Finding Love for a Cynic Read Free Page A

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    Relishing the small reprieve, Delona quickly vacated her brother’s presence.  Stepping out of his office, a now familiar chill ran down her spine, causing her to shiver.  She quickened her steps to get away from what she knew was the source of her discomfort, but the eerie feeling followed her.  She chanced a quick glance over her shoulder.  As usual, Renee was giving her that creepy stare she always seemed to reserve specifically for her.  Those beady eyes of hers were so penetrating that Delona felt nothing short of being ex-rayed by the old Korean woman who worked as head assistant to Myron and Danny.  At least her interaction with the strange woman had been limited. Renee hadn’t been at her desk when Delona arrived that morning.
    “Good morning,” Delona tossed over her shoulder in an attempt to remain cordial.  There was no excuse for bad manners no matter how creeped-out one was.  Renee tilted her head forward slightly but continued staring at her in that habitual expressionless manner.  Delona let out a sigh of relief when she was far enough away to avoid any more polite conversation with the uptight woman.
    Avoiding the obstacle known as Renee hadn’t prevented her heart from pounding wildly in her chest at the thought of all the horrible things her brother could come up with to “straighten her out.”  She understood the need to subdue her expressions and had fleetingly considered Botox as an option.  But when he started dissing her clothes and hair, it served to do nothing short of royally pissing her off.  She took pride in having her own style.  Just because he wanted to blend didn’t mean she had to.
    Doing her best to shrug off the impact of Myron’s words and Renee’s evil stare, she met her assistant, Katie, at the elevator.
    “Good morning,” Katie sang as though it were Friday.
    Delona caught herself before her eyes and head started following Katie’s long blond ponytail as it swung back and forth when she walked, reminding her of a pendulum.  “Uggh,” she responded, pressing the elevator call button more times than necessary.
    “Yeah, I heard.  It’s going to be that kind of Monday for you, huh?”
    “To say the least.”  Delona could still feel the chill of Renee’s stare.  She looked in the woman’s direction once more.  Sure enough, Renee continued to eyeball her.  The elevator finally arrived, providing her the escape she needed to get out of the woman’s line of vision.
    “A little odd, isn’t she?” Katie stated.
    “Whatever do you mean?” Delona responded in an attempt to remain professional.  She had never cared much for gossip but was now even less appreciative of it since if often involved her.
    “Renee.  I saw the way she was looking at you.  She does it all the time.  I’d watch out for her if I were you.”  Katie leaned toward Delona, cupping her mouth as though someone might overhear her.  “Someone said they caught her watching gay porn the other day during her extended lunch break,” she whispered.
    That was way too much information as far as Delona was concerned, and it did little to alleviate the discomfort factor.  “You don’t really believe that, do you?” she asked, trying to put on an air of indifference.  Katie shrugged, a slight smile tugging at the corners of her pink lips.  Delona started to suspect that her bubbly assistant was messing with her head.
    Before she could inquire further, the doors of the elevator opened on their designated floor.  The two of them hurried down the hall to the photo studio, trying to make up for lost time, and knowing that Cara and her assistant, Ann, were waiting for them.  Picking the cover models for the various books they edited wasn’t Delona’s favorite task, but the devil of a deed had to be done.  Most of the models that auditioned were cool.  Those that didn’t make the cut one week usually did the next or the week after that.  That was the beauty of creativity.