Lacey Alexander - French Quarter

Dedication

Id like to dedicate the Hot in the City trilogy to my husband, with fond memories of hurricanes in New Orleans, daiquiris in Las Vegas, and too much wine in Key West.

Authors Note

Im delighted to see my first three books, the Hot in the City trilogy, being re-released. In rereading the books to prepare them for publication, I was surprised to see how much my writing voice has changed in just the last six years, and I will admit I was tempted to revise the books to reflect my current writing style. Ultimately, though, since all three were all very popular and continue to be fan favorites, I decided to leave them largely unedited. So here is French Quarter, in its almost original form.

Chapter One

A thin line of nervous perspiration trickled between Liz Marshs breasts and into the black lace of her bra as she stood outside the slightly battered Royal Street door. She stared at the name, Jack Wade, stenciled on the old wood in gold letters beginning to peel. Taking another glance down at her transparent black blouse and short skirt, she wondered if she could go through with this.

But she really had no choiceshe had to go through with it.

Even so, when she turned the doorknob and stepped inside, the last thing she expected to find was a dark-haired god of all that was sexual. He sat behind a desk that had seen better days, but he made it look good. Leaning comfortably back in his chair, he made her think of an animal lounging in his lair. His eyes were a shade lighter than midnight and seemed to pin her in place the very moment he lifted them.

She stopped, halted by the sheer magnetism, and reached out for the back of the chair that sat across from him. Not only was she suddenly more nervous than shed been a few seconds ago, but she was wearing new heels, boughthowever crazilyjust for this occasion, and just a look from him made her feel unbalanced.

Hello there. His voice was as rich as dark chocolate. What can I do for you?

What couldnt he do for her? That quickly, she found herself mentally penning a list that started with kiss my lips and descended to kneading her sensitive breasts and stroking the hungry little spot between her thighs.

This wasnt like her, not at all. Everyone knew Liz wasnt the sexy type. They might call her pretty. On particularly good days maybe even sophisticated. And conservativeshe was a woman who played by the rules. Usually, anyway. No matter how you sliced it, though, she wasnt the sort of woman to experience heart-stopping lust for strange men on sight.

Maybe it was the dress. The shoes. The make-up. Maybe it was all working together to turn her into the woman shed come here masquerading to be. Not that shed arrived in hopes of finding a totally hot man whose very gaze colored him interestedno, that result was just an unexpected perk. Shed dressed this way because it had simply seemed important to look goodlike a woman who could catch a man, keep a manon this particular mission. The god raised his eyebrows as if to punctuate his question, which made her realize shed never answered him.

I want to hire you, she said.

For?

Given the way they were staring at each other, the question seemed all too loaded, and a slightly wicked grin tweaked the corners of his mouth, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.

Thats when she remembered why she was here. Despite how hot he was, she hadnt come to catch a man. Shed come to catch a man at something. I need to find out if my fianc is cheating on me.

Her hot god chuckled. Sorry, chere. I graduated from those kinds of cases a long time ago. You wanna see Manny Goodman down on Decatur. He lifted a thumb, pointing vaguely over his shoulder.

But I want you. Specifically.

Only as his grin returned did she realize shed taken the double entendre still further. Understandable, he replied, arrogance and sex dripping from him. But like I said, I dont do those jobs anymore. Go see Manny. He does decent work. Hell find out what you wanna know.

Yet Liz didnt want to see Manny. It was nerve-wracking enough to actually be hiring a private investigator, and embarrassing to admit to a stranger that the man shed planned to marry might be getting some on the side. She didnt want to go from place to place explaining her problem. Furthermore, her friend and neighbor, Lynda, had recommended Jack Wade. Ten years earlier, Lynda had hired him to catch her cheating husband in the act, and shed promised Jack did good, quick, discreet work. The P.I. business seemed like one that might attract some shady characters, and because Lynda said she could rely on him, Liz wanted her search for a private eye to stop here.

What Lynda hadnt mentioned were his gorgeous-to-the-point-of-being-hypnotic eyes, his strong jaw, his broad shoulders, or the sexy hint of a Cajun accent in his speech. He was the sort of man that made her want to touch him. Already, she experienced the urge to run her hands down what she knew would be a hard, muscular chest, to unzip his jeans and see if the bulge she couldnt help noticing was as promising as it looked from her current vantage point. Maybe it wasnt just reliability that made her want to stay.

Resuming the persona shed come into the office displaying, she leaned over and braced both hands on his desk, giving him an excellent view of her considerable cleavage. The bra was her own, but the blouse was borrowed, from Lynda, and the button between her breasts strained to come undone. Look, she said softly, this is very difficult for me. And youre the guy I want for the job. If it makes any difference, money is no object. She leaned even farther, giving him a still better view, her own seductive moves making her breasts feel swollen and sensitive within the cups of her snug bra. Now, what will it take to get you to help me? Peering down at him, she bit her lip slightly and felt a surge of wetness in her panties. She was struck once more by how unlike her this wasnot only was she filled with uncharacteristic heat for him, but now she was using her body to manipulate him. It made her feel sexy and powerful.

Why me? His voice came low; his eyes turned glassy with want.

Because I heard youre good. And I need somebody good, somebody who can do this job well, and quickly.

Just then, the door opened behind her.

Hey, I justhell, sorry, man. I thought you were alone.

Liz spent a split second wondering just how tight her skirt stretched across her ass, just how high it rose on the backs of her thighs, before turning to see the man whod come in. Tall, blondish, a bit lankier than Jack Wade, he was tan and classically handsome. A neater haircut would have made him a perfect Malibu Ken doll, but she instantly liked the rough edges she saw. Like Jack Wade, this guy hadnt shaved today. But whereas the P.I. wore a simple polo shirt, his friend sported shorts and a tee that made him look laid back and comfortable in his own body. Despite his loose-fitting clothes, she could see the sinewy muscles in his arms and legs and couldnt help wondering what it would feel like to have them wrapped around her. Liz couldnt remember a time shed ever been aroused by two men at once, so as her body ached, almost painfully, she counted this as another new, unlikely experience.

Hi, he said to her, a smile playing about his lips. Sorry if I interrupted something.

No. I mean She glanced between the two guys who were currently filling the room with more testosterone than shed ever felt before. Im a client of Mr. Wades, thats all.

The blond tilted his head back with an, Ah, but his amused expression said he wasnt sure he believed her.

Jack Wade chuckled again. Youre makin quite a presumption there, chere.

Liz bristled at his words. Something inside told her shed come too far to turn back. To walk out of his office now without winning would feel like a huge defeat. Because this wasnt just about business any longerit had definitely become sexual; it had invisibly turned into an issue of something likeconquest. Shed dressed provocatively because telling a guy your fianc was probably cheating seemed like the ultimate embarrassment, and shed thought she could handle it better if she made the P.I. think her fianc was a total idiot to look elsewhere for gratification. To walk out now would make her feel shed failed at that, too.