Unexpected

Listened to a book today and it was NOT what I expected.  I'm glad it turned out to be a good book despite throwing me totally off balance.  I downloaded this book thinking it would be a typical romance- boy meets girl, they like each other, some minor obstacle threatens to keep them apart, they find their way together.  I enjoy these books on occasion- no thinking involved and they all live happily ever after.  Some of those elements were in this book, but the obstacles were not so minor. 

Dirty- Chapters 1-20
   Summary:
Elle Kavanagh meets a man in a candy store who takes her to a bar for drinks, walks her home, and that's it.  Doesn't ask her name, doesn't try to kiss her, doesn't try to get invited in.  But she suddenly can't stop thinking about him.  Elle works as a jr. vp of corporate accounting and presents as the “librarian” type.  Her only friend is a girl at work, Marcy, who fully believes the persona Elle presents.  In truth, Elle has had many, anonymous, discreet sexual partners.  It has been three years since the last time she had sex, but before that she actively pursued it.  Marcy encourages Elle to loosen up some and invites her to go to a bar with her and her new boyfriend, Wayne.  Elle avoids calls from her mother and has some obvious dislike towards her.  Her mother harasses her about her weight, about caring about her looks, about not having a husband, and about never visiting.  She asks Elle to take her to the cemetery; we don’t know why, but Elle doesn’t want to.  Elle makes plans to go to The Blue Swan with Marcy.  Gavin, Elle's 15 year old neighbor, comes over to help her do housework and borrow books from her.  Elle wonders about the conditions of Gavin's home life.  Elle talks to her younger brother Chad, who lives across the country with his boyfriend Luke, and tells him about their mother wanting Elle to take her to the cemetery.  Elle runs into the guy from the candy store while at The Blue Swan.  They reconnect and Elle learns his name is Dan Stewart; he gives Elle his business card and leaves.  When Elle calls him they make plans to meet for lunch.  After having sex Elle is quick to want to leave, but Dan wants to talk about her low expectations of him.  Elle tells Dan she doesn't date so he schedules an "appointment" with her.  Dan tries to kiss Elle but she says it is too intimate a gesture.  Dan says they can see each other without emotional attachment.  Elle tells Marcy about Dan; she encourages Elle to have fun.  Elle refuses to take her mother to the cemetery.  Dan gets more and more glimpses of Elle's intimacy issues.  Dan takes Elle to his class reunion to make an ex jealous- it works.  Elle shares with Dan she's had sex with 78 men and had only 1 boyfriend; and this bothers her.  Dan wonders if he should give up on Elle.  Elle's mother shares with her that her father is sick and she should visit; Elle doesn't want to.  Elle hears yelling at Gavin's house; she notices cuts on his arm when his shirt slips up.  Elle goes to a sex toy party at Marcy's and is happy to learn others are as limited in their knowledge of sex toys as she is.  Elle opens up some with Dan about why she's had so many sexual partners.  The two spend a lot more time together and Dan continues to try to get closer to Elle, but she resists.  She recognizing that feels differently for Dan than she has for any other man, but does not want it to be a strong emotional attachment.  Chad encourages Elle to explore her feelings for Dan.  Elle and her mom get into a fight over Elle's two brothers; Chad, who their mother won't talk about, and Andrew, who is dead and her mom blames Elle for it.  Elle says she wants to talk about them both and her mother refuses, telling her to just get over it.  Chad encourages Elle to talk to Dan about her past, or maybe a therapist.  Elle confronts Gavin about his cuts; he says his mom knows but doesn't care because she is too focused on her new boyfriend.  Elle opens up a little about a past relationship, but Dan knows there is more to the story and is upset Elle won't tell him.  Elle has an embarrassing moment at a meeting at work; then she gets an unexpected compliment from her boss.  Elle is confronted by Gavin's mom who accusing her of having an inappropriate relationship with Gavin; Elle is hurt.  Elle works at getting closer to Dan and not allowing her past to close her off to a good man.  Elle opens up to Dan about being sexually abused for 3 years; she does not tell him who it was.  Dan shares more of his feelings with Elle; she does not react well.  Elle's father dies and she has to go home for the service; it is the first time she has been in her parents house since she moved out; Dan goes with her.  She shares how her brother Andrew died.  Elle ends things with Dan because she doesn't feel she can make him happy.  Elle runs into her ex-boyfriend and we discover what happened to Elle that keeps her so emotionally shut off.  Elle seeks some help for her emotional state; and she has a confrontation with her mother; and she talks about the past with Chad.  Elle works on fixing relationships; she talks to Marcy after closing her out about Dan; she talks to Gavin's mom after Gavin gets hospitalized; she goes to see Gavin.  She finally tells Dan everything that happened with her, Chad, Andrew, and their parents.