Open In Private
Authors: Samantha Gentry
Tags: #romance,erotic,contemporary,christmas,graphic
Thank you for purchasing this Wild Rose Press, Inc. publication.
Open In Private
by
Samantha Gentry
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
Open In Private
COPYRIGHT © 2013 by Samantha Gentry
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Cover Art by
Diana Carlile
The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
PO Box 708
Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708
Visit us at www.thewilderroses.com
Publishing History
First Scarlet Rose Edition, November 2013
Digital ISBN 978-1-62830-074-1
Published in the United States of America
PRAISE FOR AUTHOR
Samantha Gentry
AND HER BOOKS
FORBIDDEN ISLAND
"If you want a sexy read for a cool summer night, then I'd suggest Forbidden Island. I give this steamy short story 4.5 Cherries."
~Whipped Cream Reviews
STEAMY ENCOUNTER
"Samantha Gentry is an awesome writer who spins a tale of so much interest you have to fall in love with the characters and the book itself! Trust me on this! You will enjoy Ms. Gentry's style. I guarantee it...read this book!"
~5 Hearts - Brenda Tally, The Romance Studio
MASKED ENCOUNTER
"I found Masked Encounter a lovely and steamy way to spend a couple of hours. This is another story that will be placed prominently in my short story library."
~Joyfully Reviewed
UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER
"Ms. Gentry has believable characters that are well written. She tells a visual tale with words."
~5 Angels - Dawnie, Fallen Angel Reviews
Chapter One
Charlene Vance printed off the list in preparation for her eleven o'clock appointment with Parker Simmons. She closed her eyes as a mental image of the most desirable man she had ever known popped into her mind—six feet of ruggedly handsome dynamic presence with piercing green eyes and light brown hair. He appeared to be in his late thirties, maybe forty. Her pulse quickened, followed by a tingle of excitement that raced through her body and settled in her pussy. Desirable? Absolutely. But available? Unfortunately, not at all.
She sucked in a calming breath and shook her head as she attempted to rid herself of the errant and inappropriate thoughts. Parker had been a good client of her personal shopping service for five years—Christmas, Valentine's Day, wife's birthday, and their anniversary in addition to his business gift needs. To attempt an intimate relationship with him would be ill advised. But more to the point, as a married man, Parker Simmons was off limits. She was not a home wrecker and had no intentions of becoming one.
For several years following her divorce, she vowed she had no interest in a committed relationship and she meant it. But as time passed, she began entertaining thoughts about a special someone with whom she could share her life. A man like Parker Simmons. She emitted a sigh of resignation.
Humph…all the desirable ones are unavailable.
She scanned the list of purchases made on his behalf during the last twelve months, broken down into two categories, personal and business. The business list consisted of clients, associates, and employees. They communicated several times during the year regarding purchases other than Christmas. And now, just like every year, she had an appointment to sit down with him on the Friday before Thanksgiving to go over his many requirements for the Christmas holiday season.
After gathering everything she needed for her meeting, she drove to Parker Simmons' company and was immediately admitted to his private office.
"Carli, it's good to see you." Parker held out his hand as a genuine smile spread across his face. She accepted his handshake, noting his familiar use of her nickname and the warmth of his touch. She reluctantly acknowledged the little tremor of excitement caused by the physical contact. And that mesmerizing voice…it could melt the resolve of the most determined virgin.
"It's that time of year again." She returned his smile as she sat in the chair he indicated. "I don't know where the time goes. It seems as if we just did this."
"Would you like some coffee?"
A spontaneous laugh escaped her throat. "I had enough coffee at home this morning. I feel like I'm swimming in it. If I have any more, someone will need to throw me a life jacket. So, I think I'd better pass."
Knowing what a busy schedule he maintained, she got right to the business at hand. She removed two sheets of paper from her attaché case and handed them to him. "This is a list of everyone I bought presents for last Christmas on your behalf, what I purchased, and the price. As usual, I need you to go over the list of names, make the appropriate changes to show additions and deletions, and approve a price range for each person. Then we can discuss—"
"The first one off the list is Brenda." He grabbed a pen from the top of his desk and quickly drew a dark line through the name, emphasizing his comment. Then he drew a line through several other names. "And everyone in her family as well as her friends."
"Your wife?" She couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice.
"
Ex
-wife. We got divorced last spring…April, to be exact." A hint of a bittersweet smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "I should have done it six months earlier when I finally admitted to myself that it was over. It would have saved me the expense of last year's Christmas presents along with that farce of February expenses more commonly known as our wedding anniversary and Valentine's Day."
A hint of a frown wrinkled across his forehead as if a thought had just occurred to him. "But that would have taken away from your income," he extended a sincere smile, "so it all worked out for the best."
"This is quite a surprise. I…I'm not sure what to say."
Other than I'm not totally shocked. You did seem rather indifferent when we discussed her Christmas gifts last year, and even more so for your anniversary and Valentine's Day earlier this year.
