And Lilia had never licked anyone in her life. She was quite sure that licking people was not good manners in any country. But that didnât stop her from wanting to crawl all over Dan.
âI have to get my keys,â she said, turning away from him. You donât like cowboys. You like your men supersonically civilized. Why do you have the hots for a man who rides horses? she told herself.
She didnât know. She couldnât explain it.
Lilia walked to her front door with the full knowledge that Danâs eyes were fixed on her backside. Heat bloomed over her skin. Giving in to wicked temptation, she dropped her keys, then bent to pick them up, knowing that her skirt would pull tight as she did so.
She inserted the key into the lock and watched him, reflected in the glass of the door. He actually made a fist and stuck it in his mouth. She was pretty sure that was the man-sign for âhubba hubbaâ or something like that.
Lilia smiled and wondered what was the most proper, mannerly way to seduce someone.
Dear Reader,
If you love opposites-attract stories, then Open Invitation? is the novel for you! The third book in my THE MAN-HANDLERS trilogy for Harlequin Blaze, it features Lil, a Connecticut etiquette consultant who learns a few steamy lessons from Dan, her west Texas cowboy client. Lilâs got a lesson to learn: that an apparently ârudeâ cowboy is really the supreme gentleman.
Dan reminds me a little of my own husband, who could burp the alphabet when I first met him, and actually proposed to me in the bathroom while I was washing my face.
ME: (chip clip on head to hold hair back, soap lather on face) You cannot propose to me in the bathroom!
HIM: What, like thereâs a rule about this?
ME: Well, if there isnât a rule, there should be one!
HIM: Look, will you marry me or not?
But hubby is really Prince Charmingâjust undercover. I hope you enjoy Dan and Lilâs story as much as I did writing it. Come see me at www.KarenKendall.com, or you can write to me care of Harlequin Enterprises Ltd., 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3K9, Canada.
Happy reading,
Karen Kendall
LILIA LONDON, Connecticut etiquette consultant, grimaced as her bra strap fell off her shoulder and down her arm. She shoved it back upâfor the third timeâand ignored the throbbing of her left big toe, which ached to escape the sling-back she wore.
An etiquette consultant couldnât run around in just her panty hose, and she shouldnât be flashing her lingerie in public, either. Too bad, because the bra was really pretty. Someone besides her should see itâ¦.
Lil banished the thought, straightened her posture and edged closer to the eighteenth-century mahogany card table she used as a desk. She peered at her computer.
âIn Chinese tradition,â she wrote, âthe last half of the seventh lunar month is viewed as unlucky for weddings. During this time, the Hungry Ghost Festival is held. It is thought that the gates of Hell are opened, freeing lost spirits to wander the earth. No couple wishes them invited to their nuptials!â
She finished typing the last line of a report on Chinese wedding customs for a client and hit the save button on her computer just as the phone rang.
Now battling an itch in an uncouth place, Lil sighed. It was really tough to be a lady today.
She ignored the itch, crossed her legs and punched the speakerphone button with one tastefully manicured, medium-length nail. âFinesse, Lilia speaking.â
âHaaaaaaaaah,â said a manâs voice, deep and lazy and full of almost sinister sexual vibrations.
Haaaaaaaaaah? Since her mind was more focused on ni hao, or hello in Chinese, it took her a moment to process his accent.
âHaaaaaaaaaaah,â he repeated. âMaaaah nayme is Dayan Graaanger, Miz Lundun.â
My goodness. His Texas drawl was thicker than the peach preserves Nana Lisbeth used to put away each summer.
âHello, Mr. Granger. How may I help you?â
âI gotch your nayme by way of a Mrs. Shane.â
Her partner Shannonâs mother. Interesting.
âAnd the dill isââ
Dill? The spice?
ââI need some emergency, uh, charm school lessons. Mah sisterâs marryinâ some blue-blood Brit and she donât want me to embarrass her at her own weddinâ.â
Oh, the poor man. So the sister has humiliated him by saying so. Lilâs heart went out to him, even though his accent was almost comical. âWhen will the nuptials take place, Mr. Granger?â
âIn two weeks.â
Lilia raised an eyebrow and looked at her gilt-edged, blue-leather appointment book. âIâm afraid that Iâm out of the office on vacation starting Monday, a week from today. Could you come in tomorrow, perhaps? I think I can clear my afternoon.â
âAhh think this is gonna take more than a single afternoon, Miz London, but I guess I can try to find a flight.â