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The Receptionist #1

Training the Receptionist

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It’s her naughty dream job—if they’re satisfied with her performance…

Eager to escape her miserable existence in Low-Life, Long Island, street-wise Dana Arthur jumps at an entry-level position with the consulting firm Cowell & Dirk. As her training period begins, she quickly discovers she’s required to do more than take messages and order office supplies. Her job description contains some deliciously naughty duties that give receptionist a whole new meaning.

Simon has almost given up on finding the right woman who will please his clients as well as his demanding partner and mentor, Ethan Cowell. No one measures up—until Dana. Her inner fire and fearless nature are perfect for the job. No matter what wicked punishment he devises to chastise her for her on-the-job mistakes, she accepts with a relish that leaves him wondering which one of them is really in control.

The last thing he expects to discover is that she’s a perfect sexual soul mate he can’t bear to share. But share he must—it’s part of his business agreement. Unless he makes Ethan the deal of a lifetime…

69 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 2, 2010

18 people are currently reading
700 people want to read

About the author

Juniper Bell

25 books123 followers
Juniper Bell is a multi-published author and avid fan of romance novels, the steamier the better. She lives with her sweetie in a cabin in Alaska with no running water and a spectacular view of glaciers. She wound up in the frozen north after leaving her career as a stressed-out Los Angeles TV writer. Luckily, her love for writing survived the move. When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with her family, traveling, shoveling snow, and dreaming about the day she moves to Hawaii.

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5 stars
160 (22%)
4 stars
217 (31%)
3 stars
206 (29%)
2 stars
78 (11%)
1 star
39 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
Profile Image for Maria Dimitrova.
748 reviews150 followers
January 12, 2016
DNF @ 55%
One of the stupidest things I've ever read. Period. Even this kind of books should make more sense.
Profile Image for Nisha.
788 reviews254 followers
November 7, 2011
This is an erotica turned mushy menage romance at the end, while reading like a bad fanfic. I'm a little embarrassed for reading it.

I'm not doing a summary as I usually do, instead I'm going to talk about the heroine, Dana. Dana's a girl from the wrong side of town, managing to put herself through community college and after months of being jobless, landing her a receptionist position at Cowell & Dirk. One would think readers would be able to relate to the heroine, but she's sorta trashy (her friends supposedly a full blown slut) and mostly dumb. She sounded like a 15 year old girl complaining about life and acting on her libido. This is why I thought I was reading a fanfic.

Simon was not much better. He started off as a Dominant voyeuristic business man and suddenly fell in love with Dana and all her fire (Where's this fire? What's so "special" about her?). Supposedly, he shares a lot of women with his business partner, Ethan Cowell and their clients, but with Dana, it's different, until he agrees to share only with Ethan. *facepalm* I guess that was a spoiler. Oh well, its not like its a big surprise - its a bdsm menage.

Anyway, I guess I can't say that this was a good read or anything, but the sex scenes were pretty hot. The sheer dumbness of the characters is what makes this book painful. So was the weird plot change at the end.
Profile Image for Ridley.
358 reviews361 followers
April 8, 2010
This erotic novella was buzzing along as a fabulous BDSM fantasy until the abrupt ending.

Dana Arthur desperately needs a job, so when Simon Dirk of Cowell & Dirk offers her the receptionist position after a 30-second interview, she takes it, despite having no clue what it is they do. As it turns out: they do receptionists.

Since Ethan Cowell is out of the country, Simon Dirk is running the show (but not American Idol, which kept popping in my mind. Wonder why...)and it's a kinky sort of show. Dana is shocked at first, but she's a tattooed thrill/pain junkie, so she figures she'll give it a go. The subsequent punishments, tasks and predicaments are as hot as they are unrealistic. Bell writes the sexual encounters well, avoiding play-by-play and providing a ton of head time.

It all goes kinda south when she brings Cowell, the senior partner, into the mix. The threesome was contrived and awkward, as was all the declarations of love between Dana and Simon. It's like she flipped a switch and all of a sudden we've gone from erotica to romance, and the tone change was disorienting.
Profile Image for NhaughtyV says Damn the Zon Save the Reviews .
1,290 reviews194 followers
August 1, 2011
This book will make ya laugh and tingle in all the naughty places ;) A big thanks to my gal pal Jess for recommending this series to me!! Luvs it!! If only my boss looked as hawt as Simon & Ethan rather than 'Hannibal the Cannibal'! LOL!

Dana is desperatley looking for a job to get out of her parents house. Resume in hand, she applies for the receptionsit position, and soon learns that 'receptionist' takes on an entirely different meaning at this firm!!

I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a hot, sexy read with a little kink and some humor ;)

Some fav scenes/quotes of mine:

"One minute I'd benn answering phones, the next minute I was coming in his office, with downtown spread out before me. An orgasm with a view. Go figure."

