Chasing Temptation
Chapter One
Penny glanced down at herself. The white top she wore was tight, clung to her curves, and, with the few buttons in front undone, gave sight to some major cleavage. She’d taken her friend Lily’s advice and paired the top with a short skirt and sexy heels, but now she had to wonder…
“You sure this isn’t too much?”
She wiggled her toes, insecurity slowly pumping through her veins.
Lily tugged on the fabric of Penny’s shirt, trying to close the buttons. “Maybe suck it in a little?”
“I can’t suck in my boobs.”
Lily shrugged and stepped back to look at her. “Screw it, I say leave it undone. It looks hot. Besides, it’s Jenna’s bachelorette party,” she said, fastening her earing. “You’re supposed to dress a little slutty for the club.”
The club was half an hour away and the closest thing to a “night life scene” available to the people from the small town of Diamond, Kansas. Well, aside from Penny’s BBQ bar and restaurant. She’d taken over the BBQ when her mother passed away last year. The long hours hadn’t left much time for her to have fun. She didn’t go to clubs, or the city for that matter, but that didn’t mean she didn’t like fun…wasn’t open to new things.
The last time she’d attempted to try “new things” was in the bedroom with her ex-boyfriend. Eli was courteous, handsome, all things a gentleman should be. He’d even been patient with Penny when she made him wait six months before finally having sex.
The sex had been a wild disappointment, so a week later she’d put on her best lingerie and gone to surprise him with round two. What she discovered was that he’d already found his own round two, and it wasn’t with her. Soon after taking her virginity, he’d taken her dignity by cheating on her with someone more “sexy” than “adorably boring.”
His words still rang in her ears:
“You’re just too vanilla, Penny.”
That had stung, coming from a guy that color-coded his sock drawer, and she’d never quite come out of the shadow he’d cast over her self-esteem. She’d discovered there was a wild side to her waiting to be unleashed, but the first time she’d tried to let out her inner sex kitten, he’d dumped her.
Which was why her sexual experience was lacking. That one time with Eli was her only experience. She’d thought about dating again, even gotten a few admiring glances, but her older brother Ryder did a great job keeping the male population of Diamond far away from her. And she was tired of it. Especially since she’d just found out that Eli was coming back into town with his new fiancé. AKA the other woman.
Diamond was too small a town for her not to run into him. If—when—she saw him, she wanted to know for herself that he wouldn’t wreck her.
“Besides,” Lily said, “this is the kind of outfit you need to catch the kind of man you’re fishing for.”
Penny swallowed hard. Funny Lily had phrased it that way, because she was going fishing, and Penny had her eyes on a big Bass. As in Sebastian “Bass” Strafford. The one man she’d had a secret crush on for years. He was dark, brooding, and a bad ass attorney, who also happened to be her older brother’s best friend.
“Ryder’s going to wet himself if he sees me dressed like this,” Penny said.
Jenna and Colt McCade had been engaged since last summer, and their spring wedding was right around the corner. Thanks to her friends being disgustingly in love, they’d decided to thrown a joint bachelor-bachelorette party at the club. Which meant Penny’s brother Ryder would be there.
But so would Bass. And that made tonight the perfect chance for Penny to make her move. She not only trusted him—they’d been friends for years, after all—she knew he was the kind of man that could deliver in the bedroom. Just looking at him was enough to know that.
Not to mention the few whispers she’d heard over the years about Bass being some kind of “sex god.” And that made him perfect for her. Who better to teach her how to be a sex goddess than a god himself?
“You might have to help me distract Ryder,” she said.
“He’ll have to get over himself. You’re a grown ass woman. This is your chance,” Lily said, cupping Penny’s shoulders. Lily’s blond hair was fastened into a tight up-do, and the trademark McCade flare was prominent. “Time to implement Operation: Orgasm.”
Penny needed some of Lily’s confidence. “What if I get shot down?”
“If a guy shoots you down, he’s a moron,” Lily said. “There’s going to be a lot of hot guys, ones more than willing to show you a good time. And sex is a good thing. As long as you’re comfortable and feel good about it, there’s no reason not to go after what you want.”
