Northern Exposure Read online

  The Three Sister Series

  Northern Exposure

  By

  Stephanie Williams

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Northern Exposure by Stephanie Williams

  Red Rose™ Publishing

  Publishing with a touch of Class! ™

  The symbol of the Red Rose and Red Rose is a trademark of Red Rose™ Publishing

  Red Rose™ Publishing

  Copyright© 2009 Stephanie Williams

  ISBN: 978-1-60435-375-4

  Cover Artist: Shirley Burnett

  Editor: C.A.Hubbard

  Line Editor: WRFG

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews. Due to copyright laws you cannot trade, sell or give any ebooks away.

  This is a work of fiction. All references to real places, people, or events are coincidental, and if not coincidental, are used fictitiously. All trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only.

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  comes with a touch of Class!

  Northern Exposure

  By

  Stephanie Williams

  Chapter One

  Brit got off the phone in her office and started doing the “Happy Dance.” She immediately stopped mid twirl, when one of the secretaries walked past her open door.

  “Good news I take it?” the older woman asked with a sheepish smile.

  “My vacation starts today,” Brit said as she began packing her office. “That call was the last call of the day.”

  “And where are we going this time? Paris, Milan, Rome? Oh, or Athens. Or are you doing something totally different to throw us off, like staying in Los Angeles?” She smiled.

  Brit's travel itinerary was notorious around the office and it wasn't just because she was Editor-in-Chief of Colorful Travel Magazine, a weekly geared to the African-American woman who wanted to satisfy her wanderlust.

  Her parents had a lot to do with her need to travel. An army brat, the world had been her home. In fact, her parents thought it would be cute to name her and her sisters after places they were stationed. Her father loved France and therefore Brittany became her moniker.

  Brit had traveled to every continent, including Antarctica. When she did take a vacation, it was the usual: Spain, Greece, France. However, her activities were anything but. Last year, she ran with the bulls in Spain and made a quick trip to South Africa to bungee jump over Victoria Falls.

  Her sisters hated her. Well, not really. But they fumed every now and then, after hearing about one of Brit’s escapades overseas.

  This time would be different. She just wanted to relax, unwind and regroup. Right now, the hard part was figuring out where she wanted to go.

  She needed to reflect on her life. She was only twenty-seven, but the pressure from her parents to find “that special someone” was getting a bit heated.

  As the middle child, she thought she’d had it free and clear for the past couple of years. They were bugging Sydney, the eldest, for a good minute. But after Sydney basically ignored their pleas, they began to focus on Brit. Oh joy. She was hoping to apply the same tactic and have them focus on Atlanta.

  No such luck—yet. Besides, Atlanta was the baby; they probably couldn’t stomach the idea of her settling down and having crumb snatchers.

  Of course, that wouldn't be such a bad idea for Atlanta. She was a wild child and needed some stability. Brit, on the other hand, would physically put her life in danger for the sake of saying she tried something once. Hmm, maybe she did need to settle down.

  Oh, well. At least she was going to be out of earshot of her parents for at least a month. They were out of the country and she would be too, and their paths would not cross. Kinda hard when they were backpacking in the mountains of Morocco.

  Her phone rang, interrupting her thoughts.

  “Brittany Reese speaking, may I help you?”

  “Hey Brit, it's Kyle.”

  Ew. Brit’s ex-boyfriend. Figures he would call now. “Yeah Kyle, what do you want?”

  “Just wanted to know what you're doing tonight. Thought maybe we catch a show and dinner.”

  “Actually, I was just about to call my sisters to let them know that I start my vacation today. So sorry, I'm booked for a month.” A lifetime for you, buddy. Why had she agreed to remain friends with him?

  “Vacation? Hey, what a coincidence, I start mine too, next week. Where to? Paris, London…?”

  “Finland!” she blurted.

  “Finland? Man, you know my skin doesn't do well in cold. My eczema acts up. And it stays cold up there, even in August. It’s only fifty degrees!”

  I know. That's why I thought of it at the last minute. “Oh, that's too bad, and I’ll be there the whole month,” she said, trying to sound as sincerely disappointed as possible. She couldn’t wipe the cheese-eating grin off her face.

  “But why Finland?” She heard him sigh. Poor baby. Not!

  “Oh, I just wanted to go someplace not so predictable. Paris, Rome, been there, done that.”

  “You went to Finland two years ago, three times.”

  “That was work related. I’m relaxing and going to enjoy the Finnish cuisine.”

  “Hmm. Well, you know, if I get some medication from the dermatologist, maybe I can join you.”

  Crud! Think fast, Brit. “Yeah, yeah. I can’t wait to try some of the reindeer meat and blood sausages.”

  Silence.

  “Kyle?”

  “Reindeer? As in Rudolf? And blood sausage as in—blood?”

  “Yeah, that’s what they eat. They got this fish gut thing going, too, that I want to try. At least you can wash it down with straight grain alcohol.”

  “Um…you know something? I might have to sit this one out.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah, tell you what, when our vacations connect again, I’ll call you. Um, have a good time and call me when you get back.”

