FIVE-SECOND SEDUCTION

by Myla Jackson

Copyright © 2011, Myla Jackson. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

Manufactured in the United States of America

Editor: Layla Chase

Cover artist: Myla Jackson

This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

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Charli Sutton rushed around the bar, filling drink orders, cleaning tables and suffering the pinches and flirtatious remarks normal for a shift at the Ugly Stick Saloon. Cowboys could get downright rowdy some nights, and tonight was no exception.

She had a lot of thinking to do and working at the Ugly Stick didn't allow much time alone to process everything going on in her life.

After she'd dropped her second bottle of whiskey while filling an order, her boss, Audrey Anderson, yanked her into the storeroom. "Charli, what's wrong with you?"

"I don't know." Charli let out a long sigh and pulled away from Audrey's grip. She walked the length of the storeroom and back. "I'm sorry, I'll pay for the bottles. You can take it out of my paycheck. I just can't concentrate on work."

Audrey shook her head. "Forget the whiskey. Maybe you should take the night off."

"No!"  Charli stilled and her hands drew into fists. She couldn't leave. Connor Mason might show up. To make the decisions she needed to make, she wanted all the time she could get with the man. "I really need to work."

"Honey, you look exhausted. Between dating Connor during the day and your after-hours rendezvous with your crew of bad boys, I'd say you're burning the candle at both ends. If you're not careful, your butt's gonna get burned. Are you getting
any
sleep?"

Unable to keep up the façade, Charli's shoulders dipped and her throat thickened. "No." She sat on a stack of boxes full of liquor. "Even when I do have time to sleep, I can't stop thinking. Five days have passed since the last time I saw either Connor or my so-called bad boys. I don't know what I did wrong." She buried her face in her hands, despair dragging her down.

Audrey's brows rose into the strawberry-blond hair hang down over her forehead. "Aren't you the girl who was complaining there wasn't anything to do in Temptation, Texas?"

With a snort, Charli looked up. "Yeah. A million years ago."

"Darlin', that was only nine days ago." Audrey propped a hand on one hip. "Didn't you discover plenty was happenin' in this little corner of our world?"

"Sure, as long as I had company." Charli waved her hands wide, staring around at the boxes of supplies. "Now, nothing. I'm back to square one. Connor hasn't been by in five days, I haven't gotten a note, text, call, or fly-by from my mystery cowboy or even one of his crew of hotties."

"Does Connor know about your mystery meetings? Did you tell him?" Audrey asked.

"Are you kidding? He's an all-or-nothing kinda guy." Charli jumped up and paced to the end of the room and back again. "If I told him anything, he'd be out of my life faster than I could say,
See ya
." She tipped an imaginary cowboy hat and sighed.

"Do you want to be with Connor?"

"I don't know," Charli wailed, warmth flowing throughout her body. "I've only been on one date with the man, talked to him once in the bar and once at Ed's house. I've kissed him three times. What's to know?" Except those kisses had been...well...hot.

"And Mystery Cowboy...no wait...you were calling him Original Sin...Hmm..." Audrey tapped a manicured nail to her chin. "No news on who he is?"

"None." Charli's heart ached. What had she done to piss off all the men in her life? "And no way of contacting him."

Audrey's eyes narrowed. "He called you on your cell phone. Did his number show up on your caller id?"

"Blocked Sender." Charli leaned her forehead against a shelf. "I'm so screwed." The irony hit and she raised her head. "Strike that, I'm so
not
screwed. Four nights of unprecedented sex, then nothing for five days. One date with a man who wants to get to know me before we have sex , then he doesn't ask me out again." Charli banged her forehead against the shelf, hoping the pain would help her to focus on what was important. No luck.

"What is it you want out of a relationship?" Audrey asked.

Charli straightened. "Sex!"

"And?"

"More sex!" Charli spun in a circle, her arms splaying out, hitting the boxes stacked on the shelves. She came to a stop, grimacing, knowing what her friend was going to say before she even opened her mouth. Yeah, it was time for the truth to be revealed.

Audrey's lips twisted and she asked exactly what Charli expected, "And after you've had sex?"

Charli stared into a corner, without really seeing the broom and mop hanging there. "Someone to talk to. A man who'll stick around long enough that I can get to know him." She glanced at Audrey. "Am I asking too much?"

"No, honey, you're not." Audrey pulled her into hug, her hands stroking the back of Charli's head.

Sinking into the warmth of Audrey's body, Charli didn't want to move, didn't want to come out and face reality. But she had to. She needed to get back to work. "I feel so crappy," Charli said into Audrey's shoulder. "What do I do?"

Audrey sighed. "You are in a pickle, aren't you, sweetie?"

"I've burned up a brand new set of batteries in my vibrator." Charli pushed away from her friend's warmth, her gaze dropping to her own boots. She almost wished the floor would open up and swallow her, so that she didn't have to face a room full of men, none of which she gave a damn about. "I can't live this way."

Grabbing her arms, Audrey turned Charli to face her. "Baby girl, it's time you turned the tables on those men."