Penny glanced down at herself. The white top she wore was tight, clung to her curves, and, with the few buttons in front undone, gave sight to some major cleavage. She’d taken her friend Lily’s advice and paired the top with a short skirt and sexy heels, but now she had to wonder…
“You sure this isn’t too much?”
She wiggled her toes, insecurity slowly pumping through her veins.
Lily tugged on the fabric of Penny’s shirt, trying to close the buttons. “Maybe suck it in a little?”
“I can’t suck in my boobs.”
Lily shrugged and stepped back to look at her. “Screw it, I say leave it undone. It looks hot. Besides, it’s Jenna’s bachelorette party,” she said, fastening her earing. “You’re supposed to dress a little slutty for the club.”
The club was half an hour away and the closest thing to a “night life scene” available to the people from the small town of Diamond, Kansas. Well, aside from Penny’s BBQ bar and restaurant. She’d taken over the BBQ when her mother passed away last year. The long hours hadn’t left much time for her to have fun. She didn’t go to clubs, or the city for that matter, but that didn’t mean she didn’t like fun…wasn’t open to new things.
The last time she’d attempted to try “new things” was in the bedroom with her ex-boyfriend. Eli was courteous, handsome, all things a gentleman should be. He’d even been patient with Penny when she made him wait six months before finally having sex.
The sex had been a wild disappointment, so a week later she’d put on her best lingerie and gone to surprise him with round two. What she discovered was that he’d already found his own round two, and it wasn’t with her. Soon after taking her virginity, he’d taken her dignity by cheating on her with someone more “sexy” than “adorably boring.”
His words still rang in her ears:
“You’re just too vanilla, Penny.”
That had stung, coming from a guy that color-coded his sock drawer, and she’d never quite come out of the shadow he’d cast over her self-esteem. She’d discovered there was a wild side to her waiting to be unleashed, but the first time she’d tried to let out her inner sex kitten, he’d dumped her.
Which was why her sexual experience was lacking. That one time with Eli was her only experience. She’d thought about dating again, even gotten a few admiring glances, but her older brother Ryder did a great job keeping the male population of Diamond far away from her. And she was tired of it. Especially since she’d just found out that Eli was coming back into town with his new fiancé. AKA the other woman.
Diamond was too small a town for her not to run into him. If—when—she saw him, she wanted to know for herself that he wouldn’t wreck her.
“Besides,” Lily said, “this is the kind of outfit you need to catch the kind of man you’re fishing for.”
Penny swallowed hard. Funny Lily had phrased it that way, because she was going fishing, and Penny had her eyes on a big Bass. As in Sebastian “Bass” Strafford. The one man she’d had a secret crush on for years. He was dark, brooding, and a bad ass attorney, who also happened to be her older brother’s best friend.
“Ryder’s going to wet himself if he sees me dressed like this,” Penny said.
Jenna and Colt McCade had been engaged since last summer, and their spring wedding was right around the corner. Thanks to her friends being disgustingly in love, they’d decided to thrown a joint bachelor-bachelorette party at the club. Which meant Penny’s brother Ryder would be there.
But so would Bass. And that made tonight the perfect chance for Penny to make her move. She not only trusted him—they’d been friends for years, after all—she knew he was the kind of man that could deliver in the bedroom. Just looking at him was enough to know that.
Not to mention the few whispers she’d heard over the years about Bass being some kind of “sex god.” And that made him perfect for her. Who better to teach her how to be a sex goddess than a god himself?
“You might have to help me distract Ryder,” she said.
“He’ll have to get over himself. You’re a grown ass woman. This is your chance,” Lily said, cupping Penny’s shoulders. Lily’s blond hair was fastened into a tight up-do, and the trademark McCade flare was prominent. “Time to implement Operation: Orgasm.”
Penny needed some of Lily’s confidence. “What if I get shot down?”
“If a guy shoots you down, he’s a moron,” Lily said. “There’s going to be a lot of hot guys, ones more than willing to show you a good time. And sex is a good thing. As long as you’re comfortable and feel good about it, there’s no reason not to go after what you want.”