Our Wildly Sexy & Close to Perfect Romance

THOSE LIPS, THAT KISS. . .as told by Alan Davis and Peg Mulrooney

2008-09-04T10:04:00.000-07:00

Alan: I’ll go first. By the way, I’m Josh’s attorney and I was there the day Tess first walked into his –

Peg: And I wasn’t? By the way, I’m Josh’s secretary and Tess walked into my office while you were with Josh, Alan. I was talking to her before she even saw you or Josh. Wait a sec, that’s not entirely true. She had seen Josh already. Or at least those photos of him in the –

Alan: Point taken, but I was in his office when he first saw Tess. I saw the look on his face. I knew what was coming.

Peg: Right. For those of you who’re reading this blog and don’t know what Alan saw coming, here’s a little hint from Chapter One in Close to Perfect:

Josh rubbed the side of his neck and looked past his own reflection to the rest of the office. Beyond it was a glass wall that separated his space from Peg’s.

She was standing beside her desk as she spoke to a young woman whose back was to him.

Josh’s fingers paused on his neck. The pain was forgotten as his gaze drifted down the young woman’s thick, dark hair. It fell in gentle waves to her narrow shoulders, all soft and natural.

Nice.

His gaze inched lower.

She was slender and tall and dressed in a suit that Brooks Brothers never thought to design. Foolish boys. That suit was unbelievably nice. The jacket was fitted, while the slim skirt was slightly above the knee with a side slit to make walking easy and to give a man just a hint of her very nice thigh.

That thigh was currently hidden, but that didn’t stop Josh from exploring what he could of her beneath that suit. The fabric appeared lightweight and silky – from here it seemed to be the color of a ripe peach – and hugged her so well that she looked both elegant and sexy.

His thoughts whispered, Turn around.

She did.

Without pause, Josh swiveled his chair so that he was facing his desk and her.

Alan immediately stepped into his line of sight.

Peg: That was a definite no-no, wasn’t it, Alan?

Alan: Okay, so I didn’t know he was trying to see Tess. My mind was on those tabloid photos of him.

Peg: Coming out of his pool naked for all the world to –

Alan: As if we need to be reminded of that? I was trying to protect his interests. When Tess came into his office I thought she was one of those crazy ladies who was after him.

Peg: And that’s why I had to pull you out of his office when Josh was trying to interview her for the job as his bodyguard.

Alan: In all my days I never witnessed an interview like that.

Peg: Lighten up. It was awesome the way they took to each other. For those of you who don’t know what we’re talking about, here’s another excerpt from Chapter One of Close to Perfect – it happens during Tess’s interview with Josh:

“I wouldn’t joke about something like this,” he said, “especially after those humiliating pictures.”

Humiliating? Tess’s gaze turned inward, remembering each. Until this moment, she hadn’t considered that a man as beautiful as Josh would be humiliated by those pictures. They were nearly artistic. Of course, he hadn’t asked for that exposure. He hadn’t suspected it. It must have really blindsided him, making him look ridiculous to the business community.

Turning her face to his, she whispered, “He shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry.”

Josh was so surprised by that response he didn’t know what to say. He was far too used to Peg’s lighten up, give it a rest, it could be worse, or anything else that was all too flip.

But there was genuine understanding in Tess’s voice.

There was comfort in being this close.

Her cheek was silky and moist against his; her hair was as soft and fragrant as he had imagined.

She was an amazing woman, and it took all the will Josh owned to ease back.

He was glad he had.

Her gaze was so sincere, seeing only him, not the wealth, not the status, it stole his breath. “Thanks.”

Her color heightened; those delicate nostrils flared.

Without thinking or considering the consequences, Josh touched her cheek.

Her lids fluttered, but she didn’t move back. After the briefest hesitation, she lifted her hand and gently stroked the inside of his wrist.

Her touch was thrilling, yet comfortable, and more powerful than sex or all the money the world had to give. It was a caress that touched every part of Josh, and made him want more.

He searched her gaze and saw unexpected trust mingled with a female yearning that hardly needed to be questioned, and could not be denied.

Without pause, he lowered his mouth, gently brushing his lips over hers.

They were velvety, her sigh so soft only he was privileged to hear it, and to feel those lips yielding to his.

He explored that exquisite flesh, he enjoyed it, then felt humbled as Tess parted her lips, inviting him inside.

Josh’s first reaction was to seek immediate relief, savage and wild; his second was to be tender, searching, making certain she enjoyed his touch, scent, and unbearable need as he slipped his tongue inside.

She suckled him without pause, as if she had been born for this and him. Her heat and response thickened his cock, making him bold as he drew her closer so that he could deepen the kiss.

Again, she responded, until Josh couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t think.

He wanted this to last forever, but already she was pulling away, then putting even more distance between them as someone continued to hammer on his door.

Josh ignored that intrusion, following her, instead.

Noting that, Tess gave him one of her hard stares.

This time, Josh wasn’t intimidated. Her lips were still moist from their kiss, one she had fully participated in.

“Yo, Josh?” Alan suddenly said from behind.

Fuck.

Peg: That was another definite no-no, wasn’t it, Alan?

Alan: I was only trying to protect Josh’s interests.

Peg: You were hot for Tess, admit it.

Alan: Holy crap, what man wouldn’t be? She wears a freaking gun. She carries a pair of freaking cuffs in a garter.

Peg: The cuffs and garter are only when she’s with Josh. And I do believe we’ve excited you enough for now, Alan. To all of you out there, Tess will be blogging the next time. She wants to tell you what Josh was really doing while she was getting rid of one of his ‘fans’ her first day on the job. See you then.

(IMSI Image)

SHOP TILL YOU DROP (into each other’s arms). . .as told by Tess

2008-08-29T09:54:00.000-07:00

Anyone who’s known me for more than two seconds realizes I absolutely freaking hate to shop for groceries. That’s why fast food joints were invented, right? That’s why we’re no longer living in caves and can get our meals by going through a drive-through.

Okay, now Josh is groaning. He likes real food – and by that he means, something he’s shopped for and prepared or what he can get in a restaurant where appetizers start at $100 or more. (Now he’s accusing me of exaggerating). Maybe. But hello. I don’t like to go to grocery stores. . .or at least I didn’t until he and I hooked up.

As those of you who’ve read our story in Close to Perfect may recall, we had some fun when we shopped. For those of you who’ve yet to read what happened, here’s a little snippet from Chapter Seven:

Josh’s eyes grew hooded. “You could come with me tonight.”

“To protect you?”

“And pretend you’re my girlfriend.”

God, she was loving this. “Where?”

“Grocery shopping.”

Tess’s smile paused. She curled her upper lip.

“It won’t be so bad,” he said.

“It’s grocery shopping, Josh.”

“With me.”

Okay, so Tess was on board and Josh knew it, because he took care of too damned much business before he was finally ready to go.

Tess lifted her head from the desk and forced her eyes to open. “We’re going now? It’s after midnight.”

“It’s an all-night market. This way we could avoid the crowds.”

They were back to that? “What about vampires? Don’t they go shopping in the dark?”

“Hank and Sammie don’t.”

Josh saw Tess’s mind running around that concept, the same as his had earlier. It was so late, the place was so public, they could essentially hide in plain sight, just like a normal couple.

“Come on.” Josh took her hand and played with her fingers, pleased that he didn’t have to keep his distance any longer. Besides, she was right; those photos from the conference couldn’t be bad. “I’ll get you something good.”

“Oh, yeah? Like what?”

For starters, one of those scooters that really old people use to zip around the store because their legs were bad.

Tess took to that little sucker right away, driving it to the right, the left, forwards, and backwards. She giggled. “Cool. Buy me some candy on the way out and I might just go home with you.”

Josh quickly backed up before she ran over his foot, then looked at an older woman frowning at them. “Kids,” he said to her. “Give them a permit to drive and see what happens.”

Tess laughed so hard she was soon hanging over the left side of that thing.

The older woman shook her head and left the aisle.

“Will you behave?” Josh asked in a lowered voice.

Tess’s laughter turned to giggles, then a lusty sigh as she stretched. “Sure you want that?”

