Neither was the flash of garters high on her thighs as she tried to perch on the extreme edge of the sofa. She tugged at the hemline of her skirt, only to have it ride up again as soon as she released it. h.e.l.l, at this rate, she'd be forced to sit with both hands on the bottom of her skirt to keep it in place.

As the video ended, she turned to Matthew, an enquiring look on her face. "So what do you think?"

Matt tried not to grin as her skirt slid up to expose the top of her nylons and gave him a quick glimpse of naked thigh. He'd seen her efforts to tweak it down. If she didn't want her legs on show, why wear such short skirts?

The character Joshua Cribbs had created for him foremost in his mind, Matt clasped his hands together and lowered his chin to tap at his pursed lips with pointed index fingers. "Hmm, she sounds a very nice lady," he said.

"But?"

"I'm not certain she's suitable. Very unfashionable and a lot older than I wanted. Probably set in her ways. Not malleable at all. I don't think I'd be able to mold her into what I perceive as the perfect partner."

He knew his words sounded chauvinistic, but it suited his undercover ident.i.ty. With his Italian heritage, he was used to a culture where women were revered, feted and looked after. Although that in itself sounded chauvinistic, the women in his family were strong and independent, equal partners in any relationship.

Still, he had a part to play and somehow he had to get Mel Morgan to take him personally under her wing, not fob him off on one of her clients. If he took these women on a date and screwed it up, maybe they'd report back to Melissa. Then he could suggest she teach him how to romance a woman. He couldn't think of any other way to get close enough to Miss Morgan to find out what he needed to know.

"You know, perhaps I've been going about this the wrong way. I think I need someone more glamorous. I'd like to lift the profile of my business, and as I'd want any prospective partner to work with me, at least until the children come, perhaps I should have someone a bit more..." His voice trailed off for a moment. "I guess sophisticated is the word I'm looking for."

"Let's try the next one then, shall we? This woman's name is Janice Betonie. She certainly looks more the part."

Melissa struggled to her feet, almost catching her heel again in the loop of the carpet. She could have sworn she felt the burn of Matthew's gaze on her rear end as she walked over to change the tape.

It made the sway of her hips feel more exaggerated than normal. Made her aware of her body in a way she never had been before. Why this should be, she didn't know. She certainly wasn't comfortable with the man. Despite that, something about him made her pulse beat faster. Made the blood rush through her veins and generated a fire she hadn't felt in a long time.

For crying out loud, the man was an undertaker of all things. How could she be turned on by someone who dealt in dead bodies?

Regardless of his job, he was as s.e.xy as h.e.l.l, even with all that grease in his hair. One thing, though, he'd have to change his chauvinistic att.i.tudes. In this day and age no woman would put up with his comments. He was already at a disadvantage, what with his strange mannerisms and the disastrous hair oil. Although the way she felt, she'd even put up with that.

d.a.m.n, this wasn't like her at all. She was acting completely out of character. You're the responsible one, remember, Melissa? Yeah, goody-two-shoes as her sister would say. So what the h.e.l.l was wrong with her?

Her brain had gone on vacation. Because right about now, she had one thought and one thought only in her mind. Throw Matthew Campbell down on his back and f.u.c.k the living daylights out of him.

Oh my gawd, she was in serious trouble here. She needed to get her mind off her body and onto the business of finding Matthew Campbell a partner.

Matt tried to keep his attention focused on the television screen, but he couldn't help a sneaky sideway glance at the exposed length of Melissa's legs. She'd either forgotten, or given up, trying to stretch her skirt down. One pale pink, lacy garter peeked out beneath the hemline. On the very end, in what appeared to be silky satin, was a darker pink embroidered rose.

He had a sudden urge to reach out and run his finger over it to check. It took all his self-discipline to ignore the unschooled impulse. He averted his gaze and stared at the screen.

"My name is Janice Betonie and I'm..."

The woman on the screen had a well-modulated, husky voice, but she couldn't hold his interest. Matt tuned out the sound and allowed his attention and his gaze to slide back to the woman beside him. Her skirt had risen another inch. He caught a peek of pale skin above the rose-embossed garter.

X-rated images leapt into his brain, scrambling his thought processes. Heat slammed into him, sliding through his veins and igniting a hungry need inside him. He itched to run his fingers over that strip of skin and see if it felt as soft as it looked. He wanted to taste the creamy texture, slide his tongue across the silky softness and trace the garter up her thigh until he came to her p.u.s.s.y.

He imagined himself down on his knees, head buried between those creamy thighs. Tongue probing at the slick folds of her s.e.x. Then he'd spread her lips and play with her c.l.i.t until she screamed and begged him to delve deep to taste her honey.

