"Lucas will never recognize me." Riley Matthews stared into the mirror, amazed by the stranger staring back. "I don't recognize me."
"That's because I'm a bloody genius," Marcio said, eyeing her reflection above stylish black eyeglass frames. "Your own mother wouldn't recognize you."
Riley wasn't about to argue either point. As the owner and resident genius of Casa de Marcio, he had every right to be proud of his accomplishments tonight. When he'd arrived at the hotel earlier with Maya in tow, Riley had been a brunette with fair skin and brown eyes. Marcio's skill with beauty supplies and theatrical makeup had transformed her into a cat-eyed stranger with sleek raven-hair and exotic tanned skin—the physical embodiment of her online persona, Jexica.
It was her online persona, not the real Riley Matthews, who would enjoy a very hot night with her fantasy man if all went as planned. Finally. She'd met Lucas Friar two years ago when they'd become partners during their residency. He'd been gorgeous, charming, smart, and—unfortunately for her—involved in a long-term relationship. So Riley had reveled in their growing friendship and experienced her first taste of unrequited love.
Until his relationship had ended.
Suddenly the possibility of dropping the un from unrequited existed. Especially when she'd caught Lucas watching her with a gleam in his eyes. At least she'd thought she had and since she was a stranger to men noticing her…Riley had just figured that once his rebound time had passed, he would express an interest in deepening their friendship. But he hadn't. Maybe he was waiting for her to make the first move. Maybe she'd simply mistaken that look in his eyes. Riley didn't know, and she'd never know because she couldn't figure out how to address the subject without dissolving into a blushing, stammering puddle at Lucas' feet.
Ah, the irony of fate. Her boring, mousy appearance was as much of an illusion as the gilt-trimmed facade of the colorful and vibrant hotel room—all showy on the outside with an internal structure that needed serious renovation. Beneath Riley's boxy nondescript outfits beat the heart of a shy romantic. And since men had always ignored her, she'd grown accustom to staying behind the shadow of her curvy and sexy best friend slash sister Maya, which left her unsure how to pursue the one man she wanted.
She simply had to get over her inhibitions. At least long enough to enjoy a fantasy night with her fantasy man. Graduation was fast approaching and life would take her and Lucas in different directions. Now was her only chance.
Deciding the anonymity of cyberspace would help liberate her of self-consciousness and insecurities, Riley had assumed the screen name Jexica and become Lucas' online chat buddy.
As Jexica, she'd spent the past months shedding her inhibitions and seducing him online for the big night when she'd finally appear in the flesh for a cameo appearance as his lover.
"It's amazing." Riley searched her reflection for a glimpse of the woman she'd been for the past twenty-eight years. "How did you manage—"
"A dab of foundation here and a dab of foundation there and voilà."
Most people assumed that with the height and a frame of a model meant Riley should be sexually daring. Girls from her middle school always commented on her seemingly over developed boobs. Boys made fun of her height. Many times in her life she'd downplayed her looks with a severe hairstyle and a shapeless wardrobe, and just recently she promised Maya that she will no longer make grooming concessions that made her feel ashamed of the way she looked.
But tonight…temporary grooming concessions were absolutely necessary.
"You don't think I'm too exotic-looking? I want Lucas to find me attractive."
"Are you kidding?" Maya waved a hand dismissively. "The man would have to be dead not to drool. You're oozing sex, or will be as soon as we get you into costume."
From where Riley sat, her costume didn't look like much of one. The flesh-toned sheath dripped off a dressmaker's mannequin, nearly see-through but for the intricate beadwork that would strategically veil various body parts. A gown that flaunted her assets in a way she'd never done before.
"Come on," Marcio said. "Let's get you dressed. Your man will be showing up soon and you don't want him peeking at his present before you wrap the package."
Slipping out of the vanity chair, Riley turned herself over to the professionals for gift-wrapping. "I hope Lucas' interested. I hate to think of your hard work going to waste."
"You'll still cook dinner for me for an entire week." Marcio knelt, motioning for Riley to step inside the gown. "So enjoy your night. You will be paying for it."
