Seducing Sarah

Chapter One

“The Madame X School of Sex? It’s an urban legend. Doesn’t exist.”

Sarah Caldwell looked out the window of the diner. A steady stream of pedestrians flowed by on the sidewalk outside. Most were wrapped up tight in layers of cold weather armor, their coats, sweaters and scarves protecting them from the early winter chill. A man passing by caught her eye and winked. She glanced away, blushing.

“What is this about? Are you still depressed about Ian?” Candace demanded. Her blonde hair was gathered up into a messy top knot and her makeup was artfully applied to make her blue eyes seem huge.

Sarah heaved a sigh and pushed her bowl to the side. New England clam chowder was usually her favorite but her appetite lately had been off. Unless you counted the two pounds of truffles she’d inhaled the night before. She didn’t really consider chocolate as a food group, more like medication.

“I’m not depressed, just determined. Something has to change.”

Candace leaned across the table and grabbed her hands. “There. Is. Nothing. Wrong. With. You.” She squeezed her hands with each word. “I could kill that jerk for trashing your self-confidence. How is it possible that a Halle Berry look-alike has no idea how hot she is? You could have any man you wanted if you made yourself available.“

Sarah chuckled bitterly. “I am available. You don’t see anyone lining up, do you?” She swept a hand over her thick, curly hair and sighed. It was long past time she owned up to her own failings.

“Making yourself available would require you to stop wearing your engagement ring.” Candace raised an eyebrow when she tucked her left hand in her lap.

"This diamond is the only thing of value I have to show for the last two years of my life. I might as well enjoy it." Sarah crossed her arms and sat back in the restaurant booth. She was partially joking but reality was she hadn’t been with a man in eight months.

Eight long, lonely months.

“Do you need me to stay? I could skip my class. We’ll watch sappy, black and white movies and stay up all night just like we used to.”

Candace leaned across the booth and wiggled her eyebrows, comically. She was a student at George Washington University in the heart of the nation's capitol. Her education was everything to her so her offer was a true testament to the strength of their friendship. They were polar opposites in every way, from their skin tones to their personalities but she'd never found a better friend. It was doubtful she ever would.

Sarah laughed and shook her head. “You’re almost done with your master’s degree, Ace. I’m not letting you screw up now.”

Candace shrugged and wound her scarf around her neck three times. She pulled on her oversized coat and flipped the hood up. “Anything for you, kiddo. You know I love you, right?”

“I love you too. Now, go!” She shooed her out of the booth with both hands. Once outside Candace passed by the picture window and waved. Then she was gone.

Sarah let the artificial smile she’d been wearing for the past hour drop. Her face was stiff from holding a smile she didn’t feel, forcing laughter that wasn’t genuine. But she couldn’t let her friends see how dejected she really was. It would just invite more worry, more hovering.

And it wouldn’t sway her from her path.

She reached into her purse and pulled out the envelope that held her plane ticket. Not that she needed to see it again, she’d studied it a hundred times since that morning. A plane ticket to Nevada. One chance to find out if she was really broken or not.

The Madame X School of Sex? It’s an urban legend. Doesn’t exist.

Sarah shook her head. “Oh, it exists. In a few hours I’ll have firsthand proof.”

Candace would be furious when she found out. But her friend was a natural femme fatale. She didn’t struggle to have an orgasm and wasn’t shy about taking her clothes off. She’d never had to wonder if there was something fundamentally wrong with her. And she’d definitely never been told she was a poor excuse for a woman, who had no clue how to please a man.

Candace isn't the only one who'll be furious.

An image of her boss, Quinn Sanders, entered her mind. He was her favorite erotic fantasy, from his dark good looks to his brilliant, cunning mind. Assisting him had become a daily exercise in mental torture. Wanting something you couldn't have was never easy but it was especially hard when she had to talk to him, sit near him and breathe his scent.

She shook her head hard to clear it. The last thing she needed was his disapproving albeit handsome face in her mind. The man was so uptight about everything. She doubted he'd understand her need to attend a sex therapy retreat.

Which was why she'd lied and claimed to be taking a three-week cruise through the Mediterranean.

Sarah held the envelope to her lips and closed her eyes. Please let this work. Please let this work.

“Madame X, here I come. I really hope you live up to the hype.”

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