Seduction by the Book

“Why did you break up?” Page Sharpe, a shy auburn-haired woman spoke tentatively, as if she didn’t expect Cassie to answer her.

Cassie shifted in her chair. “I might have given off some wrong signals. I believe he thought I wasn’t interested in…sex.”

“But you were?” Jacqueline Mays asked. The woman’s pale, anxious expression, intimated that she knew a thing or two about repression.

“Oh, absolutely,” Cassie, said, fanning her hot face.

The women all laughed, as if they were surprised she had admitted it. Did she really present such a dull exterior to the world?

“What kept you from letting him know you were attracted to him?” Wendy asked. The furrow in her brow indicated that she might have more than just a passing interest in Cassie’s answer.

Cassie took another drink of wine while she considered the question. “My older sister was promiscuous. I guess I erred in the other direction. I want sex to mean something. But with this guy, I guess I hesitated too long and missed my chance.”

“It’s never too long to wait if it’s right for you,” Gabrielle assured her. “What makes you think you’re ready now?”

“Distance has given me perspective,” she said. “And the books we’ve read and shared in this room have made me realize that wanting sex is natural and healthy.”

“And fun,” added Wendy, licking chocolate off her fingers.

All the women laughed.

“Is there a particular book we’ve read you think might help you approach this man about giving your relationship another chance?” Gabrielle asked.

Cassie nodded. “Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D. H. Lawrence.”

“A wonderful book,” Gabrielle agreed, and the others chorused their approval. “But why Lady Chatterley’s Lover?”

“I guess because Connie was proactive about changing her love life,” Cassie offered.

“You mean, her sex life,” Carol Snow, the loner of the group, said.

“Yes,” Cassie agreed. “She saw Mellors, the groundskeeper, and she went after him. I suppose that’s what I need to do.”

“And do you have a plan for seducing your man?” Jacqueline asked.

Cassie bit her lip. “Not yet.”

“Connie met Mellors while walking through the forest,” Page ventured. “Is there a place where you can accidently-on-purpose run into your former boyfriend?”

A smile curved Cassie’s mouth. She’d seen the firm that Mark worked for listed as a competitor bidding for a job her firm was also bidding on. “I can think of a few reasons for our paths to cross.”

“That’s a start,” Gabrielle agreed, then addressed the group. “What kinds of things can Cassie borrow from Connie Chatterley’s behavior to help guide her?”

“Connie made herself available to Mellors,” Jacqueline said. “She went out of her way to let him know she was open to a physical relationship. She sought him out.”

“Good. What else?”

“The fact that their relationship was secretive seemed to heighten the experience for both of them,” Wendy offered.

Jacqueline nodded. “Men, especially, enjoy the adrenaline kick they get from doing something that seems forbidden.”

“So take him by surprise,” Page said.

“And be extra naughty,” Jacqueline added.

A sense of excitement whipped through the room and Cassie realized that while the women were talking about her proposed seduction, they were already thinking ahead to their own plans. Only Carol Snow seemed to hold herself apart from the group’s growing enthusiasm.

And Cassie wasn’t without her own reservations. “But what if he…turns me down?”

“That’s a risk you have to be willing to take,” Gabrielle said.

“Yeah, what’s the worst thing that can happen?” Wendy pressed.

“I’d be humiliated,” Cassie said.

“But what’s the best thing that could happen?” Page asked.

“Salvaging what could be a great relationship for both of us,” Cassie said.

“So you have to be willing to put it all out there,” Jacqueline added.

Gabrielle sat back and clasped her hands. “Lady Chatterley’s decision to seduce Mellor turned into a wonderful, but problematic, love affair. Will you be okay if you’re able to seduce this man, but a long-term relationship doesn’t work out?”

Cassie’s heart fluttered with teetering indecision for a few seconds, then resolve set in. “Yes. This is something I want to prove I can do, and this man is someone I’d feel safe with.”

“Well, then…” Gabrielle smiled. “Good luck!”

“We’ll be rooting you on from the sidelines,” Wendy said. “Send us text updates to let us know what’s going on.”

“That’s a good idea,” Page chorused, and the group coordinated their text addresses.

“Are you excited to be first?” Jacqueline murmured.

Cassie nodded as anticipation flowered in her chest like an orchid. She suddenly felt so alive and so…self-aware. Desire quivered through her midsection. Her breasts felt heavy. She lifted the glass of wine to press against her heated cheek and thought of all the delicious things she had planned for Mark. She reached for a plump strawberry and considered its ruby perfection before sinking her teeth into it. The sweet juices flooded her mouth and she nearly moaned with pleasure.

It was as if she were tasting a strawberry for the first time.

I guess we’re just not that into each other. Something’s missing…

Mark Shapiro, Cassie vowed, would live to eat his words.

2

MARK SHAPIRO HAD BOTH HANDS around a thick burger when his cell phone rang.

“Leave it, man,” his coworker Steve Hamlin said with a wave. “Whatever it is, it can wait until after lunch.”

Mark glanced at the caller ID as the phone flashed from the table. At the sight of the name CASSIE GOODWIN, his brow furrowed in surprise. Cassie had been on his mind ever since he’d seen her firm listed as a competitor bidding for the Belzer Tower job his firm was also bidding on. He realized that he missed her. But why would Cassie be calling after—how long had it been? Six months?