Riley dismissed the thought of additional grocery cost and slaving in the kitchen for the next week. She could rationalize the expense as a graduation gift for herself—she'd worked long and hard enough for a great one. …
"There. All set." Marcio tugged the zipper up and Riley turned to survey the effect. The gown's low-slung back reached to the cleft of her backside. She gave a low whistle.
"Yow is right." Maya said. "I should take a picture and show it to your dad. Bet you he won't let you leave the house ever again."
"Maya—"
"Fine. I won't show it to your dad." Maya said. "Isn't Lucas curious why he's meeting you in a hotel and not at your house?"
"He is but he also knows that I am interested with interior design and architecture. I suggested this hotel because I really am curious to see it and it's an erotic hotel."
"But the man doesn't know he's coming here to get erotic with you."
"That was the whole point of my plan."
A plan that had better go off accordingly, Riley thought as she saw Maya and Marcio out a short time later. She'd devoted entirely too much time to this scheme to settle for anything less than success. She'd spent too many months trying to squelch her attraction to Lucas while he'd been dating someone else, alternating between guilt and frustration for wanting a man who belonged to another woman.
Then there were the months of hoping and waiting after he'd become a free agent. Then hours and hours of chatting online under an assumed identity to have the sorts of intellectually stimulating, emotionally moving conversations she could never seem to initiate when staring into his sexy green eyes.
But tonight, disguised as a fantasy woman, she'd put her inhibitions behind her.
Riley headed to the stereo, where she flipped a switch to fill the room with sultry swing music from a bygone era.
The better to dance with you, my dear.
Riley unlocked the door and sat on the divan to await her guest. Placing a hand on the arm rest, she showcased herself to prepare for his entrance.
The better to perform for you, my dear.
And then the door opened.
Showtime.
…..
Lucas Friar stepped inside the room before locking the door as per the instructions on his invitation. Scanning the interior, he made a mental note of the differences between the other hotel room he'd stayed at and the low-lit, fanciful setting surrounding him now.
Although his hostess had only added piped-in music, and refreshments at the bar, she'd created an intimate atmosphere or maybe his rushing pulse just enhanced the mood of the place.
Could be. Tonight, as a man who'd been teased for months by an online temptress, Lucas viewed this room as the place where he'd capture the woman of his dreams.
Jexica—sexy, brilliant, and completely outrageous.
She'd seduced him with her intelligence, her wit, and a boldness that had conceived of this wild plan to finally meet in a place symbolizing their shared interest.
Lucas stepped inside, glancing overhead at the ceiling moldings, where naked cherubs grinned as they pointed golden love arrows at him from every direction.
I've already been hit, Lucas silently informed them, so aim for the girl.
And the instant he saw her, poised on top of the divan, Lucas knew he'd need all the help he could get tonight.
"Good evening." She issued her greeting in a low silky voice he barely recognized, a sound that conjured visions of his body wrapped around hers.
Lucas' gaze locked on her as she began to slowly stand, flowing up with a grace that drew his attention to the way her gown glimmered over her curves. All that spangly beadwork and yet he could see breathtaking glimpses of her lush body below.
Swallowing hard, Lucas lifted his gaze to her face.
Amazing. She'd been transformed, a total change from the brown-haired, brown-eyed angel he'd worked with yesterday while doing surgery. This woman was a black-haired, blue-eyed embodiment of sex.
For one blind moment, Lucas thought he'd been mistaken, that the woman who called herself the screen name Jexica wasn't really his friend Riley Matthews, but simply a stranger who'd chanced across him online.
"I'm glad you decided to join me." Her sultry tone didn't hide the way her voice trembled.
No, he wasn't mistaken. She may have lowered her voice a sexy octave and reinvented her appearance into this exotic creature, but the Riley he knew was still there.
"You invited me for a fantasy night in this hotel. I'm honored." He was, and he wasn't. He'd hoped she would spring the big surprise on him by greeting him as herself.
