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  Pink Petal Books, an imprint of Jupiter Gardens Press, publishes romance novels where the relationship is primary. It doesn’t matter if you want to read super erotic or sweet inspirational books. Pink Petal Books believes that love is a beautiful thing, no matter what form it takes. For more information about Pink Petal Books visit http://www.pinkpetalbooks.com/.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, places, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  BEST IN BED

  ISBN# 978-0-9820050-2-6

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Copyright © Cheryl Dragon, 2008

  Cover Art ® 2008 by Celia Kyle

  Edited by Mary K. Wilson

  Electronic Publication Date: DATE

  Print Publication Date: DATE

  This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Jupiter Gardens Press, Jupiter Gardens, LLC., PO Box 191

  , Grimes, IA 50111

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  Best In Bed

  Cheryl Dragon

  PPB

  Chapter One

  Marina’s Bright Idea

  Close friends can be an amazing gift or a major pain in the ass. Tonight one of my friends definitely chose to be the latter. Lori, Jen, and I shuffled into Jen’s one bedroom apartment done in classic styles with everything meticulously organized and accessorized straight out of Ikea.

  I kicked off my uncomfortable clubbing shoes with the chunk heels that set off my black jeans and red scoop neck fitted top. My cleavage was my best asset. Then I removed the red chandelier earrings that had been bugging me all night. “Lori, I think you are completely overreacting.”

  “I’m not, Marina.” Lori slumped into an overstuffed chair and pulled her blond hair into a twist off of her neck and secured it with a clip. She was flawless in a stylish but elegant print dress that showed off her slim figure. “It’s my thirtieth birthday and my life is over.”

  Lori had a flair for the extreme and dramatic. I guess that helped make her a good lawyer. She was either going to love her birthday or hate it. Clearly, she’d chosen not to embrace her new decade.

  “It’ll all look better over coffee and chocolate.” Jen broke up our fight as usual and headed for the kitchen. She was neat as a pin in a brown dress with tiny pink flowers. It wasn’t too revealing at all.

  Lori and I had met in college. There was no holding back when we conversed and no hard feelings for our complete honesty. Jen was a newer addition. She’d moved into the third spacious apartment on our floor of the downtown Chicago building about a year back. Our bluntness hadn’t rubbed off on her yet.

  We preferred to hang out in Jen’s apartment because she was neat and a chef. She had pretty copper pots and pans suspended from her ceiling and ropes of garlic that scented the whole apartment. Lori and I have never complained about being guinea pigs for her latest creation. Hopefully Jen had something good tonight because Lori was in a hellacious mood. Normally I contributed to the party as the designated bartender. Unfortunately, hard liquor wouldn’t help tonight.

  “You turned thirty, not sixty.” I peeled off my black leather jacket and tossed it on Jen’s couch before flopping down next to it. Out of habit, I began detangling my hair from the costume jewelry necklace I’d chosen. Grabbing a clip from my jacket pocket, I pulled my massive locks up and off my neck. No men here so the need for beauty was over.

  The scent of coffee brewing filled the loft and I hoped it would help calm Lori, the caffeine junkie. Until the coffee was ready, I could try to distract her. “Take off those super high heels. You’re bitchy because your feet hurt.”

  “No, I’m not.” Lori took off the shoes anyway. “You don’t understand. You have six months until you turn thirty. Jen has nearly a whole year. This birthday makes you think. It makes you depressed.”

  “No, it’s just a number.” Jen offered chocolate covered scones and Lori began picking at one immediately. She was naturally skinny and a true blonde. No amount of junk food put an ounce on her. If she weren’t my friend, I’d probably hate her. Of course, she envies my cleavage so we’re even.

  “Try a disaster. My twenties are over. No husband, no big house in the suburbs, and no kids.” Lori slumped.

  “No one to pick up after, less to clean, and no stretch marks. It could be worse.” I grabbed a scone for myself and smiled as Lori glared at me.

  “I’ve wasted my twenties.” Lori’s fist hit the coffee table.

  “No you haven’t,” I groaned. This would be a very depressing and gray Chicago winter if Lori didn’t get over this. The convenience of the three of us living on the same floor of the same building made winter socializing nicer. If Lori kept on this soapbox, however, it could make me want to tunnel my way through the snow barehanded to be anywhere else. “You’ve done a lot so far.”

  “Marina is right.” Jen jumped in. “Lori, you’re a top associate with a big law firm. The name is so fancy and long I can’t even remember it. And your dad had no hand in getting you that job or your law degree. You’ll make partner before you know it. All those hours of work got you where you are. That is not a wasted decade.”

  I added, “Most people who get married in their twenties end up divorced. You’re taking your time, we all are. None of us are married. Are you saying we’re all failures?”

  “No, I thought I’d at least have met the right man by now. Maybe not be married but at least have found him. Now all the single men have kids or ex-wives. Who wants that baggage? And you two have it easier. I’ve got family pressure to get married and have a bunch of kids. Both of my brothers are married and settled and all I hear from my mother is how so-and-so’s daughter is engaged or got married, or is having a baby.” Lori moved from the sofa to the floor and focused on lighting a lavender scented candle on the coffee table. Her blue eyes stared at the flame as though it would have the answer. I wasn’t about to play into her dramatics.

