The Seduction of Suzanne Read Free

you won’t want to leave those sitting in the car.”
    “How about I drop them off and pick you up? If we make it eleven we’ll beat the rush.”
    “Perfect. I’ll see you then.”
    Suzanne rang off with a smile of pure pleasure. It was so good to have Anita back on the island. She’d been gone since June, following her latest boyfriend. But that had come to an end. Lunch was sure to be full of all the gory details.
     
    The café was crowded and bustling as usual in summer. Suzanne ordered a quiche and Anita chose nachos and a slice of rhubarb cake. Suzanne teased her about the cake and Anita laughed good-naturedly.
    “I’ve got to build up my stamina again if I’m going hunting beach bunnies. Mark may have been a mistake, but not in bed. I barely even escaped to eat. I’m wasted away to practically nothing.”
    “You’re looking for someone new already?” Suzanne cocked a curious eyebrow at her friend.
    “The best way to get over one man is to get under another one. It won’t be long and they’ll all have gone home. We must make the most of every opportunity life hands us.” She folded her hands together piously and blinked at Suzanne with mock innocence.
    “Yeah, whatever,” Suzanne sniggered her appreciation.
    “Speaking of opportunities, phwoar! Check out this guy. They don’t come much hotter than that!”
    “Who? Where?” she craned her head obligingly towards the entrance.
    “You missed him, he’s behind you. Now look over at the counter. Check out that ass. Wait a second. He’ll turn around once he’s ordered.”
    Looking at the broad shoulders and blonde hair of the large man, Suzanne began to get a sinking feeling she recognized him, even before he turned. She angled herself away from the counter, picking up her handbag and rummaging around in it as a cover to keep her head down.
    “Look, look, you’ll miss him.”
    “He’s just another tourist. Who cares?”
    “Damn he’s fine. He’s looking over here right now. Ooo, he’s looking at us. He’s looking at you. Sue, he’s looking right at you and he’s coming this way. Sue!”
    “What an absolute pleasure to see you again, your majesty,” said that smooth American voice. She looked up at him through her lashes and saw he was grinning at her with a mischievous twinkle in his blue eyes. He made their small table seem tiny as he towered over it.
    She didn’t know what to say. So she said nothing, with as much dignity as she could muster. If anything, his grin broadened before he switched the warm glow of his attention to Anita.
    “Hi. I’m Justin. And you are…?”
    “Anita.” She held out her hand, and he took it and shook it without hesitation. “Do join us.”
    “I’d love to, he replied shamelessly, collecting a chair from a nearby table with a single casual hand. He set it down back-to-front, laying his corded forearms along the top of the ladderback in a move that brought his impressive shoulder muscles to the attention of any interested onlooker. Suzanne wondered cynically if it was a calculated tactic.
    She glared meaningfully at Anita, who shrugged and mimed touching her forefinger to her tongue and then to her shoulder in a gesture she liked to use. Suzanne could almost hear the hissing sound she usually made to accompany the move, to indicate something was red hot. Suzanne rolled her eyes, not particularly caring if he picked up this non-verbal byplay.
    “So you two know each other?” Anita jumped right in.
    “We met just yesterday. But we definitely shared a moment,” he waggled his eyebrows comically. Obviously he sensed an ally in Anita. Correctly, it turned out.
    “That’s great. Suzanne could use a little playtime. She works much too hard. You’re just visiting, right?” When he nodded, she carried on: “Then she could take you out and about to see the sights. What a lovely idea! I can’t think of a better person for the job. Grew up here, knows everyone, everything there is to see. You’ll be