DOUBLE DARE A contemporary erotic romance
Berkley Heat Oct 2006 ISBN:0425212971

Available in bookstores and from the following online outlets:
Amazon
Amazon.co.uk
Barnes and Noble
Red Light Books

Beautiful investment advisor Abby Douglas has played with a lot of men, and that's just the way she wants it. No commitments. No regrets. And no games-until she meets a dangerously sexy stranger in the elevator of her office building. Suddenly she's taking on a new identity, pretending to be a receptionist, and finally giving herself up to the kind of raw fantasies no upright businesswoman should ever consider-unless of course, she found a man strong enough to make her.

Club owner Zac Bordino is stunned to find that the hot number who gave him such a sweet reception isn't what she says. In fact, she's actually the brains behind his company's investments-and she's not even aware of it. Now Zac isn't sure what to tell Abby first-his growing feelings for her, or their secret connection. Either way, from sweltering nights in London to sizzling rendezvous in Paris, from plush offices to pulse-pounding nightclubs, Zac may have found an insatiably perfect match-in business and in pleasure...

"This is a beautiful story of heart warming emotion and sizzling SEX...For those fans of Ms. Walker’s shorter works, you will immediately fall in love with Double Dare. From the emotional interactions of the characters to all of the heart stopping sex, this book is a brilliant romance that has definitely earned a place on my keeper shelf."5 stars. Heat level: Orgasmic. Caye Kim, Just Erotic Romance Reviews

"These two characters are a perfect match and the combustible love scenes throughout the book serve to underscore their compatibility. I also enjoyed the unique flavor that Saskia Walker, as an English writer, adds to all of her books." 5 Angels. Serena, Fallen Angel Reviews

"I Double Dare you to go out and get this book! It will strike such a deep sensual reaction in you that you will definitely need relief. This is more than just an evocative erotic romance, it's a story of sensual exploration between soul mates. What woman doesn’t dream of that? I hated for the story to end. It was beautiful, stirring, solid writing and I can’t wait for more from this Black Lace vet."4.5 roses, Cynthia, A Romance Review

"Double Dare is definitely the best story I’ve read this year. Ms. Walker’s writing style fondly reminds me of Emma Holly’s books at her best times."5 stars. Katie, Euro Reviews

"DOUBLE DARE is an awesome tale and keeps the reader hooked from the first page to the last. Erotic doesn’t begin to describe this tale and the heat will send you running for a cold shower and make sure to keep plenty of ice handy. Abby is a strong willed woman who enjoys pleasure and doesn’t make any excuses for her lifestyle. Zac is the sexy playboy who is used to women falling at his feet, but you know that once he meets Abby they are both going to fall hard and fast. Saskia Walker has done an excellent job of creating characters that pop out of the pages and a plot that readers are sure to enjoy. I can’t wait to see what she will come up with for her next book." 4.5 ribbons. Angel, Romance Junkies

Excerpt from Chapter three of the novel (NB: EXPLICIT ADULT CONTENT, X RATED)

When Abby emerged into the auditorium the place looked very different compared to the night before. It was more brightly lit, exposing its large and gaunt interior. The seating had been neatly stacked away at the back of the space. A handful of people drifted about, only glancing at her as they moved boxed equipment towards the stage at the far end.

Zac was working at a microphone stand, adjusting the height and rearranging its position. Her heart rate responded immediately. He was wearing a tight black T-shirt and jeans, his hair hanging down as he bent over. He was smiling and chatting to a woman in front of him. She was tall and elegant, her blue-black hair cut in a dramatic bob. She talked animatedly while fiddling with a guitar that hung across one very lean hip.

Of course, Abby thought, there would be a string of women in his life, she was no doubt one of many that he expressed interest in. Just as she began to wonder if she could escape unseen, Zac reached over to a mixing desk on one side of the stage and flicked several switches. When he turned back he glanced over and saw her.

His eyes flashed immediately. He said something to the woman in front of him then jumped lithely from the stage, strolling over. "Abby, what a pleasant distraction." He looked her over with undisguised appraisal.

She smiled. "I thought I'd call over to find out some more details about hiring the venue for an office function." How blatantly feeble an excuse was that?

"Did you, indeed?" He gave her an indolent smile. "And this would be on behalf of your employer?"

Abby laughed. "Oh, absolutely."

He reached forward, put his hand inside her coat and slid it open. His eyes fell to her boots, the flash of naked thigh between them and the hem of the dress. He lifted his head. His eyes glimmered, their irises crystal azure. "You look as if you are dressed for something entirely different."

"It's the weekend."

