I am so excited about Five Alarm Fire, my contribution to the High Octane Heroes Anthology. In my opinion, there’s nothing hotter than a man who wants you for exactly who you are. Unless, of course, he is a sexy fireman…and wants you for exactly who you are. In my short story, Trish is a little shy around men. She’s convinced no one really hot would ever want her. But when Luke gets a look at her generous curves and sultry smile, he is lost.

Since they are both a little reserved, they need a nudge. Enter Mrs. Lipniki, Trish’s neighbor, whose sole ambition in life is to find her hunky paramedic the perfect woman.

The story stems from a conversation I had with a friend who was a paramedic assigned to a retirement village. This guy was a hottie. But we weren’t friends (just) because he was adorable. He was a sweetheart too. He took all his calls seriously, even when he knew they were false alarms.

Many of the residents in the village were just lonely. So they would invent emergencies just to have someone to talk to for a while. All the paramedics accepted these calls as par for the course. They never knew when one of these false alarms would be a real emergency so they always came prepared.

My friend, we shall call him “Luke,” had a regular just like Mrs. Lipniki. Except, instead of trying to set her cute paramedic up with all of her relatives and friend’s children and neighbors, like my Mrs. Lipniki, this hot mama wanted Luke for herself.

She was eighty-five.

Yeah.

His, shall we say, hose was groped on a regular basis.

After a while, he submitted a request for hazard pay.

He got it.

You don’t often find humor in an erotic story, but with a character like Mrs. Lipniki, I couldn’t resist. Please read on for a taste of a Five Alarm Fire…

 

FIVE ALARM FIRE

 The call came in just as Luke Patterson and his partner Izzy were sitting down to a big bowl of Five Alarm Chili. Mrs. Lipniki was having another heart attack.

“Whaddya think, Luke?” Izzy quipped, as he leapt into the passenger side of the paramedic unit. “Is it real deal this time or just another false alarm?”

Luke responded with a one-shouldered shrug. They both knew it was a rhetorical question. Mrs. Lipniki was, after all, a regular. They suspected she called as often as she did because she was lonely, but lately things had changed. Lately she’d been calling in emergencies to try and set them up with her granddaughters.

And her nieces.

And her cousin’s uncle’s nephew’s sister.

As they roared down the main street of town, heading for the little duplex they knew so well, Luke swallowed his cynicism. One of these days Mrs. Lipniki might really have a heart attack; it was his job to make sure she got the best possible care, no matter what.

“Hokay,” Izzy muttered as they pulled into the driveway. “Lock and load.”

They jetted from the truck, grabbed the portable defibrillator and their EMT bag and double-timed it to the door. It was standing open. Without preamble, they moved into place.

While Izzy unpacked the defibrillator, Luke knelt beside Mrs. Lipniki and started taking her vitals. As he placed the cold cup of his stethoscope against her chest, she flinched and bit back a tiny smile.

Luke and Izzy exchanged a look. False alarm. Again.

Still and all, they always followed protocol. Always.

Luke turned to the young woman kneeling quietly beside his patient. And almost swallowed his tongue. Holy shit, she was gorgeous. Her face had classic lines, an adorable snub nose and a dented chin, the kind that drove him crazy. And her body? Curves that fucking didn’t quit. A far cry from last week’s emaciated offering. Hunger snarled through him. He fixed his features into a dispassionate expression.  “Can you tell us what happened?”

She glanced up at him and, through the shadows, their gazes met. Luke blinked, a little stunned. She had the most beautiful eyes he’d ever seen. A deep violet sea fringed in thick black lashes. He could drown in that ocean.

“She grabbed her chest and fell to the floor.”  Luke barely registered the words. Her musical voice sent shards of lust dancing along his nerve endings—all the way to his cock.

He forced himself to focus. “D-did she hit her head when she fell?”

“No.”

Luke had to look away; she was far too distracting.

He wasn’t here to meet chicks—not even magnificent violet-eyed vixens. Regardless of Mrs. Lipniki’s evil plans.

He nodded, real businesslike, and strapped the blood pressure cuff to his patient’s limp arm. As he began to pump air into the cuff, Mrs. Lipniki moaned. She usually regained consciousness about then because she hated having her blood pressure taken.

“Oh!” she warbled in an operatic tenor. “Luke! Is that you?” Since she was a little hard of hearing, she had a tendency to yell—even when she warbled.

“Yes, Mrs. Lipniki. I’m right here. How are you feeling?”

“I feel faint!” She affected the classic ‘tragedy pose,’ with the backs of her fingers to her brow.

“Oh dear,” the sweet female to Luke’s side murmured. Low and resonant, her words had an uncomfortable effect in his trousers. “Will she be all right?”

“Trish?” The old lady thrashed her hand about madly, eyes still screwed shut. “Is that you?”

Wisely, Trish captured that flailing appendage and held it close. “I’m right here.”