"We're survivors. We hide ourselves behind a bright, shiny surface, waiting for the one person who understands to find us."

"I gotta say, there are times when having a slutty best friend has its advantages."

"His lap looked like it was already occupied--by a giant boner. It pressed against his pants like a circus tent pole. Elephants could fit under there. A lion tamer and some flying trapeze artists. A dancing bear, or five."

"I'm not going to stop until you come so hard, you forget your name. Forget who you are. Where you are."

"I was squeezed between two hot hunks of flesh, two primitive animals who hungered for me, only me. I shuddered and cried hot tears. Tears of joy, of fear, of halleluiah, of a million different things."

Profile Image for Tess.
73 reviews
December 7, 2011
Lucky Dana. Unable to keep a job more than a couple of months, perpetually unemployed Dana Arthur has landed a job as the receptionist for Cowell & Dirk.
Dress Code: black teddies, corsets and no panties
Job Responsibilities: Answer telephone calls professionally while receiving mind blowing oral stimulation.
Reports to: hunky Simon Dirk with the mesmerizing green eyes and pirate's grin-with a body to die for.
Salary: Seriously?! who cares.

My only complaint is that the ending was too abrupt and Simon's reactions were a little puzzling at times. The author would have done better to combine these novellas into one book and just charge more, but I'd still recommend these as fun, smexy reads.
Profile Image for Elle.
732 reviews12 followers
May 27, 2011
This, *points at book cover image* is porn.

I'm not offended by porn, so I read it. But no, I could not read it while I was waiting for my friend by the fountain in the park...

In that it is porn, the story isn't crafted that well, but because it's porn I guess it doesn't matter. We're not reading it for the plot.

The ending was a bit ... odd. Maybe it needed to be expanded or something, it just felt like it had an entirely different flow from the rest of the story and I'm not convinced I really understand what happened and how things were resolved (not the physical how ... I'm very clear on that ... but the logical how).

So yeah: porn.
Profile Image for Willa Edwards.
Author 32 books29 followers
August 8, 2015
When I first started this book I was scepticial but I am now a believer. I am very impressed with Ms Bell's ability to make a book red hot and romantic even given the unusual situation of this book. I felt deeply for these characters. I grew to really care for these characters. I definitely recommend this book to any one who likes their reading extra spicy with a little bit of sweetness.
Profile Image for Lady Maria.
9 reviews
January 28, 2019
I liked this book.It is very short but it is well written,amusing and very interesting.After reading so many BDSM books it is refreshing to find one that could bring you back to beginning.This one made me laugh,and i recommend it to anyone who likes their reading spicy but light and with good story at the same time...
Profile Image for Crystal.
29 reviews
July 11, 2011
I have no words. There are no words. Well except for maybe "If that's what every threesome is like where do I sign up?!" Lmao jk but anyway yeah massive smut smut and more smut.
Profile Image for Rhenewal.
55 reviews
July 1, 2022
Smutty Goodness

Pure, smutty, goodness. Quick read, simple plot but enjoyable. Like the two main characters and am curious to get to know the third.
Profile Image for Christina.
422 reviews3 followers
Read
December 18, 2022
I’m not sure what star rating to give. But let’s just say this is hot with some trigger warnings probably needed.
Profile Image for Autumn Review.
1,023 reviews523 followers
November 3, 2012
Ok, so I got this series for review for an upcoming blog tour. I hadn't heard of them before and I honestly skimmed the description. (The tour is for the third book in the series and I will be posting my review for that one on my adult blog, Autumn After Dark, on November 6th.) Turns out, I was pleasantly surprised and really turned on!

While I was a bit confused as to what was happening at first, Simon and Dana don't mess around. They get down to business pretty fast. It is a short book, so I was happy to get to the smexy quickly. The chemistry they have together is pretty freaking hot. Then there's Ethan. Whoa Nelly. To me, he's even hotter than Simon. He's the owner and also business partners with Simon. Not only do they share the business, but they also share women. Dana is no exception.

Because of her strong feelings towards Simon, Dana is a bit reluctant to get involved in a threesome. Don't you worry though, Ethan changes her mind pretty quickly. IT WAS HOT! There is some BDSM at play here, but it wasn't anything extreme, in my opinion.