"It is, and I don't think you came here to discuss a business function at all, did you?"

She smiled and shook her head. Her heart was pounding in her ears.

"Seems like that would be above and beyond the call of even the most hard-working receptionist." He stepped closer still, resting his hand on her hip, inside the coat. His other hand slipped to the light jersey of her dress where it clung to her shoulder and he lifted it lightly, tugging at her breasts with the movement. Her nipples were hard, and the movement of jersey across the taut surface tightened them again.

"I think we both know what I'm here for." She breathed her response audibly, her body leaning into his, her lips parted.

He gave a dark chuckle. "I can't wait to see what you're going to say next." He glanced down at her nipples where they rucked against the smooth surface of the material.

Why did she feel as if he was teasing her? "We're adults aren't we?"

"Yes, we are." He breathed in, appreciatively. "And I can smell how aroused you are, just like I could last night."

His words thrilled her. His face was millimeters from hers. He wanted her too.

"Yes," she whispered, "I am aroused. And so are you." Her lips parted with pleasure, the knowledge of reciprocated desire, and anticipation of the event that could follow.

Capturing her hand, he led her to a door stage left, punched a sequence of numbers into the keypad and pulled her through the doorway. It slammed shut behind them. He backed her up against the wall. Grabbing her wrists, he pinned them above her head, his hips pressed hard against hers.

They kissed, their hungry open mouths locked together. Barely contained animal lust traveled between them, as palpable as electricity crackling across a stormy night sky.

He pulled her toward a door close by and into the room beyond. He fumbled in his pockets, drew out a ring of keys and locked the door behind them.

She glanced around. A dressing table stood against one wall, mirrors over it and on the wall behind. A sink and clothing rails were fitted to the back wall. It was a dressing room.

Zac dropped the keys loudly on the floor and then walked over to where she stood. Music stirred through the walls from the auditorium. It was muted, but its dense throbbing sounds reached Abby, at the very same time as Zac's hands pulled her body closely toward his. He took her coat off, dropping it to the floor, and ran his hands very deliberately over her breasts.

She breathed out as the light jersey beneath his hands heightened the sensation of skin reaching for skin.

He kissed her neck, brushing the surface lightly, and breathing along her skin. Sensation flew through her from the place where his lips moved on her bare skin. In one long, slow stroke he bent and moved his hands up, from the top of her boots, under her dress, and around the back of her thighs. His hands traced the line of her g- string, pulling at the skimpy line of material.

She moved her hips, responding to the sounds that reached them through the walls. As a woman's voice flew up in a scream of song, Zac climbed his fingers into the humid spot inside her; her head fell back in ecstasy.

She looked into his eyes and moved her hips on his hand. She was burning; she was so hot for this.

"What is it that you really want, Abigail Douglas?" It was a whisper against her ear.

She couldn't reply, because the contact with him had taken away logical thoughts.

He drew back and looked into her eyes with a curious stare, his hot breath covering her face.

"I want you," she murmured, breathing his breath into her lungs. "I wanted you the moment I saw you." Her hips moved, begging for him to take control of them.

He nodded, smiling and then turned her in his arms, pressing against her back, his cock hard and defined against her buttocks. The movement was so sudden and sexy; it knocked the breath from her lungs. Reflected in the mirror, she saw them molded together. He looked over her shoulder, admiring the image too.

"I like these boots," he murmured. "They make you just the right height." He stroked his hand up the line of her spine and slowly but firmly pushed her over until she was bent at the hip. His cock was hard against her buttocks, her heels lifting her against him. She gasped, wriggling in his grasp, her sex clenching with need.

He lifted the hem of her dress and pushed it up to her waist, the bulge of his cock resting back between her arse cheeks as it was revealed to him. She glanced left, saw them reflected in the mirror, blatantly, provocatively. Animal.

He lifted her g-string to one side. She struggled against him, turning away from the image she saw in the mirror. It was hot, shocking. Too much.

"No, keep looking." His tone was demanding, making her quake with lust. "I want you to see how good you look while I'm fucking you."

A low moan escaped her lips and she reached forward, her hands grappling for support. Her fingers met the cool porcelain of the sink; she gripped onto it and sent her hips back against him, looking at the mirror as she did.

His fingers plucked the g-string from his path, tightening it against her clit as he did so. The pull of the fabric on her clit made her throb, hot waves of pleasure condensing in her groin.

He stroked her swollen folds and it was such sweet, sweet torment. Bent over like that, every part of her was on display to him, every quivering damp bit of skin, and each lusting orifice. She whimpered quietly, desire and humiliation raging inside her. She whimpered again, louder, when he reached down and rocked one finger over her clit. She tossed her head back, her hair flying as she looked back at him with. His eyes were dark, shining. His lips were pressed together, his mouth hard and determined.

