Her head hit the concrete wall, and spots immediately appeared behind her eyes from the impact. As she struggled not to pass out, the man grabbed her purse, along with her cell phone that had fallen to the ground.
She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Her legs collapsed beneath her, and she fell to the ground, her head smacking the sidewalk before everything went black.
Tyler Dare had a full day planned, a packed schedule of appointments with existing and potential clients of Double Down Security, the firm he now co-owned with his brother Scott. Serena Gibson, his close friend and personal assistant, had strict orders not to let anyone interrupt him this morning so he could pull together his notes for each meeting.
He picked up the threat assessment sheet for his first client, a diplomat who needed protection for his family, and began to scan the findings, when he heard raised voices.
“I’m sorry, Avery, but he said no interruptions,” Serena insisted.
“That’s okay, I’m sure he’ll see me.” His sister’s voice carried through the closed office door.
“Avery, he said not to let anyone inside.” Serena’s voice rose, but he knew the soft-spoken woman was no match for a determined Dare female.
Start Reading Dare to Take NOW!
Playing with Temptation
Excerpt
by Erika Wilde
Raina Beck finished helping a customer select a bottle of warming massage oil, then headed over to the lingerie section of her store, Sugar and Spice, a sensual, upscale adult boutique that catered to the residents of San Diego. She paused at the rack of new arrivals, where her good friend, Jillian Noble, was perusing the gorgeous items.
“Find anything you like?” Raina asked as the other woman contemplated a leopard-print bustier before putting it back on the stand.
Jillian smiled at her as she shuffled through a few more pieces. “The problem is, there’s too much to like, which is a good thing. I’m looking for something a little different than everything I already have…” Her words trailed off, and her eyes lit up as she lifted a hanger displaying a sexy red ensemble that consisted of a demi bra, a short flirty skirt that was only a few inches of fabric that would barely cover her bottom, and a matching lace thong, along with a garter belt and thigh-high stockings.
“I think this is it,” Jillian announced with a succinct nod of her head.
“If Dean comes home to find you wearing that outfit, I think all bets are off,” Raina teased her friend.
“That’s what I’m counting on, and I think he’ll really like the short little skirt, too.” She handed the hanger to Raina. “I’ll take it, along with one of those feather ticklers you have on display, the one with the soft ostrich feathers.”
“You got it.” Raina smiled, knowing Jillian, a good customer, appreciated the more sexually adventurous items Sugar and Spice provided to those who wanted to kink up their sex lives. Selecting a tickler with deep red feathers to match the outfit, she met her friend up at the front counter.
As she rang up Jillian’s purchases, she asked, “How are you enjoying working with Stephanie?”
“I absolutely love it. I couldn’t be happier,” Jillian said, her expression reflecting her newfound joy. “I’m helping her design those fantasy suites at the hotel, and tomorrow I have a consultation with a woman who wants to redecorate her bedroom in a sexier version theme of The Secret Garden theme.”
“Sounds like a fun project.” Raina swiped Jillian’s credit card to process the sale. The two of them had become close friends over the past months, and because she knew Jillian’s husband had been so opposed to his wife taking a job, Raina couldn’t help but wonder how that was going. “Is everything still good with Dean and you working for Stephanie?”
“He’s getting used to it and adjusting. I make sure I always make time for just the two of us, and it keeps him happy.”
“Men really are such basic creatures,” Raina said with a laugh. “Keep them plied with food and sex and they’re happy, content, and satisfied.”
Jillian lifted a curious brow. “Speaking of men and sex…when are you going to indulge a little?”
Raina shrugged as she wrapped her ensemble in pink tissue and tucked it into a bag. “I think all the good guys are taken. And then there’s the men who find out I own a sex toy boutique and decide I’m fair game for outrageous, kinky sex, because, you know, I have access to all sorts of depraved items.”
She rolled her eyes to make light of her comment, but the truth ran much deeper and stirred up other painful memories that reminded her of why she kept her heart and emotions under lock and key—the pain of such complete and utter rejection was something that had left her guarded and very cautious when it came to a man’s interest in her.
Admittedly, she did enjoy hot, adventurous sex. After all, she’d opened Sugar and Spice as a way to help women empower themselves sexually, to get in touch with their desires and be confident enough to enjoy every aspect of sex. But she also knew it took an equally strong, self-assured man to accept her line of business, to not feel threatened or embarrassed by the fact that she owned a boutique that catered to enhancing sexual pleasure.
Unfortunately, over the years, she’d learned that she wasn’t the best judge of character when it came to a man’s motives and his reasons for dating her, which also made it extremely difficult to decipher what was real, or if she was nothing more than someone’s dirty little secret that he used until the excitement wore off.
Too many painful experiences had taught her that because of what she did for a living, men were more than willing to fuck her like a porn star in private, but they drew the line at taking her out in public or bringing her home to meet the family, which made her feel cheap and dirty—as if her own father’s fire and brimstone prediction about her being a whore had come true. Men didn’t date a woman like her with long term in mind, and it had become much easier for Raina to keep her emotional distance rather than face criticism and the sting of rejection all over again.
She’d been burned a few times, and she wasn’t allowing any man to get close enough to do it again. Now, sex was all about physical pleasure, nothing more, and she’d recently decided that if anyone was going to do the using, it was going to be her for a change. Unfortunately, an opportunity hadn’t presented itself, but if the right guy came along, she certainly wasn’t opposed to enjoying a no-strings-attached one-night stand.