Screw Cupid Read online

  An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

  www.ellorascave.com

  Screw Cupid

  ISBN # 9781419908019

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  Screw Cupid Copyright© 2007 Arianna Hart

  Edited by Briana St. James.

  Cover art by Syneca.

  Electronic book Publication: February 2007

  This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

  Content Advisory:

  S – ENSUOUS

  E – ROTIC

  X – TREME

  Ellora’s Cave Publishing offers three levels of Romantica™ reading entertainment: S (S-ensuous), E (E-rotic), and X (X-treme).

  The following material contains graphic sexual content meant for mature readers. This story has been rated E–rotic.

  S-ensuous love scenes are explicit and leave nothing to the imagination.

  E-rotic love scenes are explicit, leave nothing to the imagination, and are high in volume per the overall word count. E-rated titles might contain material that some readers find objectionable—in other words, almost anything goes, sexually. E-rated titles are the most graphic titles we carry in terms of both sexual language and descriptiveness in these works of literature.

  X-treme titles differ from E-rated titles only in plot premise and storyline execution. Stories designated with the letter X tend to contain difficult or controversial subject matter not for the faint of heart.

  Screw Cupid

  Arianna Hart

  Chapter One

  Happy Valentines Day!

  Don’t have a significant other to spend Valentine’s Day with?

  Who cares? Screw Cupid!

  Follow the link for a sensual celebration and spend Valentine’s Day like never before.

  Reannah Mason stared at the E-vite on her monitor for the millionth time. She’d received the strange invitation over a month ago and still wasn’t sure what she was going to do about it.

  At first she’d thought it was from her best friend, Molly, until she’d followed the link. Molly might be a practical joker but even she wouldn’t go this far. The directions included a medical form she’d had to have her doctor sign declaring she was on birth control and free of any and all disease.

  Her face flamed as she remembered bringing that piece of paper into the office. Thank God her gynecologist had a sense of humor.

  After she’d ruled out Molly as the sender, Reannah began discreetly asking around to see if anyone else received the anonymous invitation. She’d struck out there too.

  Of course, if someone had asked her whether or not she’d gotten an invitation to what amounted to a Valentine’s Day orgy she’d probably deny it with her dying breath.

  Almost against her will, she clicked on the link again and reread the directions she’d practically memorized.

  The party begins at ten p.m. and not a minute sooner. Your costume and mask will be delivered the day of the party. Anyone attempting to enter without either mask or costume will be refused admittance.

  This is for consenting adults only and absolutely no coercion will be tolerated.

  Transportation to and from will be provided. You may leave at any time—not that you’ll want to.

  And remember, what happens at The House of Eros stays there.

  If this was a prank, it was a damn expensive one. Sending costumes and transportation—even if they were cheesy—wasn’t cheap. Who would go through all that trouble and expense to stage such a joke?

  “Screw Cupid? That sounds interesting.” A deep male voice vibrated through her body and lodged in her pussy.

  Reannah immediately closed the screen and spun around in her cubicle to face Kiefer Brown—her worst nightmare, and her darkest fantasy.

  “Didn’t anyone ever tell you it was rude to read over someone’s shoulder?”

  “You sit in a cubicle in the middle of fifty engineers and programmers. If you didn’t want anyone knowing what you were reading then you shouldn’t have opened it up at work.”

  His hazel eyes glittered with good humor—as usual. Kiefer always seemed to be laughing at some joke only he knew the punch line to. It annoyed the hell out of Reannah because she was sure the joke was on her.

  “So, what was that, anyway?” He leaned a hip against her desk, invading her personal space.

  “Nothing. Just a prank someone sent me.” She tried to breathe as shallowly as possible to avoid inhaling his spicy fragrance. His cologne haunted her midnight fantasies.

  “Looks interesting.”

  “Hardly.” If he only knew how interesting…

  “So I take it you’re not into the whole Valentine’s Day shtick?”

  “What ever gave you that idea?”

  “Maybe it’s the fact that you’re wearing black when even the most clueless geek here has at least a little bit of red on. Or it could be that you still have your Christmas decorations up on your cubicle instead of a bunch of foil hearts like everyone else. Or—I’m going out on a limb here—it might be because you have a picture of Cupid with a big ‘X’ through him on your laptop.” He picked up the stress ball on her desk and tossed it from one hand to the other.

  Reannah had to tear her eyes away from the hypnotic sight of those long fingered hands fondling the glob of plastic. How would it feel to have those fingers on her breasts?

  Christ, she needed to snap out of it! “I always knew you were bright.”

  “So, what gives? I thought all girls loved getting flowers and overpriced boxes of candy from their sweethearts on V-day.”

  “You thought wrong.” If she had a sweetheart she’d have loved to have gotten flowers and chocolate. Unfortunately, it had been so long since her last serious relationship she’d forgotten what it was like to celebrate February 14th with anything but dread.

  “Don’t tell me you’re alone this year?” He put his hand to his chest in mock distress. “I don’t believe it. With all these guys panting after one of the few women in the company you couldn’t find a date for Valentine’s Day?”

