Hmmm.” He went back to looking at the laptop’s screen. She repeatedly pleated and unpleated her soft yoga pants while she waited for him to finish. While she was happy that he’d not immediately left or gotten angry, she still feared that his continued silence didn’t bode well. He’s just so damned hard to read. Tyler read for a few more minutes then pushed the laptop away and leaned back in the chair. He cocked an eyebrow and appeared thoughtful for a moment before speaking again. “Why were you so afraid to tell me about this?” “I was afraid to lose your respect. Romances are something most men make fun of, and any woman who reads them is thought of as a stupid bimbo. Erotic romances have an even worse reputation. Most men seem to think it makes someone who reads them a slut.” She gulped and wished his face would reveal what he was thinking. “You matter to me, and I was afraid of a repeat of what happened when Paul found out that I enjoyed reading them. I didn’t want to lose you, or your respect.” Her voice broke as she fought the tears threatening to well up. “Let me get this straight. You are comparing me to Paul? Your ex-boyfriend, Paul? The man I’ve heard you refer to as, Pitiful Paul?” Tyler frowned. “That offends me. But why in world would I care what you decide to read? I don’t expect you to be my parent, why would I want to be yours?”

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Her heart gave a little skip—his voice was a little bemused, not angry or upset, as she’d feared. “The only thing I’m not sure I like, is this opinion that men are not equally capable writers. On behalf of my sex, I feel slighted.” Gayle leapt to defend her point of view. “I’ll show you what I mean if you want. I know you’re a writer so, if you aren’t offended at reading something many mainstream writers think of as a substandard genre, I’ll give you examples.” He suddenly stood up and strode over to pick up his briefcase and set it on the desk before unlatching it. “Gayle, I want to be clear that I don’t have any problems with your reading material, your blog, or anything. You’re a smart woman and an adult, and you don’t need my permission for anything like this.” He chuckled quietly. “But, I’d prefer you never put me in the same category as your ex-boyfriend again.” Relief hit her like a punch to the stomach. The air seemed to leave her lungs in such a rush she feared she might even pass out. He’s okay with it. He’s okay with it. Oh jeez, he’s okay with it. Before she could recover enough to do anything, Tyler started speaking again. “I also have something to confess, though. I had to make some arrangements before I could tell you.” He rested his hands on the briefcase, suddenly appearing a little nervous. “Remember I told you I was an author and that I wrote under a pen name?” She nodded, unsure just where this was going, but unwilling to interrupt. “My agent and I had a deal that I wouldn’t tell anyone who I wrote as. She was afraid it would hurt sales if it got out. Judging from some things I’ve seen, she may have been very correct. Either way, it wouldn’t be right to just disregard our agreement, so I had to get her to agree that I could tell you, before I could.” He opened the briefcase and pulled a folder from it. He ran his fingers along the edges of the folder, seeming to debate just what to say next. “I need you to promise you won’t out me, though, before I show you this.”

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“Of course I won’t out you, Tyler. There’s no way I would do that to you even if I wasn’t in love with you.” Gayle’s head spun. The combination of wine and adrenaline was only making her confusion worse. He handed her the folder and leaned back against her desk, crossing his ankles while he waited for her to open it. When she saw the first thing in the folder, she almost did a double-take, then stared in disbelief. She looked at Tyler then back at the paper again. “You’re Thorney Rose?” He winced at her squeal of disbelief. “That’s right. I’ve been writing under that name for almost five years now, since before erotic romance and electronic publishing made names for themselves. Now do you realize why I keep it so quiet?” Gayle didn’t answer, instead flipping through the cover art for every release from her favorite author. All of them were familiar because she owned every single book. “Gayle. You’re not looking at me, hon.” His voice sounded like it was coming from across the house instead of only a few steps away. Tyler dropped to his knees beside the ottoman and looked up into her face. “You’re Thorney Rose. You aren’t joking, are you? This had better not be one of your crazy pranks, Tyler Monroe.” Her hands shook and she nearly spilled the papers from the folder when she closed it. Tyler took the folder out of her hands and set it on the floor beside him. “Now I need to know if you’re okay with my writing. At least I know you’ve both read and like my stories, now can you cope with the fact that I write them? I think I already know how you view male erotic romance authors from your blog.” She jerked her head up and glared at him. “You jerk! You made me go through all those explanations, and all that worry, when you’d already seen Hits & Misses. And read my post, and even responded.” Thinking of the charade he’d gone through while she suffered the terror of her life, she grew more and more angry until she grabbed his ears and yelled straight into 45

