Irresistible Impulse

  Table of Contents

  Irresistible Impulse

  Copyright

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  Dedication

  PRAISE FOR AUTHOR

  Irresistible Impulse

  About the Author

  Also Available

  Thank you for purchasing this Wild Rose Press, Inc. publication.

  Irresistible Impulse

  by

  Nona Raines

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

  Irresistible Impulse

  COPYRIGHT © 2012 by Nona Raines

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Contact Information: info@thewildrosepress.com

  Cover Art by Angela Anderson

  The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  PO Box 708

  Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

  Visit us at www.thewilderroses.com

  Publishing History

  First Scarlet Rose Edition, September 2012

  Digital ISBN 978-1-61217-617-8

  Published in the United States of America

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author of this work of fiction

  acknowledges the following trademarks:

  "The Honeymooners": CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

  Dedication

  Many thanks to the members of Short Story Seductions for the speed dating theme:

  Lynda Bailey, Eileen Ann Brennan,

  W. Lynn Chantale, Livia Ellis, Viola Estrella,

  Grace Hood, Emma Lai, Cari Quinn,

  Marie Tuhart, and KyAnn Waters.

  PRAISE FOR AUTHOR

  Nona Raines

  AND HER BOOKS

  ONE GOOD MAN

  “This was a great story and exactly what I am looking for in an erotic romance. Not only does it have an engaging storyline but also lots of hot sex. Once I started reading I couldn’t put it down.”

  ~Sarah L., Romancing the Book

  TAKE THIS MAN

  “This was a really good story that I truly enjoyed reading.…The writing was smooth, the sex hot and the ending satisfying.…This book does not disappoint.”

  ~Dianthus, Long and Short Reviews Erotic Romance

  “After enjoying ONE GOOD MAN, I anxiously awaited the release of TAKE THIS MAN, the second in the series…I was not disappointed. Ms. Raines again delivered a great story. I couldn’t make myself put it down.”

  ~Sarah L., Romancing The Book

  Irresistible Impulse

  “Maybe this is a bad idea.”

  Amira Jenkins halted in the middle of the hotel lobby, her eyes wide with anxiety. The large round glasses and worried expression on her face made her look a bit like a startled owl.

  Latisha Hobbs took her cousin’s arm and propelled her across the gleaming tile floor, past the smiling concierge at the check-in desk, and toward their destination. “No. It’s a very good idea.”

  Truth be told, Latisha would not have been at the Hotel Excelsior at all, if not for Amira. Speed dating was certainly not how she envisioned spending this Thursday evening. Dating in any form was not on her current agenda. Too many expectations, too much disappointment. Too much trouble all around.

  Was she really that soured on men? Latisha shook her head. If she didn’t watch herself, she’d turn into one of those crazy cat ladies. And she didn’t even own a cat.

  But Amira was looking for someone. Her long-time boyfriend had broken up with her months ago and only now was she willing to give dating another try. Too shy to come to the event all by herself, she’d asked her older cousin to tag along for moral support. And though Latisha didn’t see how anyone could find a soul mate after talking to a man for a few scant minutes, she didn’t want to let Amira down.

  Oh, well, try anything once.

  Who could tell? Maybe Amira would find her Prince Charming here.

  And me? Will my Prince be here?

  The voice in her head answered. Are you sure it’s a Prince you’re looking for?

  ****

  That’s the last time I’ll ever make a sucker’s bet.

  Tania Talcott tapped her foot impatiently on the plush red carpet under her feet. The Hotel Excelsior was actually one of the more impressive places in Summit, New York. But the Van Buren Room, with its muted gold walls and the impressive chandelier hanging from the ceiling, didn’t impress her at all. She would much rather have been in the cocktail lounge, sipping an overpriced fruity drink, instead of stuck here waiting for the speed dating to begin. To quote a popular comic strip character, good grief.