His c.o.c.k tightened, all the blood driven from his brain and collecting in that wayward piece of male equipment. A raging b.o.n.e.r pushed at the front of his trousers. He dropped his hands over his lap to hide the telltale bulge. Thank G.o.d he'd worn a suit today and not his normal skin-tight jeans. s.h.i.t, he had to stop this, but first...

He leaned closer and dragged in a deep breath. Light, floral perfume teased at his senses. Funny, given the glossy photo back at the office, he would have staked a bet she'd use a heavy musky scent. But he liked this better. Somehow, it suited her. Made a fellow think of innocence and...

Hang on a minute, man, he remonstrated with himself. This woman is anything but innocent. She's the subject of an undercover investigation and you'd better remember that. Get your mind out of your pants and onto your work.

As the videotape came to an end, he plastered what he hoped was an interested look on his face. He kept his gaze glued to the blank screen as if deep in thought when Melissa turned toward him.

"What do you think, Matthew? Are you interested?"

f.u.c.ked if I know. I didn't take in anything but the first sentence the woman uttered. "Hmm, it's so hard to make a decision based on a video image."

"Perhaps you should meet Janice, go out with her and see how you feel. I'm sure you'll have a great time with her and once you've had a successful date, you'll have much more confidence in your dating skills. You're a good-looking man. Any woman would be happy to be seen with you. Would you like me to ring her?"

Matt stood and stepped away from the sofa. Even from here, Melissa's perfume reached out to him and made his c.o.c.k twitch in reaction. "Yes, perhaps that would be best. Meet the woman in the flesh, so to speak. Dial away, my dear lady."

Somehow he had to get Miss Morgan to take him under her wing personally, not fob him off on some other unsuspecting female. How else was he going to find out if she was a part of this blackmailing scam? Time to turn on the pathos.

One ordinary woman...two extraordinary hunks.

The Life and Loves of April Johnson.

2006 Eve Vaughn.

April Johnson is just a regular woman, taking one day at a time, who always manages to get into sticky situations.

At her high school reunion April's life changes forever when she finds herself falling for Richard Slick, nerd turned hunk. Matters are only complicated when Marcus, the man who broke her heart in high school and who's now a big time actor, makes a stunning declaration.

April lands smack in the middle of a love triangle and must decide between these two studs. Her choice leads to heartbreak, the discovery of her self-worth and learning that it just might be possible to love two men. Some lessons are worth learning.

Enjoy the following excerpt for The Life and Loves of April Johnson: "Marcus?" I asked in confusion. The sudden s.e.xual tension between us could be cut with a knife.

The next thing I knew, he lowered his head and crushed my lips with his.

I froze. This was something I'd fantasized about since the moment I laid eyes on him, but I couldn't believe he was holding and kissing me as though he couldn't get enough.

Marcus lifted his head to look down at me, never letting go of my trembling body. "Don't you like this? I thought you had a crush on me."

I tried to push him away, but he wouldn't budge. "I don't need a pity kiss."

"This just underlines the fact that you know absolutely nothing about me, because if you did, you'd know I don't do anything I don't want to do."

"And why would you want to kiss me after everything you've said?"

"I don't know. d.a.m.n, April, I just felt like kissing you, and I'd actually like to kiss you again, so how about shutting up and letting me?" He lowered his head again.

I stood still as his mouth moved over mine. It wasn't as though I'd never been kissed before, but the lazy fumbling of two experimenting adolescents didn't count. This was my first kiss of pa.s.sion and I didn't know how to handle it. "Let me taste you, April," he muttered, pushing me against the wall and grinding his c.o.c.k against my thigh.

My lips parted slightly, just enough to let his tongue slide into my hesitant mouth. He tasted of mint, spices, and a flavor unique to him. I could feel my body softening against his. My nipples grew hard as rocks and I was sure they'd poke holes right through my robe.

My p.u.s.s.y clenched, responding to the new sensations coursing through my body. I'd fingered myself plenty of times before, but never had I felt this hot, needy feeling before. In that moment, I didn't know what Marcus's motives were for kissing me like this, but I didn't care.

All I wanted was for him to keep kissing me like this, but soon, even that wasn't enough. I wanted more. As if he'd read my mind, he lifted his head, a surprised expression in his eyes. "Whoa. I never thought..." He broke off and buried his face in my neck, trailing kisses over my heated flesh.

I reached up and threaded my fingers through his silky blond locks. His tongue grazed my throat. Moisture formed between my legs.

d.a.m.n I was h.o.r.n.y.

Marcus's hand slid lower to squeeze my ample bottom, pulling me closer still. He squeezed and kneaded my a.s.s in his palm as though it was a lump of clay and he was a sculptor. "Yes, Marcus. That feels so good," I moaned, leaning my head against the wall.

