âHave you ever made love in an elevator?â Ken whispered in her ear
âIââ Lisa couldnât get the words out when Kenâs hand snaked down her back, under the waistband of her skirt. He was crossing the line, and she stood up straighter, almost unwilling to believe Ken was seducing her in a semipublic place. âKen, not here.â
âYes, here.â His fingers teased her, dipping beneath the band of her bikini panties. âYou said everything and everything, remember?â he reminded her in a husky tone as he cupped her backside more intimately, stroking her, tempting her. Lisaâs knees went weak and she had to grab the handrail for support. âDid you lie?â he asked.
âN-no.â Someone elseâs voice. Unfamiliar and raspy. But Lisa didnât care. Whatever Kenâs game was, he was winning.
He thrust his hips forward and she writhed shamelessly against his hard body, silently begging for more. Lost in an erotic haze, she rested her head against the cool glass walls of the elevator.
Glass? Her eyes flew open. âKen!â She tried to wriggle free. âThis is a glass elevator!â
A slow grin spread across his face. âThatâs what makes it so much funâ¦.â
Dear Reader,
I love big cities. The thrum of energy, the sensual beatâ¦the infinite possibilities around every corner. I lived in Los Angeles for four years and loved every minute of it. Setting my first Blaze novel in that fabulous city was a huge thrill for me. Since it was a Blaze title, I needed to find characters with an extremely sensual story to tell. And since it was set in L.A., I wanted characters with jobs that represented the two things the city is known forâfood and film.
Lisa and Kenâs story is one of lost love and reconciliationâ¦along with a fair bit of sensual revenge! These two are professionals whose passion for their career is almost as strong as the passion in their personal lives. So when Lisa returns to Ken needing a favorâfive years after she walked out on himâthe tension under the surface is undeniableâ¦and the chemistry between them is inescapable. He agrees to helpâ¦for a price. And I assure you, itâs a price that will leave you breathless!
Iâd love to hear what you think of my contribution to the SEXY CITY NIGHTS miniseries. Write to me at P.O. Box 151417, Austin, TX 78715-1417. Or you can visit my Web site at www.juliekenner.com to see what else Iâve got in the works! And donât forget to check out www.tryblaze.com!
Enjoy,
Julie Kenner
âMARK MY WORDS,â Lisa Neal heard the bartender say. âWithin five years, everyone in Los Angeles will be falling all over themselves to get a table at a Kenneth Harper restaurant.â
Lisa had been sitting with her back leaning against the mahogany bar, her eyes scanning the crowd for Ken, but now she twisted her stool around. Behind the bar, Chris was shaking a martini and talking to a polished-looking redhead who seemed both fascinated and slightly intoxicated.
âSeriously,â Chris said, âfor someone from a hick town in Texas, the manâs a marvel. He knows exactly where he wants to be, and heâll get there, too.â
Lisa couldnât help but smile. After dating Ken for close to a year, she had no doubt that what Chris said was true. Still, she couldnât resist teasing the bartender, and she leaned closer. âChris, Iâm shocked. Five years? Awfully disloyal, donât you think? Three seems much more likely.â
âHeâs not you, Lisa,â he said dryly. âI figure youâll be getting your first Academy Award this week.â
She laughed. Sadly, seven days was a little fast even for the career schedule sheâd worked out in her head. âConsidering I just finished shooting my thesis film this morning, maybe we should make that a month.â
âSlacker.â
She made a face and tapped her wineglass, which he topped off before turning back to the redhead. Lisa genuinely liked Chris. For that matter, she liked all the people Ken had recruited to work in Oxygen, his very first restaurant. From what she could tell, heâd chosen his people well. Tonightâs opening gala had been the event of the summer, and it was going over without a hitch. The place was hopping with minor celebrities and celebrity wanna-bes. Cameras were flashing, the crowd was buzzing, and the smell of celebrationânot to mention exceptional foodâfilled the air.
Earlier, a restaurant critic from the Los Angeles Times had come to their table and personally congratulated Ken. Of course, Lisa hadnât expected anything less. After all, Kenâs talent and drive was one of the things that had attracted her in the first place. Ken Harperâs ambition equaled her own, and that was a rare trait indeed.
Not that she was interested in settling down, but if she were, it would be with a man like Ken. She took a long sip of wine, realizing with a start how completely happy sheâd been over the past eleven months. Amazing.