Carli's mind raced in several directions. A moment of sadness claimed her. It wasn't fair for such a nice man to have that type of upheaval in his life. Her memory of the only time she'd met his wife reminded her of how mismatched she thought they were. Curiosity quickly followed when she wondered about their divorce settlement, especially since they didn't have any children. His wife had struck her as the greedy vindictive type who would do her best to take him for everything he had. Or was that merely a biased opinion on her part?
"I'm sorry to hear about your divorce, Parker." She wondered what had caused it. Had one of them cheated on the other?
"Don't be." His clipped words told her it had not been an amicable situation.
Then another thought popped into her mind, one that left a ripple of excitement darting through her consciousness…a divorce moved him into the
available
category. No question that she would like to be in that inevitable line of women wanting to seriously jump his bones. It had been an uneventful couple of years for her sex life. She wanted—
needed—
a hot love affair with an exciting man.
Every time he flashed one of those sexy smiles of his, she instantly knew
uneventful
would definitely
not
apply to him. But an inward sigh and a hint of resignation told her that he was still a client and this was a business meeting. She tried to rationalize her desire for him by telling herself it wasn't as if they worked in the same office on a daily basis or that he was her boss and she was his employee. It helped…a little. But it didn't erase the
he's a client
thoughts.
"Well…uh…" A moment of uneasiness caused her to shift in her chair as she glanced around his office. "I know how busy you are, so we should probably get on with our meeting."
He perched on the edge of his desk next to her chair—an informal, definitely non-business action—rather than sitting behind his desk as he had always done at their previous meetings. He smelled good…an after-shave with a crisp, masculine scent that suited him. His nearness sent a surge of desire racing through her body.
"You seem to be a little uncomfortable about this news, Carli." His voice softened, as if comforting a close friend. "I've never seen you behave or speak in such an awkward manner. There was nothing unexpected or traumatic about the divorce. It had been brewing for over a year and was long overdue."
"Divorce is such an emotional upheaval in someone's life." The heartfelt words came from a place deep inside her. "It sometimes makes even the daily functions difficult for a while."
"You sound like you're speaking from experience." He tilted his head and stared at her, a look that created a moment of uncertainty for her, followed by a quick heated flush of embarrassment.
She glanced at the floor for a second, hoping to ward off her emotional reaction to him. "Yes…been there, done that. It was seven years ago when my ex and I called it quits after five years of marriage. That's when I started my personal shopper business, which turned out to be a good move for me. Well, counting the divorce, it turned out to be
two
good moves for me." She had waited until she was twenty-two years old to get married. Unfortunately, her assumption that an additional couple of years of
maturity
would guarantee a success had been a huge miscalculation.
"Seven years divorced for you and seven months for me. Seven is supposed to be a lucky number and it worked out well for you." He flashed one of those dazzling, way too sexy smiles. "Perhaps that luck will hold true for both of us?"
A spontaneous laugh escaped her throat. He had a marvelous way of putting people at ease. "I can always use an extra bit of luck."
"I have a great idea." He checked his watch as he rose from the edge of his desk. "I'm hungry, so let's have this meeting over lunch. There's a great little bistro just down the block. It's a nice day, we can walk."
She offered a confident smile as she stood, doing her best to hide her surprise and the conflicting thoughts ignited by his unexpected lunch suggestion. "Sounds like a great idea."
A hint of expectation touched her. Could it possibly be a social invitation signifying a change in what was once a friendly although strictly business relationship? But the hopeful moment was short-lived. Perhaps it wasn't anything more than what he said, lunchtime and he was hungry while being obligated to their scheduled meeting.
She mentally shook her head. Errant thoughts flew in all directions, not the least of which was the realization that she had silently lusted for him the entire five years he had been her client. Just because he was now divorced did not make him
available
. In fact, seven months was a long time. He might already be seriously involved with someone. She couldn't imagine a man like Parker Simmons being alone for long. She gathered her resolve. She had to get the situation—
herself
—under control before she did something embarrassing.
He placed his hand at the small of her back, guiding her toward the door. The moment he made physical contact, a tremor of lustful need swept through her body. A myriad of thoughts and feelings jarred her reality as they walked to the bistro. Something about him ignited the core of her primal needs.
He's a client…he's a client.
She kept repeating the mantra to herself, but it didn't help.
They sat in a quiet booth away from the main traffic paths of the bistro and studied the menu. There was nothing unusual about having lunch with a client, so why had this lunch turned her reality upside down? He seemed very relaxed, a far cry from the nervous tension coursing through her veins.
He gestured toward her menu. "See anything that tempts you?"
She suppressed a knowing grin as she pretended to be studying the menu.
What a foolish question. You tempt me. Everything about you tempts me.
"I don't have any specific recommendations. All the food here is terrific."
Parker readily admitted to himself that he had thought about Charlene Vance on numerous occasions. He genuinely enjoyed her company even though it had always been strictly professional. And then there was the woman herself rather than just the business associate. Definitely a treat for the eyes with that flawless skin, short blond hair feathered softly around her face, and those big blue eyes.