"Let's go up to your room," he muttered against my neck.

I opened my eyes to look at him, not believing what he was asking. I knew if we went up to my room what could happen. Did I dare take this irreversible step that would probably change both our lives forever? My head said no, but my p.u.s.s.y screamed yes.

"Well?" He lifted a dark blond brow, waiting for my answer.

My p.u.s.s.y won. "Okay." I took his hand in mine. I wasn't thinking straight at the moment. The only thought in my mind was letting Marcus have his way with me.

I led him up the stairs to my room, my breathing shallow with antic.i.p.ation for what was soon to happen. "Nice room," he casually commented and closed the door behind him.

"Thanks." I gulped.

This was it.

I watched in fascination as he began to remove his jacket and then his T-shirt. This was the first time I'd seen him without his shirt on and his torso was everything I'd imagined it would be. He was lean with a well-sculpted chest and ripped stomach. You could probably bounce a quarter off those tight abs. It was easy to see he was an athlete. My eyes widened as his hands unbuckled his belt and undid his pants.

Just when he was about to slide his jeans down his narrow hips, Marcus paused, and smiled. My heart skipped a beat. I'd seen that smile before, but it had never been for me. I blinked hard to make sure this wasn't some dream I'd wake up from feeling unsatisfied.

"Aren't you going to take off your robe?"

Heat flooded my cheeks. How dense could I have been? In my horniness I didn't think about getting undressed in front of him. A wave of fear swept towards me. Marcus was used to dating thin, all-American girl types like Keely. What would he think when he saw me in all my chubby glory? "Can we turn the lights out?" I bit my bottom lip in my nervousness.

He looked puzzled. "Why?"

"Because...I...I just want to do this with the lights off."

"Don't you like what you see?"

"Very much, but I'm just afraid you won't like what you see." I'm sure if my skin were lighter, my face would be flame red.

"I don't care about that. I'm here, aren't I?" He shrugged.

"It doesn't mean you won't change your mind when you see me."

"I'm not the shallow b.a.s.t.a.r.d you think I am. Come on, April, let me see you." He took a step forward and I clutched my robe together as if my life depended on it.

"No."

"Come on. We've come this far. You don't have anything to worry about."

"Don't I?"

"Do you want me to go first? I will." He removed his pants and then took off his boxers. "See? Now it's your turn."

My jaw dropped. I'd never seen a c.o.c.k in person before. My cousin Jennifer and I had sneaked a Playgirl from my aunt's bedroom once but it had not prepared me for this.

I suppose Marcus's c.o.c.k was average, just short of seven inches if I were guessing, but it was so thick. He stood there in all of his perfect, naked glory. Marcus was hot with clothes, but when he wasn't wearing any, he looked like a fine work of art. I couldn't believe such a perfect specimen of man-flesh was standing in my room, let alone a naked one.

I thought I'd faint that very moment, especially when he started walking towards me, his c.o.c.k bobbing up and down with each step he took. "Now it's your turn."

I took a step back until the back of my legs. .h.i.t my bed. "Umm, maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all."

"April, stop playing games. Let me see you." He stepped in front of me and grabbed the sides of my robe.

What was the point of fighting? He would take one look at my love handles and change his mind. I dropped my hands and closed my eyes, squeezing them tightly shut. I didn't want to see an expression of disgust on his face when I stood exposed before him.

I felt the cool air brush against my skin as Marcus parted my robe. His hands touched my shoulders and seconds later, I felt the robe falling off my body. I opened one of my eyes, to see what was going on.

To my surprise, there was no revulsion on his face. Could it be that he liked what he saw? Marcus reached out, cupping my b.r.e.a.s.t.s. His thumbs gently brushed my nipples, making the breath catch in my throat.

The heady sensation of Marcus's skin against mine was like nothing I'd ever experienced. The intimacy of his touch was deliciously wicked. "I don't know what you were so ashamed of. I love your big, beautiful b.r.e.a.s.t.s," he whispered as though he couldn't take his eyes off of them.

"Really?" I shivered at the newness of what I felt.

"Yes, really." He pushed me back on the bed before falling on top of me. His mouth descended on mine, and this time I was ready to receive his hungry kiss. My tongue darted out to meet his. I loved the taste of him, just as he seemed to enjoy me as well.

He lifted his head slightly to trace my lips with his tongue. I'd seen things like this in the movies, but never imagined it would happen to me. I moaned his name in delight. "Oh, Marcus. I love the way you kiss."

A slight smile touched his lips. "You're not so bad yourself." He planted kisses on my neck and face. My body began to shake and convulse in reaction. I didn't really know how to handle this fire burning within me, but I intended to try my d.a.m.nedest.

end.