Plain Brown Wrapper: Tort & Retort

his face. “You’re an absolute jerk! If you ever do anything like that to me again, I swear I will nail your balls to your own desk.” Tyler’s eyes were huge; apparently amazed at the anger she was capable of. He winced as she yanked on his ears again then smiled at her. “Gayle, honey, before you do permanent damage to my body, can I show you the last thing?” She let go after a final jerk. “You better make it good, Tyler. I can start nailing the parts of you that I’m less fond of to your desk before I have to resort to your cock or balls.” Tyler rubbed his ears and winced again. “I got the idea. No jokes, no pranks. I swear.” He bit his lip for a moment, then reached a hand into his pants pocket and pulled something out but held it where she couldn’t see it. “I did run another errand after I talked to my agent, and I need one more promise from you.” She growled slightly at his tentative words. Just what surprise was he going to spring on her now? He secretly owned the company she bought sex toys from? He laughed nervously and then lifted his hand to show her the diamond ring he held between thumb and forefinger. “Will you promise to love me forever? Will you marry me?” For the second time tonight, she could only stare in absolute shock. Her mouth hung open and she couldn’t seem to even think. Instead, her entire awareness was on the small piece of jewelry and what it symbolized. “Umm, Gayle? I know you’re upset, and maybe surprised, but I could use an answer. We can wait. We can make it a long engagement. But I love you, and I really want you to be my wife.” He loves me, he’s okay with the erotic romance and he still wants to marry me. The disappointments of years dissolved away with the core of icy fear she’d carried for weeks. This wonderful man accepted her, all of her, unconditionally and fully. She focused on Tyler’s worried face, and after several tries, she managed to get her throat to work. “Yes. Oh yes. I’ll marry you, Tyler. I love you.” 46

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A huge smile lit up his face and he managed to slip the ring on her finger just before Gayle tackled him to the floor to show him just how much she wanted to join her life, and her body, to his. The End

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Plain Brown Wrapper: Tort & Retort

We hope you enjoyed this Plain Brown Wrapper by Maura Anderson. Aspen Mountain Press has several short, erotic reads in the Plain Brown Wrapper family. Stay tuned for Lucynda Storey’s hot Plain Brown Wrapper, Winter White. Excerpt: The snow continued to fall in a heavy wet blanket of white that covered the dirty brown stuff piled at the side of the road. As office manager of Dr. Bruce Owens, I’d sent the other employees home after lunch. Maybe the snowfall would work to my advantage. God knows, I’d been trying to catch Bruce’s attention for the better part of a year. His no fraternization attitude, a mammoth obstacle, was one I intended to surmount. With seduction in mind, I’d carefully chosen the garments I wore under my proper office attire of a pale pink cashmere sweater and my favorite black skirt, the one with the flounce at the hem. I figured I’d make this whole thing as easy as possible. It wasn’t like I was shooting in the dark here. I’d caught Bruce giving me surreptitious glances, looks that broadcast a modicum of interest. But as yet, he’d let his self-imposed dogma rule over the desire I knew resided behind his warm brown eyes. Most of the afternoon’s patients canceled fearful of being caught in a blizzard after sunset. No matter what happened, I wasn’t going home. Driving the Dan Ryan would take hours and if worse came to worse and my fantasy didn’t come to pass I could slog my way to one of the downtown hotels. “Good bye, Mrs. Russo.” I waved and checked the appointment log. Only one patient left for later in the afternoon. Bruce followed behind with her file and looked over my shoulder. “He’s got to get to Wheaton. Call him and reschedule and then get home yourself.” “Yes, Doctor Owens.” I glanced at the number in the appointment book and dialed. Bruce returned to his office. Time to put my plan into action.

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