She extended her hand with such studied femininity that Lucas couldn't help but smile. Shifting the roses he'd brought, he twined his fingers through hers, observed how her new skin tone extended down to the manicured tips. Then he pressed his lips to her warm skin and marveled at the way touching her affected him.
Heat sizzled through him like a brushfire and he saw a similar reply in her eyes. Their color may have been unfamiliar, but the awareness was there. He lingered over her hand and it was only the reminder of the greater pleasures the night would bring that prompted Lucas to let go.
"For you." He handed her the roses.
"White roses are my favorite."
"I know. I remember everything you've shared with me in our chats."
"I'm flattered."
"I'm fascinated."
Their gazes met above the blooms. Their surroundings became surreal as the promise of sex filtered between them.
"So how does reality hold up to fantasy?" she asked.
Though her expression never changed, Lucas recognized the vulnerability in her question. That vulnerability was the real problem here. Riley was intelligent, gorgeous, a ray of sunshine, and very shy. She'd been counting on him to ignore her just like one of the stupid and shallow guys who routinely ignore her. Unlike those guys, Lucas saw past Riley's defense. He saw the real Riley. Lucas wanted to be a lot more than just being a friend and she needed to understand that or they'd never have a solid foundation to build a relationship on.
He'd decided the best way to make his point was to let her pursue him. He'd been counting on their friendship to help her overcome her shyness, but upon reflection, he realized he never should have expected Riley to do the expected.
Predictable simply wasn't her style and she'd outdone herself by pursuing him under the online screen name Jexica. Instead of relying on their friendship, she'd relied on a disguise and right now Lucas couldn't tell whether she was worried he'd see through her ruse or that he didn't like her new look. But he knew Riley well enough to know he needed a lot more than words to bridge this distance.
Reaching out to stroke her cheek, he grazed his fingertips along her skin, aroused by the freedom to touch her, and not just a little interested in how she'd pulled off such a dramatic change in her appearance.
"Reality far surpasses the fantasy," he said. "You're brilliant and beautiful and I'm one very lucky man."
She trembled, and judging by the way her expression melted into a pleased smile, he'd said exactly the right thing.
"So what shall I call you?" The only name she'd given him online was Jexica and he needed to know if she wanted to continue playing the game.
"I prefer the mystery of our screen names, don't you?"
Not much mystery there since his screen name was MadDog. "Lady's choice."
"Let's run with the fantasy, shall we? Tonight's our night to enjoy our special place without reality intruding. No past. No future. Only now, the two of us."
Lucas nodded. He'd have to play along, because he wouldn't tip his hand until he knew the time was right. He wanted to get on with exploring their incredible chemistry and planning their future. He'd already waited so long.
Too long, though the fault was his own. He'd gotten complacent with his high school sweetheart. It had taken meeting Riley for Lucas to realize they were only still a couple because they'd grown comfortable. Even more time had passed before he'd finally admitted his heart really wasn't in the relationship anymore. His former girlfriend had agreed. They'd parted ways and remained friends.
But Riley couldn't know this, so when she swept past him with a breezy "I'll find something to put these roses in," he was left staring after her.
And noticing the back of her dress. Or lack of back rather. The shimmery fabric scooped below her waist, exposing lots of skin as she walked across the room toward the bar area. Blindsided by the sight, Lucas had to shake off the effect to follow.
Circling the room, Riley moved as comfortably behind the bar in her high heels as she did in her work boots. She produced another silver ice bucket, filled it with water, and arranged the roses inside. "These are lovely. Thank you so much."
"Beautiful flowers for a very beautiful lady."
"I promised you a tour through the Risqué's erotic history tonight."
"The tour can wait. I'm ready for the erotic history…." Lucas paused, smiled. "And for you."
Riley had promised him a lot more than a tour in the darkness of late night as he'd stared at his computer monitor, connected through cyberspace. The cover of anonymity had fueled her boldness in a way that had him thoroughly turned on.
"I'll do the honors." Needing something to occupy his hands, Lucas reached for the champagne bottle, popped the top and filled the glasses.