Not when she was this radiant. Josh was aroused by every inch of her, yet humbled by what he felt. Making her happy after so many awful days meant more to him than closing a zillion dollar deal. So as far as he was concerned, from this moment forward he would be making everything right for her. Lifting his hand, Josh gently ran his knuckles down her cheek.

Tess swallowed. Her gaze and voice got soft. “Now I can see why you like shopping.”

He smiled. “We haven’t done any yet.”

Which brings us to this post and what really happened in the store. It wasn’t in the book, and thank god for that because it might have made the tabloids, which would have given my dad a stroke. Once Josh insisted that we get serious and start shopping, I decided to play along. Fighting him would’ve made our stay in the store that much longer, you know? Anyway, I told him to do his thing and I’d follow in my scooter. Well, Josh went down one aisle after another without picking anything. He just kept reading labels. After awhile I got super bored and wasn’t paying attention to where we were headed. That is, until he walked through the double doors in the back of the store where only employees are supposed to be. Being an ex-cop I figured we shouldn’t be going back there. Being intrigued, I followed him in my scooter not giving a damn about the rules.

Josh didn’t care about them either. After I followed him past one stack of boxes after the other, we finally ended up close to the loading doc. When he turned to me with lust in his eyes, I knew what was coming, but I wanted to play with him a little.

“You own this place, too?” I asked. The man’s so rich, he owns every freaking thing.

He gave me a slow, sensual smile. “Not yet. But I spend a lot of money here, and they like that.”

Uh-huh. “So you can do whatever you want?” I asked.

“Yup.”

Okay, my pulse was racing and my voice was almost as husky as his. “What now?” I asked.

Josh didn’t say. He didn’t have to. I was out of the scooter faster than this and into his arms. We necked like two teenagers who’ve just discovered sex. Oddly enough, none of the employees came back there and interrupted us. After I gave Josh a hickey on his neck, marking him, I asked him why we were so lucky to be left alone.

“Because now I’m going to give you a hickey,” he said.

I laughed and then I got serious. “Oh baby, you’re not. I’m packing heat, remember?”

That got him off the subject of hickeys and wondering where I was carrying my gun. His hands were suddenly searching for it and fondling me. After a few minutes of that, I told him to cut it out. Believe me, if he hadn’t, I might have slept with him right then and there.

After all, I had kissed the man during my interview (Chapter One in the book). It’s not as if I’ve ever done that before, but Josh was so damned special, I couldn’t help myself.

And next week, you’ll hear about that. This time it’ll be Alan (Josh’s attorney) and Peg (Josh’s secretary) who’ll be blogging. They were in the outer office when Josh and I first kissed, and they’ll let you know what it looked like from their end, and what they were thinking.

Until then – have a good one.

GOOD ENUF 2 EAT. . .as told by Josh

2008-08-19T10:11:00.000-07:00

For those of you who’ve followed Tess and my story in Close to Perfect, you know we enjoy sharing our food. For those of you who don’t know that, let me give you a little excerpt from Chapter Four:

“Go on, try it,” he said.

Tess’s face got hot, she looked at him, then at the slice of cucumber he held between his thumb and forefinger. That vegetable was drenched in the pinkish dip, but quickly forgotten as he slipped his free hand beneath her chin.

Her lids fluttered and her heart raced.

“Open up,” her murmured.

Tess finally did, then held back a moan as he eased the food into her mouth with one hand, while stroking her throat with the other.

“Good?” he asked.

If he was talking about the food, Tess had no idea. A dribble of perspiration wiggled down her temple as she finally remembered to chew.

Using his thumb, Josh eased the perspiration from her cheek. “Is it good?” he asked again.

Yup, it was very good. Just read more of that chapter and the others to find out more. But for now let’s get to what was promised in the last blog. Two treats that are good enuf 2 eat, especially off of a lover.

KEY LIME ICE CREAM CHASED WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE:

This is one of my personal favorites. Living in such a hot climate it’s nice to have something cool and slightly tart in your mouth. But then there’s the chocolate sauce chaser that makes it oh so sweet. Since the ice cream is soft, Tess likes to play with it. She swirls it over her nipples, fills her navel with it, then strokes it over her delicate curls. Wow. When I get through eating her, it’s her turn to dip my cock in the stuff and eat me. Like I said – wow.

Ingredients:

A cup of thick cream (more if you want it really rich)
Sweetened condensed milk (15 oz)
Six egg yolks
Fresh key lime juice (about a half cup)

To prepare:

The cream should be brought to a simmer in a saucepan. After that, mix (or beat) the cream into the yolks (they should be in a bowl). Transfer the mix into the saucepan and put it on a low heat. You want to make certain to stir it constantly until it thickens a bit. Once it does, remove it from the heat and pour it through a strainer into another bowl. Let it cool a bit, then stir in the key lime juice and the sweetened condensed milk. Refrigerate until it’s cold. When it is, stir it really well, then freeze it in an ice cream machine (follow directions).

CHOCOLATE SAUCE TO DRIZZLE OVER THE ICE CREAM (AND YOUR LOVED ONE):

This is easy – simply melt a cup of semisweet chocolate and about three-fourths of a cup of whipping cream. Stir it constantly over low heat until everything’s melted. When it is, stir in the vanilla. Let it cool (obviously) until it’s skin temperature, then have some fun!

CHOCOLATE DIPPED STRAWBERRIES WITH A KICK:

This is Tess’s personal favorite. After I make these, she always wants me to hold one between my lips while she nibbles on it. Nice. When she’s through, I always like her to hold one between her lips – and I’m not talking her mouth here – where I nibble on it until I get to what I really want. Very nice. BTW: The kick I’m talking about in the recipe title doesn’t have anything to do with that, but with the liqueur that’s used to marinate the strawberries.

Ingredients:

Chopped bittersweet chocolate (5 oz)
Fresh strawberries (about a pint)
Any liqueur you want to use. Wine’s also good.

To prepare:

Marinate the strawberries in the liqueur or wine of your choice for about a half hour. When they’re ready, melt the chocolate using a double boiler (or nuke it in the microwave). Stir it so that it’s smooth. When it’s ready, dip the strawberries into the chocolate and place on a clean cooking rack. After that, pop them in the fridge until they’re properly chilled.

That’s it for now. Just noticed we’re running low on food and I have to make a trip to the store. I might just bring Tess with me. It’s much more fun that way. Next time she’ll tell you what we did while grocery shopping in Close to Perfect – all that stuff that didn’t make it into the book.

Until then – enjoy!

(Image by IMSI)

THE EARTH SHOOK & ROCKETS BURST IN THE AIR. . .as told by Josh and Tess

2008-08-12T06:27:00.000-07:00

Josh: Think we’re being a little dramatic here? Well, let me tell you something – being without Tess for all those freaking weeks before the end of our story in Close to Perfect was pure torture. I kept obsessing about our last night on my yacht and what happened. Let me give you a little taste of that and you’ll understand why I was losing it:

Before Josh could even think to comment on that, Tess turned and padded toward the forward deck. As she did, she unzipped her gown and pushed it off both shoulders.

That garment fluttered in the breeze as it slid to her waist, then over her hips.

At last, she stopped, allowing it to puddle at her feet.

Holy shit. Josh locked his knees so he could keep standing. She was nude, except for a frilly garter on her left thigh. A red garter that made her taut, moon-washed flesh appear even paler.

He moistened his lips, but forgot to swallow as his mind kept dancing around the same thought.

She had been fucking nude beneath that dress all night? She hadn’t even worn a thong?

His gaze followed the curve of her calves, the perfect lines of her thighs, that unbelievable garter, her plush buttocks and sleek back, and finally her face as Tess looked over her shoulder at him.

Her honeyed eyes sparkled in the moonlight. The breeze played wither hair. Her smile was seductive.

Josh finally swallowed, then looked back at her garter. Was her weapon in the front of it? Had she carried it that way all night? How had he missed feeling it?

“Something wrong?” she asked.

He swallowed again, then pointed. “You’re actually wearing a garter.”

