Sexcapades (2 page)

No, not possible.

“Okay, so I might have been nervous. I think most women are the
first time they go in.”

“Or they simply buy them online.”

“That was a different
Sexcapades
post. ‘The Dos and Don’ts of Online Shopping.’” Petra still got comments on
that.

Another snort from close by had Petra’s head snapping around.
“Who the hell is doing that?”

Not really expecting an answer, she was shocked when her
mystery man folded his paper and set it down.

“I am.”

She swallowed hard, hoping she wasn’t drooling. While she’d
watched him off and on over the past year, she’d never full-out stared at him
before. His eyes were a crystal blue, so light they looked like colored
contacts. They looked as if they could dissect a person with only a casual
passing glance. His brown hair was cut neatly, making him look like the business
man he probably was.

Wait a minute.

She glared at him. “It’s rude to listen in on other people’s
conversations.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “I’m sitting twelve inches away and you
weren’t making any effort to keep your voice down.”

“I was too. Besides, I should be able to have a conversation
with my friend without being interrupted by a...a...” He smirked at her, but
didn’t interrupt her fumbling. Shit, why could she never make a good comeback
when she needed one?

Black sunglasses were perched on top of his head, shooting back
a distorted image of herself in the lenses. Her curly hair had partially escaped
her ponytail and had formed a frizzy halo around her head, giving her an air of
mad-scientist. Great.

“I was simply sitting here enjoying my paper. Though I have to
admit I find it fascinating that a woman who can discuss dildos in a public
place would be shy about buying one.”

Petra blinked away the mental image of him pressing her against
the wall to grind his groin against her. “Pardon? Lots of people get embarrassed
buying things like that.”

He crossed his arms and leaned back against his seat. “Things?”
Great, was he laughing at her now? “Can’t you say the word anymore?”

“Of course I can.”
That presumptuous
jerk!
“But maybe I don’t think it’s appropriate anymore.”

“Do you have confidence issues around sexual matters? I don’t
want you to think I’m picking on you. It’s pretty common with both men and
women.”

“I don’t have self-confidence issues.”

Alice began to cough, her face red as she waved Petra’s concern
away. “Coffee. Windpipe.”

“I think your friend is too polite to agree with me.”

She glared at Alice. “Traitor.”

“Sorry, Pet. But you have to admit, he has a point.”

Okay, so Petra totally had self-confidence issues. She didn’t
get out much anymore, to the point that Alice began dropping hints she might be
slightly agoraphobic. And yes, she didn’t like engaging in conversations with
strangers, which had put more than a little damper on her love life.

But still!

Her mystery man currently regarded her with an expression that
would have been at home on a scientist, as if he was conducting some sort of
mental analysis on her. “I’d be curious to hear what you consider dirty talk.”
He leaned forward so that the muscles of his bare forearms rippled as he braced
his elbows on his knees. “People’s fantasies actually tell us quite a bit about
the person—if they are a risk taker, their sexual preferences. Key elements of
their personality.”

Why does he have to be so bloody good
looking?
It took effort for Petra to tear her gaze away from the
sun-kissed skin and back to those piercing blue eyes.

“I don’t think it’s the type of language appropriate for a
family establishment.” Fate backed her point up with the arrival of a woman and
her toddler.

“Yet you have no problem discussing dildos.” He chuckled, then
picked up his paper once more, unfolding it with precise motions. “I’m sorry. I
shouldn’t push. I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I’ll let you get back to your
coffee.”

Looking back on this moment, Petra wouldn’t be able to pinpoint
exactly what prompted her to do what she did. Maybe it was the way he dismissed
her with a flick of the paper. Or even the fact he didn’t seem to think she
could spout the nasty on demand. Either way, as she got to her feet, completely
ignoring Alice’s soft gasp, Petra knew that for once in her life she wasn’t
going to back away from a challenge.

D. Williams would be proud.

Spice and male musk invaded her senses as she closed the
distance between them. He looked up from his paper, mouth open, his full lips
wet from where he’d licked away his coffee. A tingle shot straight through to
her pussy as his crystal blue eyes met her gaze. Petra clenched her thighs
together, surprised by the force of her unexpected arousal. “You don’t think I
can do it?”

