The Daring Assignment Read online

  ***

  I decided to make my way to the bookstore to collect a few research tools. There was no way I could write an erotica if I’ve never read one in my entire life. I needed to know which words were okay to use and which weren’t, so I needed different examples to make sure I didn’t screw this up.

  The smell of books was comforting as I entered Barnes and Noble. People were quickly moving around me holding books, sipping on a drink from Starbucks, or flipping through magazines. I had no idea where I was going, and I was a little too embarrassed to ask for help. I could imagine walking up to one of the workers and saying a little too loudly, “Excuse me, can you direct me to the porn section?” Although Barnes and Noble wasn’t the library, it was never loud inside, even in the cafe area. It was an unwritten rule—you just didn’t speak loudly inside the store.

  “Do you need any help, ma’am?” a skinny guy with red curly hair asked me. I jumped in surprise. The guy’s hair was bright with random streaks of orange in it, appearing as if he had run Cheeto-dusted fingers through it a few times. If it hadn’t been for the noticeably orange streaks in his hair, I would have been positively sure that the man before me was Carrot Top.

  “Ma’am?” he asked again, breaking me out of my thoughts. My mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. I felt like a fool. I still had no idea what I was looking for. I didn’t know any titles or authors of this genre, so I wasn’t sure what to tell him.

  “I … um … no, I’m just browsing, thanks,” I sputtered before nearly tripping over myself to move around him, hurrying toward the Starbucks cafe. Who was I kidding? I couldn’t knowingly walk back there to look for an erotic novel without feeling that someone would look at the book I was browsing through and turn their nose up at me in disgust.

  I’m guilty of doing that a few times, myself. If I saw someone with a book that had a cover of some woman on a bed half naked, I would immediately assume they were an undercover literary porn addict. I groaned inwardly as I realized that by writing erotica, I would be enabling them. I shook the thought from my head. I couldn’t think of them that way anymore. These people were now my readers, and they would be the ticket to get on the list that I wanted to be on so badly.

  After ordering a green tea lemonade, I settled down at a small round table by the window. I pulled out the leather journal and shook my head when I saw the pink stamp on the front of it. Gia would definitely find this amusing.

  I took a quick photo of the stamp and texted it to her before opening the journal to a blank page. There were plenty of people on the street outside the store, but no one worthy of writing about. Write about how they make you feel if they trigger anything sexually, I could hear Allison say in my head. My eyes swept over the activity on the street. People were still on their commute to work or shopping, minding their own business. A couple of people were standing around in front of the window talking on their cell phones until they noticed me watching them and walked away. I was starting to feel like a creep just from people watching.

  Just as I was about to give up, my eyes finally stopped on him. His presence was strong, and it commanded my attention as soon as he stepped out of the building across the street. There was a small catering place, and the man who walked out of the building was talking to the driver of a delivery truck that had just arrived. The man’s black sweater hugged his body snugly, showing off a pair of broad shoulders and thick biceps. I slowly clicked my pen and began scribbling what he looked like.

  Let’s see … for now, I’ll call him the guy across the street from Barnes and Noble in the city.

  He looks to be over 6 feet. I’m not sure what his affiliation is with this catering place, but he’s dressed pretty casual, while the other people coming out of the building seem to be in uniform. He has a beautiful white smile and looks pretty delicious and muscular under his sweater and I wonder …

  Just as the thought crossed my mind, he turned his back to me to speak to one of the uniformed workers.

  Yep, I don’t need binoculars to see that ass. I bet it would feel amazing if I grabbed it while he was making love to me—

  I quickly closed the journal and looked at the stamped woman in disbelief. Where the hell did that thought come from? I didn’t even have thoughts like this about Julius, and here I was thinking about a man that I didn’t even know! I quickly tossed the journal back into my purse and took a long sip from my drink. That journal definitely had to be possessed. Maybe Allison thought it would bring out my inner sex kitten, but that was something I didn’t need, at least not right now.