"Zac, please," she whispered, her voice quiet and strengthless.

"Hush, I intend to have you right now. I'm going to do what I should have done last night and bury my cock inside you."

"Dear god, yes," she uttered, her legs spreading wider, her sex pounding furiously at his words. She heard the merciful sound of his zipper, the rip of a condom pack. She watched in the mirror as he rolled it on, his fist anchoring it over the base of his cock in the sexiest way.

When he began to drive himself slowly into that oh-so-sensitive place, she groaned. He filled her completely. The fabric of her g- string was tight between her pussy lips, capturing her clit. She felt wild, yet tethered. "Fuck me hard," she begged.

"Believe me, I intend to." He said the words through gritted teeth. He pulled her roughly into position on him and began to drive his cock in and out, his hands holding her hips.

She pressed back, meeting each thrust with a low cry from deep in her throat. She braced her arms against the sink.

"You're a wild creature, Abby, aren't you? I could see it the moment we met."

She drove back onto him, her feet spreading wide to hold her upright when she began to feel the heat of her climax building. "I'm going to come… I want to come." She was fevered, anxious. Her voice wavered up as she drew back and then reached again.

Her fingers tightened on the porcelain; her head hung down and her hips worked quickly against him. She felt him slide a hand up her throat and stroke her neck from her chin downwards, lifting her torso upright, taking her weight and crushing her entire body down onto his cock. Her toes barely scraped the floor. She screamed with pleasure. She felt his cock there, in her throat, beneath his hand. Hot, hard, ready to burst and flood. They both felt it.

He groaned deeply and she felt his cock grow harder still, wedged against her cervix, then the leap and surge of flesh as he came. She wriggled and flexed, desperate for the release. A flash of divine heat traveled through her body. As the heat blossomed and spread outward she gave a long low moan, her body convulsing.

His hand stayed locked over her until she slowed her movements and finally stilled. She wavered. Her body felt weak. He pulled free, supporting her until she fell against the wall for support. She watched, panting, as he removed the condom, knotting it. Her body gave a final shudder of release and she whimpered, her body sliding down against the wall.

He dropped the rubber in the wastebasket, pulled up his zipper and then reached over. He kissed her mouth and stroked her body; calming her with his broad warm touch, his gentle kisses. She met his mouth anxiously, realizing that this was a new sensation - his mouth on hers in intimate, gentle kisses. His lips were firm and sensual. His hands on her were possessive; giving their shared kisses the deepest intimacy.

"Alas, I've got to...move," he murmured. "I have an appointment." He pulled away from her slightly, a small frown gathering as he looked at her with curiosity. "But I'd like to entertain you again very soon, in more salubrious surroundings."

She moved her hands across his chest, touching his firm, leanly muscled chest through the soft material of his T-shirt. She wanted to see him naked; she wanted to see his fantastic cock again, taste it and ride it.

"Soon?" She looked at him, waiting to see his reaction.

He nodded. "Tomorrow. Come to my place. I'll give you the address or...I could collect you and we could go for a drink?"

She wondered vaguely why arranging to meet seemed to bring a sense of awkwardness. Perhaps he didn't do dating? Perhaps that was all part of his elusive, mystery-man-persona?

He arrested her in a tight grip and lifted her chin with his hand. "Do we have an arrangement?"

"Yes, tomorrow, please."

His straightened her g-string and his hand closed over her mons. Heat surged up under his grip. She kissed his throat; she could taste the salt on his skin. She wanted him again, already. She would have to go soon or never leave.

Mercifully, he took his hand from her, pulled down the material of her dress and stroked it over her hips. He smiled down at her boots and bent to place a kiss on her bare thigh.

As they went through the door she heard the music strike up again and turned to him, smiling suggestively.

He urged her on. "You'd better go before I decide to lock you in here with me and throw away the key."

"It sounds very tempting." Their eyes locked for an instant, and then he seemed to create a little distance between them; she felt it as clear and swift as a door opening on a cold winter's night.

"Did you drive?"

She shook her head.

"I'll get Nathan to give you a lift," he murmured and she let her hand fall away from him.

She nodded. "Thanks."

"You've got my card. Call me whenever you're ready."

Nathan appeared and looked at the two of them, a suppressed smile obvious in his expression.

Zac tossed him a bunch of keys. "Take Abby wherever she wants to go."

