Passion by the Book
January, 2013
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How to seduce a man in thirty days!
To the world, they’re the perfect couple. But Simone Young, mother and housewife, feels the passion has gone out of her marriage to Marcus. That’s when she turns to a hot new book that guarantees results. The hook? All Simone has to do is rediscover the seductress within and rekindle the passion they once had.
Simone’s total makeover from sensible to sizzling fires desire in Marcus. The fitness guru has been so busy building his empire that he’s lost sight of what they once had together. Marcus feels as if he’s falling in love all over again-except he may be too late. Will he be able to win back Simone and reignite their romance, or is the book closed on their love forever?
Simone Young saw her husband’s silver Escalade roll to a stop on the driveway, and she leapt off the couch like a hurdler exploding out of the starting blocks. Chucking the September issue of Vogue on the coffee table, she flew down the hallway of her sprawling, five-bedroom Lincoln Park home, her arms swinging at her sides and her heeled bedroom slippers pounding violently against the hardwood floor. Seizing the lock, she yanked open the front door and planted herself in front of her husband like a living, breathing statue.
“Marcus, where in the world have you been? I’ve been worried sick about you!”
“I can tell.” Chuckling good-naturedly, Marcus Young patted his wife on the hips. “Baby, get back inside. It’s freezing out here!”
The crisp Chicago wind sliced through her designer robe, chilling her legs to the bone. Stepping aside, Simone reluctantly allowed her husband to enter the foyer.
“I didn’t expect you to still be up,” he said, slipping off his polished leather shoes. “It’s almost midnight. You’re usually fast asleep by now.”
The stench of sweat made Simone wrinkle her nose. “You stink.”
“It’s nothing a quick shower can’t cure.” Marcus wrapped his arms around her and lowered his mouth for a kiss. “Come here and give me some sugar.”
Simone turned her face toward the wall. “Knock it off, Marcus. I’m not in the mood.”
“Lighten up, babe. It’s all good.”
Oh, no, it’s not! His blithe, carefree attitude aggravated her, and when he strode nonchalantly into their gourmet kitchen, opened the stainless steel fridge and grabbed a bottle of Vitamin water, her frustration mounted. “Where have you been?” she repeated slowly, as if he was hard of hearing. “You said you’d be home in time for dinner.”
“Lower your voice, baby. You’ll wake the boys.”
“Is it too much to ask for you to call when you’re going to be late?” Marcus broke the tab on his water bottle and leaned against the sleek, granite countertop. Hiding a self-incriminating grin, one that was sure to fan the flames, he tasted the cold, lemon-flavored drink. Despite the peeved, almost combative expression on his wife’s face, she looked as pretty and as youthful as the day they’d met. It was hard to believe they’d been married for five years. It seemed like just yesterday he was chasing Simone down for her number. It was her staggering beauty that had caught his eye in that smoky, crowded nightclub, but it was her intelligence and wit that kept him coming back for more. And after discovering that she was pregnant—after dating for only six months—he’d gladly “put a ring on it.” I hit the jackpot the day I married Simone, he thought, admiring her dark eyes, plum-thick lips that looked as sweet as they tasted and curves that made him drool like an old basset hound. And she looks even sexier when she’s mad, he thought, wetting his lips with his tongue. They were opposites in every sense of the word—he was a calm, laid-back type, while Simone was headstrong and impulsive, but Marcus felt their differences only heightened their chemistry. And seeing her riled up always made him hard. Turned on, he suppressed the urge to reach for her shapely body. She’d gained some weight over the summer, five, maybe ten pounds, which had gone straight to her hips. All the more to hold, he decided.
His mouth dried, and his heartbeat pounded in his ears like a jackhammer. He was trying to listen to what Simone was saying, but when her silk robe parted, revealing a wealth of cleavage, Marcus lost his focus. How was he supposed to concentrate when she looked so damn tempting in that short, virgin-white nightgown? The need to touch her was intense, overwhelming. But Marcus knew now was not the time to put the moves on his wife. Her hands were glued to her hips, and her stiff, unyielding stance told him he would be asking for trouble if he tried to kiss her again. But dammit if he didn’t want to.
“Samson’s closed hours ago, and I know you weren’t working late because I called your office twice and there was no answer.”
“My eight o’clock meeting ran longer than expected and—”
“Liar!” she accused, her thunderous voice tinged with disgust. “You weren’t working late. You were probably at the bar with your stupid friends doing God knows what…”