She read a pa.s.sage from Lady Chatterley's Lover Lady Chatterley's Lover, her voice lovingly caressing the torrid words. And then she played a torchy Tina Turner song about a dancer for hire. The two shouldn't have gone together, but somehow they did.

A lonely-sounding man talked about how much he fantasized meeting someone like his mother, then another spoke of female cops in bikinis. Kelsey helped one woman build on a scenario involving a closed theme park and a certain superhero character, and Mitch laughed until tears came out of his eyes at the story they concocted.

But her own fantasies held him utterly enthralled. She liked strawberries and chocolate. He hadn't known that about her. She wanted to wake up on a bed of flower petals. That he could have guessed. She sometimes imagined she was a romance novel heroine and a tall, strong man swept her up on a horse and they rode on a beach, along a rough, rocky sh.o.r.e all night long.

She wanted to make love on a staircase.

When he heard that one, Mitch remembered their first heated kisses on the stairs and groaned out loud. He wanted Kelsey so badly that he physically ached.

"SO, MY FRIENDS, we're coming to the end of another Night Whispers Night Whispers. Not a bad way to spend a Monday evening, was it? I hope you got a little inspiration. I know I did. I thank you for your ideas and your calls. Those of you who couldn't get through, please don't give up. We will have many other interesting topics to discuss in all those long nights to come."

Brian rolled his arm forward, letting her know she had a little more time to fill, so Kelsey continued.

"Here's one final little secret fantasy I'll share. I fantasize that one day a certain incredibly s.e.xy man will take off the blinders he's wearing over those gorgeous velvety blue eyes of his and admit he's madly in love with me."

Kelsey paused, then delivered the punch line.

"Of course, I guess Mel Gibson's wife would have something to say about that!"

Brian shook his finger at her playfully through the gla.s.s, telling her he knew exactly whose blue eyes she'd been talking about.

"Again, thank you all. You've been listening to Night Whispers Night Whispers, with Lady Love, here on WAJO. Please come visit me tomorrow. I'll be waiting."

A HALF HOUR LATER HALF HOUR LATER, Brian and Kelsey picked up their things and prepared to leave the break room.

"Great show," he said again. "I have to say, Lady Love was especially sultry tonight. Any particular reason?"

She shrugged her shoulders and feigned ignorance. "Not a clue."

He laughed out loud and held the door open for her. "Looks like Mr. Faithful's on duty tonight. Tell me, has he worked up the nerve to ask you out yet?" Brian murmured as they walked into the lobby and he nodded toward the station doors.

Kelsey followed his glance and saw Edgar, the station's full-time security guard. She was glad he was the one on duty. "Don't be silly. He's just a very nice man...a very nice married married man." man."

Brian sighed. "Honey, that doesn't stop some men."

"Well, I guarantee it would stop him. I met his wife one evening when she brought him his dinner. She definitely wears the pants in that family."

Kelsey smiled as they reached the guard at the door. Edgar was quiet, una.s.suming, almost bookish. At first she'd been a little unsure of his qualifications as a guard, but she'd heard he was very coolheaded, and good with his gun. He seemed devoted to her, and was always respectful and polite.

"And better him than Charlie," she muttered after Edgar stepped outside to glance around the parking lot before ushering them out.

"That meathead?" Brian scoffed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Edgar might not look intimidating, but at least he looks intelligent. Charlie, on the other hand, looks like a slab of human muscle without an ounce of brainpower."

If it was just the lack of intelligence, Kelsey might not have minded Charlie, the other regular guard, so much. The man was good-looking, tall, broad, blond and confident. But he had made several comments to her about how he could help her with Night Whispers Night Whispers. His flirtatiousness made her uncomfortable. She much preferred Edgar.

"Ready, Miss Logan?" Edgar asked as he stepped back inside and gave them an all-clear sign.

She nodded, and the two men escorted her to her car.

MITCH STOOD OUTSIDE his apartment door, watching from the foyer window for Kelsey. It was forty-five minutes after her show ended, and he knew she'd be arriving home at any minute. He hadn't told her he'd wait up for her and wondered if her first instinct would be to go up to her apartment or to come to him. It didn't matter. He wasn't going to give her a choice. his apartment door, watching from the foyer window for Kelsey. It was forty-five minutes after her show ended, and he knew she'd be arriving home at any minute. He hadn't told her he'd wait up for her and wondered if her first instinct would be to go up to her apartment or to come to him. It didn't matter. He wasn't going to give her a choice.

