Her Sexy Valentine Read Free

participated less than anyone. And she’d sensed the other women were resentful to varying degrees that she’d observed more than she’d partaken.
    As Gabrielle shared the lush aspects of her new relationship, Carol felt excluded. The other women leaned into each other and seemed to share an emotional shorthand she wasn’t privyto. It occurred to her that they didn’t trust her because she’d refused to be vulnerable, refused to take the same risk they’d taken.
    Carol shrank back in her chair, suddenly wishing she had followed her earlier impulse to leave. She knew the women around the table thought she was detached…maybe even thought she was a lesbian. They had no idea she once was like them—dreamy eyed, with an open door to her heart, waiting for the right man to walk through. And he had.
    James had romanced her and cajoled her into falling head over heels in love with him. So much so that on Valentine’s Day eight years ago, she’d garnered her strength and proposed to him . But instead of the wholehearted “yes” she’d expected, the day had gone horribly wrong, shattering her hopes and dreams. Since that day, she’d kept her heart and body carefully under wraps.
    When her chest squeezed painfully, Carol gave herself a mental shake, surprised that the mortification of that day still felt so fresh. She dropped her gaze to her feet to gather herself.
    That was when she noticed a small whiteenvelope sticking out of one of the books in her red tote.
    Being the long-time employee of a greeting card company, she was accustomed to finding cards in her briefcase and scattered around her car and condo—samples and mockups and overruns. But this card was sealed and seemed to have been placed purposely. She glanced up to see if any of the other women had noticed, but they were congratulating Gabrielle and talking amongst themselves. Ignoring her.
    Carol removed the envelope, then slid her thumb under the flap, broke the seal and slid out the card.
    The front of the greeting card was a photograph of an early spring scene, with the green shoots of bulb flowers poking through the earth. In the foreground, one large, lone icicle glistened spectacularly. She opened the card and read the computer-generated words inside.
    Spring came, and still Carol Snow refused to thaw.
    There was no signature.
    Hurt whipped through her, leaving her skinstinging. She knew she had a reputation at work for being cold, knew that people saw her as unfeeling and rigid. Her mind raced, scanning the faces and names of coworkers, wondering which one had gone to the trouble of putting the note in her book…
    And her mind stopped on Luke Chancellor, the cad. The reason he’d detained her today wasn’t to talk about bonuses—he’d been looking for an opportunity to plant the card. It made even more sense when she recalled his parting shot.
    Instead of reading about life, you should try the real thing sometime!
    Tears pressed the back of her eyes and she must have uttered something because suddenly, all heads turned in her direction.
    â€œCarol, did you say something?” Page asked.
    They all stared at her expectantly, silently challenging her to step up, to join their sexually active sisterhood. Her reluctance to participate in the seduction experiment was like an elephant in the room. In the beginning, she had justified to herself that she barely knewthe other women and therefore, owed them no explanation.
    But over the course of the monthly meetings, things had changed. Carol felt closer to these women than to anyone else in her life, and she wanted to fit in, wanted to be accepted. Her pleasure over Gabrielle’s simple, thoughtful text message in the parking lot was proof that she needed these women and these meetings.
    Judging from her traitorous response to Luke Chancellor today, she conceded she would benefit from the physical release a seduction would provide. But