  I stole a glance back across the street and nearly jumped out of my skin when the man was looking in my direction. I instantly snapped my attention back to my straw as my heart pounded wildly. He couldn’t have seen me watching him, could he? I secretly cursed Allison under my breath. Thanks to her stupid project, I was going to end up being paranoid about every little thing that I wrote in my journal.

  When I finally gathered the courage to look his way again, he was gone. The sudden buzz of my vibrating phone grabbed my attention.

  Gia: Ohhh, are you in a sex shop? What is that?

  Me: No, you fool. It’s a journal that Allison gave me. I’ll show you when you come over tonight.

  I shook my head with a chuckle. Only she would automatically assume something bizarre like that. One part of me wanted to pull the journal back out and write down the rest of the characteristics I remembered about the man, but another part of me was afraid of what the thought of the stranger would trigger me to write. I’ll admit that it wasn’t as bad as I was making it, but it felt completely out of character for me, and I was honestly freaked out.

  After mentally fighting with myself about the journal for a few moments, I decided that I would be better off going home to finish up my current manuscript.

  Because the parking lot for the bookstore was full, I had to park in the garage next to the catering company. I pulled the journal out of my bag and clutched it to my side as I walked across the street. My finger brushed against the stamp, which initiated the dumbest idea I probably have ever come up with.

  Oh Pink Sex Kitten, please let the man come back outside, I summoned. Now I definitely knew I was crazy. I was trying to summon this imaginary sex goddess that was supposedly inside the pink stamp of my journal. Just as I cursed myself for being so foolish, the man appeared before me.

  Well, in more accurate terms, I literally ran into him.

  He was coming out the front door just as I was passing, and I walked right into him, prepared to fall flat on my ass. After a few seconds of not feeling cold concrete beneath me, I slowly opened my eyes and saw him inches away from my face.

  “You okay?” he asked, helping me to my feet. My mouth suddenly went dry as I gazed into his bedroom vanilla-brown eyes. They were intense, yet soft at the same time, which was incredibly sexy. I noticed that his chest was really as hard as it looked from a distance. At that moment, I realized that I still had my hands on his pecs. I quickly snatched my hands away and straightened my coat.

  “Yes, thank you. Sorry about that. I wasn’t paying attention,” I mumbled, retrieving my journal from the ground and stuffing it back into my bag. I asked the Sex Kitten to bring the man outside, not send me crashing into him!

  A black-and-red biker jacket now covered his body, and he held a matching helmet. I had to remember to write that in my journal if I made it to my car. If I continued to stare at him any longer, I feared my legs would crumble beneath me.

  My eyes traced over his features in slight awe. His face was lightly dusted with a dark beard and a full goatee. His skin was the color of toffee and appeared smooth. Although his hair was cut into a low fade, it still showed a few waves. I noticed that he had licked his lips in the time that I was examining him, which made me shift uncomfortably.

  “I should get going. Again, sorry about that,” I apologized, awkwardly moving around him. I could feel him watching me walk away, causing my cheeks to burn
with … with what? It wasn’t embarrassment that I was actually feeling. For the first time in a while, I felt a bit flustered.

  Once I finally reached the safe haven of my car, I released the long breath I’d been holding as I tossed my purse onto the passenger seat and stared at the journal that was showing through my partially opened bag.

  “What the hell kind of journal are you?” I mumbled out loud before putting the keys into the ignition. Something strange was going on within me. I either had a possessed journal, or it was waking up a part of me that had been dormant for so many years. Whatever it was, I had a feeling that my life was going to get a little weird.

  ***

  It was nice to come home to a quiet house in the afternoon. Well, I shouldn’t really say that. Even when Julius was here, it was quiet because we kept our distance from each other. The silence was good this particular time because I needed a few minutes to collect my thoughts before I sat down to write the ending of my romance novel. There was no way I could write a romance when I had steamy thoughts running around in my head about some random man I had bumped into on the street. I wish I had thought to ask his name. Either way, he was definitely going to be my muse for this erotica.

  I sat at my computer for the remainder of the day until I met my word count before calling it quits. Moving over to the bay window seat of my office, I curled up with my journal and ink pen. My gaze traveled outside, and I watched the people walking along the sidewalk below. The street was quiet and partially empty with a few cars parked along the curb. Orange and brown leaves littered the wet concrete thanks to the fall air whipping about. The sky was a depressing grey color, making it even chillier with no sun to warm the earth.

  My mind drifted back to the guy from earlier. Until I found out his name, I would simply call him Adonis. Hell, would I ever know his name? I didn’t even know why he was there in the first place. He wasn’t dressed like the other workers, so I could assume he didn’t work there. Maybe he was just a customer placing a catering order.

  I shook my head. None of that was my business. Maybe it was best if I stayed away from him. If he ignited these weird feelings by only looking at me, he was definitely trouble.

  As my journal laid open on my lap, a smile small touched my lips as an idea came to me. Could I write a sex scene based on Adonis? It wouldn’t hurt to try at least. With a click of my pen, I started to write.

  I sat on the bay window seat looking out at the gloomy Manhattan neighborhood that was my home. Everything was depressing and lonely with him being gone. All I could think about in that moment was that he, my Adonis, would walk through the doorway of my office and claim me in the way that only he knew how. As soon as the thought processed in my mind, I could smell his intoxicating cologne as he stepped in the room. Rain droplets spotted his leather jacket and helmet as he removed them, keeping his eyes solely focused on me as he tossed them aside. Although it was below 40 degrees outside, he hadn’t been wearing a shirt beneath his jacket. I didn’t blame him. The man possessed enough heat to set anything ablaze with his touch alone.

  He moved over, pulling me into his arms. “Did you miss me?” he asked, staring at me with those bedroom eyes that made me melt. Unable to speak, I licked my lips and nodded. He grinned and kissed me gently before tracing my lips with his tongue, causing my breath to hitch in my throat.

  “Maybe you should show me how much you missed me, since the cat has your tongue right now,” he whispered upon my damp lips before he devoured my mouth, pulling me closer. I eagerly gave myself to him, wanting to be taken completely as I became engulfed in his body heat and desire. His fingers trailed beneath my sweater as he raised it slowly, pulling it over my head before connecting our lips once more. His movements were quick, but tender as he unsnapped my bra with one hand while the other wound into my hair.

  “Who do you belong to?” he asked, gently pulling my hair and tipping my head back to nip at my neck.

  “You, Adonis,” I gasped, a chill riding down my spine as he caressed my nipple with the pad of his thumb. Standing in the middle of my office naked, we planted hot, passionate kisses on each other. I ached with need, as his lips and tongue latched onto my nipple, causing me to softly cry out. My body burned with desire as his tongue circled around the hardened nub before gently pinching it between his teeth.

  “Yes,” I hissed, feeling my sex throb as his erection pressed against me.

  “I have to be inside of you,” he whispered upon my skin, wrapping his arms tightly around my waist.

  Expecting to be taken to the bedroom, I was completely surprised when he moved me back over to the bay window and spun me around to face it.

  “What are you doing?” I shrieked, covering my private areas with my hands in fear that the people walking the streets below would see me exposed. He chuckled against the nape of my neck before gently planting a kiss there and reached up to remove my hands.

  “Don’t be ashamed, baby. I want all of New York to see the pleasure on your face as I fuck you—”

  I jumped and swiftly closed my journal when I heard the doorbell. Peeking out the window, I nearly had a heart attack when I saw Gia’s 350Z parked outside. Shit! I was supposed to be ready by now, and I hadn’t even had a shower. I quickly tried to come up with an excuse as I made my way to the door, but it was no use. When I opened it, Gia turned around and immediately frowned at me.

