Carly Phillips
Author Book List

What do men want?
That's what newly hired advice columnist Rina Lowell intends to find out. And, on a personal level, she really needs to know...because she definitely wants her new boss, sexy Colin Lyons. After years of living for others, she's taking back her life...and her sexuality. And a little holiday fling is just what she needs to get the ball rolling...

What do women want?
Newspaperman Colin Lyons needs to figure it out—fast! Because Rina's waging a sexual campaign against him that he can't withstand for long. Not that he wants to... Rina is as irresistible to him as her column, "Hot Stuff," is to her readers. The problem? The newspaper's in the red, and all 'fluff pieces' have to be cut. Still, faced with Rina's seductive powers of persuasion, Colin can't resist taking her to bed. Little does she guess she's about be out of a job, too...

Excerpt

Chapter One

Rina watched with amusement as the maintenance man tried to hang mistletoe according to Emma Montgomery's direction. The older woman had already hung sprigs in unsuspecting places around the Ashford Times' offices and had taken to adding a bit more each day. Of course she did her decorating after five, when the core staff had gone home for the day.

"A little more to the left. No to the right. Left. No right." From her seat, Emma tried to choreograph everything and everyone in her sphere of influence, a mean feat for an eighty year old. At least Rina thought she was eighty. Emma never discussed her actual age.

"Geez, lady make up your mind." The man's weight tipped the ladder precariously with each stretch of his arm in a different direction. "I haven't got all night."

Emma sniffed. "That's the problem with today's generation. Everyone's in such a rush. What do you think, Rina? Come here and check it out from my perspective."

Knowing Emma wouldn't be satisfied unless she complied, Rina shut down her computer for the night and joined Emma. She glanced upward at the ceiling. "Looks good to me. Want to test it out? Emma's willing," Rina jokingly told the head of the maintenance crew.

He glared, obviously not enjoying his role in holiday merrymaking.

Emma laughed. "You need holiday spirit," she informed the man, then squinted upward once more. She nodded at last.

"That's it then. Leave the mistletoe there."

Directly over Colin Lyons' chair. Despite Corinne's warning, his return had shocked the staff. Those who knew Colin had expected his long absences to continue. Instead as soon as he'd arrived home, he'd come on board at the paper. Corinne had agreed to let him take over the small news department, admitting that wasn't her forte. But even she didn't think he'd stay. According to office gossip, he never did.

Rina glanced at the greenery over his seat and grinned. "You are one wicked woman, Emma."

She rubbed her aged hands together with glee. "Tell me you wouldn't love to get that man underneath the mistletoe."

Of course she could. But Rina wouldn't be admitting anything to Emma. No way would she give the Queen of the Meet and Greet column a cause to focus on. She could handle her own affairs, thank you very much. Because if Emma discovered that Rina was attracted to Colin, she'd pull out all the stops to get them together and the timing was all wrong for Rina to find herself on the receiving end of Emma's renowned, matchmaking skills.

With her series coming up, she planned a calculated method of dealing with men in order to decipher what the opposite sex wanted. She couldn't have Emma meddling in her social life. Not now.

Even if Colin did light mega watts of electricity inside her every time he walked into the room. Those arresting blue eyes, that thick black hair, his distinctive masculine scent all set off heavy duty sparks of desire. Instant sexual attraction, she thought. And female intuition, plus the fact that she'd often caught him staring, told her he felt it too.

The older woman narrowed her gaze. "Silence is an answer in itself." She patted Rina's arm, rose and headed slowly back to her own desk.

"Come on, Emma. Pick on someone your own age," Rina said.

The older woman laughed. "You're a challenge, Rina. I thrive on challenges and I live to matchmake. What exactly do you live for, dear?"

"Until lately, not much," she admitted. After her husband's death, guilt had consumed her. He'd been rushing home from a business trip in the pouring rain, coming to be with her instead of sensibly spending the night at a hotel.

For a long while after, Rina hadn't thought life had much to offer. But after some soul searching, she sold the New York City penthouse they'd shared and decided it was time to live again. Financially secure and free to do whatever she wanted, Rina had no desire to return to her job as a legal secretary. It had been a decent means of earning a living, but didn't satisfy her.

She'd asked herself what would, looking inside herself for answers. She'd always been curious about human nature, drawn to people and relationships. Like Emma, she'd even indulged in matchmaking with her brother Jake and his wife, Brianne. She'd decided to use her people skills and her childhood habit of writing and documenting ideas, and put them to good use.

And now she had her column. "But my outlook is fresh and new since moving to Ashford," she said, meaning every word.

Emma nodded. "Good thing you packed up and moved on." She studied Rina with eyes wise and full of wisdom.

"Amen, Sister." Rina grinned and hit Emma's hand in a high- five, laughing at the older woman's spunk.

