Meeting Sarah
JC watched the woman move through the crowd on the arm of a well-known “bad boy” actor turned respectable. He couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her. She wasn’t the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, though she was gorgeous. Compelling or magnetic were words better suited to describe her. She obviously knew what complimented her and worked it to her advantage. The short red dress floated over her curves and ended a good seven inches from her knees. The spiked high-heels in red gave more height to her petite frame. The dress was low cut in the back where the man rested his hand on bare skin. His touch didn’t seem to affect her in anyway – she neither shied away from it nor moved closer – it simply was. He preferred women with long hair. This woman wore her sable colored hair angled just below the chin to frame her lovely face. She had the darkest brown eyes he’d ever seen. A man could drown in those eyes! The actor whispered something to her and she smiled. JC felt his knees go weak. If she looked at him that way…Whoa, boy! She was out of his league big time! The guy kissed her temple, then released her to walk away.
Sarah turned to see the young man with intense blue eyes staring at her. She smiled and nodded politely in acknowledgement.
Was he drooling? JC wondered. Oh, God! Full-face, she was a goddess!
The man returned and brought her a glass of champagne. He watched her mouth a ‘thank you’. Her eyes slid back to him and she saluted him with her goblet, then turned away.
“Flirt,” Charlie growled in Sarah’s ear. “Can’t you see he’s already in love?”
“He seems a little shy. Shall I introduce myself?”
Charlie laughed. “Go ahead. ‘I’m Sarah Chase. I write romance novels steamy enough to peel paint – and you would be?'…”
It was Sarah’s turn to laugh. “That would sure spark his interest.”
“It’s already sparked. Hell, it’s on fire.”
“He looks a little young for me.”
“Who said you had to sleep with him?”
Sarah admitted only marginally to herself the attraction of the blue-eyed admirer – but recreational sex was not her style.
“Dare you.” Charlie taunted.
“You dare me to do what?”
“Go up to him, introduce yourself, then take him out to the garden and kiss the life out of him.”
“Charlie!”
“Chicken? Not woman enough?” They had been through a lot together – only he would state such a dare.
“We’ll just see about that!” Sarah handed Charlie her glass. “I won’t be needing a ride home.”
JC observed the woman of his fascination approach him and could only hope he didn’t disgrace himself. When she came and put her arm through his, he wanted to melt.
“Here alone?” she asked, gazing up at him through a thick fan of black eyelashes.
“Uh-yeah. I came at the invitation of a friend, but he—“
She laid a soft finger over his lips to halt his words. “I was just making sure I wasn’t poaching.”
“Uh, no. No date.”
“I’m Sarah.”
“JC.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Initials?”
“Joshua.”
“Which do you prefer?”
“Whatever you want to call me, Sarah.”
The smile she flashed was all confident female. “I guess, I’ll have to see what fits. Want to go into the gardens?”
“With you?” He was totally unprepared for her suggestion. “Uh, sure.”
Sarah walked JC out past the gardens to a small stone bridge over a little brook. She released his arm and leaned back against the bridge’s rough side. “I brought you out here on a dare,” she said baldly.
“What?”
She tilted her head towards they house. “Charlie noticed your interest. He dared me to bring you out here and kiss you. I don’t much like losing dares.” She looked up into rather innocent eyes. “But you seem too nice to be a pawn.”
Her honesty amazed him. He would have fallen into her plan without protest. She hadn’t had to tell him the truth. She could have easily kissed him and walked away. She knew it – and he knew it. “I wouldn’t mind kissing you, Sarah.”
“I know. You’re pretty transparent, JC.”
“Sarah…” With this woman, he was definitely out of his depth, but he couldn’t help himself. Stepping close to her, he cupped his hands tenderly around her face and lowered his mouth close to hers. “Sarah…” he whispered just before their lips touched.
Sarah was jolted to her toes by the feel of his warm caress. Damn! She wasn’t a schoolgirl. She wasn’t supposed to feel all giddy and mushy inside because his mouth was on hers! Clutching at his waist for support, she lifted herself more fully into the kiss.
His tongue sought entrance and readily received it. She tasted of expensive champagne and her own unique flavor. Sarah was no shy girl; she met him every stroke. She bit down on his tongue, capturing it within her mouth, sucking on it. He moaned. His bodily reaction was immediate and more than evident.
Sarah tore her mouth from his. Stepping away, she put her back to him. Oh, God! She couldn’t remember feeling this way – ever – let alone immediately after a single kiss!
“Sarah?” JC ventured softly.
“You’d better go back in, JC. You don’t need this in your life.”
“Shouldn’t I be the one to make that decision?”
“No.” She rounded on him. “You’re sweet. You’re too young. And vulnerable. You’ve come off a relationship that left you burned, if I had to guess. I’d fry you to a crisp.”
“You think you’re so tough? What makes you think I’m not?”
“Because you aren’t, not where you need it with me anyway.” She sighed. “I may be a bitch and a flirt, but I don’t like deliberately hurting someone who doesn’t know the score.”
“Somebody had to hurt you to make you that way.” JC added an observation of his own.
“I’ve been around the block enough I know where to turn off.” Sarah looked up to see Charlie coming to the rescue. She had never been so glad to see his smirking face.
“Ready to leave, Sarah?” Charlie asked.
“You bet, handsome.”
JC touched her arm. “Sarah—“
“Leave it be, JC. You don’t need my brand of trouble in your life.”
JC was forced to watch as Sarah walked away with the other man’s arm around her. Who in the hell was she?
“You got kissed,” Charlie reminded her as he drove her to her beach house. “I saw him go for you.”
“Guess that means the dare is null and void.” Sarah stared moodily out the window. She’d just bet the gods were laughing at her. More boy than man in her estimation, JC had gotten under her carefully constructed defenses. She didn’t know who he was or where he lived – and vice versa. Hopefully, tonight was a bad twist of fate.
“He got to you.”
Sarah didn’t even pretend Charlie wasn’t right. “He got to me.”
“Going to see him again?”
“We didn’t exchange last names or phone numbers, so that won’t be happening.”
“I know who he is.”
“Keep it to yourself.”
“You sure?”
“Positive.”
“Sarah—“
“Please, Charlie, drop it.”