LITMIR.BIZ

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so far. Starting up is slow, but I owe my ability to pay the rent to you. With the clients you’re sending my way, I’m getting more referrals and business is picking up. It was a good idea to set up shop so close by the vet’s. A lot of folks seem to walk their dogs in that area, too.” She lifted her beverage in a salute to Penny, and continued. “I think I may start some group classes at the shelter, and split the proceeds with them. I need to do more formal training in some advanced techniques, though, so I can maybe pick up some contract work with the police, or search-and-rescue teams. Then maybe I can afford to do some free classes for people who can’t afford to pay.”

      “That’s good thinking. I’m glad it’s going well for you—you deserve it. If you could get things going with Colin, life would be almost perfect, huh?”

      Miranda considered what Penny had told her about Colin. “I hate it that he sees me as Derek’s girlfriend instead of just me.”

      Penny nodded. “Then I guess you have to tell him. I can see why you wouldn’t have said anything right away, but I think it’s time to tell him you’d actually broken up with Derek the night of the accident and see if it makes a difference. It could clear the air for something to happen between you two.”

      “Ha! Talking to him directly? I don’t know about that plan—far too much fall-flat-on-my-face potential. That would be too sensible and straightforward for me.” She smiled reluctantly over her drink. “Why do you always make sense?”

      “Hey, that’s me. Sensible Penny. Just like the loafers.”

      “Stop it. You are as wildly lacking in sense as the rest of us, and I won’t hear any differently. Hey, a couple guys at the bar haven’t been able to take their eyes off you all night. You are such a sex goddess.”

      Penny grinned and looked toward the bar, her green eyes impish. She was cute—the type of woman men were automatically attracted to. A small, pixielike redhead, Penny had an innate, feminine sex appeal that Miranda sometimes envied. Miranda liked her own straight, statuesque build well enough—being strong and streamlined had its own advantages—but sometimes she wished she was curvier and cuter like her friend.

      A laugh bubbled up from Penny when she waved playfully at the guys at the bar. Penny routinely underestimated herself, which Miranda found frustrating. She knew it came from the fact that Penny had grown up in less comfortable circumstances than the rest of them, but it bugged her that Penny insisted on downplaying herself much of the time.

      “Yeah, I’m a real sex kitten.”

      “Hmm. Maybe one who’s interested in curling up in the lap of one particularly cute resident doctor that we both happen to know.”

      “Eww! Hardly. Though maybe I’d like to scratch him.”

      “Why do you even bother to hide it? You guys are obviously hot for each other.”

      “Um, Miranda, have you been in a room with us lately—or, come to think of it—ever?”

      “Actually, yes. You argue like cats and dogs, but that is just the adult version of the playground-punch-in-the-arm. Face it, you’re a smitten sex kitten.”

      “Puh-leese. Clever way to sidetrack this conversation, but let’s get back to you.”

      “Coward. I still say if you made a move on Travis, he’d cave like a house of cards. I, on the other hand, am facing the sexual Berlin Wall with Colin.”

      “Well, you know, they did tear that down, so there’s hope.”

      “Okay, fine, Great Wall of China then, smart aleck.” She grimaced playfully. “I have to think of something. If I store up any more sexual energy I am going to explode. And it won’t be pretty.”

      “So are you seriously thinking of implementing the five-step plan here?” Penny gestured at the cover story in the magazine lying between them.

      Miranda took another bite of her pizza and chewed, mulling that idea. “Maybe. Some of the ideas were good. And if it doesn’t work, I can at least say I tried. Life’s too short to be wishy-washy about things. You just gotta jump in and see what happens.”

      She didn’t really feel that casual about it—the feelings she had for Colin were strong, if confusing, and if he rejected her, it would hurt. But she’d survive. She’d discovered that about herself: she was a survivor.

      There was something about quiet, responsible Colin that made her want to burrow down under the layers and see what was there. She wanted to release the wild man underneath all that calm. If she could do it, she had a feeling it would be worth the risk.

      She couldn’t believe it when she’d returned home and he was still here and single. But he was different. Grown-up, a man now, and even more gorgeous than she’d remembered. Those tawny, hazel eyes seemed to stare straight through her, and though she knew it was corny, she longed for the kind of deep connection that she imagined a woman could have with a man like that. The kind that lasted forever.

      Penny reached over and waved the magazine in front of Miranda’s face. “Earth to Miranda, so what’s step one?”

      “They suggest a woman should take control of the relationship as a first move. No waiting around for the guy to decide, or to make up his mind about when and where. You decide how, you decide where, you decide when. Men have always been under pressure to make these big decisions, and they face rejection all the time. So, you relieve pressure by being the one to take control. It’s supposed to energize your relationship and push things to a new level.”

      Putting the magazine back down on the table, Penny nodded approvingly.

      “Sounds good. How do you do that, exactly?”

      “They have several suggestions, from simply inviting him out on a date to doing a striptease, or setting up a seduction, including bondage and other kinky stuff that is control related. It depends on the existing relationship you have with the other person, and your personalities. Something tells me Colin would run for the hills if I pulled out the handcuffs.”

      Penny’s eyes widened. “You have handcuffs?”

      “I was speaking hypothetically, Pen.”

      “Oh. Well, sounds like it’s worth a try.”

      Miranda felt a naughty smile twitch at the corners of her lips. Her mind was made up. Her skin tingled with excitement. She had her plan in hand. She was going to seduce Colin Jacobs.

      2

      Colin,

      Come to my house at seven tonight—I have a surprise for you. Come alone, and you can’t say a word until I tell you to. Oh, and don’t be late. I know this probably sounds strange, but just do it. Remember, no talking!

      Randi

      COLIN STARED at Miranda’s e-mail in the dim light of his office. Books were stacked everywhere and piles of student tests cluttered his desk, leaving just enough room for the laptop that glowed in the darkness. To the outside observer it looked like a complete mess, but he knew exactly what was in every spot. Research projects, student papers, faculty documents—he could find anything he needed quickly. Why bother with extras like filing cabinets? But at the moment, he simply narrowed his eyes as he read the screen, murmuring to himself.

      “No talking? Just do it? What the heck is she up to?”

      His curiosity was piqued. It had been two nights since he’d seen Travis and discussed his feelings for Miranda. Maybe Travis was right—maybe he should just take a chance. God knows he’d thought about it enough. But as soon as he seriously considered it, the same heaviness would settle in his gut and he couldn’t go through with it. Quick affairs were nice, and he’d had his share of them, but with Miranda it would have to be something more. He knew they could never really have a future together. And worse, their friendship could be destroyed in the process.

      He could hear his brother Derek’s voice in his head as clear as

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