Opposite Attraction

Opposite Attraction

Judy Bagshaw

Books by Judy Bagshaw

At Long Last, Love

Big Fat Lies

Lady Blue

Love by the Pound

Kiss Me, Nate!

One Foot on a Banana Peel

Opposite Attraction

Second Chances: Jack & Gillian

Teacher’s Pet

Through All Eternity

....and more. See judybagshaw.com for other works.

Opposite Attraction

Copyright © 2012 by Judy Bagshaw

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Cover Art © 2018 by Skyla Dawn Cameron

Edited by Skyla Dawn Cameron

Second Edition July 2018

Previously Published July 2012 by Mundania Press

SMASHWORDS EDITION

All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author or her representative.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

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Dedication

For Skyla Dawn Cameron, brilliant writer that she is, who encouraged me to explore the world of the paranormal. She has no idea what she started!

Chapter One

...and so, in conclusion, it is my contention that so called ‘paranormal activity’ can be readily explained as naturally occurring phenomenon and not as other worldly manifestations. Thank you.

Serena McKay smiled and acknowledged the enthusiastic applause of her fellow scientists. She stepped back from the podium and returned to her seat. The host stepped up to the mike.

"That concludes our program this afternoon. Miss McKay will be in the lobby shortly, signing copies of her book A Skeptic’s View. Oh, and the bar is now open."

A cheer erupted at that news followed by a smattering of applause and laughter. Serena gathered up her bag and jacket and left the stage.

From his seat near the back of the auditorium, Carter Shehan had the luxury of observing the lovely Serena McKay with her none the wiser—not that she’d know him on sight.

She had commanded her audience’s attention by virtue of her confident demeanor and witty, charm-laced delivery. She had them, her colleagues, eating from the palm of her hand. He admired that.

He admired her. She was even lovelier than he had imagined, her face and lush figure even more appetizing than her seductively husky toned voice—a voice that had featured prominently in many of his recent dreams. It was a voice that gave promise to a passionate nature carefully masked in a cool professional façade. How he would love a peek behind the mask.

And that was what had brought him here this evening, satisfying the curiosity that had been roused when the aforementioned lady had so angrily confronted him via telephone call-in, when he’d appeared recently on The Lydia Crane Show.

He chuckled as he recalled her ire—such fire! His blood heated just at the thought of this glimpse at her hidden passionate self—a passion he hoped soon to ignite and savor.

He grinned and gazed at the subject of his interest as applause erupted. Look out Serena McKay. You’ve met your match!

****

Serena’s host was waiting behind a small round table draped in pink. A large poster was perched on an easel beside it. It featured the back jacket photo from Serena’s book.

She liked the shot, her first experience with a professional photographer. Serena felt she had never looked better. Her shoulder length chestnut brown hair gleamed. Her brown eyes seemed huge with the artful makeup the studio had used. The photographer had managed to minimize her slight double chin and make her plump neck and shoulders look like polished marble. All in all, she looked quite glamorous.

Serena settled herself behind the table and soon there was a lineup of people wanting their books signed. Serena loved this part of her author life. She lost her feeling of fatigue and enjoyed the easy interaction with each of her readers.

An hour into the signing, she paused to take a quick sip of water. Scanning her eye down the lineup, she noticed one man in particular. He was a bit taller than the people around him, and had a head of thick fiery red hair which he wore unfashionably long. But it was the expression on his face that captivated her. He sported a saucy smirk that bespoke a humorous outlook on life. His green eyes twinkled with mischief and he seemed to have some trouble standing still. Serena could feel his energy even from several feet away.

There was something vaguely familiar about him, but Serena couldn’t quite grasp what it was. She pulled her attentions back to her job.

****

Carter Shehan grinned as the pretty brunette, his sole reason for coming tonight, took yet another surreptitious glance in his direction. He was reasonably certain that she didn’t recognize him, but was curious to see what her reaction would be upon hearing his name. He felt sure that would elicit quite a heated response. He grinned at the thought.

It had been several months now since his interview on the Lydia Crane television show, when an irate Serena had phoned in and called him a hack who was deluding people. Rather than insulting him though, he found he liked her bristly nature. It had been fun to verbally spar with her. She challenged him and he found this hint of a passionate nature exciting.

He’d immediately gone out and bought her most recent book, and was riveted by the author photo on the back. In a word, Serena McKay was gorgeous, from her long thick chestnut mane to her warm brown eyes. He loved her full soft womanly curves