Between The Sheets

“Admirable.” Jacqui shrugged in a way that conveyed she didn’t believe him. “Most men would be enthusiastic about the idea of a few women pleasuring him.”

“The opposite scenario undermines my enthusiasm.”

Now she laughed, obviously letting go of her irritation. He noticed April couldn’t contain a smile, either.

“You should enjoy yourself while you’re here,” Dalton said.

“He’s right.” Jacqui smiled. “Everyone else is.”

Rex was spared from further comment when Wilhemina and Leah entered the room and forced the conversation back to business.

“Good morning, everyone.” Wilhemina greeted her staff and took her place at the head of the long table. “Have you all had enough coffee to tackle the Kama Sutra Sports Set?” Then she glanced his way and said, “Rex, I trust you’ve met April.”

“We’ve been introduced.”

“Then let’s get to business. Are you ready to brief us on your objectives for our gaming and adventure lines?”

“My focus for these lines will be to assess how far we can push the public with our advertising.” Reaching for his folder, he went to stand beside the computer where his presentation was set up and ready to roll.

“You’re planning the usual run of studies?” April asked in that pleasant, breathy voice that fit right in with the overall excitable impression he’d gotten of her. “Accompanied shopping observations, focus groups, blind testing against our competitors’ products.”

Rex nodded, before casting his gaze around the table as a distraction from her big violet eyes. Flipping on the display, he pressed a series of commands to bring up his first slide.

“Everyone here will monitor several online discussions and consumer panels. Given my preliminary studies and hindsight from the response to the Cuddly, Cozy Winter Collection campaign, it’s clear the key to success will be in proper market placement and how well we reach the target audiences. We can’t know where to hit hardest until we have an idea of how consumers will react to the overt sexuality of these lines.”

“Which is exactly why Rex is here to advise us.” Wilhemina said. “Let’s face it, folks, we’re dealing with tricky products to place in a mainstream market.”

“No joke.” Dalton shook his head. “I don’t have a clue how I’m going to instruct my sales force to sell sheets that come with a dual-temperature vibrator and a cock ring.”

“You will after I turn in my executive summary.” Rex motioned to a product display board beside the viewing screen that depicted the “Kama Couple,” as the couple demonstrating the Kama Sutra Sports Set’s sexual positions had been unofficially named. While not a cartoon, the Kama Couple was animated with very lifelike flexing muscles and twined limbs. “Don’t discount the impact of the new terminology, either.”

Missionary Mania, as this particular position was called, depicted the Kama Man on top of the Kama Woman, whose legs were hooked around his waist.

Rex glanced around the table to find April looking at the display. Her wide eyes grew even wider, just about the same time Rex’s pulse kicked up a notch.

“That’s right, Dalton,” Wilhemina said. “Rex’s suggestion to have product development rename the positions on the Kama Sutra Sports Set will make the line much easier to present.”

Leah nodded. “Missionary Mania isn’t nearly so clinical as the missionary position. The term invites fun.”

“You’re right about that.” Charles laughed. “Posterior Passion sounds more inviting than doggie style.”

Rex resisted the urge to massage the growing ache in his head. He assumed Wilhemina’s executive staff had been a normal group of people before corporate headquarters had been inundated by sex. But that was a big assumption. He hadn’t seen much proof and he’d been in-house for several weeks already.

He launched into a translation of his slide show before any more conversation could start up. Part of his job as a marketing consultant was to effectively present complex statistics to businesspeople who weren’t statistically oriented. Only two of the six people seated around the conference table had a clue what he was talking about.

At least he assumed his new assistant did.

She never took her eyes off him while he presented the numbers. To Rex’s amazement, he found her gaze made his blood pump hard. He was aware of this woman and the way her every breath made her chest rise and fall invitingly.

And the way she shifted around in her chair, giving him prime glimpses of her curves, as though sitting still was testing her patience. And the way she nibbled on her lower lip as he directed everyone’s attention to the Kama Couple and discussed potential target markets for the gaming sheets.

He obviously hadn’t been making enough time for women lately because he was reacting to April Stevens with an intensity he hadn’t experienced before. Keeping to the point of his presentation proved damned near impossible when his thoughts kept snagging on her every reaction to the sexy Kama positions.

Did the way her eyes widened when he presented Her Tip-Top Thrill mean she liked to make love on top? Or did the way she gnawed on that full lower lip when he presented Bound Boy Bliss mean she liked to take charge and bind her lovers?