His eyes widened as his grip on the paper tightened. “I didn’t
mean to—”

They both sucked in a breath at the same time. It would take
nothing to lean in and brush her lips against his. Licking her lips, Petra met
his gaze once more. Completely ignoring the sane part of her brain screaming
that this was a terrible idea, she said, “I have a more than healthy
imagination, and my fantasies would make you blush.”

Taking a deep breath, Petra kept her gaze steady and brought to
mind the image she’d created of her perfect man. She would entwine her legs
around his and grind her pussy down against his hard cock. When she knew he
wouldn’t last much longer, Petra would lean in and suck on his earlobe.

This was it. She could do this.

“I would lean in and keep my voice soft.” Petra knew she was
blushing, but honestly, it was his fault for pushing her to this. “I would then
say...I want you to take your penis and shove it into my vagina hard. Squeeze my
breasts until I’m begging for more.”

The moment the words left her mouth, Petra felt a change in the
atmosphere between them. As quickly as the unrepressed lust appeared, the bubble
burst. His lips, open and lush a moment ago, were now quirked into a smirk.

Smiling was bad.

“Thank you for that,” he said. Petra stepped back as he slid
from his seat. “As I said, a person’s fantasies can say a lot about who they
are.”

Before his words had completely registered, he pulled back and
stepped away from her chair. With a wink to Alice, he snatched up his coffee and
paper. “Have a nice day, ladies.”

Petra didn’t even hear the electric chime of the door heralding
his departure. What had just happened? Alice took her hand when Petra retook her
seat, and gave it a comforting pat. “Well, sweetie, that was an interesting
choice of words.”

“What? He wanted to hear dirty talk.”

Alice didn’t bother to disguise her eye roll. “You said, and I
quote, ‘I want you to take your penis and shove it into my vagina hard. Squeeze
my breasts until I’m begging for more.’”

Oh.

Shit.

Petra thumped her head against the table. “That was the lamest
of lame.”

“You’ve never been one to master the whole impromptu thing.
You’re a thinker, sweetie. Not a doer.”

Resting her chin on her hands, Petra sighed. “I want to be a
doer. But every time I try, it’s as if something in my brain locks up and I
become super dork.”

“That’s why being PC of Sexcapades is good for you. It gives
you an outlet.”

That was all well and good, but Petra wanted to be PC in real
life, not simply online. She wanted to be glamorous, sexy and have men throwing
themselves at her. She didn’t want to grow old and alone, with nothing but a
computer to keep her company.

Who was she kidding? She didn’t want that. Watching the shit
that Alice went through on a weekly basis, the way men treated her like she was
nothing more than a pretty face, no way. But having a guy who loved her and was
more than happy to let her kinky side go wild wasn’t asking for too much.

Was it?

* * *

Alice had spent the better part of an hour pumping her
back up after her disastrous attempt at flirting. Thank God he didn’t know
anything about her
Sexcapades
website.

Would it change how he saw her if he knew she ran the site?
Probably. Worse, it would kill any credibility she’d created with PC.
Hey
,
the woman you’re all
listening to considers penis
,
vagina and breasts
to be dirty talk.
Might want to reconsider the post on dildos!

Punching in the code to retrieve her telephone messages, Petra
was still trying to figure out if she should approach him the next time she saw
him and apologize for her lame-assedness, when the recorded voice on the line
finally got her attention.

“...and we would be pleased to host you for the award ceremony.
Please call us—”

What the hell?

Quickly she pressed the back button to start the message over.
“Hello, Petra Clark. Thank you for entering your website
Sexcapades
for consideration in the Toronto Web Awards. We are
thrilled to inform you that your site has finaled in the Best Advice Blog
category. The awards event will be held at the Rogers Convention Center in three
weeks, and we would be pleased to host you for the award ceremony. Please call
us back at—”

Petra squealed, jumping up and down and dropping the phone.
She’d sent off her application to the TWA nominating committee months ago and
had completely forgotten about it. Hers was only one small website in the vast
sea of internet information, and she thought the chances of being selected would
be miniscule. But holy crap, she’d done it!

If she won her category, she’d have a shot at the grand prize.
Given the state of her bank account, twenty-five thousand dollars would mean she
could keep doing this full-time. It might be a pipe dream, but snagging this
nomination got her one step closer.

