Undeniable Passion

Sometimes love at first sight, and the happy-ever-after or even the happy-for-now scenario, can seem like an elusive dream. The six couples in this anthology prove that one should never give up hope. The perfect partner may actually be hiding in plain sight; whether it be a colleague, a fellow traveler, a flatmate, or even your live-in lover in a relationship on the rocks. You just need to take a few risks, challenge preconceptions, give your instincts free rein to explore all the possibilities, and let your sexual chemistry take you on a journey of discovery. Excerpt: The meeting had already started when I slipped into a vacant seat at the back of the conference room, for the monthly pep talk, hoping nobody would notice my tardiness. However, I hadn't reckoned on catching the eye of the new director of human resources, Sheridan Brooks. She paused momentarily from her introductory speech to fix me with an impenetrable gaze. Heat immediately flooded my face and, in the thousandth of a second before she broke eye contact and continued speaking, I fell hopelessly in love with her. The black and white photograph in the company magazine hadn't done her justice. I sat transfixed, unable to draw my gaze away from the disarmingly sexy woman standing on the platform flanked by the other directors. My heart fluttered helplessly, like a trapped butterfly, in my chest. The fact she was the only woman amongst half a dozen men made her stand out from the crowd but it was more than that. Sheridan Brooks had a body to die for, with a neat waist and curves in all the right places, all accentuated by a beautifully tailored dark blue pin-stripe suit, and a vibrant emerald-green shirt. She wore her blonde hair feathered around her expertly made-up face, the short-cropped style enhanced her sculptured bone structure. From a distance, I couldn't make out the color of her eyes but imagined them fiery green to match her shirt. As soon as the meeting wound down, I made a dash for the refreshment table and armed myself with a large black coffee. I reckoned I had five minutes to put my plan into operation before the directors departed, having gone through the motions of socializing with us underlings. I worked my way through the crowd to within touching distance of Ms. Brooks. Her intoxicating perfume filled the air and drew me even closer. Satisfied that I'd positioned myself close enough so she couldn't help but bump my arm as she moved away, I waited and prayed for a positive outcome. Success Lukewarm coffee splashed out of my still full cup, catching both of us exactly as I'd hoped. "What the hell " My carefully rehearsed plan of campaign invoked the full force of Sheridan's wrath, and turned her hazel eyes to dark tortoiseshell in a split second. I couldn't have wished for a better result, now it all depended on what came next. "Oh dear, I am so sorry, Ms. Brooks." I dabbed ineffectually with an already soaked tissue at the dark stain spreading across the front of her shirt. The wet fabric clung like a second skin highlighting the swell of her breasts and rapidly hardening nipples. I licked my lips anticipating how they might feel in my mouth. Maybe my tongue would do a better job of cleaning her up than this messy tissue. "Stop You're making it worse." She waved my hand away and pulled the edges of her jacket together to hide the stain. Was that it? I'd counted on Sheridan offering more than this feeble reaction. My heart sank. Had the sacrifice of my shirt been for nothing? While I was still bemoaning my plight, Sheridan flicked a brief glance around the room then drew herself up to her full height and fixed me with a steely glare. "Come " Her commanding tone offered no chance of refusal, even before her hand closed around my arm like a manacle. Her firm grasp left me no option but to keep pace with her when she frog-marched me from the conference room and along the corridor to the executive rest room.