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9 1/2 Days

Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.

Chapter One

Go ahead. Turn the page. You'll soon discover fifty ways to say "I want you, right here and right now, and here's how!"

"DID YOU FIND EVERYTHING you need?"

Jordan Gregory snapped shut the book she held as her heart plunged into her stomach. Pulse tripping erratically, she turned her head toward the source of the question. Didn't it just figure? The only young, handsome employee in all of Barnes & Noble and he had to be the one to bust her.

She pressed the front cover against her chest to hide the title as heat rushed to her face. Was it possible to actually die of embarrassment? She managed to paste on a smile for the cute book clerk.

"Yes. I mean, no. I'mjust browsing."

Humor gleamed in his large brown eyes as he glanced at the book jacket. Then he offered her a knowing grin. Too late she realized the title was printed on the back cover as well as the front. Damn.

"Let me know if you have any questions, ma'am."

Jordan wasn't sure if that was a criticism or a come-on, but she thanked him just the same and waited impatiently for him to move along. Her eyes darted around the bookstore. She hoped no one else in the Thursday lunchtime crowd noticed her standing in the Sex & Relationships aisle, practically drooling all over Fifty Fast Fantasies.

Hot blood thudded along her veins and she imagined smoke emanating from inside her jade-green suit as a heavy ache settled between her thighs. She didn't normally read books like this, let alone follow the instructions. But she wanted to experience the kind of passion and spontaneity that Fifty Fast Fantasies promised.

The one time she'd had sex with her ex-boyfriend, David, had been a complete disaster. Even now, Jordan shuddered to remember how clumsy and self-conscious she'd been. By the time she'd forced herself to relax, it was already over. The whole experience had left her unsatisfied and unsure of herself.

She saw the cute clerk coming around the corner again and ducked into the Reference section. There was only one other person near the crossword puzzle dictionaries and foreign-language tapes. Jordan turned her back to the woman and randomly opened the book again. Wow. She hadn't realized how many ways you could use nondairy whipped topping.

She flipped back to the table of contents. Just reading the introduction to the sexual guidebook had scorched her white silk blouse. Chapter descriptions like Ahoy Big Pirate; French Maid Service; Great! The Outdoors, and Mirror Mirror on the Wall were enough to make her spontaneously combust.

Maybe if she tried out some of these fantasies, if she learned some tricks to make herself sexy and desirable, she could convince David to try again. Six weeks ago he had gently suggested some time apart to think about what they wanted. Jordan thought that time apart was at the heart of their problems but hadn't argued, believing the fault lay with her and her inexperience.

But she had to win David back. Fast.

Pretend to be a pirate's wench or a sexy dominatrix? The very idea was daunting. She had never imagined herself going to this kind of extreme, but desperate times required drastic actions. At this point she would do almost anything to convince David to grant her this favor. Anything to have him look at her with something more than kindness in his gaze.

Maybe then the little voice in the back of her head that whispered she was making a mistake would shut up.

"Huh. Ah. Tuh. Hot. I know that word!" Jordan looked down to see a rosy-cheeked cherub gazing at her with innocent blue eyes. "And the next word is Ss. Eh -"

Jordan moved her book out of sight before the little girl could figure out how to pronounce the letter X. She contorted her stiff features into a brief smile. "Isn't your mommy looking for you, sweetie?"

"Nope. She's right over there." The girl skipped toward the woman by the dictionaries. "Mama, what does 'sex' mean?"

Jordan backed away from the heat of the woman's glare and fled the Reference section. She was never shopping at this Barnes & Noble again.

As she moved through the store, the bright covers of the fashion and gossip magazines caught her attention. She averted her eyes, but it was too late. The jolt of ugly emotions stabbed her in the gut. She wouldn't look. She wouldn't. Jordan shoved her guilty secret to the back of her mind and kept walking.

Waiting her turn near the checkout, the latest issue of Baltimore Today caught her eye. David was on the front beneath a headline that read, Legal Eagles: The Best 30 Lawyers In The City. He looked tall and confident in his charcoal pin-striped suit. The cream-colored shirt and red paisley tie complemented the rich cappuccino tones of his skin. Sunlight from his large office window shone on his dark curls and rivaled the brightness of his wide smile.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from 9 1/2 Days by Mia Zachary Copyright © 2004 by Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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