Picking up the phone, she replayed the message again and wrote
down all the details, grinning the entire time. That was, until the last part of
the message.

“We are having a live reading of the list of nominees next
Friday evening, and encourage you to attend. There will be media opportunities
and a chance to mingle with the other nominees. Let us know if you will be able
to make it.”

Media meant photographers, which meant pictures. It also meant
people and pretending to be the super sexy PC.

“Oh crap.”

She couldn’t swing making a little dirty talk with a
good-looking man at a coffee shop. How the hell was she going to manage taking
her online persona out into the real world? She was uncomfortable in crowds on a
good day.

Petra had a week to turn herself into a sex vixen, one that all
women would want to listen to.

“I’m screwed.”

Chapter Two

When you don’t have a man to give you what you need, then take matters into your own hands. There’s nothing wrong with a firm grasp and a good vibrator.

—PC,
Sexcapades
—
sex advice for women

Ladies
,
I
volunteer to come over to ensure you don’t need to do this.
Call me!

—D. Williams,
Mantastic
—
advice for REAL men

Petra fidgeted with the knee-length hem of her hunter-green dress, wishing for the dozenth time that she hadn’t listened to Alice and chosen this particular style. The silk hugged her hips and ass, doing very little to hide the extra inches of padding she’d acquired since she began working from home two years ago. And was showing this much cleavage even legal?

“It’s sexy, Pet,” Alice had said. She had even gone so far as to help tame Petra’s normal tangle of hair into a stylish up-do. “If you want people to think you’re a sex goddess then this is what you need to do.”

Sex goddess. Sure. Right, that was so her.

Once upon a time it might have been, if her ex hadn’t been such a douche. Though it was because of his cruelty that she’d started doing her degree in psychology and sexuality and learned she wasn’t the one with the problem. Wanting to experiment with sex was normal, healthy even. She simply needed to give herself permission to let go.

She could be PC if she put her mind to it.

Tonight was her chance to prove to herself that there was more to her than even she thought.

“Okay,” Petra huffed. “I’m PC. People like me. People might flirt with me. When I don’t know what to say, I will direct them to my blog.” She straightened her shoulders and carefully made her way into the reception area.

The Friday night party proved to be an even bigger event that she’d originally thought. The organizer had been ecstatic to learn that PC would be gracing their ceremony with her presence. Many of the nominating committee had been impressed with her site and having her there in person would add a whole new dimension to the reading.

How hard could it be to dress hot and stand around while someone read her name out loud? Easy-peasy.

I
can do this.
I
will
do this.

Even if she ended up falling flat on her ass after stumbling over her spiked heels. The Web of Excellence grand prize would give her a much needed boost in exposure, maybe even send her little advice blog into the big leagues and land her some screen space with a big online magazine. Step one to winning it was how she performed tonight.

She held out her paper invitation to the girl standing at the door, and listened to the laughter coming from inside the hall. The girl had to tug on it hard to pry it from Petra’s death grip. Damn, maybe she was more nervous about this than she realized.

“Oh, so you’re PC.” The girl beamed, a flush rising in her cheeks. “I love your site. Your recent post on dildos was...amazing.”

“Thank you.” Petra accepted the compliment with a smile. Alice was right, smiling made things easier. “It’s always nice to hear that people actually read my blurbs.” And stop talking. Don’t overdo it and you won’t come across as a dork.

“I check it out every week. My girlfriends and I giggle over some of your posts.”

A giggle? A good giggle or a bad giggle? Petra was afraid to ask. “It’s all in the name of education and entertainment. And dildos.” Petra winked at the girl, who giggled yet again.

Shit, maybe she could do this.

“The party has started. I think someone is making a speech later, but for now the nominees are mingling. Checking out the competition and stuff.”

Petra let her gaze slip over the crowd, surprised to see so many people had arrived already. She wasn’t that late. “I’ll be careful not to say anything too embarrassing, then.”

“I don’t think you need to worry about that. People are so excited to have you here. Have fun!”

She plastered on a smile and stepped into the dimly lit room. Within seconds, a server had shoved a tray of wine in front of her face. Impulsively, she reached for the red and took a deep sip, not caring what it tasted like.

