Page 40 of Frankly, My Dear

“Wha-at?” Selene squeaked out and tried to grab her magazine.

He held it out of reach and read a few more lines. “Hmmm,” he said, turning back to her with amazement. “Have you read this interview with Dr. Ruth Westheimer about female sexuality?”

Oh, my God! Her face grew hot and not from sunburn. And she could see that James was enjoying her discomfort immensely.

“And this oral sex that the majority of all women enjoy…what might that be?” he asked, blinking innocently at her. He read more. “Alors! Can these figures be true? Do ladies, other than putains, really do all these scandalous things the author claims?”

Mortified, Selene stood and bent over him with an outstretched hand. “Give me my magazine, you lout,” she demanded, afraid he would read more, not sure what else the article included. “And don’t you dare read any more.”

He did read on, of course, wanting to see what it was she didn’t want him to read. He chuckled when he arrived at the crucial part of the article. “And multiple orgasms? Women of your ‘time’ demand this of their men, do they? And mastur—”

She slapped a hand over his mouth, halting his words. “Stop it. Right now.”

He ran the tip of his tongue over her fingertips, which were still pressed against his lips. She pulled them away as if burned.

“I just wanted you to see the cover. I didn’t mean for you to read the magazine.”

“I’m sure you didn’t, chérie.” Then he frowned and studied her face for a few moments. “On the other hand, maybe you did. Maybe you were just planning a seduction.”

“Seduction? Me?” For the first time, she noticed his sensually parted lips and the haze of passion in his pale eyes. Without thinking, she looked down at his lap and watched, fascinated, as he grew under her steady gaze. She quickly averted her eyes. “Seduction?” she repeated. “Don’t flatter yourself, you dumb schmuck!”

“What did you call me?” he exclaimed in a stunned voice. “I am shocked that even you would use such a coarse word.”

“Huh? What coarse word?” When realization dawned, she made a very unfeminine snorting sound of disgust and sank back down to the bench. “I said schmuck. Not that other word.”

At first, James just gaped at her in amazement. Then he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, squeezing her close to his warm body. “Oh, Selene, you are a jewel, after all. You continually surprise me. And any woman who can keep a man on his toes like that doesn’t need beauty.”

Selene was about to jab him in the ribs for his indirect insult when he leaned down and lightly kissed the top of her head. Just that slight caress left her speechless. Could he hear her thundering heart?

She probably would have done something really foolish, like cuddle closer, but he dropped his arm and began to peruse the magazine some more.

“What is that?”

“A car.”

He waited impatiently for an explanation.

“It’s a horseless carriage.”

He made a clucking sound of disbelief. “And I suppose that thing up there flies through the skies,” he said derisively, pointing to the top of an advertisement for American Airlines.

“Actually, it does. It’s an airplane. I rode on one when I came to New Orleans. It took only three hours.”

He gasped sharply and stared at her in horror. “No, it’s impossible,” he muttered, his eyes drawn involuntarily back to the magazine. Turning the pages slowly, he was surely amazed at the unusual clothing and the mixture of black and white models in the photo shoots.

“What’s a tampon?”

Selene inhaled sharply and started to choke.

He slapped her heartily on the back and repeated his question, “What’s a tampon?”

Oh, Lord. “A feminine product.”

“For what purpose?” he persisted.

With face flaming, Selene thought about evading the question, but he was gazing at her with such honest curiosity that she shrugged with resignation. “A woman’s monthly flow.”

His brow furrowed with confusion as he cocked his head in several different directions, studying the advertisement. When he finally understood, he laughed softly. “How remarkable!”