CardsNeverLie Read Free Page B

fortune.”
    Jack grunted. “You want me to bribe her?”
    Rob shut his eyes. “It worked last time. And while you’re at
it, do what you must to dissuade Grandfather from selling, since I’m not there.
You’ve always been good with him.”
    “You mind putting that in writing? I could use
owner-management skills on my resume.”
    * * * * *
    “Brisa, I don’t know if I want to go through with this.”
Melanie focused on ironing the new yellow miniskirt she had just finished
hemming.
    “What can you do, cuz? If you quit your job the way I quit
mine they might not take you back. Not when you have a successor salivating in
the wings.” Brisa, sometimes known as Bombshell ever since her high school
cheerleading days, stretched out her long, lightly tanned legs on Melanie’s bed
and leaned back against the lavender Indian print pillows.
    Melanie shot a glance at her cousin. “Get your shoes off my
bed!”
    “Sorry, love.” Brisa kicked her sandals off and let them
drop to the floor. “Maybe this won’t be all bad. You can seduce ol’ tall, dark
and handsome and you won’t even have to change the sheets afterward.”
    “I’ll think about it,” Melanie said absently.
    “You’re backsliding,” Brisa announced. “I thought you had a
wild and crazy Melanie under development.”
    “It’s hard going with my job in trouble. I’m more likely to take
a whip to Tommy Joe than sleep with him,” Melanie muttered, tossing the skirt
into the open suitcase on the floor next to her.
    “Calm down,” Brisa laughed. “I guess those raunchy gifts
I’ve been buying for you from the company store are finally going to be used?”
    Melanie waved a hand, almost burning it on the iron. She
frowned and switched it off. “I had a tarot reading as a birthday present from
Jill. Madame Lois said my soul mate would be into S & M. Or something like
that.”
    Brisa put a manicured hand to her mouth. “You’re kidding!”
    “It’s not like I believe that stuff,” Melanie protested.
    “Maybe not, but think of the fun you could have.”
    Melanie rolled her eyes in Brisa’s direction. “I actually
bought a tarot deck yesterday, but I’m afraid to give myself a reading. Think
the Devil card would come up twice?”
    “If Tommy Joe isn’t your man, maybe it’s someone from
LeatherWorks. There’s this guy named Tim who’s kinda cute. And he’s definitely
a fan of our product line, judging from his leather and metal wardrobe.”
    “He sounds like just my type, Brisa,” Melanie said
sarcastically.
    “At least he’s the opposite of Gerald.” Brisa made Melanie’s
ex’s name sound like a pus-filled sore.
    “I’m past needing a man who’s twenty years older to hold my
hand. But I think your friend Tim is a little advanced for me. There’s wild and
then there’s unstable.”
    “There’s always the Whipmaster.” Brisa grinned.
    “Who?”
    “The Whipmaster is LeatherWorks’ owner. You’ve seen the ads,
right? But his grandson runs day-to-day operations now and he’s inherited the
nickname. He’s, oh,” Brisa considered. “About thirty, blond, movie star
handsome, deep dark eyes, great physique. But conservative, unlike Tim.”
    Even though the description didn’t match the one from her
reading, he still sounded scrumptious to Melanie, especially since she doubted
anyone truly conservative would run a sex toy company. “And with that hunk
around you still want to quit?”
    Brisa sighed. “I’m thinking I might not go back this time.”
    “Really? You’ve never said that before.” How was Brisa going
to take care of herself and her son Ethan?
    “I know.” Brisa turned over and tucked her chin into her
palm. “I might go back into hospital work.”
    Melanie folded a selection of bright, tight,
ready-for-mischief clothing and placed it in the suitcase. When Brisa quit her
job at Harborview Medical Center three years ago, she was so physically and
emotionally exhausted she swore she’d never go back. It