Flirting with Fire

Cristian Bianco has two things against him - he's a police officer and he's a police officer in the 18th District…meaning my dad is his boss. Growing up as the Commander's daughter and having his magnifying glass focused on everything I did was more than I could handle.

Luca Bianco is a jerk. There I said it. Men like Luca are good for one thing only - a one-night stand - not commitment. I don’t care if my friend did pay good money at a charity bachelor auction for me to go on a date with him, I refuse to do it. That is until Luca offers me a deal I can’t refuse, and I agree to be his pretend fiancé. The heat that’s simmered between us for a decade ignites and I’m not sure even Luca will be able to kickstart my heart after I call code blue.

If you’re a guy like me, and you find yourself having banged your sexy new boss - the school principal - in the back of your Jeep one drunken night, here’s a few takeaways based on my experience. Lesson One: Always get her full name. Lesson Two: Consider asking what she does for a living. Lesson Three: Find out why she’s moved to town. Get details. Details are crucial....

I swore off anyone remotely like my ex. On the top of that list? Attorneys. Everyone knows they can't be trusted. Now that I've moved back into my childhood home in Chicago, my focus is my daughter, my mom, and me. Then I see Reed Warner again. I push him away, but somehow he weasels his way into every part of my life, not willing to take "No" for an answer. In spite of my better judgment, I can't stop thinking about the way his designer suits fit his muscular frame. The problem? Not only is he a lawyer...he was the best man at my wedding.

The world’s sexiest firefighter is about to get a second chance with the virgin next door.... He’s bossy, arrogant, and so ridiculously hot that he should come with a warning label and a pair of flame-retardant coveralls. He’s also the boy who broke my heart when we were in high school. I want to move in next door to Ryan O’Dell the way I want to be the virgin gamer geek suddenly in charge of running my sister’s sex-toy factory. Too bad both are written in my stars.

He’s bossy, moody, and overprotective. He’s also a pro athlete who needs to focus on winning games and staying out of the headlines. I’m fiercely independent and need a man like I need a second period each month. So when our worlds collide, I never expected him to be the one to jump in and save me. Especially not when my roommate disappears, leaving me with her baby. I’m clueless about babies - and it shows. Good thing Alexei isn’t.

Awkward? Maybe. But how else is a good girl going to find out if she likes being naughty? I might be sweet as cherry pie, but I'm also bold and damn curious. And Gabe is charming, trustworthy, aces at seduction (or so I hear) and - bonus! - willing to give me lessons. But to guarantee it won’t ruin our friendship, I have some specific requirements for his instruction. I want these classes to be hypothetical more than hands-on. So what if he’s hella sexy? I can handle that, no problem.  

Full disclosure: Before we move forward with this email, I would like it to be known that I have consumed an adequate amount of alcoholic beverages to intoxicate myself tonight. Three margaritas, two shots, and one beer - because it was free. I think it's important to be open and honest with your coworkers, don't you? So here I am, being open and honest. Drunk but honest. Or just drunk with lust? You decide. I have a hopeless, foolish, schoolgirl crush on you when you are the last person on earth I should be falling for. Did you know people around the office call you a sadist?

Bad boys? They run right over good girls like Georgina Keller. But after a confidence-shattering breakup, she’s determined not to let anyone at her new workplace push her around - least of all the brooding creative director, a “bad boy of publishing”. Sebastian Quinn's taste for fast cars, late nights, and beautiful women may have gotten him to the top of a leading New York magazine, but the reputation that made him is suddenly threatening to end his career. Georgina can help Modern Man shed its bad reputation, but in order to do that, she’ll have to start at the top.

Turn-ons: party girls. Platinum blondes. Zero expectations. I used to think if you could combine all three into one female, you'd have the perfect woman. Then why the hell does Ava Pearson - an outdoorsy girl, a brunette, and a woman who screams stability and responsibility - seem to be the only woman on my mind lately? It's the cupcakes. It's gotta be the cupcakes she bakes that keep me coming back for more. After all, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, right? Did I forget to mention she's my buddy's daughter?

Who knew sleeping with the enemy could be this fun? Was the one night stand a good idea? Well, no. Probably not in retrospect. In my defense, I had just moved back into my grandparents' house, I'd lost my dream job, and a guy on Tinder had stood me up. It was like life had suddenly stamped 'loser' on my forehead. I fully admit to feeling sorry for myself and acting impulsively, but by the time I'd figured out who the bartender was, I was already falling for him.

The only thing about me that’s a size zero is the filter on my mouth. I’ve got a big personality, a big rack, and a big number on the scale. And I’m perfectly fine with that. But when some random guy suggests I might not be eating alone if I’d ordered a salad instead of a hamburger I’m shocked silent, which is a feat, trust me. That brings us to one sexy fireman named Frankie Hartigan. He’s hot. He’s funny. And he’s just apologized for being late for our “date” then glared at the fat-shaming jerk.

Some women just have it - that combination of stunning looks and sexual confidence that brings men to their knees. Not me. My last boyfriend once fell asleep while we were...you know. Not my proudest moment. And my crush on my hot, arrogant, and oh-so-unattainable CEO? Never going to happen. But one night, after too much wine, I find myself online, creating a profile for a sex kitten called SweetVixen. Safe behind my computer screen, I'm suddenly the seductive goddess of my wildest imagination.

Picture this - I’m ready to win back the love of my life, and I’m going big this time. We’re talking boom box, sing her name in the rain, let the whole damn neighborhood know I'm good and ready this time around. After all, if you're going to grand gesture the ever-loving hell out of a second chance, you need to pull out all the stops. There’s only one little problem. My college girlfriend isn't the one who shows up when I play my "I'll do anything to win you back" tune. The woman who flings open the second-floor window tells me my ex doesn’t live here anymore.

First grade teacher Emily Towson always does the right thing. The sensible thing. But in her dreams, she does bad, bad things with the town’s baddest boy: Tanner O’Connor. But when he sells her grandmother a Harley, fantasy is about to meet a dose of reality. Tanner can’t believe sweet Emily is standing in his shop. Yelling and waving her hands and looking so god damn sexy he’s having trouble focusing. He’d spent two hard years in prison, with only the thought of this “good girl” to keep him sane.