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© 2005, Rayne
Forrest Reviews For RIGHT FROM THE START by Rayne Forrest "This story, even though short, is a temptingly seductive work of the written word. Dana is not looking for “Mr. Right,” but she is surprised when she meets Randy. He is a man that makes her start believing he is “it.” Randy knows there is something special about Dana, but is not sure about her feelings for him. These two characters make getting to know each other a sensual delight and makes you believe in happily ever after. I loved this book and give Ms. Forrest the thumbs up." Sheryl, Reviewer for Karen Find Out About New Books Sample Chapter For RIGHT FROM THE START by Rayne Forrest “Oh, what a dreary day.” Dana sighed and flipped off the car stereo in annoyance. The radio disc jockey was playing all the songs about Mondays the local station had in their library. She tapped a short, manicured nail on the steering wheel and glared at the red light through the rain-spattered windshield. “Come on,” she muttered impatiently. She really wanted to get home before the worst of the rain, and the accompanying thunderstorm, got to her. She gently lifted her foot from the brake pedal as the light changed, only the SUV in front of her didn’t move. She resisted the temptation to blow
the horn, but then quickly wished she would have, be it polite or not.
The light turned to amber, then back to red. And she was still sitting
there. “Great. Just great,” she said to her car. Rain or not, she had to be a good neighbor. She turned on her four-way flashers and walked—in the rain—to the front of the SUV. A pair of surprised hazel eyes looked up at her from under a grungy ball cap. “Can I help?” she asked him. He grinned at her. A nice, open, boy next door, charming grin. The kind of grin she couldn’t resist. She felt a little twitch in certain body parts she hadn’t thought about in a very long time. “You a mechanic?” he asked. He gave her an open, appraising look. Dana wondered if she passed his approval. Brown hair, brown eyes, average height, average build. Average, average, average. Normally it didn’t bother her to feel so average. Dana buffed her nails on her raincoat. “I know a bit, but I was thinking more along the lines that I would steer it as you pushed it out of the middle of the street.” “That’ll work. Thanks.” He let the hood drop with a bang. Dana hopped in the SUV and flipped the ignition switch to the on position and tugged at the steering wheel until the vehicle edged off the street. It was raining harder when she slid off the seat. “Hey, thanks again,” he said as he swiped a hand across his dripping cheek. “Do you need a lift to a garage?” she asked, then cringed inwardly. It was one thing to help him out on a very public street. It was another to let him into her car. Still, something in those open, sparkling eyes said he was an honest man. “You sure? It’s a few miles from here.” “I did offer, didn’t I?” she replied. “Why, yes you did. I accept. I’m Randy, by the way.” “I’m Dana. Get in.” She gestured at her car. “And don’t worry about being wet. Everything will dry.” Randy, she was groaning to herself. Randy. She’d rescued a Randy. She wondered how randy Randy was. Damn. There was that little twitch again.
She ordered herself to be quiet and drive. “Dealership out on one-eighteen.” “Will they let you have a car to get home?” she asked, and then mentally kicked herself. If she kept this up he was going to think she was interested in him or something. But you are, a voice in her head whispered. Don’t turn slut, it warned. Shut up, she told it. “My truck’s there. I’m the service manager. I was test driving that.” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “The owner said it would stop without warning, and hey, it does.” He grinned at her again. “So what’s your diagnosis, doctor?” she asked cheerfully. “Should have bought from us and not from the competition,” he replied with just the right amount of glibness, and then he grinned again. She devoutly wished he’d stop
doing that. He had sexy little lines at the corner of his eyes when
he smiled. “I like my showers to be hot, though,” he said, grinning back at her. Oh, yeah. She was already melting. Thank heavens they were almost to their destination. She didn’t need this little flirtation with this stranger. She pulled onto the dealership lot and left him out at the back door. He thanked her once again, then closed the passenger door and disappeared through the bay door. Dana headed home, smiling. This was one rainy Monday that hadn’t gotten her down. Randy, huh? He certainly was cute. And that back view certainly looked fine in blue jeans. * * * * Dana shut down her computer and grabbed her tote bag. It was Friday and every Friday a bunch of co-workers went to Bennie’s Pub for happy hour and dinner. She always liked to change clothes before leaving on those evenings she went along. By Friday at five, she was tired of suits and heels and wanted jeans and sneakers. Her buddy Carol was already in the ladies lounge on Dana’s floor. “What a bear!” Carol exclaimed as Dana walked in. “Did you get the memo from Bruce? Did Frank see it?” Carol’s department head, Bruce, was the new kid on the block. “Oh, yes. I certainly did. And I sent him a copy of the memo Frank issued six months ago. I tried to head Frank off, but he’s downstairs with Bruce as we speak. Bruce should be properly contrite by now.” Dana let out a long sigh and dropped her suit jacket over the back of the chair. She liked Carol but Carol liked office politics—too much so. “Was Frank upset?” Carol asked. Dana’s boss, Frank, owned the company. Dana laughed. “No. It took him ten minutes to wipe the grin off his face and be able to look stern.” Dana kicked off her heels and stripped off her hose. She dug her socks and jeans out of her tote. Once they were on, she slipped out of her dress and pulled a simple shaker sweater over her head. She pulled the combs from her hair and dropped them into her tote. A quick fluffing with her fingers and her hair fell into place. “How do you do that?” Carol asked for the umpteenth time. “I have to keep my hair gelled and sprayed into submission and you just fluff and it looks great.” “Hmm. It’s a gift from my hairdresser,” Dana said as she bent over to tie her sneakers. “I’m ready. Let’s go.” “Sure. You’re ready. I’ve got hair and make-up to do.” “Oh, Carol, it’s only Bennie’s. Everyone will know you. Don’t worry so much,” Dana told her. Carol was already busy refreshing her makeup. * * * * They finally made it to Bennie’s.
Carol was driving in front and grabbed a spot by the door. Dana had
to park all the way at the end of the lot. She recognized most of the
vehicles there. Manning Enterprises, Inc. employees had become the bulk
of Bennie’s business on Friday nights. He was sitting at the far end of the dining room with a very pretty, very petite blond. And he was smiling at her. The waitress brought him a beer. A draft. The blond had wine. He looked incredibly handsome sans the ball cap. She’d wondered about his hair. The hat had covered it. It was light brown, cut short, and shiny enough that the light above his table sparked over it and highlighted it so it appeared he was wearing a little halo. Dana hid her smile in her drink. Halo, right. She’d bet the halo had been known to come off. He had too much sparkle in those gorgeous eyes to hold the title of angel. She joined in the conversation around the booth, fielding a few questions about Frank’s latest foray into used construction equipment. Dana didn’t always care for the way a few of her coworkers liked to pump her for information, but she always answered where she could to prevent speculation from getting out of hand. She chatted and got a second drink and watched Randy out of the corner of her eye. She thought he looked bored. Whoever the woman was, he wasn’t making any romantic overtures in her direction. Maybe Randy was married. He’d not worn a wedding ring, but then if he worked on automobiles, he probably wouldn’t. At least not to work. A lot of shops had safety regulations about wearing rings and even watches. Their meals came. Randy had a steak. The woman had fish. Dana hadn’t had a steak in ages. She ordered New York Strip for her dinner. She was just taking the first bite when Randy and the woman stood. Dana watched as he held her coat for her, and then they left. Carol nudged her. “Do you know him? What a hunk.” “Not really. The car he was driving Monday broke down right in front of me at a traffic light. I played good Samaritan.” “Too bad he has a date.” “Oh? Why is that?” Dana asked, although she certainly agreed. But she knew Carol well enough to know that if Carol figured out she was interested, she’d never hear the end of it. “Oh, look, girlfriend.” Carol nudged Dana’s foot. Dana followed her friend’s gaze. Randy was back. He must have just seen the blond to her car. He strolled up to the bar and slid onto a barstool. The bartender brought him another draft without being asked. He swiveled the seat to watch the sports event on the television and sipped his beer. He seemed more relaxed and almost content. That little twitch was back. Dana tried to ignore it, but it refused to go away. She could barely resist squirming in her seat. She told herself it was only because she’d been celibate for five years. She tried to tell herself that lots of men looked good to her. Only they didn’t look good to her. Not a one. She worked for a company that employed one hundred twenty men locally. She met countless others through the business. She was invited out on dates all the time. She never went because none of those men appealed to her. They had good jobs, they had good positions, and many had money. None of them had ever made her itch the way Randy was right now. She thought of those lean, strong hands on her thighs and that little twitch became a throb again. She throbbed with every heartbeat. She tapped Carol’s arm. “I think it’s time for me to head home. Let me out,” she said. Several people in the booth asked her to stay a little longer, but she declined. She slid out of the booth and said her goodbyes. She hit the door with one thought, and one thought only, go home and lube up the vibrator! She was almost to her car when a man’s voice called out behind her. It startled her and she almost stumbled. Then she recognized it. Randy. “Hey, wait up!” he called. “Don’t scare me like that!” she exclaimed, heart racing. She made a sweeping motion over the half empty, dark parking lot. “Sorry,” he said as he fell into step beside her. “I didn’t stop and think about that,” he admitted. “I’ll walk you to your car.” “Who’ll protect me from you?” Not that she wanted protected from him. Her heart still pounded, and not with surprise or fear. “You think I’m the big, bad wolf?” he asked, laughing. “What if I am?” she answered glibly. She sensed a subtle shift in his walk. He got a little closer and she caught a whiff of his aftershave. Her nipples tingled and hardened. This was getting way out of hand. She really didn’t want to react to him this way. Her belly tightened. A sweet ache began, sending