Praise for Tawny Weber
Double Dare establishes Tawny Weber as a new force in the Blaze®lineup. CataRomance
Does She Dare? is another sinfully spicy and chocolate sweet read by the highly entertaining and creative Tawny Weber. Romance Junkies
A great setup, sizzling attraction and wonderful
characters all make Risqué Business, by Tawny Weber, impossible to put down. RT Book Reviews
Tawny Weber weaves her magic with
Coming on Strong, another blazing-hot tale of betrayal, love and passion With Coming on Strong, Tawny Weber will quickly rise to the top of many auto buy lists. CataRomance
About the Author
TAWNY WEBER is usually found dreaming up stories in her California home, surrounded by dogs, cats and kids. When shes not writing hot, spicy stories for Blaze®, shes testing her latest margarita recipe, shopping for the perfect pair of boots or drooling over Johnny Depp pictures (when her husband isnt looking, of course). When shes not doing any of that, she spends her time scrapbooking and playing in the garden. Shed love to hear from readers, so drop by her home on the web, www.TawnyWeber.com.
Dear Reader,
I had so much fun working with Sam, Karen and Lisa on this series, brainstorming all the ways a costume could open the door to so many secret fantasies. And I admit I went a little overboard with it. Because both my hero and heroine end up in disguise and playing whats-my-fantasy is fantastic foreplay!
After spending her entire adult life avoiding her past, Zoe is forced to go back home in search of the one man who can save her brothers business. All she wants to do is get in, find the guy and get out with her dignity intact. When her costume turns out to be completely different from her order, she ends up attending her school reunion wearing leather and studs. Lucky for her, theres one guy who isnt intimidated at all by her dominatrix getup. In fact, hes begging for more
If youre on the web, feel free to drop by my website at www.TawnyWeber.com and let me know what you think of Zoe and Dexs story. While youre there, check out my blog, vote for the hunk of the month, or enter my current contest. Id love to hear from you.
Enjoy!
Tawny Weber
Feels Like
the First Time
Tawny Weber
www.millsandboon.co.uk
MILLS & BOON
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To Samantha Hunter, Karen Foley and
Lisa Renee Jones.
Ladies, this was a pleasure!
Prologue
SURROUNDED BY the makings of a million fantasies, Josie propped her chin on her fist and stared out the plate-glass window at her very own daydreama hottie in a brown uniform, his name was Tom and he delivered thrills by the truckload. Of course, the thrills were actually costumes, and he didnt realize he was the star of all of her hottest dreams.
And at this rate, he never would.
Another delivery for Dressed to Thrill, Tom said as he wheeled a loaded hand truck into the shop. Hiya, Josie.
Tom, she said softly, silently cursing her shyness. He was even cuter close-up. Wavy brown hair, bright-blue eyes and shoulders to die for. She always regretted September, since it meant he switched from shorts to long pants and covered those sexy legs.
Josie cast around for something clever to say, some conversation starter. But as always when she was around him, her mind went blank.
Hows business? he asked as he stacked the boxes by the counter then handed her the electronic board to sign.
Giving thrills is always good business, she responded automatically. His brown eyes widened. Josie realized what she said and blushed. Good thing her hands were full with the board and pen or shed have slapped them over her mouth.
Then he grinned. Thats the stores tagline, isnt it? Ive seen it on the labels. It must fit. This is definitely the place to go to make fantasies come true, huh?
Conversation. Wow. Dont drop the ball now, she warned herself. Josie gave a hesitant smile back and nodded so fast, her blond bangs flew in her eyes. Definitely. Ill show you.
Glad to finally have his interest as well as an excuse to keep him here a little longer, she grabbed a box opener and cut through the tape on the top carton.
We get a lot of requests, she explained. People want to live out their wildest desires, you know?
Shed spent the past two months wondering what his desires were. Maybe now shed find out?
Flipping back the tissue paper, she grabbed the first costume and pulled it out without looking. Her eyes were locked with Toms, her mind giddy at finally having his attention.