Had she ever had any lovers?

Something about her fresh-faced looks and that tentative demeanor made him wonder. And her sexual status wasn’t the only thing he was wondering about. Why was he tripping over his words as he addressed the Jackhammer, a sexy position that had the Kama Man pleasuring his Kama Lady standing up? Did her blush extend below her collar, down to the swell of her breasts?

April definitely wasn’t the only one demonstrating a propensity for hot blushes at the moment. Rex was feeling his fair share of heat, only it wasn’t rushing north into his face but south, proving beyond a doubt that he hadn’t been making nearly enough time to date lately.

Something about the way his new assistant was checking him out undermined his usually solid control in a way she shouldn’t have. April hadn’t spoken a dozen sentences yet he found her reactions to his presentation a lot more stimulating than the presentation itself.

Luckily he’d be wrapping up things in corporate headquarters today and leaving for Atlanta first thing in the morning, which meant he would have April Stevens all to himself in less than twenty-four hours. Sharing a hotel suite with this lovely lady suddenly seemed to be the perfect way to kick off his week. He could investigate consumers’ reactions to the sexy sheet sets and perhaps explore this unexpected, yet undeniable chemistry he felt for her.

To: J.P. Mooney (mailto:john@mooneyinvestigators.com)

Date: 7 Mar 2003 05:02:12-0800

Subject: First Contact

Hello my favorite brother-in-law,

I promised to keep you posted about the investigation and I’m happy to report that it’s underway. My security chief has his people working hard running background checks on my employees and he was agreeable to your suggestion that we start looking very closely at the network administrator. In the three months I’ve been here, I’ve found Jacqui competent at her job as long as I keep a tight rein on her. But the same could be said of all my staff. Unfortunately with the launch, everyone is behaving very out of character and as my experience with them is limited, I’m at a disadvantage.

Sex on the brain. You laughed at me, John, but I wasn’t kidding. If you could have been a fly on the wall at our marketing session this morning—half the time I marvel that I’m able to keep a straight face, which leads me to…April.

Paula mentioned how worried you were about forcing her out from behind that computer so I thought I’d let you know how she made out. Fine, so stop worrying. I know she’s a daughter to you and you’re understandably concerned for her welfare. I also know you’d rather keep her hidden away at work with you, where she’ll be comfortable and you can keep away all the bad guys. But, John, April will never be comfortable unless she gets out to meet new people without you hovering over her shoulder.

Paula is right about giving her a little nudge. There, I’ve said it. In thirty-five years, I’ve done my level best never to take sides but April is a smart, beautiful girl who should have a life. If I wasn’t convinced before, I was the minute I saw her with Rex today. I got them together during that meeting I mentioned above and stood outside the door to watch. You should have seen her! She almost swallowed her tongue when he walked in the room. I know she found him attractive because she almost torched him with a cup of hot coffee. Rex took it in stride and behaved very gallantly. I told you he’s perfect for her. I’ve never met a man so gifted with handling people. He’ll have her eating out of his hand in no time.

Which would make me very happy. He’s a wonderful man who works too much and she’s a normal healthy young woman who should have a wonderful man in her life, i.e. sex. There, I’ve said that, too. You’ve got to toss her out of the nest and give her a chance to fly. She’ll soar. And she knows her Auntie Wil is just a phone call away if she needs me. Trust me, John, she’s not going to want anyone but that to-die-for man she’s working for.

I know she technically works for you, but I don’t mean you. Although you know if you weren’t my dear sister’s husband…

Wil

John stared at the computer screen and decided sex on the brain sounded about right. He’d warned Wilhemina she’d have to be crazy to consider taking this job. Turned out he was right. She was damned certifiable.

3

SOMEHOW APRIL had gotten it into her head that a man who commanded as much respect in his field as Rex Holt had to be middle-aged with a serious type A personality.

Wrong-o.

The Rex Holt she’d been sent to baby-sit was about the last man on earth to need a baby-sitter. He was laid-back, very charming and positively drop-dead gorgeous, which meant that every time he turned that dark chocolate gaze on her, she went straight to pieces. Every time he spoke with that rich silk voice, her insides fluttered and her memory echoed with the sound of his voice as he’d calmly discussed sexual positions from the Kama Sutra Sports Set.

Ladies’ Luxury Laptop and the Sexy Slam-Dunk.