She arrived moments later, and he grinned as he leaned back in the dark, waiting for her. What a change from the first time he'd waited up after one of Lady Love's performances. Now he wasn't going to kiss her to shut her up. He was going to kiss her to make her moan in ecstasy.

Kelsey entered the dark brownstone, locked the front door behind her and reached her hand toward Mitch's door. Before she could grasp the k.n.o.b, a hand closed around her wrist. She screamed.

"Kelsey, baby, it's only me!" Mitch said.

Her heart pounded a mile a minute and Kelsey raised a shaking hand to her face. "Would you stop doing that?" she shouted. "You scared the heck out of me again!"

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, really. I was just trying to surprise you. What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"No, I'm fine, you just startled me. I'm tired. For some reason I didn't get much sleep the past couple of nights," she said, now smiling crookedly.

Mitch opened the door and led her into his apartment. He slid her coat off her shoulders and tossed it onto the couch, then gently rubbed the tense muscles on the sides of her neck.

"Sorry to disappoint you, sweetheart, but you ain't gonna get much sleep tonight, either. At least not for a while."

He kissed the sensitive spot of skin where her neck met her shoulders, and Kelsey instantly felt the tension drain from her body. It was replaced by heat, antic.i.p.ation, desire. All the feelings Mitch's touch aroused.

He was right. She didn't get to sleep for a long, long time.

IN THE DAYS THAT FOLLOWED, Kelsey was happier than she had ever thought possible. Mitch was attentive and adoring, incredibly romantic and thoughtful. Each night when she got home from work, she'd find him waiting in the well-lit foyer to sweep her into his apartment. She never took for granted that he'd be waiting, not wanting to upset the perfect balance their relationship had reached. But he was always there.

He fulfilled her every desire. One night she came home from work and found his bed covered with rose petals. A bowl of red strawberries and a fondue pot with melted chocolate sat on the table.

"You heard my show on fantasies, didn't you!"

"Guilty," he said as he dipped a juicy berry into the chocolate and held it to her mouth.

She bit into the succulent fruit, licking the chocolate that dripped down his fingers. "Lady Love can be pretty useful, can't she?"

"I try to forget that you and Lady Love are the same person. But I have to admit, she does have some terrific ideas."

"She's got great inspiration."

Mitch pulled away for a moment and frowned. "Kelsey, what happens here is just for us, all right? I would hate it if you ever brought our personal life onto the air with you."

"Don't worry," she said. "Gee, it's awfully warm in here tonight." Kelsey unb.u.t.toned her slacks and wiggled out of them, sliding them to her feet as slowly as she could. Mitch watched her every move, and she pretended she didn't notice his eyes darken and his breath come more quickly.

He knew she was trying to change the subject, and allowed her to succeed. While Kelsey sat back down on the bed next to him, Mitch dipped another berry for her. As he lifted it to her mouth, he accidentally dripped a thick drop of chocolate onto her bare thigh. Pushing her back onto the pillows, Mitch slowly and thoroughly licked the sweet candy away. After that, the dripping chocolate was anything but accidental.

Lady Love's fantasies didn't compare with the reality of Kelsey's nights.

HER DAYS WEREN'T BAD, either. When they weren't making love, Kelsey was doing her best to make Mitch misbehave. She loved teasing him in the middle of his research, shocking that studious look off his face by cranking up the stereo and dancing around his living room. She liked that he'd drop his work to take her out to see a stupid movie just because she asked him to. The fact that the movie stank and he enthusiastically threw popcorn at the screen with her made it that much better.

So far, the only bone of contention between them was her job.

"Mitch, we've been over this," Kelsey said one afternoon as they sorted laundry in the bas.e.m.e.nt. "You said yourself I'm doing a great job and that Night Whispers Night Whispers is a terrific show." is a terrific show."

"Yeah, it's a terrific show. If anyone else were Lady Love, I'm sure I'd be perfectly happy to lie in bed with you some nights, letting her inspire us."

"I don't think we need it," Kelsey said with a sly grin.

"True," he conceded with masculine vanity. "Still, you get my point. I worry about you. Kelsey, you're appealing to people's innermost pa.s.sion. You're their fantasy woman, their s.e.xual dream come to life. There are a lot of men out there who won't be able to separate Lady Love the character from you, my my woman." woman."

"Your woman? Ooh, you sound so caveman. I like it, I like it," she said, trying to change the subject and make him laugh. It didn't work.