“Until you take it off.”

His gaze snapped up as she stepped out of her dress, then tied it around the railing so the wind couldn’t blow it away. With that accomplished, she padded to the forward deck, her naked cheeks bouncing.

Josh liked that. He followed, holding the beach towel between his teeth as he unbuttoned his shirt as fast as he could, then tore it off himself and tied it to the railing. By the time he reached Tess, he was bare-chested, the towel was under his left arm and his hands were heading for his fly.

“Uh-uh,” Tess said, turning to face him. “I’ll do that.”

His gaze fell to her hands on his trousers, then to her garter and what she had slipped beneath it on the inside of her thigh. Not a gun, oh no. “You brought cuffs?”

Want to read more? Then go to Chapter Fifteen of Close to Perfect. While I keep smiling at my memory of that night, I’ll let Tess bring you up to speed on what we promised last week – what happened when we got together at the end of our story. Tess?

Tess: Right here, babe. Okay, you can see from what Josh just wrote that Chapter Fifteen was pretty much it for him – at least until the end of our story when we got back together. Like I said in our last blog, we didn’t exactly stick around my father’s house after we kissed and made up. Hell no. I stuck my hand into Josh’s front jeans’ pocket, stroked his rod, grabbed his keys, then split.

Josh: She was driving so fast I thought we’d be arrested.

Tess: I’m a former cop, I don’t get arrested. I get frustrated. And wow, was that happening to me that night. I kept looking for places to pull over so that Josh and I could make love in the backseat of his Mercedes.

Josh: Like I said, she was hell bent on getting us arrested.

Tess: I’ll admit, I was a little crazy. I kept telling Josh what I wanted him to do to me and what I wanted to do to him. When I finally figured out that that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon since my place and his place were equally far away – too damned far, in fact – I thought about heading for his golf course.

Josh: That’s when I reminded her that my office was closer.

Tess: And that’s where we ended up that night, in Josh’s office – specifically in his conference room. As you’ll remember in our story, I suggested he have blinds put on the windows so that the paparazzi couldn’t take any unauthorized shots of what was going on inside.

Josh: Good boy that I was, I did just that.

Tess: Good boy? Oh, baby, you were certainly not that. The moment we got into the conference room and it was flooded with light, Josh tore at my clothes. When I tried to tear at his, he said, “No fucking way, baby. You made me wait too damned long for this to wait any longer.”

The man stripped me bare in what seemed like less than a minute.

Josh: Seemed like several days to me.

Tess: Uh-huh. Anyway, the moment I was buck-naked, he swept me in his arms, put me on the conference table, then wrapped my tee around my wrists and tied it to one of these rotating trays that were bolted to the center of the table.

Josh: It’s called a Lazy Susan, I think.

Tess: Whatever. Josh had obviously taken to heart what I’d told him in the car. You know, my fantasy about the first couple that had owned his mansion in the eighteen-hundreds. Anyway, once Josh had me restrained and spread wide (he was still dressed by the way), he unzipped his fly, pulled out his cock, then mounted and rode me like there was no tomorrow.

Josh: Actually, there’d been no yesterday because we were broken up, because you were pissed at me.

Tess: My bad. But I made it up to you, right? (He’s grinning now). After Josh tied me and took me in every conceivable place in that room, we drove back to his place and continued our reunion on the master bedroom’s veranda.

Josh: Damn, it was nice. And it’s gotten me to thinking. . .

Tess: Me, too. We’re going to sign off for now for a little R&R.

Josh: Make that a lot.

Tess: Yes sir, Mr. Wyatt. As far as our next posting is concerned – it’s been awhile since Josh has shared one of his dynamite recipes with you. Next time, he’ll give you the lowdown on the best treats to eat off a lover’s body. . .just like what he’s now going to do now with mine.

STAIRWAY TO MY DREAM LOVER. . .as told by Tess

2008-08-05T02:24:00.000-07:00

Ever since I was old enough to notice that guys aren’t always a pain in the ass, I’ve heard about their big, bad wet dreams. Like that’s something women should aspire to, if only they could.

Get real. When I’m conked out, my libido isn’t exactly snoring. And the proof of that was the night of the infamous poker game at my dad’s house (Chapter Eleven in Close to Perfect for those of you who haven’t read it as yet), when I had the mother of all erotic dreams. It started when Josh was driving us back to his house. I was asleep in the passenger seat of his car and my mind was right back to where it had been the first night I came to his place. At that time I started imagining (some might call it hallucinating) about the original couple that had lived there in the late eighteen-hundreds. It’s all in Chapter Four of Close to Perfect, but I’ll give you a little peek:

Ahead was a wide stairway leading to the second floor, the master bedroom.

Tess went to that first step. She looked up. The landing was washed in the day’s waning light, the doors closed.

Even so, her mind saw a room dominated by a four-poster with lacy linens, mosquito netting, and a fireplace for cool nights.

Had that night, more than a century ago, been sultry and still as the master carried his new bride up these stairs to his room? Tess believed it was. She imagined that man lowering his wife to her feet, so that he might open the French doors leading to the veranda. Fragrant, moist air would have wafted inside. Faint voices of the workers would have been heard.

Not that it mattered. Those men would hardly have dared to come near this house while the master was enjoying his bride.

But she would have known those workers were outside, and that would have added another layer of tension to this night.

Tess imagined the questions running through that woman’s mind. Would they hear her moans as her husband aroused her? Would they know she was naked, her flesh bared to a man who would use her as he willed?

Would they guess when his mouth suckled one of her nipples, while his long fingers so aptly invaded her, driving deep to prepare her for more? That moment when she would no longer be a girl, but a woman. That moment when her husband finally mounted her.

Would she spread her legs widely then; would her gaze be on this man who was muscled and hard above her, while the featherbed was achingly soft below?

Did she gasp as he finally entered, breaking through any barrier that kept them separated, that stopped her from being his?

Did her body at last dance with her husband’s as she wrapped her legs around his lean hips, and threw back her head, then opened her mouth as she cried out again and again and –

You get the picture. That night as Josh carried me from his car and across the front porch of the house and up the stairway to my bedroom, he and I were starring in that dream that would’ve made a triple X-rated film seem downright tame. There was bondage (he did me this time, unlike the time I did him with my cuffs on his yacht in Chapter Fifteen), voyeurism (the servants barged in wanting to ask the master something or at least that’s what they claimed in my dream) and there was even some spanking (Josh is laughing now).

The dream was hot, to say the least. And it gave me some very good ideas that I tried out when Josh and I got back together at the end of Close to Perfect. (And here you thought we stayed at my dad’s house for another round of poker? No freaking way.)

Next time we’ll both tell you what happened after our official story ended and the fun really began.

(Image by IMSI)

(UN)DRESSED FOR SUCCESS. . .as told by Josh

2008-07-29T03:42:00.000-07:00

Trust me, I’m no saint. I’m all for skinny dipping in the pool (which started this whole business between Tess and me when that paparazzo took those unauthorized photos of my naked back and ass) and some kinky bondage (like when I let Tess handcuff me to the rail of my yacht so that she could have her way with me – and man, did she ever. If you’re wondering what I mean, just see Chapter Fifteen of our story in Close to Perfect).

Of course, as bad as I’ve been, I never once had a hot-and-heavy encounter with a woman in the dressing room of a store. At least not until I met Tess.

For those of you who’ve read our story in Close to Perfect, you’ll recall the scene in Chapter Twelve at Kiki’s. Wow. Talk about an afternoon delight. For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, let me give you a little insight into what happened:

“Now, take your time, you two,” the girl said to them both, then spoke to Tess. “You need anything, just holler. I’ll bring it to you.” She looked at Josh. “Have fun.”

He smiled as she closed the door. “This is turning out much better than I thought.”

“No kidding,” Tess said. “You’re finally getting to sit.”

Josh looked over his shoulder at the chair, then sidled to it and took a load off. “That’s not the only reason and you know it.”

“You bet.” Tess lifted the gowns from his right shoulder and arm and hung them on a hook. “You were really getting tired of carrying this stuff, huh?”