  “Well you won’t find a man sitting around here. None of us will. There were certainly none worthy at the bar tonight.” Jen began to look depressed, like Lori, as she wiped off her tawny lipstick before biting into her scone.

  I’d had enough. “Fine, that’s it. I’m changing the subject. Lori, what’s the best sex you’ve ever had?” I headed to the kitchen and opened a bottle of wine. Coffee was not going to cut it tonight.

  Lori rolled her eyes at me. “This is not the time for Truth or Dare, Marina.”

  “No dare. Just the truth. Face it, you’ve had some fun in your thirty years. So let’s hear about that instead of how old and saggy you’re getting. Who was the best sex you’ve ever had?” I headed back with the wine.

  Sighing loudly at me, Lori gave in. “Nick. That mechanic I dated. I met him when the little blue Jag mom and dad gave me as a law school graduation present was making a weird noise. He was all greasy and gorgeous. It was just something primal. The smell of a sweaty man and oil still gets me.”

  “So what happened?” Jen took the glass of red wine I handed her, her atte
ntion focused on Lori.

  “Everything.” Lori grinned hard. “He was amazing.”

  “You dated?” I prompted looking for more detail. I’d heard about Nick plenty in the heat of their romance. Now that time has passed maybe she’d be more objective.

  “Sort of, well yes. I could never really consider him seriously as a boyfriend. We went at it for a few months. We kept it light because I didn’t know where I’d get a job once I passed the bar. He didn’t want it to end. If my parents found out though—” Lori shook her head. “He never had a chance.”

  “Oh cut the cord, Lori!” I never understood Lori’s need to please her family so much. I didn’t think Lori did either. Typical ultra-rich northsiders, which was fine, but their inbreeding tendencies shocked me. They only approved of Lori’s boyfriends if they were from the same social circle and I couldn’t believe those circles weren’t related enough by now.

  “Can you imagine me with a mechanic?” Lori asked with complete seriousness as she drained half of her glass of wine in no time. Her perfectly French manicured nails tapped the glass uneasily. “I’m always in suits and heels. He always wore jeans and was happy with pizza and beer. It was fun for a while. We couldn’t be together forever. It was a bad breakup. He was very persistent. I knew it wouldn’t last.”

  “He was your best sex ever?” I double checked.

  “Definitely!” She smiled.

  “Good. Your turn, Jen.” I didn’t want to dwell too long on Lori for fear that she’d get too negative about him and begin another temper tantrum about the quality of men out there.

  “No, I don’t want to play,” Jen mumbled.

  “It’s not a game. This is just girl talk. Sex talk. I’ll tell you mine,” I assured her.

  Why did Lori and I always have to prod Jen into things? She was a sensitive person, very excitable and anxious when it came to her private life. Professionally, she was successful for a new chef. Now she was ready to jump into a bigger pond. She was up for a big job at a trendy new restaurant. Lori and I tended to be protective of her naiveté, but there had to be a best sex of her life.

  “Yeah, I did it so you have to too.” Lori insisted.

  “Okay, Brian.” Jen refused to make eye contact and the pause following the revelation of the name went on until I was compelled to break the silence.

  “Well I’m getting off from his name alone,” I deadpanned making Lori nearly choke on her wine. “More Jen, where did you meet him? Was it a real relationship or a one-nighter? Details Jen! We deserve details.”

  Jen blushed redder than her hair and looked at the floor. “The culinary convention in Los Angeles last year. One-nighter if you must know.”

  “And we must! As your friends we should know all of the details,” Lori added. “He was good?”

  “He was great! So sweet and still great with his hands. It was wonderful and then I never saw him again.” Jen shrugged and looked at me.

  “My turn.” I nodded willingly. “Lucas was in stocks. He wanted to make a million before he turned thirty.”

  “You’re kidding.” Lori sounded terribly disappointed. “That was your best? The trader? How dull!”

  “Actually yes, he was boring. That’s sort of why I broke up with him. He was well hung, though. He had the equipment and knew how to use it. That’s really all it was. Great sex and a lot of it over a couple of months and done. We weren’t compatible. I think my personality was too much for him. Plus he wasn’t a pet person which we vets simply can’t tolerate.”

  “I wonder if that’s the best we’re going to ever get?” Lori wondered aloud. Her fingers twisted the fringe on Jen’s room rug uneasily.

  “Any idea what happened to your mechanic?” I asked. There was one foolproof way to get Lori out of the dumps. I couldn’t outright suggest it without getting another lawyerly lecture. She’d never do it so I had to find an indirect way.

  “No.” Lori sighed. “How about you and your horse hung stock broker?”

  “Haven’t talked to him since. How about you Jen? Any idea where chef Brian is?”

  “Nope. And now we’re back to being depressed.” Jen frowned and took a bite of her scone.

  “Not necessarily,” I said. “I have an idea.” I paused and admired our view from the huge windows opposite me. The Chicago skyline was a vision against the starry sky. This was either going to work great or be a bad move. I couldn’t know which until we went through with it.

