Seduced — Victoria Villeneuve

When Caroline's company won an all expenses paid trip to Hawaii, she thought all she'd be doing was lying on the beach drinking mai tais with her best friend Lisa. Little did she know her life would be turned upside down when she ran into Mark Selzer in the elevator.

Expecting their one night of passion to be only that, Caroline is shocked when Mark shows up at her door two weeks later. Will she be able to open up enough to let him into her life? And how will she react when she finds out he's the heir to the largest resort company in the country?

This 15,000 word story is the first instalment in The Billionaire's Command trilogy. Here's an excerpt:

On the fourth day, Lisa and I were going to leave the resort and go find somewhere nice to eat along the main strip. We were just leaving the hotel when I realized I'd left my sunglasses in my room.

“Crap. Can you wait for me in the lobby? It's so bright out I don't think I'll be able to see anything if I don't take my sunglasses.”

“Yeah, sure,” Lisa replied, and I made my way back to the elevator. I was racking my brain trying to remember where I had put the sunglasses, so much so that I didn't notice the man coming out of the elevators when the doors opened, and I barrelled straight into him.

“Oh my God, I'm so sorry!” I exclaimed, embarrassed.

“No, no, it was my fault. I apologize,” the man replied, grabbing my shoulders gently to steady me. His touch was strong, confident, and it sent a surge of electricity running through me. I looked up at the man, and my breath caught in my throat.

Looking down at me was the most gorgeous man I'd ever seen in my life. High cheekbones, a day's worth of dark brown stubble, hair that seemed to practically flow from his head in a polo shirt and jeans that looked formal somehow, here in Hawaii. I grabbed his arm to steady myself, the hard muscles of his biceps bulging against my skin.

For the first time in my life, I found myself completely speechless. I wanted to say something, anything, but no words were coming out of my mouth. I was completely captivated, taken in by the man's glistening blue eyes, like the deep waters here on the Hawaiian coast.

“Are you alright?” he asked me, his voice kind, but deep.

“Yes. Yes, I'm fine. Thank you,” I stammered, feeling like an idiot. The man smiled at me and I melted into a pool on the elevator floor.

“Perfect. Sorry about that once more,” he told me, leaving the elevator. I watched as the man walked away and the doors closed behind me. As the elevator slid smoothly up to the 12th floor I had completely forgotten what I even came up here for. I couldn't think about anything except that guy.