Her Sexy Valentine Read Free Page A

if she seduced a man, it wouldn’t be with stars in her eyes…it would be purely for revenge. Revenge for the way men had treated her, especially James, but there had been others who had made her feel powerless…men like Luke…
    It would serve the cad right if she seduced him and then cast him aside…play the playboy.
    â€œAre you okay?” Cassie asked her in a gentle tone.
    Carol wet her lips and nodded. “I’ve been thinking…”
    Eyes widened in her direction, shoulders leaned. Her bravado fled, leaving a trail of perspiration trickling between her breasts.
    â€œYes, Carol?” Gabrielle prompted in the ensuing silence. “What’s on your mind?”
    Her heart galloped in her chest, but she managed a smile. “I’ve decided to try the seduction experiment.”
    Congratulations reverberated in the room and happy smiles wreathed the faces of her fellow book club members. They seemed equally pleased and surprised. She wondered how their expressions would change if she told them she planned to use sex to avenge her wounded pride, to humiliate, and hopefully, to inflict pain on her target. Only Gabrielle seemed reserved for some reason, studying Carol over the brim of her wine glass. Carol couldn’t meet the woman’s gaze.
    â€œSo who’s the lucky guy?” Wendy asked, practically bouncing up and down in her chair.
    â€œSomeone I work with,” Carol responded casually. “His name is Luke.”
    â€œHe sounds sexy,” Jacqueline said with a smile.
    â€œHe’s perfect,” Carol agreed through gritted teeth. Beneath the table, she crumpled the icicle card into a tight ball in her fist. Too late, she realized Gabrielle had noticed. When she met the woman’s gaze, Carol saw the flash of something in the coordinator’s eye—apprehension?
    â€œA seduction just in time for Valentine’s Day,” Cassie continued, oblivious to the exchange, as were the other women. “Do you have a plan?”
    â€œNot really,” Carol admitted. “Although…there is the possibility of a company party on the horizon.”
    â€œSounds promising,” Wendy said with a grin. “Maybe you and Luke can slip away to a supply closet.”
    The women laughed and passed around the almond cookies that Carol had brought. For the first time, she felt at ease with her fellow book club members. As the evening progressed and they discussed titles for upcoming selections, she contributed to the discussion andfelt accepted. But she was aware of Gabrielle’s thoughtful gaze on her throughout.
    As they left the meeting, Gabrielle walked out into the parking lot with her. Their breath formed frosty puffs in the winter air.
    â€œIt’s really getting cold,” the older woman offered. “I heard rumors of snow flurries.”
    Carol laughed. “I think the groceries get that rumor started every year so people will go out and buy milk and bread. It never snows in Atlanta.”
    Gabrielle nodded, then seemed to turn inward. “I confess your about-face on the seduction experiment surprises me. If you don’t me asking, why did you change your mind?”
    Carol attempted a casual shrug. Inside her coat pocket, she clenched the crumpled card so hard her hand hurt. “Does it really matter?”
    â€œNo,” the coordinator admitted. “Just be careful with your motivations, else you might be the person who winds up getting hurt.”
    â€œThat’s not going to happen,” Carol assured her.
    Gabrielle smiled. “Then I feel sorry for Luke.”
    As the woman walked away, Carol adopted a smug smile. Someone should feel sorry for Luke. Because, just like the cartoon Cupid dressed in fatigues on the sappy valentine, Carol planned to take no prisoners.

3
    Carol sat in her car in the parking lot in front of her office building gripping the cold steering wheel with sweaty hands. She glanced at