Walking on the Wild Side

Have you ever wanted to pitch aside all the responsibilities and duties of life? Turn off the phone, tell the boss to stuff it, and let the hubby and kids fend for themselves? Yeah, me too. Of course we never do that, but that’s where books come to the rescue. For those few precious minutes when we can steal away to a quiet corner to read, we can imagine doing all the naughty things our secret selves yearn to do but never would.

In Hot Number, my latest V.K. Sykes contemporary romance, the heroine does just that. Sadie Bligh is a math prof at a prestigious university and the daughter of a world-renowned mathematician. She’s spent most of her life trying to live up to her father’s exacting standards, with a fair amount of success. But when she fails to secure a prestigious math prize that her father has won three times, Sadie finally realizes she’s given up an awful lot for her career, including her personal life. And she realizes that’s pretty damn depressing.

So what does she do? She runs away to Las Vegas for a wild week doing all the things she never thought she could do as a buttoned-up academic: she plays blackjack for high stakes, she sunbathes at the topless pool at the casino, and she dances up a storm in the nightclubs. Most importantly, she decides she’s going to meet a guy—a really hot guy—and let it all hang loose.

Enter Nick Saxon, tough casino security chief and one hot guy who also happens to think Sadie the wild child is up to no good. Here’s the blurb for Hot Number:

Fastball

Geeky but brilliant college professor Sadie Bligh has failed once again to win the most prestigious award in mathematics. All she has to show for her life’s work is a flat-lined career and a non-existent social life. So when her best friend suggests a wild week in Las Vegas, gambling and hooking up with hot guys, Sadie decides she has nothing to lose.

But Sadie’s first night in Vegas involves an unfortunate run-in with a mojito and a poker table, drawing the attention of the casino’s deputy chief of security. Nick Saxon thinks Sadie’s a problem, but she thinks he’s incredibly sexy. Since she’s come to Vegas to let loose, Nick just might fit the bill.

With a sick mother to care for and a boss who hates his guts, Nick has enough on his plate, and the bundle of mayhem called Sadie Bligh spells nothing but trouble. She’s also funny and smart, and the sexual energy between them could light up the Vegas strip. But when she’s fingered for counting cards at the blackjack table, Nick is faced with a stark choice: protect her and risk getting fired, or toss her out on her sweet behind and risk never seeing her again.

It’s a romance, so of course everything works out just fine. But Sadie’s wild fling takes her on a voyage of discovery—sexual and otherwise—that ultimately teaches her a lot about herself. Some of the lessons aren’t easy to accept, but she eventually arrives where she wants to be, and with Nick by her side. Sometimes, stepping off the beaten path is the right thing to do, even if it’s a bit scary.

How about you, readers? Have you ever taken a walk on the wild side? Tell us all about it, because enquiring minds want to know! One person who comments will win a copy of both Hot Number and one of my other VK Sykes books, Fastball.

Vanessa Kelly writes award-winning historical romance for Kensington Zebra. Her next book, His Mistletoe Bride, will be released Oct. 2. You can check out all of Vanessa’s books at www.vanessakellyauthor.com, or at www.vksykes.com