“I’d rather see it on you, than me, and you know it.”

Tess flicked her gaze at him, then lifted the gowns from his left side and hung them up. “Why, Mr. Wyatt, are you actually asking me to model these for you?”

Josh tried not to sound too enthused. “I believe that was the plan, Officer Franklin.”

Tess faced him. “Whatever you want.”

His gaze dropped to her hand as she quickly unbuttoned her shorts, then lowered the fly, exposing her navel and that silky skin beneath it.

Josh swallowed; he adjusted himself in the chair. Tess moved her hips gently to the right and back to the left as she eased those shorts over her hips and thighs, then straightened allowing them to skim past her legs to the floor.

She stepped out of them.

Josh stared at her white thong, a scrap of silk and lace so brief it just barely covered her dark, furry mound. In fact, a few of those hairs had escaped, curling around the lacy edges.

He adjusted himself again, then looked at that series of mirrors reflecting her plush, naked ass from every angle imaginable, especially as Tess bent at the waist to pick up her shorts.

Josh’s heart slammed into his chest at the scene that created.

Tess lifted her head.

His gaze followed her hair swaying back and forth above that gap in her top that exposed her breasts.

“Hold these.” She tossed her shorts.

They hit Josh in the mouth.

“Sorry,” Tess said.

Josh held them against his chest. “Not a problem.”

Tess straightened, then looked down as she unbuttoned her top.

Josh pressed the shorts to his face, inhaling deeply of her soft, powdery scent.

Tess’s gaze lifted. He lowered the shorts. She undid the last button then removed her blouse.

Josh put out his hand, ready to take it.

Tess dropped it over his arm.

He pushed forward in his chair as his gaze settled on her lacy bra. It was as white as that thong with tiny satin straps that must have had a hell of a time holding up her full breasts. That soft flesh strained against those cups, her tightened nipples pushed against the silky fabric, until she unsnapped the front, opened, then removed it.

Josh stared.

“Here,” she said, tossing the bra.

He didn’t move quickly enough; hell, he could barely move at all.

“Sorry,” Tess said, again, as the bra landed on his head.

Josh left it there as his heart paused, then hammered out of control, because Tess was now running her fingers beneath her hair to pull it off her shoulders, which served only one purpose – to give her breasts full exposure.

The areolas were a deep pink and as tight as the tips. There was a small mole on her left breast and a stray white thread on her right.

If Josh were to live fifty years past today, he would never forget how the end of that thread wiggled gently with her breathing as it clung tenaciously to her naked flesh.

“Josh.”

His gaze lifted to hers, then went right back to her breasts. They looked even bigger than just a second ago. “Yeah?”

“I’m ready.”

And I wasn’t? Believe me, my cock and boys were raring to go, but hey, Tess and I were in a dressing room in a public place, remember? There was also her decision not to have sex with me until she was no longer in my employ. If I had known that at the time, I would have fired her on the spot. As it was, I was suffering through that first striptease and the way she wiggled as she tried on the first gown when the sales girl unexpectedly poked her head in the door to see how we were doing.

Well, I was sporting the mother of all erections, while Tess was really enjoying the way she was torturing me. And that brings me to the point of this post. What happened after the salesgirl left.

Now, I wasn’t crazy enough to expect sex. I was hoping, all right? But I wasn’t holding my breath. In fact, I was breathing pretty damned hard as Tess asked if I wanted to see her in the next gown. You bet I did, because she had to take this one off first to get into the next. And that’s when I made my move.

I left my chair, and pulled her into me, making certain her back was to all those mirrors, because I liked the view. And then I hiked up the bottom of the red gown she’d tried on, baring her nearly-naked ass. By the time I had cupped her sweet cheeks in my hands, Tess’s tongue was in my mouth. We were going at it pretty damned hard (I know I was grunting like I’d run the six-minute mile in thirty seconds), when I heard two female voices giggling in the next room. A suite at the Ritz this was not. When I glanced at the wall that separated this dressing area from the next (the wall didn’t go all the way down to the floor, btw; there was a gap of about six inches at the bottom) I saw two pairs of feet in flip-flops with the toes pointing in Tess’s and my direction. Those ladies obviously had their ears pressed to the wall as they listened to what we were doing.

Did Tess and I stop after that? Hell, no. We just kept the volume down as she tried on one gown after the other, stripping in between for my pleasure. Wow. It was one afternoon I’ll never forget. I’m certain Tess would agree, although there’s one night that sticks out in her mind that’s even hotter.

It was when I played poker at her dad’s house with his hard-ass friends. Tess wasn’t playing; she fell asleep on her dad’s couch during the game and I had to carry her to the car, then into my house when we got back.

She told me about the dream she’d had while I was doing that. Next week, she’ll share that with you.

For now, though, it’s time for a little R&R. Tess is running her naked toes up my leg. We’re taking a bubble bath in the claw-footed tub, and this post is definitely at an end. Time to put the laptop away and see to my lady’s pleasure.

(Image by IMSI)

STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE (NOT TO MENTION GOOD SENSE). . .as told by Tess

2008-07-22T03:43:00.000-07:00

In our last post Josh wrote: Sometimes it pays to keep secrets – at least for a little while. Like hell. As far as I’m concerned secrets should lie dead and buried pretty much forever and should never ever be posted in blogs, but then what would the fun be in that (Josh is behind me and snorting with laughter because he knows what’s coming). Anyway, the only reason I’m about to tell you what did happen while I was in the dressing room at Josh’s country club is because I have to – it’s the only way I could get him to fess up about his runathon the first night I spent at his house. So, here goes.

For those of you who read our story in Close to Perfect (and for those of you who have yet to), let me remind you what happened in Chapter Eight. Josh and I were on the lam from my father’s friends who are also ex-cops and who work at his security company as I do. Josh had the great idea that we’d spend the day alone at his country club – yep, that’s right, he’s not just a member; he owns the damned place. At the time, it hadn’t yet been opened to the public and we had that baby to ourselves – just picture it – all those lush grounds and the entire clubhouse. Talk about nice. Not that I was noticing any scenery besides Josh.

By the time we went into the clubhouse, I was wondering if the place had guest rooms with big, comfortable beds. Who knew how strenuous golf could get, right? Yeah, I know, I had promised myself not to sleep with Josh while he was my boss, but hey, I’m only human, you know? To get an idea of what I was going through, read an excerpt from Chapter Eight:

She wanted Josh as she had never wanted another man. She needed him on top of her, inside her, filling a need that grew with each passing day.

As he led her to the right, Tess willingly followed, looking down as her heels clacked against Mexican pavers, then up to an area where the country club staff would answer questions from its guests.

Passing that, Josh turned into a hall that opened up into a pro shop. At last, he released her hand.

Tess made a face at that, but only because he couldn’t see. He had already moved to a counter and was now pulling a pale green Polo shirt and a pair of beige khakis from that bag.

“Here you go.” He tossed her the bag.

Tess caught it easily and looked inside.

“Those all right?” he asked.

She lifted her white sleeveless top and white cotton shorts from the bag, then looked around them to him. “When did you get these?”

“Pulled them out of the dryer while you were outside waiting for me. I didn’t think you’d mind.”

She didn’t. She looked back down. “Did you pack my running shoes, too?”

“I thought you’d play in your heels.”

Tess kept her head lowered, but did lift her gaze.

“Not going to work for you, huh?” Josh asked, then inclined his head to the right. “Your dressing room’s over there.”

Tess looked from it to him.

“Go on,” he said. “We don’t have all day.”

That was true. Hugging the bag to her chest, Tess went into her dressing room as Josh went to his, then changed into her shorts and top.

And that brings us to my little secret that wasn’t revealed in Close to Perfect, but will be now because Josh insisted. After I changed, I pulled out my cell phone and called my friend and former partner on the force, Natalie Cruz.

“Nat,” I said in a really low voice when she answered.

“Tessie?” she said to that.

“Yep.”

“I can barely hear you. What’s wrong? You in trouble? You’re breathing real hard.”

That was true. “I’m not in danger,” I lied in a whisper, “I just need your advice.”

