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  We were gazing into each other’s eyes, our hands clasped, momentarily beyond words, when the judge cleared his throat. “The rings?”

  It took a moment for his words to penetrate and another for the dismay to set in. I, who planned events like this for a living, I, who prided myself on never forgetting the smallest detail, had forgotten my own wedding ring.

  Sarkisian grinned. “Can we get a picture of that expression?” he asked of the assembly in general. “I want it for later blackmail. And don’t worry, love. We’ll get real rings on our way home. But for now…” He reached into the pocket of his uniform shirt and drew out a small box. “Part of our package here,” he told me.

  He flipped it open and there, nestled in satin, lay a pair of rings—halves of a set of handcuffs to be exact. We exchanged rings and vows, the judge pronounced our life sentence as husband and wife and the witnesses fastened balls and chains to our ankles.

  “We did it,” I managed, not quite believing it yet.

  “We certainly did,” Sarksian said. “And you know what?”

  When his voice took on that tone I knew better than to trust him. “What?”

  “A policeman’s lot,” said my new husband, “is a happy one.”

  Then he kissed me, letting me know he meant that with all his heart.

  About the Author

  Janice Bennett has the eclectic background often encountered in writers. She earned one B.A. degree in anthropology from UC Santa Cruz, another in classical civilizations from US Irvine, and an M.A. degree in folklore and mythology from UCLA. Over the years, she has worked as a bookkeeper, archaeologist, and college instructor in crafts, jewelry making, needlework and novel writing, and has been a frequent presenter of workshops on a variety of writing topics. She also teaches t’ai chi and is a certified hypnotherapist specializing in pain management.

  To date, she has written nine novellas and twenty-one novels. She has won several awards, including two Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice awards and two Romantic Times Career Achievement Awards, for Time Travels and for Regencies.

  Janice lives near the top of a sloping hillside on the outskirts of a tiny rural town, looking out over nothing but trees. With her reside her husband, her son, her computer and an assortment of birds, cats, dogs, guinea pigs, hamsters, fish, horses and any other animal currently in need of a home.

  Janice welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and e-mail address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

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  Also by Janice Bennett

  Events Unlimited 1: Cold Turkey

  Events Unlimited 2: Bunny Hop

  Events Unlimited 3: Black Cats and Boondoggles

  Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer ebooks or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.

  www.ellorascave.com

  Table of Contents

  Start

  An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication www.ellorascave.com Hot Dogs ISBN 9781419919787 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Hot Dogs Copyright © 2009 Janice Bennett Edited by Helen Woodall Cover art by Dar Albert Electronic book Publication June 2009 The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing

  Hot Dogs Janice Bennett

  Dedication For Kyrie

  Chapter One I left my Aunt Gerda’s house shortly after seven thirty on the morning of July second

  Chapter Two The sports car inched forward then abruptly sped up and swept into a parking space not far from mine

  Chapter Three Moments with Sarkisian were few and far between these days

  Chapter Four Our auditorium isn’t large but neither is our county

  Chapter Five Very slowly

  Chapter Six The near-disaster on the stage seemed to have blown over and the frenetic chaos settled down to normal chaos

  Chapter Seven It was almost nine o’clock before we finally called it quits for the night

  Chapter Eight Quantrell knelt beside the man

  Chapter Nine “Ms

  Chapter Ten I resisted the almost overwhelming urge to scoop up the top few layers of bills and checks just to see if there really were more lying beneath

  Chapter Eleven “So now you need to talk to Connie Wessex again

  Chapter Twelve We found Lizzie

  Chapter Thirteen “The guy needed directions

  Chapter Fourteen I awoke well before dawn to my cell phone playing “On the Road Again”

  Chapter Fifteen The parade got underway only ten minutes late

  Chapter Sixteen I’d barely started Freya’s engine and begun the intricate maneuvers to get out of the parking space when my phone rang again

  Chapter Seventeen Amazingly everything seemed to be running smoothly

  Chapter Eighteen My first instinct was to drag myself out from under Vanderveer and see how badly he was hurt but I managed to stifle it

  Chapter Nineteen Lizzie’s mentioning my arm only served to remind me about it and somehow increased its throbbing

  Chapter Twenty “I-I can’t

  Chapter Twenty-One “Brian Quantrell

  Epilogue It was almost four-thirty in the morning when the squeak of the hinges woke me

  About the Author Janice Bennett has the eclectic background often encountered in writers

  Also by Janice Bennett Events Unlimited 1

  Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave