C is for Chloe

Chloe is the heroine in Debra's One Great Night.

She's ready, he's not; it's a battle of the sexes with a twist. reads the tag line for this story.

"I want you to be my sex tutor." is the opening line.

In the story, Chloe creates quite the bucket list for herself, with this show-stopper as the number one item. She's almost thirty and feels like she's never experienced real passion. On the outside she seems wild and carefree and totally sure of herself. On the inside, she's vulnerable and insecure. Here's a peek inside her head at the beginning of the story:

She shrugged in what she hoped was a nonchalant manner. “I don’t know. I mean, everyone always talks about how great sex is, but to be honest, I don’t know what the fuss is all about.” Maybe it was her. Maybe she
was doing it wrong. “So.” She toyed with the napkin under her drink. “It’s kind of on my bucket list. To have a night of really great sex.”. . .“Well, there are other things on my list, too. I want to get this one out of the way.” To silence the everpresent whispers of self-doubt plaguing every relationship she’d ever had.

I couldn't just pair her with any old guy who would take advantage of her crazy plan. Jason, who sees through the sassy exterior to the hidden uncertainty beneath thinks of her like this:

Yep. T-R-O-U-B-L-E.
One, because he hadn’t been lying earlier when he told her he’d never had a one-night stand. And he wasn’t about to start with his best friend’s baby sister. Second, and more importantly, even his body’s instinctual reaction to her sexy flirting couldn’t make him forget the flash of vulnerability in her eyes earlier. Would she ever tell him why she was so insistent on going through with her crazy plan? There was more to it than bragging rights with girlfriends. If she told him, would it explain why she played the vamp and tease to hide that vulnerability?

And throughout most of the story, even though she's never quite sure of herself, her faith in Jason is one thing that never waivers.

He clicked off the set with the remote. “Nope. We have more important things to do.”
“Like checking something off my list?”
“Yep.”
Chloe’s heart pounded. Was it finally time? She licked dry lips. “Well it’s about time, Williams.” Then she paused. “Wait. You said we were going for a drive.”
“We are.”
Was he planning on taking her to a hotel somewhere? Wasn’t that kind of sordid? “Why can’t we just...um...do it”—she gulped—“here?”
“Here won’t work for what I have planned.” The low drawl made her knees weak.
She swallowed. “Remember, I’m pretty much a beginner. I think here is fine. Unless you want to go to your place?”
“We can go wherever you want.” He threaded his fingers through the loose hair at her temples and tilted her face up. “You’re in the driver’s seat.” The deep blue of his eyes scrambled her brain.
She lost herself in the depths for long drawn out moments. “Then I want to stay here.”
He smiled, but shook his head. “Not an option for what I have in mind.”
Yikes. She was in over her head. Like she’d always known. Better to be in familiar, comfortable surroundings. “Really, my bedroom’s right down the hall about ten feet away.” She gestured. “Won’t that be easier?”
“Nope.” He brushed a kiss across her forehead.
“Come on.” He tugged her hand.
“Jason, really, I—”
“Trust me.”
Calm settled over her, stilling the twist of nerves. She did. Enough to follow him to the ends of the earth if he asked.

Chloe and Jason's story was definitely a fun one to write. I was thrilled when it won the honor of Best Contemporary Short in the 2015 IDA Contest. :)

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com