Darla stripped off her riding gear and lowered herself into the tub of warm water. The lavender-scented soap suds tickled and licked her skin like a lover’s kiss as she reached for the chilled glass and took a sip of the sparkling champagne.

Ah, better. Exactly what she needed after a day like today. Let it go. Stop thinking and allow the bath do its job. Right now nothing was more important. Not Julian, not dinner, and definitely not those Exclusively Yours loser dates. What she needed was a real man. Someone to come in and sweep her off her feet and take her to paradise instead of talking about social conquests, financial investments, or the effect the economy was having on the Dow Jones. She needed a real, red-hot-blooded man.

An image of Hunter Davis popped unexpectedly into her head. Now there was a hunk of male flesh she could really sink her teeth into. Too bad she wasn’t his type. From what she’d seen, leggy blonde model types seemed more his speed, not short auburn-haired divorcées. Besides, he was more on friendly terms with Julian than her. In fact, they’d barely spoken to each other since her ex-husband had moved out.

But man, oh man, did he have a body she could wrap herself around, and some.

Those broad shoulders and sculptured muscular arms. Those tight washboard abs, resulting in the most perfect six-pack she’d ever seen. He could sweep her off her feet any day. Both literally and figuratively. His 6’ frame would have no problem with her 5’2” slenderness. Her nipples hardened at the fantasy of him carrying her to bed. She brushed her palm across the tight nubs and sent a tingle straight to her core. It’d been so long since she’d felt a man’s touch. Just the mere thought of it made the apex between her legs throb with something akin to pain. That’s how long it had been.

Well…she’d taken this bath to relax. If she couldn’t have the real thing, she could damn well fantasise about it.

From the hottest writers in Australia comes a scintillating new series. Enter the world of Sydney’s elite, and find out what goes on behind the doors of the most exclusive addresses in the country…

Meet the Housewives of Sydney. They are wealthy, elegant, poised, and constantly in the public eye. But what goes on behind closed doors, in the private homes and parties where the cameras and paparazzi aren’t welcome? Delve into the most personal details of their relationships, their friendships and their lives. The only question is: can you handle the heat?

Darla knows her place at the exclusive Diamond D dinners – she is comic relief, entertaining the rest of the women with tales of her dating woes. Since her divorce, she has been on one bad date after another, and not even a high-class dating agency can help.

But a massive storm front brings a visit from an old neighbour – and suddenly being neighbourly takes on a whole new meaning. When it rains, it pours, and it looks like Darla’s dry spell is about to become a thing of the past.