Invitation to Pleasure: Open Invitation, Book 2 (20 page)

 
    
Could she? Would she? She stared at the
familiar yet changed woman in the mirror. That woman could do anything she set
her mind to. That woman would find a new goal in life.

 
    
Roberta sat straighter, squared her
shoulders, put a hand to the brand new curls that overflowed the top of her
head. Bobbie Jones wouldn’t have to worry about negative impacts on a man’s sex
drive. Bobbie Jones would have her pick.

 
    
Roberta Jones Spivey could stick with a job
she hated and grovel at the feet of the Winklemans of the world. Roberta Jones
Spivey could have panic attacks under a hair dryer because she’d decided to
change the color of her hair. Bobbie Jones had better things to do. Important
things to do. One all-important thing.

 
    
Bobbie Jones was going to Cottonmouth to
show Warren what he’d thrown away when he drove off into the sunset to find the
Cookie Monster.

 
    
Oh yeah, and one more really important
thing. Bobbie would have sex for the first time in...much too long.

* * * * *

 
    
Bobbie Jones—she’d tossed out Roberta along
with her job, her tailored suits, and her frilly blouses—tapped her brilliant
crimson lip with the tip of a matching manicured nail. A new woman with a new
attitude. And no ugly, painful thoughts.

 
    
“I must have that cottage.”
No, no, we can’t possibly do this
.
Bobbie quashed another annoying little Robert-whine. She was getting so much
better at doing it, since that day in the salon, a little less than a month
ago, when she’d decided every page of her life story needed revising.

 
    
Top selling real estate agent and
self-proclaimed Cottonmouth maven, Patsy Bell Sapp’s mouth opened so wide, the
wrinkles marring her tanned face vanished. Almost. “You don’t want
that
.”

 
    
Bobbie smiled. “Yes. I do.”
No, we don’t
. Buzz off, Roberta.

 
    
The house, little more than a cube tucked
into a postage-stamp lot, was the antithesis of the pristine residence on the
stately San Francisco street. Warren had chosen the property over having
children, a plan she’d, no,
Roberta
had gone along with because being a parent was too awesome a responsibility.

 
    
“But the serial killer lives right across
the street.” Patsy hacked out a cough, her penciled-in eyebrows disappearing
into the fringe of her bouffant hairdo. With a vigorous shake of her head,
multiple shades of gray sparkled in the sunlight.

 
    
“Excuse me?” Was the woman serious?
Probably not. If she was, why would she even bring Bobbie by the rental?

 
    
Still looking at her, Patsy pointed at the
shaded, two-story house across the street. “He’s a serial killer,” she mouthed.

 
    
The title had a ring to it, even if it was
most likely a town joke. Serial killer. Didn’t that fit her mood to a
T
?
Her
mood, not Roberta’s. She itched with a mixture of danger, disbelief, and
anticipation. Heavy on the disbelief part. But still, he must be a real bad-boy
type to fuel such rumors. Back home in Head Hunters salon, she’d sworn to
herself she was going to have sex with someone. And sex with an alleged serial
killer sounded risky. Edgy. Exciting.

 
    
Just the kind of thing a Bobbie Jones, not
a Roberta Spivey, would do. It would tweak Warren’s nose right out of joint.

 
    
And that’s what this whole excursion to
Cottonmouth was about. Right?

If you enjoyed this
excerpt, also look for
Fool’s Gold
,
Cottonmouth
Book 2

Other Books by
Jennifer Skully

Baby, I’ll Find You

Try a sample of
Jasmine’s Prescott Twins series!

Prescott Twins, Book
1

Copyright 2011
Jasmine Haynes

Cover design by Rae
Monet Inc

Previously published in 2005 in the Twin Peaks Anthology

One night, one
chance, but will she have the courage...

Hitting the big 3-0
birthday like a brick wall, shy, reserved Kristin Prescott just has to break
out of her sensible shoes and buttoned-up blouses and find herself a man. And
the only one who will do is Ross Sloan, her sexy boss. The problem is, she
isn't Ross's type; he prefers sensual, seductive women like her identical twin.
But, Kristin isn't sure she can let go of her inhibitions.

Unless she pretends
to be her sister.

