Tempt Me - By Shiloh Walker Page 0,2

to the left, just a little, and cover that wide, soft mouth with his own. “The pleasure’s mine, Miss Monroe.”

“It’s Mrs. Monroe.”

Although he was standing there with his fiancée at his side, Cole felt something wither a little as she tugged her hand away. “Mrs. Monroe, then.” He glanced around the store, once more noticing the warmth, the simple elegance. No, he wasn’t much into shopping for lingerie, but this wasn’t the sort of store that would make him run away screaming. “You’ve got a beautiful shop here.”

There were portraits on the walls, and he eased around her to study one. It displayed a woman from the neck down. Facing away from the photographer, dark hair swept into a loose knot, the model wore an ivory corset and a long, maroon skirt.

It was simple. It was elegant. And erotic. Understated, but so very erotic.

Shifting his gaze downward, he saw the ivory corset displayed for purchase, along with the maroon skirt, what looked like garter belts and other stuff he wouldn’t have recognized before Mara had roped him into being a silent partner for her store. Cole looked at the next portrait and saw a similar theme—a dark-haired model, again photographed from the neck down. This time she was wearing something that looked like a corset, sort of, but it went under the breasts and was worn over what looked like an old-fashioned set of underwear. There was something of innocence and vulnerability captured in the photo. And, again, the clothing she modeled was displayed for purchase under the portrait.

One hell of a marketing tactic, he had to admit.

He looked back at Rocki and realized the red thing she had on was similar to what the model was wearing in the second picture. “What’s that you’re wearing?” he asked.

Mara sniffed. “It’s an underbust corset. The fuller-figured woman likes that device because it makes her look skinnier.”

“Actually, the fuller-figured woman likes it because it shows off her assets,” Rocki drawled easily. She glanced at Mara’s chest and then smiled. “A lot of women like them, regardless of their figure. We cater to all sorts of clients, and this is a popular design. It accentuates the female figure—hips, waist, breasts. I like my assets.”

Hell, who wouldn’t? Cole wondered. Then he mentally kicked himself. Shit, he needed to get his act together. Ideally, he needed to get out of this store and away from Mrs. Rocki Monroe.

Snotty little bitch. Rocki looked into the blonde’s pale blue eyes and wondered just what bug had crawled up her ass and died. Mean viper. Something about this chick had mental sirens screaming in Rocki’s head, and it had nothing to do with Mr. Gorgeous at her side, either.

“I’m Mara. Mara O’Keily.” The blonde stared at her, waiting.

Rocki lifted a brow. She had the weirdest feeling the name was supposed to mean something, but it wasn’t ringing any bells. “Well, it’s lovely to meet you, Ms. O’Keily. Is there something I can help you with?”

Mara started to frown, but stopped just as suddenly… as though she didn’t want the wrinkles marring her smooth, perfect brow. “I’m opening a shop on High Street. Divine.”

Ahhh...bingo.

Rocki managed, just barely, not to laugh. Her assistant manager had been fielding calls from a Ms. Kelly or Keely. The first few had been polite enough, inquiring about the name of Rocki’s supplier. Then the calls had gotten more snide and condescending.

When they got word of the new store opening—a high-end lingerie store that was going to cater to the modern young woman—the e-mails started. Pushy emails. And Rocki figured things out. Rocki supposed she could have been nice and put a stop to it by taking one of the calls, but she had a perverse streak a mile wide, one her assistant manager shared. And they didn’t care to be bullied.

Now look where it had landed her.

“Well, Ms. O’Keily, it’s nice to meet you. How are things going for the store’s opening?” she asked.

“Lovely.” Mara paused briefly and then added, “I hope the opening doesn’t cause any conflicts.”

Rocki smiled. “Is there a reason it should?”

“Well, the competition and all.” Mara’s smile took on a sharp edge.

Rocki chuckled. “I suspect we’ll have two totally different customer bases, Ms. O’Keily.” The bell over the door rang and she glanced up, smiling as she recognized the customer. “Hi, Grace. I’ll be with you in just a minute.”

Grace waved and wandered over to inspect a new display of chemises. Looking back at Mara, Rocki said, “If there’s nothing