Night Games
Authors: Nina Bangs
C
RITICS
R
AVE
A
BOUT
N
INA
B
ANGS
!
THE PLEASURE MASTER
“An irreverent, sexy and hilarious romp . . . Nina Bangs has done a fabulous job of creating a funny, sexy off-beat romance that time-travel aficionados will absolutely relish.”
âWriters Write
“Sizzling! . . . Witty eroticism reaches new heights in . . . this erotically intense, wildly imaginative romp.”
âWordweaving
“Plenty of laugh-out-loud moments . . . if you're looking for fun and fantasy, you will find it here!”
âRomantic Times
AN ORIGINAL SIN
“Ms. Bangs has written a fun comedy of people out of time. It is a romp and should be enjoyed in large gulps.”
âCompuServe Romance Reviews
“If you're looking for a funny, heart-wrenching and truly lovely romance to read, try this one. You won't be disappointed.”
âAll About Romance
“Nina Bangs has come up with a completely new and unique twist on the time-travel theme and has delivered a story that is both humorous and captivating.”
âRomantic Times
EMPTATION
She had to look up a long way. Past firm calves with a light sprinkling of damp hair clinging to them. Past thighs roped with wet gleaming muscles. She paused to stare at his most riveting feature, because no matter how horrified she was, the corner of her mind in charge of recording historical life events insisted she take note. Like a five-hundred-year flood, or Haley's Comet, you only lived to see some things once.
Yes! She could die a fulfilled woman.
She moved on. If staring at the sun could blind you, Ally didn't even want to consider what staring at Brian's assets would do.
She skimmed over his flat, hard stomach and strongly muscled chest with its damp whorls of hair adhering darkly to his flesh.
Her inspection at last reached his eyes. No shame there. They were bright with amusement. But as she watched, the amusement changed to something else. Something hot, hungry.
Dangerous
.
“You tempt me greatly, woman.”
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BOOKS BY
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THE PLEASURE MASTER
AN ORIGINAL SIN
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ANGS
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DORCHESTER PUBLISHING
Published by
Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc.
200 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Copyright © 2002 by Nina Bangs
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author's rights is appreciated.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Trade ISBN: 13: 978-1-4285-1654-0
E-book ISBN: 978-1-4285-1655-7
First Dorchester Publishing, Co., Inc. edition: May 2002
The “DP” logo is the property of Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc.
Printed in the United States of America.
Visit us online at www.dorchesterpub.com.
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For Barb,
Here's to our Dublin years, a magical time of freedom and infinite possibilities. And woven through all our memories of Ireland is its music. May the music and our memories never fade.
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Sex.
Rules of the game: play hard, play to win, and play with a passion for the game,
never for the woman.
Brian Byrne stood in the center of the packed stadium, lifted his face to the artificially generated breeze that cooled his bare body, and saluted the thousands of fans who screamed his name. In the future, experts would agree that 2502 was
his
year.
Why didn't he care more?
Striding away from the women he'd just brought to completion, Brian fought his way through back-pounding teammates, then pushed past the hundreds of robotic reporters hovering around, wanting a piece of him. With a sense of relief, he entered his undressing room.
Alone.
Well, not quite. Jupe slipped in as the door slid shut.
He tried to ignore his agent, but it was tough ignoring five feet five inches of lean, mean selling machine. Brian stepped under the cleansing spray and closed his eyes as the liquid sluiced over his body, washing away the sweat and smell of sex.
“You were incredible out there. Wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it. You know, I still think you should try a mask. Add to the dangerous image.”
Brian leveled a dark stare at him.
“Okay, okay, so you don't need the mask. But a few chains wrapped around you would play into a lot of women's fantasies.”
Brian stepped out of the spray, then rubbed himself dry with a towel. It would've been easier to use the Air Scrubber and Evapo-drier, but he enjoyed the old-fashioned feel of liquid flowing over him and the rough towel on his body. Tactile in all things. If he couldn't touch it, it wasn't worth his time. “I don't
need
to play into women's fantasies.”
“Right. You
are
every woman's fantasy. You know why? Because women love the you-can-touch-my-body-but-never-my-heart image. You're a challenge. Women love challenges.”
Jupe would never understand. “It's no image. That's me. Take it or leave it.”
Jupe ignored him. “I wish you'd let me leak this thing you do for those kids to the Cosmic Network.
