[Siren Classic: Erotic Contemporary Romance]
Accountant Emily Armitage is stuck in Sydney for the weekend, working on the numbers for a hotel sale while fighting off the unwanted attention of her boss. However, things begin to look up when she steps onto her balcony and meets the man of her dreams.
When her new neighbor delivers room service, along with a shoulder massage, delicious foot rubs, and easy charm, she succumbs to the obvious attraction. Having spent a passionate weekend together, Monday morning brings an unwanted revelation. Randy’s been keeping secrets that could change her life.
Suddenly uncertain, she is forced to make a choice between her career and a man who adds up to perfection. Should she stick with the hotel acquisition or take a chance on their passionate new merger?
A Siren Erotic Romance
5 STARS: "Business deals have never been so hot! No doubt about it, MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS is a five star read. Emily is an accountant on a business deal in Sydney, Australia for an extra weekend because her lecherous boss wants to get in her pants more than he wants to get home to his wife. But she's suddenly looking forward to staying for the weekend when she sees the hot guy in the hotel room next door. The neighbor, Randy, works in the hotel and gives new meaning to the term "personal attention". And after a sex-filled weekend together, Emily and Randy are planning a future. However, some secrets are revealed that make Emily question whether Randy's feelings are real or part of the deal. I just adore Lillian Grant's writing! I love the tone, the snark, and her stories. I've come to enjoy anything with her name on it. MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS is no exception. Randy was definitely a great character. So fun and easy on the surface, I knew there was a whole lot more on underneath. I think that all of the false starts that Emily and Randy had before they actually did the deed made me more frustrated with him than Emily was. The story was fun, and although I knew exactly what was going to happen, I didn't enjoy it any less. Watching the story unfold was just as much fun as it was to get to the ending. Of course, Ms. Grant can really write a hot sex scene! Nothing is ever gratuitous, but boy, does she have a great imagination! ;) Overall, I just loved it. With a fun and light story, super steamy love scenes, and a sweet, hopeful HEA, Lillian Grant has another hit on her hands!" -- Rho, The Romance Reviews
STORY EXCERPT
A knock on the bedroom door woke her from a warm, exotic dream. It involved a beach, lots of suntan lotion, and the long fingers of her mysterious next-door neighbor. The hazy recollection made her shiver in delight. However, she realized she must have lain at a funny angle. She now had a crook in her neck to go along with her still-pounding headache. As she crossed the room, she rubbed at the muscles in her shoulder in an attempt to release the tension and ease the pain. Opening the door, her hand stilled mid massage. Oh, my God, it was the man of her dreams.
“Good evening, ma’am. Room service.”
She frowned in confusion. “I thought you were in hospitality?”
He smiled. “I am, and I have your dinner. So, can I come in?”
She stepped back to give him room to maneuver the cart inside.
“Where would you like it?”
She was miles away. Her hand was still on the doorknob as she stood admiring his backside from across her room. He looked even better in her bedroom than he had on his balcony. His question had a dozen inappropriate answers dancing on the tip of her tongue.
“Like what?” She purred seductively.
He turned and grinned at her as she let the door handle go. Despite the heat in her cheeks, she tried to pretend she hadn’t been checking out the goods or imagining him offering something more than dinner.
“Your meal. Where would you like your meal? Is the table okay?”
Emily nodded. “Sure, the table is fine.”
He pushed her laptop to one side and placed the tray down.
“Would you like me to open the wine for you?”
Usually she would open it herself, being single and independent, but the longer he took, the better she liked it. Emily walked toward him, still rubbing the muscles in her neck. “Please.”
He lifted the bottle, checked the label, and nodded his approval. Corkscrew in hand, he soon released the cork from the neck and poured a generous amount into her glass.
“Are you trying to get me drunk?”
He placed the bottle on the table. “I would never encourage a guest to overindulge,” he said, with an amused lilt to his voice.
Emily maneuvered around to the chair, being careful not to bump against him. As gorgeous as he was, she didn’t want to appear to be giving him the come-on. No matter her fantasies about him, she was a guest, and the last thing she wanted to do was get him sacked. There must be rules about staff dating clientele. Besides, she didn’t do one-night stands. She dated Tony for months, and they’d even been engaged before she discovered what a huge disappointment he was. No harm in a bit of window-shopping though.
Before she had a chance to take her seat, he pulled it out for her. Once she was comfortable, he insisted on placing the napkin in her lap. She glanced up and smiled at him. “Thanks. Are you usually this attentive to your guests?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Only the pretty ones.”
Emily felt blood rush to her face and looked down at her plate. Did he think she’d been fishing for compliments? Maybe he charmed all the female guests so he would receive a bigger tip.
“How’s your head?”
Wineglass halfway to her mouth, Emily frowned. “How did you know I have a headache?”
“You have all the symptoms. The way you closed your eyes on the balcony, and now, rubbing your neck.”
She took a sip of the dark red nectar and let the spicy fluid slide slowly down her throat before letting out a loud sigh. “I should have gone to the pharmacy, but I just wanted to escape the madness downstairs and hide in my room. If I call the reception desk, do you think they would have something I could take?”
“You don’t need meds.”
