Seductive Reasoning

Copyright © 2012 Cheryl Gorman

Cover Art by Rae Monet Designs http://www.raemonet.com

All rights reserved. This
e-book is not transferable. No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared
in any form including but not limited to printing, faxing, e-mailing,
photocopying or by any manner of information retrieval through electronic means
or through the postal service without the express permission of the publisher.
This e-book is a work of fiction and a product of the author’s imagination. Any
resemblance to any person or persons living or dead, places, incidents,
locations or businesses is purely coincidental

Chapter One

Lifting the scarlet thong teddy
from the rack, Kate Summers held the garment up for her Aunt Pandora’s
inspection. “When your boyfriend sees you in this, he will strip you naked and
give you the best sex of your life.”

A mischievous grin curved her
aunt’s ravishing red-lipsticked mouth, and a teasing glint of pure
I’m-going-to-nail-this-guy charm lit her sparkling gray eyes. “It’s perfect.
The man will be aching with need before he can say ‘Pandora, where have you
been all my life?’”

She grabbed the garment from Kate’s
hands and held it against the front of her not-so-shapely fifty-something body.
“I knew I could count on you, Katydid, to have just the thing.”

Kate’s heart warmed at her aunt’s
endearment. As a toddler, she begged for attention from her parents. For the
most part, they ignored her. Her free spirit and affinity for the stars opposed
their scientific and logical thinking and they didn’t know how to handle her,
but Pandora understood her.

“It’s because of you I even have
this shop.”

“Fiddlesticks.” Pandora waved her
slim red tipped fingers through the air. “You made it a success. I just gave
you a boost, that’s all.”

“A wad of cash is quite a boost.”

“Working at Neiman Marcus got you
nowhere. I’d rather you put the money to good use and be successful now. After
all, I can’t take it with me.”

Kate looked at her aunt, nearly
six-feet tall with sleek blonde hair cut in a bob, an amazing fifty-two year
old woman who thought of herself as Denver’s answer to Raquel Welch. Wrinkles,
mostly around her eyes and mouth, lined her aunt’s pale skin. Pandora called
them lifelines. Kate didn’t know what she would have done without Pandora in
her corner. As the middle child of two lawyers, she fought for attention to
make her wishes known. Her siblings, a brother and sister, followed in their
parent’s footsteps and became serious-minded professionals. Much to her
family’s dismay, she’d followed her heart and instincts. She’d been interested
in anything avant-garde, and her aunt encouraged her varied interests. Her
lost-in-the-sixties aunt taught Kate about astrology, essential oils, yoga, and
anything Zen. Pandora listened to her questions about sex and the male gender
with infinite patience.

Kate smiled and motioned to the
lingerie Pandora held in her hand. “Try it on. You’ll be gorgeous. ”Pandora
winked at Kate, turned on her four-inch heels, and sashayed toward the dressing
room at the back of the store. Her leather skirt hugged her trim fanny, which
had been whipped into shape with a tuck and suck.

Kate glanced around her lingerie
shop and sighed. Her gaze scanned the peach-tinted walls, the array of
lingerie, and shelves of massage oils along with a discriminating selection of
sexual enhancement device catalogues. She inhaled the scent of Ylang Ylang, an
essential oil known for stimulating a person’s libido. She held the answers to
everyone’s most secret fantasies. Except her own. Contentment filled her life
for the most part, even though she lacked a long-term relationship, something
she desperately wanted and yet feared. She straightened a stack of
rainbow-colored crotchless panties organized according to the astrological
signs on one of the display tables. Her extensive research proved that a
person’s astrological sign, their ruling planet, and astrological color
influenced their choice of lingerie, which in turn impacted their sexual drives
and needs. Kate designed them herself and included a book of astrology with
each sale along with a book of love poems. Pandora embraced her ideas
wholeheartedly, but the rest of her family just shook their heads. She sighed
and looked around the shop. All she needed now was money in order to market her
creations on a much larger scale. Considering her family’s disapproval of her
profession as a lingerie designer, gaining their respect made taking her
designs to a national level even more important.

“Well, what do you think?” Kate
swiveled at the sound of Pandora’s voice. Since no customers crowded the store,
Pandora stood before her in a pose reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe with her lips
pursed and her head thrown back. “Wow. You look beautiful and sexy, Aunt
Pandora. The man won’t know what hit him. I hope I look as good as you when I’m
your age.” Pandora strolled to Kate’s side and threw her arms around her. A cloud
of perfume enveloped her. Pandora drew back a little and smiled. “You’ve got
the genes, Katydid, and you already look better than I ever did! Come and talk
to me while I change.”

She put her arm through Kate’s and
led her back toward the dressing room. Pandora entered the room and yanked the
red satin curtain closed. The beaded fringe along the bottom clicked together
softly for a moment before settling. Pandora stripped off the teddy, not at all
self-conscious or timid about undressing in front of her niece. She had
encouraged Kate not be timid or shy concerning her femininity and sexuality,
but to embrace it.

Stark naked, Pandora slipped on her
panties and plopped on a chair cushioned in bright velvet fuchsia. She tugged
on her hose. “So tell me about your love life. Are you still seeing the
banker?” Kate sighed. “No. He had one interest, making a deposit followed by an
early withdrawal.”

Pandora threw her a half smile. She
reached over, clasped Kate’s hand, and gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “I
know exactly what you mean. It’s times like this I remember your uncle.” Her
eyes reflected a dreamy, faraway look for a moment. “God, the man made me hot
with only a look.”

