The Seduction Plan by Elizabeth Lennox

what time that was but it must have been before the sun came over the horizon, then he would come back to be here for her when she was ready to go home.
    The schedule was crazy, being with Victor from dinner until the next morning, but her writing was exceptional. By rights, she should be exhausted, getting only four or five hours of sleep each night. But actually, she felt rejuvenated, exhilarated, filled with a joy she never would have conceived possible before meeting Victor. He thrilled her in so many ways. Just eating dinner with him was filled with either laughter or challenging arguments about any subject available. They talked about everything while enjoying lavish meals prepared by his cook, then, after decadent desserts, he would pull her into his arms and carry her off to bed where they would spend the rest of the evening, reveling in each other’s arms.
    A week and several sleepless, sexually mindboggling nights later, Lana was working on her manuscript in the afternoon when the buzzer for her apartment went off. She looked up at the intercom, irritated by the interruption since the scene she was building was getting better and better as her fingers flew over the keyboard. The interruption was offensive, even though the person doing the interruption couldn’t have any idea what he or she was doing to her concentration.
    Glaring at the door, she accepted that the fastest way to get back to her story was to answer the silly caller and get rid of them. It was probably just a marketer since her friends and business acquaintances would call before coming over, so she could get rid of them quickly. Knowing that they wouldn’t leave her alone immediately, she sighed heavily and swallowed her irritated words. Walking over to press the button, she said, “Hello?” She cringed when she heard the almost harsh tone of her voice. Since when had she become a shrew? That was never like her before. But she’d never been this involved with her manuscript before and she was hurrying in the hopes that she wouldn’t lose her train of thought.
“Delivery for Ms. Michaels,” a male voice said through the speaker.
    Lana was startled by the response. A delivery? For her? That was very odd. She never received deliveries. “Okay, leave it at the door and I’ll pick it up later.” She looked down at her leggings and baggy shirt, then shrugged. Before meeting Victor, she’d never leave her apartment looking this unkempt. Lana had always made sure she looked neat and coordinated, a legacy left over from Drew who would criticize her if she didn’t look her best. But her whole world had changed in the last couple of weeks. Her wardrobe was just one of the details that had fallen to the wayside in deference to her writing. She simply didn’t have time to worry about what she looked like until it was time to meet Victor in the evening. Life seemed to be rushing at her more quickly, and she really liked it.
    She waited several seconds for the delivery person to leave, then grabbed her keys from the hook by her door and took the elevator down to the lobby. She hadn’t ordered anything so she wasn’t sure what could possibly be delivered. Whatever it was, she didn’t want a stranger to enter the building and she didn’t want to be caught picking whatever it was up by someone she didn’t know and didn’t trust. Stranger things had happened in New York City. Everyone in a city took precautions, but a woman alone had to be a little more aware of security than people paired up.
    As soon as she stepped off the elevator, she saw the large, red box with a big white bow. She saw the name of the exclusive boutique and her eyes widened. As she peered through the glass doors that separated the lobby from the elevator area, she wondered if that could possibly be her delivery. It was very large and looked very expensive. Probably someone else’s she told herself, approaching the door warily.
    Lana stood at the glass door for a long moment,