Best Laid Plans (33 page)

Casey leaned back against the
flowered cushions and managed to look prim and proper despite her nudity. 
"You are blocking my sun."  Her lashes fluttering closed over
innocent emerald eyes.

Travis inspected her skin
judiciously.  "I think you're beginning to burn."  He
picked up the bottle of tanning lotion, squirted some into his palms and began
massaging  the coconut-scented liquid into her shoulders.

She sighed and enjoyed the
languid contentment of the moment.  She willed herself to ignore the
sensuous feelings Travis's firm hands had conjured up as they slithered and
slipped over her skin.  But it was an exercise in futility.  Her
breathing and pulse became more rapid under the wild electric tremors that
continually shocked her body.

His hands slipped down and
captured a soft full breast, lifting its hardened nipple to meet his seeking
lips.  His fingers stroked the satiny expanse of her stomach, traced her
navel, then moved down to explore the triangle of curls between her
thighs.  Casey moaned softly, her body writhing against an inner heat that
threatened to consume her.  When Travis's mouth and hands suddenly
abandoned her, she opened her eyes and found he was in the process of shedding
his clothes.

She pulled his body back on top
of her, not even trying to hide the hungry gleam in her eyes.  Her fingers
lightly ruffled the dark hair that covered his chest and her nails teasingly
scratched the warm bare flesh of his arms and shoulders.  She moved her
body, letting the taut peaks of her breasts tantalize his skin.

Travis's greedy mouth covered
her naked flesh with urgent kisses.  He opened her legs to his searing
tongue, as it lovingly lashed her clit.  Pleasure rocked her, she
whimpered under his continued teasing until he heeded her pleas.  Then his
hands were under her hips, lifting her to him so he could slowly work his
thick, hard shaft into her tight, wet depths.

Only the
pelican, half asleep on his wooden mooring, noticed that the thirty candles on
the birthday cake had melted into the chocolate icing.

Take a trip to Sodom's
Crossing, where it's always steamy and there's always a full moon. Okay, it's
not real! But damn, don't you wish it was? Meet Vixen Mallory the most
downloaded woman on the internet and the star of the most X-rated erotic soap
opera on cable TV. Played by mild-mannered actress Vikki Kirkland, Vixen and
her cast and crew decide to gaslight investigative reporter Dan Faulkner whose
news magazine does a hatchet job on soap operas.

When it comes time to turn off
the cameras – will it be Vixen or Vikki that shows up with a menu that more
than tempts.

Video Vixen by Elaine
Raco Chase

There was something decidedly
erotic about an apartment whose price tag was obviously in the eight
figures.  Perhaps it was the wraparound balcony that provided a panoramic
view of the East River and midtown Manhattan, or the numerous skylights that
rendered the feeling of being one with the universe, or the thirty-foot living
room’s sumptuous décor.

Probably the most erotic
appointment in this fabulous penthouse, Dan decided with his hand shielding an
appreciative grin, was the tall, chestnut-haired woman who smoldered
below-surface mystique.  A woman whose voluptuous figure shimmered beneath
a column of liquid mid-night that flowed from a draped silk knot on a single
shoulder.

“Well, Daniel, what do you
think?”  Vikki stood in the center of the living room, slender arms making
a graceful sweep that encompassed the elegant furnishings.

“Stunning.”  His dark eyes
stalked the rounded feminine proportions hinted at beneath the narrow silk
dress.  “And this place isn’t too bad either.”  Her throaty laugh
stimulated a more primitive arousal than Dan had anticipated.

Vikki slithered against him,
her breasts, and pelvis branding a womanly impression into his gray suit. 
Her hands flattened along the lapels, her right palm stumbling over the ridge
of his notebook.  “Why don’t I make you a little more comfortable.” 
Her fingers wiggled apart the buttons on his jacket.  She had tried to
take off the suit jacket when she had hung up his winter coat but found that
task impossible.

Dan decided to play
hard-to-get.  “Actually I’m a little chilly.”  Masculine fingers
stopped their feminine counterpart’s attack.  “I’ll just keep the jacket
on until I get warmed up.”

