The second book in a sexy and sophisticated series of erotica, with a twist: women control their fantasies and men will do anything to satisfy them.

The hotly anticipated sequel to the erotic sensation S.E.C.R.E.T., where women’s sexual fantasies become reality Still wounded from a recent heartbreak over her boss and lover, Will, Cassie Robichaud throws herself into service with S.E.C.R.E.T., the mysterious organization that changed her forever by bringing her deepest sexual fantasies to life, one step at a time. Now, it’s Cassie’s turn to guide the group’s newest candidate, Dauphine Mason, recruiting men to execute a new set of fantasies. At thirty-one, Dauphine is the proprietor of a New Orleans vintage clothing store. She’s been harboring a crush on Mark Drury, a local rock star, but is too shy to put herself out there with him. She turns to S.E.C.R.E.T. to reignite her sexual flame and find the confidence to risk her heart again with another man. As Cassie worries that the right time will never come for her and Will, she finds inspiration helping Dauphine in S.E.C.R.E.T. Both women navigate the rocky path between their hearts and their passions, hoping to discover what they truly want in life and in love. S.E.C.R.E.T. Shared is a romantic, adventurous, and sexually charged sequel to one of the hottest new series in erotica.

Autorentext

L. Marie Adeline

Zusammenfassung
Praise for L. Marie Adeline's S.E.C.R.E.T. trilogy

[Adeline] takes the casual out of casual sex and infuses even scenes where you know the characters won't see each other again with an emotional authenticity as well as physical chemistry. USA Today

Enough heat to satisfy even the most voracious of erotica devotees, and the female-empowerment angle might encourage hesitant-but-curious readers to challenge their own inhibitions and give erotica a try. BookPage

Smoothly written. . . . Sexy. Kirkus Reivews

[S.E.C.R.E.T.] will have you unleashing your own inner goddess. Romantic Times

Leseprobe
**1

Cassie**

Three thoughts occurred to me that morning while stretching awake across my bed in Marigny.

One, it had been six weeks since that incredible night with Will.

Two, I had fallen asleep with my S.E.C.R.E.T. bracelet on again, which hadn t been a problem when it had only one or two charms on it. But there were ten now, so the gold pressed into the tender flesh of my wrists, leaving marks.

And three, it was my birthday. My cat, Dixie, blinked at me from the foot of the bed. I reached down and pulled her into an embrace, where she purred herself back to sleep, a skill I wish I had.

I am thirty-six years old today, Dixie, I said, scratching her ears.

Another year had snuck up on me like a bratty prankster. I hadn t been paying attention to time passing until after my night with Will. Time had begun to slow. Some days ached past, work at the Café Rose being both a major comfort and the salt in the very wound I needed to heal. How could I get over Will when I saw him every day? How could I continue acting like nothing had happened between us the night I d danced in Les Filles de Frenchmen Revue and we d kissed our way back to the Café, up the stairs to that dusty room, where he tore off my burlesque outfit and tossed me backwards on a mattress lit by moonlight? Though he didn t know it, I had chosen him that night as my final fantasy. He knew only how badly I wanted him.

For me the lines between fact and fantasy had dissolved and he became real to me. His skin felt like home. We kissed like we d been doing it for decades. We fit, our bodies perfectly molded for the things we did to each other naturally, wordlessly. It was beyond fantasy. And to think that all this time he had been right under my nose and I hadn t seen him, couldn t see him. But after a year of S.E.C.R.E.T., after a year of pushing myself past self-imposed boundaries, I had unleashed something very real inside of myself. And when Will told me he and Tracina had broken up, I felt the universe finally aligning in my favor. The morning after our magical night, I thought Will was my reward for coming back to life.

I was wrong.

More than any other memory from that night, it s Tracina s face that haunts me ashen yet hopeful, her steady voice delivering the kind of hard facts that kill fantasies. She told me she was pregnant with Will s baby, and that he was thrilled when he found out.

What do you do with that very real information just when you think you ve found the love of your life? You feel the final bubble burst around your fantasy and you walk away. That s what I did. All the way across the city to the Coach House, where Matilda dried my tears. There she reminded me that embedded in every fantasy is reality.

People love the fantasy, she said. But they ignore the facts to their detriment. And there s a price to pay when you do that. Always.

Fact number one: Will and I were finally together.
Fact number two: I was quite possibly in love with him.
Fact number three: His ex-girlfriend was pregnant.
Fact number four: When she told him, they got back together.
Fact number five: Will and I cannot be together.

Because Will was my boss, I had planned to quit my job right away, but Matilda urged me never to let heartbreak get in the way of very practical concerns, like work, paying rent, being responsible and fulfilling obligations.

Don t give men that much power, Cassie. Get on with the task of living. You ve had a lot of practice this past year.

I was such a tear-stained mess that morning. I wasn t certain whether joining S.E.C.R.E.T. was the right decision. But at least I was making a decision. That was new for me. Prior to S.E.C.R.E.T., I alw