Conference Cupid Read online

  “Ohh, let’s see.” Susan held out her hand for the picture.

  “You knew it was only a picture and you let me think that man would ravage me.”

  “Too bad it’s only a picture. You could use getting ravaged,” Susan whispered.

  As her friends passed the picture around, the entire table laughed at Keary’s expense.

  “We always leave the picture to the newbie,” Janie, another member of her writers group, announced. “It’s too much fun to pass up. The look on your face as he took you away was priceless.”

  “What if there isn’t a new girl?”

  “Then we go with the lowest number, or highest if that’s what they ask for. We actually had an auction once. Highest bidder.”

  “Keary, the expression on your face in this photo is sheer lust, girl. You should tack this on the corkboard by your computer. No doubt it’d put you in the mood to write. These men are yummy. How the hell’d you end up with two? Damn, I’ve never been that lucky! This one looks like he’s about to eat you up.”

  Keary’s hand shook as she took the picture and focused on the face of the man on the left—the one who joined them. The one who’d clearly had an erection. They both seemed to, but the man on the left had rubbed his into her, leaving no doubt about his amorous mood.

  The emcee read excerpts from one sexy piece after the other as the nominees were heard. Keary clapped at the appropriate times and imagined herself in each scenario read. Each time the man on the left in the picture became the hero—ripping her bodice in regency England, hiking her skirt in the elevator in contemporary New York City and licking between her legs with his three tongues in the alien planet three moons from the sun.

  By the end of the awards, Keary burned with arousal. She needed to get out of there. Forget the drink her friends planned on having at the bar and forget the practice pitch session that would occur after that. She needed to get away.

  “Suz, I promise I’ll be more fun tomorrow night but it was a long-ass drive. I need to get my note cards in order. I’m pitching my novel to an editor for the first time tomorrow afternoon.”

  Susan looked as if she’d protest but sighed instead. “Okay, just be prepared; you can’t get out of it tomorrow night.”

  Keary headed for her room, desperate for some alone time and a chance to turn up the air conditioning. But the envelope on the door requested her presence at the front desk and the key card didn’t work.

  “I’m so sorry, Ms. Galloway. I didn’t realize when I placed you in three fifty-two that you paid for the deluxe room and should be on the other level.”

  “There weren’t any rooms but the deluxe available at the time I booked. But there’s no problem. My room is fine.”

  “Oh no, Ms. Galloway. We switched your room and upgraded you to the regency suite for your inconvenience. Your things have already been moved. Here’s your new key. Can I have the old one? I need to reactivate it to match the code we have on the door.”

  Keary reached into her conference name pouch that hung around her neck and pulled out the old key card.

  “Again, sorry for the inconvenience and I’m sure you’ll love the suite. It’s room five hundred two dash three. Don’t worry. All of your things were repacked, moved and unpacked again.”

  “I don’t appreciate the idea of anyone touching my things.” Keary frowned at the unfortunate girl behind the counter and tapped her fingernails on the shiny marble. The girl shifted her weight. Since Keary couldn’t undo what had been done, she stalked off to her new room determined to write a scathing nastygram to the manager.

  Exhausted, Keary opened the door and assessed the suite in front of her. Rather than the single room with one king-sized bed, this door opened up to a large living area with a flat screen television, a couch with two chairs and dining area with mini kitchen.

  Double doors opened to the bedroom. A large king-sized bed centered the room and veiled tulle hung from the four posters. This suite would certainly help with inspiration. No doubt it’d be easy to write a love scene here. The setting was meant for debauchery.

  The room oozed sex.

  Maybe she’d start tonight. Hop into that big bed with her trusty laptop and imagine all the wondrous things that could happen there. She kicked off her heels and sauntered over to the bathroom.

  Heaven. I’ve died and gone to heaven.

  The Jacuzzi tub residing there would fit not only her but both the men in the picture.

  Where had that thought come from?

  She investigated the shower and found the multiple rain bars at all different levels.

  Oh yeah, I’ll try that out in the morning.

  Tonight the Jacuzzi beaconed. Turning on the faucets, Keary ran her hand across the edge of the tub in a caress.

  Hopefully she wouldn’t be too relaxed to write after she got out of the tub. Stripping off her clothes, she walked back into the main room and deposited the dirty clothing in her empty suitcase.

  Champagne chilled in a bucket on top of the dining table. “Enjoy your stay, Ms. Galloway,” was written on the card next to it.

  Keary filled her glass before walking back to the tub. From habit, she closed the bathroom door and turned on the small CD player and radio that sat on the vanity. Sinking down into the warm water she hit the button for the jets. Stress instantly eased as the pulses massaged her body.

  Shutting her eyes, she escaped. Keary hadn’t realized how desperately she needed this. Hadn’t realized just how tight she’d been wound since the divorce.

  Don’t think of it. Don’t think of anything except where you are and how wonderful it feels here.

  Chapter Four

  Devin wiped the moisture from his palms on his pants. He’d knocked three times and still no answer. Time to use his universal card to open the door. I must be losing my mind. The risks he was taking were completely out of character.

