as he waited for me to come to him. The sexual hunger that tore through him stole his usual easy smile, and a ruddy color streaked across his cheekbones. He was holding back...for now.
I could tell it wasn’t easy for him, but this time I was in charge. He clenched the chair’s armrests with his large fingers as his uneven breath echoed in his office. I couldn’t wait to straddle him in that chair and have the ride of my life.
I stripped off my dress and tossed it on his cluttered desk. I stood naked before him. I should have felt nervous. Anyone could walk in on us. The open windows behind him overlooked the busy town square. Anyone could see. But I didn’t care. I loved the way he stared at me. It made me feel desirable. Beautiful. Invincible.
Tilting my head back, I allowed my hair to fall past my shoulders. I had nothing to hide. I arched my spine as if I was offering my bare breasts to him. My nipples were tight, my breasts heavy, as anticipation flowed through me.
X parted his lips and said—
“Morning, Sydney.”
Sydney yelped and jumped in her seat, her heart lurching at the sound of Matthew Stone’s voice. She dropped her pen and glanced up, just as Matthew set his coffee mug on the table.
“Uh, hi.” She blinked and looked around. The scent of coffee and baked goods suddenly hit her. Multiple conversations overlapped as the clink of silverware sounded loud to her ears. She’d forgotten that she was at Dawson’s Diner, the most popular meeting place in Seedling. Today it was even more crowded than usual as people grabbed their morning coffee or had breakfast with friends.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” Matthew said as he sat down across from her.
“It’s okay. I was just working on something until you arrived.” Sydney stared at Matthew, noticing every detail of his white T-shirt and blue flannel shirt to his jeans and boots. She wished she didn’t feel so hot and jittery. Why had they set up this meeting? For an interview. Right. She was writing an article on the proposed walking trail and he’d agreed to comment.
“Is that your writing assignment?” Matthew gave a nod to the notebook in front of her. Words covered every inch of the page, crowding each other and spilling past the margins, as if she had too many ideas for the paper to hold.
“Uh, yeah.” She quickly closed the cover and stuck the book under the short pile of notebooks she kept for taking notes. Sydney wondered why she kept writing the fake erotic diary when she was in public. Someone could easily lean over her shoulder and read her work. Maybe it had something to do with the reoccurring theme in her diary—exhibitionism. In almost every scenario she had written in the past week, she and Matthew were so overwhelmed with desire that he’d taken her between the stacks in the library, over a desk in his office or in the park after midnight.
“What kind of book club has a writing assignment?”
“It’s not your typical book club,” she muttered as she grabbed her cup of tea and took a big gulp. It had grown cold and she had to choke it down.
“So I’ve heard.”
Sydney froze and glanced at the counter where her friend Laura was working. Some of the discussions they had at the book club were frank and personal. She couldn’t imagine Isabel or Laura describing them to someone else. “Really?” She carefully set down her teacup. “What have you heard?”
His smile was slow and sexy, and she wiggled uncomfortably in her seat. Matthew Stone’s smiles always teased her senses.
“I heard about the book you’re reading now.” He frowned as if he was trying to remember the title. “It was written by a madam who owned a brothel. Tips on seducing a man, or something like that.”
Sydney nodded. “Laura recommended it. She chose it because it’s being challenged at the library and a few people want it banned. I’m not really sure why they are suddenly making it an urgent matter since the book has been in the library for almost twenty years.”
“They probably didn’t know it was there until now.” Matthew leaned back in his chair. Sydney stiffened as she noticed it was the same move she had imagined him making in her fake diary. “What do you think of the book so far?”
She shrugged. “It’s written to shock the reader, and it doesn’t offer a lot of insight or information. Then again, seducing a man isn’t rocket science.”
Matthew tilted his head and crossed his arms. “Is that right?”
Sydney stared at his muscular arms, wondering how they would feel around her as he gathered her close to his chest...or braced on either side of her as he lay on top of her...or lifting her as he took her against the wall... She cleared her throat and focused on his eyes. “Although the author describes some male fantasies that seemed ridiculous to me.”
He gave her a thoughtful look. “Such as?”
“Such as having your lover meet you at your office wearing nothing but a coat and heels.” She scoffed at the idea and tossed her hands in the air. “Would you want your lover to do that?”
“Hell, yeah.”
His gruff voice pulled at something deep inside her. “Really? Why?”
“What’s not to like about that scenario?” His eyes glittered as he considered the fantasy. “A woman is taking the initiative and making it clear that she wants you right here, right now. That’s always a turn-on.”
“I don’t think that’s the thing that’s turning men on.” At least, that hadn’t been her personal experience. “It’s the fact that the woman is exposing herself to a great deal of risk.”
“The guy wouldn’t let her get caught. It’s for his eyes only.” From his tone, Sydney realized Matthew would take care of his woman even in the throes of passion. “That’s part of the fantasy.”
“No, the most important part of the fantasy is that everyone knows what you are doing. If I visited a man at work and was wearing a trench coat, all of Seedling would be aware that I didn’t have anything on underneath. And that’s the turn-on for men.” She frowned and looked away. “They want to show how much power they have over women. Show the world that they can make normally reasonable women take stupid risks.”
Matthew took a sip of his coffee. “How many men have you played out this fantasy for?”
“None,” she said with a proud tilt of her chin. “I’m not into power plays.”
His mouth tilted into a lopsided smile. “It’s supposed to be a fun fantasy.”
Sydney pursed her lips and wrinkled her nose. “If a guy I’m dating showed up at my work in nothing but a trench coat, I’d worry he was a flasher.”
“Women have different fantasies,” Matthew said, his smile widening. “Some want the romance, others want it rough and dirty.”
“And what do you think I want?” Sydney winced. She wished she could take back that question. It was too personal. What if Matthew got it wrong? Her chest tightened. What if he got it right?
Instead of dismissing the question, Matthew gave it some consideration. He leaned forward and propped his chin on his
