Operation Babe-Magnet: Operation Babe-Magnet / Operation Beauty. Kristin Gabriel

      “All right,” she replied, taking a deep breath. “Let’s do it.”

      Then she whirled around and raced across the living room. She pulled the dressmaker’s dummy from the corner and rolled it over to him. “This is Gertrude. She’ll be your date for this evening.”

      Dexter stared at her. “You want me to kiss a plastic woman?”

      “You can start with Gertrude and work your way up from there,” Kylie replied, still trying to regain her equilibrium.

      But Dexter didn’t give Gertrude a second glance. He turned to Kylie, slowly advancing on her. “I don’t think so.”

      Kylie backed up a step, then another, until her back met the wall. “What are you doing?”

      “I’m establishing the dominant role.” He stood directly in front of her, then planted one hand on either side of her shoulders. “Is it working?”

      She swallowed. “Yes.”

      His expression softened. “Are you scared of me?”

      She wasn’t certain how to answer that question. Her knees were shaking, but not out of fear. “No.”

      “Good.” Then he leaned his head closer to hers and inhaled deeply. “You smell so good. It’s been driving me crazy all day long.”

      “I use…raspberries,” she stuttered, then realized she sounded like an idiot. “I mean raspberry-scented body lotion. The soap and shampoo, too.”

      His gray eyes darkened. “I like it.”

      She licked her lips, then noticed his gaze fall to her mouth. If he was determined to play this out, she wished he would just get it over with.

      He took a step closer, his face now so close to hers she could smell the bouquet of the red wine on his breath. Then his lips feathered over one eyebrow and burned a trail down the length of her cheek. She closed her eyes as he kissed the corner of her mouth, then she found herself parting her lips and turning her head toward him.

      He didn’t wait for any further encouragement, closing his mouth over hers with a low, guttural moan. Her arms circled around his neck as he deepened the kiss, the silken thrust of his tongue making her pull him closer.

      His hands were on her shoulders now, his fingers gently kneading her skin until she thought she would collapse from the exquisite sensation. His lips molded against her own, teasing and tasting and tempting, until he drew a long moan from deep within her throat.

      At last he lifted his head and stared into her eyes, his breathing as ragged as her own. “There’s one thing you should know about me, Kylie.”

      “What’s that?” she whispered, her lips still tingling.

      “I’m a very fast learner.” Then he turned and walked out the door without another word.

      5

      “YOU WOKE ME UP TO BRAG about a kiss?” Amy Kwan yawned behind her hand, her eyelids drooping.

      “I’m not bragging,” Kylie said, pacing back and forth across the living room floor. Dexter had left over an hour ago, but she still couldn’t get that kiss out of her mind. Her heart raced just thinking about it. “I mean it was a stupendous kiss. I have never been kissed like that before in my entire life!”

      “I know,” Amy murmured sleepily. “You already told me three times. He made you see stars, yada, yada, yada. So what’s the problem?”

      Kylie stopped in front of her roommate, who lay stretched across the inflatable sofa. “The man is a gigolo. A male escort. A professional seducer of women. You don’t see that as a problem?”

      Amy’s delicate brows drew together. “But you knew he was a gigolo when you hired him. In fact, that’s the reason you hired him. You wanted the fake Harry Hanover to be able to sweep a woman off her feet, didn’t you?”

      “Yes,” Kylie exclaimed, flopping down into the beanbag chair. “Of course. I want him to dazzle every woman he meets. But not me!”

      Amy sat up. “Kylie, you’re doing it again.”

      “Doing what?”

      “Letting your heart lead you instead of your head. Or in this case, your hormones. How long has it been since your last date?”

      “I’ve been busy,” Kylie hedged.

      “Six months?” Amy guessed. “Seven?”

      She sighed. “Twelve months and thirteen days.”

      “So you agree it is possible that you’re overreacting to that kiss?”

      “Anything is possible at two o’clock in the morning.” She rubbed her face with her hands. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I am overreacting.”

      Amy grinned. “You do have a tendency to leap before you look. Remember Tony?”

      Kylie felt a blush crawl up her cheeks. Amy knew all about her years in Hollywood. She’d been as impulsive in her relationships as she had in every other aspect of her life. “That was my fault for getting involved with an actor. They love themselves too much to love anyone else.”

      “And Adam.”

      “A director. Even worse, when you consider the size of their egos.”

      “And now there’s Dexter.”

      “Okay, okay,” Kylie conceded, holding up both hands. “You’ve made your point. And I know you’re right. I’ve always been too impulsive. I wouldn’t be in this mess if I hadn’t scheduled a book tour for Harry Hanover without getting his approval first. But Dexter is…different.”

      “Just be careful,” Amy admonished. “The man is a gigolo. A professional babe magnet. Kissing is his stock and trade. He probably has this affect on all his women.”

      All his women. She needed to remember that she wasn’t his first and certainly wouldn’t be his last. No doubt there was a long line of women Dexter D. Kane had kissed until their toes tingled.

      But had it ever meant anything to him?

      Kylie nibbled her lower lip. “You know, now that I think about that kiss, he did go strictly by the book, hitting every high point in chapter three. Establishing his dominance. Applying just the right amount of pressure.”

      “Chapter three?”

      “It’s the kissing tutorial in How To Jump-Start Your Love Life.”

      Dexter’s husky words echoed in her mind. You smell so good. It’s been driving me crazy all day long. She closed her eyes, realizing he’d added a dash of pizzazz as well. “I’m an idiot.”

      “Now I think you’re definitely overreacting,” Amy said gently.

      Kylie shook her head. “Here I am swooning over Dexter’s kiss and he was just playing his part. He’s probably forgotten it already. Especially since he just turned around and walked out the door while I, on the other hand, could barely stand up.”

      “Well, you wanted the man to practice kissing, didn’t you?”

      “On Gertrude, not me!”

      Amy snorted. “Gertrude? Okay, I hate to admit it, but Dexter is starting to grow on me. Any man who would choose a real flesh-and-blood woman over a plastic mannequin can’t be all bad.”

      Kylie folded her arms across her chest. “That’s not the point. Dexter needs to remember that I’m the one in charge of this operation. I did hire him, after all, not the other way around. If I want him to kiss a plastic woman, then I think he should do it. There will be several last-minute decisions I have to make on the book tour and I need to be certain he’ll follow through.”

      “And