Julie Kenner - L.A. Confidential

“I—” Lisa couldn’t get the words out when Ken’s hand snaked down her back, under the waistband of her skirt. He was crossing the line, and she stood up straighter, almost unwilling to believe Ken was seducing her in a semipublic place. “Ken, not here.”

“Yes, here.” His fingers teased her, dipping beneath the band of her bikini panties. “You said everything and everything, remember?” he reminded her in a husky tone as he cupped her backside more intimately, stroking her, tempting her. Lisa’s knees went weak and she had to grab the handrail for support. “Did you lie?” he asked.

“N-no.” Someone else’s voice. Unfamiliar and raspy. But Lisa didn’t care. Whatever Ken’s game was, he was winning.

He thrust his hips forward and she writhed shamelessly against his hard body, silently begging for more. Lost in an erotic haze, she rested her head against the cool glass walls of the elevator.

Glass? Her eyes flew open. “Ken!” She tried to wriggle free. “This is a glass elevator!”

A slow grin spread across his face. “That’s what makes it so much fun….”

Dear Reader,

I love big cities. The thrum of energy, the sensual beat…the infinite possibilities around every corner. I lived in Los Angeles for four years and loved every minute of it. Setting my first Blaze novel in that fabulous city was a huge thrill for me. Since it was a Blaze title, I needed to find characters with an extremely sensual story to tell. And since it was set in L.A., I wanted characters with jobs that represented the two things the city is known for—food and film.

Lisa and Ken’s story is one of lost love and reconciliation…along with a fair bit of sensual revenge! These two are professionals whose passion for their career is almost as strong as the passion in their personal lives. So when Lisa returns to Ken needing a favor—five years after she walked out on him—the tension under the surface is undeniable…and the chemistry between them is inescapable. He agrees to help…for a price. And I assure you, it’s a price that will leave you breathless!

I’d love to hear what you think of my contribution to the SEXY CITY NIGHTS miniseries. Write to me at P.O. Box 151417, Austin, TX 78715-1417. Or you can visit my Web site at www.juliekenner.com to see what else I’ve got in the works! And don’t forget to check out www.tryblaze.com!

Enjoy,

Julie Kenner

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For Tim…who makes a mean plate of migas.

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Epilogue

“MARK MY WORDS,” Lisa Neal heard the bartender say. “Within five years, everyone in Los Angeles will be falling all over themselves to get a table at a Kenneth Harper restaurant.”

Lisa had been sitting with her back leaning against the mahogany bar, her eyes scanning the crowd for Ken, but now she twisted her stool around. Behind the bar, Chris was shaking a martini and talking to a polished-looking redhead who seemed both fascinated and slightly intoxicated.

“Seriously,” Chris said, “for someone from a hick town in Texas, the man’s a marvel. He knows exactly where he wants to be, and he’ll get there, too.”

Lisa couldn’t help but smile. After dating Ken for close to a year, she had no doubt that what Chris said was true. Still, she couldn’t resist teasing the bartender, and she leaned closer. “Chris, I’m shocked. Five years? Awfully disloyal, don’t you think? Three seems much more likely.”

“He’s not you, Lisa,” he said dryly. “I figure you’ll be getting your first Academy Award this week.”

She laughed. Sadly, seven days was a little fast even for the career schedule she’d worked out in her head. “Considering I just finished shooting my thesis film this morning, maybe we should make that a month.”

“Slacker.”

She made a face and tapped her wineglass, which he topped off before turning back to the redhead. Lisa genuinely liked Chris. For that matter, she liked all the people Ken had recruited to work in Oxygen, his very first restaurant. From what she could tell, he’d chosen his people well. Tonight’s opening gala had been the event of the summer, and it was going over without a hitch. The place was hopping with minor celebrities and celebrity wanna-bes. Cameras were flashing, the crowd was buzzing, and the smell of celebration—not to mention exceptional food—filled the air.

Earlier, a restaurant critic from the Los Angeles Times had come to their table and personally congratulated Ken. Of course, Lisa hadn’t expected anything less. After all, Ken’s talent and drive was one of the things that had attracted her in the first place. Ken Harper’s ambition equaled her own, and that was a rare trait indeed.

Not that she was interested in settling down, but if she were, it would be with a man like Ken. She took a long sip of wine, realizing with a start how completely happy she’d been over the past eleven months. Amazing.

Ken had snuck up on her, and for the first time in her life, she didn’t mind feeling committed to a man. Not that she intended to get all mushy. Not now, when her career was about to take off. In the real world, what mattered was success, and Lisa had been just as pragmatic in choosing a relationship as she had in choosing a graduate school.

Her whole life she’d accomplished whatever she set her mind to. Valedictorian of her high school class. Editor of the yearbook. The state essay contest. She knew from watching her own family how important goals were. Her mom had given up a legal career on Wall Street to live in Idaho with her dad, and then he’d up and left after Lisa and her sister, Ellen, started high school. A single mom with two kids, Lisa’s mother wasn’t exactly up to going back to New York, so she’d ended up trapped—and resenting the hell out of Lisa’s father. And all because she’d sacrificed her career for a man.

Lisa’s sister didn’t have it much better. Ellen had married a nice enough guy, but she was trapped in that same small town just because her husband owned a local hardware store. So instead of traveling the world and shooting photos of exotic locales for fancy magazines as could have been her fate, Ellen worked part-time at a department store, shooting portraits of kids who really didn’t want to be there.

Maybe Ellen was happy—she said she was—but Lisa didn’t ever intend to do that to herself. She’d had her life mapped out from day one, and she intended to follow through. That’s who she was, and she never intended to lose sight of that fact.