Have your assistant* clear your calendar in preparation for One Night Stand With Benefits by Amanda Usen, releasing April 17, 2023, now available for pre-order!
*Can I count my cat as my assistant?
“One night only? All the time? You literally never see the women again after you sleep with them?”
“No sleeping.” His gaze narrowed. “And you sound like the board members from my interview today.”
She held up her free hand in a “stop” gesture. “Relax—I’m not judging. I’m kind of fascinated.” She could totally understand someone wanting to have all that unfiltered intensity focused on them for a night. She was considering it herself. “FYI, I’m clean, too. Although I can’t whip out handy proof. Dry spell. Annual check-up last month. Dry spell.”
“The men in this city are idiots.”
The entitled sons in her social circle kind of were.
If she hooked up with any of them, they’d slip a ring on her finger while she was sleeping and have pictures on Instagram before she’d had enough coffee to realize she’d been set up.
Better to continue her relationship with her sex toys than to risk some greedy jerk poking holes in a condom just to have a shot at marrying an Adair. Not that she’d get married if she got knocked up. But she really didn’t want to deal with the scandal of an unplanned pregnancy. And it would be a scandal. Because her parents’ world was nuts.
He picked up his water glass. She watched his hand, imagined him touching her. “So, was that a proposition just now or the requested hypothetical demonstration of your pickup technique?”
“What do you want it to be?” His straight, white teeth flashed. “Sorry—couldn’t resist. It was a real offer. It sounds like you had a rough day, too. Let’s have some phenomenal sex, forget about our crappy days, and reboot the rest of our lives tomorrow.”
Was she foolish to be considering saying yes? He was Zane’s foster brother, so he wasn’t exactly a stranger. He’d furnished proof of safety and was a fan of condoms. And damn, his air of leashed strength and brooding good looks made it hard to keep her hands off of him.
She wanted to feel his curls under her palm, wanted—with a sudden fierceness that made her feel off-balance—to know how he kissed. Slow and sweet? Somehow, she didn’t think so.
Aggressive and sloppy? Maybe the first one. But, like his honesty, she assumed if it was clumsy, it would also be effective.
“I need to get my purse.” The bartender had waved and headed to the back, so she picked up her plate and used her chin to indicate Xavier should grab their glasses and follow her.
She ducked into the kitchen and set their dirty dishes on the counter just inside the door.
“Help a girl out?” she called to the kitchen crew. She didn’t want to intrude on their turf, not when the floor was likely slippery and covered with safety mats that would snag her heels.
They waved back, offering up a few whistles for her costume and probably the handsome man at her back, making her laugh. “Thanks, y’all. Fantastic job tonight.”
Xavier silently followed her down the hall next to the kitchen. She liked that he wasn’t pushing her for an answer and seemed happy to follow her lead.
She used a key from the lanyard around her wrist to unlock and open the door of Zane’s office. Light flooded the room. The door shut heavily behind them, kicking her pulse up several notches.
She walked to the desk and carefully moved several piles of papers out of the way. Then she turned, boosted herself up onto its now mostly cleared surface, and crossed her legs. The slits in her dress exposed a scandalous amount of thigh. She braced both hands behind her and arched her back, pinup girl style.
She could be honest, too. “I want you to kiss me.”
Whether it’s the boardroom or the bedroom, hotelier Xavier Rodriguez knows what he wants. When he has a chance to work with an incredible nonprofit—and they throw his personal life into the spotlight—he’s tasked to clean up his reputation. Which is exactly when delicious temptation steps into his path…
Between her burlesque troupe, launching her own business, and planning her bestie’s wedding—not to mention her hard-to-please, extra-privileged family—Brittany Adair has exactly zero interest in anything more than a bit of fun tonight. And with Xavier, it’s a lot of fun.
One incredible night, no strings. That’s all it was ever supposed to be. But soon, what started as a hot little hook-up results in them sharing a tiny little secret that’s due to arrive in about nine months…and what happens next is anyone’s guess—especially when emotions get involved.
Amanda Usen knows two things for certain: chocolate cheesecake is good for breakfast, and a hot chef can steal your heart. Her husband stole hers the first day of class at the Culinary Institute of America. They live in Western New York with their three children, one crawfish, two guinea pigs, a tortoise, and a beagle. Amanda spends her days teaching pastry arts classes and her nights writing romance. If she isn’t baking or writing, she can usually be found reading a book and trying to get out of cooking dinner.
You can follow Amanda on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and check out her website to stay up to date on the latest news!
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