Rina had no doubt Emma had seen much in the decades she'd lived but she'd obviously learned how to make the most of every person she met and opportunity she saw, a philosophy Rina had adopted too from the minute she'd decided to sell the penthouse and move on. So what if she'd had to pull a few strings to get this job?

Corinne's father lived in the same retirement community as Rina's parents. Of course Corinne's father was much older than Rina's parents, but in Florida, if a man had teeth and the ability to walk upright, golfing and bridge buddies formed. When Rina learned that Corinne had taken over her husband's newspaper, Rina picked up the phone, the two women hit it off, and Rina had herself a job. One she wouldn't hold onto if she wasn't successful.

She would be.

"Aah. More silence. You're thinking. That's okay. As long as you speak wisely to yourself, that's what counts." Emma broke into Rina's thoughts. "But if you should want to share your thoughts, I'd be more than happy to listen."

"You're so nosey." Rina laughed, glancing at Emma with all the warmth she felt towards her. "Not to mention perceptive."

"Live as long as I have and you'd better have learned something," Emma replied with a wink. "Now I want to hear more about your upcoming series. Did I mention that I admire your gumption?"

"Not lately," Rina said wryly.

Ignoring the writing implement tucked behind her ear, held securely by her immaculate bun, Emma picked up a pencil and tapped the eraser against the desk. "Catching a man is so much more complicated today than in my youth. Instead of pinching cheeks for color, you swipe on blush and in place of tissues, I hear the water bra is all the rage now." She paused for an obvious inspection of Rina's attributes. "And though you're a natural beauty, it would help you with the competition if you used some enhancement too."

Rina shook her head and laughed. The older woman was unbelievable.

"What do men want? Pfft. You'll never know because they'll never tell." Emma waved a regal hand in the air, dismissing the notion out of hand.

"I don't want them to tell me, I plan to use my powers of observation to figure it out. Methodically." Rina pulled out the list she'd compiled from the folder on her desk. "And it's not just appearance. It's also in how a woman acts, walks and talks." She swiveled her hips for effect.

"More movement," Emma suggested.

Rina sashayed her waist and ended with a rendition of Britney Spears that would do any twenty year old proud. From across the room, one of the remaining layout editors, who was just putting on his jacket, applauded.

Rina grinned and bowed. "You see? Attitude makes a difference," she said with a nod. "The question is, what's more important? Attitude or intellect? Wouldn't a smart man want a woman with whom they can carry on a breakfast conversation?" she asked Emma.

"No. They want arm candy."

Rina cocked her head to the side. "Come on. They can't be that shallow a species."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Get with the program, Rina. All men want a woman they're proud to display on their arms. It's the male ego, dear."

"That's true." Much as she hated to admit it. Take her deceased husband. After their marriage, he'd ostensibly fired her as his legal secretary, giving her a life of luxury most women would die to live. In exchange he'd wanted a stay-at-home wife, one comfortable with entertaining guests and who dressed well so he was proud to have her by his side. "You do have a point."

"And trust me," Emma said. "The reason you're still flying solo after being in this town for three months is because you're doing nothing to enhance your appearance."

Rina put a hand to her unflattering bun and grinned. "I know."

"Forgive me but I simply don't understand." Emma shook her head, her look of confusion obvious. "I've seen photos and I know what you can look like. I've offered to have my limo driver take us to Bloomingdales for a clothing makeover, offered to have my stylist come do your hair. You refuse. Care to tell me why?"

"Corinne hired me to bring life to the paper with my series idea. I can only do that by giving my readers personal experience. So I started by establishing myself in town as a quiet, inconspicuous woman."

Emma pursed her lips. "Go on."

"I've been researching from day one here. Recording men's reaction to this Rina." There hadn't been much interest in the woman who wore baggy clothes and no makeup, one who possessed a mild mannered personality. Although Colin's heated gaze more than made up for the other men's lapse. "So now I'm going to alter my appearance and actions, and see what kind of changes men react to. So I can impart first-hand wisdom to my readers."

"You're going to strut your stuff." Emma grinned. "I like that."

"You would."

"Can I help it if I've got my finger on the pulse of male, female relationships? Why just look at Logan and Cat," she said, referring to her wealthy grandson and his beloved wife.

Rina knew Emma credited herself with that pairing.

"Then there's Grace and Ben. If only they didn't live in New York," Emma said, wistfully. "You'll meet Logan and Cat at Saturday night's Christmas party but you'll have to look up Grace next time you return to New York for a visit."

The older woman also took responsibility for her granddaughter Grace's marriage to the detective Emma had hired to look out for her in New York City. Rina suspected both of her grandchildren would have succeeded without their grandmother's help, though Rina had to admit they wouldn't have met without the older woman's meddling.

"So we're talking a random sampling of men?" Emma asked.

Rina nodded. "Anyone and everyone including the delivery man. And the pizza guy is particularly cute." Not that he'd been attracted to Rina and her plain, unflirtatious side, but the time had come to change her attitude. Because not only was this series her journalistic debut but it marked her return to the social scene.