“Go for it,” Nat said without pause. “Have lots of orgasms. Take notes. I wanna hear all about it later. Who is he?”

I gotta hand it to Nat, she does not mince words. “Who he is is the complication,” I whispered. At that point, I hadn’t told Nat about Josh or working for him.

“He’s a priest?” she asked.

“Of course not.”

“Gay?”

“Get real.”

“One of your dad’s friends?”

I pressed my mouth into my shoulder to muffle my groan.

“Who then?” she shouted.

“Shhh,” I hissed into the cell. “He’s my boss.” I started breathing hard again. “I really like him. We’re on a golf course. I want to sleep with him.”

“On the course?”

“In the pro shop. It’s deserted. My dressing room’s deserted.”

“Then go for it, fool! Wait!” she shouted, then lowered her voice. “Does he like you?”

“He wants me.”

I could hear her sharp intake of breath on the other end of the call.

“Poor baby,” she finally said. “He’s a low down, no good player and you’re already in love with him, huh?”

Like I said, Nat does not mince words. “He’s not low down or no good. He’s just a normal guy with needs. And I’m getting real close to liking him way too much, if you get my drift.”

“Poor baby,” she repeated. “You are in love.”

As I groaned, she continued, “Make the bum wait until he’s falling in love with you. Then again, if you think you’ll lose him by waiting, go for it. Of course, hold back a little so that he wants more. But not too much or he’ll –”

Although I love Nat, I decided to end the call right there and make Josh wait for me until I couldn’t wait any longer for him. And it turned out for the best. He’s still behind me now, but instead of laughing he’s nuzzling my neck. Nice.

Of course, what happened between us in that dressing room at Kiki’s in Chapter Twelve was awesome too, especially after the salesgirl left. You didn’t read about it in our story, but you’ll hear about it from Josh next week.

(Image by IMSI)

I Know What You Did Last Night. . .as told by Josh

2008-07-15T03:49:00.000-07:00

For those of you who read about Tess and me in Close to Perfect you’ll recall the first night she spent in my house as my bodyguard. (For those of you who haven’t read about us, see Chapter Five, pages 101-122; you won’t regret it). Anyway, until Tess came along it wasn’t as if I had a different babe or even a regular babe in my house every night. Even before I was ‘exposed’ in Keys Confidential and all the lust-crazed ladies came out of their bedrooms and started pursuing me, my sex life wasn’t what you’d think. And it definitely wasn’t what Tess thought – I can tell by the look she’s giving me now – a mixture of ‘yeah, right’ and ‘watch it, buddy.’

The sad truth is I was putting in 15-hour days when Tess entered the picture and believe me the only thing I wanted to hug at night was my pillow. But everything changed my first night with Tess.

She felt the magic in the scene where she was roaming the grounds looking for all those babes who were after me. If you don’t believe me, read on:

Turning, Tess moved quickly down the path, focusing on business. Once her heart stopped thudding, she heard leaves rustling in the breeze, crickets chirping, and unknown animals scurrying about.

Suppressing a shiver at that, Tess walked the perimeter of these grounds, her gaze searching for whatever might be out of place.

A half hour later, everything was as it should be; she was the only thing that didn’t belong.

Lifting her face to the moonlit sky, Tess searched for the brightest star and called herself a fool. It was only her first night here and already she was wishing on stars, hoping that when this was all over she could easily move on.

Sure. Sighing deeply, she turned to go back to the house, but then paused.

The master bedroom doors that led to the veranda were open; Josh was inside the room.

His head remained bent to a clock he was setting.

Tess’s gaze touched his tousled hair, his broad shoulders, his powerful chest.

As if he felt her watching, he slowly looked up and turned to those open doors. His gaze searched the darkness, then seemed to touch hers.

In that moment, warmth flooded her chest, her belly, the insides of her thighs. Her heart raced out of control.

Could he actually see her in this darkness? If he did, was he as awed by this moment as she?

My answer to that? Fuck yeah I was awed. And not because I saw Tess (I didn’t), but because I knew she was out there and that she’d soon be coming inside and would be spending the night in the bedroom next to mine. Rarely have I been as frustrated.

And that brings us to the point of this post. Last week Tess wrote: ‘Of course, a man and a woman’s first night together is pretty damned special, too, even if they’re not sharing the same bed. Next time Josh will tell you what he did that first night I spent at his mansion while I thought he was asleep; something he just confessed to me the other day. Bad, bad boy.’

Uh-huh. More like bad, bad girl. That night, after Tess finally settled down in her own room (or so I thought), I still had a lot of frustration to work off. So, I took the back stairs from the master bedroom, went outside, and ran like hell until I thought my lungs would burst. When I was finally tired (though still horny), I sagged to the ground and lifted my head to Tess’s bedroom windows so that I could at least daydream about what she was doing in there just like a goofy kid might. Of course, given what she was doing, I didn’t have to use my imagination all that much.

To get you started on what happened, let’s go to page 110 of the story:

By midnight, Tess had been so tightly wound she shut off the air-conditioning and opened the French doors. Her veranda was next to his, but the lights in Josh’s bedroom were off so Tess couldn’t see a thing past his open doors, not even when she hung over the railing.

Hell, she not only hung over the railing, she straddled the damn thing and then stood on it while she clutched the overhang. There was one scary moment when I thought she’d actually try to jump from her veranda to mine. I was about to yell at her to stop, but before I could Tess eased back until she was straddling the railing again which gave me one helluva view up her boxers. When she leaned over to see how far it would be if she fell off the railing, her top pulled away from her chest and I got a billion dollar view of her very impressive breasts. At that point, I decided to stay in the shadows and enjoy the show.

It didn’t last nearly long enough, but it had definitely done some damage. When she finally went back inside her room I was back on my feet and running, running, running.

And no way was I going to tell her any of this the next morning when I came into the kitchen. One, I knew she’d be pissed that I was walking (or rather running) my own grounds alone in the dark without her to protect me. Two, sometimes it pays to keep secrets – at least for a little while (she’s frowning at me now). Why, I don’t know cause Tess kept a whopper from me. And it all had to do with what she did when we were at the country club changing our clothes in the pro shop in Chapter Eight.

It isn’t detailed in our story, but it will be in our next post when Tess finally fesses up to what really happened. See you then.

(Image by IMSI)

When Worlds Collide. . .as told by Tess

2008-07-08T05:15:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I’m being a bit dramatic, but I have to say when my dad met my mom two different people falling in love you just couldn’t imagine. Sure my dad was a real cowboy on the force, but believe it or not, when it came to the ladies he was downright catatonic. Yeah, I know, I know; when he met Peg in Chapter Ten of Close to Perfect he didn’t exactly go into a fetal position, but he’d had decades of my mom’s love to give him confidence, not to mention a few years of grief over her passing to make him lonely enough to try again. I’m sure his Carlie was looking down on him that night and smiling that he’d found Peg. That’s the way my mom was. . .carefree and simply gorgeous, while my dad’s by-the-book and not exactly Brad Pitt.

Just a sec. Josh read what I wrote and now he’s telling me that I better delete the Pitt reference before my dad goes ballistic. Not a chance. It’s not like my dad thinks he’s the most handsome guy around (or even wants to be) and if I say that he is in this blog he’ll have to hire a female bodyguard to protect his ‘assets’ from all those predatory ladies, just like Josh had to hire me to protect his. Okay, now Josh is laughing and leaving the room, so let’s get real. My dad’s okay looking, not a ghoul by any means, but without great looks and being as shy as he was, he never thought he’d have a chance with my mom.

Of course, they only met because she was supposed to teach him the tango and other Latin dances for one of his cases. Weird, huh? But at the time my dad was an undercover vice officer investigating a high-class prostitution ring operating out of this upscale club, and he needed to know all the right moves so he wouldn’t stick out like he had two left feet. I mean, his shyness worked for him because the call girls kept swooping down asking if he wanted a ‘date’, but he couldn’t be a total loser or they would have wondered what in the hell he was doing at the club when he couldn’t dance.