  He disconnected, fast. It sounded like he was about to throw up.

  Lord knows, she wanted to. There was no way in hell she was eating reindeer meat. She was going to stay in a five-star hotel and dine on the best fare the Finns could bring her.

  Now all she had to do was actually make a reservation for a flight.

  Finland! Damn. She had been to Finland many times and loved it. But Milan would have been her first choice. Well, she would just take plenty of sweaters. As Kyle said, it’s cold even in August.

  But first she had to call little sis and big sis. She activated her speakerphone and got them on three-way.

  “Hey, girl!” her sisters said in unison.

  “Hey, Atlanta, hey, Sydney.”

  “What’s going on?” Syd asked.

  “I am going on a vacation.”

  Silence.

  “Uh, hello?”

  “So what else is new?” piped in Atlanta.

  “It’s a non-working vacation. Really.”

  “Yeah, right,” Syd said with obvious disbelief.

  “No, really, I’m going to Finland.”

  “Finland!” they yelled.

  “Yeah, well, it was sort of spur of
the moment.”

  “It must have been. What happened to, ‘I need to get my shop on every time I go overseas?’ Remember what you brought back last time you went to one of those cold countries?” Syd asked.

  Sweaters. Brit bristled. “Okay, so Finland is not the fashion capital of the world. But it’s a very nice, clean country.”

  “Whatever.” Atlanta chuckled.

  “Anyway, I wanted to tell you guys not to give Kyle my whereabouts in Finland no matter how desperate he sounds.”

  “Uh-oh, he called again, girl?” Syd asked.

  “Yes, and his vacation starts too, that’s why I mentioned Finland.”

  “Smart girl,” Atlanta said with approval. “He has that skin condition.”

  Syd and Brit giggled. “He also got a stomach condition after I described the native fare,” Brit laughed.

  “Not the fish guts!” Atlanta screamed.

  They all laughed.

  “Anyway, Finland won’t be that bad. It’s still kinda offseason, so I’ll have the run of the entire country.”

  “Look out, Finns,” Syd said, still laughing.

  “This will give me a chance to unwind and have time to myself for a change,” Brit said, checking last minute items on her To Do list.

  “So no crazy antics?” Syd asked, disappointment in her voice.

  “Nope. This is a stress-free vacation.”

  “Let’s give the girl a hand,” Atlanta said.

  All three laughed and continued their conversation. Most of it centered around their parents, and how they had gone gallivanting on camelback in the mountains of Morocco.

  Soon after Brit got off the phone, she said goodbye to her employees and made a beeline to her car. Whistling to herself as she drove home, she thought, Yep, life is good. The more she thought about Finland and the Nordic region in general, the happier she got. “I think I might take a short cruise to Norway too. Just me and the fjords.” She wasn’t going to do a thing but be lazy in her hotel room and watch Finnish television.

  It was ironic; she chose this place just to throw Kyle off the scent. But, this was going to be the best vacation she ever had.

  Chapter Two

  Helsinki was unusually warm this August with temperatures hitting about sixty degrees. But Brit didn’t mind; it was a welcome relief. She had been cooped up in her room since her arrival, so seeing the sun out and actually heating the earth was refreshing.

  Now she could hit the clothing-optional beach.

  Brit was always of the opinion that instead of wearing string that cut into your butt crack and strips of fabric that scratch your nipples, you might as well go naked. In Europe, no one really looks at you anyway.

  Brit strolled down to the beach with her umbrella, magazine, blanket and iPod. She set up her spot and got comfortable on her blanket. She placed the magazine over her face, stuck the ear buds in her ears, and listened to the glorious voice of Luciano Pavarotti. Ten minutes later, she was on her way to dreamland.

  This was the life. No worries. No nagging parents. No annoying, geeky ex-boyfriend. No drama.

  “Hello there.”

  At first she didn’t respond. She was in that state of sleep between deep REM and half awake.

  “Hello? Miss?” The voice was insistent, deep and masculine.

  Masculine!

  It wasn’t until she felt a nudge on her shoulder that Brit threw off the magazine, and sat up on her elbows. What she was looking at could only be described as mythical beauty.

  He was large, muscular, gorgeous and…nekkid!

  Oh God!

  “Sorry to wake you, but I just couldn’t take the chance of missing you again.”

  Brit blinked rapidly. She really didn’t hear him. She just looked straight into his huge, sea-green eyes and watched the movement of his sensuous, full mouth.

  It wasn’t until he shifted in the sand next to her, that she realized they were both nekkid!

  “I beg your pardon?” she squeaked.

  “I’ve noticed you at the hotel, but you were always on the move or locked up in your room. I wanted to visit you, but thought it would be rude of me to just come knocking on your door uninvited.”

  Of course, and approaching me buck-naked is better.

  Brit reached for her clothing, but as she did so, she began to notice every ripple of muscle belonging to her naked intruder.

  Every muscle.

