Next Song I Sing
Next Time Around
Series, Book 1
by Donna McDonald
Contemporary Romance / Romantic Comedy
Date Published: 5/17/2012
They say life gets more interesting after
40. Chloe sure hopes so.
Freshly divorced at 40, Chloe has few
illusions left about her ability to make any of her dreams come true. She is
never going to be thin, never going to be a famous singer, and obviously never
going to be sexy enough to keep a man like her handsome ex-football player
husband from cheating. Thank heavens she at least has great friends.
Celebrating her return to Cali with a long
weekend at the 5-star Blue Skies Hotel and Spa with them seems like just the
thing she needs to jump start her “do over” post-divorce life. How much Chloe
ends up liking sexy owner, 45 yr old Jasper Wade, is a surprise though. So is
the way Jasper's unrestrained kisses send lust and renewed hope singing through
her.
Chloe had laughed so much in the last hour
that her face hurt. And several mai tais had put a humorous haze over pretty
much everything.
“Emma, those quizzes are all going to say
that I can’t get a guy because I have some sense of decorum about not groping a
guy’s crotch in public. Do women in their twenties actually follow that
advice?” Chloe demanded.
“Yes,” Emma said firmly. “And I think they
have a lot of sex.”
“But do they ever find a genuine
love-that-lasts kind of relationship?” Taylor asked, trying to sound wise.
Emma scrunched up her face. “Well, two of
them found mine and Chloe’s husbands, so I think the answer is yes in some
cases. Of course, this is assuming they actually love our ex-husbands and vice
versa.”
Chloe snorted. “Well, I say good luck to
them for trying. My ex’s new woman better stay skinny for the rest of her
life.”
They laughed again and took another sip of
their drinks.
“Okay—okay,” Emma said more soberly, “one
more question and I’ll quit.” She paused
until she knew Chloe and Taylor were paying close attention.
“You and your best friend are having lunch.
She tells you there’s a hot guy checking out your breasts,” Emma said
seriously. “What do you say in reply? Taylor—you go first.”
Taylor laughed, the drinks having worked
their magic on her by loosening her tongue. “Well, I would dip into the sarcasm
I hold back just for these special situations. I would say ‘Sure, him and every
other guy’ in my best, most confident voice. Then I’d do this.”
Lifting her small breasts in her hands like
an offering to the gods, Taylor pursed her lips in a smooch, and leaned over
the table to her friends. They laughed so hard and so loudly that all the
people in the pool starting leaving.
“Just like the old days,” Taylor said.
“We’re clearing the area.”
“Okay Chloe—what would you say?” Emma said,
swinging an innocent gaze in her direction.
“If the man is checking out my breasts,
it’s because he’s not used to seeing so much untanned flesh in the state of
California,” Chloe declared, laughing and holding the edges of her lapels open
as wide as she could to peer into her dress. “Look—the girls and I haven’t seen
sunlight in five years. It will take me months to tan all this.”
They all looked at Chloe’s large and very
white breasts, giggling without denying her statement. It was the truth after
all.
“Maybe you can start with one of those
self-tanners or a bronzer. You have to work your way up to a real tan again,”
Emma said with a laugh.
“Emma—that question didn’t sound like the
other quiz questions,” Taylor commented, looking at her not-so-innocent friend
who was giggling softly and looking guilty.
“Okay—fine. It wasn’t a real question on the
quiz. There’s a good-looking guy in the dining room who has been admiring
Chloe’s cleavage since we sat down to have lunch,” Emma said, laughing. “I
think she should practice her subtlety theory on him.”
“Well I’m certainly in the mood to practice
after three mai tais. Show him to me,” Chloe demanded on a tipsy laugh.
Emma’s eyes grew larger as she giggled and
whispered. “Okay I will, but just don’t turn around. He’s headed to our table.
Just smile at Taylor and pretend to be fascinating.”
Chloe’s eyes widened as she heard the deep
voice at her side.
“Good day, ladies. I’m Jasper Wade, hotel
manager. I hope you’re enjoying your stay. If you need anything while you’re
here, please let me know,” he said gallantly, his gaze taking in all of them
before coming back to Chloe and her breasts.
Chloe, full of mai tai and happy laughter,
turned her head and smiled into his very nice face, sighing with ego happiness
as she watched Jasper Wade’s gaze straining to stay away from her cleavage. The
day was certainly turning out to be a very nice way to celebrate her return to
California.
“Well, aren’t you sweet, Mr. Wade? I was
just going to look for the ladies room,” she said, laughing. “Can you point me
in the right direction?”
“It’s in the hallway just outside the
dining area. If you like, I’d be happy to show you,” Jasper said, his heart
beating rapidly as she rose slowly to her full height.
Jasper couldn’t remember the last time he
had been so excited by a woman he didn’t even know. She was tall, smiling, and
quite an alluring woman altogether. It was all he could do not to reach out and
put his hands on her to assure himself she was real.
Chloe purposely stayed bent over the table
until the last minute, and then straightened slowly, her breasts following her
slow moments. “Sorry. I seem to be a bit tipsy. Too many mai tais.”
“Lovely way to enjoy a sunny afternoon by
the pool,” Jasper said with a smile, placing a solicitous hand on her arm, or
at least he hoped it was coming off that way.
Chloe took two steps and stumbled slightly,
forcing Jasper to catch her, which momentarily squashed her ample cleavage
against the front of him. “Oops—sorry.”
She watched his eyes darken and had to
restrain the giggle fighting to be set loose. Behind her, Chloe could hear Emma
and Taylor’s in-drawn breaths at her boldness.
Turning innocently to look at them, she had
to fight laughter at their obvious surprise. She didn’t need a damn quiz to
tell her how to interest a man. She just needed the good-looking motivation
currently with his hands on her. It was the most wickedly confident thought
she’d had in years, and it brought an equally wicked smile to her face.
“I’m fine girls, but I guess I need to walk
off a little of the buzz. Don’t worry. Mr. Wade seems quite dependable. I’m
sure he won’t let me fall,” Chloe said, winking at their wide-eyed expressions.
Chloe turned back slowly, brushing her
breast lightly across his sleeve as she put her arm through Jasper Wade’s. He
inhaled sharply at the contact, but Chloe pretended not to notice or hear,
though of course she had. It was all she could do to bite back a sigh of
happiness. “Sorry again. Can’t believe I’m so tipsy. Thank you for helping me,
Mr. Wade. You really do have a nice hotel.”
“Really?” Jasper asked, his voice breaking
on the word so he cleared it. “Sorry. I mean—thank you.”
Donna McDonald is an active dreamer and
finds writing to be the best way to use her creativity. Needing to satisfy both
sides of her brain, she is a cross-genre author of contemporary, fantasy, and
paranormal romances. Her books appear on bestseller lists for humor, romantic
comedy, space opera, and more. She craves laughter from her readers and focuses
her attention on making that happen as often as possible. She loves to hear
from anyone who has read her books.
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