Since he couldn’t admit any of that to my mom, given that his assignment was undercover, he took one look at her and blurted that he was a clod and that he needed her help. Later, when I was a teen, my mom told me that she really struggled not to laugh because she didn’t want to hurt my dad’s feelings. Here was this big guy – six feet tall and muscular – looking down at little Carlita Rodriquez, who was barely five feet, and his face was dotted with sweat and his hands were shaking.

At that moment, my mom started to fall in love. She said his reaction to her was so endearing that it meant more than having him flirt or if he had brought her flowers and gifts. And my mom would know. In those days, she had a lot of guys chasing her – awesome-looking guys who promised her the world. She didn’t want that. She had seen how her own dad, who was great-looking and had all the right moves with the ladies, had treated her mom. So, what she craved more than anything was a guy who respected and really loved her. In other words, a guy who started sweating and shaking when they first met because he was so overwhelmed by what he was feeling.

And that guy was my dad. In Chapter Three of Close to Perfect, I touched upon this very thing:

That meeting, according to Carlie Franklin, had been magic, and the reason they had endured.

“It’s all in that first moment,” she had said for as long as Tess could remember. “In how a man and a woman meet.”

She had that right. After their first dance, my mom and dad were hooked. Beauty and the Beast I like to call their romance, and my dad wouldn’t be offended at all. He knows he was lucky to have her, and she was lucky to have him.

In the last blog my dad wrote: “Sure, we hit it off right away, but like Josh and Tessie we were from two different worlds. That made it hard, but fun too.”

To be honest, I never saw the hard part of it, but then I was a kid. Maybe being married to such a beautiful lady is daunting for any man. Maybe being married to a guy who isn’t exactly a free spirit is a challenge to a woman who is. All I know is that my mom gave him confidence and my dad gave her security. Pretty awesome, wouldn’t you say?

Yeah, it’s all in that first moment. . .in how a man and a woman meet. Just like my mom and dad. Just like me and Josh.

Of course, a man and woman’s first night together is pretty damned special, too, even if they’re not sharing the same bed.

Next time Josh will tell you what he did that first night I spent at his mansion while I thought he was asleep; something he just confessed to me the other day. Bad, bad boy.

(ClickArt – Broderbund Image)

Putting Josh Through the Wringer. . .as told by Freddy Franklin

2008-07-01T04:52:00.000-07:00

Let’s get something out of the way from the get-go. I don’t believe in this blog junk. It’s like airing your laundry in public, if you know what I mean. But my daughter asked me to tell this, like she asked me if she could be a cop instead of a dancer, and then a bodyguard instead of a dancer. Okay, now she’s frowning at me like she’s got a right to be pissed but let me tell you, as her father I know what’s good for her. Of course, being how stubborn she is, she never seems to agree with me.

Take Mr. Naked Guy Josh Wyatt for example. From the get-go I did not like the bum. Who invites the paparazzi to photograph them while they’re taking a dip in the altogether? That’s just plain – wait a sec, now I’m getting a lecture from my daughter that Josh did NOT invite the paparazzi, he was blindsided by them. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He’s rich enough to afford a pool right? Well then he’s rich enough to afford swim trunks. But that’s a whole other story.

My daughter wants me to share with all of you strangers that I don’t know and don’t want to know what Josh did to win me over before he asked her to marry him at the end of their story in Close to Perfect. Is she serious? Win me over? Bulldoze me is more like it. Threaten me is closer to the truth. Just a sec. She’s trying to take the keyboard away from me now so I can’t write this stuff I didn’t want to write to begin with. But now I’m on a roll so I’m going to finish. Josh just told her it’s okay, to let me say whatever the hell I want. While she’s glaring at him, I’ll get on with this.

As you’ll recall if you read my daughter’s and his story in Close to Perfect, they broke up near the end of it because he was being a real jerk. Thought he owned the world. Thought he could tell my little Tessie what to do. Yeah, right. Every time I read Chapter Sixteen I laugh at what she does to him to show him she’s no pushover. That’s my Tessie all right. But then comes the next chapters where she’s acting like it’s the end of the world. That was a real killer. But I’ve lived a long time and I know the score and I’m gonna tell all of you something that maybe you didn’t know – romance isn’t what you read in those supermarket books, and once you fall in love that’s not always a good thing. But try to tell that to my daughter or Josh.

A couple of days after she broke it off with him he came to see me at my house. Showed up while I was outside working on it; lucky for him I had just put my hammer down on the ground cause there’s no telling what I might have done with it otherwise. I did tell him the score though – that he was to stay away from my daughter. She’d made that very clear. You know what he said to that? He told me he was going to marry her and although he’d like my approval there really wasn’t anything I could do about it. He stood in my yard like he owned the damn thing and had the gall to tell me that. I told him he was a bum. He said I was wrong. He admitted only to being clueless sometimes when it came to women – what man wasn’t – but he had not tried to deliberately hurt Tess or piss her off. I told him it didn’t matter; my Tessie still didn’t want him. He said that she loved him and that I knew it and that’s why I was acting like I was.

He was making me real hot, you know.

But he wouldn’t back down. He told me we could talk about it again later. Yeah, like I wanted that. But the next day he shows up at my security business. And the day after that, he takes me out to lunch. And the day after that, he was fixing the broken slats on the fence around my house. Did a good job, but I still told him it’d be best if he’d just go away and hook up with one of those babes that was after him. After he finished hammering he looked at me and said ‘no, sir’; that he was in Tessie’s life and he was staying there as long as she wanted him and that it’d be easier on her if I just got used to the idea.

Was he nuts? The idea made me mad as hell, but I got to admit I do like the boy’s backbone. He doesn’t scare easily and when it comes to my daughter I could see that he really wanted her. . .the same as I wanted her mom. Not even a gun to my head would have kept me away from my Carlie. And I was beginning to see that not even my hammer in the middle of his head was going to make Josh stay away from my Tessie.

Not that it meant he had won me over. The next day while he and I were working on the plumbing in my house I told him that if he ever hurt her, if he ever made her cry that he was a dead man.

He told me he’d do his damndest to make her happy but being only human he’d probably make her cry at least once or twice without even trying or knowing how he did it, but that she’d certainly piss him off unknowingly or deliberately and that would even things out.

After I stopped laughing, I told him I wouldn’t stand in his way. He gave me a look that said I couldn’t even if I wanted to.

Like I told all of you before, he wouldn’t back down. He’s got balls, you know. He even got me to agree to help him with the way he surprised Tessie at the end of Close to Perfect.

So there you have it, what Tessie wanted me to tell you – how I put Josh through the wringer. Yeah, right. But I will tell you one thing. The hard part for them is only beginning. Take me and her mom for instance. Sure, we hit it off right away and our romance seemed as perfect as that rose picture my daughter put up with this blog, but it doesn't show you the thorns, does it? And that's the problem, because there were thorns since Carlie and me were from different worlds, just like Josh and Tessie are. And that made it real hard in the beginning, but we lived through it. And next time Tessie will be telling you about that, because that’s what kids do these days – air their personal laundry and mine with this blog junk.

(IMSI USA Image)

See more smoking hot couples at www.tinadonahue.com

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. . .as told by Tess

2008-06-24T04:01:00.000-07:00

When it comes to pure enjoyment the only thing I enjoy nearly as much as a grunting, growling, squealing, and toe-curling orgasm (with Josh, of course) is dancing. OMG, it’s like being weightless and flying, especially if the music’s just right. You know what I mean – you feel it pulsing in your head and your stomach and nothing else matters. You have to move.

I’ve been told that when I’m dancing it’s like I’m in a trance. Maybe it’s because of the dance gene I inherited from my mom. . .or maybe it’s the Latin heritage she gave to me. All I know is that what I feel and how I act is hard for me to describe. But not for Josh. He did an awesome job of putting into words what happens to me when I’m dancing. It was in our story in Close to Perfect. In this scene, we had just arrived at the dance club:

Its nondescript exterior hardly prepared him for what was inside. There were softly pulsing lights and a glass roof. Beneath countless stars, hundreds of young couples moved sinuously against each other, keeping time to the music.

It was outrageously erotic, the strains prolonged, provocative.