  “This can’t be good,” Lori said to Jen as though I couldn’t hear her.

  “It’s brilliant, if I do say so myself! You’re going to love it.”

  “Leave your high IQ out of this and let us in on your game.” Lori folded her arms. She always teased me about how I could’ve skipped two grades in elementary school. She’d crammed for every test in college while I had a tendency not to study at all. My parents hadn’t liked the idea of my skipping grades because I would’ve entered high school far too young. My mother was worried I’d have trouble making friends while my father was concerned about high school boys near his daughter. I preferred it myself, I wasn’t that smart, just picked things up faster than most. Somehow my plans usually work.

  “I don’t think we should let the best sex of our lives go without looking them up again, do you?” I poured more wine knowing they’d need it for what I had planned.

  “What?” Lori and Jen asked in unison.

  “I think we should at least find out where they are now. Look them up for fun.” I had no intention of giving up on my brilliant plan. Jen could use a dose of fun too. She was far too serious.

  “Are you crazy?” Lori’s arms gestured like she was arguing in court. “I’m not looking up Nick. I dumped him. I’ll look desperate.”

  “No, no. It’s not desperate. Do you want to look back at age fifty and wonder what could’ve happened if we’d have done this? I don’t want to look back on my life with regrets.” I tried to match Lori’s lawyerly and authoritative tone. Unfortunately, I’m not that scary. A vet is supposed to put people and pets at ease.

  “Looking up our ex-boyfriends. Won’t that look really crazy?” Jen asked.

  “We won’t look up our own guys. That could be awkward. We’ll trade and look up each other’s. We’ve never met any of these guys so what’s the harm? This way it’s not as weird. We can check them out and they won’t know us. Jen can look up Lucas, see if he’s bald, fat, or married. Run into him somewhere, strike up a conversation, whatever. We can even pretend to date these guys a time or two to get information if that’s what it takes. No more than three dates so it doesn’t get serious. Then we report back to each other.”

  “Sounding less crazy and more like a scavenger hunt,” Lori admitted. “So Jen finds Lucas, then I’ll take Brian and you get Nick?” Lori filled in the blanks perfectly. Like I hadn’t carefully chosen my example so I’d get Nick. It couldn’t have worked out better.

  “Perfect! We’ll meet back here tomorrow night with all the information we can dig up from the time we dated them. Full name, address, where they worked, and pictures if you’ve got them. Anything to help track the guy. Deal?” I expected a bit of a fight instead they were both smiling.

  “Deal,” they agreed.

  “Let the games begin. The search for the best in bed!” I lifted my glass and we toasted our new diversion.

  ~* * *~

  My parents wanted me to be a doctor, curse of that weird brain of mine again. Then in high school someone told my parents that vet school was more challenging because of all the species of animals you had to learn and there was less malpractice insurance. I don’t know whether that’s true or not. Either way, I could never resist a challenge. Luckily, I’ve never regretted it either. Animals made much better patients and were far less trouble than a lot of their owners.

  Monday was my day for surgery. A marathon of fixing animals meant hours on my feet and a stiff neck at the end of the day. Changing into my street clothes, I was looking forward to the evening. M
y information on Lucas was sketchy at best. Knowing him, he hadn’t gone far and was probably at the same firm building his portfolio.

  I emerged from the office the vets shared. “Anything happening?” I asked the desk clerk as I pulled my hair back in a ponytail.

  “No, the puppy obedience class is about to start. You’re all done.” She smiled.

  “Great. I’ll get out of here while I can.” I grabbed my bucket purse and jacket and headed for the door.

  As I pulled out my kitten and puppy design umbrella to protect me from the drizzly November weather, I saw him coming in the opposite direction. Despite my intent to stay calm, my palms tingled with the urge to touch him. I took a deep breath to calm my heart that seemed to be beating in my throat. The two men were very different. I’d definitely improved my taste over the years. Seth had a calm confidence and not the bold arrogance Lucas flashed. As I got to the door, Seth opened it and stood back getting wetter while I slipped by him. I tried to keep my smile to simple gratitude for a polite act that didn’t happen much anymore. My eyes wandered down him. I quickly pretended to be smiling at the dog. He was the patient.

  I couldn’t help blushing. Why did I always get crushes on men who were shy? Seth was shy, smart, and totally clueless that I was attracted to him. He didn’t seem to notice me either and gave the same polite behavior to all the staff I worked with.

  “Dr. Castini.” He nodded as his dog tugged at his leash happy to see me.

  “Mr. Lauden.” I did my best to remain casual. I paused briefly and bent down to pet the black lab puppy named Monster by Seth’s nephews. I didn’t want to keep him standing in the rain so I straightened up and nodded as I continued walking rather than start a conversation. He was there for the class. Monster had been on my exam table for all of his puppy shots.

  It was lucky timing that he always showed up when I was working. I had no idea what his schedule was, though I knew he was a pharmacist, lived in the city, and wasn’t big on small talk. He’d gotten Monster because one of his nephews turned out to be extremely allergic. I couldn’t help but think it was sweet of him to take the dog so it could stay in the family.