  Being a technical writer for a computer software firm meant the male to female ratio was about fifty to one. Great odds on paper but the reality was slightly different. Half of the men she worked with were either too young or already in committed relationships. The other forty-nine percent were so consumed with computer games and cyber worlds they didn’t have a clue what to do with a real, live woman.

  That left the one percent currently sitting his world-class buns on her desk.

  Kiefer Brown knew his way around a sales pitch but his value to the company went way beyond bringing in clients. With his good looks and charm to smooth the way between brainy geeks and savvy businessmen, Kiefer had helped make Zera Technologies Inc. one of the most sought-after software firms in the business.

  Of course, half the time all he had to do was walk into the room and the bid was as good as theirs. Reannah had been at sales meetings with him and watched as he turned female accountants into putty in his hands. If his wavy, golden brown hair and hazel eyes didn’t grab their attention, his killer smile and voice smooth as melted chocolate did. Before he even started the pitch he’d already closed the deal.

  She knew the only reason he flirted with her so much was because she was one of the few females at Zera. To him it was as natural as breathing, it didn’t mean anything. And if she ever responded to one of his blatant invitations, he’d run so fast in
the opposite direction he’d leave skid marks on the carpet.

  Been there, done that, outgrew the t-shirt.

  “Earth to Reannah?”

  “Huh? What? Sorry, I was thinking about something else.”

  “Then I’ll ask again. Do you have plans for tonight?”

  He wasn’t asking her out, was he? No, he couldn’t be. His little vulnerable act was probably just the set up to a joke. He more than likely had plans with that knockout he’d taken to the Christmas part.

  “I’m going to a party.” The words popped out of her mouth before she’d even realized she’d made a conscious decision to go.

  Who was she kidding? She wouldn’t have gone to her doctor and gotten the form filled out if she wasn’t planning on going.

  “Oh, well have a good time.”

  “I’m sure I will.”

  His face lost a little of its usual good humor and for a second Reannah thought maybe he really was going to ask her out and she’d blown it. But his smile snapped back in place seconds later so she must have just imagined it.

  “I guess I’d better get going then so you can leave on time.” He tossed her the stress ball and straightened from his perch.

  “Thanks. Have a good weekend. I’ll see you on Monday.”

  “If not sooner.”

  Now what did he mean by that?

  Kiefer hustled to his office and shut the door behind him. Being the top salesman had its privileges and having his own office instead of a six-by-six cubicle was one of them. He scrolled through his inbox at a furious pace.

  Ah, there it was. He knew the picture he’d seen on Reannah’s monitor looked familiar. He’d gotten the same E-vite and almost deleted it as spam, but for some reason hadn’t. Curiosity had made him click on the link to see what the deal was. After he’d read all the cloak and dagger directions, he’d thought it was a joke but saved it anyway.

  Now that he knew Reannah was going, he was willing to revisit the idea. He skimmed through the oddball directions then glanced at his watch. If he wanted to make the deadline he had a lot to do in a short period of time.

  His cock hardened as he thought about finally getting his hands on Reannah’s delicious body. He’d been after her for months and she hadn’t budged an inch. All his usual tactics and charm had failed miserably to get him more than a lunch date with her. That woman had him so tied up in knots he hadn’t been able to concentrate on anyone else.

  What was it about Reannah that captured his attention to the point of enforced celibacy? She wasn’t that gorgeous. Granted, her red hair and green eyes were unusual and her body was pleasantly curvy, but so were a hundred other women that he had contact with on a regular basis.

  But none of them made his mouth water and palms sweat whenever he got within five feet of them. Every time Reannah bent over in her low-slung jeans showing the scrap of lace peeking out from under her waistband, his libido shot through the roof.

  A relaxed dress code had never been such a mixed blessing before. Maybe if Reannah was forced to wear a boxy suit instead of hip-hugging jeans he wouldn’t be so consumed with her?

  Kiefer pictured her with her wildly curling red hair pinned into a tidy bun, wearing a boring blue suit that came down to her knees. His imagination took off and the hemline jumped to mid-thigh. Instead of boring flats, she wore stiletto heels and garters.

  Heat pooled in his crotch as he fantasized about her unbuttoning the demure white blouse to reveal a lacy black bra underneath. His erection threatened to split the zipper on his khakis as his dream Reannah stripped down to a lacy thong and straddled his lap.

  The shrill ring of his cell phone had him jumping out of his leather chair like a scalded cat.

  “Kiefer Brown,” he answered a little breathlessly. He felt like he’d just been caught with his pants down—literally instead of in his dreams.

  “Keef, that lawyer we’ve been trying to nail down wants to meet tonight. I know it’s Friday and Valentine’s Day but do you think you can get over to his office?” Paul, Kiefer’s boss, didn’t sound very enthusiastic about the meeting.

  “Not this time. I have too much to do before tonight. In fact, I might knock off a little early.”