He reached out, took her glass and placed it on the table, then stepped behind her. She wondered what he planned to do, but if it got him to stay longer and helped ease her headache, she wasn’t going to fight. When his long fingers started to knead the muscles in her shoulders, she sighed. Her initial thoughts about his hands were spot-on. He was good, really good. If he could make her feel this amazing with a shoulder massage, imagine how fantastic he could make her feel if his fingers traveled further. The tension flowed away, released by the gentle pressure. After a couple of minutes, he stopped and rested his hands on her shoulders.
“Lean back.”
“What?”
He placed a hand on her forehead and gently pulled her head toward him. “Tip your head back and rest against me.”
She did as he asked, and his fingers started their soft but effective work on her temples. She closed her eyes and didn’t even attempt to stifle a moan of pleasure.
“I’m Randy.”
Emily opened one eye, stared up at him, and raised her eyebrow. She wasn’t quite sure how to respond to his revelation, even though his confession wasn’t a totally unwelcome disclosure. If he kept gazing at her like that, she was sure the response, so am I, would tumble out of her mouth before she could stop it.
His dark eyes twinkled with amusement, and a smile played at the corners of his mouth. It seemed he wasn’t completely unaware of the effect he was having on her.
Adult Excerpt
He caught her hand with his and led her to the freshly made bed. Sitting on the edge of the mattress, he pulled her to stand between his legs as he planted feather light kisses on the soft mounds of flesh flooding over the top of her bra. Emily hugged him to her. After a few minutes, she dragged his face away and kissed him. He made no protest at the move. She knew he was as willing to do whatever pleased her, as she would do whatever pleased him.
As she kissed him, he pulled her onto the bed and rolled her over. He trailed his fingers over her bare skin, leaving goose bumps in their wake. When he broke the kiss, Emily gently pushed him onto his back and got to her feet. Randy looked confused for a moment, but grinned when she leaned forward and ran her hand over the large bulge in the front of his pants. She didn’t stop for long. Her fingers soon made short work of the button on his jeans. Randy put his hands behind his head, watching as she slowly pulled the zipper down. Fly open, she stopped and looked at him then. Without taking her eyes from his, she slid her hand inside. Randy closed his eyes momentarily. Her fingers explored his aroused manhood, causing him to moan and chew his bottom lip. Just as quickly as she had dived her hand in, she pulled it back out.
“Lift your bottom.”
Randy did as she asked and she made short work of tugging off his jeans. His erection freed from the confines of his pants, she admired what was on view. He was far from disappointing. His cock stood to attention. Her earlier speculation that he had very little body hair proved correct. Nothing hid his swollen testicles or veined and throbbing dick from view. She walked her fingers up his member, causing it to bob with each gentle touch. Curiosity got the better of her. Hmm, circumcised, not something she had seen up close and personal before. She swirled her fingers over the head, collecting the fluid he wept in anticipation of what was to come. A grunt from the bed confirmed the question that had been rolling round her brain. Circumcised or not, it lost nothing in sensitivity or desirability. Her foray complete, she dropped a languid kiss on his testicles and licked her way up his cock before climbing back on the bed. Legs splayed on each side of his hips, hands resting on his stomach, Emily straddled him, rubbing her scantily clad bottom against his erection. He moaned and closed his eyes.
“Keep that up and this will be over before it’s started.”
A deeper slide allowed her to place her hands either side of his head and whisper in his ear, “What’s wrong? Do you have a hair trigger?”
Eyes opened, his hands glided around her back and unclasped her bra.
“No, but I only have so much willpower, and having a beautiful nymph dressed like you bouncing up and down on your johnson would test the strength of any man.”
Emily giggled as she sat up and let the bra slide down her arms then tossed it to the floor. “How about a beautiful, undressed nymph?”
She let out a squeal of delight as he grabbed her arms and rolled her onto her back. He traced a circle around her right nipple with a finger as he nibbled and devoured her neck, along her jaw, and then finally took possession of her lips. He wrapped his tongue around hers and rubbed his erection against her leg. Emily ran her hand down his side, across his stomach, and stopped to fondle the soft down at the base of his manhood. Randy shifted as she moved her hand lower and wrapped it around his throbbing shaft. He burrowed his hands between her thighs, and a wave of heat swept over her when he ran a finger the length of her slit. The sensation of her own moisture massaged over her clit dragged a groan from her lips. Each touch sent a wave of lust to her pussy, her hand grabbing at his cock in time with his intimate touch. He broke the kiss and looked into her eyes.
“Are you sure about this?”
Emily frowned. “You’ve spent two days driving me to distraction and getting me this far and now you’re having doubts?”
“Not me, not for a second. I just want to make sure you’re not doing something you’ll regret.”
“The only thing I regret is that you stopped.”
Randy smiled and kissed her again before wriggling out of her grasp and turning his attention to removing her panties. She lay on the bed in her stockings as he ran his hand up her thigh and across the patch of fluff between her legs. He kissed the bare skin above her stocking and pushed her legs apart. Eyes focused on her pussy, he groaned, his cock bobbing in anticipation. Emily watched his every move, but her eyes shut and she moaned loudly when he planted a kiss on her heated center.