  She leaned back down on her elbows. Heck, it was too late now; he had already seen his fill of her.

  “I…uh…I see. Well….”

  “Please, how rude of me. Let me introduce myself. My name is Sebastian Jalo.”

  “Brittany Reese. I prefer Brit.” She watched as he extended his hand. She was still trying not to stare at this statue-come-to-life, but he was beauty personified. Thick, blonde, wavy hair, piercing eyes and a body that was just unreal.

  He was a merman washed ashore.

  After she finished a mental inventory of this sea god, she reached for his hand and grasped it tightly, as though holding it would help take her mind off other body parts.

  “Pleasure to finally meet you. You must really like Finland. This is your fourth trip here isn’t it?”

  “Four….” Now how did he know that? Great. A naked stalker.

  “Don’t look so alarmed. My uncle runs the hotel where you stay, and I must say you are hard not to notice.”

  “Oh really?” Brit said, not hiding the accusatory tone in her voice.

  “Not for the obvious reasons of course, but for your beauty and something else. You have a boldness about you that I like. Most Americans shy away from a nude beach.”

  “Well, I ….” NUDE!!!

  She kept forgetting that she was naked too. She sat up straighter and grabbed the end of the blanket and brought it toward her breast. But it didn’t reach.

  Sebastian gave her a wicked grin, then dropped his eyes. “I’m sorry if you feel a bit uncomfortable….”

  “Oh, no!” she chuckled nervously. “There was a chill in the air. Ahem…uh…so, your uncle manages the hotel. How nice.”

  “Yeah. But what I really came here to ask you was what you’re doing later today?”

  Is this guy trying to pick me up? Naked?

  “Uh…nothing that I know of.”

  “Great! Do you horseback ride? Of course you do, any woman that can relax on a nude beach can certainly ride a horse!”

  “I can’t see how the two are related unless I’m Lady Godiva.”

  Sebastian laughed. The corners of his eyes crinkled and every muscle in his well-defined body moved.

  “That’s pretty funny.” He shifted some more, this time the obvious couldn’t be hid any longer.

  Oh. My. God!

  Trying to be nonchalant, Brit reached for her magazine. “Um… so what do you do, I mean, what kind of work?”

  Sebastian smiled again, and he must have decided it was time to get more comfortable. He lay on his side in the sand. “I’m a graphic artist. You?”

  “Ah…” She couldn’t think for staring at him. Now she could really see him in all his glory. Damn!

  His legs were long and muscular with a sprinkling of fine blond hair. His chest and abs were unbelievable. He must do weights. His pecs were smooth and bare, which she liked. She noticed his nipples and how hard they looked. She wanted to smooth her hand over those massive pecs!

  Her gaze traveled downward to see that his knees were nearly wide open. He was just lying on his side as if he were at home watching a ballgame.

  He was big. He was thick. He was beautiful. He was…erect!

  Mercy!

  As she openly stared at his massive length, there was something else she noticed. He was cut.

  Most Europeans and foreigners, with the exception of Israelis for religious reasons, were uncircumcised. Well, she wasn’t going to ask. It was bad enough that she found herself drooling over a stranger’s cock!

  Brit remembered that he had asked a question. “I’
m a magazine editor. This is the magazine.” Brit began looking for it. “Ah, see.” She held it up in front of her face. Anything to create a barrier between her and his little—scratch that—big friend.

  “Beautiful cover. May I see it?”

  “Uh…sure.” As Brit handed it to him, a runaway beach ball landed between them. Followed by two rambunctious kids.

  “Sorry!” one of the wayward kids yelled as they chased the ball into the ocean.

  After the interruption, Brit brushed most of the sand off her body and then looked for the magazine. When she didn’t see it on the blanket, she looked to Sebastian. “Where’s the…?”

  Oh…my…God!

  She found the magazine. Perched on Sebastian’s penis.

  “Um…you…ca…can keep that, if you like.”

  Sebastian flashed a smile that could outshine the Aurora Borealis. “Thanks, I will.” He casually picked up the magazine and began flipping through it. He shifted again, and this time his penis was pointed right at her.

  This thing had a mind of its own. It points, it catches magazines. What other wondrous things could it do?

  Just then an image came to her mind. She didn’t know what she wanted to do, suck it or faint. She knew one thing, however; she had to get him out of her sight. There was only so much a woman could take.

  “Um…wouldn’t you prefer to read that over, I don’t know, over your dinner tonight?” she said quickly.

  “I would love to have dinner with you. I can pick you up around seven.”

  Hold up. Did she just invite him to have dinner with her? And did he just assume she was asking him out? Brit thought she was used to foreigners being bold, but when it was directed at her, it seemed rude. “I guess seven would be fine,” she found herself saying anyway.

  “Great! I’ll just take this,” he lifted up the magazine, “and finish reading it.” He winked. “I would love to read it before dinner. It would give me a heads up, so to speak,” he chuckled.

  “Well, that doesn’t seem fair. I won’t know anything about you before dinner,” Brit said. Although your dick and I seem to be getting along quite well.