tendrils of desire snaking through her. “I think maybe I’d like that.” They’d reached her car and his hand covered hers as she reached for the door handle. His touch jolted through her and her senses expanded to him. Her vulva pulsed faster than her heartbeat and that was racing. She turned her head to look up at him and her eyes widened. She had only that split second warning before his lips touched hers. Every nerve in her body woke up and clamored for attention. His attention. His lips were soft, almost gentle. Almost. Some feminine sense told her if they weren’t in a parking lot, his kiss would be all demand. She shushed the voice of reason and raised her arms around his neck and leaned back against her car. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his hips to hers. He teased her lips open, gently touching the tip of his tongue to hers. She melted. She hated when men tried to choke her with their tongues. Randy didn’t. He teased lightly. He nibbled on her lower lip. His lips traveled down her throat. Not that she was able to fully concentrate on those clever lips. She was concentrating on the action happening lower down. He was getting hard. He was pressed so firmly against her she would feel him pulsing and swelling, lengthening and hardening. She fought the urge to lift her legs and wrap them around him. He seemed to know. “Do it,” he urged, a husky voice in her ear. “Do it. Let me feel your heat.” His hands cupped her bottom and her
legs rose around him. He began a seductive grind with his pelvis. Dana
opened her thighs further and he was suddenly on the right spot. Randy pressed her hard to the car and slipped his hand under her sweater. He teased at her tingling nipple through the lace of her bra. She moaned into his mouth and his hips jerked in reaction. He was hard enough to bruise her if he did that much more. The little voice in her head whispered
that would be fine—a nice reminder of this moment for the next
few days. She moaned again and he flexed against her again. The scent
of her arousal drifted up to her. She knew by the sharp breath he took
that he could smell it, too. “Besides me?” she quipped. Her knees seemed a bit unsteady as her feet landed back on the ground. His attention jerked back to her and he grinned. A big smug, male grin. “Yeah, other than us,” he replied. The approaching guys were from Manning. They called out to her when they saw her. “You all right, Dana?” Was she all right? Hell no, she wasn’t all right. She was about to gnaw on her knuckles to keep from asking Randy to come home with her. At this point, he could use her vibrator on her when she wore him out. If she could wear him out. She hoped she couldn’t. “I’m fine, Terry,” she called back. “Thanks for checking on me.” “Anytime, doll. See you Monday.” Randy waited until they pulled away before he kissed her again. “Doll? He called you doll? Isn’t that sort of nineteen-forty-ish?” “Probably. But he’s a sweet guy.” Which reminded her of one very important fact. “I should go. You seem to have a girlfriend.” “Ah. Patrice. Nope. Not my girlfriend. She was a blind date. I never met her before I had to pay four-fifty for her wine.” “So, are you going to call her again?” she asked. “Nope. Not my type. Too prissy,” he said, shaking his head. “Prissy? Oh, that’s a glowing description of someone,” she replied wryly. “Isn’t it just? I’d bet my farm you’re not prissy.” Dana looked up into those mischievous hazel eyes. “So what am I? If you’re not afraid to risk the corn crop, that is.” “You’re a bit of a mystery. You dress like a businesswoman in a very pretty suit, which, by the way I did notice. Then you’re here in jeans. Kinda like the girl-next-door. Then you turn into someone I want to throw on my bed. I think that might make you a lady.” Dana burst out laughing and pitched forward into his arms. A lady, indeed! “If you knew what I was thinking you wouldn’t say that,” she finally managed to say. “If you knew what I was thinking, you’d get in your car and go home alone,” Randy said seriously. Dana sobered up and searched his face. His hips flexed to hers, letting her know what he was thinking. She shivered with awareness of him. His hazel eyes darkened. “I think I should do just that,” she said softly. Randy drew a deep breath. He tipped her chin up and kissed her again. Softly, sweetly, making her sad with the knowledge of what she’d just turned down. He opened her car door for her, a quirky smile on his lips. “See you around, Dana.” Dana keyed the ignition. The engine started. She smiled up at him. “See you around, Randy.” |