It was a dance of lust, pure and simple.
The woman stalked her partner – her lucky, lucky partner – with a predatory sexuality. Every move was eloquent, hot and demanding, every glance one of seduction.
Brady stared at Thea’s face as the dancers whirled past. Her eyes, wide and lovely, were deep as sin. They were the kind of eyes that could hold a man spellbound. Then she closed them, her lashes black fans on her cheeks as she gave herself over to the pounding, driving music.
The dancers came before them, their steps now slow, now quick, circling one another in a choreographed seduction that had Brady’s body tightening with need. The dancers teased, tormented, stepping ever closer to the edge of the crowd.
Then Thea’s eyes flicked open and she stared directly at Brady, her gaze filled with desire.
“Would you like to dance with me?”
Dear Reader,
Writing is a journey of discovery. In the case of a group like the Supper Club, there are a lot of characters to know and follow. Most were speaking with their own voices in my head from the beginning (trust me, it gets loud in there sometimes). Thea was so self-contained, so internalised it was hard to really figure out who she was and what she needed. I knew where she’d come from, I knew what had happened to her in New York, but I didn’t really know her. Discovering her personality and sense of humour, watching her learn about how to live life from a free spirit like Brady McMillan (and a silly pug named Darlene) has been a delight. Meanwhile, the stories of the other characters, particularly Kelly’s, continue. Stay tuned for more.
I hope you’ll drop me a line at Kristin@ kristinhardy.com and let me know what you think. Look for the series to wind up with a bang with Delaney’s story in August 2008. To keep track, sign up for my newsletter at www. kristinhardy. com, where you can also find contests, recipes and updates on my recent and upcoming releases.
Have fun,
Kristin Hardy
HOT MOVES
BY
KRISTIN HARDY
MILLS & BOON
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To Brian, the check is in the mail
To Kathryn and Teresa, more than usual
And to Stephen, more than you can ever know
CAST OF CHARACTERS FOR SEX & THE SUPPER CLUB
Book 1 – Turn Me On Sabrina Pantolini and Stef Costas
Book 2 – Cutting Loose Trish Dawson and Ty Ramsay
Book 3 – Nothing But the Best Cilla Danforth and Rand Mitchell
Book 4 – Bad Influence Paige Favreau and Zach Reed
Book 5 – Hot Moves Thea Mitchell and Brady McMillan
Book 6 – Bad Behaviour Delaney Phillips and? Coming August 2008
Prologue
Los Angeles, 1996
“I KNEW YOU GUYS WERE up to something.” Eyes alight with fun, Thea Mitchell glanced at her friends clustered around the restaurant table. They’d met the year before on the drama department’s production of Henry VI. The friendships formed had stuck.
“It’s your birthday,” said Cilla Danforth, wardrobe mistress, leaning out of the way to allow the waiter to take her plate. “Anyway, the costumes are almost done and the dress rehearsal isn’t until next week, so no reason we shouldn’t sneak out of the workshop early to celebrate.”
“The backdrops and props are ready to go,” added set designer Paige Favreau, who’d rather predictably gotten her work finished weeks before.
Trish Dawson stirred. “Everyone’s got their copies of the final script.” And as script doctor, it was her business to know. “If the choreography’s set, then we’re ready.”
“Done last week.” Thea stroked her fingers along the magenta feather boa Cilla had given her to wear along with a rhinestone tiara that crowned her thick tumble of dark hair. “I’m on top of my moves.”
“So’s the guy over at the bar. He’s been watching you all night,” said the play’s publicity manager Delaney Phillips. The man in question was dark-haired and intense, handsome if you liked the GQ type.
Thea didn’t, much. “I’ll pass. Now him,” she added, glancing over at a tousled blonde drinking a beer. “He’s definitely my kind of guy.” He glanced over and caught her looking and she blushed a little but held his gaze.
“So what’s your birthday resolution?” Trish asked, invoking what had become a group ritual.
“Hmm? Oh, I don’t know. To have fun.”
Delaney imitated a buzzer on a game show. “Too vague, Mitchell. Try again.”
Thea grinned. “Okay, how about this? To take more chances.” Then her attention was drawn by candles flickering on a cake being carried to her by the waiter. “Like on this chocolate cake for example. I’ll take a chance on it any day.”
Sabrina Pantolini, from the film department, got up with her camera. Whether she was armed with her camcorder or her Nikon, if Sabrina didn’t capture it in pictures, she never quite felt like it had happened. “Okay, everybody lean in and say ‘sex,” ’ she ordered.
“Can’t we just have sex, instead?” Thea pouted.
“You can do that, too, birthday girl,” Kelly, the group’s journalist told her. “Just make a wish and blow out the candles.”
Thea winked. “Make a wish? How about me and Blondie?”
“Better blow hard,” Delaney suggested.
“I blow just right,” Thea told her. She took a breath and turned to the cake.
“Excuse me.”
And the breath whooshed out of her lungs as she looked up, snuffing out only part of the candles.
The man from the bar stood over her. He was taller than she’d estimated when he was sitting. Up close, he was clearly older, forties, maybe, with a look of command in his pale eyes. Eyes that focused solely on Thea.
“I see congratulations are in order.” His gaze zeroed in on her lips, skimmed the neckline of her low-cut red T-shirt. “What’s your name?”
“Thea,” she replied.
“Happy birthday, Thea. My name’s Derek.” Cilla’s eyes widened. He didn’t notice, nor did Thea. “You’ve got ten candles on the cake. Is that how old you are, ten?”
“Nineteen,” she responded without thinking.
“It could still work,” he murmured,