"Look, Lady Love makes me so hot I think I'm going to crawl out of my own skin," he said. "But, baby, it bothers me knowing that a lot of other men in this city feel the same way."

Kelsey sighed and tossed a load of her jeans into the dryer. Mitch was right next to her, leaning back against the washer, with his arms folded across his chest.

"But I come home to you," she said. "The only one who makes Lady Love feel hot enough to crawl out of her skin is the man I'm looking at. And, my, you are certainly fine to look at, Mitch Wymore."

Mitch saw the heat in her gaze as she ran her eyes over his body with the intensity of a touch. He'd come to recognize her physical responses, and knew by the way she bit her bottom lip that her mind was conjuring up a mult.i.tude of pleasures. Finding a few flooding his own mind, he forgot about her job.

Never taking his eyes from her, he reached behind his back and started the washing machine. She hadn't put any clothes in it. Sudden understanding lit her face. Her lips curled into a sultry smile as he pulled her closer and let her feel his body's hot reaction to her.

"What is it with you and bas.e.m.e.nts?" she asked breathily.

He answered by slowly lifting his shirt over his head and tossing it aside. The cold air didn't deter him in the least; in fact, it exhilarated him. Almost as much as she did.

She ran her fingertips from the top of one shoulder down across his chest and stomach to the waistband of his pants. He let her undress him, closing his eyes and stifling a groan as she slowly pushed his jeans down with her flat palms.

When he moved to unb.u.t.ton her blouse, she took a step back with a seductive smile. Never saying a word, she slowly stripped her clothes off, piece by piece. He watched her every movement, building the desire and heat by touching her with nothing but his eyes.

Finally he reached out one hand and curled it around her naked hip. He pulled her against him. Trailing kisses on her jaw, he licked the side of her neck, then sc.r.a.ped his teeth on her earlobe. She shivered in his arms. He knew it wasn't from the cold. She pressed hard against him, silently demanding what she wanted.

"Spin or rinse?" he whispered, then couldn't form another thought.

THE NEXT EVENING Kelsey sat in an office she used at the station, reviewing some notes. Kelsey sat in an office she used at the station, reviewing some notes. Night Whispers Night Whispers was doing very well-the ratings proved it. She was going to try to make sure it stayed that way. was doing very well-the ratings proved it. She was going to try to make sure it stayed that way.

"I hear you got some flowers today," Brian said as he entered the office, "from your knight."

Kelsey bit her lip, not wanting to get into another discussion with Brian about her secret admirer. But the man knew everything that happened around the station. No way would the delivery of a dozen red roses escape his notice.

"Yeah. They were delivered this afternoon."

"And you still think this person is just doing a little harmless letter writing? Sounds to me like he's getting a little more serious. What does Mitch think about it?"

Kelsey bit the corner of her lip and averted her eyes, saying, "He doesn't exactly know."

"Not exactly? exactly? What, What, exactly exactly, have you told him?"

Kelsey defiantly replied, "None of it."

Seeing he was about to argue with her, she held up her hands to stop him. "Look, Brian, Mitch isn't thrilled about Night Whispers Night Whispers as it is. He's concerned about me enough and I certainly don't want to give him any more reason to worry." as it is. He's concerned about me enough and I certainly don't want to give him any more reason to worry."

"You're an idiot."

She scowled at him.

"I mean it," Brian said, not letting up on her one bit. "Don't you know lying like this is bound to come back around and bite you in the rear sooner or later?"

"I'm not lying."

"Deceiving by omission, then."

"Look," Kelsey explained, "Mitch has a lot on his plate right now. He's receiving a special award for those wonderful newspaper articles he wrote while he was in China. It means a lot of exposure and could really help him with his writing. The last thing he needs is to worry about me."

Kelsey stood to leave the room and Brian followed.

"Promise me something, all right? If anything else happens, you'll tell him about it."

She didn't want to. Kelsey knew full well how Mitch would react. He'd envision an entire stalker scenario and have her carrying mace and a stun gun. But she knew Brian was right.

"I will. After After the awards banquet. Now, can we please focus on the show we have to start in just about four minutes?" the awards banquet. Now, can we please focus on the show we have to start in just about four minutes?"

He nodded and fell into step beside her as she walked to the studio. "You have your opening?"

"Uh-huh," Kelsey said with a nod. "Did you put the CDs in order for me?"

"All done. Sounds like it's going to be very romantic."

"I hope so," she said. "I definitely hope so."