  But it was Keary. The Keary he always wanted and never had enough balls to go after.

  Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door and pulled the cart with the massage table on it in behind him. Once inside, he heard the music coming from the bathroom. He stopped dead, barely breathing, and decided to set up before he lost his nerve.

  Devin headed for the bedroom and set up the massage table. His hands shook. Who am I kidding? There’s no way I can pull this off. Yes, you can. You can and you will. It’s your only chance.

  For the second time he wiped the sweat from his palms; wouldn’t help to the get the supplies slippery. He took one of the small towels from the insulated bag, rolled it into a tube, and placed it where her neck would go. If nothing else he’d get his hands on her silky smooth body.

  If only I can get them to stop sweating.

  Keary had always been like some kind of icon to him. Head cheerleader from his hometown’s rival high school he watched her from the stands and wished his family would move across town so he’d at least be able to pass her in the halls.

  If he’d been bulkier in high school he might have been able to try out for the football team.

  Yeah, right.

  In high school he was reed thin and his parents didn’t even think about contacts until his senior year.

  And moving across town? What a laugh. Devin’s family lived in the best part of town. Only a complete catastrophe would have sent them from the palatial estate they called home. He would have traded it in a second for the middle class neighborhood Keary lived in. Those homes housed teens who could sneak in after curfew without a swat team descending.

  The music stopped and Devin froze. He’d been hoping he could set up and leave a note before she came out of the bathroom. That way she’d call for the complimentary massage and he’d show up to give it. Not that he knew a lot about giving massages, but he’d enjoyed so many since he took over the hotel he figured he’d be able to wing it.

  Placing the warm blanket over the sheeted cushioned table, he stood erect as footsteps neared. That wasn’t the only thing erect,
though. Devin moved behind the table so her first glance wouldn’t show his aroused state.

  Be naked. Be naked. Be naked.

  That way if she threw him out at least he’d get a glance. Why was it that the second he thought of Keary Galloway, he transformed back into a horny high school kid? No other woman had such a heady effect on him.

  Damn, hotel robe.

  Still she looked luscious. And scared. Keary stopped mid-step, staring at him with her eyes wide with shock. His tongue felt thick in his throat. He cleared it. “Ms. Galloway, part of the extras that come with this suite is a first night complimentary massage. I’m Devin, and I’m here to make sure when you go to sleep tonight your body is completely relaxed.”

  He waited while she tried to make sense of his lie. The massage was complimentary, but it had nothing to do with the suite. He’d overheard enough of what these romance writers dreamed of. Now he planned on becoming part of a fantasy.

  Well, his at least.

  “How....wonderful. I thought you were a model?”

  Good question. Now why didn’t I think of that?

  “Actually, I work for the hotel.” That’s it; try to stick close to the truth. “I know one of the models and agreed to help out tonight. They were a little short handed.”

  Short handed. He’d had to go out of his way to stage his modeling debut. Not exactly an easy task—keeping the rest of the staff from noticing that the owner was prancing around half naked in a loin cloth.

  Keary pulled the robe around her tighter and her eyes narrowed.

  “Sorry I startled you. I was trying to set up quickly and get out so you’d see the note and call down when you were ready.” He pointed to his half written note.

  With a bit of hesitation she advanced in his direction. Once on the other side of the table she took the note from his hands.

  “No problem. A massage would be nice. Although I just came from the Jacuzzi so I’m pretty relaxed already.” She glanced at the table.

  “I’ll leave the room so you can slip on to the table and under the blanket. When you’re ready call out and I’ll come back in. If you were dressed, I’d say take everything off. Of course you can leave underwear on if you prefer. But since you’re undressed, you just need to slip off the robe.” He forced his eyes to stay on hers and not rake over her body the way he wanted them to as he rambled on like an idiot.

  She looked away. Devin was glad that he wasn’t the only one scared shitless of what was coming next. She nodded and he left the room. Practically collapsing on the sofa, Devin held his head in his hands and tried to take calming breaths.

  Can I go to jail for this?

  They did offer massages at his hotel. This one was complimentary. As long as she agreed to it? Hell, she’d never find out who his true identity anyway.

  “I’m ready.”

  Devin wondered if his legs would hold him. Of all the things he’d dreamed a naked Keary would say to him, ‘I’m ready’ topped his fantasy list. He wiped his palms on the side of his pants one last time.

  She lay face down on the table, holding the rolled towel in her hand. “Wasn’t sure what to do with this?”

  Devin took the warm cloth from her hand and placed it in the warming bag. “No problem. We’ll start this way.” If anything it would serve him better. At least it would give him time to get his nerves under control.

  “Start this way?”

  “Scoot up a little and place your face in the hole there. That’s right. Normally I would start with you on your back but there’s no reason for you to have to flip over now. We’ll start this way and end with your face. Relax.”

  He moved her blonde hair to the side of her head. Silk. The strands slipped through his fingers like silk ribbons.

  He tucked the blanket around her legs and pumped lotion on to his hands. Peeling the coverlet from her back, he placed his hands on her shoulders and hoped she hadn’t had too many experiences with professional massages. He worked her neck and shoulders, his palms tingling at the soft texture of her sweet skin.