Boundaries are made and safe words established. Training the Receptionist was a fast read that left me anxious to start the second book. This book does involve mild BDSM, M/F/M, and M/M sexual content. If that's not your thing, you may not want to read this series.
Profile Image for Samantha.
67 reviews12 followers
February 19, 2014
The concept was good - It felt original which made it bearable to read. The writing switched tense more times than I change underwear. I liked that she was a bit of a different protagonist, but there were still parts of her personality I thought were quite cliché and I felt that the book would've been so much better if we'd known more about her backstory - so she grew up in Long Island and her mother abandoned her? Why cant we know the things surrounding her mum's departure, her fathers alchoholism?
The other thing that bothered me was the ménage scene. I love ménage, I cant get enough of it, but this one didn't feel very thought out. I can usually see when a writer puts a lot of effort into writing a scene where 3 people are having sex with each other and they have their needs and likes and I think that if she had stopped it or even that she couldn't do it would have added a really good twist to the story and made a really good cliffhanger to see what would happen with the relationship
21 reviews
September 3, 2012
Plot: 2 stars
Steam factor: 3 stars

Overall, this book was an ok for me. Hence i would give this book three stars.

Dana Arthur is just a girl looking for a job with a nice pay. That when she came upon a job as a receptionist for Cowell and Dirk company. She had to undergo a "training period" before being officially accepted.

The "training" was well.. HOT.Dana wicked tongue cause her plenty of punishments. There was lots of sexual tension in this book. The first thing that Simon gave her was actually a sexy lingerie ( and branded to top of) which look totally gooodd on her.

This book is about how Dana became a reception officially at cowell and dirk company.
Profile Image for Carole-Ann.
2,740 reviews89 followers
July 20, 2011
Dana Arthur is a street-wise New Yorker, desperate for a job, who applies for the Receptionist position at Cowell and Dirk, little knowing (or aware) of what will be required of her.

I had to chuckle all the way through this story because Dana is bright, sparky, blunt, and with come-backs which would make anyone laugh. Simon Dirk, her boss, requires more than the usual polite receptionist-type duties - he is a Dominant and wants Dana to 'receive' anything he needs her for: "A good good receptionist must be able to receive. Receive clients, receive phone calls, receive orders. Receive pleasure", and whooo does he demand!

A great short(ish) story!
Profile Image for Nicole.
Author 1 book154 followers
August 18, 2011
Very smutty, loved it. I probably wouldn't have been as happy with this one if there was not 2 follow-up books already done because as some of the reviewers already commented the ending is a little abrupt. However "Thanking the receptionist" is a nice little 30 or so page free read and then ""Restraining the receptionist" is a nice follow-up with more on Ethan. I really enjoyed these little shorts! Sexy and just enough story to make the characters likable and it not being just straight porn.
Profile Image for Cara Bristol.
Author 109 books941 followers
August 1, 2010
I read this entire book with a smile on my face. This is one of the best erotic romances I've ever read. First, it's well-written. Second, the main character is so well developed that she and the scenario are completely believable. Third, this book is both FUNNY and erotic. It was kick to read! Five stars all the way.
Profile Image for Melissa.
649 reviews66 followers
October 6, 2010
Um Okay did the author forget to write the ending???

It was going good until the ending which wasn't um a ending. I didn't get the HEA it felt more like a HFN *IMO*

I have a major issue with reading a 5+ star novel, it seems every few books after didn't leave me quite satisfied as it should..

Blah 2 - stars

Profile Image for SuperWendy.
1,114 reviews269 followers
October 28, 2013
Fun erotica that requires you to complete shut off your brain - because in real life? There's about 30 lawsuits waiting to happen in this story. Heroine with a dead-end life hires on as a receptionist for a firm that really wants her to go above and beyond. First book in a trilogy - I immediately purchased the next two after finishing this one.
Profile Image for Heather in FL.
2,063 reviews
June 19, 2011
This is wholly inappropriate for the workplace, but phew! I needed a cold shower! Simon was so yummy and commanding, yet so gentle and caring. Ethan? My opinion was still up in the air at the end of this one. But wow, they were all pretty hot together.
Profile Image for Charlene  Torres.
156 reviews35 followers
September 18, 2012


Geeez can I just say dream job. Pssh I'd pay them to hire me lol. Simon is all intense rawr yeah buddy. Dana is awesome too I love her kick ass attitude down to the piercings and tats she's awesome. The verdict is still out on Ethan.
Profile Image for Lisa Owens.
Author 6 books7 followers
January 31, 2015
Sizzling hot!!! I had read the short story Thanking the Receptionist, and I have been dying to catch up with this series ever since that very first novel. Couldn't put it down, two sexy men vying for the attention of their new receptionist? Can't wait to read the next one...
Profile Image for Boone Brux.
Author 45 books423 followers
May 10, 2010
I love Juniper's books. This one is hot hot hot. What a fun read.
Profile Image for Lisabet Sarai.
Author 181 books220 followers
December 22, 2010
I loved this book! Sassy, sexy and extremely well written! Dana's a strong character who proves that subs are not necessarily wimps.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews