Chapter 1

"So, Louise, what made you sign up for a two hundred and fifty mile charity bicycle ride to Amsterdam?"

Hmm... insanity?

The radio presenter's voice was as smooth as chocolate and for a moment Louise found herself drifting off on an erotic fantasy involving him and a can of whipped cream. Then she remembered she was live on her local radio station and it might be a good idea to answer the damned question.

"Well, Nick, I guess I'm doing it for the challenge!" That and because I figured it would be an excellent way of getting over my dickhead ex boyfriend, she added venomously. "Marie Curie Cancer Care is a very worthy charity and we're hoping to collect as much sponsorship money as possible!"

"What's your target, Louise?"

"Ten thousand pounds!"

"Wow! That's a huge amount!"

You're not kidding there, mate! "If any of your listeners want to sponsor us, they can visit the website..." Louise dutifully gave out the URL of the web page Gary had set up for the ride and before she knew it, her moment of fame was over. The latest boy- band track began to play while Nick thanked her for her time and then she was ignominiously cut off.

"Gee thanks, Nick!" she muttered as his cheesy radio show continued broadcasting across the airwaves. Well, that was it - she had done her bit for publicity now and apart from a photo shoot for the local rag in two days time, all that remained was more cycling and training.

With D-Day less than two weeks away, she had to admit she was starting to feel rather excited about the whole event. She and her bike were fit as a fiddle and she had even acquired several pairs of padded cycling shorts to alleviate any possible discomfort. All that remained was to pray for decent weather and the four days would be a breeze.

"Earth to Louise?" Her boss's voice abruptly cut through her thoughts, nearly causing her to knock the half empty mug of coffee all over her keyboard.

"Ahem, sorry, Mr Foster! I just did an interview for Minstrel FM..."

"Well that's great — but do you think you can finish the invoices now?" Mr Foster appeared less than impressed at her new celeb status and Louise hurriedly tidied the pile of paperwork on her desk into a more organised state.

"Yeah, don't worry, I'm on it!" She grinned cheerfully and hoped that he wouldn't make her stay late again. She really needed to do a session down at the gym after missing her workout for the last two nights.

"Good. I'll look forward to seeing the drafts on my desk by five o'clock." He gave her a hard stare before walking out of the office.

Oh fuck, she thought. At this rate I'll still be here at eight o'clock. She knew from bitter experience that rough drafts always came back covered in umpteen red pen marks. It wasn't as if she was deliberately careless; she was just not good with the minor details. She sometimes wondered if maybe she would be far better suited in another line of work.

Lap dancing perhaps?

Maybe the bike ride would give her the opportunity to think more clearly. Or maybe it would just tire her out so damned much she wouldn't have the energy to think at all. That was probably the most ideal scenario.

"Want another coffee?" Sally asked as she sauntered in on her unfeasibly high stilettos while Louise collapsed on her desk with an expression of woe.

"Oh yeah — make it a black one — I need the caffeine!"

Sally chuckled as she took in the debris all over her friend's desk. "Gotten behind a little?" she chided, knowing how disorganised Louise was at the best of times.

"Hmm, just slightly, and now Mr Foster is on my case big time!" She rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Oh don't sweat it. He's leaving early tonight and he won't be in for the next two days. Family funeral I hear."

That's a relief, thought Louise. This meant she wouldn't need to break her neck finishing the invoices.

"Hey, I heard you on the radio!" Sally grinned. "You sounded ace!"

"Really?" Louise wasn't all that convinced about sounding ace, but as long as she hadn't come across like a total idiot, then it was okay.

"Yeah, really! Malcolm in accounts was practically drooling at every word you spoke." Sally leant forward confidentially and winked. "In fact," she revealed in a whisper, "I think your husky voice actually gave him a hard-on!"

"Oh you're such a bitch!" Louise grabbed her ruler and whacked the other girl across the arm.

"Ouch!" Sally yelled in outrage as she jumped back, rubbing the red patch on her arm. "That hurt!"

Then she grinned naughtily again. "If you go and ask him now, I bet he'll definitely sponsor you!"

"Yes he might, but it's the payback that worries me!"

They both grimaced at the thought of lecherous Malcolm expecting something in return for his cash. No charity in the world was worth that kind of commitment.