Cant you see how sexy this could be? she asked. Is it the kind of thing you might fantasize about?
At the same time, they both glanced at the costume in her hands. A bunny rabbit. White, fluffy, sexless.
Josies cheeks burned. She gripped the costume so tightly, shed probably find fur under her fingernails.
Tom laughed and shook his head. I dont know, Josie. I think bunnies have to be wearing bow ties to be considered sexy. With that and a friendly wave, he left. Just like that.
Josie managed to wait until the door closed before she groaned. As usual, she couldnt even manage a simple flirtation with the guy.
Of course, head-to-toe white fur didnt help matters.
Definitely not fantasy material. She sighed and shook out the bunny costume before sliding it onto a hanger. At least it wasnt a Smurf costume.
The next box of new costumes was better. A revealing slave-girl outfit, like something Princess Leia would have worn. A gorgeous cabaret getup. And, Josie sighed, a new Marilyn Monroe costume. All very sexy.
Unlike forest creatures and space aliens. She rolled her eyes. Shed blown it. What a dork, trying to flirt like that. She should have known better. She could no more flirt than she could just ask Tom out. Just imagining how bad shed mess that up, her cheeks burned again in humiliation. But maybe she could drop a couple of hints next time he was in?
Contemplating different hints she could give without sounding stupid, Josie started to package costumes.
She glanced at the stack of Internet orders that needed to be shipped. A dominatrix for New York. A Betty Boop for Idaho. Sexy pirate in Pittsburgh. Gathering outfits for the already labeled boxes, she hummed a little tune. She frowned as she pulled the dominatrix costume from the rack. Could she ever find the nerve to wear something like this?
Josie?
She spun around, one hand still holding the other on her chest to calm her pounding heart.
Tom? She hoped hed take her breathlessness as surprise instead of nerves. Whats up? I thought youd already left.
He gave her a sheepish, little-boy grin that melted her insides. I forgot to deliver one package.
He held out a small box. But he was staring at the costume in her hands. He eyed the skimpy leather, then shifted his gaze to Josie. Interest sparkled, a naughty smile quirking one corner of his mouth.
Now thats an interesting getup, he said. I dont suppose
Josie glanced at the leather in her hand, then back at Tom. Her eyes widened. Was he asking if she liked to play naughty? Color washed over her cheeks.
The best thing about working at Dressed to Thrill is being able to role-play, she told him. Then she hesitated and with a deep breath said, Like our slogan says, Bring us your fantasies, well make them come true.
Tom smiled, but before he could respond, the phone rang. With a shrug, he said, Wed better get back to work. Ill see you tomorrow, okay?
Josie didnt even pout when he left. Listening to her boss take the call, she grinned and gave a little dance and skip as she returned to the packing counter. Hed see her tomorrow. Hed said it like he was looking forward to it. Maybe tomorrow was the day hed ask her out? Head filled with daydreams of Tom, she folded the dominatrix costume into the box heading for Idaho.
Wasnt love grand? She patted the black leather and smiled. She sure hoped this costume brought the wearer as much luck as it had brought her.
1
THE GIRL VOTED most likely to die a virgin. So unpopular, she attended her prom alone. The queen of geek chic.
Zoe Gaston sneered at the labels people had scribbled under her senior picture. She hated labels. Although, she sighed as she glanced at the photo, sometimes it was hard to deny them. An ode to the dark side, shed called her teen years. Black spiked hair, black-lined eyes, black glossy lips. Shed been a pudgy-cheeked brainy Goth-girl.
In other words, a total misfit.
You think I should attend my ten-year reunion why? she asked Meghan with a grimace.
To relive happy high-school memories and reconnect with all your friends, of course.
Zoes sister-in-law actually believed that. She was the kind of gal whod liked school. Plenty of friends, good times, general acceptance. The total opposite of Zoes experience. Other than one brief weekend when the hottie football star shed crushed on had seemed to return her interest, shed spent her high-school years as persona non grata.
