Free Hidden Pleasures by Brenda Jackson

have?”
    “No.”
    “Seems like we’re on a roll. We might as well continue.”
    She much preferred they didn’t. “Why would you want to learn bedroom etiquette?” she decided to ask, more out of curiosity than anything.
    “I might decide to date a real lady one of these days, and I wouldn’t want to run her off with my less-than-desirable behavior behind closed doors. Right now I like to keep things simple, and simple for me is delivering pleasure beyond measure. In a rather naughty and raunchy, hot and sweaty sort of way. The women I’m into now enjoy it, but I need to know how far I can go.”
    Naughty and raunchy? Hot and sweaty? She swallowed tightly at the thought of that description given to sex. “I really wouldn’t know.”
    His mere words were causing more havoc to her body than Gilford’s touch ever did. She actually felt a heated sensation between her thighs that made her cross her legs.
    “If you want me to teach you manners, Galen, I prefer sticking with those areas I’m familiar with,” she said in a clipped tone.
    He leaned back in his chair thinking he so liked ruffling her feathers. “Okay. And when will you let me know if you plan to teach me any manners at all? When will I know for certain that you’ve accepted my proposal?”
    She placed her coffee cup aside. “You’ve given me forty-eight hours. If you don’t hear from me within that time frame, then you’ll know my decision.”
    He nodded slowly. “And if I hear from you?”
    “Then we can go from there.” She stood. “Thanks for the coffee. Goodbye, Galen.”
    He stood, as well. “Goodbye, Brittany, and I’ll look forward to your phone call.”
    She turned and walked away, and he continued to stand there and stare at her, appreciating the sway of her hips with every step she took.
     
    An hour or so later Brittany was pacing her hotel room. Every time she slowed her pace and closed hereyes for a moment, she could see Galen Steele’s arrogant smile in her mind.
    Of all the nerve for him to ask her about bedroom manners. As far as she was concerned, there wasn’t such a thing. What a couple did behind closed doors was acceptable as long as they both agreed and were comfortable with it, even if it meant swinging butt-naked from a chandelier. Of course he’d only asked to rattle her, she was sure of it, and it didn’t help matters that she didn’t have a clue as to what he was talking about. She wouldn’t know naughty and raunchy or hot and sweaty if they came up and bit her on the butt.
    A tingle went up her spine at the thought of someone, namely Galen, doing that very thing—biting her on the butt. Why on earth would she think such a thing? She didn’t have a sadistic bone in her body. When it came to sex, she’d always gone for the traditional. Could that be her problem?
    There was definitely one way to find out. She sat on the edge of the bed to think about what was at stake here. First and foremost was ownership of her mother’s home. The offer was out there. One week under Galen’s roof and he would sign it over to her, free and clear. Of course she would make sure he put it in writing. And then there was the issue of her not liking sex. Nikki was convinced it was her sex partners and not the sex act itself that was to blame. Or it could very well be the incident that happened when she was thirteen that had turned her off sex completely.
    If something was wrong with her, then she owedit to herself to find out and seek professional help if she needed it. After all, she was twenty-eight and most women her age were involved in healthy relationships with men.
    At that moment something clicked inside her mind. A sign, perhaps? Was it a coincidence that the house her mother had left her was now tied to Galen Steele? Had fate brought them together if for no other reason than to fix a personal problem she’d tried ignoring? Was Galen, without his knowledge, being used as a tool to right a wrong?
    Okay, that thought