Ross Sloan has lusted
after his secretary, Kristin Prescott, since the moment she walked into his
office. When she seduces him while playing the role of her twin sister, he sees
through her masquerade immediately. But Ross wants both sides of Kristin: the
prim, efficient woman who runs his office and the passionate woman she exposes
in the guise of her sister. Forcing Kristin to release her inhibitions and
claiming the desirable woman beneath the facade becomes his ambition.

But will the pleasure
cost them their business relationship? Or can they have both?

Excerpt

 
    
Ross saw her the minute she entered the
hotel bar. Miss Prescott. His Miss Prescott. In an exceptionally short red
dress with an unbelievably gorgeous pair of thighs to match those calves,
better even than he’d imagined. Reality certainly surpassed fantasy. Damn. That
red dress...

 
    
It didn’t matter. In the morning she’d
still be his secretary. And he needed her.

 
    
She turned, and her gaze traveled over the
cluster of tables flanking the small dance floor. The bar was by no means full,
and if she’d been looking, she couldn’t have missed him sitting at the far end
of the counter.

 
    
She never even looked.

 
    
Just as well, it allowed him to observe
every curve revealed by the brevity of her skirt. Her hair cascaded over
shoulders covered only by the thin red straps of her dress. Oh, yeah, her hair
was exactly the stuff of his fantasies, rich shades of reds and browns, curling
softly over the tops of her breasts. Speaking of breasts, if he’d seen her like
this in his office, he’d never have been able to keep his hands off her.

 
    
His heart stopped as she touched the
red-and-black beaded choker at her throat. Just a brief caress. His eyes
tracked the brush of her fingers down the slender line of her throat, leading
his gaze to the soft swell of a plump breast. Magnificent. His smart, efficient
secretary was sexy as all get-out.

 
    
His temperature rose by degrees as she
moved to the bar and slid onto a free stool, crossing her legs. Endless legs.
The red dress rode up her thigh. She signaled the bartender, and the man jumped
to attention as if she’d handed him twenty bucks. Ross understood the feeling;
he’d jumped to attention himself.

 
    
She ordered and, when her wine came, lifted
the glass to her lush red lips. She raised a finger and slid it across her
bottom lip, trapping a droplet. He barely suppressed a groan, closing his eyes
briefly just to keep his sanity.

 
    
This couldn’t be his Miss Prescott. He
opened his eyes.

 
    
Oh, but it was. Beneath the chatter of
voices, the laughter, and the thrum of elevator music, the soft chink of her
nails against the glass floated down the length of the bar. His groin
tightened. God, there was something about that sound. It sent him into orbit.

 
    
He forgot his boredom of late. Miss
Prescott in a sexy red dress was a breath of fresh air from the stuffy
executive offices he’d been inhabiting, both professionally and personally.

If you enjoyed this
excerpt, look for

Double the Pleasure
, Prescott Twins, Book 1
and

Skin Deep
, Book 2

More Erotic Romance by
Jasmine Haynes
:

Invitation to Seduction
, Open Invitation, Book 1

 
Twisted
by Love
, Reincarnation Tales, Book 1

Revenge Sex
, West Coast, Book 1

Submitting to the Boss
, West Coast Series, Book 2

 
The
Boss’s Daughter
, West Coast Series, Book 3

Anthology: Beauty or the Bitch & Free
Fall

Take Your Pleasure

Take Your Pick

 
Past
Midnight

What Happens After Dark

The Principal’s Office

 
Yours
for the Night

 
Hers
for the Evening

Mine Until Morning

 
The
Fortune Hunter

Show and Tell

Fair Game

More Than a Night

Jasmine Haynes
, Rita Finalist for
Somebody’s Lover
, plus
two-time Holt Medallion and National Readers Choice Award winner, is the author
of over 30 classy, erotic romance tales. Look for the final book in her popular
DeKnight series,
The Principal's Office
. In 2013, she'll be starting a sexy new
series for Berkley Heat, and there will be more in the
West Coast
series and her
Reincarnation
Tales
. Of course, she’s also the author of the award-winning
Max
Starr
psychic mystery series. And don’t miss her writing as
Jennifer
Skully
, KOD Daphne award-winning author of contemporary romance, bringing
you poignant tales peopled with hilarious characters that will make you laugh
and make you cry. Visit her website at
www.jasminehaynes.com
 
and her blog at
www.jasminehaynes.blogspot.com