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"... so then I took off my dress and hopped into the fountain."
Lucy Connors leaned forward in her chair, hanging on her friend's every word, unable to resist the lure of Claire Elliot's tale. "What did he do?"
"He took off his shoes, jumped in -" Claire paused, stirring cream into her coffee " - and we made wild passionate love right there in the middle of the park."
She had a more exciting love life than Lucy could ever hope to have. Handsome men, scandalous rendezvous, extravagant weekend-long dates - Claire was a walking nighttime soap opera. Even her blazing red hair suggested a wildness that Lucy's mousy brown mop couldn't hope to match.
At least Lucy had her fantasies ... She closed her eyes for a brief moment and imagined herself, wet and splashing in a park water fountain late at night with a gorgeous stranger. Of course, her gorgeous stranger would be wearing a Stetson, and he'd be tugging off a pair of cowboy boots and a faded pair of jeans to hop into the fountain with her.
Mmm ...
Then reality came crashing in. She hadn't gotten within five feet of a man fit for a fantasy since the last time the UPS guy came to her door and had her sign for a delivery. Lucy's eyes popped open and she glared at the remains of her salad.
Claire frowned and reached across the table to take Lucy's hand. "Oh, sweetie, don't feel bad. You'll be having wild passionate sex again soon."
"Again?" Her past sex life could have been better described with words like "predictable" and "safe" - never wild, and rarely passionate.
Claire gasped. "Don't tell me you've never had -"
"Not wild and passionate. No."
"Not even once?"
"Do fantasies count?"
"You're worse off than I thought. You need to let loose! You've got this hot fantasy life and you've never once acted on it."
Lucy glanced around, hoping no one had overheard. She lowered her voice to say, "It's not that I haven't tried. But after you-know-who giggled when I did my striptease for him ..."
Claire rolled her eyes. "He was a pig."
Nodding in agreement, Lucy gazed out the window next to their table and watched wilting business people hurrying to and from their cars in the oppressive Phoenix heat. Was there a single man in this entire city who could be happy with plain, boring, old her?
Their waiter appeared at the table. "Should I bring dessert now?" he asked Claire.
"Yes, please."
"Dessert? I'm too stuffed for dessert."
Claire dismissed her protest with the wave of a French-manicured hand, and the waiter cleared their lunch plates and left.
When, moments later, the entire staff of the restaurant converged on their table singing "Happy Birthday," Lucy understood. Their waiter set a small strawberry and chocolate torte ablaze with candles in front of Lucy.
When the singing stopped, the restaurant staff dispersed and Claire said, "Make a wish!"
She produced a camera and aimed it at Lucy, then started snapping photos of Lucy's startled expression.
It wasn't exactly her birthday yet. That wasn't until tomorrow, but this was her last chance to celebrate with her best friend before Claire had to leave for out-of-town business meetings over the weekend.
Lucy closed her eyes, made her wish and blew out the candles. She had learned long ago not to make outlandish birthday wishes. Better to wish for something sensible, something safe, something that could possibly come true. And after last year's disaster, the safest, most sensible wish she could produce was that she never get dumped by another fiancé at her own birthday party.
"Come on, give me a hint about what you wished for," Claire said. "If I guess it on my own it can still come true."
"Who made up that rule?"
"I did, just now."
"Trust me, you don't want to know what I wished. You'd be disappointed."
"Oh, sweetie, you just don't seem happy. Where's the spark in your life? The fun?"
"Um, I like my job," Lucy offered lamely.
But becoming a travel agent hadn't made her life more exciting, the way she'd hoped it would when she'd changed careers a year ago. She just didn't know how to lead an exciting life the way Claire did. Lucy had been playing it safe for so long, she couldn't remember how to take a risk.
Claire got that little crinkle between her eyebrows that always meant she was cooking up trouble. "I dare you to do something totally wild, totally un-Lucy-like, in honor of your birthday."
Lucy's stomach flip-flopped. "No way. I know better than to accept one of your dares."
Claire gnawed on her lower lip, which had somehow managed to remain uniformly crimson throughout lunch. After a few moments of devious thought she said, "We'll see about that."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Claire glanced at her watch and her eyes grew wide.
"I have to be at a meeting downtown in thirty minutes." She stood, dug her wallet out of her purse, and put enough money on the table to cover both their lunches. "I'm sorry I have to rush off. I'll talk to you tonight before I leave, though, okay?"
She headed for the door, but a few feet away from it she paused, turned, and flashed Lucy a thoroughly wicked grin. "Your birthday present - I almost forgot!"
"What?"
"It will be waiting for you on your bed when you get home." Claire turned back to the door and hurried out.
Lucy waved at her friend's retreating back. Waiting for her on her bed? Claire knew where Lucy kept her emergency key, so she guessed her friend had bought her something too large or cumbersome to carry around. Probably that new comforter set she'd been eyeing in the Spiegel catalog.
She smiled and took a tiny bite of her birthday cake. Yes, the pink rose comforter set would be the perfect birthday gift, and Claire always knew just what to give.
The sweet dessert brought her taste buds to life. She closed her eyes and moaned. Oh, she couldn't even remember the last time she'd tasted it. Just for today, she'd allow herself to eat the entire miniature cake. Yes, and that would even fulfill Claire's dare!
She was doing something totally wild and un-Lucy-like already, with Claire barely out the door. Her friend would be proud.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Some Like It Sizzling by Jamie Sobrato Copyright © 2003 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited
Excerpted by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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