  “Got a hot date, huh?”

  “Something like that.”

  “I understand. God knows Cathy would kill me if I canceled our reservations tonight. I’ll tell him we’ll meet with him on Monday.”

  Guilt nudged Kiefer. “If you think we’ll lose the deal, I can try to rearrange things.” He didn’t know how, but Paul had been good to him and Kiefer didn’t want to miss a million dollar deal because he was horny. It wasn’t like him to push aside a potential business deal for his personal life but damn it, he wanted to be at that party with Reannah.

  “Nope. Don’t even think about it. This guy has been dicking us around for months. He can wait a few days to make us jump through another hoop. Have a great time and don’t worry about a thing.”

  “I’ll try not to,” Kiefer replied, faxing the form to his doctor’s office.

  He had a feeling all his worries were going to be over very soon.

  * * * * *

  She couldn’t do it. There was no way she could go to a party dressed like this. Reannah twisted in front of the full-length mirror and tried to pinpoint exactly what it was that made her want to run for cover.

  The boots came up to mid-thigh and had heels like ice-picks, that was the first problem. Although, the long, button-down skirt covered most of the boots so she didn’t look too much like a dominatrix. She didn’t want to examine why one would provide thigh-high boots if they were just going to be hidden under a long skirt. The obvious answer—because someone would be seeing her without the skirt—scared the hell out of her.

  The skirt was actually demure, if one ignored how it clung to her hips. It was the corset and shirt—or lack thereof—that made her nervous. The directions that came with the box of clothes were quite clear about how she was supposed to dress. The white silk shirt went on first, then the corset cinched up over it.

  Since she didn’t have anyone to help her get dressed, she tied the corset down the front. It was made of the softest black leather and red lace—and looked absolutely decadent. The bones sewn into it pushed her already abundant chest halfway to her chin.

  A situation the shirt did nothing to hide.

  The silk top was exquisitely feminine with cap sleeves and an indecently low neckline. It was the neckline that was giving her fits. Trimmed in delicate lace, the shirt showcased her enhanced cleavage. The edging barely covered her nipples, heck, in some areas pink showed through the lace.

  With her red hair spilling over her pale shoulders she looked like she was waiting to get ravaged. Christ, she was freaking pirate bait.

  But wasn’t that the point?

  Reannah picked up the black leather mask that came with the outfit and twirled it in her hands. Was she really going to do this? Common sense screamed No! but the lonely part of her soul shouted it down.

  She’d been alone for so very long. Was it too much to ask for one night of companionship? No one said she had to do anything she didn’t want to. The invitation clearly stated this was for consenting adults only and no coercion would be tolerated.

  Once again, she wondered who could have invited her, boring Reannah Mason, to an orgy. Whoever it was had to know her damn well because the clothes fit perfectly. Even the boots were made to order, with the left one a half size smaller than the right. There were only a handful of people in the world who knew that about her, and she trusted all of them.

  So, someone who knew her well and therefore knew how lonely she’d been, had arranged for her to go to this wild party. A party where she’d be disguised the entire time, as would everyone else.

  No one would know she was boring Reannah Mason, especially dressed like this.

  She didn’t have to be Reannah Mason tonight.

  A shiver danced down her spine and sparkled through her bloodstr
eam. For this one night she could act on all the secret fantasies she’d hidden away from everyone. Sure, most of them had Kiefer Brown in the starring role, but she could pretend for tonight.

  Wasn’t that what this was all about? By wearing the mask and the costume she could pretend to be anyone at all.

  And better yet, she could pretend to be with anyone at all.

  With determined steps, Reannah marched to the bathroom and wet a hairbrush. Tonight she was going to be a vamp, a sex goddess, pirate bait even, anything but herself And the first step was taming her hair. If she wanted to be someone else, she couldn’t have her distinctive red hair announcing her identity.

  She yanked the wet brush through her curly hair repeatedly. When it was almost dripping wet, she slopped a handful of gel through the mess. The combination toned down the bright red color to a deeper auburn. To disguise herself further, she wrapped the sticky strands into a bun at the base of her neck.

  The severe hairstyle accented her high cheekbones making her appear almost delicate. She looked nothing like herself. When she tied the mask over her green eyes, her own mother wouldn’t recognize her.

  Thank God.

  Siren red lipstick completed the outfit just in time. The car her unknown host provided pulled up to her house as she fastened the heavy velvet cape at her throat.

  “I can do this. Tonight, I’m only going to think about my pleasure and not worry about tomorrow.” Nerves twisted in her stomach despite her pep talk. This just wasn’t like her, no matter what happened in her secret fantasies.

  “It’s perfectly safe and no one will make you do anything you don’t want to,” she reminded herself.

  But what about the things she really wanted to do and had never dared? Who’d stop her from doing those? And would she want them to?

  Chapter Two

  The limo driver was silently polite as he escorted her over the icy walk and into the back of the long black car. If it seemed odd to pick up someone in a velvet cape and leather mask, he didn’t show it.