After accepting a glass, Riley tilted the rim to his with a tinkle of crystal. "To our night together."
"To us." He brought the glass to his lips in an effort to curtail a smile.
Riley really thought she was going to get away with one night. How would she react to learn he wasn't interested in a limited engagement?
There was one way to find out. With the taste of champagne still lingering on his lips, Lucas leaned forward to kiss her.
Riley shared a breath with Lucas before their lips met. She inhaled the mingled scents of hot male and champagne, tasted an urgency that surprised and thrilled her. His sensual mouth had always fascinated her, had tempted her to kiss him a thousand different times. His words came back to her, just a whisper of memory that added to the magic of the moment.
"Reality far surpasses the fantasy," he'd said. "You're brilliant and beautiful and I'm one very lucky man."
Lucas was brilliant and beautiful, too. And never so much as tonight. This was a Lucas she'd never seen before, polished and purposeful and oh-so appealing. When Riley looked up from where she was sitting, she'd grown breathless at the sight of him in his tux. He'd seemed like a stranger with his tall, athletic body showcased to perfection in crisp black and white, his broad shoulders filling out the lines of his jacket. He'd combed his dark blonde hair and when he'd gazed up at her, pleasure so clear on his face, she'd known she'd made the right decision by devising her sexy plan.
She was one very lucky lady. For tonight at least.
The bar separated them, but apparently Lucas didn't consider it an obstacle. Threading his fingers into her hair, he smoothed work-rough palms over her cheeks, tipped her face to deepen their kiss. Lucas kissed her as though he'd wanted her forever, and the intensity of his hunger struck her as odd. Riley was technically a stranger, despite their intimate online chats. But her own flaring need forbade her from following the thought. She couldn't do more than slide her fingers over his, learn the texture of his skin, the curves and hollows of hands she'd admired from afar for so long.
A desire Riley hadn't dreamed could grow any hotter spiked through her. She wanted this man like she'd never wanted another. She craved his mouth on hers. His masculine scent filled her senses, played to her deepest fantasies and promised so much more. She wanted to feel his body pressed against her, wanted to feel his strong hands caress her skin. She wanted to see his face sharpen with desire, wanted to hear his voice as he reached his own pleasure.
The bar supported her when her knees grew weak. The gilt railing dug into her ribs, but the discomfort was nothing to the longing, an ache that made heat pool between her thighs, made her muscles clench with a needy little spasm.
Riley sighed when his lips nibbled along her jaw, a purely sensual experience with his lips caressing, his tongue stroking, his breath breaking in warm bursts against her skin. When Lucas trailed his mouth to the hand she held over his, pausing to rest his cheek against her fingertips, he literally took Riley's breath away with his tenderness.
Perhaps Lucas sensed her surprise, because he opened his eyes, searched her face for…what, she couldn't say, but she knew he'd found it because he slipped his hands from beneath hers and caught them in his. He didn't let go.
"I guessed kissing you would be awesome, but I didn't know how arousing," Lucas said. "Way better than the fantasy, Jexica."
Somehow his nickname for her sounded right spoken in his rich hint-of-the-Deep-South voice. Riley laughed, a sexy sound, but how could she laugh any other way when she felt so sexy beneath his gaze? His eyes poured over her as though seeing her for the first time, clearly as amazed by the intensity between them as she was.
"Since we're spinning fantasies tonight," Lucas said. "I have a request."
"Your wish is my command."
Lucas smiled at that, a roguish smile filled with promise. "Anything?"
Riley brushed her mouth across his knuckles, a caress. She would have agreed to anything right now. The night spread before them ripe with sensuality, her one and only chance to explore the sensations this man evoked in her.
"I want to dance with you," he said.
Dance.
Riley sighed again. Dancing suggested an intimate, thorough introduction to each other and intimate and thorough sounded perfect. "Great minds think alike. I chose this music because you mentioned your professor listened to it and you've acquired a taste."
Lucas arched an eyebrow. "So I'm not the only one who's been paying close attention to our chats."
"I've been hanging on to your every word, MadDog."