“Oh Trish, Trish.” Mrs. Lipniki rolled toward Luke, cracked  open one eye and bellowed in a conspiratorial tone, “Trish is my neighbor.” And then, just below a dull roar, “She’s SINGLE. She’s a GOOD girl.”

The good girl’s mouth fell open. A delicate blush lit her cheeks. She looked mortified.

Relentless, Mrs. Lipniki turned her gimlet gaze on poor Trish. “Luke is a FIREMAN. He’s a very nice BOY. His hands are very LARGE.” She lifted one up, just to show poor Trish, waggling it around like a flopping trout.

Luke could hear Izzy snickering behind him, but he didn’t care.

Because Trish was smiling.

It was a small smile, kind of shy, but she was luminous. Dimples exploded in her cheeks.

“Oh, you two would be perfect together!” Mrs. Lipniki wheezed, as though on her last breath. She clutched at her chest. “You should go on a DATE!”

Trish gasped. “Mrs. Lipniki! That’s…” Her gaze met Luke’s. “Silly.”

“Is it?” He asked in an undertone, slowly winding his stethoscope and tucking it into his bag.

“Well—” She sputtered. “We haven’t even met.”

Luke stuck out his (very large) hand. “How do you do? I’m Luke Patterson. I’m a fireman.” He grinned. “I’m a very nice boy.” He didn’t bother to mention the part about his impressive size because, hell, she could tell that for herself.

His palm skated across hers and suddenly he didn’t want to let go. Touching her was like coming home after a long, hard shift. Relaxing. Comfortable.

But not too comfortable. A sizzle ran up his arm.

“I’m Trish.” She stared at him as though the feel of his skin, this indefinable connection, had her just as befuddled and bewildered.

“Ask her to go OUT!” Mrs. Lipniki prodded; she had both eyes open now and was watching avidly. “She’s free on SATURDAY.”

“Oh dear.” A charming pink tide washed up Trish’s cheeks. She tried to tug away, but he still had hold of her. He wouldn’t let her escape. No way. No how.

Luke cleared his throat. “So,” he said, “would you like to go to dinner? Say, Saturday?”

She gulped, drawing his attention to the long slender column of her throat.

“Oh go on, honey,” their matchmaker crooned. “He’s not an axe murderer.”

Trish sputtered a laugh. When she noticed the intent look on his face, she sobered. “I would love to.”

“Great,” Luke said, but he doubted Trish heard him, because Mrs. Lipniki said it at exactly the same time, and a whole lot louder.

“GREAT!” she crowed. “He’ll pick you up at six!”

Luke blinked. “I guess I’ll…pick you up at six.”

Trish laughed again, which sent shivers down his spine; he really liked the sound of it.

“So… You gonna be okay, Mrs. Lipniki?” Izzy asked.

“Oh, yes, young man. I think I’ll be just fine.” She winked in his direction.

As they made their way back to the truck Izzy chuckled. “Another false alarm.”

Luke didn’t respond. He had hope. Maybe it would be the real thing after all. He wouldn’t find out until Saturday.

 

About Sabrina York

Sabrina is an award winning author of erotic romance with nearly a dozen titles available, ranging from sweet & sexy erotic romance to BDSM to erotic horror. Connect with her on twitter @sabrina_york or Facebook.

Check out Sabrina’s books and read an excerpt on her webpage (www.sabrinayork.com) or explore on Amazon or at Ellora’s Cave.

 

 

Books by Sabrina York

Adam’s Obsession (Erotic Contemporary, Ellora’s Cave)

Dark Duke (Erotic Regency, Ellora’s Cave) —Coming soon

Brigand (Erotic Regency, Ellora’s Cave) —Coming soon

Dark Fancy (Erotic Regency, Ellora’s Cave)

Dragonfly Kisses: A Tryst Island Erotic Romance (Erotic Contemporary)

Extreme Couponing (Erotic Contemporary, Ellora’s Cave)

Fierce (One Night Stand, Decadence Press)—coming soon

Five Alarm Fire (Erotic Contemporary for the High Octane Heroes Anthology, Cleis Press)—Coming September 3

Folly (Erotic Regency, Ellora’s Cave)

Lust Eternal (Erotic Fantasy, Ellora’s Cave)

Pushing Her Buttons (Erotic Contemporary, Ellora’s Cave)

Making Over Maris (Erotic Contemporary, Ellora’s Cave) —Coming soon

Man Hungry (Erotic Contemporary, Ellora’s Cave)

Rebound: A Tryst Island Erotic Romance (Erotic Contemporary, Available on Amazon)

Rebound is now available on Smashwords

Rising Green (Erotic Horror, Ellora’s Cave)

Saving Charlotte (Erotic Contemporary for the Smokin’ Hot Firemen Anthology, Cleis Press)

Smoking Holt: A Tryst Island Erotic Romance (Erotic Contemporary)

Training Tess (Erotic Contemporary, Ellora’s Cave)

Trickery (Erotic Contemporary with Magical Elements, Ellora’s Cave Hex Line)

Tristan’s Temptation (Erotic Contemporary, Ellora’s Cave)