"What do you mean?"

Audrey balled a fist and punched the air. "Fight fire with fire."

Charli stared wide-eyed at Audrey, trying to make sense of what her boss was telling her. Finally, she threw her hands in the air. "I don't have a clue what you're talking about."

"If you want those men to make a move, you need to make one of your own."

Make a move?
Her shoulders sagging, Charli moaned. "I have no way of getting hold of Original Sin. He shows up when he wants and doesn't leave a calling card."

"Then screw him.” Audrey frowned. “Go for the bird in hand. You know where to find Connor."

"Connor Mason?" A deep male voice boomed into the tiny storeroom as Jackson Gray Wolf, Audrey's Kiowa cowboy boyfriend stepped inside.

Greta Sue hovered behind him in the doorway. "Found him lurking," she said. "I can throw him out, if you want." The bouncer flexed her shoulders, giving no doubt she could take on a grown man.

"You better vouch for me. Greta Sue would win if I tried to take her on." Jackson grinned. "She knows I won't hit a girl."

Greta Sue frowned, her fisted hands landing on her hips. "I'm not a girl."

Jackson stepped up to the big woman and bestowed one of his most knee-melting smiles. Then he leaned close to her ear, whispering softly, but loud enough Charli could hear what he said, "I'll bet beneath that kick-ass exterior, you're just a softy inside, waiting for the right man...the right kiss..."

The woman's face bloomed red and she scooted back really fast. "Keep it up, Gray Wolf, and I'll eat your balls as oyster shooters."

"Uh-huh." Jackson winked. "That's what I thought."

"Eh-hem. Jackson, honey." Audrey crossed both arms over her chest. "Quit flirting with Greta Sue. I'm getting jealous."

Jackson spun and grabbed Audrey in a bone-crunching bear hug, kissing her soundly before he set her on her feet. "Better?"

Audrey frowned, though her lips quirked at the corners.

Charli's chest tightened at the way Audrey's eyes shone with her love for Jackson. Why couldn't she find someone she could be that crazy about? Hell, she might have, if she could just get more time with him...them...whoever! "I'm dying here. It's been five days since I got so much as a hug."

"We can make it a threesome." Jackson opened his arms, inviting Charli into his embrace.

Audrey slapped his chest. "Your threesome days are over, buddy. Either help us or scoot."

Jackson kissed the tip of Audrey's nose. "I love it when you tell me what to do. Especially when you're naked."

Charli's gut tightened as an image of a naked Audrey and Jackson flashed through her mind, making her own body warm, her pussy aching for a little action. She crossed her legs, willing the desire to abate, for now. "Not helping."

"Jackson..." Audrey's face flamed. "Charli needs to seduce Connor. Any suggestions on how to go about it?"

The Kiowa cowboy's eyes widened as he shifted his attention from Audrey to Charli. "You need to know how to seduce Connor?" He gaze switched back to Audrey and the skin around his eyes tightened. "Is this a trick question?"

Charli flung up her hands. "You see? Jackson thinks it's stupid. What am I supposed to do?"

Stepping backward, Jackson held up his hands in surrender. "I don't think it's stupid to seduce Connor. I just would think it was obvious how to go about it."

"Honey." Audrey circled an arm around Jackson, "if the how was so obvious, we wouldn't be asking."

Slipping an arm over Audrey's and Charli's shoulders, Jackson grinned. "Men are simple creatures. Don't make it hard." His hand slid downward on Audrey's back, cupping her ass. "Well, maybe a little hard. Those parts that are supposed to be, anyway."

With a wiggle, she shoved away his hand. "Give us a clue as to what you're talking about, please."

"Seriously?" Jackson stood wide-eyed. "The five-second sure-fire way to seduce a man is to get naked in front of him."

Charli raised her face to the ceiling. "I can't march up to his house naked. The seduction has to be more subtle than that."

Jackson's brow wrinkled. "Why do you want to seduce him?"

As she stared across Jackson's chest at Audrey, Charli's face burned. "Does he know?"

"No.” Audrey shook her head. “Do you want him to know?"

Charli's forehead scrunched. "Yeah, sure. Why not? I'm not getting any lately anyway."

"Are you two talking in code or something?" Jackson let go of the women and crossed his arms. "What part about 'men are simple' did you not understand?"

Audrey hooked his arm and led him to a stack of boxes, where she seated him. "It's like this..." She gathered a deep breath and launched. "Charli was thinkin' of leavin'."

Jackson's head jerked toward Charli. "The Ugly Stick or Temptation altogether?"

Charli moaned. "This will take too long."

Audrey shot a frown at Charli, and pressed a finger to Jackson's lips. "Don't interrupt until I finish, please. As I was saying, Charli was going to leave Temptation, on account of she was bored. Until a mystery man tempted her to skinny dip in Judge Stephen's pool."

Jackson grinned and his mouth opened, but before he could say anything, Audrey continued. "She took  him up on the dare, skinny-dipped and did it with this man."