Dalene Kurtis arrived in Los Angeles with a bang, but not the type she expected. Shortly before her photo shoot, the 23-year-old Apple Valley, California native found herself in a seven-car pileup on the freeway. 'My car was totaled and my life flashed before my eyes,' she says. 'Ever since then I've been really grateful for the good things in my life.' Dalene was driving home that day for her parents' anniversary in Bakersfield, California, where she grew up. 'Being an only child made me a stronger person, but I definitely want at least two kids someday,' she says. After graduating from high school and attending business college, Miss September worked for three years at an insurance agency before she tried modeling. A state semifinalist for both Hawaiian Tropic and Venus Swimwear, she moved to Los Angeles and worked as a Budweiser girl and landed other modeling gigs. She met Hef at a Playboy party in February. She says that she reminded him of Doris Day, and when you take another look at her sweet, fresh-faced good looks, Hef makes a persuasive point. She started seeing him soon after, joining his party posse at clubs such as Las Palmas, Barfly and Deep. She moved into the Mansion in May and this is, she says with a bit of wonder in her voice, the happiest time of her life. Dalene has dreamed of being a Playmate since she was 14, and she felt the tug of Hollywood from an early age as well. 'It's hard for me to think I'm actually going to be in Playboy, because I'm so critical of myself,' she says. It should come as no surprise that she is addicted to working out when she isn't taking acting classes. 'I'm a Scorpio, so I'm trustworthy, honest and determined. I've made some good choices recently and I want to keep that momentum going.' One look into her glistening green eyes and you know she will.