She was ready to begin flirting again, testing her wiles on the opposite sex. The best part was that she'd been able to use her daily life as research since she met men at the coffee shop next door and at the bar favored by her downstairs neighbor, Francesca. Frankie, for short. They both rented apartments in a cape house Rina had heard about from Corinne. One look and Rina had fallen in love with the house and made friends with Frankie whose favorite pastime was discussing dating in Boston. They shared information and Rina's ideas flourished. She'd already outlined her series and written most of the first week's draft.

With work put aside, she could focus on her private life. And Emma had been right on when she'd called Rina horny. She hadn't been with a man in years and she was finally open to the concept of monogamous sex. She wasn't ready for a relationship, but a satisfying fling appealed to her new independent streak and resolve to live life on her own terms.

"Any ideas on who should be your first guinea pig?" Emma asked, obviously referring to Rina's column.

Rina, on the other hand, contemplated what kind of man she'd like in her bed. "A dark haired, blue eyed, Mr. Perfect," she said, dreamily. An attentive man who catered to her every need and desire.

"Afternoon, Ladies." As if she'd conjured him, dark haired, blue eyed, Colin Lyons appeared near where Rina stood. She hadn't noticed him come in, but she was very aware of him now.

She inhaled and smelled the musky scent of his cologne and her stomach curled with delicious warmth. She told herself it had to be the thought of sex that had her hot and bothered but she knew she lied. Just looking at Colin elicited a definite chemical reaction inside her body, obviously short-circuiting her brain.

"Hello, Colin. I take it you were at the hospital again?" Emma asked, knowing Colin visited Joe every afternoon since his arrival the day of the publisher's stroke.

Colin nodded.

"How is our dear Joseph?" Emma asked.

"Resting more comfortably today."

"That's wonderful. I know Corinne's worried about him," Rina added, joining the conversation and trying act polite, not like the over-sexed female he inspired her to be.

"Corinne's got a lot to be worried about," he muttered, then turned to Rina. "But I appreciate you asking and I'll be sure to tell Joe you care," he said, his voice heated with warmth.

As usual, his attention set off a tingling reaction, one she hoped Emma failed to notice. "Emma asked about Joe first," she reminded him, trying to deflect attention from herself. Surely Joe would rather hear about Emma's concern than an employee he hadn't hired or met.

"She did. But so did you and as Joe's family, I appreciate it." A smile tilted Colin's lips into a lopsided grin, and Rina forgot to breathe.

A former local newscaster, he had the chiseled features television adored, dimples and a gleaming white smile made more charming by the slight overlap of his two front teeth. Razor stubble darkened his cheeks and that hint of musky aftershave enhanced his potent allure. Her gaze traveled downward. Even his fisherman sweater and worn jeans added to his rugged appeal.

"See something you like?" he asked, arms folded across his broad chest.

"Everything," she said, immediately biting her tongue, but it was too late. The word had escaped.

Caught, she flushed and quickly transferred her gaze to Emma. Rina tried to look innocent. She really did. But when Emma not-so-nonchalantly nodded Colin's way and murmured, "I agree he's hot, but put your tongue back in your mouth," the slight flush in Rina's cheeks started to burn.

"You'll have to forgive Rina. She's off balance," Emma said to Colin. "And I can't really blame her considering." The older woman propped an elbow on her desk.

"Considering what?" Colin spoke to Emma but his blue-eyed gaze never left Rina's. He hadn't stopped staring since her blunt admission.

Emma sighed. "Young people. You never take time to look around you and appreciate the scenery."

Oh if Emma only knew how wrong she was, Rina thought wryly, realizing Colin's eyes had small laugh lines surrounding them, a sexy attribute that added character to an already amazing face.

"Look up, children. You're both standing under mistletoe," Emma said with glee. With a huge smile on her still beautiful face, Emma pointed up.

Rina groaned and Colin, one eyebrow raised, followed Emma's lead to look at the ceiling. Sure enough, the green sprig hadn't moved, changed or fallen to the floor. And neither had Rina since the time Emma had called her over to Colin's desk to inspect the position of the holiday tradition.

She'd been had. A notion the older woman verified when she not-so-subtly picked up her purse.

"Well, Colin?" Emma asked. "Aren't you going to follow tradition and kiss Rina underneath the mistletoe?"

Rina knew from experience life rarely doled out second chances. Standing under the mistletoe with Colin was a one- time opportunity. She'd been doing a lot of talk about living a new life and starting over.

She glanced up a the holiday tradition that teased her and tempted her to follow her most erotic impulses. Emma obviously caught the sexual undercurrents running between Rina and Colin from day one.

No sense trying to hide them now.

"I wonder," she whispered softly, for Colin's ears only. Taking advantage of the new, liberated Rina, she leaned forward, closer to Colin and those super-sexy lips. "Do you have the nerve?"

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