Caught-in-the-Middle

307 Pages·2016·1.18 MB·English

by  Holt Desiree

A Total-E-Bound Publication

www.total-e-bound.com

Caught in the Middle Anthology
ISBN # 978-1-906811-69-3
Swingtime ©Copyright Desiree Holt 2009
Charity’s Auction ©Copyright Ashley Ladd 2009
Between Tooth and Claw ©Copyright Kim Dare 2009
Mating Season ©Copyright Nadia Aidan 2009
Magical Ménage ©Copyright Crissy Smith 2009
Trouble for Three ©Copyright Sascha Illyvich 2009
Cover Art by Natalie Winters ©Copyright May 2009
Edited by Michele Paulin, Christine Allen-Riley, Jess Bimberg
Total-E-Bound Publishing

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination
and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or
places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form,
whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of
the publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing.

Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Total-E-Bound
Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil
proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs
and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator
of the artwork.

Published in 2009 by Total-E-Bound Publishing 1 The Corner, Faldingworth Road,
Spridlington, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, LN8 2DE, UK.

Warning: This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature
readers. This story has been rated Total-e-burning/Total-e-melting.
CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE ANTHOLOGY

Swingtime
Desiree Holt

Charity’s Auction
Ashley Ladd

Between Tooth and Paw
Kim Dare

Mating Season
Nadia Aidan

Magical Ménage
Crissy Smith

Trouble for Three
Sascha Illyvich
SWINGTIME

Desiree Holt
Dedication

To all my fellow TEB authors who continue to inspire me, and the editor who knows how to
make my stories sing. Thanks Michele. You’re the best.
SWINGTIME Desiree Holt 6
Chapter One

Lanie Burrell flipped a page in the book she was reading and sighed. Since she’d taken
a job as reviewer for erotic romance publishers, she’d become all too aware of how pitiful her
own sex life was. She could only lose herself in the pages of someone else’s fantasy so many
times before wondering if she’d ever get to live out her fantasies. If the closest she would get
was reading about them while she sunned herself on her patio.
She turned a page and sighed. This particular book was about a ménage, and the
heroine was in bed for the first time with both lovers. Naked, they lay back on the cool cotton
sheets, hands stroking each other, touching each other’s sex organs in erotic exploration. The
heroine had just—
“Lanie?”
The deep male voice startled her, and she jumped, dropping her book on the patio
beside her chair.
“Ohmigod, Cody.” She pressed her hand to her heart. “You scared me out of ten years’
growth.”
Her neighbour didn’t usually sneak up on her this way. It was bad enough living on the
same cul-de-sac with a man who made her mouth water, her nipples stand at attention and
her crotch dampen whenever she laid eyes on him, but she usually had enough warning that
she could keep herself under control. Today not only had he walked into her yard without
notice, but if she’d been an aggressive, uninhibited female, she would have given in to her
feelings and thrown herself at him, begging for wild, crazy sex.
Cody Hawkins was a magnificent six-foot-two, with well-defined muscles rippling
beneath skin tanned the colour of old bronze. Black hair cut deliberately shaggy fell just
below the nape of his neck like black silk, the colour echoed by his thick eyelashes that
framed electric-blue eyes and the pelt of hair that covered his chest and arrowed down below
his waistband. Today, it was all visible because he wore only the briefest of cut-off shorts, the
rest of him, including his sculpted, muscular legs, on glorious, mouth-watering display.
SWINGTIME Desiree Holt 7
He grinned at her, one dimple flashing at a corner of his very sexy mouth. “Sorry,
sugar. I didn’t mean to creep up on you this way, but you were totally into your book.”
Before she could grab for it, he picked it up and looked at the cover, his grin widening.
“My, my. ‘Three To Make Ready’, huh? And is this a ménage I see on the cover?” His eyes
sparkled with mischief when he looked at her. “Lanie, you definitely surprise me.”
She yanked the book away from him, at the same time trying to tug on a T-shirt over
her halter, covering her too-exposed flesh. Not that getting naked with Cody Hawkins wasn’t
at the forefront of her dreams. “Give me that. My reading material is none of your business.
Anyway, I get paid to read these books.”
One eyebrow lifted. “No kidding. Think I could get a job like that in my spare time?”
Lanie held the book behind her back, the heat of embarrassment creeping up her
cheeks. “You could probably write the books,” she snapped. “Anyway, what do you want?”
Cody’s eyes slowly scanned her from head to toe and back up again, sparks of interest
flickering in them. “I wonder if I’ve misjudged you all this time, Lanie Burrell. You might
have hidden talents it would be fun to look for.”
You have no idea.
She knew Cody got a kick out of teasing her, sure that she’d never take him up on any
of his offers. She could hardly tell him that at night when she crawled into bed with her
battery-operated toys he played the leading role in every one of her fantasies. The first time
she’d met him, a spike of sexual arousal had run through her so strong it had literally made
her weak. Every time she’d seen him since then, the attraction had grown. She’d love nothing
more than a relationship with this man who made her heart stumble.
But Cody travelled with a crowd far more glamorous and sophisticated than she was.
She had nothing to interest him. Nothing to offer him. And she needed to get him out of here
right now before she put her foot in her mouth.
“Forget about my talents. I’m sure you didn’t come over here to discuss my reading
material, so what’s the deal?”
He sighed dramatically. “Rejected again. Okay, okay.” He held up his hands. “I just
wanted to remind you I’m having another party tonight. In case you wanted to, you know,
go out or whatever it is you when I…entertain.”
Ah, yes. When Cody entertains.
SWINGTIME Desiree Holt 8
By a strange twist of circumstance, she and Cody owned the only two houses on this
cul-de-sac. The rest was beautiful green space—thick trees, an abundance of natural
shrubbery, habitats for small animals. Once upon a time a builder had planned lots for the
entire short street, but financial miscalculations had wiped him out. He’d been forced to put
the two completed spec houses and the land up for sale. Lanie had arrived at the realtors
office after scoping out the house to make an offer, only to discover that Cody, an electronics
gazillionaire, had made an offer for the entire package. To this day, she still didn’t know why
he’d backed off and let her buy the other house.
But a month after she moved in, she discovered why he needed the privacy the street
afforded.