"For how long?"
"Since we met."
His expression suggested her admission was the greatest compliment she could have paid him. With a smile, Lucas drew her hand into his then guided her around the bar.
Riley suddenly stood before him, never more aware of her body than she was at this moment. Lucas' gaze caressed her, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. A part of her trembled at the need she saw in his face, even as she experienced a terrible sense of disappointment that he looked this way at a stranger, a woman who didn't exist in reality except for tonight. She wanted him to want her, the real her.
But Lucas didn't give her a chance to dwell long on disappointment. In a move reminiscent of her late-night fantasies, he gathered her into his strong arms, introduced their bodies in a motion that brought them together full length.
Riley wasn't short by any stretch of the imagination, but even in her heels, the top of her head only reached Lucas' chin. Her cheek rested comfortably against his shoulder. Her breasts pressed against his chest. She could feel the strength of his muscles beneath his jacket, sense the steady beat of his heart.
Lucas slid his hand along her waist and down the curve of her hip until his fingers rounded her backside and coaxed their hips close enough so she could feel the erection that revealed so much better than words that he was as aroused by her as she was by him.
"You said anything," he said without apology, yet still acting the gentleman by giving her a chance to retreat.
"Yes." Riley breathed the word on the edge of a sigh, as captured by the strength of his body as she was by the pleasure in his eyes.
The corners of his mouth tipped up with that devilish grin and he pulled her a little closer. "You trust me?"
"I do."
"Why?"
"Because you've opened your heart online."
"You think that makes me trustworthy?"
He tightened his grip on her a little more, tested her limits, a heady combination of respect and daring, a Lucas Friar who was as much a stranger to Riley as the man in the moon. Only online had she ever glimpsed the demanding lover he might prove to be, but now she stared proof in the face. She'd known Lucas the partner, the tutor, and the friend but never Lucas the potential lover.
"I do," Riley said, rising to his challenge.
Lucas only smiled and the moment took on an unknown quality, a merging of her friend with her fantasy lover. The possibilities for the night suddenly seemed endless.
Especially behind the anonymity of her costume. For now, at least, Riley could indulge this wildness that made her lean back until he balanced her in his arms, arch her neck in case he should want to kiss her there.
"Shall we?" Lucas asked.
"Yes."
And then, their bodies molded together as one, as they began to move.
Lucas marveled at the way Riley followed his movements easily, their bodies swaying in the dance as though they'd known each other forever. Though slender, she was curvy in a way he found very attractive, a woman to mold against a man in all the right places. Against him. She felt so damned…right.
Resting his cheek against the top of her head, Lucas moved to the music, savoring the feel of her body against him and inhaling the scent of her hair, strangely different tonight than the lightly floral fragrance he'd been stealing whiffs of in class or whenever chance permitted. A by-product of her disguise, he guessed.
"This is exactly what I had in mind for our special night," she said softly.
"It's off to a very promising start."
"You'll have to tell me more about what you'd like to accomplish, so I'm sure to meet your expectations."
A familiar candor glittered in those unfamiliar blue eyes and Lucas found himself slowing their pace to hang on to her a little tighter.
He couldn't help himself. Riley was such a beautiful woman, all sleek curves and creamy skin. He admitted to more than one fantasy about her gracing his bed, wearing nothing more than her brown hair. Just the thought had the ability to make saliva pool in his mouth until he was forced to swallow.
It was no wonder she managed to hide her shyness and stunning looks behind her boxy outfits. She practically rendered him blind with her smile. Most men didn't hear a word she said. Their senses, along with their brains, took up residence in their eyes, which never glanced past her clothing and severe hairstyle. The poor Joes couldn't help it. Lucas knew that firsthand, as he'd been guilty of the same crime when meeting her. He'd managed to drag his gaze past her outer appearance and make it as far as her eyes before drowning in those bright brown depths.