Though that really was some nice stuff right there. Drinking the rest of the glass like a university chugging champ, she found the closest waiter and exchanged her empty glass for another one.

And there it went...right to her head.

She hadn’t quite been a recluse in the three years since she’d graduated from university, but she’d certainly limited her attendance for large social situations. Alice was always trying to push her, dragging her along to Christmas parties at her office or summer barbeques, doing her best to kick Petra’s ass. Petra really did try to get out, but every time she did, that weird ants-under-the-skin feeling would kick in and she’d find herself drifting away from the strangers. She didn’t need to have a ton of people in her life to be happy.

And she was happy.

Mostly.

Hiding behind the mantel of PC had given Petra the freedom to say things she normally never would, to give others the advice she’d never received. Hopefully it meant she’d saved some woman from bumbling through her sexual awakening. If she could help even one person gain some confidence with men, she was happy.

The noise level in the room was overwhelming. She looked around at all the smiling, confident people. Everyone looked relaxed and seemed deeply engrossed in animated conversations. Several of the women could have graced the covers of any one of the better fashion magazines in their sequins and jewels.

Forcing herself to move deeper into the crowd, Petra smiled at several people. Many people smiled and nodded and she could have joined them. But as she drew closer, all thoughts of what she would say to the group evaporated. She cut away at the last minute and continued to weave her way through to the back of the room.

Petra found the bar. She was already eyeing the exit. Yes, she was here, but so was the chest-clenching panic. Backtracking around the edges of the room would get her out of having to deal with the groups again. She’d finish her drink in the next five minutes and bolt, nomination reading or not.

What was she doing here?

She wasn’t really PC—sex queen and advice superstar. She reached up and tucked a curl behind her ear. Every time Petra tried to pretend she was someone else, things ended badly. It was one of the reasons she’d stopped listening to what other people said about her in high school. It was easier to ignore everyone else when she was comfortable in her own skin. And to Petra that had meant jogging pants and T-shirts instead of jeans and skirts. An event like this put her so far out of her element her parents would have laughed had they seen her.

Screw it.
Five minutes is up.
Time to get out of here.

“Well, isn’t this a surprise.”

Petra snapped her head around, ignoring the pulse of want in her pussy when she spotted her caffeinated mystery man. “What the hell are you doing here?”

He stood three feet away, hands in his pockets, suit jacket unbuttoned to reveal a formfitting navy blue shirt and black tie.
Holy crap he cleans up nice.
Not that he doesn’t look good all the time...but damn.

“I was about to ask you the same thing.” He came closer, snatching up a glass of white wine when one of the servers strolled past. “It took me a minute to recognize you. That’s a much different look than the denim and tank top.”

She should be freaking out being this close to him, but if nothing else her mystery man was a friendly face in a hostile environment. God, Alice would be laughing her head off if she could see Petra now. Squeezing the stem of her wine glass, she tried to relax, ignoring the way his gaze dipped down to her cleavage.

“I didn’t think they would appreciate shorts in a place like this. Alice took me shopping.”

“Alice is your friend from the coffee shop?” He sipped his wine, but his gaze drifted to her left ear. “You seem to have lost an earring.”

Shit
,
not again.
“Yes, the one with a sense of fashion.” She took off her lone earring and shoved it in her purse.

Petra forgot how to breathe as he reached out and freed a curl from behind her ear. “That’s better,” he said as a lazy smile stretched his full lips. “Are you here as a nominee or as part of the committee?”

“Nominee.” Petra swallowed and hoped her lips didn’t shake as she tried to smile. The skin where his fingers had brushed against her tingled from the brief contact. “You?”

“Nominee.” He held up his wine glass and clinked it against hers. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks. You too.” They both took a sip, giving Petra several precious seconds to beat down her rapidly growing lustful thoughts.

Like what he’d look like without his shirt.

Picturing how big his cock would be.

Whether or not he’d let her tie him up. Or the other way around.

She wasn’t picky.

Shit.
Back to reality
,
Pet.

She looked around the crowd, trying to determine what group he’d abandoned to save her from her solitude. No one seemed to be glaring at her, and she hoped that meant there wasn’t an annoyed date who would come rushing over to beat her about the head with a shoe. When she looked back, Petra realized he’d been staring at her the entire time.