  Last week, she and Andie Benedetto, her co-worker at the Summit Public Library, had been eating lunch in the break room. Tania’s lunch was a bag of cheese curls, a can of cherry cola, and a package of chocolate cupcakes.

  Andie felt it her duty to lecture Tania on her unhealthy food choices. “You do know that stuff is nothing but empty calories, right?”

  “Ummhmm,” Tania murmured agreeably, her mouth full of chocolate cake.

  Andie’s meal was a carton of lemon yogurt and an apple. “I wonder if you could go a day without junk food.”

  “Sure, I could. Just as easily as you could go without starving yourself.” Tania snagged a cheese curl and gave her friend a meaningful look. Andie flushed. She was uncomfortable with her generous curves and always dieting, though Tania thought she looked just fine.

  “A day’s too easy, though,” Tania said breezily. “Let’s do a week. Bet you I can go a whole week without junk food if you can go a week eating more for lunch than some yogurt and a couple of celery sticks.”

  Andie smiled. “What does the winner get?”

  “Why, she gets to reek of moral superiority, of course.” Tania picked up the newspaper she’d been browsing and pointed to a small notice in the Around Town section. “And the loser has to attend this Spring Fling Speed Dating Extravaganza.”

  Tania had secretly gloated at her cleverness. When Andie lost the bet and attended the speed-dating thingie, maybe she’d meet somebody who’d make her forget her loser boyfriend, Dumbass Douglas. Somebody who’d appreciate her, instead of treating her like wallpaper.

  Tania lost the bet. She folded after three agonizing days of green salads and healthy snacks, brought low by the lure of barbecue potato chips.

  Andie had been a gracious winner and carried not the slightest whiff of superiority. She even told Tania it wasn’t necessary to attend the speed dating event, but for Tania it was a matter of pride. She wasn’t a welcher.

  So here she was, smack in the middle of this extravaganza. But where were the men?

  ****

  “Where are all the men?” Amira asked in confusion.

  Good question. Latisha glanced around the conference room. Women were seated at most of the small tables, which were set up in a circle around the room. But there were very few members of the opposite sex.

  A brightly-dressed woman approached them, a professional smile pinned to her face. “Hi, there. Welcome to the Spring Fling Extravaganza. I’m Stacy Coolidge, the coordinator.”

  “Uh…yes.” Amira’s steps faltered. “But shouldn’t there be more—”

  “Oh, well,” the coordinator trilled. “Sometimes the numbers don’t work out exactly, but there’s no need to be concerned.” She leaned toward them in a confidential manner. “You only need one to make that specia
l connection, am I right?” Her laughter held a note of desperation. Clearly, she had not expected such an unequal turn-out.

  Amira turned to Latisha. “Maybe we shouldn’t—”

  Latisha knew what her cousin was up to but wouldn’t allow her to lose her nerve and slink out. “No.” Her voice was firm. “We’re here. We’re staying.” She gave Amira a small nudge and an encouraging smile. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”

  For her cousin’s sake, Latisha hoped she wasn’t lying.

  ****

  Tania jiggled her leg restlessly and checked out the three guys who’d turned out for this affair. One was short and balding with wire-rimmed glasses. He looked like an orthodontist. But maybe he was great in the sack. Those geeky-looking guys could fool a girl.

  The second guy was body-builder material, but he gave off a creepy vibe. He looked like the kind of guy who’d rather flex in front of a mirror than try to please the woman in his bed.

  The third guy—hello, can we say gay? His carefully coiffed hair and too-perfect attire, as well as his mannerisms, set her gaydar clanging big time. Was he still in the closet or just kidding himself?

  Not that Tania cared. Some of her best friends, etcetera, etcetera. Actually, she herself was etcetera, etcetera, at least some of the time. In fact, she seldom lacked for male or female companionship.