Tess was immediately seduced. Working her fingers through her hair, she lifted it off her shoulders, then swayed her hips. Soon, her eyes were closed, her body undulating as she raised her face to the sky becoming fully lost in this world.

Josh watched transfixed; there was nothing else he could do. Never had he seen a woman dance like that. Tess was as free as he was captive and somehow that felt so very right.

Whew. If you want more, go to Chapter Fourteen of our story. I swear, you will not be disappointed.

But for now let’s get to what Josh promised in the last blog. If you’ll recall, he said that the guy he hired to teach him to dance the salsa, merengue, and the tango knew me. . .or of me. My first thought was that I had ticketed or arrested him when I was a cop, because I sure as hell haven’t taken any dance lessons from the guy. After Josh stopped laughing, he said that this guy saw me when I was working as a cop, but not while I was on duty. Well that left only one thing; we were at a club at the same time. Now even though I like to think that I’m a pretty good dancer, I don’t think I stand out enough for guys to go into a trance and drool and then remember me years later. (Josh is currently rolling his eyes like I’m crazy or something. We’re by the pool and he should be skinny-dipping, not reading the computer screen over my shoulder. “Right, baby?” I just asked.)

There he goes rolling his eyes again, but he did just peck me on the cheek. (so sweet) Now, he’s moving to the edge of the – wait a sec – there he goes. He’s stripping down to – wow – did I ever say how beautiful he is?

Okay, now I’m grinning like a girl gone wild and just as soon as I finish telling my story, I’m joining my baby in all that water.

So here goes: The more I thought about the guy and what Josh said about hiring him because he did remember me, the more I thought about those days when I frequented the clubs. And then I had it – the one incident that would have stood out in that guy’s mind.

It happened when I had been on the police force for five years – the year before I quit to join my dad’s security company. I had been dating a fellow cop for a few months and one Friday night, instead of watching an excruciatingly boring game on TV like we always did, I wanted to go dancing. Talk about asking for the moon – you’d think I wanted his balls or the password to his debit card. But I kept at him until he agreed that we’d go dancing.

HUGE mistake. And not because he couldn’t dance (he couldn’t), but because he watched me dance and got all hot about it, telling me that I was acting inappropriately. Huh? I wasn’t stripping, mind you – I was dancing – just like all the others in the club.

And that’s where Josh’s dance teacher comes in. He was at the club that night to host and judge a dance contest with the first prize being a thousand dollars. I won’t lie – I wanted that money; hell, I needed it since my rent had just gone up by a hundred bucks a month, so I asked him if I could dance by myself or did I need a partner? He told me there would be a singles and couples category so no partner was necessary – just the upfront fee of twenty bucks. I whipped out the cash and entered.

That made my date even hotter. He told me no way was his girlfriend making a spectacle of herself and that we were leaving. I told him he could do whatever he freaking wanted because one: I wasn’t his girlfriend anymore and two: I wasn’t leaving. I was staying. I was dancing. I was going to enjoy myself. By God, I was going to win that contest.

Next thing I know he’s grabbing my arm to haul me out of there. HUMUNGOUS mistake. By then I had started to take those self-defense courses that Josh found so intriguing. After a few quick moves on my part my former boyfriend was spread-eagle on the dance floor staring up at me with a look of disbelief on his face since he outweighed me by quite a bit. Not that it mattered – I floored the bum.

Now let’s flash forward to when Josh’s soon-to-be dance instructor saw me in Josh’s outer office. He asked Josh if I knew martial arts. When Josh asked how the guy knew that, he told Josh about that night at the club. I didn’t win the contest, but I did get rid of the jerk I was dating and the dance guy thought that was really cool, which is why Josh hired him.

After that incident, I vowed I’d never date another bossy jerk. I guess bringing Josh to the club that night in Close to Perfect was my test for him. What would he do when he saw me in action? How would he react? Believe me, he passed with flying colors.

Not that my dad was convinced. It took no end of charm and a whole lot more on Josh’s part to win Freddy Franklin over before Josh asked me to marry him. But that’s another story that my dad would love to tell all of you the next time.

Until then, keep having fun until it feels like you’re dancing!

(Image: Getty Image) See it and more good stuff at: www.tinadonahue.com

Knives, Cuffs, and Other Matters That Are a Part of Loving Tess. . .as told by Josh

2008-06-17T03:44:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my world – one filled with weapons of all kinds, even seemingly innocent ones you’d find in any kitchen. But what else can a guy expect when he’s in love with an ex-cop turned bodyguard?

Of course, Tess tries to downplay the danger.

Take that police commendation she received for bravery that we went back and forth about in Chapter Two of our story in Close to Perfect. When I asked her what happened to lead to a commendation, she said: “Nothing.” When I explained what she should have already known, that she was in freaking danger, she said: “Maybe.” When I asked how much danger (spell it out sister, pull-ease), she asked me why I was worried. Cops. Why do they never really answer a question? And if they do, why is it always with another question?

When I finally looked her up on the Net, and not because of the commendation but because of the cheesecake pictures I was afraid I’d find (but that’s a whole other matter that starts in Chapter Six and continues in Chapter Seven of our story), I learned a few details about what led to her commendation for bravery. It was in all the papers. But it wasn’t until months after we fell in love that she finally ‘fessed up to the details the news reports didn’t mention.

I’m still not certain whether I’m glad that she told me or not. But here goes:

Her commendation was for the way she handled a domestic dispute. As any cop and/or neighbor will tell you, they are the absolute worst. And in this case, it had all the ingredients for disaster. First problem: The husband was only eighteen at the time and just brimming with all that testosterone that eighteen-year-old guys have. Second problem: His wife was eighteen, too, and was pregnant with their second child. Thankfully, the couple’s toddler was with the woman’s parents, but that was the only thing to be grateful for. When Tess and her partner arrived the husband was threatening to do some serious harm to his wife with a butcher knife. Seems he got upset when she asked him to stop playing his video games and watch what was cooking on the stove so she could get ready for work. At the time, she was holding down two jobs while he was currently unemployed. But he had some really cool ideas for a video game of his own, and if she just got off his back, he’d be able to think about it and get rich. Uh-huh. He later lost it in court and complained that it pissed him off to have her ordering him around like he was nothing when he had these big ideas. Right. Anyway, Tess was not about to let that poor woman and her unborn baby get hurt. While her partner called for backup, Tess offered herself as a hostage; promised him the moon; and when the guy’s guard was finally down and he agreed to put the knife to her throat instead of his wife’s, Tess rushed him.

Adrenaline and pure rage gave Tess the strength to knock him down. You see, those were the days before she knew all that martial arts stuff that she uses now. Lucky for her that it worked. Besides outweighing her by more than a hundred pounds, the bum was also high. Once Tess had him on the floor she fought him for the knife. By then, the backup was starting to arrive and her partner was trying to get a clear shot of him with her pepper spray and/or gun. Lucky for him that Tess finally got the knife and cuffed him, and it only cost her a bruised kidney and two broken ribs. A week later he filed a civil suit against her and the police department for brutality. Sure. He had a few claw marks from Tess’s nails on his right hand, while she was black and blue.

And here she said it was nothing.

But that’s my Tess. She went to see the wife when her husband got sentenced for resisting arrest, attempted murder with a deadly weapon, and a whole slew of other charges. The last Tess heard, the young woman was trying to get her act together and leave that bum behind. Hope it worked out for her and her kids.

For me, well, I know Tess is skilled at what she does and she really doesn’t take unnecessary risks. Of course, there are times when I find myself siding with her dad. He always hoped she’d become a dancer, like her late mother. Since that’s never gonna happen, I am glad that I learned a step or two so I can keep up with her.

Surprising thing, though, the guy I hired to teach me all the right moves already knew Tess. . .or of her, let’s say. That’s why I hired him. When I finally told her about that and who he was, she was genuinely surprised.

But that’s her story which she’ll share with you next time. . .