Ignoring the fluttering in her stomach, she seized the chance to ask the one question she’d been dying to ask for months now. “This is a bit silly. I see you all the time at the coffee shop and yet I still don’t know your name.”

He cocked his head to the side, took a step back and held out his free hand. “I’m Darcy.”

A shiver traveled up her arm. “Petra. Nice to meet you, Darcy.”

“Likewise.” Darcy held her hand a few moments longer than was strictly necessary, giving it a gentle squeeze before finally releasing her. “And for the record, while the shorts and T-shirts are a good look on you, you’re absolutely stunning in this dress.”

Her pale face was probably deep red by this point. “Thank you. I feel naked in it.”

“Trust me, you’re amazing.” His smirk should have warned her. “No breasts or vaginas showing.”

Petra straightened. “There’s no reason to make fun. I feel enough of an idiot.”

Darcy held up his hand. “Sorry. But it was really cute. It kept me smiling all day.”

Okay...so he didn’t think she was an idiot. Smiling was a good thing. “It did?”

“I’d had the crappiest day at the office. That’s why I was at the coffee shop in the first place.” Darcy took a step closer, forcing Petra to look up at him. Damn, he was taller than she remembered. “I should be thanking you for making my day better.”

“You’re welcome.” Because she had no idea what else to say to that.

“I had no idea you were involved with blogging. Though I guess that makes sense.”

“What?”

“You’re clearly a thinker and not really comfortable in big crowds like this.” He looked around the room, nodding at the throng. “I thought for a moment you were going to bolt.”

She hated that he could read her so effortlessly. It wasn’t fair that he had charm and an easygoing nature wrapped up in a package that was far too handsome to be legal. Petra didn’t want to be under his microscope any longer than necessary. “So what category are you nominated in?”

Darcy opened his mouth to answer when the tapping of a microphone cut through the din of the room, silencing everyone with an electronic buzz. “Hello, everyone. Can I have your attention please?”

Petra rolled her eyes, silently thankful for the distraction, and turned toward the slightly balding man who now stood front and center on the stage. Darcy shifted closer beside her, enough that she could feel his body heat warming her chilled skin.

The man on stage held his arms wide open and grinned down at them. “Thank you, everyone, for coming tonight. My name is Malcolm Robins, and I’m this year’s chairman of the Toronto Web Awards.”

Polite applause from the crowd rolled across the room. Darcy leaned in so his hot breath tickled her neck. “I think his face is going to fall off if he smiles any harder.”

Surprisingly, Malcolm’s smile did widen and Petra found herself covering a giggle. Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as she thought.

“Tonight is your opportunity to get to know each other. Take advantage of the media here tonight and get some positive PR for each of your sites. Every year our nominees see a significant jump in their web traffic, which will equate to dollars and cents for many of you.”

“And dildos for others.” Darcy chuckled.

Petra’s snort drew the attention of the couple standing in front of them. She swallowed down a large gulp of wine to hide her embarrassment. When had the crowd gotten so heavy back here?

She purposely kept her body facing the stage and did her best to ignore the way her chest tightened. Robins was still talking, thanking faceless people for their efforts in pulling together this year’s Web of Excellence at a breakneck pace and under budget. The rest of the MC’s words were lost on her as another group of people came up beside them.

Petra cleared her throat and tried to move back, but there were several of the wait staff standing along the wall. She’d somehow gone from being a wallflower to standing in the middle of a group.

“Hey, are you okay?” Darcy’s hand on the small of her back should have been comforting. Instead her heart threatened to pound through her ribcage.

“I—”

“Petra? You’re looking a bit pale. Do you want to sit down?”

Laughter rolled through the crowd, filling the room and hurting her ears. She couldn’t see the exit anymore, nor could she make out an easy path to get there. Her stomach soured and her legs itched to move.

Shit, she had to get out of here.

“Petra—”

“I have to leave.” She didn’t wait to see his reaction and pushed her way through the group.

The sea of bodies refused to part even as she barreled through the throng. Petra bumped into them, muttering apologies as she went. Her head had grown light and black spots started to dance in her field of vision. If she didn’t get out of here soon she was going to pass out.