Friendly Temptation by Elaine Radley Read Free Book Online

Chapter One
    “You’d never do it.” Dominic leaned back into the worn, crinkled leather of his office chair, threaded his fingers atop his head and smirked. He knew he was baiting Katherine, but enjoyed every second of it as always.
    “You can’t know that for sure!” She lifted her chin and folded her arms beneath her breasts.
    He narrowed his eyes. “Okay then. Prove it.”
    She blinked several times as a slow blush spread from under her silk blouse, coating her neck and flaring across her cheeks. “ What ?”
    “You heard me.”
    Katherine met his gaze and pushed her full lips into a single line for a moment before grinning. Her smile was a tiny bit cocky. “You’re on!”
    The steely glint in her eyes indicated she was dead serious and Dom swallowed, the noise very loud in his ears. “Look, you don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with.” She’d come by for an end-of-the-day drink offer and this conversation, without a doubt, had not been on the agenda. He had a lifelong tendency of running with the ball and now he had her running right alongside him. Not that that was necessarily a bad thing.
    “How about this? I’ll do it if you do it.” She shoved a pile of student papers aside to perch on the corner of his desk. Her skirt rose when she crossed toned legs and warmth surged up his rod in appreciation of the view. He shifted in his chair and frowned.
    “I already have several.”
    “Then it shouldn’t be a big deal.” Kat palmed his paperweight and caressed the thick acrylic as clownfish dipped and frolicked. She eyed him from under her lashes and waited.
    He tilted his head, the inside of his cheek locked between his teeth in debate. Leaning forward after a moment, he relaxed his jaw. “Fine, but if you chicken out, you owe me dinner.”
    “Not going to chicken.” A tiny quiver threaded through her voice and he fought a broader smile.
    “We’ll see about that.” He reached over to tap a few keys to power down his computer. “No time like the present.”
    “Now?” She squeaked.
    “That’s usually what ‘the present’ means.”
    She slipped off his desk and shifted her weight from one leg to another. “Um, you know where…?”
    God she was cute . “Course.” He offered her his elbow and tried to keep the corner of his mouth from twitching upward. “Coming?”
    She reluctantly replaced the paperweight before clasping onto his arm. Her fingers pressed warm against his skin. With a gentle hand, he propelled her from the cluttered little office and out into the sultry evening.
    ****
    The place was surprisingly bright and professional. Too many movies and television shows had led her to visualize such establishments as dark and seedy with flickering neon emphasizing grime-covered windows. It was nice to be wrong. The tension in her shoulders ebbed ever so slightly.
    “You can get one in almost any size, but keep in mind, sensations vary depending where you place them on your body.” Dom’s voice whispered against her ear and she suppressed a shudder.
    “Umm…”
    “And please don’t pick something safe. You’re too much of an individual to get what everyone else gets.”
    She swung toward him. “How the heck would I know what everyone else gets?”
    Dominic shrugged. “You just need to go with something unique, something that fits you .” He waggled his brows, a smirk stretching his lips. “Maybe a design that’s wild…or dangerous.”
    Wild or dangerous? Her? She gulped.
    “Hey there!” A friendly voice boomed and Kat started. The desire to make a break for the door flared, but she’d be damned if she’d prove Dominic right. He’d never let her live it down.
    A young man slid from behind the long glass case separating the lobby from the business area and held out a hand. “Dom! How ya been?”
    “Can’t complain.” Dom warmly clasped the other man’s hand before pulling away and smacking him on the bicep. “Thinking about some new ink.”
    “Rock