Naked Research — Dee Dawning

BLURB Rebecca Roth, an author of erotic romance novels, writes from experience. Except her latest book is about something she has never experienced--a ménage a trois Seeking to expand her horizons, she visits a popular cocktail lounge and runs into Kevin MacCloud, a man's man and a woman's Lothario. Sparks fly between them. She wants him, and the feeling is mutual, but she needs a second lover. EXCERPT She remembered that morning's conversation with Zoe, her personal assistant. Are you out of your mind? You are the queen of erotic romance. You already write the absolute best, most incinerating sex scenes in the business. I fail to understand why you feel this need go out and pick up two strangers for a one-night stand of consensual sex. You're too good for that. She scratched the top of her head, where the chestnut brown roots had begun to show through her blonde-in-a-bottle hair. Let me get this straight. I'm too good to have two lip-smacking men of my choice fawning over me while they fuck me to the stars. Sounds pretty spectacular to me. Maybe I'll go for a ménage a quatre. That might send me to the next galaxy. Though I can see where that could get cumbersome to put on paper. It's not the act itself, Becca. It's the tawdry way you intend to bring about your dalliance, going to singles bars and night clubs, picking up strangers. I still don't know why you need to do this. She shook her head. We've discussed this, Zoe. I'm modern single woman, it's my effing birthday, and though my libido is as large as the Atlantic Ocean and growing, I haven't been laid in eons. Oh, yeah? What's an eon to you? And tell me, why must your sex partners be strangers? Two months is an eon. And my sex partners, as you so coolly call them, must be strangers for three reasons. First, though threesomes are probably written about more than they happen, when they do happen, it's ten times more likely to happen with strangers. Second, many women fantasize about sex with a stranger or, in this case, two strangers. Third, if I didn't use strangers, who would I use, my publisher's husband and my ex? Having a ménage a trois is my business alone, and that's why I have to use strangers to do this. Have you ever thought about the reasons my love scenes are so arousing and titillating? Zoe's brow furrowed. Because you're a fabulous writer. She smiled at the compliment. More like a good writer, with a fabulous memory. Getting around a lot in my younger years, I gathered a ton of scorching memories. Zoe, those memories, those experiences, are what fuels my sex scenes. Well, can't you just extrapolate your experiences to accommodate a second lover? I thought about that. I probably could project what it would be like from two to three men, but one man to two is a huge jump. My book is nearly complete, and I need to do this to finish it. I'm going before I chicken out. This is not easy to do, you know. Now, if you don't mind, I have a beauty appointment to get these roots bleached. I plan to get laid tonight, come Hell or high water.