Guileless blue eyes scrutinized
the enigmatic face inches from her own.  “Let me raise your thermostat,
Daniel,” Vikki offered.  Fingers filtering through his hair, she forced
his head down to meet hers.

Her teeth nibbled satin bites
into his lower lip; her tongue darted a tantalizing, ever deepening path into
the lush cavern beyond.  Vikki felt Dan’s arms wrap around her waist, his
hands spread like warm fans across her back and spine.

The intimacies shared by mouths
and tongues proved a heady stimulant to her feminine psyche.  Each
encounter with this man became more emotionally rewarding, more physically
exciting.  Vikki’s fingertips moved with deliberate slowness along the
underside of his jaw and along his neck.  She found his rapidly beating
pulse matched the thunderous pounding of her own heart.

With a low groan, Dan pulled
his mouth free.  “You can certainly raise a man’s body heat.”  Male
intuition signaled that she was up to something, but Dan was perfectly content
to participate in whatever illusion the lady decided to create.  He would
not destroy tonight’s magic.

“Come –"  she took
possession of his hand  “—I’ve prepared a tempting array of canapés to
pique your appetite.”  Vikki followed the silver carpeting into the dining
room.  She saw that the perpetrators of this elaborate ruse had been hard
at work.

There in the windowed alcove,
with the moon and stars the only source of light, an intimate table had been
set for two.  The glass top reflected fragile crystal goblets, pristine
white china, and three bottles of champagne in ice-filled buckets.

Dan squinted at the labels, his
dark brow arching in pleasure at the ten-year-old Blanc de Blanc.  “You’ve
certainly outdone yourself.”

“Sit down, Daniel.”  Vikki
all but pushed him into the delicate Oriental-styled dining chair.  “It
will be my
pleasure
to serve you.”  Her knuckles skimmed along his
jaw before she moved to a nearby silver and glass-serving cart.

Dan was finding it very
difficult to keep a straight face.  While her manners were erotically
impeccable, he wondered how long it would be before this subservient attitude
choked her.  This was quite a change of pace from her normally aggressive
stance.

“Here we are.”  With more
flourish than necessary, Vikki centered a silver serving dish on the small
table, then she pulled her own chair next to Dan’s.

“Uh … it … uh …certainly is an
interesting assortment.”  He stared at the tray, then at Vikki in puzzled
contemplation.  Had she abandoned Vixen Mallory in favor of Lucrezia
Borgia?

Black velvet lashes fluttered
an enticing silent message.  “Daniel, I thought we could do more than just
pique our food appetite.  I thought we could excite our sexual appetites
as well.”

Vikki’s smile was as guileless
as her eyes.  “This is a romantic little dish perfect to warm a frosty
night.”  Her fork speared the first aphrodisiac.  “Try a wine-soaked
chestnut.”  She popped the inspirational Chinese delicacy into his mouth.

“Good?”  She smiled at his
humming response and nod.  “A little caviar on a slice of cucumber.” 
She was delighted to watch her offer so readily consumed.

“And this, Daniel.”  Vikki
abandoned the fork to use her fingers.  “Strawberries.”  She dipped
the giant ruby-red fruit into powdered sugar.  “They were Venus, the
goddess of love’s, favorite.”  Watching his even white teeth sink into the
juice-filled berry, her fingertips became teasing little napkins that blotted
the sweet nectar from his chin and transferred it to her mouth.

“Ummm.  While I get the
champagne –“  she stood, her hand squeezed his arm  “—why don’t you have
some oysters.  You’re going to need the extra stamina.”  Quickly
turning away, Vikki pretended inordinate interest in the wine bottles and hoped
the expensive vintage would wash away the sour taste that tainted her mouth.

She took a deep breath and tried
to banish the wave of repugnance she felt for herself. 
This is the
home stretch.  Only this one last thing left to do. 
The
champagne bottle was wrapped in white linen, she turned a composed, smiling
face back to Dan.

He returned the smile. 
“Would you like me to open that?  Those high-pressure corks can be
tricky.”