But Lucas had been loyal to his former girlfriend and had overcome his star struck reaction. Only later, after he and Riley had become partners and friends, had he realized how deceiving her looks actually were. She may have looked as though she was comfortable hiding in the shadows and occasionally commanding the attention of every person in a room with her sparkling smiles but that wasn't the case. Lucas was very grateful he'd had that time to become her friend because a friend pretending to be a stranger had enough of an edge to turn this situation around to his benefit.
"You've surpassed my expectations already, Jexica." Lucas meant it. "Your idea to meet for the first time in this special place was inspired."
"We're both interested with the old architecture and tonight should be special, don't you think? We already know each other intimately, so to speak, so the rest would be just logistics otherwise."
"Intimately. What an interesting word choice."
"It fits. You've been very forthcoming in our chats."
"You're easy to talk to…well, write to." Lucas smiled, rather sheepishly as it was. "About what I'd like to accomplish tonight…we're progressing along nicely. My first objective was to see if I was as attracted to you in person as I was online."
"And…" Riley peered up from beneath thick black lashes.
"Mission accomplished."
He dipped her low over his arm, savoring the surprised little gasp that slid from her lips and the way she responded so naturally to his motion, enjoying the sight of her dark hair cascading behind her, exposing her throat and a glimpse of her breasts as they swelled above her neckline.
"What's your second objective?" Riley asked as he brought her against him again.
"To prove myself worthy."
"Really? Of what?"
"My third objective, which involves the two of us naked."
More than he had yet tonight, Lucas recognized Riley in her unguarded reaction to his boldness, in the expression that made her eyes widen and her breath hitch audibly. She couldn't completely mask the blushing, beautiful girl she was behind the makeup, nor could she hide that she was emotionally invested in what was happening between them. Knowing this gave him the first hope he had that he might just accomplish his real mission objective—making Riley drop the games and commit to a future.
"Have I shocked you, Jexica?"
Blue contacts didn't hide the flash of surprise in her eyes or the exact moment when she rallied past surprise to rise to his challenge. "No, it's just…what a coincidence. It so happens that getting naked with you is on my to-do list, too."
"Isn't it remarkable how our thoughts so often run in the same direction. If you weren't convinced before, here's proof."
"I'm convinced." Snuggling even closer, Riley stood on tiptoe to press silk-soft lips to his.
Lucas gave up all pretense of trying to dance. Grinding to a halt, he wrapped his arms around her, tucked her neatly into the folds of his body.
Their kiss was urgent this time and he couldn't contain the need to skim his hands over her curves, exploring every smooth inch while cataloguing the touches that brought a sigh to her lips or sent goose bumps along her bare arms.
With the slightest pressure, he nudged his thigh between hers. Though her narrow gown didn't allow much room, she rode against him just enough so he could feel her faint heat despite the clothing separating them. Or maybe he just imagined he could feel her. Riley was pushing him past limits he'd thought were solid. It became a test of his control not to slip the gown from her shoulders and make love to her where they stood.
Lucas settled for running his hands down her bare back instead, slipping his fingers inside the gown that hugged her derriere, where Lucas made a stunning discovery—Riley wasn't wearing anything beneath, not even the wispiest thong.
Without a thought for the liberty he took, he sank both hands into her gown. Running his fingers along her firm curves, he pulled her even closer, ground himself against her with a forceful thrust that made him groan.
Riley sighed.
Lucas dragged his mouth from hers, knowing that if he didn't catch his breath right now, he was a goner. He'd strip Riley where she stood and show her exactly how much he wanted to make love to her. Forcing his eyes to open, he found her watching him. For a moment they stood facing each other, both flushed and breathless.
"Looks like we're well on our way to meeting your third objective," she said.
"What was next on your agenda?"
Had Lucas not known the woman beneath the makeup, he might have missed the relief in her expression. But he caught it. Jexica was getting a lot more than she'd bargained for tonight. He was gratified to see she was as jolted as he felt, and not surprised when she shot a glance at the bar, where silver catering trays beckoned.
He knew Riley and she was looking to run, if only for a moment to catch her breath, and he wasn't surprised when she asked, "Are you hungry?"
Oh, he was hungry all right. "For you."