CHAPTER ONE
“You want me to wear what?”
Sydney’s slender fingers, which had been lightly twirling her dark blonde hair, abruptly stopped moving as her mouth gaped open. Late afternoon sunlight poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating her delicate features and shining into her eyes, but she ignored it. She was focused on the outrageous request that she had just heard from her boyfriend’s lips.
On the other end of the cell phone, Christian repeated himself even though he knew perfectly well that Sydney had heard him the first time. His voice was as velvety-smooth and assured as ever, a perfect reflection of the confident man behind it. It had never entered his mind that she might say no… because she never had.
“I want you to come over wearing only your coat. Come completely na**d underneath.”
Sydney snapped her mouth closed and then closed her eyes for good measure, too.
“You’ve got to be kidding. My mother is home…” Her voice trailed off uncertainly as she absently twisted a sapphire ring round and round on her finger.
“Do I detect a note of fear in your voice, Syd? I know that can’t be right. The Sydney Ross that I know and love isn’t afraid of anything.”
She was completely aware that Christian was goading her because he knew that more than anything, she hated to be thought of as scared. She hated it even more than a week long juice fast. She had never turned down a dare and she was slightly annoyed that Christian was exploiting that weakness. That said, she still couldn’t ignore it. It wasn’t in her nature.
“I’m not afraid,” she insisted. “But May isn’t exactly long coat weather. Someone’s going to notice. Why don’t you come over here wearing only your football pads? That would be more entertaining…at least for me.”
She smiled and let herself relax, sinking into the softness of her damask chaise lounge. Laughing things off almost always worked when she didn’t want to do something. It wasn’t effective today, however. Christian was stubbornly persistent.
“Syd, I miss you. I haven’t seen you in days. Your mom is home. Mine’s not. I just want some alone time. After we leave for college, we’re not going to be able to see each much. And that’s only a few months away. It’s rainy out so just wear a rain coat.”
And that was it. Her heart melted into a pool around her toes. Christian was charming even when he begged. How could she say no? She couldn’t fault him for wanting to spend time with her. He was right. Pretty soon they would be going to separate colleges. And it always got her when Christian, the strong, self-assured guy that he was, got sentimental and told her how much he needed her.
“I want to see you, too,” she murmured softly, relenting. “I’ll be there in twenty.”
Tossing down her phone, she gazed around her bedroom. Designer clothing was draped over every piece of furniture. She wasn’t concerned. Their housekeeper, Stella, was deep-cleaning today and would hit her room at some point. And it wasn’t as though she needed to find something to wear. Instead, she began taking her clothing off, laying each item piece-by-piece on the plush white sofa in her sitting area until she stood na**d in the center of the room.
She knew she didn’t have anything to be embarrassed of. Long, lean legs. Flat tummy. Golden-hued skin. Warm brownish-hazel eyes, sandy blonde hair, a light smattering of freckles on the nose that she inherited from her mother. She gave a long sigh. She would do. Although she did wish that her boobs were bigger. A healthy C cup instead of the small B that she currently sported would be nice.
With another sigh of resignation, she continued her nude jaunt into her walk-in closet to sift through the winter section. Her closet was the size of a normal person’s entire bedroom, crammed full with racks of expensive clothing and stacks of shoes, so finding the longest feasible coat took a few minutes. But she needed to find one that wouldn’t stand out in May. Obviously, she couldn’t wear an ankle-length parka, even though she wanted to.
She finally selected a mid-thigh length Burberry plaid rain coat, pulling it out and holding it up against her to judge its length. It was appropriate for the weather and was long enough to cover her na**d butt. Good Lord. She couldn’t believe she was going to do this. But hell would have to freeze over before she backed down. She cinched the belt at her narrow waist and didn’t even glance behind her at the mirror again as she stuck her feet into a pair of heels, grabbed her purse and left the room.
As she descended the winding grand staircase, there wasn’t a sound, other than the low hum of the vacuum from a distant location in the house. She knew it was Stella. Her mother would rather die than do housework. As she neared the bottom step, she felt a brief moment of dizziness and chided herself silently. There was no reason to get worked up. She could totally do this. She paused to take a deep breath and the dizzy spell passed.
“Mom?” she called as she reached the bottom stair and stepped down onto the wide marble floor of the foyer. Her heels clacked loudly as she walked across the glossy stone.
“Mom?”
No answer. Maybe she would luck out and her mother wouldn’t be home. Then she could just leave a note and her mother wouldn’t examine her appearance with the hawk-like eyes that missed nothing. Wearing only a coat was not the behavior of a senator’s daughter. Just as the thought crossed her mind, a draft suddenly blew up her coat and she shivered as the cool air brushed her na**d flesh. She felt infinitely naughty. She had to admit… she liked the feeling. It definitely spiced up her day.
The smell of freshly baked cookies led her to the kitchen. She walked in just in time to find their black haired cook, Ben, pulling a tray of white chocolate macadamia cookies from the oven. His black hair, in combination with his ice blue eyes, made most people do a double-take when they saw him for the first time.
“Miss Ross, you’re just in time. Better get one while they’re hot!”
Ben beamed his ever-present cheerful grin at her and motioned to a rack of her favorite cookies cooling on the massive granite expanse of counter space. She smiled back at him and grabbed one as she walked by, burning her finger tips and once again feeling a brief wave of nausea and dizziness. She shook her head in annoyance. Sydney Ross didn’t get scared. She was being silly. “Thanks, Ben!” she called over her shoulder as she continued on through the library. She could hear him humming as she walked away and smiled to herself. She had never met someone so perpetually happy.