Temptation in Lingerie. Gina Gordon

      Carrie Taylor slowly slid on her creation, a black satin corset trimmed in lace and a skirted garter. She couldn’t deny the surge of confidence that seemed to appear whenever she wore skimpy lace and smooth satin. Lingerie was the ultimate sexuality booster and all women, every woman, needed to feel that every once in a while.

      For Carrie, the last year had been life changing, literally. She was no longer employed at Satin & Lace, the specialty lingerie store. She owned it. Her pipe dream of designing her own line of lingerie–it wasn’t a dream anymore, even though some days it still felt like one. But here she stood, putting the finishing touches on her newest piece to display at the National Bridal Show this weekend.

      For the most part, Carrie enjoyed being her own boss, choosing to fit and design the samples on her own body. It was a little impossible now that Aleks Turko had moved into her home. Her parents’ home, actually. He broke any little scrap of concentration she had. Like now. She could hear her brother and Aleks cat-calling at the television downstairs, and it seemed with every passing minute the yelling grew louder.

      Carrie sashayed in front of the mirror, scrutinizing her work. The lace-trimmed cups sat just above the nipple. The padding was perfectly positioned. It pushed up her ample bosom, giving her cleavage that any man would drool over. The skirted garter hugged her hips, and peeking through the lace, she could see the creamy color of her skin and the line of her sex. She didn’t bother putting on the tiny thong that matched. Carrie turned to admire the back. The stitching–flawless. The lace–smooth, not one pull or loose strand. “Carrie?” She heard a loud double knock, then the door swung open.

      “Aleks! Get the hell out.”

      He froze in the doorway. For a moment, Carrie thought he was scared speechless. Scared speechless looked good on him. Everything looked good on him.

      “Could you maybe turn around or something?”

      He seemed to recover quickly. “No sense covering my eyes now, Care Bear. I’ve already seen it all.”

      Carrie felt her face flush, and her neck and chest get itchy with embarrassment. She had nothing to be embarrassed about. She looked damn hot, but still, it was Aleks.

      She reached for a long piece of fabric and wrapped it around her body, covering her stomach and lower half. Carrie could feel his eyes on her. Heating her blood. Penetrating the sheer fabric she used to mask her body. Making her remember exactly why she dreamt about him night after night.

      “Aleks! Why are you staring?”

      He shook his head as if to focus, his shaggy chestnut hair bouncing around. When his eyes finally met hers, they were filled with concern. “You’re bleeding.” She looked down at the small dots of blood that pearled along her breast line. “Don’t you have mannequins to do that with?”

      “Yes, but it’s always better to see it on the real thing.” She needed to get the proportions right. Proportions that would fit a real body.

      Aleks continued to stare at her. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, as if the situation made him uncomfortable. Quite unlike the confident Aleks she had known almost her entire life.

      He cleared his throat. “Is that new? I haven’t seen it before.”

      “I thought I should have something non-bridal for the show this weekend, just in case. Why do you think my door was closed? I’m running out of time.” She rested one hand on her hip. “Shouldn’t you be on the other side of the door?”

      He smirked. “Probably.”

      “Then why aren’t you?”

      “Just wanted to know if you were going to join us tonight. We have beers with your name on them.”

      “I can’t. I have a date.” Dave. Now that the day had finally come, Carrie couldn’t remember

      why she’d agreed to go out with him again.

      “Okay then. I’ll let you finish up.” Aleks pivoted on his heel and scrambled out of the room as if he couldn’t get away quick enough.

      “I’ll be down in a little bit,” she added before Aleks closed the door behind him.

      Carrie unwrapped herself from the sheer cocoon and slumped down on her bed, letting out a heavy sigh.

      She didn’t look forward to her date. Carrie desperately wanted Aleks to be the man she was going out with tonight. He penetrated every part of her being. Her thoughts, her heart, her body. Well, not her body...yet.

      She couldn’t help but get a physical reaction every time he was near. Like now, her heart raced. It was a smart move not to put on the tiny thong. The detour her mind took would have soaked the material right through. And that excited the hell out of her.

      Instead, she had to get ready for a date she shouldn’t have agreed to, with a man that didn’t turn her crank. He was simply a filler while Carrie waited for the man she loved to notice her. But how long was she going to wait?

      * * * *

      Aleks had to steady himself against the wall. Holy Hell! As if the weird sexual fantasies about Carrie weren’t enough, he’d just kicked his incestuous behavior into high gear. He hadn’t intended to burst in and catch her pretty much naked. Seeing her body encased in lace and shiny material, accentuating the curves of her unbelievably beautiful figure, took him by surprise. To top it off, there were no panties underneath that garter. The line of her sex was visible and oh, so inviting.

      Since he had started his Reiki sessions with Amie a year ago, Aleks noticed something different about Carrie. More importantly, something different about himself. He didn’t see her as a pigtailed little sister. Now, she was a smart, sexy woman on the verge of making it big. Her dream made his suffering even worse. Why did she have to design lingerie? Why couldn’t it be scarves or