Josh’s Luscious Tattoo. . .as told by Tess

2008-06-10T04:21:00.000-07:00

I’m the first to admit that those beefcake pictures of Josh on the front cover of Keys Confidential had almost everything to do with me wanting to be his bodyguard. Sure, the account was great for my dad’s biz, but hey, who’re we kidding here? Seeing Josh leaving his pool with his broad shoulders, tight ass, and awesome thighs revealed from one photo to the next, and the sun glittering off all that wet naked male flesh, still makes my toes curl. And what about his tattoo? That’s a picture of it to the left. Believe me, that baby sent me over the edge then and after we made love on Josh’s private beach, which just happened to be on his private island. Check out Chapter 15 of our story in Close to Perfect if you want the full details. Trust me, you won’t be sorry.

But now for what we promised you last week – The Story of How Josh Got His Tattoo. Okay, so maybe I’m being a little dramatic here, but for the life of me I couldn’t understand why he was so reluctant to tell me how and why he got it. It’s not like it screamed the name of an old girlfriend, right? Something like: Dawn Forever or Death! And even if an old girlfriend just so happened to be a tattoo artist who just so happened to tattoo his shoulders and back, what’s the big deal? It’s not like he’s still with her, you know?

Of course, it was a woman who gave him the tattoo and he did date her and it got pretty damned serious. . .well, as serious as everlasting romance can get for an eighteen-year-old. Did I mention that Josh didn’t get the tattoo during his construction days like I first thought? That’s right, he was in his last days of high school when he went for it, while Ms. Tattoo Artist was, shall we say, a bit past her prom expiration date – thirty-one to be exact. An April-August romance if ever there was one. Seriously though, Josh was looking for a lot more than a tattoo and some hot times when he hooked up with this lady.

Let me explain. If you’ll recall from our story in Close to Perfect, on that first night we spent together Josh told me about his mom and how she’d given him up for adoption. Now, if you haven’t read our story then shame on you (just kidding), but seriously I want you to know that Josh did not end up in an orphanage (he told me there’s no such thing anymore); his biological dad wanted him and was there every step of the way until he got killed in a construction accident when Josh was ten. Although Josh’s paternal grandparents took him in after that, Josh always wondered about his mom. I know, I know – in our story he brushed it off, but hey, we couldn’t get into every single thing about our pasts in the book – that’s what blogs are for! So anyway, when Josh was eighteen he did try to locate her.

Which brings us to Ms. Tattoo Artist. You see, her cousin, Mitch, and Josh’s mom had hooked up for awhile. Of course, that was a few years past, so even though she couldn’t tell him where his mom currently was, she did offer Josh a free tattoo – unless he was too shy to take off his tee and too chicken to have her touching his bare skin.

Yeah, right. What eighteen-year-old guy’s gonna turn down a proposal like that from a woman-of-the-world who’s wearing a tight leather vest and has a freaking heart tattooed above her left nipple?

To say Josh was happy during their brief affair is putting it mildly. I did catch him smiling once or twice while he was telling his story, and Ms. Tattoo Artist was one of the ladies who sent him a basket of flowers after his ‘exposure’ in Keys Confidential.Of course, she was just happy that her work got so much play in that tabloid.

As for me, I have a few wild tales in my past, no tattoos though since mine are cop stories, and in our next post Josh will share details about the one that had him all worried when we first met.

For more great images of Celtic tattoos, please visit: http://www.tattoojob.com/

Our Midnight Delight

2008-06-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

Josh’s recipe for Tess’s favorite dish. . .as told by Tess.

Before we get to the food, you should know that the name of this recipe has nothing to do with romance. Well, okay, maybe it does after Josh and I are through eating. But he actually came up with the name because of our crazy schedules.

Take mine for instance. Believe me, being a bodyguard isn’t easy. There’s the insane hours, the inherent risks, and the demanding clients. Not that I’m complaining about my days of being a bodyguard and pretend girlfriend for Josh even though the man wanted me at his side around the clock. If he could have put another four hours into each of our days, he would have. And you better believe I would have allowed it. If you haven’t yet noticed, he is so hot. But what really sold me was the way Josh looked at me from the get-go; not only with interest, but with admiration and respect. Wow. And then there were his digs, which are our digs now. They’re like a setting in one of those steamy historical romances. You know what I mean; a Caribbean-style mansion flanked by moss-draped live oaks and cypress trees on an estate to die for. . .complete with a guy to die for. For the total picture, check out chapter four of our story in Close to Perfect – trust me, you won’t be sorry.

Anyway, since our respective jobs sometime delays dinner until midnight, Josh came up with this recipe that to me is true comfort food – Spanish style – just like my mom, Carlita, used to make. It’s good enough to make you moan. And if you and your partner enjoy this dish in bed and in the altogether like we do – well then, it’s truly moan-worthy.

Our Midnight Delight. . .as told by Josh

Ingredients

6 large eggs, whipped
Splash of cream
Handful of green onions, chopped
1 small can of green chiles
Chorizo sausage (imported from Spain is definitely the best; easy to find online) sliced, diced, or chopped, whichever you prefer; use as much or as little as you like
Seasonings: sea salt and cayenne
Cheese to top it off (Tess and I prefer Idiazábal sheep’s cheese. It has a lightly smoked flavor. But if you prefer another, go for it.)

Steps

After browning the onions and crisping the sausage in a skillet using olive oil, not butter, pour in your mixture of eggs, cream, and green chiles. As it cooks, season with cayenne and sea salt or whatever else you’d like. I use a medium heat so the eggs stay moist. Work the mixture gently as it cooks and when it’s the consistency you want, top it with cheese, cover the skillet, remove from the open flame and wait a minute to allow the cheese to melt.

Serve with garlic toast (if you’re in a committed and forgiving relationship)

In our house, this recipe makes two servings: We split it 60-40 since Tess can’t possibly match my appetite; at least, when it comes to food.

Enjoy!

(Photo by IMSI USA)

What Attracted Me Most to Tess? Well, for one - the way she wears her gun. . .

2008-06-05T09:22:00.000-07:00

Yep, that’s right. My lady packs heat – literally and figuratively. Of course, it’s the way Tess does it that’s so damned arousing.
Now for those of you who are clueless as to what I mean, here’s an excerpt from page twenty-one of our story in "Close to Perfect":

“You carry a gun?”

“All the time.”

Josh struggled for a moment, then let his gaze trickle back down her. Where in the world could she have concealed a weapon in that outfit? The suit fit her nearly as well as skin. As far as Josh could tell, the only thing pushing against the fabric were curves that were supposed to be there.At last, he glanced at her thighs. Was it possible that she was sporting a gun in a frilly garter? Did bodyguards do that? Did ex-cops?

See what I mean? Now, it’s not everyday that I have a sultry ex-cop turned bodyguard visiting my office and offering to protect my ass from opportunistic females. Of course, those buck-naked pictures of me on the front of that tabloid were what started it all. But that’s the very beginning of Tess’s and my time together.

In this blog we want to take you deeper than that – to those parts that weren’t in the novel, to what’s been happening since the story you read ended, and even a bit of our pasts that ultimately brought us to each other.

But that’s next time and in the days to come when Tess and I will be putting up our new blogs and inviting you deeper into our romance. In between those days, we'll be posting fun facts and I'll even throw in a cool recipe or two - remember, I do like to cook and a guy's gotta eat! Right now though, she’s motioning to me from our bedroom window (I’m outside by the pool, the so-called scene of the crime in our story). I could be wrong, but given the look in her eyes I think Tess wants to play her favorite fantasy. I’ll give you a hint – it’s on page seventy-eight of the novel. And you better believe I’m all for it, as long as we get to use her handcuffs a bit later.

That’s it for now. Join us next time when we go over one of Tess’s favorite things: my tattoo. I finally told her the whole story of when I got it and why, and she’ll soon be sharing that - um - hot adventure with you.

Until then, I hope your action is as great as mine. . .

Check out these great sites for more info on me & Tess!

2008-06-05T05:57:00.000-07:00

The Long And The Short Of It: Review: Close To Perfect
http://community.eharlequin.com/content/close-perfect
http://www.publishersweekly.com/blog/880000288/post/820026882.html?q=Tina+Donahue