|
Synopsis:
Beautiful
Cindra Mallory is determined to become an interplanetary bounty hunter
and has set her sights high for her first job. She tracks a major
organized-crime figure halfway across the galaxy, only to run out of
both leads and money. Facing the possibility of going home empty handed,
she decides to enlist the services of more experienced bounty hunter
Bladen Sloan. Unwilling to share the glory – or the bounty – with the
ruggedly handsome Bladen, however, Cindra fabricates a convoluted story
that has her posing as a jilted bride-to-be, with her bounty as the
fiancé she needs Bladen to track down. But when Bladen discovers she has
no money to pay him, he agrees to do the job only in return for some
extremely special compensation.
Before she knows it, Cindra finds herself signing a contract that has
her agreeing to provide ten sexual favors to Bladen in return for his
services. How difficult can it be? she thinks. After all, the man
certainly isn’t hard to look at. And besides, she can always skip out on
the deal the moment they find her fugitive. However, things get
complicated when she discovers that Bladen believes in spankings plus
she not only enjoys being Bladen’s sex toy, but is starting to fall for
him as well. But is there a way to tell Bladen the truth, get her
bounty, and still keep the man she’s falling in love with?
|
|
EXCERPT:
Bladen lifted his gaze to her face and
found her regarding him expectantly. “While your offer is very
tempting, Ms. Mallory, I can’t accept it.”
Her brow furrowed beneath her long, sexy bangs. “Why not?”
He gave her a small smile. “Because for one thing, it wouldn’t be very
professional of me. And for another, I would feel like I was taking
advantage of you.”
She blinked, obviously surprised by the words. But then her lips
curved into a smile. “You wouldn’t be taking advantage of me, Mr.
Sloan, I assure you. I know exactly what I’m offering you, and I’m
willing to do whatever is necessary to retain your services.”
Bladen said nothing for a moment. Damn, she must want to find her
ex-boyfriend bad. And since she obviously wasn’t going to let Bladen
bow out of this gracefully, he was going to have to try a different
approach. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Ms. Mallory. I find you very
attractive, but I don’t think that a single night of sex would be a
fair trade for ten-thousand credits worth of my services.”
While he’d been careful how he phrased the words, he could tell by the
color rushing to her cheeks that he’d clearly offended Cindra Mallory.
Then again, maybe that might be a good thing, he thought. If she was
suitably insulted, maybe she’d storm out of his office in a huff and
he could forget all about her very tempting offer. But instead, she
simply lifted a brow.
“Then I’ll sleep with you more than once,” she said. “Is there a
particular number you have in mind?”
Bladen had to fight to keep his jaw from dropping. Shit, that hadn’t
gone like he thought it would. Cindra Mallory was seriously willing to
sleep with him in exchange for his help. And the sultry look she was
giving him right now was making his cock stand up and demand to be put
in charge of the negotiations.
“I’d have no idea what the going rate would be,” he said. “But even if
I give you the benefit of the doubt and say that a single night of
lovemaking with you is worth a thousand credits, that would still mean
you would owe me...”
“Ten nights of unbelievable passion,” she finished for him. “Deal!”
For the second time that night, Bladen stared at her in disbelief,
stunned by what she had just agreed to. His cock however, was quite
thrilled. “Let me make sure I understand this,” he said slowly. “In
exchange for my services, you’re agreeing to provide me with ten
sexual favors, of my design, and at the time of my choosing?”
“Yes, Mr. Sloan, that’s exactly what I’m agreeing to,” she told him.
What was she thinking, agreeing to sleep
with Bladen Sloan ten times in exchange for his help? Cindra wondered.
But she’d been so caught up in their sexy banter, not to mention
mesmerized by his hypnotizing good looks, that the words had come out
of her mouth before she even knew what she was saying. Was it too late
to back out of it? she asked herself. But one look at the expression
on the bounty hunter’s face told her that he considered it a done
deal. Maybe she should tell him that she changed her mind, and then
make a mad dash for the door.
But she didn’t. Instead, Cindra forced herself to take a deep,
cleansing breath. Why was she freaking out? What difference did it
really make if she agreed to sleep with Bladen Sloan once or ten
times? It wasn’t like she was actually going to have sex with him
anyway. She’d flirt and lead him on just like she planned, then when
Sloan found DelCour for her, she would be off Pendari before she’d
ever have to honor their agreement.
Behind his desk, Sloan inclined his head. “Then I’ll draw up a
contract and we can make it official.”
Cindra frowned at that. She found it hard to believe he was actually
going to put something like that into writing, but she said nothing as
he dictated the terms of their agreement into the computer. Well, she
could only hope he was just as thorough when it came to looking for
DelCour, she thought wryly.
Once the contract was printed, the bounty hunter came around the desk
and held it out for her signature. Quickly reading it, she saw that he
had simply put their agreement into words. There was something about
seeing it on paper that made her blush though, and her hand trembled a
little as she signed it. It wasn’t as if the contract would hold up in
any council of law in the galaxy anyway, she told herself. At least
she didn’t think it would.
“So, what do we do first?” she asked, handing the signed contract back
to him.
He set the contract on the desk, and then turned to give her a grin.
“You.”
Cindra looked up at him in confusion. “Me?”
Taking her hand, he pulled her gently to her feet. She had known the
bounty hunter was tall, but now that he was standing so close, she
realized just how tall he really was. The top of her head didn’t even
reach his chin.
“I think it would only be fair for me to get a partial payment up
front, don’t you?” he said softly.
Her pulse quickened as she realized what the bounty hunter meant. He
wanted to have sex with her. Right then! “Here?” she asked, looking
around the office.
Bladen released her hand to lightly run the tips of his fingers up and
down her bare arm. The touch sent the most delicious little shivers up
and down her back. “Why not?”
His nearness was making it difficult to think. Or speak, for that
matter. She hadn’t expected to have to make good on her side of the
bargain quite this soon. “B-but anyone could walk in,” she stammered.
Damn, he smelled good! Not like cologne either, she thought, just
pure, unadulterated masculinity.
He reached behind him to press a button on his computer. A moment
later, a lilting female voice confirmed that the doors had been locked
and the office was now secure. “Not anymore,” he told her.
Cindra chewed on her lower lip, trying to come up with some excuse she
could use to avoid having sex with him right that minute, but for some
reason, nothing would come to mind. Maybe it was because she was
flustered, she told herself. Then again, maybe it was because with
Bladen standing so close to her, she was suddenly thinking that sex
with him wasn’t necessarily something to be avoided. Before she could
really decide if that was a good thing or not, the question became
moot as Bladen lowered his head and covered her mouth with his.
|