"Right, coffee-time!" Sally picked up the Louise's mug and threw the cold dregs into the Palm pot by the door. It was no wonder the poor thing looked so sick all the time; it was slowly being overdosed on caffeine.

Louise returned her attention to the office expenses with a sigh. Time was ticking on and if she didn't get her arse into gear, she'd miss the gym yet again.

The place was half empty when she finally keyed in the entry code and walked through the door. It was kind of late to be arriving, but she knew that missing another session was likely to be fatal for her fitness levels. Unfortunately, running between Mr Foster's office and the photocopier could hardly be considered a cardio workout.

A couple of heavily tanned blokes were energetically running on the treadmills but Louise resolutely ignored them. She plugged her i-pod into her ear and headed for a bike to do a warm up. Soon her favourite tracks were washing over her as her body broke out in a sweat. All the crap of her working day slowly drowned on a surge of endorphins and she began to enjoy herself.

By the time she had finished a five-kilometre run, she looked around and realised that, much to her surprise, the place was empty. She hadn't realised how late it was and she hurriedly headed to the water cooler for a drink. It was definitely time to go home and eat something — now she had finished her workout she was starving!

Tucking a few stray tendrils of long blonde hair behind her ear, she drank the cold water and closed her eyes momentarily. Her body felt pleasantly tired, but it was a good feeling. Pizza or pasta, she mused silently, still listening to her music. Yep, pasta with pesto sauce sounded good. Lots of cheese - yum!

"Good workout?" asked a deep male voice in her ear.

Louise jumped and pulled out the earpiece from her i-pod. "Sorry?" she replied in confusion. One of the gym staff was standing beside her, his brown eyes twinkling in amusement.

"I asked if you had a good workout!" he repeated with a grin. Louise felt suddenly flustered, horribly aware that her face was bright red and her tee shirt was damp with perspiration.

"Erm yeah, great, thanks," she said through gritted teeth, wishing like hell that she was one of those amazing women who actually looked sexy after a strenuous workout.

"Excellent," the man smiled. He poured himself a cup of water and looked speculatively at her for a moment. "Did you know we offer sports massages as part of our service?"

Louise glanced at the clock on the wall; it was late. Did he not have somewhere to go? "No, I didn't," she replied rather irritably.

"Yes, it's an added extra we've recently introduced." He grinned disarmingly and pointed to a poster on the wall behind the water cooler. Sure enough, in large letters, Sports Massage available with qualified masseuse — Paolo Di Marco.

"I'm Paolo, by the way," the man explained. Somehow Louise wasn't surprised to hear this. With his olive complexion and devastating eyes, the guy had to be foreign. She wondered if he was Italian... or maybe Spanish... Hell, either of those nationalities would do — she wasn't fussy!

"Hi, I'm Louise." They smiled politely at each other before she drank the rest of the water and glanced at her watch. "Is this place closing shortly?" she asked, conscious that they seemed to be the last people in here.

"Not for another hour. Don't worry — you don't need to rush off." Paolo's voice was laden with promise and Louise began to wonder what other services he offered.

"So... how do I get a massage?" she asked brightly.

"You just ask me." Paolo took a step closer. Louise felt her pulse begin to race again, only this time it had nothing to do with the treadmill.

"How much does it cost?"

"The first consultation is free," Paolo explained helpfully, all the while standing within breathing distance and making Louise feel hotter than ever. "I use the first session as a way of devising a treatment plan. We look at all your problem areas and assess what needs doing."

It was amazing how the man could make the most innocuous words sound like foreplay, she mused in admiration.

"But I don't think I have any problem areas?"

"No tension or... aches at all?"

Louise thought about it. Oh she was feeling tense all right — just not from her recent workout. "Not exactly..." she said cagily.

"Are you sure?" His voice was silkily smooth and Louise could feel herself beginning to slip under his Latin spell.

"Well... err... maybe some," she conceded reluctantly, hoping against hope that he couldn't tell how turned on she was becoming.

"A perfect candidate then!" he beamed with enthusiasm. "Since the gym is quiet, how about your free consultation right now?"

Louise could think of no good reason to decline such a tempting offer. Hunger had been relegated into the farthest recesses of her mind and her libido was firmly in control. "Okay," she agreed recklessly.