“No.  No.”  The
bottle was quickly lifted out of reach.  “As a matter of fact, it’s
already loosened.  See.”  Her thumbs released the cork.  While
the projectile was aimed into safety, the previously agitated wine gave an
Emmy-winning performance in the role of Mount Vesuvius, erupting and burying
its victim in frothing fury.

“Oh, Daniel!  How
dreadful.”  Reaching for a napkin, Vikki proceeded to finish emptying the
bottle over his entire suit.  “Oh, I can’t believe I’m so clumsy.”

“Neither can I.”  He
grabbed the linen from her hand, but the small square of fabric proved quite
ineffectual in soaking up a magnum of liquid.

“Why don’t you go into the
bedroom and get out of those wet things.  The wine is awfully
sticky.”  Her hands brushed together.  “While you take a shower I’ll
use my hair dryer on your jacket and pants.”  Vikki gave Dan another
winning smile.  “You’ll be as good as new in no time.”

Despite his mumbled protests,
she led him back through the living room into the magnificently appointed
master bedroom.  “There are towels in the bathroom and my robe is in there
too.”  Vikki helped him out of his jacket.

Dan gave her an inquisitive
look; he found himself very confused with this sudden change of events. 
Perhaps it was an accident.  He handed her his tie and unbuttoned a soggy
suit jacket.  “Don’t you think your robe will be a bit small?”

“Then you’ll have a good excuse
to take it off!”  She pressed a moist kiss to his half-opened mouth. 
“Don’t take too long, Daniel, we still have the entrée and a very special
dessert.”

Want to hear
Vixen Mallory purr naughty in your ear? Head to
ITunes
or
audible.com
and hear narrator Sheila Book make
Video Vixen
come alive!

Just a taste…well a nibble of
what happens to Brandy Abbott when Griffen St. Clair takes her for a moonlight
dinner for two on Daytona Beach and decides to find out how much heat that
designing woman can really handle. Oh, and check ITunes and audible.com for
Designing Woman the audio book – narrator Sheila Book turns this into an earful
of sexy fun.

Designing Woman by Elaine
Raco Chase

What had happened to the
shell-shocked man she had left in the restaurant at noon? 
That
Griffen
St. Clair she could handle but this…this new, very in-control Griffen would
need a whip and a chair!

A shiver of pure physical
awareness coursed down Brandy’s spine.  She knew how attracted she was to
Griffen when he was at his arrogant best.  Would she be able to resist
this man whose husky voice and passion-filled eyes caressed her like
fingers?  Did she even want to resist?

Brandy collapsed on the edge of
the bed, her mind a chaotic jumble of turbulent questions with no
answers.  Her distraught gaze was snagged by the little black dress that
was centered on the blue chenille spread.  The slinky fabric and the
flirtatious plunging neckline promised a lot more than Brandy ever expected to
deliver.

She closed her eyes and took
five deep breaths.  She would not lose control.  Her mouth twisted in
a rueful grin.  This must have been exactly what Dr. Frankenstein said
when he discovered his monster had gotten loose.

Brandy pulled her blouse over
her head and unbuttoned her skirt.  There were many ways a woman could
keep a man in line and she only had to restrain Griffen until midnight. 
The witching hour – how appropriate.

King Arthur’s restaurant on the
twenty-ninth floor of the Peck Plaza provided an enchanting view of an
unforgettable sunset on the Atlantic Ocean.  The early evening sky was
stained in a rhapsody of crimsons and gold’s.  Rainbow-sailed catamarans
skimmed over the glittering, glasslike surf.

Brandy took her eighteenth sip
of Dom Perignon and searched the recesses of her mind for something clever to
say.  She had already discussed the awe-inspiring view, the beautiful
weather, the progress on the condos and, quite frankly, she was
exhausted.  One-sided conversations always had a tendency to do that!

Her fingers straightened the
amber candle arrangement while her blue-gray eyes surreptitiously studied
Griffen from beneath a fringe of sooty lashes.  So far he had been the
epitome of puritanical chivalry.  But Brandy wasn’t fooled.  The
evening had a nerve-frazzling cloud of premeditation hanging over it.