"She was setting a trap. Ellen was playing poker and handling her cards very skillfully."

Ellen Turner experienced a sensual awakening when she engaged in an illicit relationship with her teacher while she was in high school. She had gone to her teacher for help in perfecting her French, but instead found herself involved with an older man who taught her to cast aside her inhibitions. By the time Ellen and her teacher Eric had parted ways, Ellen was a changed woman. The next relationship she found was equally intense, yet it didn't possess the boundary-crossing nature of her previous one. However, the relationship would leave an equally indelible mark on her.

Ellen met Philip Lawrence while she was in college, and despite an initial awkward first impression, the pair were soon in an impromptu relationship. Ellen was captivated by Philip's work as a body artist, and he was transfixed by her, particularly her beguiling eyes. However, Ellen set the tone for their trysts, often playing hard to get with him. He painted a blue butterfly on her back and showed her the tricks of his trade. Still, Ellen began to withdraw from her casual fling with him. She wasn't ready to be tied down in any relationship, and Philip was forced to accept her rebuff.

Ellen wanted to end relationships before they got messy, yet her relationship with David Cowell had trouble written all over it. Ellen had grown used to having men wrapped around her finger, and her affair with the assistant dean at her college only reinforced that belief, since David was devoted to her. As Ellen was nearing the end of her college tenure, she knew her grades needed a boost to elevate her job prospects. Ellen utilized David's love and lust for her as a pressure point and extorted him into changing her grades. By the time of her graduation, Ellen was ready to move on from David and start fresh in New York City with a promising job in the corporate sector. However, Ellen misunderstood her allure and David's persistence.

This story of how a young woman turned the tables and flipped the power dynamic on men forms the heart of this intelligent and erotic thriller. In the beginning, Ellen Turner is an innocent teenager who is drawn in by the attentions of an older man. Their inappropriate affair doesn't so much bother Ellen as it does thrill her and ignite a spark in her soul. The trajectory of the narrative changes as Ellen transforms from the seduced to a seductress, becoming a woman who utilizes her sexuality to fulfill her desire and ambition. There is little time for remorse over broken relationships as Ellen plots her next move. While Ellen is an amoral antihero, she is a fascinating character to follow, especially as her future comes under threat from a spurned lover. Featuring a protagonist who evokes thoughts of the women from Sex and the City mixed with Sharon Stone's character from Basic Instinct, the author's book offers a highly entertaining story with some excellent surprises along the way towards a fine conclusion.

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