Hot Spot

Hot Spot

By

ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FIFTEEN
SIXTEEN
SEVENTEEN
EIGHTEEN
NINETEEN
TWENTY
TWENTY-ONE
TWENTY-TWO
TWENTY-THREE
TWENTY-FOUR
TWENTY-FIVE
TWENTY-SIX
TWENTY-SEVEN
TWENTY-EIGHT
TWENTY-NINE
THIRTY
THIRTY-ONE
THIRTY-TWO
THIRTY-THREE
THIRTY-FOUR

for Hot Legs

"Versatile author Ms. Johnson adds a new element to her terrific writing as
Hot Legs
shows. Her mix of pop and sizzle blends expertly with a zany plot and charismatic characters. I enjoyed every minute." —
Rendezvous

"A perfect ten as a story not to be missed this year. Susan Johnson's writing is exceptional, and I plan not to miss any more of her releases." —
Romance Reviews Today

"Funny, romantic, steamy, sexy! A great read!" —
The Best Reviews

Hot Pink

"The sassy, bold heroine of this fast-moving book… will appeal to fans who like their tales geared more toward women of the twenty-first century who go after what they want and aren't afraid to get it. I loved it from beginning to end." —
Rendezvous

"This erotic contemporary romance shows Susan Johnson at her hottest, which means that the lead couple generates enough thermos heat to keep the Northeast warm in winter."—
Midwest Book Review

"This one lives up to its title." —
People

Praise for the Novels of

Susan Johnson

"Smart… sexy… sensuous… Susan Johnson's books are legendary!" —Robin Scheme

"Johnson delivers another fast, titillating read that overflows with sex scenes and rapid-fire dialogue." —
Publishers Weekly

continued . .

"A spellbinding read and a lot of fun… Johnson takes sensuality to the edge, writing smoldering stories with characters the reader won't want to leave." —
The Oakland Press

"Sensually charged writing… Johnson knows exactly what her devoted readers desire, and she delivers it with her usual flair." —
Booklist

"Susan Johnson writes an extremely gripping story… With her knowledge of the period and her exquisite sensual scenes, she is an exceptional writer." —
Affaire de Coeur

"An enjoyable literary experience… [A] well-developed and at times quite suspenseful plot… I simply couldn't put it down… The next time you're in the mood to read a piece of erotic literature, I recommend picking up a copy of
Tempting
. The plot and suspense angles of the novel are Susan Johnson at her finest and the romance is both solid and endearing." —
The Romance Reader

"Fans of contemporary erotic romances will enjoy Susan Johnson's latest tryst as the blondes heat up the sheets of her latest novel." —
BookBrowser

"No one… can write such rousing love stories while bringing in so much accurate historical detail. Of course, no one can write such rousing love stories, period." —
Rendezvous

"Susan Johnson's descriptive talents are legendary." —
Heartland Critiques

"Fascinating… The author's style is a pleasure to read." —
Los Angeles Herald Examiner

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

Penguin Group (Canada), 10 Alcorn Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M4V 3B2, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

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Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R ORL, England

This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2005 by Susan Johnson.

Cover design by George Long.

Text design by Kristin del Rosario.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions. BERKLEY SENSATION is an imprint of The Berkley Publishing Group. BERKLEY SENSATION and the "B" design are trademarks belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

First edition: June 2005

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Johnson, Susan, 1939-

Hot spot / Susan Johnson.— 1st ed.

p. cm.

ISBN 0-425-20257-7

1. Comic books, strips, etc.—Collectors and collecting—Fiction. 2. Women booksellers—Fiction. 3. Comic book fans—Fiction. I. Title.

PS3560.O386458H69 2005

8I3'.54—dc22

2005041139

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

THE DATE WAS CIRCLED IN RED ON THE CONAN calendar behind the cash register. Lumberjack Days.

Only a week away.

Stella groaned.

She must have been crazy to say she'd hand out campaign literature with Megan. Since when was she the type to walk along with the Lumberjack Days parade and hand out leaflets to parade watchers who didn't want them?

Since never. That's when.

Even if she and Megan were good friends, there were limits to friendship. She was capable of manning phone banks, addressing campaign literature, even designing campaign signs… signs that had turned out to be hotter than hot if she did say so herself. Megan had inadvertently become "The Green Lady" in her state senate campaign, the designation compliments of the various green hues on her campaign signs. The media had picked up on the phrase and had made Megan a real contender against an incumbent from an old Minnesota political dynasty.

So really—whether one more person handed out leaflets during the parade was incidental. Right?

Aaargh.

As if Megan was going to let her off the hook that easily.

Damn. Why couldn't she think of a way out—you know… something really plausible and polite—maybe even an excuse that would elicit sympathy.

A funeral wouldn't work. She was more or less a relative—less except for her grandma who was either at the casino playing the nickel slots or running a marathon and was healthier than God, and her parents who were pretty young and lived in town besides, which made a fictitious funeral tougher to carry off. And outside of them—there had been only Aunt Martha who had died and left her this great house and the wherewithal to start her own comic book. But a second funeral for Aunt Martha was probably not going to fly because Megan had attended the real one.