Soften your image. Let people know you care about something.”
Brian shook his head. “You just got through saying that women love the untouchable image. Tell them about the kids and I won't be untouchable anymore.” He'd never use the homeless children he supported for public relations purposes. They were a part of who he was, where he'd come from. He didn't have career choices when he entered the league, but he kept playing so his kids
would
have choices. They were a part of himself he shared with no one, not even Jupe.
“Yeah, guess you're right.” Jupe glanced at the Experience-the-Thrill pressure pad with a scene of Brian holding aloft the Universal trophy the team had won three months ago. He had only to touch the pad to be drawn into a virtual world where he could relive the glory of his most famous client. He didn't touch it. “I never asked why you chose the name Brian. Great name. Sounds primitive. Women like primitive.”
“It's my real name.” One of his only links to the parents he'd barely known. Even after so many years he felt the anger, and took it out on Jupe. Jupe who'd seen talent in a raw teen and over the course of twelve years molded him into a face and body recognized on even the farthest explored planet. “At least I'm not named after a big ball of gas.”
Jupe paused to study him. “So? Lots of people are named Jupiter. And what's the matter with you? You just won it all. You're the king.”
Brian exhaled wearily. “Sorry for the crack about your name. Guess the game took a lot out of me.”
Mollified, Jupe rambled on. “Yep, you're every woman's fantasy man.” Jupe was practically rubbing his hands together at the thought of how much that fantasy was worth. “This win makes you tops in the universe. When your new contract comes up, infinity's the limit. And the endorsementsâ”
“I'm tired. Think I'll take a vacation.” Brian dropped the towel and started to dress.
Jupe ignored him. “Take a look at this.” He motioned, and the image of a cereal container formed in the middle of the room. “ENJOY THE BEST. I like that in big letters at the top. It was a stroke of genius to show you naked with all those women.”
Brian narrowed his gaze on the container. “My eyes aren't
that
green. And my hair's black,
plain
black. No gold streaks.” He lowered his glance. “I'm not
that
big. What's with the enhancements?”
“Enhancements are good. Keeps you larger than life.” He chuckled. “The whole concept's genius, pure genius. Gives you lots of exposure.”
“Right. Lots of exposure. Not much dignity, though. Maybe they should lose the women and show me dressed. Fans never get a chance to see me in clothes.” Brian was used to Jupe ignoring him when profit was on his mind. And profit was
always
on his mind.
Brian motioned, and the cereal container was replaced by the scene of a grassy hill with a few chunks of stone hinting at an ancient building.
“Uh-uh. Females across the galaxy will relate with the ones on the container. See, it's all about marketing.” Jupe moved around Brian to get a closer view of the scene. “And you're not the king of dignity, you're the king of sex.” He pointed at the scene. “What's this all about?”
Brian huffed in resignation. “Look, Jupe,
Monday Night Sex
is a team sport, and I'm a team player. The Sex Super Bowl was a team win. They should put all the guys on the container.”
“Give me a break, Byrne. You were the MVP of the series. Who was it that brought four women
at once
to screaming orgasms in the final minute of regulation time to win it for the Sex Monarchs? Huh? I still can't believe it.
A fourplay
. Never been done before. You're a galactic hero.” Jupe swung his arms wide to demonstrate the scope of Brian's greatness.
“Sure, sure.” Brian tried to refocus on the scene. “But that's what the Old One paid for. Capricorn Wilson offered me a lot to stay with the Testosterone Titans another year, but I was a free agent and the Old One offered an incredible package. Plus you negotiate the best contract in the sport. I make more than the world president. More than ten world presidents.” He grinned at Jupe. “Remind me to tell you what a great agent you are.”
“I get my cut.” Jupe's attention returned to the
scene. “A vacation?
A vacation?
You've never taken a vacation.”
“Never had the chance. Had to keep busy promoting myself so I could earn more. It takes a lot to support all those kids. Now that I'm on top, I can take a little break.” He pointed at an airchair, and it glided over to him. Sinking into it, he allowed himself to relax. So many women drained him in more ways than one.
“You can't leave now. The Old One has appearances booked solid until the start of training camp. She figures to make a fortune off you.”
Brian laughed. “The Old One already has enough fortunes to buy the universe. She just wants to piss off the other team owners.”
“You can'tâ”