The description “bad boy” conjures up images of faded jeans and a killer smile. A guy with a touch of mystery and a spark of something playful behind his eyes. A guy’s guy - tough and sure, strong and intense. A man both dangerous and appealing. The one your mother warned you about in high school…

Well, that’s how I usually think of a bad boy – with a picture of Josh Holloway (Sawyer on Lost) floating in my mind. Honestly, with more than one picture, but you get my point.

When I wrote Hardhats and Silk Stockings, my novella in the April 2006 anthology release When Good Things Happen To Bad Boys, Sawyer and the rest of the Lost gang hadn’t exploded into pop culture. But, the Brava imprint and its Bad Boys were going strong. I wondered if a different type of Bad Boy existed. One where the “bad” lingered just beneath the surface. A good guy with a very naughty idea. A guy as hot as he was charming and sophisticated. Still tough and demanding in a likes-to-be-the-boss way, but one wearing an oxford shirt and khakis instead of a black leather jacket.

And the idea for Whit Thomas was born.

On the surface, Whit, a wealthy and successful architect with diplomas on the wall and a supportive family behind him, doesn’t qualify as a guy with a dangerous swagger. Sexy, yes. A tad intimidating and bossy – definitely. He has everything a man could want…except the one woman who doesn’t impress easily.

Whit’s opposite, Hannah Bridges, wears a hardhat and work boots, rehabs houses and counts every penny. Really, how could Whit not be attracted to her? But he has to get her attention first. So, the guy who plays by the rules lures the woman who doesn’t believe in opposites attracting into a secret room in the basement and locks her in. This isn’t just any room. Oh, no. This is a room set up seduction…and sex.

I will go ahead right here and state that while the mantra many new authors hear is write-what-you-know, I don’t actually have one of these cool little rooms in my house. Don’t have the chair, or those toys but…well, that’s probably enough information on that subject.

By the end of Hardhats and Silk Stockings, Whit convinced me of his Bad Boy tendencies. Lucky for me (and Whit), my editor Kate Duffy couldn’t resist the tempting Bad Boy underneath Whit’s conservative clothing either. Cotton shirts. White t-shirts. Long hair. Short hair. It all works. After all, even Josh looks innocent in his dressy clothes. Okay, not quite.

After I sold Hardhats and Silk Stockings, I sold more stories. After you’re done reading the anthology When Good Things Happen To Bad Boys – and you’ve bought it by now…right? – you can read about three more Bad Boys in my August 2006 Brava anthology, Viva Las Vegas! Bad Boys in Sin City – how can you resist that?

To help ease the time between Bad Boys, post an answer or comment here, and at the end of the month I’ll randomly select one person to win the Lost DVD collection from the show’s 1st season. That way you can look at Josh all day. Yes, you guessed correctly. I already own the collection.