  If only my tongue could retrace the movements of my hands.

  He peeled the blanket down further so it exposed just a hint of ass and his erection pushed against the fabric of his pants.

  Starting at the base of her spine he placed his palms down and pushed up toward her neck. His hands glided over her silken body and she moaned.

  Devin’s arms tensed and his cock grew even bigger. “Am I hurting you? I could ease up a little.”

  “No. It feels great. Decadent. I may drift off to sleep.”

  Oh, it felt great all right.

  The mere touch of her skin decreased the amount of room in his pants and they started to become uncomfortable. “If you fall asleep, even better. Just shows I’m doing my job right.”

  If she did fall asleep would he touch higher and lower than the legal limit?

  No. Not without her consent.

  But he’d want to. He couldn’t touch certain places without her asking for it. And he’d go out of his way to make her ask.

  Placing the cover up around her back he moved down to the bottom of the table and lifted it from under her right leg. He tucked the cloth back the way his masseuse did to him every Monday. Only he let it ride a bit higher so it rode up to the top of her hip, exposing a small part of her adorable butt cheek.

  Starting at her foot, he massaged until his hands caressed the top of her thigh and ran over the tip of her ass near her hip. Sweat built on his brow as he mustered more control than he’d ever had to in his entire life. If he slid his hand a few inches to the left he could explore the area that his youthful dreams were made of.

  Whenever the temptation became more than he could handle, he switched to another body part until it was time for her to turn over. As he massaged her neck and shoulders from the front, he let his long fingers slide down until they neared the start of fleshy breasts.

  He didn’t want to stop touching her, but if he continued much longer she’d know this was a scam. It had been an hour and ten minutes as it was. “How do you feel? Rested?”

  Keary moaned as if in protest that he stopped. “Like Gumby. I think I could be bent in any direction.”

  What he wouldn’t give for the opportunity to bend her in a few directions so he could worship the rest of her body, and devote himself to her pleasure. “Good.”

  He lifted his hands from her skin and instantly missed what he’d spent so many years going without.

  He’d had women. Plenty of them. The richer he became, the more abundant they became. But none of them were Keary. Maybe if he could just make love to her, he’d be able to move beyond his childhood fantasy.

  Deep down he knew his biggest fear—that he’d never want to stop. Didn’t matter. He’d never experience the glorious sensations inside those sugar walls.

  But then again, he’d never thought he’d be touching her silken skin either.

  Chapter Five

  “I’ll wait in the other room while you change.” Devin walked away before she could respond.

  Willpower. It took willpower to keep her mouth shut and not beg him to stay. She wanted to promise him any amount of money to keep his hands on her and move them to territory that begged for a man’s touch. These places had been neglected for too long.

  The door closed and Keary sighed. She’d never had a professional massage before. Just the memory of this attractive man touching her had her body tingling. You’ve been alone for too long. Stop thinking about seducing Mr. Golden Touch. Get your act together. He needs his table. You need your sanity.

  Keary lifted herself up on her elbows and swung her feet over the edge. As she slid down, her left foot twisted and she fell to the floor with a thud. An unladylike expletive slipped from her mouth followed by a loud groan.

  Devin burst through the door like the masked avenger to save the day and scooped her up in his arms. “Are you okay?”

  “Twisted my ankle and fell.” She looked up into his hungr
y eyes and realized she was naked. His breathing became heavier and instinctively she knew it wasn’t from carrying her weight.

  His black eyes, darker than moonlight pitch, scaled her nakedness and he swallowed hard. There was no mistaking his interest. Keary quivered and her nipples hardened in response.

  Devin made no attempt to put her down. The warmth of his hands seared her flesh. He looked at the bed and panic flooded her mind as moisture flooded between her legs.

  “Could you put me down in the other room on the couch? And I could use the bathrobe.”

  “Of course.” The husky timbre to his voice mingled with a soft whisper, charging the air with sexual intent.

  With an intake of breath, he brought her to the sofa in a few quick strides. He placed her down softly and went back to retrieve the bathrobe which had been deposited on the bed. Keary lay stretched out and naked, her mind running a mile a minute. She looked up and he stood in front of her, clutching the robe. His jaw tightened but his eyes made no excuses for his lengthy stare.

  Reaching up, Keary took the robe. Their fingers touched and she let out a sigh. She placed the soft material around her and closed the tie around her waist.

  “Which ankle is it?”

  “My left.”

  Devin reached down and touched it, his fingers caressing. “Does this hurt?” He moved the ankle slowly from side to side.

  “Not bad, just a little.” She winced.

  “Let me get you some ice just in case it swells. It’s not broken.”

  Keary nodded and watched him get ice from the chilling champagne bucket and roll it in a towel. He took the opened bottle and poured a glass.

  Returning to her with a slow-paced saunter, he sat on the edge of the couch and passed her the full glass. “Drink. It’ll dull the pain.”

  The only pain right now existed between her legs, the pain of longing. “I normally don’t drink and I’ve had one glass already. If I pass out you’ll end up putting me to bed.”