  Tania enjoyed subverting the mild-mannered librarian stereotype. It was so stupid. As though a person couldn’t love books and sex. She’d never had a problem getting all the dates and all the sex she wanted. When she was younger, she’d wanted plenty. And it had all been great fun. But lately, the possibility of something less fleeting teased her. Could it be the wild, untamable Tania Talcott was looking for a permanent relationship?

  Fat chance of finding one here.

  Nah, tonight would be a bust. Not that she expected anything else. Until her gaze fell on the striking African American woman sitting a few seats away.

  It was her.

  Tania didn’t know her name, had only seen her once before. But she’d never forget the reaction she’d had to this beautiful woman.

  She’d been out one Saturday, shopping and running errands, and stopped for a late lunch at the Eighth Moon Chinese Buffet. While reaching for some fried pork dumplings on the steam table, her arm brushed against someone’s reaching for the long beans.

  “Sorry.” Looking up, she found herself mesmerized by a face with intelligent brown eyes, soft cocoa-colored skin, and full lips glossed with red lipstick. Gorgeous lips. Plump and soft-looking, as tempting as ripe raspberries.

  The skin of Tania’s arm prickled with goosebumps and tingled from the woman’s touch. “Sorry.” Her tongue felt clumsy, her speech thick. “I’m such a klutz.”

  The beautiful black woman smiled, and Tania’s insides turned liquid. “You shouldn’t talk about yourself that way.”

  Tania stood there, unable to speak, as the woman gazed at her and opened her mouth as though to say more. Someone called out, diverting her attention, and the moment was gone.

  “Excuse me,” she murmured, moving away. If she’d been alone, Tania might have made an utter fool of herself by approaching her, but the beauty joined a couple of friends already seated in a booth.

  Tania couldn’t eat a bite. All she could do was steal surreptitious looks at the woman while those delicious greasy dumplings turned cold and gluey on her plate.

  She’d returned to the Eighth Moon for lunch every day for three weeks, hoping to run into the lovely woman. No luck. And here she was, of all places.

  Thank God for sucker’s bets.

  God was really in her corner today, because there was an empty table right next to the object of her desire. But maybe not for long. A newcomer was heading straight for it. Oh hell, no. Tania grabbed her purse and raced to get there first.

  “Sorry,” she puffed, out of breath, to the woman as she plunked her ass onto the seat. Then she pointed to the table she recently vacated. “There’s one over there.”

  Ignoring the dirty look the other woman sent her way, Tania bestowed her most winning smile on her neighbor. “Hi. My name’s Tania.”

  ****

  “So we’re not supposed to ask what anyone does for a living,” the lush redhead remarked.

  Lush. That was the perfect adjective for Tania Talcott. Vivid was another. The tight raspberry-hued sweater hugging her curvaceous figure, her wavy auburn hair, the mischievous gleam in her brown eyes—no, not brown, cinnamon—all made a stirring combination.

  Was she stirred? Latisha blinked. Was that why her heart thumped so hard in her chest and her palms felt slippery?

  Tania’s lipstick matched the color of her sweater. Those full lips curved in an impish smile, as though she welcomed Latisha’s perusal.

  Latisha cleared her throat. “Those are the rules.” She tried for a matter-of-fact tone to hide her nerves. “It’s too easy to make snap judgments based on a person’s profession.”

  “Uh-huh.” Tania glanced down at the card in her hand. “And we score the people we meet based on…”

  “On anything that attracts you. Personality, intelligence, humor. Whatever strikes a spark.”

  “Right.” Tania’s gaze captured hers. “What sparks with you?”

  You do, Latisha almost said. She quickly looked away and began rummaging through her large shoulder bag. “Oh, lots of things.” What was going on with her? She hadn’t reacted to another woman this way since… “I wrote some questions out on cards. They’re in here somewhere.”

  “That would make quite the weapon,” Tania joked, referring to the overstuffed purse.

  “That’s true. I don’t know why I carry so much in it.”

  “You like to be prepared.”

  Latisha’s mouth hitched up in a grin. “You’ve got me there.”