She followed Nathan out to the street, turning to take another look at Zac as she went. He stood in the doorway, his posture that of a graceful but predatory animal. She felt the warm heat still glowing inside her from their joining. She still had the taste of him in her mouth and smiled back before they turned the corner.

Nathan led her to a silver two-seater Mercedes and held the door for her. He watched the swing of her hips, the slide of booted leg and bare thigh as she climbed into the car. She glanced at him as they sped off. He was smiling to himself. He could probably smell the sex on her. She didn't care; she didn't care who smelt it on her at that moment. She'd stepped away from her life and she was having an affair with a mystery man.

She gave Nathan her address, then closed her eyes and savored every second over again.

*

Back at the venue Zac once again entered the sequence of numbers into the keypad stage left and walked down the corridor, past the dressing rooms and beyond. He ran nimbly up the narrow flight of stairs to the offices. Another key code entered him into his private sanctuary. The lights went on.

The room was his stronghold. Sparse yet comfortable, two long, leather Chesterfields on opposite walls flanked a large glass desk mounted on ornate wrought iron struts. He put his keys on the surface with a gentle chime and sat down, gazing at the expanse of heavy glass in front of him. He had intended to have her over the desk, but hadn't been able to restrain himself long enough to get her up the stairs. Maybe another time.

He flicked on his PC. The computer whirred quickly, the screen flicking through directories. His eyes narrowed as he located the online Robertson dossier and Abby's corporate image filled the screen.

A knowing smile teased the corners of his mouth.

Her hair was swept up and clipped back, in line with her corporate image. She looked sophisticated, immaculate, but even in this official context he could see the wild side of Abby just beneath the beautiful surface, and within his grasp.

He scanned her credentials yet again, his eyes flickering quickly over the list of accounts she had worked on over the past two years, looking for a clue he might have missed. They were well known corporations; she'd been given challenging contracts and successfully enhanced them.

"Well, well, Ms. Douglas," he whispered to the screen. "Are you truly the portal to all these good things, or are you playing some other game?"

She was intelligent. It wouldn't take much digging on her behalf to find out he was the Ashburn heir. If Abby already knew about the connection, why was she still pretending to be something else? He could almost feel his Mother's genes beating out their concern in his blood.

Abigail Douglas was now in charge of the account. She had enough confidence to take down a major corp. single-handedly, and with her sassy sex appeal thrown into the bargain she could be a powerful weapon. Could she have some nefarious purpose in tracking him down, commencing a sexual liaison with him? Something bound to her intentions for the Ashburn account? Could he take that risk?

He had to face it, he already had. And things were getting more complicated by the moment. He'd had a taste of her and he wanted more.

By the time Nathan returned to the office, he'd entered every possible scenario into his analysis and he'd become increasingly tense about the whole set up, because all he wanted to do was fuck her again.

He stood up, pacing the length of the room as he spoke. "Where does she live?"

"The south east, an apartment, Greenwich way."

Zac nodded, both cautious and thoughtful. "Alone?"

"It looked that way."

"I want you to find out for sure. I want to know everything we can find out about her. She works with Robertson, she's actually managing the Ashburn investments and yet she's turned up pretending to be a little nobody out for a good time."

Nathan's eyebrows shot up. He gave a low, appreciative whistle.

"I've checked her out and, professionally, she's very good at what she does...although she's quite the risk taker." Zac tapped his chin with one finger. What risk might she be running here, and was it on behalf of her boss, or was she acting alone? Or am I as suspicious of everyone as my dear Mama?

He ignored the mocking voice in his head, reminding himself that he'd given her an invitation; that might be why she'd come. But why lie about her job?

"For some reason she isn't mentioning that she's a money manager, which is odd. I don't know for sure if she is aware of my relationship with the Ashburn Company, but it makes things...complicated."

Nathan nodded. Robertson was under their scrutiny anyway, but what it had to do with the woman was another issue.

"Any reason why you don't confront her, ask her why she's lying about her job?"

Zac shrugged. "I might do that, but I want to find out what she's up to first." He certainly wasn't going to do anything until he figured her out. He just had to keep his head long enough to find out what it was that she was up to, and that might be the hard part.

"I'd like to know what else she's doing, if she's in league with anyone outside Roberson corp. and if there is a reason for her little deception."

"No problem, I can handle that."

Zac looked at him meaningfully. "These are the family heirlooms she's playing with." In more ways than one. "I want to know what she's up to."

END EXCERPT

*** Want to know where the idea for this novel came from? I posted about it on The Idea Boutique. Click HERE to read the post.

Available in bookstores and from the following online outlets:
Amazon
Amazon.co.uk
Barnes and Noble
Red Light Books

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