  “What the hell, Arianna? Why aren’t you dressed?” she asked, obviously irritated. I looked her up and down and saw that she was still wearing her trench coat from earlier. Noticing my gaze, she clenched the coat tighter around her and grinned slyly.

  “Don’t worry about what I’m wearing. Just take a damn shower and get dressed so we can leave,” she ordered, pushing past me. Shaking my head, I closed and locked the door behind her.

  She followed me to my bedroom and immediately went to my walk-in closet. “I’ll find you an outfit while you clean up. Please don’t make me come in after you,” she said as she disappeared.

  I tossed my journal onto my bed and headed into the shower. The whole time I was in there, all I could think of was the last line I wrote, with Adonis saying that he wanted all of New York to see the pleasure on my face as he made love to me. The tingle I felt between my legs was something that was almost foreign. Even if Julius tried, I doubt he could get that kind of reaction from me.

  “If you’re not out of there in 5 minutes, I’m coming in!” I heard Gia yell from the bedroom.

  “Oh stop bitching,” I mumbled to myself as I rinsed the jasmine- scented suds from my body before turning off the water.

  When I walked out into the bedroom, I saw Gia perched up on the side of my bed with my journal in her hand.

  “ ‘Don’t be ashamed, baby. I want all of New York to see the pleasure on your face as I fuck you.’ Well, well, well! I knew you were an undercover freak!” she teased, waving the journal around.

  I clutched my towel and dashed over to her, snatching the journal away and jammed it into my underwear drawer.

  “That’s private, you ass. It’s just content for a project,” I spat as my cheeks burned from embarrassment.

  Gia giggled. “Content, huh? How come the description of the guy says something about him being across the street from Barnes and Noble? Is his name really Adonis? If so, I bet he’s hung like a fucking horse! Did you get his number?”

  “Will you shut up? He’s just a muse. His name isn’t Adonis, and no, I didn’t get his number. It doesn’t matter anyway, I have a boyfriend.”

  “Oh, fuck Julius. I don’t see you writing sex scenes about him and his mini wiener. Why do you have that journal anyway?” Gia asked, flopping back on the bed, causing her coat to open slightly to show off her bare leg.

  My eyes widened at the display, fearing that Gia was going to the club naked again. She exhaled loudly, jumped up, and opened the coat. “I have on a dress, Sister Mary, damn. If I wasn’t worried about catching pneumonia in my vagina, I would go naked jus
t to freak you out,” she mumbled, lying back across the bed. I rolled my eyes at her as I prepared to get dressed. As short as her white, strapless wrap dress was, she may as well have been naked.

  I glanced at the dress that she had pulled out for me to wear. It was definitely one of my favorites, but it didn’t seem weather appropriate for a cold night out. It was a long-sleeved black-and-white mesh dress. Detailed with mesh sleeves and a rounded neckline, it showed the perfect amount of cleavage. The dress stopped in the center of my thigh, which was great if I wanted to show off my legs. Because it was going to be colder than a polar bear’s ass that night, showing my legs was the last thing I wanted to do.

  “Gia, I don’t think this dress will work tonight,” I said, walking back toward my closet. She waved her hand at me without looking up from the magazine that had attracted her interest.

  “Yes, it will. You’re not walking behind me looking like I’ve kidnapped you from a convent. You’re wasting time; just put it on and let’s go,” she demanded, looking at her watch. I exhaled loudly and reluctantly complied.

  Once I was dressed, Gia sat me down and quickly applied my makeup and put a few curls in my hair to give it volume. “You never answered my question about the journal,” she said as she teased my hair. I shrugged as I applied lip gloss.

  “Allison wants me to write an erotica. She wants me to carry that stupid journal around to write anything that may inspire me,” I said, looking up to watch Gia’s reaction in the mirror.

  She paused, her eyes lighting up as if I had told her she was the winner of a Powerball lottery. Although she didn’t say anything, I knew her mind was churning with all kinds of perverted ideas for my book. I’m sure the only reason she didn’t speak on it is because she was ready to leave.