Oh, yeah, the good ol days. Zoe squinted at Meghan and nodded sagely. That would be when the cheerleaders hated me, the jocks were terrified of me and the teachers, ah, yes, the teachers. They were just as happy when I cut class as when I showed up.
Meghan shrugged and snatched the yearbook away, obviously sensing the trip down memory lane wasnt helping her argument any. She tossed it on Zoes electric-blue couch, the glossy cover swooshing across the slick leather.
You publicly mocked the cheerleaders, she pointed out with a dirty look.
Oops. Zoe bit her lip to hold back a laugh as she realized perky Meghan probably had a pair of bronzed pom-poms hidden away somewhere.
Zach told me you kicked the quarterback in the balls, Meghan continued, sounding shocked and irritated. Zoe raised her brow as if to ask what was wrong with that, but managed to keep her mouth shut as the other woman continued. And he said you regularly argued with the teachers.
A quick grin escaped. Okay, so her school days hadnt totally sucked. Exactly. I didnt fit in. I didnt want to fit in. And nobody wanted me to try to fit in. So why on earth would I go back?
To show them all how hot you are, how successful you are and how wrong they were about you.
Sure. Because I still dont look like a Kewpie doll, I change jobs more often than most people change hairstyles and its been so long since I had sex that I might as well be the lifelong virgin they dubbed me.
So what? Those things dont mean they were right about you, do they? And its not like you have to fill out some sexual-activity roster if you attend.
Zoe smirked, then picked up her margarita glass and took a sip. Before she could come up with a clever response, Meghan puffed up her cheeks so she looked like an angry blond chipmunk, then blew out a gust of air. If you dont go, theyre all going to think they were right. Are you going to let them win?
Zoe opened her mouth to say she didnt care if they won or not. Then she sighed and shut it again. She couldnt deny it. She did love to win. It was almost an irresistible need in her, that inability to step away from a competition, the compulsion to try to get the last word, to fight to the often-bitter end. Itd been the only thing thatd kept her in school after her parents deathsthat need to prove all the gossips wrong.
Of course, as soon as the challenge was met and shed won, she lost all interest. Boredom was Zoes major downfall.
I can overcome my need to win if I dont step up to play, she muttered, adding a silent maybe. She picked up the flashy neon invitation to the weeklong reunion and grimaced. And returning to Central Highs school of torture is good incentive to stay out of the game.
And a rotten excuse for being afraid they might be right.
Zoe glared, but didnt respond to the direct hit.
Why are you pushing this, really? she asked, turning the tables. Zoe pointed to the bright reunion invitation that Meghan had brought over with an explanation that itd been mailed to Zoes brother when the committee hadnt been able to track her down. You dont care if I relive my teen years or not, so whats behind it? The truth this time.
Meghan picked up a fuchsia pillow and ran her fingers through the fringe, her diamond wedding band sparkling. Finally, she looked up at Zoe with puppy-dog eyes and said, Zachs in trouble.
Zoe sat upright so fast, her margarita sloshed over the edge of her glass. She ignored the icy stickiness trickling down her fingers and grabbed Meghans arm. Whats wrong? What happened to Zach? Is he sick?
Nothing like that, Meghan hastened to assure her, her blue eyes wide and shocked at the vehement response. Zoe realized she might have overreacted a smidge, but Zach was all she had. Hes fine. Overworked and overstressed, as usual. Its not his health thats the problem. Its his business.
The fear slowly released its hold on her muscles. Zoe forced herself to breathe. Once, twice, then a deep, relieved sigh.
Z-Tech? she asked, referring to Zachs company. When the dot-com boom had gone belly-up, Zach had struck out on his own, creating a video-game company that catered to niche markets. Since she specialized in business consulting, Zoe had advised him more than once to expand his horizons, but Zach had always claimed he liked the cozy feel of specializing. He had decided last year to risk it all on his own platform. To compete with the likes of Sony and Microsoft, hed gone with the concept of cheap, functional and expandable.