* * * *

The night of her discovery, car doors had been slamming for ten minutes and raucous
laughter splitting the night had teased at Lanie’s curiosity. When her friend, Michele,
discovered where she was living, she’d laughed and told her Cody Hawkins’ lifestyle was
the stuff of legends. Lanie, who had never been adventurous where sex was concerned, was
stunned to learn her new neighbour indulged in a no holds barred sexual lifestyle, even as
her imagination wove fanciful scenes about what would happen across the street from her.
“Always the same people,” Michele grinned. “A very exclusive club. I hear they have
threesomes and foursomes and they all perform for each other.”
Listening to Michele regale her with details, Lanie’s face had burned even as she’d
soaked her crotch and an unsatisfied itch had overtaken her.
Now she would have a chance to see if her friend was right.
She moved to the window at the end of the hall on the second floor, the spot that gave
her the best view of Cody’s house and grounds. The sliding door to the pool opened, and five
naked people ran outside, laughing, and jumped into the pool. She knew she should just
mind her own business, but she couldn’t seem to move her hypnotised self away from the
window.
Before long, everyone hauled themselves out of the pool and fell onto the extra-wide
lounge chairs, proceeding to indulge in sex acts Lanie had so far only read about in the books
SWINGTIME Desiree Holt 9
she reviewed. Duos, threesomes, even four or five people in what she’d learned was called a
daisy chain, filled the night air with exultant cries of sexual satisfaction.
Retreating to her bedroom in a high state of arousal, she nearly wore out her batteries
even as she cringed with embarrassment at what she’d spied on. Resisting every temptation
to steal glances from the window again, she finally put two pillows over her head in an
attempt to shut out the loud laughter and music that went on far into the night.
The next day, after all the cars had left and she was sure Cody was alone, she marched
herself over to his house, wrapping righteous indignation around herself like a suit of
armour. She hadn’t wanted to admit to herself that it was more a case of rampant jealousy
than annoyance at him for his open style of sexual activity. Nor did she want to figure out
why she felt the need to confront him, except that a sleepless night and uncontrollable
arousal had her ready to explode.
He looked slightly sleepy but otherwise none the worse for wear when he opened his
door, dressed only in jeans that rode low on his hips. She had to swallow twice to remind
herself what she was there for.
“We have to talk,” she told him, drawing herself up to her full five foot two.
Her anger might have faded a little if he hadn’t taken a look at her and burst out
laughing.
“What’s so damn funny,” she demanded.
“Sorry, sugar. You just look so cute standing there breathing fire at me.” He swung the
door wider. “Come on in.”
She shook her head. “I have no intention of coming into this den of sin. What I have to
say can be said right out here on the porch.”
He grinned. “Den of sin, huh? Sounds like fun to me.”
Why, oh why, did he have to look so temptingly sexy?
Lanie cleared her throat and drew herself up to her full five-foot-two height. “I saw
naked people by your pool last night.” She wished she didn’t sound so much like a fishwife.
“Indulging in sex acts I didn’t even think were possible.”
“And you’re upset you weren’t invited,” he teased.
“No, damn it. I want to tell you this is a decent neighbourhood, and we don’t tolerate
things like that.”
SWINGTIME Desiree Holt 10
All traces of humour left his face. “Let me remind you, Miss Burrell, I own most of this
neighbourhood, and you have your house only because I’m a nice guy. What I choose to do
is my business. There’s no law that says you have to look, you know.”
“But there is a law against disturbing the peace.” God, all she needed to do to look more
ridiculous was shake her finger at him.
He looked at her for a long time, his sexy as sin mouth twitching with a repressed grin,
his sapphire-blue eyes lit with a fire that threatened to burst forth any minute.
“All right,” he said at last. “You’re my only neighbour and I believe in peaceful
coexistence, believe it or not. I have a lifestyle that obviously offends you so I’ll do my best to
keep it off your radar.”
“Exactly how do you plan to do that?” she demanded.
“How about if I give you warning whenever I’m having…company, and you can lock
yourself up in your house or go out for the night. That sound fair?”
Lanie was torn between arguing with him and wishing he’d invite her to join him. For
Cody Hawkins she could lose a lot of her inhibitions. She drew in a deep breath and let it out
slowly. “Fine. That’ll work.”
As she turned to leave he said, “But you have an open invitation, sugar. I’d sure love to
do wicked things to that sweet body of yours.”
She was shaking as she marched back across the street to her house, sure that he was
silently laughing at her the entire time.

* * * *

“Lanie?” Cody snapped his fingers. “You in there, sugar?”
She realised she’d dropped into some kind of trance, remembering that first
confrontation, and mentally shook herself.
“Sorry. I must have spaced out for a minute.”
“Probably from that hot book your reading,” Cody chuckled.
In which you always play the hero.
She dug her fingernails into her palm to keep herself from blurting out her thoughts.
“Thanks for letting me know about tonight. I think I’ll take in a movie.”