Cheryl Porter: Blind Date

“Yeah, I think I do.” Meg pushed seductively against him. “That is, unless you have a gun stuffed down your pants—a rather large-caliber gun, too, I might add,” she added, grinning wickedly.

He stared at her, speechless. Then he found his voice. “What I meant was, feeling the way I do about you and not being able to act on it…do you know how hard that is?”

“So show me,” she dared.

Joe’s breath caught. “Are you sure, Meg, really? I mean, with everything going on and how crazy it’s all been—”

“Joe, I sent out an invitation. Are you telling me no?” She pulled back to look into his eyes.

Joe gave up trying to reason and pressed into her. “What can I say, Meg? Its too hard to resist you.”

Note from the editor…

An Evening To Remember… Those words evoke all kinds of emotions and memories. How do you plan a romantic evening with your guy that will help you get in touch with each other on every level?

Start with a great dinner that you cook together. Be sure to light several candles and put fresh flowers on the table. Enjoy a few glasses of wine and pick out your favorite music to set the mood. After dinner take the time to really talk to each other. Hold hands and snuggle on the sofa in front of the fireplace. And maybe take a few minutes to read aloud selected sexy scenes from your favorite Harlequin Temptation novel. After that, anything can happen.…

That’s just one way to have an evening to remember. There are so many more. Write and tell us how you keep the spark in your relationship. And don’t forget to check out our Web site at www.eHarlequin.com.

Sincerely,

Birgit Davis-Todd

Executive Editor

Blind Date

Cheryl Anne Porter

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To all those women who had to kiss toads until princes finally showed up. Especially the wonderful doctors, nurses and dear friends on my health care team in Tampa, Florida.

Dear Reader,

On August 25, 2004, wonderfully talented Harlequin Temptation author Cheryl Anne Porter passed away after a valiant struggle with cancer. As her friends, we—the other “Temptresses”—wished to share a few of our fond memories of this vibrant, witty woman.

Without fail, all of us remember laughing with her. Whether because of her outrageous stories, the devilish gleam in her eye, or, as Wendy Etherington remembers, a name tag saying “Queen of the Universe,” Cheryl Anne inspired a feeling of genuine happiness from the moment you met her. Carly Phillips recalls meeting Cheryl Anne in a hotel lobby, and says everyone was roaring with laughter within moments of her arrival. Jacquie D’Alessandro distinctly remembers the first time she heard Cheryl’s voice—sort of husky, and filled with humor. That warm, softly accented voice was something Leslie Kelly will never forget, as her first interaction with Cheryl Anne was in a phone call.

If you’ve read Cheryl Anne’s books, you probably know her a little yourself. Her voice shone brilliantly through her written words. Julie Kistler was struck by how much Cheryl reminded her of her books, being smart, fresh, genuine and totally original. And Kimberly Raye calls Cheryl one of those people who lives life “out loud,” pointing out that, like her books, she made people feel good. Julie Kenner finds comfort that Cheryl’s voice, humor and wit will continue to live on through the readers, old and new, who discover her books.

Several of us first met her at writers’ conferences, where she was a sought-after speaker. Joanne Rock credits Cheryl Anne with helping her learn to tap deeply into her emotions while writing. Vicki Lewis Thompson fondly recalls the way Cheryl Anne would whip out those pictures of her grandchildren whenever they ran into one another. And every one of us still laughs when we think of Cheryl Anne’s “Larry the hotel employee” story.

Jill Shalvis and Julie Elizabeth Leto were fortunate enough to work closely with Cheryl on the MEN OF CHANCE miniseries in Harlequin Temptation, and Jill loved getting to know her. Julie, who lived close to Cheryl Anne, says that on the day Cheryl died, their hometown experienced an awe-inspiring rainstorm that lasted all night—and no one who knew Cheryl was the least surprised that she could influence Mother Nature.

But even those of us who didn’t know her personally felt touched by her. Emily McKay is thankful for Cheryl Anne’s gifts to the writing community, through her brilliant workshops, her wonderful books and her insightful articles. Rhonda Nelson says that whether you were a good friend, met her but once, or had simply read her wonderful books, the mere thought of Cheryl Anne always evoked a smile.

Finally, Cheryl Anne’s editor, Brenda Chin, admits that she’s firmly in denial. She’s not yet willing to imagine not having the pleasure of collaborating on another book with Cheryl. Cheryl’s wit, her irreverence and her outrageousness will be greatly missed by her Harlequin family.

We hope you enjoy this last book by our very dear friend Cheryl Anne Porter. She crafted her stories with love, laughter and genuine emotion…the same way she lived her life. The humor, charm and warmth you’re about to experience is her last, personal gift to all of us. One we’re all very grateful to have received.

With love,

The Temptresses

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

“OKAY, ON THE COUNT of three, we start taking our clothes off. One—”

“Stop counting! We can’t just strip in a department store aisle, Meg!”

“Why not? It’ll teach them to put their fitting rooms in obvious locations, won’t it?”

Wendy gave her an exasperated look. “Either you quit it right now, or I’m going to call your mother on my cell phone and tell her what you’re doing. I don’t think the current president of the Women’s Garden Club will be amused.”

Meg Kendall assessed her best friend for seriousness of intent and decided Wendy Jones would do exactly as she’d threatened. Besides, Meg didn’t really intend to follow through with her daring plan. Her conservative upbringing hadn’t exactly encouraged wild spontaneity—but it was fun to kid about it. “Oh, all right, you win.” Shifting her armload of new spring outfits, Meg again scanned the vicinity for anything resembling a fitting room. “What now, fearless leader? Got any ideas?”

“Yes. We keep looking.” Doing just that, Wendy slowly turned around, searching. Suddenly, she pointed off to their left. “Ha. Right over there. See?”

Meg looked where Wendy indicated and saw a subtle but promising doorway cut into a wall of the very upscale department store anchoring one end of Tampa’s fabulous International Plaza. She brightened. “Good eye, Wendy.”

She set off, weaving her way around several carousels hung with pants and shirts. Mere feet from her destination, Meg was stopped by a restraining hand on her arm. She spun around to face her friend. “Whoa, head rush. What are you doing, Wendy?”

“We can’t go in there. These are—” she lowered her voice to a whisper “—the men’s fitting rooms.” Though equally laden with her own choices in outfits, Wendy managed to point above their heads.

Meg looked up, only now seeing the big blocky letters affixed above the entry. “Oh. So they are. Well, who cares?”

“I do. It’s against the law.”

“Oh, please. It used to be against the law for women to vote or go braless, but did that stop us? No.” Meg again surged forward.