Tempting a Cowboy
By
Clarissa Yip
A 1 Night Stand Story
Smashwords Edition
Copyright © 2011 by Clarissa Yip
ISBN: 978-1-61333-024-1
Cover art by Dara England
The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement (including infringement without monetary gain) is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in, or encourage, the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC
Look for us online at:
Chapter One
“This is going to be so much fun!”
Mia drew in a ragged breath and frowned at Sarah, one of her two best friends, as they fought their way through the crowd to baggage claim at McCarran airport. Thousands of miles from home, Sarah’s excitement was more than annoying, and the urge to duct tape her friend’s mouth became stronger with each step Mia took.
She couldn’t believe she was actually in Vegas. On a dare.
“Sarah, zip it,” Brenda warned, as they pushed past a couple talking on their cell phones.
Sarah glared. “What? We’re in Las Vegas. They say what happens here stays here.”
“Oh, get over yourself. That new kick of yours is starting to get on my nerves.” Brenda hiked up the shoulder strap of her purse as they forged on.
Leave it to Brenda to voice her opinions out loud, considering it was her fault Mia was there in the first place.
“Mia, tell me, aren’t you excited at all?” Sarah ran to keep up with them.
“Yes. Oodles.” Mia couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of her tone. Signing up for Madame Eve’s 1NightStand service was insane, but she’d gone along with it just to prove she wasn’t the loser or recluse her friends believed her to be. So what if she liked hiding in her apartment and reading? So what if she didn’t like to go out and socialize?
Brenda laughed. “Oh, stop. You’ll have fun. I promise.”
Mia grunted. Brenda’s idea of a good time was never simple. It was a wonder three women so different from each other could be best friends. But then, trouble made a habit of following them, and as long as they had one another, everything usually worked out. “I know you’ll have fun, for sure.”
“You will too, because I’m determined to have a blast,” Sarah added.
Mia sighed. Sarah was on a reform kick. Bored with being the good girl in town, she’d been the first to agree to Brenda’s insane idea. And here they were, in Vegas, set up to meet strange men for one night. Possibilities were unpredictable.
“Don’t tell me you want to chicken out? We already paid Madame Eve. Besides, if we don’t show up, it’s a breach of contract.” Brenda stopped short in Mia's path.
She and Sarah came to a standstill.
“I’m fine.” Mia forced the words past her lips even though her heart pounded a hundred miles a minute. It’d started as a dare, but once reality hit, Mia couldn’t get out of the situation without disappointing her friends. The idea of being alone with a stranger didn’t scare her as much as her family finding out what they were up to. When she’d packed and informed her mother and brother she was going away for a girls’ weekend in the Bahamas, they’d been more than happy that she wasn’t putting in extra hours at the library. She’d been lying through her teeth about going to Nassau. Her brother was supposed to be in Vegas for a meeting and if she ran into Evan, her life was over.
Brenda eyed her warily. “You need this. Maybe it’ll keep your head out of those damn books for more than an hour.”
Mia sighed as they continued on their trek to baggage claim. “Are you sure you guys want to do this?”
“I do, I do,” Sarah chanted.
Mia shared a look with Brenda and they laughed. Sarah was the ditzy one between them. It had to be from hanging out with all those kindergarten kids as a teacher. “We know you are. You were the first to agree to the craziness.”