Seduction by the Book

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

TURNING THE PAGE

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

A NEW CHAPTER

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

SURPRISE ENDING

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Epilogue

Prologue

GABRIELLE POPE STARED AT the clock on the wall, willing the minute hand to tick just one more time. A bead of perspiration rolled between her shoulder blades. After ignoring her silent pleas all day to move faster, the clock was finally straining toward six o’clock. She leaned forward in her chair as the second hand swept around slowly…slowly…

The minute hand sprang to twelve without incident, but Gabrielle’s pulse skipped as wildly as if an alarm had sounded.

Time for book club.

She pushed back from her tiny desk at one of the oldest branches of the Atlanta Public Library and stood. As she guided the stiff chair under her desk, the warm flush climbing her neck belied her careful movements. Gabrielle leaned over to pick up her red book tote—the special tote that held the special books. Then, guarding a secret smile, she nodded to coworkers and patrons as she made her way through the maze of hallways.

The sprawling building had undergone several renovations and additions over the years, rendering some areas less desirable. Tucked behind an abandoned supply closet was a forgotten room that held six of the most plush, most comfortable chairs Gabrielle could find, situated around an elegant table with curving legs.

The room was rarely used. Employees and patrons complained the low lighting was unsuitable for reading, the dark corners and flaking plaster walls, depressing. But the Red Tote Book Club found the space atmospheric, and perfect for sipping tea or smuggled-in wine during their monthly get-togethers.

Gabrielle moved around the room, dusting lightly and straightening the chairs. At the sound of a rap on the door, she looked up and smiled as four members filed in, talking and laughing amongst themselves. They greeted Gabrielle, each turning a smile in her direction as they claimed a chair. The women were all in their early to mid-thirties, and from their appearances, each of them had come directly from their jobs.

Cassie Goodwin was an architect with shoulder-length hair the color of strong coffee, and intelligent blue eyes. Her smart chinos and long-sleeve button-up shirt were neat and modest, while her practical shoes were dusty, presumably from a job site. Cassie was friendly to everyone, but there was a wariness about her that hinted of past heartache.

Page Sharpe, a shy administrative assistant, might as well have been dressed in camouflage. She pushed a fat plait of auburn-colored hair over the shoulder of a drab dress that said, “Don’t look at me.” Her expression and emerald green eyes were demure, but Gabrielle had seen for herself the way Page lit up during their book discussions. She was a banked fire, that one.

Wendy Trainer, by comparison, was a pixie blonde firecracker who was always ready with a joke and a laugh. She’d found her niche as a party planner. Her exuberant, funky clothing reflected a gregarious personality, but Gabrielle suspected that Wendy used humor to cover for loneliness.

Jacqueline Mays was undoubtedly the most reserved woman Gabrielle had ever met. The auditor’s black hair was wound into a tight bun, her pale skin flawless, her hazel eyes, unflinching. Her slender body was bound up in a mannish suit. Gabrielle wondered if the woman even needed the severe black glasses she wore, or if Jacqueline used them as a shield.

Everyone had their secret reasons for being here.

As they each revealed goodies they’d brought to share—chocolates, fresh strawberries, cheesecake bites, and wine, both red and white to suit each person’s taste, the door opened and their last member strode in.

As always, Gabrielle noted, Carol Snow managed to separate herself from the group. She arrived alone and left alone. Of all the women, Carol had also revealed the least about herself. After meeting for over six months, Gabrielle couldn’t get a fix on the beauty whose hair was the color of brass and whose clothes were of the highest quality. But from Carol’s comments on the books they read, Gabrielle had gathered that the woman had a motive for everything she did. As was customary, Carol nodded hello to everyone and locked the door to dissuade accidental snooping.

As the women settled in, Gabrielle glanced around the room. So different, all of them. Yet something had compelled each one of them to respond to her online ad about a new kind of book club for women who were looking to add a little spice to their entertainment reading. Some part of her had feared and expected the respondents to be women with blatantly subversive interests. But to her delight, all five women were not only strangers to each other, but discreet and largely unassuming. Yet they didn’t shrink when, at that first meeting, Gabrielle had passed around a suggested reading list of the best erotic literature ever written.