For a while after his death,
Pandora lost the joie de vivre that surrounded her like a brilliant aura.
Nevertheless, being Pandora and the most free spirited woman Kate had ever
known, she’d tucked the love for her husband into a protected corner of her
heart and decided to move forward with her life. “You’ll find a man who will
ring your chimes.” Pandora emphasized her words. “And steal your heart.”

Kate smiled. “It certainly isn’t
Nate. I tried to make him feel important by being there when he needed someone
to talk to and really listening to what he had to say. I supported him when he
pushed for his most recent promotion at the bank. I even cooked him a special
dinner. He hardly noticed the effort I made.” No cuddling and none of the
softly whispered endearments she longed to hear. After dinner, he bid her a
hasty thanks, followed by a peck on the cheek. She wanted a man who loved and
understood her, a man who appreciated her. She never received these feelings
from her parents, only Aunt Pandora. Kate sighed and closed her eyes for a
moment.

“When he’s the right man,
everything will click.”

Kate knelt at Pandora’s feet,
resting her head on her aunt’s leather-clad lap, like she used to do as a
little girl. “Maybe I’m the problem.”

Pandora smoothed her hand over
Kate’s cheek and shoulder-length black hair.

Kate closed her eyes. “I’m not sure
what to do. Every time I start dating a guy, the relationship doesn’t last. I’m
too open I guess, but I don’t believe in hiding who I am. I like sex. What’s
wrong with that?”

Her aunt smoothed her palm over
Kate’s forehead. “There’s more here than wanting to please a man in the
bedroom, Katydid.”

Kate lifted her head from her
aunt’s lap. “I’ve got all the right tools, but they don’t seem to work for me,
just my customers. What’s wrong with me? I’m not promiscuous. I’ve never slept
with a man I didn’t truly care about and that’s a grand total of two. Why can’t
I meet a nice man? A guy to snuggle with, a man to share my life and dreams, a
man to believe in me, just as I believe in him.”

Pandora smiled and laid a hand on
Kate’s cheek. “Honey, there’s nothing wrong with you and your tools aren’t the
problem. I know I’ve taught you to be open and honest, but sometimes it’s
better not to reveal everything to a man right after you meet him. Mystery in a
relationship is a good thing, Katydid. Trust me when I tell you a man will come
along who will satisfy you in ways you never dreamed. And I don’t mean just
physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well. He will capture your heart
and you will discover a contentment and joy you’ve never known.”

Kate gazed at her aunt. “You mean
like you found with Uncle John?”

She rested her hand on Kate’s
shoulder and smiled. “Exactly.”

Pandora gave her a light squeeze,
dropped her hand, and reached for her purse. “I’ve got to run.” She held out
one jeweled hand and studied her nails. “I want to stop at the salon on my way
home for a quick buff and polish.”

Her aunt tossed the teddy into her
shopping bag, leaned over, and kissed Kate on the cheek. “Not to worry. There’s
no way I’m going to miss you being on television this evening.”

Kate gasped and stared at her
watch. “Oh, I almost forgot.” She shot to her feet. “Close up for me will you?”

Pandora laughed with a
deep-throated sound. “Sure. Now go get dressed.”

Typical, Kate thought as she raced
for the stairs at the front of the shop that led to her apartment situated over
the store. Her nature didn’t include planning and keeping track of time. Promoting
her line of lingerie and reaching out to the viewing audience on the show
tonight might help her find an angel with the funds and connections to help
take her lingerie designs to the national level.

Seth Fallon stood outside the door
of Dean Matthew’s office at Denver University and reviewed in his mind what he
planned to say to her. His gut told him what she planned to say to him. News
traveled fast around a university campus. He squared his shoulders. No way was
he going to let her intimidate him. Somehow he would make her understand and
see reason. The hall was empty. Students were in class or stuck in a quiet
corner of the library cramming for final exams. Afternoon sunlight streamed in
through the tall windows at the end of the hall and formed a bright, gold swath
on the wood floor. The air smelled of wood, dust, and the unmistakable aroma of
paper. Seth raised his hand and rapped on the door.

“Come in.”

Seth opened the door and walked
inside. Janet Matthews lifted her head and pinned him with her steely, brown
eyes. Her ash blonde hair was styled in a helmet shape with the ends brushing
the top of her slightly wrinkled neck and covering her ears. She looked at him
the way a principal might look at a disobedient child. Her thin lips, painted
light pink, pursed as if she were sucking a lemon. She dropped the pen she was
holding, rested her arms on the top of her desk, and laced her short fingers
together. She wore her usual tailored suit with a single strand of pearls. “Dr.
Fallon. Thank you for stopping by.” She gestured toward a chair in front of her
desk. “Have a seat.”

“Afternoon, Dean Matthews.” He sat
down in the chair and tried to relax, something he found impossible to do at
the moment.

Her lips settled into a satisfied
line. Seth knew she loved her formal title. He flicked his gaze to the
ever-present photo on her desk. She stood beside a gray-haired man that Seth
knew was her husband. He had passed away from cancer two years ago. Since his
death, her tough, impenetrable veneer had grown even harder. “I’m sure you’re
aware of my policy on communication with my professors prior to any activities
representing this school.” Her voice sounded calm and clear.

“Yes. I’m aware of it.”

Briefly, irritation skimmed her
face. “Dr. Fallon, need I remind you that I am the dean of this college and
also your boss.”