Free Secrets and Seductions by Francine Pascal

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    In shock, Todd dropped his beer.
    â€œDamn it,” he cursed as he scrambled to pick up the bottle and beer foamed all over the carpet.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” Sarah asked. She stood in front of him now, and when he straightened, he found himself at eye level with her chest.
    â€œIt’s just…”
    Sarah glanced over at the screen and saw the picture of Liam and Jessica. “Oh, Todd.”
    â€œShe’s filed for divorce, Sarah,” Todd said now, his voice sounding distant and numb.
    Sarah plucked the beer deftly out of Todd’s hand and put it on the coffee table, and then she sank into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.
    â€œOh, Todd, I’m so sorry.”
    â€œI don’t know what I expected…” Todd rested his forehead against her shoulder and she hugged him tight. “I thought…”
    He realized he really had been naïvely holding on to the hope that Jessica would show up at his door. That they would somehow get back together. Now, with divorce papers in the works, that dream disappeared.
    â€œThat’s why she never made any move at reconciliation. Liam. How dumb I was.”
    Sarah stroked Todd’s hair. “Obviously, she’s in love with him. Nothing you can do about that.”
    Of course, Sarah knew Jessica had been by. There was that afternoon the bitch had come by wearing those killer heels and a snug-fitting dress, ready to beg to get Todd back. But as luck would have it, Sarah had answered the door wearing one of her best teddies and had quickly gotten rid of her. Of course, she’d never told Todd.
    Why would she? Sarah wanted him for herself. She’d been trying for months to seduce him. She wasn’t going to give up now.
    â€œHow could she do this to me?” Todd shook his head.
    â€œI’m not surprised,” Sarah said. “This is the same woman who left her job supposedly because she loved you and then went running back to it the next day.”
    â€œShit. You’re right.” Todd closed his eyes.
    â€œIt’s all just a big game to her,” Sarah said gently. “You deserve someone better.” She rubbed her hand against his shirtfront.
    â€œSarah…”
    â€œTodd, I’m going to say this because I care about you, okay? Jessica is moving on,” Sarah said. “Maybe you should, too.”
    Sarah rubbed herself against Todd, wiggling in his lap. “Maybe what you need is someone who really knows how to take care of you,” she said, and then she dipped her lips to his and started kissing him.
    At first, Todd froze. His heart was broken and he felt a well of despair bubbling up inside him. But another part of him, a deeper, instinctual part, couldn’t resist the comfort Sarah offered.
    As he hesitated, he found himself getting lost in Sarah’s softness, in the wetness of her mouth and her eagerness to please him.
    In that kiss, he realized that she’d been here in front of him for months, eagerly waiting for him to come to his senses. His hands roamed her body and slid under her shirt, caressing her bare breasts.
    She moaned.
    She was offering herself up to him and he would be foolish to turn her down. Besides, he liked Sarah. Maybe more than liked her. She’d been there for him these last few months when no one else had. Certainly not Jessica.
    His body responded to her. The truth was he was a man who’d gone without sex for too long, and as he kissed her, his need turned more urgent. He suddenly wanted to have her in every way possible, to show Jessica Wakefield that he was not broken.
    Desire soared in his blood, and he shifted, scooping up Sarah in his arms as he kissed her again. She giggled in surprise as he marched her to her bedroom. They tumbled down on the bed together, and her clothes were off.
    Todd looked at her appreciatively. She was nothing like Jessica. Her dark hair was cropped short; her skin was darker than