  “Don’t you know how much fun it is to be spontaneous?” The purr in Tania’s voice made Latisha’s pulse spike.

  Not knowing how to respond, Latisha continued digging through the purse, evading the redhead’s piercing gaze. She was normally someone who faced things head on. So why the evasion?

  You know why.

  At last she located the index cards, jammed at the bottom of her bag. To reach them, she removed a paperback and set it on the table.

  “Oh, I loved that book,” Tania exclaimed.

  Latisha’s heart bumped. “You’ve read it?”

  “Several times. It’s one of my favorites.”

  Latisha felt an immediate affinity for this woman who re-read her favorite books, something she liked to do as well. She held the index cards up with a flourish. “Ta da!”

  “Your questions.” Tania’s lips curved in a playful grin. “Ask me some.”

  “Ask you?”

  “For practice. You like to be prepared, right?” Tania inclined her head to the three males in attendance, still several tables away. “It looks like we have plenty of time.”

  ****

  Latisha had a beautiful mouth. Tania couldn’t help but think so, even as said mouth pursed in disapproval when Tania admitted that her favorite food was bacon cheeseburgers.

  “Real greasy ones,” Tania went on. “You know, when it soaks right through the bun.”

  Latisha laughed even as she gave a little shudder. “I hate to think what they’re doing to your arteries.”

  Tania shrugged. “We all gotta go sometime, right? And what a way to go. It’s like dying in the middle of making love. What could be better?” Her heart thumped, quickening at the image of making love with this woman. Kissing that luscious mouth. Running her fingers over soft brown skin.

  Latisha glanced away, as though she’d read Tania’s thoughts. “What indeed?” she murmured.

  “Are you a doctor or something? You’re very concerned about people’s arteries.”

  Latisha’s brows lifted, and she gave Tania a teasing look of warning. “We’re not supposed to talk about professions, remember?”

  “That’s right. My bad.�
�� But she wanted every crumb of information she could gather about Latisha. Tisha. She’d already started thinking of her that way.

  But Latisha’s playful smile and shrug seemed to say, oh, what the hell? “I’m a nurse.”

  A nurse. Tania could see it. Everything about Tisha gave off that calm, in-control vibe. She would keep a cool head in a crisis. Her dress tonight was classy yet understated—a knee-length navy floral skirt, an ivory silk blouse, and pair of neutral pumps. As good as she looked, Tania’s mouth watered when she flashed to an image of Tisha in a crisp white uniform. She pressed her thighs together as a crackle of lust zapped through her. You can take my temperature anytime. “Cool. So, what’s yours?”

  “Excuse me?”

  Tania leaned closer. “What’s your favorite food?” She remembered the long beans at the Chinese restaurant. “I’ll bet it’s something disgustingly healthy, like tofu or—”

  Latisha rolled her eyes. “It’s embarrassing.”

  Oh, now this was interesting. “What? What is?”

  “Peanut butter and marshmallow crème sandwiches on soft white bread.”

  Tania laughed in delight. “Oh, that doesn’t sound much good for the arteries, either.”

  “Well, I don’t eat them very often. When I was little, my mother made them for me whenever I was sick and stayed home from school. They were a special treat. Every once in a while, I get a craving and just can’t help myself. I have to have a peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich.”

  “It’s like recapturing the past,” Tania heard herself say.

  Latisha blinked at her as though surprised by the comment. “You’re right. My mother passed a year ago, but any time I eat one of those things, it’s like being with her again.”

  Latisha’s eyes clouded. It was clear she still ached from the loss of her mother. Tania fell into a respectful silence, allowing Latisha time to relive a few of those precious memories, then placed her hand over Tisha’s. “I’m sorry about your mom.”

  Latisha glanced down at Tania’s hand and only slowly drew her own away. “Thank you.” She cleared her throat. “All right. Next question. What’s your favorite television show?”